#092
“…Something nice?”
I was curious but couldn’t turn my head right away without losing face, so I gripped the pillow tightly. Then I heard something clattering.
“Ah…!”
Hyun Dowoon pulled down the blanket that was covering me up to my waist. When I let out a small scream in surprise, he rubbed my back soothingly with his large hand.
Soon after, a warm towel was placed on my back. I opened my drowsy eyes wide, then immediately melted from the warmth.
“What is this?”
“I thought you might be tired.”
He then began to carefully wipe my body with the warm towel. As he rubbed various places, I definitely felt refreshed.
“Aren’t you tired? We both used the same amount of energy.”
“Are you really comparing your stamina to that of an esper?”
Hyun Dowoon chuckled lightly at my question. I felt a bit sulky, thinking he might be mocking me, but I couldn’t argue because he wasn’t wrong.
“Do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“…Did you do this for your previous guides too?”
Oops. After speaking, I immediately regretted opening my mouth. I realized it was an impolite and intrusive question. Why would I ask such a thing when Hyun Dowoon and I weren’t even that close? As I was inwardly regretting it, he unexpectedly answered in a casual voice.
“This is my first time.”
“What?”
“I’ve never done such close contact guiding with a guide before.”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, Hyun Dowoon was supposed to dislike guides, right.
“This is my first time for kissing and all this too… so teach me well from now on.”
“…What?”
He seemed so skilled that I naturally assumed he had a lot of experience, but it was his first time?
While I was flustered, Hyun Dowoon said with a smile, “I’d prefer if you only taught me.”
What does he mean by teaching when he did everything himself…? I laughed, finding it ridiculous. Then Hyun Dowoon put the now slightly cooled towel on the tray and picked up something that rustled.
As I tried to get a closer look at what it was, suddenly some crunchy nuts entered my mouth. I reflexively chewed and looked at Hyun Dowoon.
“You always said you were hungry after guiding, right?”
“Did you buy this on your way home?”
“Mm, I always carry some. I never know when you might get hungry.”
I blinked at his unexpected words. How did he know when I would want to do guiding?
‘Like some kind of first-aid kit… but it’s delicious.’
I quietly accepted Hyun Dowoon’s consideration as I chewed and swallowed almonds and yogurt balls simultaneously.
After eating about fifteen nuts, the bag was empty. Only then did Hyun Dowoon cover my eyes with his hand, making me close them, and whispered for me to sleep well.
With the feeling of my body sinking into the floor like a lead weight, I fell asleep counting the rhythm of Hyun Dowoon continuously patting my chest.
***
Waking up late in the afternoon, I slowly got up from the bed. I could hear clattering sounds from outside. Judging by the savory smell coming through the slightly open door, it seemed Hyun Dowoon was making something.
“Dowoon, what are you mak— Ah.”
As I was calling out to Hyun Dowoon while stepping out of the room, I discovered Shin Haejun sitting on the sofa with an expressionless face, fiddling with a tablet.
“You’re early? No, it’s afternoon, so I guess it’s not early.”
Unlike me welcoming him, Shin Haejun scrutinized me from head to toe with sharp eyes and muttered.
“Something… happened, I see.”
“Huh?”
I just blinked at his sudden words, and Shin Haejun said with a slightly deflated expression.
“You usually call him ‘Center Director.'”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, I started calling him by name since dawn. It was because Hyun Dowoon liked it when I called him “Dowoon” instead of “Center Director” while angrily telling him to stop his persistent caresses.
It shouldn’t have been something to pay much attention to, but it seems to have caught Shin Haejun’s intuition.
I felt a bit embarrassed but nodded without denying it. It was something we’d have to go through eventually anyway.
“The meal is ready.”
While Shin Haejun and I were having a brief standoff, exchanging glances, Hyun Dowoon, who had been in the kitchen, came out to the living room looking as neat as usual and spoke.
I tensed up for a moment. I was thinking of all sorts of possibilities in my head, wondering what would happen if Shin Haejun couldn’t hold back and attacked Hyun Dowoon.
However, surprisingly, Shin Haejun glared at Hyun Dowoon with wavering eyes, then quietly stood up from his seat. It seemed he had decided to endure, at least as much as we had agreed beforehand.
‘Shin Haejun quietly enduring, how strange.’
Does he not want to be hated by me that much? Feeling a bit bitter, I sat down at the table with Shin Haejun, following Hyun Dowoon.
As he had said he would cook, the table was full of dishes Hyun Dowoon had prepared with care. He had said he wasn’t that good at cooking, but that was clearly a lie.
“You’re really good at cooking! It’s delicious.”
I praised him as I took a spoonful of stew. Hyun Dowoon smiled shyly, while Shin Haejun stared at the stew as if it were his mortal enemy.
“I’m glad my efforts in cooking have paid off.”
“It’s really delicious. You’re truly good at it, so don’t be unnecessarily modest next time.”
When I said this bluntly, Hyun Dowoon chuckled softly. He looked proud. I genuinely admired his cooking and ate up all the side dishes he had prepared.
As all three of us were finishing our meals, I spoke to Hyun Dowoon.
“Ah, what’s your schedule for today?”
“I’ll be going to the center to work and will probably leave around 7 PM.”
“Could you come home a bit later just for today?”
“…Ah.”
Hyun Dowoon looked at me with a subtle gaze, as if he had realized why I was making this suggestion.
Since I had spent time with Hyun Dowoon yesterday, today I needed to accumulate coins with Shin Haejun. Fairly.
What I had decided with their prior consent was that I wouldn’t favor anyone. Prioritizing only one person would indicate sexual favoritism rather than aiming for coin acquisition.
“I understand.”
After hesitating for a moment, Hyun Dowoon soon nodded with an indifferent face. I had been a bit nervous, but I felt grateful to Hyun Dowoon for accepting it smoothly and inwardly sighed with relief.
‘I don’t know how long this kind of relationship can last…’
It was clear that both of them were being incredibly considerate. And that this relationship couldn’t last forever.
But for now, at least, it was a situation where the three of us were together. I finished scraping up the last grain of rice and stood up energetically.
“The dishes—”
“I’ll do them.”
I was about to do the dishes right away, but suddenly Shin Haejun grabbed my wrist. Then he quickly stacked the dishes and carried them to the sink.
I followed closely behind Shin Haejun. Given that the housekeeper usually did all the housework from top to bottom, I was a bit worried when Shin Haejun suddenly volunteered to do the dishes.
“Hey, you’re using way too much dish soap!”
And as I had worried, Shin Haejun’s dishwashing went chaotically. He must have seen it done somewhere because he put all the dishes in the sink. But he pumped the dish soap about fifteen times onto the sponge and started washing, clattering the dishes so much that I worried they might break.
‘Still…’
I found it quite admirable that Shin Haejun had stepped up when I said I would do the dishes. As I stood beside him worrying, I found his appearance cute as he washed the dishes carefully while fully concentrated. When else would this pampered guy ever do such a thing?
I felt it was strange to have such thoughts over mere dishwashing, but it was an unimaginable situation when I first met Shin Haejun, so it felt novel.
“Then I’ll be heading to work now.”
As I was watching Shin Haejun with an anxious heart, Hyun Dowoon lightly greeted us from behind. I scurried to see him off as he said he was leaving. At the entrance, he lightly kissed my cheek before leaving.
“…I’m done.”
As I turned around after closing the door, Shin Haejun spoke in a quiet voice from the far end of the hallway. I hadn’t expected Shin Haejun to be there, so I jumped in surprise when he suddenly appeared. He approached me quickly with a slightly surprised look.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. I was just a bit startled. Make some noise when you walk, will you?”
Shin Haejun nodded at my words.
But he seemed particularly quiet today. Wondering if it was because of Hyun Dowoon, I carefully examined his face.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling bad about something?”
I asked as I held Shin Haejun’s hand and sat on the sofa in the living room. He shook his head.
“No, I’m fine.”
“…Did you get home okay yesterday?”
I asked cautiously, thinking he might not want to bring up Hyun Dowoon, and Shin Haejun’s face hardened.
“Yeah, I got home fine.”
“Why did they suddenly call you home?”
As soon as I finished speaking, he became even colder. I flinched in surprise, and he opened his eyes wide for a moment before softening his expression again.
“No, I’m not angry at you… I just had a bit of a clash with my parents at home.”
“Why so suddenly?”
What could there be to fight about that they had to call Shin Haejun home?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Shin Haejun hesitated a bit. He seemed reluctant to tell me.
‘Ah.’
In that moment, I sensed the reason why Shin Haejun had fought with his parents.
“Is it… because of Kim Sehyun?”
“Ah… no, well, not exactly, but…”
Shin Haejun waved his hands with a flustered face. Then he sighed and gripped my hand tightly.
“My parents are anxious about me being out in the world without a guide. So they just couldn’t understand why I suddenly dismissed Kim Sehyun.”
I inwardly sighed. Just as Shin Haejun had been anxious after losing his brother, his parents who had lost their son would naturally be anxious about Shin Haejun’s power.
Of course, that didn’t mean they were trying to pair Shin Haejun with Kim Sehyun again. I just wanted to regain my power quickly so that Shin Haejun wouldn’t have to feel anxious.
“…Let’s do some guiding.”
I said as I stood up abruptly. Shin Haejun looked at me with a slightly surprised face.
“Now?”
Instead of answering, I nodded. Even if it might strain my skin, we had to at least try something.
As I extended my hand to Shin Haejun, burning with a sense of duty, he suddenly burst into laughter and pulled my hand. As a result, I plopped down onto Shin Haejun’s lap and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Instead of such a solemn determination… I’d like it if we did this with a joyful heart.”
Shin Haejun’s lips touched my lower lip as he whispered this. He lightly bit and pulled my lip while gripping my hand even tighter.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
