Chapter 15: What He Took, What He Left Behind

Seonyul groaned as memories resurfaced.

Passing out after making such a scene and even forcing someone to nurse him—wasn’t that insane?
If he had to choose the single day he most wanted to erase from his life, yesterday would win without contest.

Seonyul looked around.

He was lying on a living-room sofa in a house that looked like it belonged to a chaebol chairman straight out of a 90s drama.
No wonder the offer had been so absurd—five million won a month with room and board just for reading scripts in person….

He threw off the blanket and stood up from the sofa, clad only in his underwear.

Feeling awkward about being half-naked in someone else’s home, he went to look for clothes.

The clothes he’d arrived in were nowhere to be found.

Instead, a neatly folded set of fluffy, clean clothes and a note lay on the coffee table.

[The bathroom is the second door on the right. Please wash up and change!]

‘Did he go out?’

Relief crept in despite himself.
Running into him like this would be embarrassing enough to make him faint.

Carrying the clothes, Seonyul opened the second door on the right.
The bathroom was far larger than his rooftop unit, complete with a bathtub decorated with golden dragons.

It looked old, as if unused for a long time, but even that alone made it hard to believe this was a normal household.
Keeping his distance from the ostentatious tub, Seonyul washed the sticky grime from his body.

[There’s abalone porridge in the kitchen! Heat it up in the microwave and eat!]

“…What now?”

As he reached into the cabinet for a towel, he found another note stuck to the door.
After leaving the bathroom, Seonyul headed to the kitchen as instructed.
On the island table sat a bowl of wrapped abalone porridge, cold medicine, and yet another note.

[Your belongings are in the room at the end of the right hallway after leaving the kitchen!]

The sight of the porridge made his stomach growl.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten properly since lunch the day before.

He peeled off the wrap, microwaved the porridge, and devoured it right there, barely chewing.
After taking the medicine as well, he stood and followed the direction indicated on the note.

[Fresh bedding. You can use this room comfortably from now on!]

“No, I said just one night.”

Opening the door revealed a spacious room fit to be a master bedroom.
Reading the note on the king-sized bed, Seonyul let out a sigh.

He was grateful—grateful for being offered a place, grateful for the overnight care—but somehow, being in this house made him feel small.
What must someone this rich think of him, trembling over two million won while living in a leaking rooftop unit?

Seonyul pulled out his phone from the bag on the bedside table.
Thankfully, the battery still had 5% left.

“No messages.”

He’d expected to hear from the landlord by now, but there’d been nothing overnight.

He tried calling again, only to hear the same automated message as yesterday.
Seonyul opened his chat with BraveSeal777.

[I wanted to thank you in person, but it seems you’re not home. Thank you for taking care of me. I have a part-time shift this evening, so I’ll head out now. I’ll wash the clothes and send them back by courier. I’ll also repay the money for sure, so please give me some time.]

The moment he sent the message, something fell with a loud thud from upstairs.

Bag in hand, Seonyul stepped out of the room and glanced toward the stairs leading up.

As if the sound had been a lie, silence settled in.

[Yeon Seungju: Already…?? You can stay longer…]

[Yeon Seungju: You’re still sick…]

[Yeon Seungju: They say it might rain again tonight..ㅜ]

Seonyul tore his gaze from the second floor and looked down at his phone.

The rapid messages carried a clear desire to keep him there, no matter what.
Had declaring he was quitting voice acting really been that much of a shock?

[If I stay, your family might feel uncomfortable. Once things settle down, I’ll do the recording for you.]

[Yeon Seungju: I live alone, so it’s okay…!]

‘He lives alone?’

Seonyul looked around the house again.
It was spotless, not a speck of dust anywhere, yet strangely cold—like no one had ever truly lived there.

He briefly imagined what it must feel like to live alone in a place like this.
Then, without lingering, he sent one last message and left the house.

[Goodbye.]

Before opening the front gate, Seonyul turned back.

As if reminding him of yesterday’s rain, the soil in the yard was still damp.

Staring at the brick house that felt closer to a mansion, Seonyul tilted his head when he saw a shadow vanish abruptly from a second-floor window.

[Yeon Seungju: I’m going to sue you]

“Heh.”

With no time to stop by home, Seonyul went straight to his shift at the Chinese restaurant.
Midway through work, he checked his phone—still charging—and let out a dry laugh after reading Yeon Seungju’s message.

Sue me for what?
The unpaid two million won?

The mention of money made irritation flare, but the other man lived alone in a massive house.
It couldn’t be about cash.

‘Is it about the recording? I said I’d do it.’

He fully intended to prioritize Seungju’s request once things stabilized.
Seonyul asked why he was acting this way, then tried messaging the landlord again, still getting no response.

“Hyung, are you okay? Your face is really red.”

“I got caught in the rain yesterday. Just body aches. I can move.”

“Yesterday? That was a downpour.”

“Yeah. Rough day.”

It was far worse than “rough,” but Seonyul smiled it off.
Lee Hongik glanced at his clothes.

“Hyung, are those designer?”

“Huh? Designer?”

“They’ve got logos all over. I was shocked.”

“….”

“You’re not secretly a chaebol or something, right?”

“…How much are these?”

Unease crept over Seonyul’s face.
Hongik guessed they easily went over a million won combined.

Seonyul brushed it off, saying they were a friend’s—probably knockoffs.
Laughing, Hongik joked, “If they’re real, you should kneel to your friend. Who washes dishes in a Chinese kitchen wearing that?”

‘Am I… washing dishes in clothes worth over a million won?’

Maybe the lawsuit threat was about the clothes.
Worried about splashing chili oil, he worked at half his usual speed.

[Yeon Seungju: You turned me into something strange]

‘What is he talking about?’

At eleven p.m., after finishing cleanup, Seonyul checked his phone again—another cryptic message.
Tilting his head, he opened the storage room to grab his bag.

“…What are you doing?”

“Huh? Your bag felt heavy, so I checked what was inside~.”

The manager closed the bag casually and handed it back.
Seonyul snatched it away, his face twisting.

“Don’t touch other people’s things.”

“I just took a quick look. Check—nothing’s missing. I didn’t touch anything.”

“…Ha.”

“Why are you so sensitive today, Seonyul? Got something in there you don’t want people seeing?”

“No.”

“But there’s a microphone. You do broadcasting or something?”

Smiling slyly, the manager placed a hand on Seonyul’s back.
Seonyul slapped it away, slung his bag over his shoulder, and turned.

“I’m clocking out.”

“Sure. See you tomorrow~.”

The manager’s snake-like gaze followed him.
Feeling the lingering stare, Seonyul quickened his pace.

Outside, he looked up at the sky in relief.
The forecast had warned of rain, but though cloudy, it wasn’t raining yet.

With clear weather ahead, if he got through tonight, he wouldn’t have to worry for a while.

The landlord’s silence bothered him, but the man always dodged the topic of leaks anyway.
He figured he’d call eventually.

That was before he saw the tenants gathered outside his building, faces grim.

“You’re the rooftop tenant, right? We’re in serious trouble.”

“Trouble?”

“The landlord ran off with the deposits.”

“…What?”

“It’s a lease scam.”

Plip.
Raindrops fell from the gray sky.
Seonyul stared upward blankly, then moved under the eaves with the others.

“How much was your deposit?”

“Three million won.”

“Oh, rooftop’s monthly rent. That’s still lucky.”

That three million was everything he had left.
But surrounded by tenants who’d lost far more and were already in tears, he couldn’t voice his despair.

Added to a group chat for victims, Seonyul climbed back up to the rooftop unit.

With no electricity, he turned on his phone’s flashlight.

Seeing the irreparably ruined interior again filled him with helplessness.
With the landlord unreachable and rain starting up again, there was no telling when repairs would happen.

He didn’t just need a place for one night anymore.

He needed somewhere to stay for the foreseeable future.
Opening his contacts, Seonyul began looking for anyone he could borrow even a little money from.