On the way back, Chiaya had started to feel slightly dizzy and was walking unsteadily.
Alcohol always made her say something she'd regret later, and this conversation had begun in a way she would regret tomorrow.
"Karan, what am I going to do?" she said softly.
"What do you mean? About me?"
"Yes," Chiaya replied.
"There's nothing you need to do, Chiaya. As soon as I get my money, I'll leave and stop bothering you."
"What do you mean, stop bothering me! That's not what I'm talking about. I just don't know how to help you.
Maybe we should check if there's a missing person notice that matches your description, like that police officer said? Maybe you have a family here who's looking for you. Maybe you really don't remember your past. Couldn't that be a possibility? What do you think?"
When she asked this, Chiaya was truly afraid of hurting Karan. She was afraid he'd get angry again and walk away, afraid that someone might scam him or harm him.
Karan stopped walking and, looking directly into Chiaya's eyes, turned her toward him by holding her shoulders. He held her tight, but it didn't hurt.
"Look at me, Chiaya. I'm an adult, a man who's very sure of what he's looking for. My past and my purpose are clear. Whether you help me or not, this is the path I'm going to walk. Nothing you say will stop me."
Anyone who saw the determination in Karan's eyes would know they couldn't make him change his mind. Chiaya silently looked into his eyes for a while.
She had made her decision—she would no longer try to convince him. Whoever this Elara Vardal was, she would simply help him find her.
And if Elara Vardal didn't actually exist, she would respect him and go her own way.
Without breaking eye contact, she nodded.
"You really have beautiful eyes."
It was the only thing that slipped out of her mouth uncontrollably. This was also one of the things she would regret saying the next morning.
Karan didn't say anything, but his cheeks were red until he entered the house.
He put on the new pajamas they had bought. Karan didn't understand anything about human clothing, but this definitely looked better than the pajamas Chiaya had given him.
In the morning, Karan jumped up from the couch where he had been lying because of a sound he didn't understand. The sound was coming from Chiaya's room! He ran into the room to make sure Chiaya was safe!
As soon as he opened the door, Chiaya screamed, "What are you doing!"
Karan, embarrassed, immediately closed the door and said from behind it,
"Sorry, I just heard a sound and wanted to make sure you were fine."
"Karan, that was just my morning alarm! calm down!" she scolded him.
This man… It must be nice not to know about alarms that wake you up early for work!
Chiaya checked if any part of her body was uncovered. Fortunately, she looked neat and tidy.
After a while, when Chiaya came out of her room, Karan was sitting on the couch.
"I have to go to work. I'll leave you a spare key in case you need to go out to get something."
"I will come with you."
"What! Karan, you can't come to work with me," Chiaya giggled.
"Please wait for me at home. If there is an emergency and I can't come, I will call Tulin Auntie and let you know."
"At least I will walk with you."
"All right, but only to the subway station," said Chiaya.
"What is the subway?" Karan asked.
"I need to get ready, but I will explain it to you on the way," said Chiaya and quickly started getting ready.
Chiaya wore a light blue skirt and jacket suit with a lilac shirt underneath and her short-heeled, pointed shoes.
While walking, Karan noticed that Chiaya was taking shorter steps and he had difficulty keeping up with her.
"Aren't those shoes hard to walk in? If you want, I can carry you."
Chiaya laughed and said, "These are one of the most comfortable types of high heels. Also, even when I don't wear high heels, it is hard for me to keep up with the steps you take with your stork-like legs."
Chiaya arrived at work and took out the work plan for the week ahead. Autumn was not a very busy season for them. The times when they worked running around and shouting in chaos had not come yet. They were in one of Chiaya's favorite periods.
"Chiaya, are you okay?" Niseol asked. "You look absent-minded."
"Oh yes. Is it really that obvious from the outside?" she said, smiling shyly.
"I could tell because you're not walking around cheerfully," Niseol said.
Niseol was a calm and friendly woman in her early thirties. She had been working in the same department as Chiaya for two years and was one of her favorite coworkers at work.
"Actually... I have a guest at home. They don't know the area well, and I'm a little worried about leaving them alone."
"Hmm, I understand. How many more days will they stay?"
"A few more days, I think."
"Why don't you take time off?" Niseol asked.
Actually, Niseol was right.
The managers were very afraid that an employee would want to take annual leave during busy times. Taking time off was very easy during this period, and Chiaya had accumulated leave days.
"Maybe I will try. Thanks for listening to my silly problem, Niseol," she said with a smile.
"Let's have some coffee."
When she returned home, she opened the door and called out,
"Karan?"
There was no answer.
I knew leaving him alone at home was a bad idea! Where could he have disappeared to?
Chiaya ran out again, just like when she first lost Karan.
For a moment, her eyes caught the sight at Tulin Auntie's window.
Karan was standing behind the glass, looking at her with blank eyes. And he was holding Tulin Auntie's curtain in his hand!