WINTER SECRETS

A few hours later…

They stood in front of Carrie's house, the quiet night air wrapping around them like a soft embrace. The streetlights cast a golden glow on the pavement, their shadows stretching under the soft flicker.

"You really didn't have to walk me home," Carrie said, crossing her arms as she glanced at Ryan. "I could've just taken an Uber. Or a taxi. Or literally anything that didn't involve you playing bodyguard."

Ryan chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Hmm… and let you wander home alone like a damsel in distress? That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, would it?"

Before she could roll her eyes, he reached for the doorbell.

A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing none other than Jae-wook, standing with his arms crossed, exuding the energy of an old-school guardian who had been waiting up all night. His unimpressed glare flicked between Carrie and Ryan.

"Why are you home so late?" Jae-wook demanded, his voice laced with the disapproval of a strict Asian grandmother.

Carrie groaned. "It's literally just 8 PM. And why do you care?"

Ryan stifled a laugh, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't know you lived with Grandpa."

Jae-wook turned his deadpan stare to him. "And I didn't know she brought home stray puppies."

Ryan held up his hands in surrender. "Ouch."

But Jae-wook wasn't done. His sharp gaze returned to Carrie, his tone suspicious. "Whose coat is that?"

Carrie huffed. "Are you my boyfriend or something? Move out of the way."

"Your grandma called." Jae-wook ignored her protest, blocking the entrance with a casual stance. "Asked me to interrogate you properly."

Carrie's eyes widened. "What?! That's impossible."

"You ignored her calls. And you never called back," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "So, she called the home line."

Carrie paled. "No way. What did you tell her?".

Jae-wook shrugged nonchalantly "you were out with a boy".

"You bloody... Oh my God! I'm done for"

Without another word, she bolted inside, leaving Ryan and Jae-wook standing in awkward silence.

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. "For the record, that's her coat, not mine. I don't even wear coats."

Jae-wook barely spared him a glance. "Obviously. You lack fashion sense. Very understandable."

And with that, he shut the door in Ryan's face.

Ryan blinked at the closed door before letting out a low whistle. "Wow. What a welcoming household."

With an amused shake of his head, he turned and walked away.

---

Meanwhile, upstairs…

Carrie was pacing in her room, gripping her phone like it held the key to her survival. Her mind scrambled for the right words, a foolproof explanation, a miracle—anything that could save her from the inevitable wrath of Grandma.

The phone rang twice before an all-too-familiar voice came through the speaker, thick with concern.

"Carrie! I was already preparing to fly down there! I was so scared!"

Carrie winced, already picturing her grandmother booking a last-minute flight with the sole intention of scolding her in person.

"Grandma, wait, wait, wait! It's not what you think! My phone was on silent, and then I got caught up, and—"

"Caught up in what?! Do you know how worried I was? I thought something happened to you! I already picked out a handbag for the trip—"

Carrie groaned, running a hand down her face. "Grandma, please, I'm fine! Nothing happened, I just—"

"Who were you with?"

Carrie hesitated. "...Ryan."

"Ryan?"

She could hear the smirk forming on the other end of the line.

Carrie's stomach dropped. "Grandma. No."

"Ohhh, so that's why you ignored my calls? You were out with a boy?"

Carrie winced. "Grandma…"

"Is he handsome?"

Carrie groaned and threw herself onto her bed like a woman defeated. "I'm hanging up."

"Do not hang up, young lady, I have more questions—"

"I'm just his tutor," Carrie cut in, desperate to stop whatever nonsense was brewing in her grandmother's mind.

"Tutor? And who exactly gave you the right to be a tutor?" her grandmother huffed. "Carrie, I've told you before, you can't go around helping others when you haven't even figured yourself out yet!"

"I know, I know, but—"

"No 'buts,' darling." Her grandmother's tone was firm. "Cancel those lessons immediately, or I will be having a chat with your school."

Carrie let out a defeated sigh. "Yes, Grandma, I'm not a high school student any longer, stop treatinge like one"

"Good. I just want the best for you, dear. But if you are going to stress over a boy, at least make him your boyfriend."

Carrie's eye twitched. "Grandma—"

"Or that other guy. The one who picked up the phone last time. He has a calming voice. Speaks just like your grandfather."

"That's because he's old-fashioned, Grandma. I'm hanging up now."

"Goodnight, darling," her grandmother said sweetly before the line went dead.

With a loud exhale, Carrie flopped onto her bed, face-first. She could feel the thin line between frustration and exhaustion slipping away, leaving only the dull ache of why is this my life?

---

THE NEXT DAY

Ryan strolled into the library, fully expecting to see Carrie sitting at their usual table, ready to force-feed him knowledge like a mother bird cramming worms down its chick's throat. What he didn't expect was Jae-wook, lounging in her spot like he owned the place, casually waving at him with the kind of smugness that could cause world wars.

Ryan froze. His brain short-circuited for a moment.

"…What the hell are you doing here?"

Jae-wook sighed dramatically, tilting his head like a disappointed mentor. "Oh, is that how you greet your beloved tutor?" He gestured at the chair across from him. "Sit."

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Where's my actual tutor?"

Jae-wook spread his arms. "Right in front of you."

Ryan stared at him as if he'd just announced he was secretly a K-pop idol. "That can't be. You don't even teach people."

Jae-wook gasped. "Oh, I love that you understand how rare of an opportunity this is for you." He smoothed out his (definitely overpriced) jacket, straightened his posture, and then, with the gravitas of a CEO about to fire someone, clapped a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Fix up a schedule. I'm a very busy man."

Ryan's eye twitched. "Then go be busy somewhere else."

"But," Jae-wook continued as if he hadn't heard him, "I can spare my precious time… just for you."

And then—the ultimate act —he patted Ryan's head. Patted. Like Ryan was a golden retriever that had just learned a new trick.

Ryan's soul left his body.

Jae-wook shot him one last smirk before striding away, hands in his pockets, the picture of effortless arrogance.

Ryan stood frozen for a full five seconds before slumping into a chair, pressing his forehead to the table.

"This is it," he muttered into the wood. "This is how I die. it's so frustrating."

He let out a deep, suffering sigh.

"I hate him. So much."