After the three-way confrontation ended, Yuri cautiously stepped out into the living room. She was parched from crying, and her throat ached. As she opened the refrigerator and gulped down water, Jun-hyuk suddenly crossed her mind—along with the fact that there was no water purifier in the basement.

Yuri grabbed a 500ml bottle of water and a boiled egg, then crept down to the basement, careful not to wake her parents. Her steps were light and fluttering with excitement, like a child heading to a playground. It felt just like the time she had gone down to the basement to check on Jun-hyuk after he got into trouble for pouring milk into the grand piano.

Yuri’s benevolence only kicked in when Jun-hyuk was confined to the basement. More precisely, only when Jun-hyuk wasn't stripping away her happiness.

Yuri stood before the basement storeroom. Holding the water in one hand and the boiled egg in the other, she used the knuckles of her index and middle fingers of the hand holding the water to knock gently on the door. Knock, knock.

The basement was filled with a chilling cold. In truth, compared to the cramped, rundown inn where Jun-hyuk used to live, this house was practically a mansion. However, having experienced the cozy warmth of the first floor, Jun-hyuk despised this basement.

It felt as though a stigma was etched into his very DNA—labeling him a lowly creature, an unwelcome, screwed-up bastard.

It was already past 2 a.m. Night self-study for the advanced class had ended at 11 p.m., and he had to be back by 7 a.m. for morning study. Since he needed to wake up at 6 a.m., he wouldn't even get four hours of sleep even if he fell asleep right this second.

He was thirsty, freezing, and had been sneezing all day due to a looming cold. Yet his water, blankets, and heat packs were all up in his room on the first floor. The only saving grace was that there was a bathroom in the basement. If he were to go upstairs just for the bathroom and run into the lady of the house, he doubted it would end with just a slap this time.

In reality, Jun-hyuk had the physical strength to overpower her. He also knew that his father treated her poorly. But at the end of the day, he was an illegitimate child. A bastard living on their charity couldn't dare lay a hand on the mistress of the house.

Jun-hyuk used the long padded coat he wore today as a makeshift blanket and blew into his hands. The air in the basement was so biting that his breath formed faint white clouds. Jun-hyuk had been too bewildered to think when he was being beaten in the entryway, but now, lying down alone in the quiet, the pieces began to fall into place.

This is Heo Yuri's setup.

When Jun-hyuk had moved his belongings from the basement storeroom to the empty room on the first floor, he had seen the fierce jealousy and hostility burning in Heo Yuri's eyes. It also explained why the lady had suddenly interrogated him out of nowhere, asking if he had ever stolen anything. What kind of twisted mind refuses to even disclose whose property or what item was allegedly taken? It must have been Heo Yuri's doing, and when he didn't get framed as a thief, she went so far as to shove the sanitary pads into his bookshelf.

As Jun-hyuk was setting his alarm for the time he would have to fight off his mounting drowsiness and wake up, he heard a sound. Knock, knock. Lost in thought while lying down, he heard the knocking and looked out through the small window on the door. There was a square glass pane built into the door at an adult's eye level.

It was Heo Yuri.

"Why are you here?"

Anger, contempt, betrayal, and disgust tangled together inside him, but Jun-hyuk decided to conserve as much energy as possible for school tomorrow. Yuri held up the bottled water and the egg in both hands.

He could read Heo Yuri's lips. She was asking, "Are you okay?"

"...Ha!"

Jun-hyuk flung the door open and stared straight into Yuri's eyes.

"What do you think you're doing right now?"

Yuri remained perfectly composed.

"I came because I was worried. Don't you need this?"

Jun-hyuk was too thirsty to reject it. He hadn't had a single drop of water since self-study ended.

Just as Jun-hyuk reached out to snatch only the plastic bottle from Yuri's hand, she hid her hands behind her back and asked,

"Can I come in?"

Jun-hyuk tightly bit his lower lip, barely holding back the urge to scream obscenities and throw a punch.

"Get lost."

Yuri shook her head, remaining persistent. Parched with thirst, Jun-hyuk eventually relented and told her to come in. Heo Yuri was like a time bomb that could go off at any moment. Jun-hyuk was too exhausted to even move, and lingering in a standoff might provoke her into causing another scene. All Jun-hyuk wanted was to sleep, but at the same time, he wondered what kind of game she was playing. The very person who had slipped sanitary pads into his drawer was now acting worried about him. Her face didn't betray a single hint of mockery or smugness. Instead, her eyes looked genuinely concerned. Confronted by this hypocritical, flawless deception, Jun-hyuk was left utterly speechless. Heo Yuri was, at this very moment, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she held his life in her hands.