Ji-Ah had just pushed Ha-Joon out of her room.
Literally.
One hand on his shoulder.
The other pointing toward the hallway. "Out."
"Your hospitality is terrible."
"You survived. Leave."
He had barely taken three steps outside before she shut the door dramatically behind him.
Then immediately leaned against it.
Heart beating strangely fast.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Her room still smelled faintly like rain.
And him.
Which was somehow worse.
Ji-Ah pressed both hands against her cheeks.
Why was she blushing?
Because he called her important?
Please.
Ridiculous.
Friends said things like that all the time.
Probably.
Maybe.
Actually… no.
Not like that.
Not in that calm voice of his.
Not while looking directly at her like he genuinely meant it.
She groaned quietly into her hands. "Why is he acting weird today…"
Outside the room, Ha-Joon adjusted the towel over his shoulder and exhaled once.
The hallway lights cast soft gold across the dark wood floors.
The house was finally quiet after the chaos from the rain.
He was about to walk away.
Then "HA-JOOON!"
The scream nearly echoed through the entire mansion.
He stopped immediately.
Ji-Ah jerked upright inside her room. "…what now."
Another scream. "HA-JOOON!"
Ji-Ah closed her eyes slowly. "That woman…"
Ha-Joon turned just in time to see Min-Ji rushing toward him from the opposite hallway.
She looked pale.
Wide-eyed.
One hand clutching her sleeve dramatically.
And before he could even ask—
she wrapped both arms around him tightly.
Very tightly.
Like she was escaping a murder scene.
Ha-Joon stiffened instantly.
Not subtle.
Not hidden.
Instant stiffness.
"…Min-Ji."
"There's something in my room!"
Ji-Ah opened her door right at that moment.
And froze.
There they were.
Min-Ji attached to him like decorative panic.
Ha-Joon standing there looking deeply inconvenienced.
Ji-Ah stared blankly for one second.
Then thought immediately:
I told him to leave five seconds ago and now he's collecting women in the hallway.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
"What happened?" Ha-Joon asked calmly.
Min-Ji looked up at him dramatically.
"There's a cockroach!"
Silence.
Ji-Ah blinked once.
"…that scream was for a cockroach?"
"It's huge!"
"You sounded like someone got stabbed."
"I hate bugs!"
Ji-Ah crossed her arms.
"And I hate noise."
Doors began opening one after another.
Because of course they did.
This house behaved like a drama club during emergencies.
Arisoo stepped out first, hair messy, wearing oversized pajamas.
"…why is there screaming."
Behind her came Min-Hyuk, still half asleep.
Seo-Yeon followed wrapped in a blanket like she was attending tragedy against her will.
Nikki appeared too.
Holding only one sock.
"Did somebody die?"
"No," Seo-Yeon answered immediately.
"Oh."
He stayed anyway.
Min-Ji still hadn't let go of Ha-Joon fully.
Ji-Ah noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
And for some reason—
that irritated her more than the screaming.
Why is she holding him like he's pest control?
Ha-Joon gently removed Min-Ji's arms from him.
"Show me."
Min-Ji pointed dramatically toward her room.
"There!"
Min-Hyuk sighed already.
"If I walk in there and it's dust, I'm going back to sleep."
The entire group moved toward Min-Ji's room.
Even Halmoni somehow appeared midway through the hallway like a summoned spirit.
"What happened?"
"Cockroach," Ji-Ah answered flatly.
Halmoni looked offended.
"You all woke me up for insect politics?"
Min-Ji carefully pushed her room door open.
Then immediately hid slightly behind Ha-Joon again.
Ji-Ah rolled her eyes so hard it physically hurt.
"There!"
Everyone looked toward the corner near the dresser.
Silence.
A very long silence.
Ji-Ah frowned slightly.
"…that?"
She walked forward before anyone else could stop her.
Bent down.
Picked it up.
And stared.
Then slowly turned around holding the object between two fingers.
It was a black leather belt.
Long.
Shiny.
Absolutely motionless.
The hallway went quiet.
Min-Hyuk stared.
Seo-Yeon stared.
Nikki stared hardest of all.
Then Ji-Ah looked at Min-Ji.
"…this?"
Min-Ji looked genuinely offended.
"It moved!"
"It's a belt."
"It looked alive!"
"How terrifying."
Ji-Ah lifted it slightly.
"The rare black leather serpent."
Min-Hyuk burst into laughter instantly.
Full body laughter.
He grabbed Seo-Yeon's shoulder for support.
"I woke up for a belt."
Seo-Yeon finally smiled too.
"You screamed impressively," she admitted.
"That is NOT funny!"
"It's a little funny," Arisoo whispered.
Nikki squinted at the belt.
"…that doesn't even look like a cockroach."
"THANK YOU," Ji-Ah said immediately.
She pointed at Nikki proudly.
"Finally. Intelligence."
Nikki gasped proudly.
"I'm intelligent!"
"You have potential."
Min-Ji's face turned red immediately.
Mostly embarrassment.
Partly anger.
Especially because Ji-Ah was holding the belt like she'd won a war.
Then Ji-Ah looked toward Ha-Joon.
Unfortunately—
the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Tiny.
Barely there.
But enough.
Ji-Ah narrowed her eyes immediately.
"You almost smiled."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"You imagined it."
"You smiled at belt comedy."
"That sentence itself is embarrassing."
Min-Ji looked between them silently.
And Ji-Ah noticed it.
That look.
That irritation.
That quiet anger.
And suddenly Ji-Ah remembered something important.
Wait.
Why am I even standing here?
She had literally thrown Ha-Joon out moments ago.
Now he was standing in another woman's room while she argued about insects at midnight.
This night had lost direction completely.
Madam finally arrived at the end of the hallway looking exhausted already.
"What is happening."
Nobody answered immediately.
Because nobody wanted to explain that twenty people gathered at midnight over fashion accessories.
Then Nikki raised his hand proudly.
"Min-Ji lost a fight against a belt."
That ended the hallway completely.
Even Halmoni laughed loudly this time.
Min-Ji looked ready to evaporate.
And Ji-Ah—
despite herself—
started laughing too.
The hallway still hadn't recovered from the Great Belt Incident.
Min-Ji stood in the middle of her room looking personally betrayed by leather.
Ji-Ah was still holding the belt.
Min-Hyuk was still laughing every thirty seconds like his body refused to let the joke die naturally.
And Ha-Joon had officially reached the point where he looked spiritually tired.
Then—
another door slammed open somewhere down the hall.
Heavy footsteps.
Fast.
Dangerous.
And a voice—
"WHO SCREAMED."
Everyone froze.
Because they recognized that tone immediately.
Yoo-Na.
She appeared at the hallway corner wearing black sleep shorts, an oversized shirt, and the expression of someone ready to physically challenge the moon itself.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes half-open.
But the anger?
Fully awake.
She looked around once.
Saw everyone gathered.
Saw Min-Ji.
Saw the belt.
Then slowly blinked.
"…you woke me up for that?"
Min-Ji immediately crossed her arms.
"It looked alive!"
Yoo-Na stared for one long second.
Then started walking toward her.
Very slowly.
Very menacingly.
"Oh, I'm going to become the criminal tonight."
Min-Ji's eyes widened immediately.
"Stay back."
"You screamed like the mansion exploded!"
"I thought I was in danger!"
"You ARE in danger now!"
Yoo-Na lunged.
Not gracefully.
Not elegantly.
Just pure sleep-deprived violence.
Min-Ji shrieked instantly and ran behind Ha-Joon.
Actually behind him.
Using him like a human shield.
Ha-Joon closed his eyes briefly.
"…why."
"She's insane!"
Yoo-Na pointed furiously.
"I WILL SHOW YOU INSANE."
Madam immediately stepped forward too.
"Yoo-Na!"
"Move!"
"You will not attack people in this house!"
"She attacked my sleep first!"
"That is not a crime!"
"It SHOULD BE."
The hallway exploded into chaos instantly.
Arisoo laughing.
Nikki cheering.
Min-Hyuk folding in half again.
Seo-Yeon trying and failing to remain serious.
And Ji-Ah—
Ji-Ah watched Min-Ji hide behind Ha-Joon and thought:
Unbelievable.
Then out loud—
"You're using your fiancé as anti-mosquito spray now?"
"I am protecting myself!"
"From Yoo-Na?! No one can protect you from Yoo-Na!"
"EXACTLY," Yoo-Na shouted.
Then suddenly—
Yoo-Na darted sideways trying to grab Min-Ji again.
Ji-Ah instinctively stepped in to stop her.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT—"
Everything happened at once after that.
Min-Ji panicked.
Turned sharply.
Her arm flew out—
SMACK.
Directly into Ji-Ah's head.
The sound echoed slightly.
Everyone froze.
Ji-Ah froze hardest.
Very slowly—
very dangerously—
she touched the side of her head.
Then looked at Min-Ji.
The hallway went silent.
Because everyone recognized that expression immediately.
Oh no.
Ji-Ah pointed slowly.
"You hit me."
Min-Ji blinked rapidly.
"It was an accident!"
"You hit me."
"I didn't mean to!"
"You touched my forehead."
Nikki whispered dramatically:
"She's entering villain mode."
Ji-Ah moved.
Fast.
"Oh you're DEAD."
Min-Ji screamed immediately.
Ha-Joon reacted instantly too.
He caught Ji-Ah around the waist before she could launch herself forward fully.
"Ji-Ah."
"LET ME GO."
"No."
"SHE HIT ME."
"It was accidental."
"SHE STILL HIT ME."
Ji-Ah struggled dramatically while Ha-Joon held her back carefully.
Not tightly.
Just enough.
Meanwhile Yoo-Na tried to join the attack too.
"MOVE I SUPPORT WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S WRONGS."
Arisoo grabbed her immediately around the shoulders.
"NO."
"LET ME AT HER."
"No!"
"She disturbed my sleep!"
"You cannot strangle people over insects!"
"I can try!"
Min-Ji stood behind Madam now too.
Actually hiding.
Madam herself looked overwhelmed.
"This family has lost sanity."
Halmoni nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Ji-Ah was still trying to reach Min-Ji.
"She hit my head!"
"You threatened her first!"
"She deserved emotional fear!"
"That is not normal!"
Then Min-Ji finally snapped.
"GET THEM OUT OF MY ROOM!"
Silence.
Everyone paused.
Because technically…
she was right.
They were all inside her room arguing about a belt at nearly midnight.
One by one, they slowly started backing out.
Still bickering.
Still yelling.
Still accusing each other.
Ha-Joon finally released Ji-Ah once they reached the hallway.
Yoo-Na escaped Arisoo's grip too.
The room door slammed shut dramatically behind Min-Ji.
Silence.
A beat.
Then—
Ji-Ah looked at Yoo-Na.
Yoo-Na looked at Ji-Ah.
And suddenly both burst out laughing.
Hard.
Full laughter.
The kind that appears after surviving complete nonsense.
Ji-Ah lifted her hand immediately.
Yoo-Na slapped it.
High five.
Perfect synchronization.