Chapter 19: Wood Morning
I woke up feeling as if a heavy sandbag had dropped straight onto my chest, completely cutting off my air supply.
Opening my eyes with a groggy blink, I found Yerin sitting right on top of my torso, grinning down at me with enough early-morning energy to power a small city. She held my shoulders, shaking me enthusiastically as if trying to wake the dead.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Yerin chirped brightly, leaning in closer, her dark eyes sparkling. When I just lay there staring up at her without saying a word, her triumphant grin faltered slightly. "Hey, I said good morning! Aren’t you going to answer your favorite cousin?"
"I... can’t... breathe," I managed to choke out, feebly tapping her knee with my hand. "You’re sitting directly on my lungs."
"Oops!" Yerin giggled, instantly scrambling off my chest and landing lightly on her feet beside the couch like an agile cat. "My bad! You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t help myself."
I sat up slowly, rubbing my ribs as I took a deep, greedy breath of air. But as my mind cleared from the fog of sleep, I couldn’t help feeling a little conflicted about the whole situation.
Having her sit directly on me meant I’d felt the soft warmth of her thighs against my torso, and it definitely hadn’t helped my body’s natural morning state. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have noticed anything.
To make matters worse, she’d somehow raided my closet while I was asleep and changed into one of my oversized grey hoodies. It completely swallowed her small frame, the hem reaching down to her mid-thigh and hiding her shorts, making her look ridiculously cute and comfortable.
When I stared at her for a second too long, Yerin pulled the sleeves over her hands until only her fingers peeked out, flashing a mischievous, proud smile. "Borrowed it from your closet! Hope you don’t mind."
"Sigh... do as you please," I muttered, shaking my head as I looked away to hide the warmth creeping up my neck.
She really was far too attractive for her own good, especially bouncing around in my oversized clothes like it was the most natural thing in the world. Shaking my head to clear my lingering thoughts, I pushed myself off the couch and headed for the bathroom to wash up and handle some important business.
"Seth, wait!" Yerin called out, taking a quick step forward and holding her hand out toward me. "Can I borrow your phone for a minute? I forgot where I left mine last night and I need to make a quick call."
"Sure," I said, picking up my new phone from the nightstand, unlocking it with a quick glance, and handing it over without thinking twice.
It wasn’t like I had anything secret, scandalous, or weird on there anyway. At most, she’d find a few old photos from my orphanage days or my neglected social media accounts. What was the worst she could possibly find?
’Incognito exists for a reason.’
I went into the bathroom to freshen up, brushing my teeth, splashing cold water on my face, and fixing my hair in the mirror. When I stepped back into the bedroom a few minutes later, I found Yerin sitting comfortably on the edge of my bed, her legs swinging back and forth as her thumb flew across my phone screen.
The second she noticed me, she jumped to her feet, holding the glowing screen toward me with a bright, triumphant grin. "I really like your Insta feed! You used to post some really funny food pics from your old restaurant shifts."
I stood by the bathroom door, completely speechless for a solid five seconds. I hadn’t minded giving her the phone to make a call, but I definitely hadn’t expected her to casually scroll through my entire digital history like it was the morning newspaper.
I was slowly coming to the realization that the concept of personal space simply didn’t exist for this woman. Strangely enough, looking at her cheerful, completely unbothered expression, I found that I didn’t actually mind her barging into my life like this.
"Glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane," I said with a faint smile. "I’m heading to the gym for a quick morning workout. Want to come along?"
Yerin wrinkled her nose, waving a dismissive hand. "Nah, I don’t feel like going out right now. If people or reporters spot me on the street, it’s going to turn into a whole crazy scene."
"I meant the gym inside the mansion," I said with a quiet chuckle. "It’s on the lower floor."
Yerin’s dark eyes lit up, her entire posture straightening. "Oh! Well, why didn’t you say so?!" She grabbed my wrist with surprising speed and practically dragged me out of the bedroom into the hallway.
Outside in the carpeted corridor, Val was already sitting quietly on her chair near my door, looking fully awake and alert. The moment she saw the two of us step out, she stood up smoothly and bowed her head. She shot Yerin a slightly puzzled glance, probably noticing my oversized hoodie swallowing the global pop star whole, but maintained her professional composure and didn’t say a word.
"Valerie, perfect timing! You’re coming too!" Yerin declared without giving her a chance to object, grabbing Val’s arm with her free hand and pulling us both down the wide hallway.
She marched us forward with supreme confidence, leading the way for about twenty paces before coming to a dead stop in the middle of a grand archway. She blinked, looking left and right at the identical polished marble corridors with a blank expression.
I couldn’t hold back a laugh, crossing my arms as I leaned against the wall. "Don’t tell me... you have absolutely no idea where the gym actually is, do you, oh mighty empress?"
Yerin puffed out her cheeks in a dramatically cute pout, glaring up at me with mock annoyance. "I was just testing your sense of direction! Lead the way, Young Master."
I shrugged, offering her a dry smirk. "I don’t know the way either."
For some strange reason, that admission made Yerin burst into a delighted giggle. "Ha! Perfect! So we’re both completely lost in our own house!"