Bring It On! - Chapter 92

Chapter 92.

Whenever Suho fell asleep, Cha Yoon would show up like a ghost and knock on my door. The timing was so uncanny, I almost suspected he was spying on us from somewhere. No matter how hard I tried to block that sly fox from slipping into the house, it was useless.

“My side still hurts from where you hit me. I can’t sleep well because of the pain.”

…He’d say with those pitiful, downcast eyes, and before I knew it, I’d have him lying in my bed.

By the time the bruises had faded, I swore to myself I wouldn’t let him in anymore. Arms braced across the doorway, I stood firm. He covered his mouth lightly with his hand and turned his head. 

At first I thought he might be crying, but then I saw the corners of his lips curve in a quiet smile. As if mocking me. A faint irritation flared.

“This time, for real, you can’t come in! Go ba—”

Before I could finish, an arm wrapped around my waist. My feet left the ground, and the next thing I knew, I was swept up in his arms and hauled inside.

A sudden wave of dread struck me. I couldn’t just keep letting myself get tangled up with Cha Yoon. My last resort was to stop opening the door at all. 

When the knocks echoed softly through the house, I pretended not to hear, pulled the blanket over my head, and stayed in my room. 

Please, just go. But who could sleep knowing someone was standing out there in the cold? I tossed and turned until after 2 a.m.

Finally, I went to the living room, pulled the curtain back, and peeked out. He was still there, standing like a wooden totem in front of the door. 

The flickering streetlamp cast a dim glow on his shadowed profile. Each breath came out in a puff of white mist, and his dark, heavy gaze stayed fixed on the closed door. He didn’t look like he had any intention of leaving. I bit down hard on my lower lip. By 3 a.m., I gave in and opened the door.

That was just yesterday.

And today, as if it were nothing, he’d come again, bold as ever, and claim the center of the sofa like it was his own place. I heated a cup of warm water and sat beside him. 

Without a word, I glanced up at his face absorbed in the TV, then turned my gaze away.

On the screen, there was a scene of me running frantically toward Jay. My face was blurred, but it was obvious it was me.

Months had passed, but the urgency of that day still burned as if it were yesterday. Even through the TV, the chaos of the scene was palpable. 

To my surprise, Cha Yoon watched the whole program without complaint. I thought he’d scoff and change the channel or switch the TV off entirely.

Sip. As I drank, I felt his gaze. Turning, I found Jay looking at me with an unreadable expression.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

I frowned, not understanding.

“What was I supposed to say?”

“Harsh curses.”

“I mean, I always want to say those… but why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“Because it was my fault you got stranded. That yacht delivery.”

His eyes twisted slightly as he looked straight at me. His breath came out rough, scraping against my ears, like something heavy weighed on him.

Inside him, something was roiling. Guilt, maybe. But it was almost laughable that he’d only just realized the truth now. He hadn’t even tried the bare minimum to figure out who I was or what tied us together. 

Still, the time for disappointment had long passed. Even if he never learned the full story, it didn’t matter. After all, the real cause of my drifting had been a natural disaster. 

I didn’t want him to walk on eggshells around me over something that hadn’t even been intentional.

“It wasn’t because of you. I was just unlucky.”

“……”

“No, maybe not even unlucky. At first, when I washed ashore, it felt like hell, overwhelming and hopeless… but now, looking back, I think maybe it was a blessing in disguise.”

Because there, I’d met Jay and Suho. Irreplaceable bonds. They were the first to make me feel warmth, almost like family. Of course, I could only afford to think this way because I’d been rescued in the end.

I deliberately didn’t mention Jay by name again. If I did, Cha Yoon might fly off the handle, and I wasn’t in the mood. Still, he had sat through the whole program, watching Jay appear on screen without a word.

“Sun Woori.”

His voice was low as he called my name. The grim set of his face didn’t soften. I waited for him to continue, but instead, he rubbed his face with a heavy hand and exhaled long and slow. 

His eyes trembled with some deep unease. Whatever he wanted to say, fear kept him silent.

“If you called me, then say it.”

“You… how do you see m—”

He struggled to get the words out, but just then, a loud commercial blared. Cha Yoon snatched the remote and turned off the TV. Without even finishing his sentence, he stood up.

“I’m tired. I’ll turn in first.”

The way he walked toward my room looked more like fleeing.

Sip. I drained the rest of my water, staring at the closed door.

“He really thinks that’s his room.”

***

“Noona, noona!”

Suho’s voice seeped into the pitch-black depths of my unconscious. With a jolt, my heart plummeted, and I snapped my eyes open. As expected, Cha Yoon was fast asleep behind me, his arm wrapped tightly around my body.

What time is it?!

Suho’s voice boomed again, pounding on the door, calling for me.

“Uh, uh! Noona wake up!”

I shoved at the heavy leech clinging to me with my elbows and knees until I finally pried him off. Cha Yoon’s body flopped onto his back, sprawled out across the bed, his muscular chest bare in full view.

Why the hell is he still here? More importantly, why didn’t I hear the alarm?!

Frantically, I grabbed my phone. 9:11 a.m. A whole hour later than usual. My mind reeled. W-what do I do first? Should I hide Cha Yoon, still snoring away like nothing? 

Even the sound of his calm breathing grated on me. With an annoyed tug, I yanked the blanket up over his head.

“Noona!”

“Okay! I’m coming!”

First things first, get Sooho ready. At 10 sharp, he catches the academy bus at the edge of the neighborhood. I had to feed him and get him out the door by then.

“Why are you up so late?”

Suho, already fully dressed and ready, asked with a sulky tone. Lately, academy had become the highlight of his days, and the idea of being late made him visibly anxious.

“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went to bed late.”

“You always tell me to go to bed early.”

“……”

I had no excuse. Still, it wasn’t entirely my fault. I wanted to explain that some unwelcome intruder sneaks into my room every night and keeps me from sleeping but I couldn’t. I couldn’t let Suho and Cha Yoon meet, not when Cha Yoon didn’t even remember Jay.

Suho was only just adjusting to a new life after surviving his surgery. Every day, he’d search “Cha Yoon” online and ask when his hyung would finally come see him. 

And yet, the mere mention of Jay sent Cha Yoon into fits. There was no way I could let them face each other.

“Why’d you lock the door?”

“Really? Maybe the doorknob’s broken. I never locked it.”

I avoided Suho’s pitch-black gaze. My heart pounded so loudly, I was sure my lie would burst out of me.

“Suho, let’s eat first. We can’t be late.”

At the mention of being late, his suspicion eased.

“Noona, the rice cooker’s empty.”

“Ah. Right.”

I’d meant to cook earlier this morning, but completely forgot. Now it was too late to start a fresh batch. And it wasn’t just Suho, I had my own tutoring session that morning. I bit my lip, then crouched down to meet his eyes.

“Give me just five minutes. We’ll eat out today.”

I set him in front of the TV and rushed back to my room. Jay, no, Cha Yoon, was curled up under the blanket I’d thrown over him, still fast asleep.

I hurriedly washed my face and brushed my teeth, then changed clothes in a rush, not caring that he was still there. Waking him crossed my mind, but I didn’t have time to waste. 

He could leave on his own. I grabbed a coat without even checking which one and stepped outside.

“Let’s go!”

There was a snack shop near the bus stop. Watching Suho scrape every last grain of omurice from the plate, I felt like I was floating. 

How had I managed to get ready and sit here like this? Why hadn’t I heard the alarm? That had never happened before. Did I mess with something and turn it off by mistake?

I reached for my phone to check and gasped. I’d left it at home. I’d checked the time earlier, tossed it near my pillow, and completely forgotten it. 

Great. Just great. What a cursed morning. Pressing a hand to my forehead, I sighed. Suho stopped mid-sip of water to stare at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Sooho, how much money do you have on you?”

If I’d forgotten my phone, there was no way I’d remembered my wallet. Suho narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Seventeen thousand won.”

He hadn’t spent much of his allowance and had saved it carefully. I pursed my lips, then swallowed my pride.

“C-could you lend me some?”

Suho let out a deep sigh and handed me twelve thousand won for the meal. I took it with a heavy heart, then hesitantly added….

“Three thousand more… Noona needs bus fare.”