Chapter 7: The First Warmth
894 Words
Saturday mornings in the mansion were the quietest.
The staff moved like shadows, their steps hushed against the marble floors. Mirae padded down the hall in her socks, hoodie zipped tight, trying not to draw attention as she slipped into the kitchen. The room was larger than her entire old apartment, with shining steel counters and cupboards lined with china she didn’t dare touch.
She thought she was alone until she saw someone crouched by the refrigerator.
“Ah—sorry,” Mirae blurted before she could stop herself.
The boy straightened, holding a carton of milk in one hand. Jin Harim blinked at her, then smiled in that easy, sunny way that made the room feel smaller, warmer.
“Mirae-yah.” He said her name like they were already friends. “I was looking for yogurt. Guess this house is too big. Took me ten minutes just to find the fridge.”
Mirae hesitated. “You… live here too?”
“Not exactly. But my parents are always busy, so I end up here a lot. Joonseo-hyung lets me crash after training sometimes.” He tilted his head, still smiling. “Guess that makes us housemates, huh?”
She lowered her eyes, fidgeting with her sleeve. “I didn’t know.”
“Well, now you do.” He opened the milk and poured it into a glass, then glanced at her hoodie. “Hungry?”
Her stomach gave a small, traitorous growl. She flushed.
Harim chuckled softly. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Before she could protest, he moved around the kitchen with the confidence of someone who’d done it a hundred times. He pulled eggs from the fridge, rice from a cupboard, and a frying pan from the rack. Mirae stood frozen as he cracked eggs and stirred them into golden scrambled ribbons. The scent filled the room, warm and familiar, nothing like the polished meals the mansion’s chefs prepared.
“You don’t have to—”
“I know,” he interrupted lightly. “But I want to.”
Her chest tightened. He’d said those words before, back in the cafeteria. They sounded different from Rihan’s calm certainty. Softer. Real.
When he set the bowl in front of her, she stared at it for a moment, then picked up the spoon. The first bite tasted like home — simple, warm, unpretentious. Tears pricked her eyes before she could stop them.
She ducked her head, hoping he didn’t notice.
But Harim’s voice was quiet, almost gentle. “You miss it, don’t you?”
Her hand stilled. “…Miss what?”
“Your old life. Before all of this.”
Mirae swallowed hard. The taste of eggs turned heavy in her mouth. “It wasn’t… much. But it was mine.”
Harim leaned his chin on his palm, watching her carefully. “You’re still you, Mirae-yah. Hoodie and all.”
She blinked at him, startled. No one had ever said her name like that — without pity, without judgment. Just… as if it was enough.
She lowered her spoon slowly. “…Why are you being so kind to me?”
He grinned, a little crooked this time. “Because I like you.”
The words hit her like a drop of ice water. She stared, unable to speak.
Harim tilted his head. “Don’t look so shocked. I like lots of people. I just… like you a little differently.”
Her heartbeat was uneven. “Differently?”
He laughed softly, standing to rinse his bowl in the sink. “You’ll figure it out.”
---
That afternoon, Mirae found herself wandering the mansion gardens. The lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, koi rippling beneath the water’s surface. She thought she was alone until a voice spoke behind her.
“You’re adjusting.”
She turned sharply. Seo Rihan stood under the cherry tree, his blazer perfectly buttoned, his silver hair immaculate even in the wind. He didn’t smile, but his eyes were sharp, assessing.
“Adjusting?” she echoed.
“You lasted three weeks,” he said evenly. “Most would have cracked by now.”
She frowned. “I don’t know if that’s supposed to be a compliment.”
“It isn’t,” he said simply. “It’s an observation.”
She hugged her hoodie tighter. “Why are you even watching me?”
Rihan stepped closer, the gravel crunching softly under his shoes. “Because no one else here is interesting.”
Her breath caught. He said it so casually, like stating the weather. But his gaze lingered — not cruel like Taewoo’s, not cold like Joonseo’s, not warm like Harim’s. Something in between. Something dangerous.
Mirae stepped back, unsure of her own voice. “…Stay away from me.”
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you really want that?”
Her throat closed. She turned quickly, leaving the garden without answering.
---
That night, Mirae sat on her bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The girl in the hoodie looked back, eyes wide, cheeks flushed.
Harim likes me.
Rihan is watching me.
Taewoo won’t leave me alone.
Joonseo…
She pressed her palms to her face. Her world had become too full, too loud. And yet, in the silence of her room, she realized she wasn’t invisible anymore.
That terrified her more than anything.
---
- Writer
