RACA 4

The room was tidy and cool, but it still felt unfamiliar. Even the faint scent of fabric softener drifting in the air smelled richer than the one he usually used.

‘It’s must be expensive.’

That thought crossed his mind, and he suddenly pushed himself up. He stretched his arms wide, walked to the window where the sunlight poured in, and opened his mouth wide.

“Wow! I’m looking down on the city like this, it must be way up high.”

Yesterday he had been too busy trying to understand his situation to even think of looking outside. But now the view spread beyond the huge window, and it was so grand it drew admiration without effort.

“If you lived in a place like this, you would never feel trapped.”

The villa where Eunsol had lived was three floors high. The neighborhood was quiet, but in the mornings and evenings there were always many people walking by, so leaving the window open and watching them was one of his small pleasures.

“The best part was that you could notice right away when a delivery arrived.”

True to his habit of thinking positively, Eunsol chuckled and rolled his stiff neck left and right.

“Huh? Over there…”

He spotted a familiar building and tilted his head. Curiosity pulled him closer to the window, and he twisted his neck far to the left. Sure enough, there was a wide park. If he walked past that park, he would reach the broadcasting station he often visited.

The discovery lit his eyes with excitement, but soon his face fell. What use was it if he couldn’t go out?

“Alright, then let’s plan today’s schedule.”

Clinging stubbornly to things never helped. He gave up quickly and turned his thoughts to what he could do now.

“First stretch up, then eat, then look around the house again. Maybe even practice acting…”

He had been told to give up on outside contact, and if there was no phone, then there probably was no computer or laptop either.

That meant the best option was TV. His morning was instantly set. For someone like Eunsol, who always had to be doing something even when no filming was scheduled, making tasks was easy.

“Hup, hup, hup, hup!”

He did jumping jacks, then mountain climbers in three sets, and started stretching.

Home workouts had limits inside a small studio apartment, but exercise was something he could always manage if he put his mind to it.

“Ha, ha… hoo… but it’s a bit of a shame that there are no workout machines.”

He smacked his lips as he looked around the room.

“Mm…”

His eyes shifted to the door. Naturally, the memory of seeing Pyo Jaebeom last night surfaced. After cleaning up the dishes, he had explored a little.

He had looked around the silent house, but he had not found him anywhere. He hadn’t dared open the master bedroom or other doors, so all he had done was press an ear to check for signs of presence.

“He must not be here, right?”

Once his thoughts started wandering, he could no longer focus on the workout. It wasn’t unlike the restless urge to check the grass for snakes.

“Anyway, I need a towel too.”

Even the warm-up made his body heat up. Once he started training his upper body, sweat would run.

He could wipe with the shirt he wore, but it was better to have a towel ready.

“And a glass of water would be good too.”

Now that he thought of it, he hadn’t had any water since waking.

Muttering excuses to himself, Eunsol shuffled to the door. He perked up his ears, then slowly gripped the handle and pulled.

Ssshhk.

The door opened smoothly, and a quiet hallway appeared. He poked his head out and glanced left and right, but there was no sign of anyone.

“No one’s around?”

Relieved, he stepped out fully this time. He felt like a rabbit sneaking out on a daring adventure.

He tiptoed by instinct. He slipped into the nearest bathroom and pulled out a towel, then draped it around his neck.

With a calmer stride than before, he walked to the kitchen. That too was still and silent.

“Did he leave right after that yesterday?”

There was no trace of anyone cooking. He tilted his head, took a cup from the shelf, and filled it at the purifier before drinking. Then he poured another full cup and left the kitchen. He scanned the area again, but there was still no sign of anyone.

Just as he thought yesterday, this house felt absurdly vast and luxurious. Of course, since it was an apartment in the middle of Yeouido, only someone very wealthy could live here.

“Or wait, this isn’t confinement but a confinement experience, right?”

Even as he spoke, Eunsol laughed. Honestly, that was how it felt. If it was really confinement, he would have been locked in a dark space, bound somewhere without freedom.

He walked a few steps, then shook his head at the sight of the flowerbed arranged in front of a wide, bright window like a theater screen. The plants inside the space of white marble were alive.

“As expected, a gangster really is different. Isn’t that right, Boss?”

Now that he was sure no one else was here, Eunsol tossed out a joke and clicked his tongue. He thought again that calling this confinement was impossible.

“If I just think of it as a few months of vacation…”

He smiled, then flinched. A shiver ran down his spine as if a cold wind had brushed him.

Whip.

He turned around in haste. No one? He moved his head left and right to scan the area again. Still no trace of anyone.

“What is this!”

Was it his imagination? He raised his head toward the ceiling. More exactly, toward the corners where a CCTV might be.

“No way…”

But again, he found nothing. The space was spotless without even a patch of mold, and he only clicked his tongue once.

“Come to think of it, this place has five rooms. Who cleans them all?”

When he had looked around inside yesterday, he had been astonished. Not just the rooms, but even the house had two bathrooms.

But thinking of being the only one in such a place gave him chills. Eunsol swallowed a gulp of water and turned his body.

Maybe it felt that way because he had stopped after only warming up earlier and lost his heat.

He went back into the room and did another ten minutes of warm-up, then four sets of push-ups, then fixed a towel to the doorknob for three sets of shoulder and back exercises. For lower body and core, he followed with squats, hip bridges, planks, leg raises, bicycle crunches, and burpees.

Soon his whole body was drenched in sweat. Eunsol panted roughly, wiped his sweat, finished the last of the water, and stood.

“Ugh, I’m dying… and I’m hungry too.”

He stretched his refreshed body to end the workout with light stretches, then walked out of the room absentmindedly, only to stop dead.

A pitch-black shadow filled his vision, and his breath stuck in his throat.

He blinked rapidly. He shifted left once, right once, then slowly backed away.

Then his back slammed against the wall with a thud.

“Ugh!”

“Ha!”

Pyo Jaebeom, who was watching, let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“Wha, wha, what, ho… how…”

He was so startled that he couldn’t form proper words to ask how he was here. At this point, there was no need for acting at all.

Why on earth did he keep popping up like this since yesterday, yanking at his heart then dropping it!?

“This is my house. Why can’t I?”

Pyo Jaebeom tilted his head. His jawline stood out clearly, and his already cutting features looked even sharper.

For a moment, the razor commercial he had modeled for came to mind. He used to forget the tagline about shaving even fine hairs smoothly and just admired the sculpted jaw and thick neck.

Now he was seeing that sight this close, but for some reason he couldn’t feel any of the old admiration.

Eunsol shook his head, realizing again the importance of keeping distance.

“No. Of course not.”

He had only thought that normally in a confinement story the person was locked away and left alone. But if even the owner of the house lived here with him, this wasn’t confinement, it was cohabitation…

No. That was wrong. It was still confinement.

He couldn’t go outside, so what else could it be!?

“Then, could this perhaps be… Boss’s house?”

“Boss? What is that supposed to mean?”

Pyo Jaebeom snorted, and Eunsol grumbled inwardly.

Then tell me how I am supposed to address you?

If I suddenly said Mr. Pyo Jaebeom, you would just get angry again.

“I mean… are you living here…?”

But knowing full well he was in the weaker position, Eunsol tried to be specific in his question to get the answer he wanted.

Of course, Pyo Jaebeom did not kindly explain. His eyes already answered with contempt.

‘Then why is he standing here?’