Startled by the sudden encounter, Hye-seong blinked his sleepy eyes in confusion. Then, after a beat, he smiled sheepishly.
“I was on my way to you.”
“……”
“I woke up and you weren’t next to me… Did I scare you?”
Even though it had only been a short doze, Hye-seong’s hair stuck up in all directions, messier than usual.
Yoo Ji-ho, rendered briefly speechless, glanced down at the towel still in his hand and finally spoke.
“Maybe I really did overdo it… Just like you said. My hand hurts.”
“Gasp—still? Oh no…”
Hye-seong immediately grabbed Yoo Ji-ho’s hand and pulled it toward him to inspect.
The bruising hadn’t faded—it wouldn’t, not in just a few hours. But what had changed was the intense heat radiating from the entire hand. His palm, especially, was flushed red.
Judging by the lingering coolness on certain spots, he must’ve rinsed it in cold water for quite a while, but the heat coming off his skin was still intense.
With the corners of his eyes drooping in concern, Hye-seong lifted his head.
“I must’ve fallen asleep and… it got worse.”
“How’s your body? Why are you up already?”
“Better than I thought. It’s different from last time.”
As he answered, Hye-seong turned his hand over and placed it on Yoo Ji-ho’s scorching palm. Still hot.
It didn’t feel like it would do much good. Having just crawled out from under the covers, Hye-seong’s body was still warm.
Why didn’t I notice this earlier?
His hands had been warm before, too—but not like this. Or was it just his imagination? Maybe Yoo Ji-ho’s hand had been radiating even more heat while Hye-seong was asleep.
In any case, while Hye-seong could do something about the wave pattern issue, the heat caused by external stress would need another solution.
Still fiddling with the hot hand, Hye-seong instinctively brought it to his cheek—then flinched.
“Oh.”
That did the trick.
His face, exposed to the early morning air, was cold—so Yoo Ji-ho’s hand felt even hotter in contrast.
And for Yoo Ji-ho, his cool cheek probably felt nice and refreshing.
Hye-seong’s expression brightened considerably, and he looked up at Yoo Ji-ho, eyes full of warmth.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. It really does.”
Yoo Ji-ho chuckled softly and cupped Hye-seong’s cheek with a hand that had begun to relax.
Rubbing his cheek against the palm for a moment, Hye-seong asked in a worried voice:
“Did you wake up because your hand hurt?”
“That’s right.”
“Then this won’t do. I’ll go get some ice—please lie down again.”
“No.”
The unexpected answer made Hye-seong’s expression tense as he blinked wide-eyed.
“Then… what are you going to do…?”
Yoo Ji-ho gave his cheek a few gentle presses.
“Why would I touch something cold when I’ve got you?”
“But… oh!”
Just then, the blanket that had been barely draped over Hye-seong’s shoulder slid down.
He caught it hastily before his body was completely exposed—and froze mid-sentence.
A sudden realization struck him, and his entire body tensed.
Why… am I not wearing any clothes right now?
It was late to ask, but he couldn’t stop himself.
“Um… excuse me…”
“Yes?”
Gripping the blanket tightly around himself, Hye-seong carefully broached the topic.
Yoo Ji-ho, however, kept calmly pressing his cheeks with zero reaction.
“Did you… take my clothes?”
He couldn’t bring himself to ask if he’d undressed him.
Hye-seong’s heart pounded in his chest for reasons he couldn’t explain.
But Yoo Ji-ho answered flatly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Yeah. They were dirty, so I took them off.”
“Oh…”
So he took them off because they were dirty.
It was still a little confusing, but not entirely illogical.
Hye-seong nodded slowly, and Yoo Ji-ho gently tugged on his arm.
“Let’s go. You must be tired. Go back to bed.”
“Then… when should I go home? After breakfast?”
“Let’s think about that after you get some more sleep.”
“Okay.”
Adjusting the blanket around him, Hye-seong let himself be led quietly back into the bedroom.
A short while later, he was awakened by the cheerful chirping of birds.
It was a pleasant way to wake up—until he was startled out of his skin.
“Gasp!”
Someone unfamiliar was moving around noisily near the bed.
At first, he thought he’d woken up in his own home—but it wasn’t.
And the person standing before him wasn’t Yoo Ji-ho, either.
At the same time, he became fully aware of the soft fabric wrapped around his bare skin.
As he realized his state, a shiver ran through his entire body.
Under the neatly placed blanket, he was in nothing but his underwear—just like before dawn.
Only his head and one arm were sticking out.
“……”
He never slept tucked in like this.
Someone had definitely gone out of their way to cover him properly.
His eyes followed the tubing from his wrist—he seemed to be receiving fluids.
Great. I’m getting an IV in Yoo Ji-ho’s bed again.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
The Inspector, who’d been tidying up, met eyes with him and greeted him with a smile.
“Feeling alright, Guide?”
“Ah… Hello.”
With his free hand, Hye-seong pulled the blanket up to his chin and offered a polite nod.
Honestly, he just felt like he’d had a deep nap—but the Inspector’s words suggested otherwise.
Though it was Hye-seong’s first time meeting him, the Inspector had apparently been the one to check on him during a similar incident last time.
“No need to be alarmed. You just passed out briefly. Even though everything seems fine, he was so insistent I couldn’t leave until I hooked you up to this.”
“‘He’ meaning… Yoo Ji-ho?”
“Yep.”
“Ahh… Thank you. Um, where is he now?”
“He’s with Dr. Na—he just arrived. Want me to call him?”
“N-no, that’s okay!”
Hye-seong had barely waved his hand when the bedroom door swung open.
Dr. Na Hye-yoon stepped in beside Yoo Ji-ho, his expression grim, and stared at Hye-seong with a deeply meaningful look.
“Gasp!”
Startled again, Hye-seong yanked the blanket up to his chin a second time, trying to calm his thudding heart.
“D-Doctor. It’s been a while.”
“…Unbelievable.”
Still lying down, Hye-seong greeted him as best he could.
But Dr. Na just stared between Yoo Ji-ho and Hye-seong like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, mumbling incoherently.
“How did he bring him back… drag him… no, escort him…?”
“What the hell are you doing?”
Yoo Ji-ho’s low voice cut through the room.
Dr. Na inhaled sharply and finally seemed to snap out of it.
He stepped closer to the bed.
Hye-seong gulped and clutched the blanket tighter.
Dr. Na looked completely different from the last time Hye-seong had seen him—his hair was a mess, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted.
He resembled a worn-out office worker who’d pulled multiple all-nighters during emergency overtime.
Seeing him like this made Hye-seong feel even worse.
He’s the one who should be in bed, not me…
“Doctor, are you alright?”
Even though he asked out of genuine concern, Dr. Na just stared at him silently.
Then, after a long pause, he spoke in a calm but emotional voice.
“Hye-seong. Welcome back.”
“Uh… Thank you.”
“Really. Thank you… so much.”
“Huh?”
Not understanding the meaning behind those words, Hye-seong blinked blankly.
Yoo Ji-ho chimed in again.
“If you’re done checking, get out.”
“…Right. Sorry.”
“Both of you.”
“Ah, right. Inspector, this way…”
Dr. Na clamped his mouth shut and quickly led the Inspector out.
As soon as the two disappeared, Hye-seong let out a deep sigh of relief.
It was probably the first time in his life he’d met so many people while in nothing but his underwear—even if the blanket had protected his dignity.
Still, he was far more comfortable in front of Yoo Ji-ho than he’d been with the others.
Once he was sure they were gone, Yoo Ji-ho handed him a cup.
A clear glass filled with water.
“Want some water again today?”
“Gasp—thank you.”
How did he know?
He really was thirsty.
Gratefully, Hye-seong chugged the cool water in the glass.
He did the same thing last time too…
Every time Yoo Ji-ho showed this kind of thoughtful care, Hye-seong was so touched he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“I called them just in case, but thankfully, your body’s fine.”
“Right? I feel totally normal too.”
Though he still didn’t understand why he’d passed out that suddenly…
“And you, Ji-ho? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Apparently.”
In other words, everything was over.
A deep sense of relief washed over Hye-seong.
Sitting upright in bed, he looked up at Yoo Ji-ho.
“Then, Yoo Ji-ho. I think I’ll head home now.”
Yoo Ji-ho stared at the blanket pulled tightly over Hye-seong’s shoulders, his gaze unrelenting.
Then, with a faint smirk, he asked:
“How exactly are you planning to do that?”
“…Huh?”
Eyes wide, Hye-seong tilted his head.
Yoo Ji-ho replied casually, still smiling:
“You don’t have any clothes.”
“……”
