MERRY 19

I understood immediately what he meant. Sex. Instinctively, I glanced at the space between Liam’s legs. Then, I shifted my gaze to my own body. Even if there were no signs of it yet, I’d get turned on if touched. That’s just how the human body is built.

The heat I had forgotten about began to resurface, but I didn’t feel moved. I didn’t even think, “Should I?” I like sex, and if sex had an ego, it would surely like me back—strange, isn’t it?

“No. I’m just going to wash up.”

I turned on the bathroom light and stepped inside. Liam, who caught the shirt I tossed at him, shook the book in his other hand.

“This sounds like an excuse, but the book says, ‘One easy way to overcome a crisis is to escape into other intense stimuli.'”

“No matter how I look at it, that book is a dud. Don’t do that—just ask me if you have a problem.”

I gave an arrogant shrug and closed the bathroom door. After stripping the rest of my clothes, I stood before the sink and faced myself in the mirror. My handsome face—the one the reporter praised so much in the column (even if it was just bait to bite me later)—suddenly felt underhanded because of the dark thoughts swirling inside me.

Because I wasn’t just planning to wash up. This act had a mischievous intent.

I was digging a hole and setting a trap to provoke Ethan. If visiting Liam’s house was Step 1, what I was cooking up now was about Step 3 in intensity. Whether a pathetic trick like this would work on him remained to be seen.

I looked away from my sneering reflection and stepped into the shower stall. When I turned on the showerhead above, a strong stream of water hit my hair, which was stiff with styling spray. I rinsed my hair, which felt as brittle as dry rice straw, as if I were doing laundry, and scrubbed my whole body with fragrant suds. Even with a foul motive, washing up did feel refreshing.

When I walked out with a towel wrapped around my waist, a pair of underwear was sitting lonely on the table.

“Lend me a T-shirt.”

“Anyone watching would think I’m your personal storage unit.”

Liam grumbled, but he tossed a T-shirt down from the second floor anyway.

“No need to return it.”

“I’ll make sure to come back to return it.”

“God, you never listen, do you?”

I dried my skin and put the clothes on. I looked impeccably clean, as if advertising that I’d just showered.

“Liam. I’m heading out.”

When I tapped the stair railing, Liam sat on it and slid down like it was a playground slide.

“I really hope you realize by now that my house isn’t a rest stop.”

“See you this weekend. I’ll tell Noah that you decided to join us.”

I lightly brushed my lips against his left jaw and pulled away.

“Save the affection for your manager.”

“I don’t do that with him.”

“Anyway, make up with him. Or fire him.”

“Bye. Goodnight.”

Ignoring the advice, I walked out with a light step. The scene outside was blanketed in the tidy darkness typical of a luxury residential area.

Running a hand through my damp hair, I crossed the street and went to Ethan’s car. Seeing the passenger window slightly open, I asked him:

“Are you taking me home?”

As I leaned down, the window lowered further. Ethan’s rigid profile traced a sharp silhouette in the darkness. He kept his eyes forward as if driving, a dry look on his face.

“I thought you were staying the night in the car.”

His casual remark was laced with fatigue. I think I heard him let out a small sigh, too.

“If you don’t take me, I’ll take it as jealousy.”

I clenched the hand that almost reached out to him into a fist and made my move. If I had a smaller frame, I would have climbed through the window into the car, but shoving one shoulder and my head in was the best I could do.

A moment later, the car unlocked. Let’s not mention that I’d take it as jealousy even if he did take me home.

“You look sleepy. Should I bring you something to wake you up? If I rummage through Liam’s place, maybe…”

“Forget it. Just get in.”

Like a dog shaking off wet fur, I shook my damp hair and sat in the passenger seat. Brushing back the bangs falling over my forehead, I checked my reflection in the side mirror and rolled up the window. I let my guard down, thinking Ethan would keep staring forward, but the moment I turned my head, our eyes met. I flinched, while he remained composed.

“You’re the one who got caught peeking. Not me.”

“I wasn’t peeking.”

So that’s why he sounded so honorable. An honorable stalker. A chuckle leaked out at the bizarre combination. Pressing my twitching lips together, I met Ethan’s gaze.

He slipped a finger under his glasses and pressed against the corners of his eyes. He was touching below his eyes, but his eyebrows flickered. I felt a surge of joy, sensing a hint of annoyance mixed with his exhaustion.

“Those clothes…”

“Sharp eye. I borrowed them.”

I should have played it cool, but I was so excited I answered too quickly. Still, since Ethan had grasped my situation, the plan was a success in its own way.

“Borrowed them.”

I gave a subtle smile to the man who repeated my words like a parrot. I wished some kind of emotion would show in the gaze that met mine again after he moved his hand. But Ethan skillfully withdrew even the slight annoyance he’d let slip and showed no sign of anything. His expressionless face was like armor, and his glasses felt like an iron wall.

I decided to retreat for now to make a bigger advance later and leaned my back comfortably against the seat. Ethan’s car went beyond being pleasant; it smelled good. Usually, a stalker would be too busy with background checks to even save time for washing, but he was different.

Is it really thanks to the helper? The mysterious figure I’d spotted in the dark suddenly came to mind, piquing my curiosity. I tried to create tension with silence, but my mouth was itching, and I couldn’t stand it.

“Who was that person you met earlier? The colleague you said lent you the car last time?”

I asked in the most nonchalant tone possible, finding a middle ground between my clashing thoughts. To my disappointment, what Ethan gave me back was silence. He built an invisible iron wall to shut out my voice and started the car.

It was only natural for my mood to sour because of his attitude—shutting his mouth even to a simple question that he could have just confirmed if true or denied if false. Thanks to that, my emotions were all over the place, going up and down like crazy.

“I saw by chance. I was looking out the window for a second and saw you with someone—it doesn’t mean anything, just asking.”

The words I muttered like an excuse made me feel pathetic. But if I shut my mouth just like him, I felt even more twisted inside. You have a mountain of information about me, so why is everything about you a secret? Even by a loose calculation, the math just didn’t add up.

“Is there even anything you can tell me?”

I asked sullenly and leaned the side of my head against the window. I resolved to keep this posture until we reached home, even if my neck got stiff—I swore I wouldn’t look at Ethan… but that resolution crumbled soon enough. Because the one thing he said was so powerful.

“I was displeased. Seeing you stuck to Liam Dalton, flirting.”

Ethan’s quiet voice rang as loud as a shout using my ears as a megaphone, then it carved itself into my eardrums. His monotone delivery felt like the balance between composure and displeasure was right on the verge of breaking. It sounded like he was especially chewing over Liam’s name—was I just imagining it?

I had to put effort into stopping the corners of my mouth from curling up. It was a relief the engine sound would hide my heartbeat. Carefully monitoring myself so that my change in mood wouldn’t leak out, I sat back in a comfortable position.

Pretending to flirt with Liam, and putting on an air like I’d just come out from an affair—even going so far as to shower on purpose—it was all a trick, and he’d walked right into it. He must have been agitated enough to lose his judgment, just like when we almost had that car accident.

The high-and-mighty man had finally fallen. The sense of achievement from having him dance to my tune brought a wave of exhilaration.

‘I was displeased.’

As I saved Ethan’s comment in my brain and replayed it over and over, the exhilaration swelled like a snowball rolling down a hill. Barely managing to control the heat boiling in my chest, I offered some elegant advice.

“Try being that honest all the time.”

Then, maybe we could actually communicate. Ethan was the one who truly deserved to face me, realizing we breathe the same air and exist in the same world, rather than drifting around like some unknown being from another planet. If he wanted to enjoy the luck of getting along with the person he was stalking, that’s exactly what he should do.

What do you think he’ll say to that? I wonder if he’ll keep being a “bad guy” or if I can finally get a real answer out of him.