Neither option sounded great. And unfortunately, he suspected the second one was more accurate.
"Nonsense," Saeki said, suddenly animated. "My dear older brother may have a mouth sharp enough to cut diamonds, but what woman in her right mind would dare to ghost you?"
Tristan sighed. "Women are complex creatures. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. Or maybe her phone's dead, or she's ignoring you on purpose. Do you have another way to contact her?"
Shin narrowed his eyes. "I never said she's my girlfriend."
"...Right," Tristan muttered under his breath. "Sure."
Of all the people who knew Shin Keir, Tristan probably understood him best. They'd been raised under the same roof, forged by the same family fires. If Shin was this agitated over someone, there was no way it wasn't romantic.
And yet, here he was—uncharacteristically bothered by a woman who vanished after one night.
Now that was the real mystery.
"Big Bro, I owe you big time for all these years, so at the very least, let me return the favor this once..." Saeki announced with the energy of someone about to unleash a grand plan.
He was enthusiastically tapping on his phone, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I think what you're lacking... is skill!"
Shin: "..."
Tristan: "???"
Shin raised an eyebrow. What skill?
Before anyone could ask, Saeki practically bounced over with his phone. Curiosity got the better of Tristan, who leaned in to see what madness this fool was brewing.
A second later, the phone screen lit up—and so did the speakers.
Squeak. Moan. Groan.
It was... not safe for work. At all.
Ahem.
Tristan took exactly 0.2 seconds to back away from Saeki like he was radioactive.
"I'm too young to be an accomplice," he muttered, creating distance with the agility of someone who just remembered they had somewhere else to be.
---
Meanwhile, over at SC University's campus cafe, Yeri was on a short break between classes. After nearly a month away, catching up on her studies felt like running a marathon backward—in heels.
"Just kick this player from the group already—he's a low budget npc!" Levi complained, hammering at his laptop.
Yeri chuckled softly as her fingers danced across her own keyboard. When she needed to unwind, her go-to therapy wasn't a hot bath or a cup of tea—it was Tartarus: Conqueror's Requiem, the wildly popular MMORPG boasting 30 million monthly users and enough scandals to rival tv dramas.
Her character? Scarlet Succubus—which now felt a tad too on-the-nose, considering her recent supernatural awakening.
"We did it!" Levi whooped. "We made it to the top! Think we'll get invited to this year's e-sport championship?"
Yeri gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Ugh, why are you so excited? It's just a game," Nina snorted, sipping her milk tea with disdain.
"That's because you have no talent," Levi retorted, smug.
Nina glared. "Excuse me? Say that again and I'll beat you with one hand while painting my nails with the other."
"Violent woman!"
"Stick boy!"
"Will the two of you please act your age?" Yeri sighed, tired of playing referee between these two perpetual combatants. Honestly, they weren't childhood friends so much as childhood rivals.
Nina was a martial arts junkie with a shelf full of taekwondo trophies. Levi was a scrawny pro gamer with the face of a K-drama lead and the physique of a pencil. Together, they were chaos incarnate. Yeri had met them back in middle school, and somehow, the trio just... stuck.
Levi idolized Yeri's game skills. Nina had originally treated Yeri like a frail kitten, but eventually came to admire her quiet resilience. Their bond was bizarre, but unbreakable.
"Yeri Zhi!"
All three heads turned.
Striding toward them was a tall, athletic guy in a white tee, blue sports jacket, and jeans—Brother Jj.
"Auntie told me you moved back to the dorm without their permission?" Jj asked, tone weary and mildly exasperated.
Yeri pouted. "They worry too much. I already told them I'm fine. Besides, commuting while catching up on schoolwork is a nightmare."
Jj nodded at Nina and Levi before focusing back on her. "Okay, but what about your medicine?"
Ugh. The bitter, soul-crushing herbal medicine. Yeri cringed inwardly but forced a smile. "I'll go home this weekend to pick it up."
"No need. I'll be home tomorrow—I'll bring it to you."
Jj had been adopted into Yeri's family when he was five, but he acted more like a responsible older brother than anyone else in her life.
"Oh, by the way!" Nina suddenly gasped, pointing an accusatory finger. "You're so mean, Brother Jj! You arrested Yeri that night and didn't even tell me!"
Yeri nearly choked on her milk tea. She forgot Nina still thought her mysterious savior that night was Jj.
Wanting to avoid complications with Shin Keir, Yeri had kept things vague. But fate, apparently, loved mess.
Jj, now sitting beside Levi and facing Nina, looked confused. "That night? What night?"
"I was with her!" Nina said, looking hurt. "I was so scared, I almost called—"
Yeri jabbed her in the side. Nina flinched and pouted, understanding the silent signal: Shut it.
"Nothing serious," Yeri said quickly. "It was the night you picked me up at the back gate—I forgot to tell her I'd left already."
Jj narrowed his eyes. "Then why were you scared?" he asked Nina.
Nina gave Yeri a suspicious look. "That... good question."
Yeri scrambled. "There was a stalker."
"Again?!" Jj and Levi shouted in unison.
Yeri waved a hand. "Relax, he's probably gone now. Maybe he found another hobby."
"You think stalkers just politely find new hobbies?!" Jj was full-on dad mode now. "This isn't something to take lightly! I've told you a hundred times—tell me if it happens again!"
Yeri scratched her head sheepishly. Her impromptu excuse had just backfired into another headache.
Levi nodded. "You rarely even go out—how'd a stalker find you?"
"He didn't look familiar," Yeri mumbled.
Not that it mattered. The stalker didn't exist in the first place.
"I'm telling your dad," Jj said, already pulling out his phone.
Saved by the bell! The afternoon class bell rang, and Yeri bolted like a fugitive.
---
Later that night, Yeri was curled up in bed, just about to sleep, when her phone rang.
She lazily answered without checking the ID. "Hello?"
"You can still sleep after lying? Aren't you afraid of nightmares?"
Yeri blinked. That voice. That rich, low voice dripping with disapproval.
"Yeri Zhi, do you think you can play ghost with me?"
Yeri froze. She slowly looked at her screen.
Crap.
"I—I..." she squeaked.
"Do I need to pick a fight with you just so you'll answer my calls?" Shin's voice was low and dangerous.
Yeri cleared her throat. "I think there's some misunderstanding, right it's a misunderstanding."
"Oh? not replying to my messages is a misunderstanding?"
"Ok, I was busy with class and catching up over the weekend."
"And it was so hard to tell me that?" he snapped. "Would you have picked up the phone if you knew it was me?"
Yeri swallowed hard.
This guy... is worse than her bitter, gut-wrenching medicine.