Chapter 5: New Roommate

Duyen had no choice but to let her stay. It seemed fine, after all—they were both women, and there was no reason for Shana to feel threatening... right? Of course, she should be worried. Duyen remembered what Chairman Hung had told her. Was he exaggerating?

Whatever. Why should I be scared anyway? Duyen tried to calm herself. It's just letting her crash here for a bit. Sure, she knew Shana was a total pervert with some seriously messed-up ideas. Just thinking about what happened that day made her shiver. But she pushed those thoughts aside and started prepping the room.

She pulled out a winter mattress from the closet and laid it on the floor while Shana wandered around the little attic room, visibly amused and curious.

"This room is so neat... just like the last time I saw it," Shana muttered under her breath, then casually reached for Duyen's diary and gently placed it back on the bookshelf while Duyen wasn't looking.

"I wasn't gonna ask, but... why are you so insistent on staying with me?" Duyen glanced at her. "Don't you have a place of your own? Oh wait—does Chairman Hung's house count? I heard he spoils you rotten."

Well, spoils was putting it lightly. Controlled and worshipped was more accurate—and you could tell just by looking at him.

But for some reason, Shana suddenly fell silent. She stood completely still, and Duyen couldn't help but feel curious. Then, in a voice so soft it could've been mistaken for the wind, tinged with sorrow and something unspoken, Shana whispered:

"You're right. I've never really had a place I could call home. Everywhere I go, people try to lock me in a cage. Every single time. And every time, I destroy it."

Duyen said nothing.

There was something behind those words, something too heavy to ask about. She didn't press further. This girl—this strange, mysterious girl—had her own story. In Starfall City, everyone did. Duyen, Chairman Hung, everyone. They all had their own tangled pasts. That was just how this city was. So she knew better than to judge.

Moments later, Shana stepped out of the bathroom—and Duyen was not ready.

Dripping wet reddish hair curls, towel barely covering her generous chest, the scent of Duyen's body wash lingering on her skin... That overpowering perfume from earlier had faded into something subtler—more dangerous, more tempting.

Duyen gulped. Her throat suddenly felt bone dry.

Their eyes met. Duyen immediately turned away, cheeks flaming. Shana, of course, just smiled slyly.

She let the towel drop—on purpose—and stepped closer, slow enough for each step to be heard. Duyen's brain was short-circuiting.

Why am I scared? she thought desperately. We're both women! There's no reason to panic!

So she spun around to confront her.

"Hey! Could you at least put on some clothes before coming out next time?! What the—!"

She froze. Shana was right there, face-to-face. Those eerie blue eyes twinkled with mischief. That grin—damn it, that grin.

But even worse...

Oh God.

Curves. Valleys. Wet skin. Glorious fields of—

Duyen turned beet red. Like, drunken-level red. She shrieked and flung herself onto the bed, face buried in her hands.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Shana just burst into laughter, shoulders shaking with delight.

"Why are you so scared of me, Duyen? I'm not gonna eat you or anything... I mean, not yet~"

"Ugh! I don't care what the hell you are—put something on!"

Duyen rolled around on the bed, shielding her eyes. She grabbed the hoodie she'd taken off earlier and flung it at Shana.

The redhead caught it with a slightly awkward giggle—then gave a sly little smirk. She pressed the hoodie to her face and inhaled deeply like a full-on escaped mental patient.

"Mmm~ smells like Duyen..."

"STOP sniffing my hoodie and put it on, you lunatic!"

Duyen grumbled under her breath. What cosmic crime had she committed in her past life to deserve being stuck with this woman?

But of course, the chaos didn't stop there.

---

"Excuse me?! Why only me have to sleep on the bed while we're both girls?! "

Now it was Shana's turn to pout. She was wearing a see-through, lacy nightgown that probably cost a fortune, which wasn't the point—because you could see right through it.

Duyen was curled up on the mattress, face stuffed against the wardrobe door, doing everything she could to not look at the stunning temptress on her bed.

"Just shut up and go to sleep. If your foot so much as touches the floor, I'm calling the cops."

Shana laughed at that.

"Seriously? You really think I'd do something to you while you're asleep? Like sneak down and... ravish you?"

Duyen pretended to be asleep. No response.

Shana chuckled darkly.

"Alright then, stubborn as ever. But let me just warn you—I've got some pretty bad sleep habits. No telling what I might do in my sleep... And trust me, no cop's gonna save you from that."

With that, she flopped under the blanket. She was probably just teasing. Probably. Duyen sighed. It was only the first night, and it was already like this. God help her if this woman didn't lose interest soon and find someone else to torment.

Like Uncle Hung.

---

Thirty minutes passed...

An hour...

One hour and twenty-five minutes...

Despite the chaos, Duyen eventually drifted off. Her breath evened out. And Shana, noticing, made her move.

She crept out of bed and slipped under Duyen's blanket, wrapping her arms around her gently, breathing in the faint scent of mint from the sheets.

She held her, softly. Her hand gently traced Duyen's back.

Somehow, being next to her felt... warm. Like home.

Like that time—that feeling of safety she thought she'd never have again.

---

Duyen could smell something strange in the air. She heard the rustling of bamboo, the sound of a stream bubbling nearby.

She opened her eyes. She was standing among towering bamboo groves. In the distance, a massive red torii gate loomed—one she could swear she'd seen before.

Everything felt too real to be a dream.

"How strange…"

She turned—at some point, she'd already passed through the gate. And now, it was too far to go back.

A thunderous sound ripped the air.

The sky turned crimson. The world twisted into something grotesque.

Bodies—mangled, torn, strewn all around her. Not a single one intact. As if some massive beast had torn through and devoured everything in its path.

The stench of blood hit her hard. Duyen clapped a hand over her mouth.

What the hell is happening?! Is this really a dream?

Somewhere far away, the sound of a wooden prayer bell echoed. A sutra being chanted. Endless, eerie. Like it was trying to claw into her sanity.

You've come...

Duyen spun around. It felt like someone was calling her.

Why did it take you so long...?

She didn't understand the words. It was another language. But she felt the sadness, the blame.

A woman, in a deep crimson wedding gown soaked in blood, knelt over a man's body. His shoulder had been torn clean off. Her own pale shoulders shook as she cradled him.

Duyen couldn't see the woman's face. Just the teardrops—glistening like pearls—falling silently.

The chanting didn't stop. It ignored her pain completely.

And for some reason, Duyen's chest ached.

---

She jolted awake, drenched in sweat. Her heart pounded as she realized—thank God—she was still in her room.

But something... soft... was on top of her.

Oh. Right. Her.

Duyen grabbed Shana's ear and yanked.

"Ow! Ow! Be gentle, Duyen~ Most people start the morning with a kiss, you know—not torture!"

Shana pouted, but immediately collapsed onto Duyen again. Duyen pushed her off with a groan.

"I told you not to get off that damn bed!"

"I told you I sleepwalk! I don't know what I'm doing while I'm asleep~"

"...As if I believe that. What time is it?"

Duyen looked around, searching for her flip phone.

"Where is it?"

She found it under Shana's thigh—and promptly slapped her leg aside.

"Ahh~" Shana moaned dramatically.

"Oh crap! It's 7:45?!"

Duyen jumped up and frantically pulled her jeans and tank top.

"Where are you going?" Shana rubbed her eyes, the strap of her sleepwear slipping off her shoulder seductively.

But Duyen wasn't even looking. She bolted into the bathroom, toothbrush in one hand, pants halfway on.

"I'm late for my milk deliveries!"

Shana burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?! You're the chairwoman of a huge company! Shouldn't you be practicing punctuality?!"

"Wait, wait! I could give you a position at OPA~"

"No thanks!"

Duyen shouted, and disappeared down the stairs. Shana pouted behind her.

What an impossible girl.

She looked down at her own body. Seriously? She was this hot and Duyen didn't even glance her way?!

Still clinging to Duyen's hoodie, Shana flopped back down to sniff it a little longer—until she suddenly remembered.

"Oh right. I've got to meet her today…"

She had no business getting involved with this convenience store merger nonsense. She only wanted to mess with Mina a little. But that girl wasn't so easy to bully.

Another formidable opponent.

"But just wait, Mina," Shana whispered. "I'm not out of tricks yet…"

---

"Achoo!"

"Mina, that's like the fourth time. You okay?" asked Dao, the stylish platinum-blonde sitting across from her in a café.

Mina straightened her posture. "It's strange…"

"You're meeting that chairwoman today, right? What's your plan?"

Dao took off her oversized designer glasses and set them beside her Birkin bag. She was getting serious.

But Mina just smiled, cool and confident.

"She's a business partner. If she starts making demands, I can handle her. And if she plays hardball—I've got allies."

"Who?"

"The secretary. She hates her new boss. I can work with that. And others in OPA's upper management—I'm sure some of them can be… persuaded."

"Oho~" Dao grinned, giving Mina a conspiratorial pat on the back. "That's my Ice Queen of Yelsulin! If this deal goes through, you're a shoo-in for director!"

Mina paused, her smile softening. "That's inevitable. But I'm after something more. When I get SCJ… I'll finally be able to—"

"To what?"

Mina didn't answer. She simply rose from her seat and headed to her red Maserati, pressing the key fob.

"You're paying today."

She zoomed off, leaving Dao staring blankly.

"Wait! I forgot my wallet!"

---

"Hello? Is this Tuan Mo's traditional pho shop?"

A slow, sultry voice oozed through the landline. Shana again?!

"Do you have nothing better to do?" Duyen snapped.

"This job is super stressful, but... I just missed you~"

Ugh. That voice. Duyen cringed.

"This is the shop phone. If you're not ordering pho, I'm hanging up."

"Wait wait wait! Okay—two rare beef pho, extra tendon, two pork hocks, one large side of noodles, and... a certain tomboy delivery girl~"

Oh my God.

Duyen peeked at her dad still flipping rice in a massive wok. He just winked at her and grinned. What was that supposed to mean?!

Duyen sighed. "Thanks for your order... beep beep beep"

Shana growled.

Heartless woman! Not even a shred of cuteness?!

---

"Hello, I'm Kamakiri Mina from SCJ Group."

Secretary Oh nodded, picking up the phone. "Miss Shana, Miss Kamakiri has arrived. Yes, I'll let her know."

She turned back to Mina. "The president is finishing some paperwork. Please wait out here just a moment."

Paperwork, huh? Like she'd believe that. But Mina just smiled politely and took a seat in the plush lobby, checking her watch.

Always precise.

---

"Damn it! What kind of major company has a broken elevator?!"

A girl with a plaid shirt, jeans, and a tomboyish look stumbled out of the stairwell, sweating buckets with food containers stacked to her chin.

She finally reached the president's door and dropped the boxes down with a groan.

Secretary Oh rushed to help. "Ah, Miss Duyen! Miss Shana is a bit tied up right now—she asked if you could wait a minute."

"Ugh. I just climbed forty stairs... damn it..."

That voice?

Mina's heart skipped.

She turned—and froze.

Duyen?

There she was. Different, but unmistakable.

"...Duyen?" she whispered by mistake

Duyen instinctively turned around—and froze too.

Mina? Here?

No. This had to be a joke.