When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

Chapter 59

The moment Cheonga stepped into the apartment, the warmth of home wrapped around her like a familiar blanket. The soft hum of the television played in the background, a distant news anchor droning about politics or economy-something her father never actually paid attention to but kept on just to fill the silence.

And there he was, sitting comfortably on the couch, one leg propped up on the coffee table, looking far too relaxed for someone who had been waiting for her.

"You're late," her father said, not even glancing up from the cup of tea in his hands.

Cheonga sighed, dropping her bag by the door as she toed off her shoes. "I was just walking around a bit."

Her father finally looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Walking around? At this hour?"

She hesitated. If she said yes, he'd start one of his lectures. If she said no, he'd just keep staring at her like she was a bad liar-which, admittedly, she was.

"...Sort of?"

"Sort of," he repeated, shaking his head as he leaned back against the couch. "Next thing I know, you'll be telling me you joined a street gang or something."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, totally. I'm their leader now."

He grinned. "I knew you had it in you."

Cheonga laughed softly, moving to sit on the armrest of the couch, nudging his shoulder lightly. "I'm serious. I was just... taking a different route home."

Her father studied her for a second, eyes narrowing slightly as if he could read the thoughts forming in her head. Cheonga looked away, pretending to be very interested in the remote lying on the table.

"So," she started, trying to sound casual, "hypothetically speaking... if I wanted to go somewhere after school... you wouldn't not let me, right?"

Her father's eyes widened slightly before narrowing in suspicion. "Depends."

"On...?"

"On where you're going, who you're going with, and if you're planning to commit a crime while you're at it."

She sighed dramatically. "It's nothing like that."

"Uh-huh." He took a slow sip of his tea, drawing out the silence before finally asking, "Who are you trying to meet?"

"Nobody," she said a little too quickly.

He smirked. "So, nobody is important enough for you to ask me this indirectly?"

Cheonga groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "Just forget it."

"No, no, this is fun. I want to hear your genius plan." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Let me guess-you want to sneak out and meet a certain someone, but you also don't want me to know who that certain someone is, because you think I'll say no?"

"...You would say no."

Her father gasped, pressing a hand dramatically to his chest. "Do you think I'm some kind of tyrant? A dictator? A heartless old man who locks his daughter away from happiness?"

"Yes."

He snorted. "Wow. Okay."

She grinned, but it quickly disappeared when he continued, "Well, you definitely can't go out at night."

"What-why not?"

"Because it's night," he said as if that explained everything. "It's dark, dangerous, and full of weirdos. You want to get kidnapped? No? Then you stay home."