Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════
The phone call bothered her the next morning. Luckily, it was Saturday and she was free. She had been staring at the plain ceiling since she awoke until midday, worried that the book might be cursed.
The beeping from the living room brought her thoughts to a halt. A rustling noise from plastic bags alerted her to the fact that her brother, who had come to visit, had brought something.
"Noona, are you awake?" she heard her brother shout. "Come out quick!"
"Yes, yes! I'm coming." She grabbed a random hairband and pulled her straight, chest-length hair into a loose bun. As soon as she exited the bedroom, she went to the counter table and discovered her brother removing groceries from plastic bags. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"You've got four eyes. Use them properly, noona."
Hye-ryeong scowled at Beomgyu, murmuring hushed curses. "I mean, what are these for?" said the older sister. "I've got enough food in the fridge."
"For us to eat," Beomgyu said.
"And mom?"
"Mom won't be at home for the next three days. She went to Busan to visit Aunt Mira."
She just nodded, fully aware that their aunt in Busan had been sick. "What would you like to eat?" she asked.
"Let's just eat ramen," Beomgyu said, squinting his eyes. "You've only just gotten out of bed, you're still stinking, and I'm too lazy to help you with the dishes."
Hye-ryeong jokingly threw her fist at him in response to the tease.
While Beomgyu was preparing the ramen, Hye-ryeong went to wash herself. She brushed her teeth, shampooed her hair, scrubbed her body, and washed her face. She walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and a small towel on her head. Her eyes widened as she shut the door behind her and found a stranger in a brown suit sitting on her bed, holding the novel she had bought the day before.
She screamed.
On the other hand, the man became agitated. He tried to keep her quiet and avoid whatever was thrown at him. "I mean no harm," he exclaimed.
"You pervert!" She continued to throw things at the man. "Beomgyu-yah!"
Beomgyu rushed into the room, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at his sister. "What happened?"
