"Did you lock the front door?" I asked.
She shook her head sideways—no.
The knocking continued.
She looked at me, eyes widening. "Maybe it's Yuna. She's the only one who would come in without saying a word. What are we going to do?"
"Oh—I know. Go hide in the bathroom," she said quickly, already pushing me toward it.
I turned, gripping her shoulders and meeting her eyes. "No. You go out and meet her. I'll stay in here and won't come out. No one's sharing your money with you, remember?" I added, trying to reassure her.
She sighed. "Okay… but don't make a sound," she said, raising a finger to her lips.
I smiled. "Sure. Now go."
I pointed toward the door, and she started walking. Halfway there, she turned back.
"If you want to bathe, don't wet your bandage. And if you're washing your face, just wipe it, okay?"
I smiled again. "Sure. I'll do whatever my nurse says."
She opened her mouth to reply, but I cut in, "It's not free, I know."
She rolled her eyes lightly. "Thank God you know."
"Go," I said, pointing at the door again.
I opened the door and froze. I just stared at her. My mind couldn't catch up.
I turned to look at Minho. He raised an eyebrow. I simply nodded.
Then I turned back to the person in front of me. What…? I thought. I don't even know. Didn't I just come back from her place? What the hell is she doing here again?
"Soheon, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you guys," my aunt said quickly. "The front door was open, so I thought I'd come in and grab the phone. But I didn't see it in the sitting room, so I went to your room and knocked, but you weren't there. Then I came here and knocked and realized you were here. I'm really sorry… I hope you don't mind."
I turned back, silently hoping Minho would handle her so I could relax and maybe save a bit on the money, but he was already in the bathroom.
"Now I have to do this by myself, Aunt," I said, stepping out of the room and dragging her along, shutting the door behind us.
We settled on the couch. I looked at her, bracing myself.
"Soheon, I hope you're not angry."
Angry? Me? I thought, forcing a smile. She's my aunt… calm down, don't lose it.
"No, how could I be angry?" I said, smiling on the outside.
"Here's your phone," I added. "I thought you said you wouldn't use it for a while."
Liar. Seriously? I clenched my teeth inside. No, stop cursing her… ohhh, she's driving me crazy.
"Oh, I did," she admitted, eyes twinkling. "But your uncle went out, and I got lonely, so I came to collect it. If you're done, great. If not… keep using it."
I somehow felt guilty, so I sighed. "No problem. I'm done using it. Do you want a glass of water or anything? That's the least I can do."
"Oh, nothing," she said, waving her hand. "I've already ruined your date enough. I'll just take the phone and leave."
"No, no, Aunt! Don't leave. You can stay a bit longer," I said quickly.
"Oh, if you say so," she replied, smiling sweetly.
Wait… did I just get played? I thought, staring at her grinning face.
At that moment, the guest room door opened—and Minho stepped out, mask-free.
Damn… I'm really screwed.