Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Jheanne's POV**

Even outside my condo building, people were already staring at me.

The confusion on their faces was obvious. They were probably wondering why I was dragging a beggar around with me. Maybe they thought I'd finally lost my mind.

Let them say that to my face if they wanted to lose their jobs.

I raised a brow at one of the front desk staff. She was standing there with her mouth hanging open while I held the beggar by the arm. Some of them were even covering their noses because of how bad he smelled.

As for me, I think my nose had already gone numb.

"My keys. Faster." I said.

She handed them over awkwardly.

"H-Here, Ma'am."

I snatched them from her and dragged the beggar into the elevator.

Luckily, no one else was inside, so it was just the two of us.

When I turned to him, he was staring down at the floor, not even asking why I'd brought him here. I couldn't help getting annoyed. Maybe he didn't know how to talk.

"Are you not going to say anything?" I asked.

He looked at me and shook his head.

I frowned.

So he understood English.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" I asked again.

He nodded.

I let out a small gasp. Well, that was interesting. What had happened to him before he ended up like this? I was sure he wasn't crazy. He was just filthy and smelled horrible.

When the elevator doors opened, I dragged him down the hallway and into my unit.

The second we got inside, I stripped off my gown without the slightest warning-even with him watching me. I took off my pinned-up hair accessories, my jewelry, then my dress, tossing everything onto the floor. I was down to just my bra and panties as I walked toward the bathroom, leaving the beggar in the living room.

I showered, scrubbing away all the dirt clinging to my skin.

And while I did, everything that had happened today came crashing back into my mind.

I cried.

My tears mixed with the water running down my body.

"You monsters! Bastards! How could you do this to me?" I shouted at no one as I sobbed.

I cried so hard my chest hurt, like needles were stabbing my heart over and over again. When I finally ran out of strength, I sank to the tiled floor and hugged myself while the water kept pouring over me.

So this was what it felt like to be betrayed.

I'd never imagined I'd go through something like this.

I never thought it would hurt this much.

I wanted to sleep forever, just so I wouldn't have to think about any of it.

I was still curled up on the bathroom floor when I heard something break outside.

I jumped to my feet, rinsed off quickly, grabbed my robe, and rushed out.

But when I got to the living room, the beggar was gone.

I heard movement from the dining area and hurried there.

And then I saw him.

Eating a cake.

I knew Mom and Dad had brought that cake to my condo. They probably assumed I'd come back here after wanting to be alone.

He noticed me staring and looked up. He dropped the fork and lowered his head, almost shy.

"H-Hungry," he said.

"Don't worry. It's okay. Just keep eating," I told him.

I went to the fridge and got him something to drink.

"Here." I said, setting a glass of orange juice beside him.

He kept eating and didn't pay me any more attention.

I opened the fridge again and found leftovers, so I heated them in the microwave. I also got some rice and set everything on the table.

He was enjoying the chocolate cake so much. It was my favorite flavor, and I'd even chosen the design myself. But I had no appetite for it anymore.

I picked up the cake box. He looked at me, his expression darkening.

"You can have this later. Eat rice first so you'll actually get full," I said.

I replaced the cake with rice and the reheated dishes. He ate those too.

While he was busy eating, I went into my bedroom to change.

I also grabbed my phone from the bedside table and turned it on.

There were a lot of messages, most of them from my parents. I just replied that I was okay and that I wanted to be alone.

Then I saw a message from Hugo.

My hand trembled as I opened it.

And the pain in my chest flared all over again when I saw the photo he had sent.

It was a picture of him and Janna.

Kissing.

I couldn't stop the tears from spilling down my face. I quickly set the phone back on the bedside table and left my room.

When I returned to the dining area, my mouth fell open.

The beggar had finished eating and was now washing the dishes.

I leaned against the wall and just watched him until he was done.

When he turned around, our eyes met.

We stared at each other.

Then I suddenly sneezed over and over again.

"Y-You need a bath. My sinuses are going to swell up because of how bad you smell!" I said.

I marched over, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him into the bathroom.

"N-No-" he protested, stepping back when I turned on the shower.

"What do you mean no? You smell awful!" I snapped, pulling him toward the stream of water.

Seriously, the idiot was acting like a goat avoiding rain. We ended up chasing each other around the bathroom. I got soaked because of him too.

"So annoying!"

"Stop running!" I shouted.

He froze at once and lowered his head.

I felt guilty immediately for yelling at him.

"I'm sorry. But come on, you need to bathe because I seriously cannot handle your smell anymore. Don't you want that? We can eat together. We both won't be alone anymore. But before you can eat with me properly, you need a bath first," I said.

He stayed silent.

"Take it off," I ordered, hands on my hips.

Still nothing.

So I walked over and started taking his clothes off myself. I didn't feel embarrassed at all while doing it. I just wanted to help him.

Once I got his clothes off, I threw them straight into the trash in disgust. He wasn't wearing any underwear. Just ragged pants full of holes and a faded shirt that was also torn.

Then I saw him.

His private part.

Dirty.

I grimaced.

But I couldn't deny it was big.

For one horrifying second, I wondered if Hugo's was that big too.

I shook the thought away immediately.

I dragged the completely naked man under the shower.

Since he stood there like a statue and wouldn't move, I ended up scrubbing his whole body myself. I don't know why I didn't feel any shame, even though I was touching every part of him. Maybe because I had absolutely no sexual experience at all. It felt strangely clinical to me.

I soaped him up six times and scrubbed him thoroughly.

Since I couldn't quite reach his hair properly, I dragged a chair over and made him sit down. Finally, I could wash him better.

One thing was impossible to ignore-he was huge. Broad chest. Defined muscles. A body like he worked out regularly.

I kept washing him until I got to his manhood.

I knelt on the floor. Well, I was already soaked anyway.

I sighed and looked up at him.

"I'm going to wash this thing too, okay? It's filthy."

Before he could answer, I wrapped my hand around him and soaped him up, moving my hand up and down to make sure I scrubbed everything clean.

His hips lifted, and he seemed to have trouble breathing.

I shot him a glare.

"Don't even think about standing up unless you want me to break this," I warned.

His eyes widened.

I shook my head.

When I was done washing him there, I rinsed him off.

"Unbelievable. You practically emptied my body wash. And my shampoo too, because your hair is so thick. But what else was I supposed to do? Your hair was full of dirt, and you smell awful. Where did you go swimming? In a sewer?" I muttered.

He stayed seated, staring blankly ahead.

I opened the cabinet and grabbed scissors and a razor.

"I'm cutting your hair, so don't move." I told him.

I trimmed the length and removed all the filth caught in it. Once that looked decent enough, I shaved off his thick beard.

"Done."

At last, I stepped back.

"Now look at yourself."

I turned him toward the mirror.

He didn't react at all to the change.

But I nearly gaped.

He was so handsome.

So unbelievably handsome.

The filthy beggar I had dragged home earlier was gone.

The man standing in front of me now was gorgeous.

I let out a breath and put a robe on him before leading him out of the bathroom.

But the second we stepped out, the buzzer rang.

"Stay here," I told him before heading to the front door.

When I opened it, Mom Anne and Daddy Jennel were standing outside, worry written all over their faces.

"Jheanne!"

Mom threw her arms around me immediately.

"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" she cried.

"Where have you been, baby?" Dad asked too, his own eyes already filling with tears.

I pulled away from Mom and smiled at them.

"I was just wandering around the mall. Don't worry, nothing happened to me," I said.

"Even so, you should've told us where you were, sweetheart. Your father and I nearly lost our minds looking for you," Mom said.

"I didn't bring anything with me. And I really just wanted to be alone, so please understand. This isn't easy for me either," I replied.

Mom hugged me again.

"I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's okay."

But then all three of us turned toward the living room when something suddenly shattered.

Mom and Dad gasped at the same time when they saw the man with me standing frozen in place, staring at the broken vase on the floor.

"What the-who are you?!" Dad demanded.

Mom looked back and forth between me and the man.

I cleared my throat before answering.

"H-He is... my new boyfriend!"

"What?!" my parents shouted in unison.

I sighed and walked over to him, taking his arm and guiding him toward them.

"Hugo replaced me instantly, didn't he? So I'm doing the same thing," I said flatly.

Both of them slapped a hand over their foreheads.

"By the way... he is..." I paused, trying to think of a name because I still didn't know his real one, "Ubi!"

Short for pulubi (beggar)

I couldn't think of anything else.

"And I just met him on the sidewalk!" I added, grinning from ear to ear.

"What?!"

"What?!"

Both my parents stared at me in disbelief.