Whisper Chapter 10

‘Miss, you need to take your clothes off and shower.’

‘Are you feeling shy?’

‘Did you do something dirty with that guy?’

 

At Cha Gyeol’s words, telling her to shower, Lee Heewoo returned to her room, but she felt conflicted. It was difficult to ignore how warmly the ghosts welcomed her, as if they had been waiting for her. Even though they weren’t living people, she couldn’t just undress in front of them without hesitation.  

 

‘We’re not bad women.’

‘Yeah, we’re good ghosts.’  

‘Sure, keep joking.’

‘This one always speaks so rudely.’

 

Hesitating, Lee Heewoo turned to look at the ghosts. Her grandmother had told her to act like she couldn’t see or hear them, but she couldn’t keep living like that. Thankfully, it seemed there were only these three in the house.  

 

“Could you move? I need to shower.”  

 

Remembering the advice to assert dominance, Lee Heewoo spoke coldly. A ghost she first met as a child had taught her this—it was a middle-schooler who had been a bully in life. According to that ghost, the first step to asserting dominance was speaking informally.  

 

‘Did she just speak informally to us?’ 

‘Bold, isn’t she?’

‘What’s there to see? Just take off your clothes—we’re all women here.’

 

Only then did Lee Heewoo take a good look at the three ghosts. Squatting side by side and looking up at her, they appeared to be women in their twenties. Or maybe not—she recalled that even the guest yesterday had turned out to be older than he looked, so she wasn’t confident in her guess.  

 

One of them, with long hair braided into two pigtails, looked like she came from the 1970s, judging by her attire and hairstyle. The woman next to her, with a bob haircut, had her hands under her chin like a flowerpot, smiling playfully. And the last one…  

 

‘This room is my room.’

 

She was glaring at Lee Heewoo with disapproval. Her face, though aloof, was stunningly beautiful.  

 

‘You’re so rude. Do you think being pretty is all that matters?’

 

At the beautiful ghost’s words, the other two ghosts simultaneously turned their heads toward her.  

 

‘…Is she introducing herself out of nowhere?’

‘Hey, you’re the rudest of us all.’

 

The other two ghosts chimed in, making Lee Heewoo bite her lips. She hadn’t noticed last night, being too overwhelmed, but this was oddly amusing.  

 

“This is your room?”  

 

‘Yeah, I was here first. After the landlord, it’s me.’

 

The beautiful ghost arrogantly tilted her chin upward, prompting the other two to click their tongues and roll their eyes.  

 

‘She always brags about being here first.’

‘What does it matter for a ghost who came first? Don’t you agree, Miss?’

 

“The owner told me to use this room, so I can’t do anything about it. Besides—”  

 

Lee Heewoo paused, scanning the three of them. Their gazes fixed on her, unblinking.  

 

“You were the ones who spoke informally to me first.”  

 

Ignoring the ghosts’ gaping expressions, Lee Heewoo turned and entered the shower booth. As they watched her confidently undress inside the frosted glass booth, two of the ghosts whispered, “I like her,” in unison, while the third narrowed her eyes in disapproval.  

 

***  

 

After showering, Lee Heewoo suddenly sped up her actions, hastily opening the door and leaving. The ghosts followed, asking where she was going and pleading to chat, only to vanish with a pop.  

 

Her ears were ringing from the noise, but now that it was quiet, a deep sigh escaped her lips involuntarily.  

 

Following Cha Gyeol’s instructions, she stepped out and stopped when she saw him. The ghosts must have disappeared because of him. She stood there, sighing softly, watching the tall figure with a well-proportioned body from behind.  

 

It looked like he had just showered too—his damp hair was tousled messily. He was wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and loose black sweatpants hanging low on his hips, which felt oddly sensual. No matter what he wore, he drew attention.  

 

Lost in thought while staring at Cha Gyeol, her eyes met his when he turned his head.  

 

“You took longer than I expected. Was there something you didn’t know how to use?”  

 

Lee Heewoo shook her head lightly and approached hesitantly. When she got closer, she saw Cha Gyeol chopping something on a cutting board. She had planned to cook, but now she watched him with a sheepish expression. Pointing to the large dining table, which looked big enough for two people to lie down on, he told her to sit.  

 

“I was going to cook—”  

 

“Do you think I’d let you, Miss? Besides, I doubt you know how to use these things.”  

 

Cha Gyeol spoke nonchalantly as he skillfully chopped ingredients.  

 

Now that she thought about it, Lee Heewoo realized there wasn’t much she could do in this kitchen. Accustomed to cooking over a fire, she awkwardly looked around the modern kitchen. On the black stove, something was already boiling. It surprised her—there was no visible flame, yet steam rose steadily. Her eyes widened in astonishment.  

 

“Come to think of it, I forgot to explain how to use the bathroom fixtures.”  

 

Cha Gyeol muttered as he worked smoothly, his movements as fluid as water.  

 

“…I did get a bit confused. After turning on the water, I saw all the bottles on the shelf, but they were all labeled in English, so I didn’t know what was what. I just used one at random. Is that okay, sir?” 

 

Lee Heewoo’s gaze remained fixed on the induction stove as if mesmerized, and her lips moved slightly, opening and closing mechanically. Cha Gyeol watched her with one hand resting on his waist.  

 

What in those eyes wouldn’t seem fascinating? Cha Gyeol recalled that house, a cultural heritage site where even electricity didn’t work.    

 

“It’s all dual-purpose, so it doesn’t matter. You didn’t dry your hair either.”    

 

There was quite a distance between them and the dining table, but after just a few strides with his long legs, he was right in front of her. Only then did Lee Heewoo’s gaze move and land on Cha Gyeol.    

 

“Oh, do you not know what a hair dryer is either?”    

 

Cha Gyeol’s hand gently tousled Lee Heewoo’s hair before quickly withdrawing. Lee Heewoo’s pupils darted around, following Cha Gyeol’s movement.   

 

“You need to dry your hair, or you’ll catch a cold.”  

 

The air conditioning worked well here, and Lee Heewoo’s body temperature was naturally low. Maybe she was cold. She was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans that were just as worn out. The only luggage Lee Heewoo had brought was a black backpack, and Cha Gyeol was certain it contained nothing more than a few clothes and baby lotion.  

 

After washing up, she emerged with a clean, pale face, staring up at him. As if silently asking to be touched more.  

 

“I’ll teach you step by step. You’re not picky, right, little miss?”  

 

“I’m fine with everything. I eat well.”  

 

“What do you like?”    

 

Cha Gyeol returned to the dining table and opened the silver refrigerator. When Lee Heewoo tried to get up to help, Cha Gyeol signaled with his eyes and hands for her to stay put.  

 

“Uh, I like sausages.”  

 

Lee Heewoo, sitting awkwardly, stretched her neck to keep an eye on Cha Gyeol. The only indulgence she allowed herself was buying sausages and storing them in the pantry.  

 

She usually cooked rice over a fire, but for everything else, she used the burner that the aunty had bought for her. As long as she had butane gas, it was convenient, so she used it sparingly.  

 

As she recalled the time she coated sausages in egg and grilled them, she suddenly heard a low chuckle.  

 

“Oh, as if you aren’t a child yourself. Even your taste is like a child’s.”  

 

“…Adults like sausages too.”    

 

Lee Heewoo muttered timidly.  

 

Come to think of it, both the aunty and her grandmother had always told her to eat all the sausages herself.  

 

“I rarely had anything to laugh about, but meeting you, miss, has strangely made me less serious.”  

 

Even as he said this, Cha Gyeol’s face remained cool. That chilly expression was his default, and when he did smile, it was usually just his mouth; his eyes rarely joined in.  

 

“But eating things like sausages won’t make you grow taller.”  

 

“…I’m already an adult.”  

 

I’m fully grown. Lee Heewoo snuck a sidelong glance at Cha Gyeol and pouted.  

 

As if he knew anything—sausages were delicious.  

 

“And besides, you don’t even have sausages.”  

 

Like a sulking chipmunk, Lee Heewoo puffed out her cheeks as she finished her remark. While setting the table, Cha Gyeol suddenly poked her cheek. It was an unconscious action, and when he realized it, he clicked his tongue at his own fingers.  

 

Lee Heewoo pressed her palm against the spot where Cha Gyeol’s finger had touched. She was disappointed at how quickly the pleasant sensation faded.  

 

“Is your body temperature always this low?”  

 

It wasn’t as cold as her hands, but her cheeks were still chilly. He suddenly wondered if her whole body was like this. Cha Gyeol placed the last bowl of soup on the table and sat down.   

 

“It’s usually like this.”    

 

Lee Heewoo’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the fully set table. There were no sausages, but there was meat and what appeared to be pan-fried fish. The soup was red with chili powder.  

 

Having lived with her grandmother, Heewoo had never eaten anything spicy.  

 

Even kimchi was only the white variety that the aunty had given her, and she always ate lightly seasoned food.  

 

As if seeing food for the first time, Lee Heewoo’s eyes gleamed. At that moment, a sharp snapping sound rang out as Cha Gyeol cracked his fingers.