No Strings Attached

CHAPTER 2: D-0

For a moment, her expression shifted—only a fraction.

Not surprised.
Not annoyed.
But... curious.

Jaehyun had walked through a security system meant to keep out everyone who wasn't Baek family.

And he did it like it was nothing.

Her phone buzzed again.

She didn't open it yet.

Instead, she whispered to the empty room, the faintest thread of irritation—or interest—threading her voice:

"...Impossible."

But she still reached for the phone.

The gate clicked shut behind Baek Yerin, and the two guards stood frozen in the cold night air, both staring at the street where Kang Jaehyun had just casually walked away as if slipping past elite private security was nothing.

One guard exhaled first.

"...Did we just let him in?"

The other guard rubbed the back of his neck, still confused. "We didn't let him in. He walked in. There's a difference."

"Are we—" the first guard lowered his voice, "—in trouble?"

"Absolutely," the second one said immediately. "One hundred percent. If the chairman finds out someone bypassed us—"

"Ya, but how did he do it?" the first whispered. "We checked the gates. There's no record. No car. No code. We didn't even hear footsteps."

They both looked back at the path Jaehyun had walked.

The second guard muttered, "He just... talked. Who even is that kid?"

"Apparently someone the young miss listens to." The first guard shuddered. "Did you see her? She never opens the gate herself. Ever."

A beat of silence.

Then—
"Should we report it?"

The other guard answered immediately, "Are you crazy? You want to be fired tonight? We report that and the chairman thinks we fell asleep. We say nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing happened."

"Right."

"Right."

A longer silence. Then—

"...But seriously, how did he get in?"

The other guard muttered, "No idea. But I hope he doesn't come back."

The house was warm, almost too warm compared to the cold outside. Yerin closed her door with a soft click, leaning back against it for exactly one second before moving again.

Her hoodie was still on.
Her hair slightly mussed from the wind.
Her heartbeat annoyingly steady — even after the phone call, even after the way he appeared at her house like it was the easiest thing in the world.

She went to her desk, sat down, and finally picked up her phone.

On the screen was a single unread message.

Jaehyun:
Outside. Now.

And the one she had sent earlier:

Yerin:
How did you get my number?

No response yet.

She stared at the screen for a long moment, fingers hovering. Then she typed again:

Yerin:
And how did you get past the guards?
They're instructed to deny entry without direct permission.