Chapter 44: The Warmest Place

Kangeun, her body submerged in a bathtub full of bubbles, tilted her head back.

She didn’t know how long it had been since she’d last enjoyed a proper bath like this.

As she sat in the piping hot water, a soft groan escaped her, her entire body feeling languid and loose.

“This is nice.”

She had a cold wet towel draped over her eyes, which were swollen from crying.

Siheon, who had prepared the bubble bath in the dimly lit bathroom, had even provided the cold towel before saying he would step out for a moment.

He had also not forgotten to tell her not to worry about a single thing for the next two hours—to just wash and rest comfortably.

[I’ll call you before I come back. So rest well and don’t worry about anything.]

His considerate nature was exactly the same as it had been in the past.

Thanks to that, Kangeun was now able to enjoy her bath time with total peace of mind.

“Mmm…….”

At some point while crying like a child, she had felt a sudden brightness.

The wall where the light leaked through the gap in the curtains had become bright.

Only then did she realize it was morning.

And then she realized she was being held in Siheon’s arms.

She had definitely been lying down, so she had no idea how they had ended up in such a position.

Kangeun had been curled up on the lap of Siheon, who was sitting on the sofa, with her arms wrapped around his neck.

At least it was a relief that she had kept her legs tucked neatly together.

In the midst of that awkward situation where she could do nothing but endure his gentle pats, the sound of Siheon’s chuckle—sensing her body had gone stiff with tension—carried over pleasantly.

[Are you done crying?]

[……Yeah.]

[You’ll be hungry after crying so much. You didn’t eat dinner either, right?]

[……Yeah.]

[Don’t you want to wash up?]

[……I do. I want to take off my makeup too.]

As if he had expected as much, Siheon rose to his feet.

Saying he would prepare something simple to eat, he headed into the kitchen and quickly whipped up some sugar toast—something Kangeun used to make from time to time.

No, perhaps it was a slightly more high-end version.

Cooked with butter instead of oil and sprinkled generously with sugar, the cooled toast was both crispy and moist.

It was a nostalgic flavor that naturally made her want to take another bite of the sweetness.

[I’ll be back.]

[Okay.]

[Don’t open the door for anyone. And don’t go anywhere without saying a word.]

[……Quit being silly.]

Siheon, who had watched Kangeun eat the sugar toast and milk with satisfaction, had moved about busily.

After he left, having prepared her bath, Kangeun checked the time.

Because she had fallen asleep as if collapsing from exhaustion, she thought a great deal of time had passed, but in fact, she had slept for a full eight hours and woken at dawn.

The fact that she had managed to go to Hyunwoo’s hospital after finishing her soft opening shift was truly nothing short of a miracle.

Across the entire week, she wondered if she had even slept five hours in total.

In a state where both her body and mind were completely spent, she had gritted her teeth and sought him out just to bring an end to her relationship with Hyunwoo.

With her fatigue so deep she felt like she might fall over at any moment, she hadn’t wanted to see him.

Beyond just being fed up, it had bordered on the horrifying.

She had been so tired of even speaking to him that she had intended to just throw down her resignation and leave request and walk out, but because he kept needling her, she hadn’t been able to leave without speaking her mind.

“What a bad jerk…….”

She was frustrated that this was the only curse word she really knew how to use.

Deep down, she wanted to scream something far worse, but she didn’t have the confidence to say it with enough bite to relieve her pent-up frustration.

In truth, Kangeun had cried a great deal over the past week.

The sense of betrayal toward the man she had trusted was immense, and once she confirmed what he actually thought of her, she shuddered with humiliation and shame.

Kangeun loved the coffee she had come to know through Jaeseon.

Because of that, she had enjoyed working at Tenuto Coffee so much, which made the situation—where she could no longer work there after cutting ties with Hyunwoo—so upsetting and unfair.

A feeling of nausea welled up at the situation where she, the victim, was once again being pressured to accept an apology from the one acting as the victim.

Having done nothing wrong, experiencing people who looked down on her repeatedly only led to self-loathing.

Whenever she felt like she might sink into a bottomless depression, it was Siheon who caught her.

Remembering his voice calling her so achingly, his hands stroking her with such care, and his tender gaze, she was reminded that she was a precious entity, at least to Siheon.

She realized that in this vast world, at least one person recognized her existence.

Of course, it was unfamiliar to see him whispering such erotic things.

The Siheon who had slowly seduced and coaxed her to break down her walls before eventually finding an opening to swallow her lips…… the Siheon who had fixed her with a predator’s gaze and clearly announced that their relationship would change……

“He was a man.”

Covering her face—which had begun to turn uncontrollably red—with both hands, Kangeun let herself slide glub-glub beneath the bubbles.

She squeezed her eyes shut and counted, then came up with a “Pwah!” and wiped the soapy water from her face.

Attempting to blame the heat of the water for the fact that not only her face, but her ears, neck, and entire body were flushed, Kangeun suddenly recalled the sensation from earlier that morning and had to shut her eyes tight.

[You were upset. You had a hard time.]

She remembered the tender kisses that had landed countless times—on her teary eyes, her forehead, her temple, the crown of her head, her fingertips, and the back of her hand—as she nodded and wept.

“Ah…….”

How could she have failed to realize it at the time?

How had she been able to naturally accept him comforting her by kissing her face and hands so thoroughly?

After handing her resignation to Hyunwoo, the place her feet naturally led her was, of course, the office-tel.

But as soon as she entered the elevator, Kangeun pressed ’25’ instead of ‘9’.

She wanted to sleep soundly, but the instinct not to be alone had guided her.

She hadn’t been able to think clearly for long.

In a state where she felt like she would drift off the moment she closed her eyes, she saw Siheon as he opened the door for her.

The chill that had plagued her throughout her journey home vanished in that instant.

And in his home, filled with his scent, Kangeun had been able to sleep soundly for the first time in a long while without even dreaming.

“Why did I do that……?”

Of course, she had intended to talk with Siheon.

But she hadn’t intended to show up at his place with her emotions in such a jumble, sleep like a child, and wake up to burst into tears.

Once again, glub-glub, Kangeun vanished into the bubbles.

In the process, her now-pruned toes poked out of the tub, and even they were dyed a deep red.

When Kangeun finally came out—after soaking in the water for so long that her body felt as if it were melting into liquid—Siheon called.

Upon being asked if he could return as he had finished his business, Kangeun told him he could.

She was already wearing the T-shirt and pants he had provided.

The T-shirt was one thing, but the pants would simply slide right off if she didn’t keep a hand on them.

Putting on her own underwear again felt a bit unpleasant, but for now, she had no alternative.

She intended to stay with Siheon for just a little while longer.

She planned to share a meal and express how grateful and sorry she was for how he’d accepted her so suddenly last night and comforted her.

After that, she could go down to her own house and change.

However, the moment Siheon saw Kangeun emerged in his clothes, he burst into laughter.

“Ah…… Go Kangeun.”

“……I know. I know I look ridiculous.”

“This is driving me crazy…….”

Was it really that funny?

Kangeun pouted and waddled back into the bathroom, dragging the long legs of her pants.

She needed to dry her hair.

However, Siheon walked ahead of her and pulled out the chair at the vanity in front of the bathroom.

“Sit.”

“Why……?”

“So I can dry your hair.”

“……I can do it myself.”

“Let me. Since you worked so hard to raise me, you deserve to be served too.”

“…….”

“You said you’d put me to work. You said that last time. Use me thoroughly. Anything you don’t want to do, anything annoying—no, make me do everything. Go Kangeun, that’s why I work out.”

With him speaking like that, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to leave the task of drying her hair to him.

And so, Kangeun sat down as he led her.

Siheon pulled out the hair dryer and began to dry her hair with somewhat clumsy movements.

“That’s not how you do it.”

“It’s the first time I’ve dried someone else’s hair instead of my own. Plus, yours is long.”

“That’s why I should do it.”

“Teach me this too. You’re a good teacher, Go Kangeun.”

She clamped her mouth shut at those words.

His comment that he’d never dried anyone else’s hair made her feel strangely good.

Perhaps that was why his clumsy touch began to feel pleasant as well.

“There. I think it’s all dry.”

When Kangeun burst into laughter because her hair looked entirely frizzy in the mirror, Siheon’s eyebrow quirked at an angle.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“I look like a mess. Give me the brush.”

“Ah. Let me do that too.”

As if he were playing with a doll, something he hadn’t even done as a child, Siheon looked like he was enjoying himself.

Watching him comb her hair into neat, soft waves with such a satisfied look—only to playfully ruffle it again and resume combing—Kangeun felt happy too.

Having not even lifted a single finger, she felt like a princess who had found an undeserved life of luxury.

“Wait a second.”

“Why?”

“Stay right there.”

Siheon went into the living room and returned with some baby lotion.

Kangeun burst out laughing, but Siheon peeled open the packaging with a dead-serious face.

“Close your eyes.”

“……Are you going to put it on me?”

“Yeah.”

For some strange reason, she didn’t want to refuse him.

After a moment’s thought, she closed her eyes and felt his warm touch as he applied the cool lotion.

She felt like a baby being handled with extreme care, following the texture of her skin, yet she found it so funny that he kept pressing her cheeks and lightly pinching her skin that she peeked out of one eye.

Siheon was smiling.

“Done. Try opening your eyes.”

“I am already opening them.”

“Oh, I thought you weren’t. Where did those big eyes go?”

Watching Siheon tease and laugh at her for her swollen eyes, Kangeun realized she had even forgotten her hunger.

Strangely enough, even without having eaten, she felt full.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Underdog Connection

ChaebolContemporaryObsessiveLove

Read Now →
Not interested