When I finished up in the kitchen and stepped into the living room, the silence that greeted me made me frown. Where had he disappeared to? Since the front door was within view from the kitchen, he couldn't have left without me noticing.
As I looked around in confusion, a movement caught my eye, and I turned toward the balcony.
There he was. Leaning against the railing, talking on the phone.
He pushed back the hair the wind had blown into his eyes and frowned. Whoever was on the other end of the call, he clearly didn't like what he was hearing. When he noticed me watching, he turned his back and continued speaking.
What was this guy up to again?
I rolled my eyes at his exaggerated reaction and reached for the remote next to the TV.
"Look at him acting all mysterious! As if he's not an ordinary student but a secret agent or something."
I put on the new episode of the show I watch on weekends and gave him one last glance before sitting on the couch. He kept talking with his back turned to me.
Since the call was taking this long, he was probably talking to either his family or his girlfriend. If I took his words seriously and believed he didn't have a girlfriend, then the only option left was his family.
Judging by how tense his face looked before he turned away, he was most likely arguing with one of his parents. With that annoying personality of his, I'd bet he tested their patience just as much as he tested mine.
When the opening theme ended, my attention shifted back to the screen. Since the previous episode had ended at the worst possible moment, the new one was already incredibly exciting. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for even a second.
When the supporting character I always admired made an unexpected confession, I let out a wistful sigh. How could being bad suit someone this well?!
"You've got to be kidding me."
Startled by the sudden voice behind me, I turned around. I was so lost in the show that I hadn't even noticed him come in.
"Weren't you on the phone?"
As he pushed off the balcony door and moved to sit on the couch, he answered me. "I finished the call a while ago. You were so absorbed in the screen that I got curious about what you were watching."
Grinning, I paused the show and turned to him. "Since you watched quietly with me, I'm guessing you liked it."
"Not bad. Seems like you're into villains."
I suppressed the urge to laugh and answered him with a know-it-all air. "Every girl wants a bad boy who's only good to her, hotshot."
"You don't know what you want, sunshine."
Matching his crooked smile, I crossed my legs and folded my arms with confidence. "Actually, I do know." Before continuing, I pointed at the TV. "I want someone attractive, sexy, and with an action-packed life—just like him."
"Aren't you afraid of being in danger?"
I giggled as I pointed back at the screen, ignoring his curious stare. "With someone like him by my side? Never!"
Seeing that my sarcastic answer didn't please him, I sighed and added:
"There's no such thing as a perfectly planned safe life. I could die in a random fire while sleeping in my perfectly ordinary home."
The moment I finished speaking, his expression changed suddenly.
His tensed jaw and the way his eyes darkened made them look like bottomless black holes.
"If I were you, I'd be careful what I wished for."
A few seconds after saying that in a tone that froze my blood, he turned his head and stood up.
"I have to go. I'd appreciate it if what happened last night stayed between us."
Faced with this sudden shift in mood, all I could do was nod silently in agreement. When the sound of the door closing snapped me out of it, I tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Was he upset about my villain comments? It had never crossed my mind that he would take something I said jokingly to tease clichés this seriously.
Or maybe something else had bothered him.
What, did the fact that I liked excitement get on his nerves? Since when was being adventurous a crime?!
Whatever the reason was, I was sure of one thing: I never wanted to see him that angry again. Because when he was angry, he looked no different from a wild animal ready to attack.
Once I shook off my shock, I hit play and continued watching the show—but that terrifying expression of his didn't leave my mind until the episode ended.