Chapter 26: Intruder
"Save!" Yeri gasped, lungs burning as she dashed into her dormitory building, beating the 10 p.m. curfew by mere seconds.
If this had been any other weekend, she would've been lounging on her plush bed at home, surrounded by pillows and playing with her golden retriever— carpet. But life had changed—thanks to her part-time job at one of her family's café branches, going home had become a luxury she could no longer afford, and the dorm had become a more practical option—closer to work, less stressful than commuting.
Today had been... odd. A strange yet surprisingly pleasant detour from her usual routine. After her bizarre encounter with Mrs. Neri, Yeri found herself cornered into having dinner with her. The conversation was weird, yes, but polite. Mostly.
Still replaying snippets of that unexpected meeting in her head, Yeri pushed open the door to her room and flicked on the light.
"You didn't have class today. Where have you been? And why weren't you answering your phone?"
The deep, stern voice echoed across the small space.
Yeri's heart practically jumped out of her chest that she forgot what most people would do—scream.
Was she dreaming? Hallucinating?
There he was—Shin Keir, stretched out like royalty on her tiny dorm sofa, his long legs claiming all the space.
"You—you—are you crazy?!" she finally exploded, the pitch of her voice reaching the sky.
Wait— Her room was on the third floor! Did he scale the wall like Spider-Man? Also, hello? Female dormitory! If he wasn't a hooligan, then what important reason could justify his illegal appearance?