Bring It On! - Chapter 81

Chapter 81.

It didn’t even take thirty minutes to cut my hair.

When I stepped out of the salon, I couldn’t believe how light my head felt. How had I lived all this time carrying something that heavy? I hadn’t realized it while I was growing it out, but now that it was cropped short, the sense of freedom was overwhelming.

All throughout the taxi ride, my phone kept ringing. Of course, it was Cha Yoon. He didn’t seem to tire, calling and calling so persistently that my phone battery was nearly drained. 

I finally just turned the power off and leaned my head against the car window. The day had passed in such a blur that I didn’t even know how it had gone by. My body was exhausted, and my heart felt even heavier than my body.

As soon as I got out of the taxi, Cha Yoon’s employees hurried to open the door for me as though they had been waiting. The way they guided me felt unusually tense and urgent. 

Normally, they would at least exchange a light greeting, but now they didn’t say a word. If I spoke, they would reply, but they seemed too distracted, so I decided to just follow in silence.

“Go on up.”

At the urging tone, my steps unconsciously quickened, though I didn’t know why. Was Cha Yoon angry? 

Watching his employees’ stiff demeanor, the thought naturally came to me. When he had briefly called me from the hospital earlier, his voice hadn’t sounded particularly angry.

Well, maybe a little irritated, but compared to the hypersensitive side of him I’d faced back at the hospital, that had been nothing. Back then, every word that came out of his mouth had been laced with frost sharp enough to freeze the listener in place.

Even when I stood before his bedroom door, for some reason, my hand wouldn’t reach for the doorknob. The thought that he was right behind that door reminded me of the fact that I had slept with him last night. 

With him, not Jay. My memories of the moments before our bodies tangled were hazy, but there was one that stood out clearly.

“Stay with me.”

It hadn’t been him but me who had seduced him first. God, was I out of my mind? Embarrassment and regret rushed in all at once. My cheeks burned, and I pressed my palm against them before pulling it away.

And it was his first time, too.

A casual one-night stand might fade with time, but a first time…. Those memories stick in the brain until the coffin lid closes. Just like I still remembered the first time with Jay so vividly.

“……”

A creeping sense of crisis took hold of me like I had done something irreversible. But the saving grace was that Cha Yoon wasn’t the kind of man to cling to me over a single night in bed, demanding responsibility. 

Quite the opposite,he was the type to draw a line, saying, ‘Don’t assign this any meaning.’

Jay had badgered me endlessly for my thoughts on our first time, but Cha Yoon… I figured he would be different. That thought eased my discomfort somewhat.

‘It’s fine.’

I reassured myself and opened the door.

“How does it feel, screwing a virgin and running off?”

The words flew at me the instant the door opened, freezing me in place.

“Fuck, I lay naked in your cold, empty spot waiting just for you. If I’d known how miserable it’d feel to be fucked and tossed aside, I would’ve nailed the damn door shut so you couldn’t leave.”

My assumption was dead wrong.

The moment his eyes fell on me, Chay Yon, perched on the bed, came at me with terrifying force. Instinctively, I backed away, but my back hit the hard door. 

His dark, oppressive shadow loomed over my face. It almost looked like there was dampness at the corners of his eyes.

“Uh… um. Did you… cry?”

“Almost. Waking up alone felt like shit.”

So much for him not being clingy. He was just as bad as Jay. I couldn’t meet his gaze, my eyes darting everywhere. Meanwhile, Cha Yoon tilted his head slightly.

“What are you—mph.”

Smack. Our lips brushed lightly before parting. His narrowed eyes hovered right in front of mine, and with a scowl of discontent, he pressed his mouth to mine again.

His soft lips captured mine briefly before pulling back. The heat of his higher body temperature lingered faintly on my lips. 

His gaze studied my expression obsessively. His eyes, his warmth, his breath, the very atmosphere around him. Everything about him made me uncomfortable. My toes curled oddly, retreating deeper into my slippers.

When he leaned in again, I pressed a hand to his chest.

“…Don’t.”

“Why.”

Smooch. Ignoring me, Cha Yoon pressed his lips firmly against the corner of my mouth.

“We’re not… that kind of relationship.”

I swallowed carefully and met his gaze. His eyes narrowed. With a short, derisive laugh, he asked.

“Does it feel like cheating again? Sounds fun. Enjoy it.”

“……”

“You won’t be seeing your boyfriend again till he’s dead, anyway.”

At his near-certain words, my fingertips twitched. Cha Yoon had mocked me deliberately, just to gauge my reaction. Ever since I’d started recognizing him as Cha Yoon rather than mistaking him for Jay, his behavior seemed oddly twisted. 

We might have shared a bed once, but we weren’t anywhere near close enough for this kind of intimate skinship.

And even now, this kiss didn’t feel affectionate. It felt like he was venting his warped feelings. Had something in my attitude offended him? Wasn’t it what he wanted, for me to see him as Cha Yoon?

I exhaled sharply and shoved him back with force.

“Move.”

When I gave no further reaction, one of his eyebrows twitched upward but that was all. Mentioning Jay to provoke me seemed to have lost its charm already. Instead, he traced a finger lightly along my exposed neck.

“You cut your hair.”

“…It was getting in the way.”

“Now your neckline shows.”

“So what.”

“Be careful. Don’t go flaunting it around everywhere.”

His solid arm shot out like a snake and suddenly wrapped tightly around my waist. In an instant, my body was pulled forward as if I were being embraced in his arms.

“Ugh!”

A searing pain stung my neck as if burned by fire. His soft hair brushed against my cheek. Then, the vivid sound of sucking rang right in my ear, and my legs went weak in shock. 

Startled, I smacked his shoulder hard, and Cha Yoon finally pulled back without resistance.

“Don’t go seducing guys like me.”

He licked his lips and grinned mischievously. I rubbed my sore neck with the back of my hand and glared at him.

“Why did you bite me!”

“Guess you’re sulking ‘cause you got dumped by someone.”

“I went to the hospital. You already knew that!”

“Then why didn’t you answer my calls? Is watching me go insane your hobby?”

“If people went insane from missing one call, the whole world would be crazy.”

“One call?”

“…I was busy.”

“You’re seriously so damn indifferent. Never think about how hurt I might be. Or wait, are you trying to play push and pull with me?”

“Why would I play games like that with you?”

Cha Yoon lifted the corner of his lips while rubbing his thick brows.

“You’re right, but why does that piss me off so much?”

His mouth smiled, but his eyes glinted coldly. He really was angry. He was pretending to act smooth and playful, but every move he’d made since stepping into this room betrayed his temper. 

He wasn’t being openly harsh as before. Instead, he was scratching at me in a subtler, sharper way.

“…Sorry I didn’t pick up. I was overwhelmed because of Suho’s surgery.”

“That’s why I took care of it for you.”

I looked up at him, eyes slightly wide. I had thought it was strange how quickly the consent form and surgery payment had been processed. 

Could it have been because I hadn’t answered him? I hadn’t realized he was this sensitive about being ignored. He always ignored the constant vibrations from his own phone without blinking an eye, but when it came to himself being ignored, he couldn’t stand it. Truly, an astonishing temperament.

“Just curse me out instead.”

He said that suddenly.

“W–what?”

“I can see you swearing at me with your eyes.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again. Sharp bastard. I cleared my throat with an awkward cough.

“…Anyway, thanks for helping with the surgery.”

“Think about it, I’m ridiculously nice. You ditched me, but I still paid for you. Right?”

“…I’ll pay you back.”

“You’ve only got three grand in your account. If you use it all for surgery, what money will you use to buy yourself snacks?”

“….”

I was at a loss for words, momentarily dumbfounded. How the hell did he know my bank balance? It was even more shocking than when a classmate in elementary school showed me the “detachable thumb” trick. But if it was Cha Yoon, digging up my bank info was probably nothing.

“…I’ll pay you back.”

“Do as you like.”

His reply was flat and concise. I nodded and slipped out of his arms.

“Where are you going?”

As I turned my back, his voice followed immediately.

“To wash up. Aren’t you going to sleep?”

The bathroom I used was at the end of the second-floor hallway.

“Mm.”

His expression at my answer was odd. He fell silent as if thinking for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

“Then why’d you come here?”

“…Huh?”

“If you were just going to wash up, you could’ve gone straight there. Why’d you open my door?”

I frowned at the question I couldn’t make sense of.

“Because…”

“To see me?”

“…”

“To check if I was crying?”

His low voice carried a faint smile. The truth was, I had dropped by to check how he was doing. But it wasn’t because I thought he’d be crying. 

Honestly, it was more that the house staff had nagged me to go upstairs, so I came in almost on impulse. Still, I felt like if I denied it now, he would truly get angry.

“…Something like that.”

“Right.”

I left the bedroom and headed for the bathroom. Even as I showered, thoughts of Cha Yoon wouldn’t leave my mind. No matter how I tried to push them away, it was impossible.

“Ah!”

Every time water touched the spot he had bitten, a stinging pain spread, and his face flashed in my mind. Only after turning off the shower did I realize. I’d let myself get played by him, perfectly.

***

Looking back on my life, I’ve never really enjoyed cultural activities. Sure, I’d gone to the cinema for school assignments or accompanied my parents to premieres, but I’d never chosen a movie I wanted to see and gone on my own.

Forget amusement parks. Even at stationery shops, I never had the memory of carefully picking out cute little fancy items to share with friends.

Now, at twenty-six, standing inside a bookstore, I finally realized that. The massive store was filled with that unique paper scent of books. There were so many people, yet strangely, it didn’t feel noisy or chaotic.

I had only come to buy Suho’s study workbooks, but I’d stumbled on a realization I hadn’t needed. Still, rather than feeling sad about what I had missed, I found myself more delighted with the present.

Browsing the children’s corner, I found every book so pretty and engaging that I wanted to buy them all. After some time, I chose two suitable vocabulary workbooks.

On my way to the cashier, one particular book caught my eyes sharply. I abruptly changed course and grabbed it.

The Shaman’s Guide to Real Possessions

The black cover had blood-red letters scrawled across it like dripping gore.

“…Isn’t there a way to possess someone who’s already alive?”