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Join the ServerI accepted it, somewhat bewildered, but found it peculiar. How had Han Jung-woo known I specifically needed this ointment and brought it with him?
I cast him a suspicious glance, yet the carefree Han Jung-woo merely grinned even wider. His uncharacteristically innocent expression scattered my doubts.
‘Well, he probably snuck in and saw it.’
Though I pretended not to know, sensing he wouldn’t listen if I confronted him, I was well aware that his secret incursions into my room were not a rare occurrence.
If I were to count the times he had crept in and out like a stray cat, it was almost daily. Thus, the probability of him having seen the abrasion on my thigh while I slept last night was exceedingly high.
“Thank yo—”
“Shall I apply it for you?”
As I was about to thank him and turn away, he swiftly snatched the ointment from my hand. Before I could even process such audacity, he took another step, striding into the room without my permission.
“It would be difficult to apply it yourself, wouldn’t it?”
“No, I can perfectly well do it mysel—”
“Lie down. I’ll do it for you.”
I mused that I would have better communication speaking to a wall. Realizing that exchanging words in this state would be utterly futile, I decided to seek a reasonable compromise for the sake of my sanity.
“Just apply the medicine and then leave.”
“Of course. I have to go to work, after all.”
A powerful impulse to smack his irritating mouth surged through me, but I suppressed it, behaving like an adult, and returned to the bed.
I propped myself up comfortably against the pillows. He followed, perching on the edge of the bed and gently pulling up the shorts that covered the abrasion.
“…This will take a while to heal.”
Frowning deeply, he squeezed a generous amount of ointment onto his index finger. He then began to spread it gently over the abraded area, but his touch was so exceedingly careful that it tickled to an unbearable degree.
It felt as though a soft feather was subtly stroking my skin.
“You don’t have to be *that* gentle…”
“If I press too hard, it might hurt.”
I was about to retort that it wouldn’t hurt at all, but a chuckle escaped me first. He, who had been gravely examining my thigh, lifted his head upon hearing my laughter.
“Does it tickle?”
“J-just a little.”
Barely managing to compose my twitching lips, I urged him to finish applying the medicine. Yet, the moment his halted hand began to move again, the crisis returned.
“Bear with it for a moment. I’m almost done.”
He squeezed out the remaining ointment and reached his hand deeper, beneath my clothing. A soft gasp, born of sheer surprise, involuntarily escaped my lips. Our eyes met simultaneously, and for a brief moment, neither of us spoke.
“Let’s get up. We need to eat breakfast.”
Breaking the ensuing awkward silence, he rose from his seat. He then pulled out a tissue and wiped the ointment from his hands.
While it was indeed time for breakfast, I knew with certainty that if I were to sit across from him and eat in this state, the food would surely get stuck in my throat.
“I’ll eat later—”
“You didn’t even eat dinner last night.”
Cutting me off swiftly, he gestured with his chin, urging me to get up. With no other choice, I threw back the duvet and rose from the bed, whereupon he naturally took my hand.
Descending to the first floor, I found the dining table laden with an overwhelming amount of food, far too much for a mere breakfast. The sheer variety was so extensive that simply looking at it made me feel full.
“Sit here.”
He pulled out a chair for me, seeing me seated first, then walked around the table to take his place opposite me.
I picked up my spoon first and began to eat the soup, and soon after, he started his meal. The warm broth soothed my empty stomach. Curiously, however, I found myself disinclined to reach for the rice.
“Try some of this, too.”
As if he had divined my intention to only eat the soup, he placed some seasoned vegetables atop my rice. Unable to discard what he had already given me, I reluctantly ate it, prompting him to beam brightly and continue adding more side dishes.
‘I ended up eating it all.’
When alone, I barely managed to eat a salad, yet when dining with him, I would effortlessly finish an entire bowl of rice. It seemed he was aware of this, constantly trying to align our meal times.
After confirming my neatly emptied rice bowl, he resumed his own meal. He had barely eaten half of his portion, having been so preoccupied with ensuring I ate.
In the past, I would have returned to my room without a second glance. Lately, however, I found myself remaining until he finished his meal; I could certainly wait that long for him.
“I might be a little late today.”
“How late?”
“About an hour? If it’s any later, I’ll let you know in advance. I wouldn’t want you to miss dinner waiting for me.”
By this point, it was abundantly clear that his mind was entirely preoccupied with thoughts of food. I nodded in agreement, and just then, he finished his meal and set down his spoon.
“And here, take this.”
He pulled something from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. Upon closer inspection, it was his other cell phone, the one I had stumbled upon yesterday. When I inquired why he was giving it to me, he replied:
“Yoo Seo-jin’s phone is practically useless, isn’t it?”
Since arriving here, I had only turned on my phone about once a week for less than an hour, so it had indeed been a useless device for quite some time, just as he said.
Still, I rarely left the house unless for a special occasion, so there seemed to be no particular need for a phone. I couldn’t fathom why he intended to give it to me.
“Call me anytime.”
“There’s hardly any reason t—”
“Even if it’s just a prank call.”
When I challenged him, questioning why I, at my age, would ever make a prank call, he laughed aloud, claiming it was a joke. Pouting, I puffed out my cheeks and attempted to return the phone to him.
“Just take it. I simply want to hear your voice, Yoo Seo-jin.”
He reiterated his request for me to call him anytime, pressing the phone back into my hand. I accepted it, albeit reluctantly, yet I wondered if a day would ever come when I actually used it.
‘Probably not.’
Unable to bring myself to voice that thought to him, especially given his obvious delight, I slipped the newly acquired phone into my pocket.
****
‘Today, it’s here.’
For several days now, unfamiliar marks had begun to appear in various places on my body. First, it was my thigh, then around my navel, and today, it was on the left side of my chest.
‘It doesn’t seem like an insect bite…’
Even pressing firmly on the reddish spots yielded no particular sensation. If they were insect bites, they would surely itch, but that wasn’t the case either.
‘…Surely not, right?’
Leaning closer to the mirror and pushing my chest forward, I noticed the spots, persistently clustered in one area, almost resembling a hickey. Han Jung-woo was the only person who would leave such marks on my body, but he hadn’t secretly entered my room in the past few days.
‘Then what could it be?’
Even as my worries deepened, I simply couldn’t find an answer. If this continued tomorrow, it seemed best to visit a hospital. While I couldn’t take medicine due to the baby, it would still be wise to at least ascertain the cause.
‘It shouldn’t be anything serious.’
I calmed the creeping anxiety and finished dressing. Just then, my stomach rumbled, signaling hunger, and as I was about to head out for food, my eyes met his; he stood leaning casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed.
I hadn’t heard the door open, so when had he entered? Erasing the confusion that had bloomed across my face, I forced a nonchalant tone and asked him:
“How long have you been here?”
“Hmm, for about five minutes?”
Grinning impudently, he uncrossed his arms and approached me. He then smoothed out a wrinkle in my clothes and, with utmost naturalness, pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
The touch was so fleeting that I missed my chance to say anything. Unlike my bewildered expression, he was beaming, clearly finding great amusement in the situation.
“It’s the weekend, do you have any plans?”
Even though he knew I rarely went out unless it was for a regular check-up at the obstetrician’s, he brazenly asked me. He probably wanted confirmation from my own lips that I had no other engagements.
“No, I don’t.”
“Then let’s play together.”
Taking his hand, I followed him into the living room, where the sofa table was laden with board games, prepared at some unknown time. There was a vast array of them, ranging from familiar titles to completely new ones.
“You don’t seriously intend for us to play *all* of these, do you?”
“Of course not.”
He chuckled softly, released my hand, and settled onto the carpeted floor instead of the sofa. Then, patting the spot beside him, he invited me to join him.
“Choose whatever you’d like to play from here, Yoo Seo-jin.”
“…This is difficult.”
With so many options, it was only natural for my deliberation to be prolonged. Yet, despite my lengthy consideration, the game I ultimately chose was the familiar world travel board game.
“Shall we make a bet?”
“What kind of bet?”
“Hmm, the loser grants the winner’s wish.”
Hearing the half-tone higher pitch in his voice, it was clear he was convinced he would be the victor.
‘Well, delusions are free.’
“Alright. The loser grants the winner’s wish, no matter what it is.”
My competitive spirit, long dormant, ignited once more.
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