Chapter 56: Apply the Medicine Yourself

“By the way, you didn’t do anything wrong, so why do you look so defeated?”

Soft, squishy.

Without really thinking about it, Chae Woo-seok kept squeezing Go Ha-jin’s cheek. It was surprisingly soft, almost like a chewy rice cake. When he pressed it between his fingertips, it stretched gently before springing back into place. Fascinated, he continued kneading it.

“W-What are you doing…? You’re not angry, are you?”

“Why would I be? If I were angry, I’d have ripped your cheek off.”

“…Could you not joke like that, even as a joke? When you say things like that, it sounds like something you’d actually do. It hurts, so let go…”

What kind of terrifying joke was that?

Ha-jin felt a chill run down his spine. No, he’d been uneasy even before that. The real problem was Woo-seok’s hand. His tone was casual, but the way he was tugging and pinching Ha-jin’s cheek made it feel as though he truly intended to tear it off.

He stretched it to its limit, then pinched it as if trying to pop it.

‘What a frightening man.’

“Ah, sorry.”

Only after withdrawing his hand did Woo-seok realize he might have gotten carried away. One side of Ha-jin’s face had turned bright red, as though he’d been slapped. Judging by the murderous glare Ha-jin was giving him while clutching his cheek, it had genuinely hurt.

Just as Ha-jin was about to complain, Why the hell are you hitting me after saying I did well?, a voice interrupted.

“Director Chae, sorry to bother you, but…”

A hurried call came from the entrance.

It was Team Leader Yang.

Rushing in to relay a message that Lee Ah-seong urgently wanted to see him, Team Leader Yang froze at the sight before him.

From where he stood, it looked as though Chae Woo-seok was scolding Go Ha-jin. Woo-seok sat directly in front of him with his sleeves rolled up.

The look he gave Team Leader Yang was distinctly displeased.

And then there was Ha-jin.

Ha-jin lowered the hand covering his face.

The bright-red cheek underneath was revealed.

His eyes even looked a little watery.

Surely…

Surely!

“Who said you could come in, Team Leader Yang?”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Without a second glance, Team Leader Yang bolted from the house.

A grin spread across his face as he ran toward the main residence.

How could it not?

It was obvious that Woo-seok had gotten angry because of what happened earlier that day.

So the moment he got home, he’d slapped Ha-jin across the face?

If he delivered that news, even Lee Ah-seong, who had been in a foul mood all afternoon, would brighten up immediately.

The thought filled him with such delight that he barely noticed himself running faster.

****

After Team Leader Yang’s interruption, silence settled between the two of them.

Both were mentally replaying their earlier conversation, wondering if he had overheard anything.

Fortunately, nothing seemed particularly problematic.

“But will you really be okay? My father isn’t the type to let something like this go.”

Woo-seok already felt a headache coming on.

He knew better than anyone how exhausting Lee Ah-seong could be when he decided to make someone’s life miserable.

“What do you mean? Isn’t this exactly why you married me? I’m annoyed about it, sure, but it can’t be helped.”

He had spoken out of concern.

Yet Ha-jin only looked at him as though he couldn’t understand the question.

That was when Woo-seok suddenly found himself wondering why he had been worried about Ha-jin ending up in that situation in the first place.

As Ha-jin had just said, that was his role.

If anything, Woo-seok should have been criticizing him for not stepping into that pit sooner.

“Well… that’s true.”

And yet…

He didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

Even though he had always known that.

Why?

Question marks continued to pile up inside Woo-seok’s head.

***

“Doesn’t this show way too much of my neck?”

“So what? It’s not a scar.”

“But still! What are people going to think?”

“At most, they’ll think we’re family. Besides, it looks good on you.”

It was family dinner night, a rare occasion when everyone gathered together.

Chae Il-joo was unusually obsessed with maintaining family bonds. Even when no outsiders were watching, he insisted everyone eat together.

Even Chae Woo-seok, of all people, couldn’t skip these gatherings.

Claiming to feel unwell wasn’t an option.

The problem, however, was Ha-jin’s neck.

The mark Woo-seok had left was stubborn.

Even after several days, the hickey had not completely faded.

The red had mostly turned bluish, but it was still visible.

None of Ha-jin’s clothes could fully cover it.

“Should I put some more medicine on it before we go?”

Because this would be the first meeting since the clash with Lee Ah-seong, Ha-jin felt especially nervous.

Once things actually started, he was usually better at handling them than anyone else.

But beforehand, he worried endlessly.

The idiot beside him, meanwhile, seemed completely unconcerned.

Woo-seok casually stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Ha-jin’s waist.

“W-What are you doing? We’re already late!”

“Wouldn’t it be better than feeling uncomfortable there? You’ll be sitting for over an hour.”

“Even so! I-I can apply it myself!”

“Really? Then go ahead.”

To Ha-jin’s surprise, Woo-seok immediately handed him the ointment.

Then he lifted the hem of Ha-jin’s shirt.

“Apply it.”

“…Right here? Like this?”

“You said you’d do it yourself. You need a mirror to see, don’t you?”

The standing position wasn’t the issue.

The problem was the full-length mirror in front of them.

They had been checking their appearance before leaving.

Meeting Woo-seok’s gaze through the reflection made Ha-jin feel as though he would die of embarrassment.

Before he could protest, Woo-seok had already undone his belt.

His trousers slid down.

“What? Want me to take these off too?”

Through the mirror, Ha-jin could clearly see Woo-seok’s hand hooked into the waistband of his underwear.

“I-I’ll do it myself!”

Honestly, what difference did it make anymore?

They had already seen far too much of each other.

Still, actually pulling his underwear down proved harder than expected.

“Couldn’t you stand somewhere else?” he tried asking.

Woo-seok simply lifted his shirt even higher.

“Tell me if you want help.”

“…Fine. Help me.”

There was no choice.

He couldn’t do this while standing exposed in front of a mirror.

It would be less embarrassing to bury his face in the bedsheets and stick his rear in the air.

Besides, Woo-seok really was better at applying the treatment.

“See? That’s what you should’ve said from the start.”

Without hesitation, Woo-seok tugged the underwear down to mid-thigh.

Then he smoothly took the ointment from Ha-jin’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax. Otherwise I might accidentally use the wrong medicine.”

His tone sounded suspiciously insincere.

Ha-jin narrowed his eyes.

Somehow, he had a feeling this “treatment” was about to take a lot longer than necessary.

And judging from the amused smile reflected in the mirror, Chae Woo-seok seemed perfectly aware of that.

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