A soft knock echoed through the room. From inside, a calm voice responded,
"Come in."
A moment later, his parents gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. His mother spoke first.
"Are you busy?"
Nau Rin set down her pen and turned toward them.
"No, I'm not."
At a small gesture from her mother, her father stepped forward and placed several books on her desk. Nau Rin's gaze dropped to them with a look of inquiry.
"What are these?"
"Biology books," her father replied. "If you come across something you don't understand, you can look it up here. Everything you might need to know is in them… though, of course, most of it isn't really necessary. You don't have to know it all."
She ran her fingers lightly along the edges of the pages, studying the covers for a moment before answering, calm and composed.
"I understand. I'll check them if I need to."
Her parents exchanged small, satisfied smiles before quietly leaving the room.
Halfway down the stairs, Mr. Go let out a relieved breath.
"Well, that was easier than I expected."
Mrs. Go nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. I didn't think it would go this smoothly. A friend of mine said she tried talking to her son about this, and they didn't speak to each other for a whole month afterward."
Mr. Go shrugged.
"That sounds unnecessarily difficult."
Mrs. Go gave a soft laugh.
"It really does."
Back in her room, Nau Rin flipped through the books for a while, then neatly sorted them by category and arranged them on her shelf. Just as she finished, the sudden ringing of her phone pulled her attention away.
She picked it up—it was Minho.
He didn't even give her time to respond.
"We're making noodles. Come over," he said quickly, then hung up.
Nau Rin stared at her phone for a second, frowning slightly.
"He didn't even wait for an answer…"
Muttering under her breath, she stood and headed out.
When she rang the doorbell, Taehyun opened the door almost immediately.
Inside, she took a seat at a small square table set in front of the TV, with Seohun on one side and Taehyun on the other. In the meantime, Minho stood in the kitchen, lining up bowls of noodles along the counter.
Then, glancing over his shoulder, he quietly sprinkled a mysterious powder into one of the bowls, stirring it in with deliberate care.
A sly, almost devilish smile crept across his face.
A moment later, Minho emerged carrying a tray, setting a bowl of noodles in front of each of them.
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
From the middle of them, Nau Rin raised an eyebrow.
"What's going on? Did the sun rise in the west or something?"
Minho merely shrugged, looking faintly annoyed.
"Just eat."
He settled into his seat, his gaze fixed intently on Nau Rin, watching her without blinking. There was a strange anticipation in his eyes as he swallowed, waiting—almost impatiently
But instead, Nau Rin calmly switched her bowl with Taehyun's.
Taehyun glanced at her, confused, but she only gave him a small, easy smile. Taking that as enough, Taehyun didn't question it.
Minho, however, stiffened.
"Why are you bullying him?" he blurted, quickly swapping Nau Rin's bowl with his own.
Nau Rin turned to Taehyun.
"Sorry," she said lightly—then, without hesitation, switched the bowls again.
Taehyun looked between the two of them, confusion deepening.
"…Can I eat now? It's getting cold," he said at last, dipping his spoon deep into the broth and bringing it to his lips.
He swallowed.
A second later, his face flushed red, the veins in his neck tightening as he tried to cough—
—but before he could make a sound, Minho abruptly tipped a cup of water into his mouth.
Taehyun froze, caught off guard, forced to swallow without protest. Around them, the others continued eating, oblivious.
Once he finished the water, Minho lowered the cup.
As Taehyun tried to speak, Minho quickly handed him another.
"There was a fly in your bowl," he said hurriedly. "Seriously… I'll just make you another."
Without waiting, he snatched the bowl away and headed into the kitchen.
Taehyun remained where he was, blinking in confusion, still trying to piece together what had just happened.
A short while later, a fresh bowl of steaming noodles was set in front of him. This time, he ate with visible satisfaction.
Across the table, Minho chewed his food, jaw tight, irritation simmering beneath the surface. His plan had failed—completely.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, locking onto Nau Rin.
a little later, while the others became absorbed in their game, Minho quietly slipped into the kitchen.
He opened the refrigerator and, careful not to draw attention, took out a banana. Then another.
Glancing toward the room, he pulled out a small syringe, drawing up the substance he had prepared earlier.
Just to be safe, he injected it into both bananas, pressing the needle in with quiet precision.
Then he returned and said casually,
"There are two bananas left. If anyone wants one, go ahead,"
placing them right beside Nau Rin.
This time, he was certain. A quiet satisfaction stirred inside him—this plan, at last, would work.
But from the corner, Seohun suddenly leaned across Taehyun and reached out, grabbing one of the bananas.
Minho's hand twitched, almost stopping him—but he pulled it back just in time.
A moment later, Seohun clutched his stomach, his face twisting.
"I think I'll head home… my stomach hurts," he muttered before rushing out, the door slamming behind him.
Taehyun let out a long sigh.
"How are we supposed to play with just three people now—"
Before he could finish, his phone rang. He stood up to answer it, stepping away. Minho exhaled slowly and turned his gaze toward Nau Rin.
Their eyes met.
Nau Rin simply smiled.
That smile—it struck something sharp inside Minho, like a spark catching dry wood.
After Taehyun left, Nau Rin rose as well, preparing to head out. The moment she stepped past the doorway, Minho's composure cracked. He rushed into the bathroom, grabbed a bucket, filled it quickly with water, and hurried after her.
Just as Nau Rin reached the gate, about to leave, Minho called out loudly from behind.
Nau Rin turned—
—and in that instant, something struck her hard.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her muscles tightening on instinct as her shoulders drew in, her body recoiling a step back. Cold droplets cascaded from her hair, running down along her neck, seeping into her skin—
And with that chilling sensation, she realized what had hit her.
Water.
She wiped her face with one hand and looked up.
Minho stood there, gripping the empty bucket, breathing heavily.
He steadied his breath, then said,
"Now we're even. No more payback… let's end it here."
Before she could respond, he turned and hurried inside, shutting the door behind him.
When Nau Rin stepped into the house, her parents were seated side by side on the couch. Her mother gasped, eyes wide with surprise.
"Why are you soaking wet? It wasn't even raining outside, was it?"
Her father pulled aside the curtain and peered out.
"The sky's perfectly clear," he said.
Nau Rin brushed her hair back from her face, calm as ever.
"Rain can fall even from a cloudless sky," she replied evenly.
Her mother's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"Minho dumped a whole bucket of cold water on me," Nau Rin said complainingly.
"Why?" her mother asked, astonished.
Nau Rin shrugged.
"Well… it's like this. The day I burned my foot on the nettles, he burned his hand too. So I told him, 'If you pee on it, it helps.' Then he chased me and ended up smearing it all over his own face," she explained.
Her father could only manage a low, "Wow…"
Her mother sighed, half resigned.
"Well, no wonder he did that then." she murmured.
Nau Rin raised an eyebrow,
"What does that even mean? It's not anyone else's urine—it's his own. And it's a method people really used back then." She turned to her father, seeking confirmation.
"Right?"
Her mother glanced at her father, silently asking him to answer.
He answered without missing a beat.
"That method was reportedly used back in the 1940s, when medical help wasn't available. But it's not scientifically verified," he said.
Nau Rin knit her brows.
"So I wasn't making things up after all. If it had been warm water, fine. But cold water? What a heartless creature," she muttered.
Her mother shook her head with a faint smile.
"All right, go take a hot bath. Don't catch a cold."
"Okay," Nau Rin replied, climbing the stairs with a resigned sigh.
—
After finishing his nighttime skincare routine, Minho stood in front of the mirror, smiling at his own reflection.
"Minho, you're really handsome… you turned out well," he murmured to himself, blinking and tapping the mirror lightly with his finger.
He turned and walked to his bed, pulling the covers snugly around him. Eyes fluttering shut, he whispered softly,
"Finally… I can sleep peacefully… this feels nice… really nice…"
And with that, he drifted into a deep, undisturbed sleep.
—
In the corner of a guest room, the light remained on, casting a dim glow. Pressing an ear to the door, one could just make out a man's hoarse, ragged voice muttering,
"Damn it…"
After a moment, the door creaked open slowly, and Seohun stepped out. His face was drawn and pale, lips cracked and white, legs trembling as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him. He staggered toward the glass of water on the table. He gulped it down in a single breath, then sank weakly onto the chair, almost collapsing.
But the heat from his lower body soon surged, forcing him to double over, clutching his stomach. He dragged himself with effort back toward the room, each step laborious.
Finally, the long, grueling battle with his body—and the restroom—had ended. Only now did he feel a faint, exhausted relief washing over him.