Here’s the translated text:
If I had to express the movement in words right now, the term “huddahdak” would fit best.
Without even looking around, I headed straight into the office as soon as the elevator doors opened.
The colleagues from Team 3, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, were either working or chatting, passing time. Although I had been coming to the headquarters more frequently recently, I was not the type to come in every day, so no one paid much attention when I entered the office.
I didn’t want and didn’t expect to be noticed, so being unnoticed was actually better. I quickly scanned the office with my eyes but couldn’t find Siera’s presence.
Without hesitation, I went to Luche’s room and knocked on the door before opening it once I stood in front of it.
Seeing the door open before she could answer, Luche looked surprised and stared at me standing in front of her.
“Why, why? What’s the matter?”
Luche asked with a trembling voice, thinking something big must have happened because I had never rushed to open a door like this. After confirming that Siera wasn’t in the room, I looked at her.
“Siera?”
“Huh?”
“Siera. I heard from Theo that she was just in our office.”
“Did she leave just now?”
Our schedules had already diverged. If Theo had come down immediately after going up to the roof, we might have met. But due to dealing with the situation involving Klugger, the timing didn’t match up.
There was no one to blame for the situation, so I only sighed deeply.
“Do you know where she went?”
“I don’t know. When Siera suddenly barged in, she seemed restless and just left.”
Why would Siera be restless? Was she really that unwilling to meet me now?
This meant there was no point in resolving misunderstandings through conversation with her.
“Okay. Thank you.”
After bowing to Luche, I left the room and headed back to the elevator.
Where could Siera go? The fourth-floor office? No. Siera definitely knew that if she saw me, she would head to the fourth floor first.
So, the only place she could go right away was the first floor.
She came down to the first floor with some purpose and avoided me by leaving immediately upon seeing me.
Regardless of whether she knew I was looking for her, she probably thought I wouldn’t be there anymore and had spent a short time on the third floor before going down to the first.
I couldn’t think of anything else except that she might have spent a little time on the third floor before going down to the first.
After deep reflection, I decided not to think further since it would only give her time to move.
Unable to wait for the elevator, I used the emergency exit to quickly descend to the first floor.
Of course, I couldn’t find Siera on the first floor. If she had already gone somewhere, there was no immediate way to find her, and the situation made me a bit frustrated.
“Why do you look so upset?”
While staring at the void with a scowl, I heard a voice beside me and relaxed my expression, turning my head.
Seeing me standing in the middle of the hallway with a very annoyed expression, Angelique approached me. She seemed worried, perhaps thinking something bad had happened.
“No, it’s nothing. Did you see Siera?”
“Yeah, I just met her.”
Hearing that she saw Siera, a hint of relief appeared on my face. When I thought I wouldn’t find Siera today, meeting Angelique, who knew her whereabouts, felt like finding a small exit in the dark.
“Where did she go?”
“I met her in the parking lot. She said she was leaving today.”
Leaving? She must have come down to the first floor because of some schedule. Could she be avoiding me by pretending to leave until I leave too? Facing her clear avoidance, I felt angry.
“Just left?”
Saying that Siera had just left means she wasn’t far from me. If she went out and ran towards a nearby station, we might meet.
Just as I was about to leave headquarters to chase her, Angelique stopped me with a desperate plea.
“I doubt you can catch up.”
“What? Didn’t she just leave?”
If I were to catch up, I needed to leave immediately.
My urgency made me speak faster to Angelique.
“She left by car.”
Even if I ran as fast as I could, without a suit for flying, I couldn’t catch up to a car.
Although there were several cars available at headquarters, the problem was that I didn’t have a license.
Living in Seoul, I never needed to drive, so I never bothered getting a license or buying a car. I’ve never regretted not having a license, but today, I wished I had one.
“…It’s fine.”
Leaving by car means her destination is clear.
If she walked home, I wouldn’t know where she’d go after leaving work, but leaving suddenly by car means she’s likely going home.
Work had become less busy, and leaving now wouldn’t cause any problems.
Timing had always been off, but today, it matched perfectly, so I returned to Team 1’s office to leave.
When Esmeralda noticed me gathering my things and preparing to leave, she tilted her head and stared blankly. After finishing, I met her standing still.
“I’m going to leave. I need to catch the runaway Team Leader.”
Understanding the situation, Esmeralda nodded and replied, “Go ahead. Do your best.”
Quickly, I left headquarters and caught a taxi.
After mentioning Siera’s house, I boarded the taxi and stared blankly outside.
Even if I rang the doorbell, there was a possibility she wouldn’t open the door. Just like how I used a simple password for my previous house, Siera probably used a simple one too.
If all else fails, I’d have to enter the password manually.
It took quite a while to reach Siera’s house, which was almost opposite headquarters.
During the trip, my frustration eased slightly, but unease remained.
After paying and walking quickly, I reached Siera’s apartment building. Standing in front of her door, I took two deep breaths and pressed the doorbell.
A strange melody played, and soon her voice came through.
“Who is it?”
“…”
Surely, if I spoke, she wouldn’t open the door. Maintaining silence, I doubted she would open it.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
I answered in a low voice. Though I couldn’t see her face through the intercom, I sensed her panic from her breathing.
“Open the door.”
“Um…”
Unable to decide what to do, Siera neither opened the door nor responded.
“I know the password. Should I open it? Or do you want to open it?”
There’s a way to get into her house, but the result is the same whether I open it or she does.
Siera remained silent, so I gave her time to think.
Standing quietly, I waited for her reaction. Soon, the door opened.
“…”
Siera said nothing.
She hadn’t changed clothes yet, still in her suit, standing in front of the door without meeting my eyes.
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah, come in.”
With permission, I entered her house and saw her inside. Meeting her gaze, she avoided my eyes, and I sighed, wondering how we ended up here.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Seeing such a different side of Siera, I felt no anger or frustration. I simply wanted to understand why she acted this way.
“Oh, I didn’t avoid you… I just felt a bit unwell and left early…”
Laughing bitterly at such an absurd excuse, even a stranger wouldn’t believe it.
Clearly, she had undergone significant changes in her feelings without my noticing. However, forcing her to reveal her true feelings wouldn’t help.
“Am I stupid?”
I sat down on the floor, refusing to believe her words.
Though it wasn’t forced, today, I decided to force it out of her.
Seeing I wasn’t leaving, Siera silently sat in front of me. We sat in silence. Her expression conveyed what she wanted to say, but I had no intention of complying.
I came here to hear Siera’s thoughts and didn’t want to waste time with meaningless talk.
Realizing this, Siera couldn’t bring herself to start another conversation.
The conversation she needed to have was clear, but her expression showed confusion at not being able to start it.
“Guh… Ugh.”
For a moment, silence persisted. Siera’s eyes reddened, and she sniffled, trying to hold back tears.
“Wh-why? Why are you crying?”
I never expected to see her cry in front of me. Despite seeing her cry many times, I couldn’t adapt, and each time, her tears made me uneasy.
“I’m sorry.”
Sniffling, Siera wiped her tears with her hand.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Hearing her struggle to speak, I found myself speechless.
What did she mean by not knowing what to say? Couldn’t we just talk normally?
Or was she talking about what to say in this situation?
“I thought I resolved everything properly. Since then, whenever I see A, I can’t think of what to say. So, I kept avoiding her.”
Now, I understood why she had been avoiding me.
But it still didn’t make sense. Now, why would Siera need to worry about what to say to me?
Couldn’t we just continue our usual bickering and meaningless conversations?
“I kept saying harsh things to A. I tried not to say harsh things anymore, but since I couldn’t think of what to say, I avoided her.”
Siera’s voice grew softer, barely audible.
“Thinking back, I realized I’ve only ever said harsh things to A. Maybe not saying anything at all would be better for her…”
She wanted to change old habits but had never tried a different approach. Now, facing a new habit, she felt helpless.
“Just talk to her.”
Siera shook her head.
“I wanted to say kind things to A, like the girlfriends, but I couldn’t. I don’t deserve to talk to her.”
After struggling alone, she belittled herself. Hearing her self-deprecation saddened me, but hearing that the girlfriends always say kind things to me made me smile.
Maybe Siera sees it that way.
The girlfriends always take care of me, and I take care of them, saying only kind things.
It’s true that the girlfriends say kind things, but they don’t always say kind things.
“Not all the girlfriends say harsh things.”
Not everyone is like that. Eunha and Hayang never use harsh words, even when dealing with me. Yubin and Yura, and SuA sometimes say harsh things, but I never felt hurt or maliciousness.
“Harsh words don’t mean a lack of affection, and kind words don’t create affection that wasn’t there before.”
Of course, kind words are better than harsh ones. Harsh words can hurt feelings.
Just like how harsh words affected my feelings in the past.
But that’s not the whole story.
“Just continue as usual. Changing behavior feels unfamiliar.”
I answered Siera’s thoughts. Listening silently, Siera looked down at the floor with a sullen expression.
“But it’s unforgivable.”
“Huh?”
At my quiet remark, she tilted her head, then looked up with a red face and stared at me intently.
“We should accept the punishment for hurting A’s feelings for so long.”
“Punishment?”
“So, A should give me a punishment.”
For a moment, all thought stopped.
“If A gives me a punishment according to her wishes, I’ll accept any punishment.”
Does she know what she’s saying?
