Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2

Yeon-ha felt incredibly embarrassed since entering the bathroom, but she didn’t want to show it, so she had been trying to act nonchalant. Turning her body towards the sink, she muttered.

“I managed just fine on my own even when I was using crutches.”

“Yeah. That was then.”

“…”

“It’s cold, right? Let’s wash up quickly and get out,” Min-gyu said lightly as he passed by Yeon-ha and reached for the showerhead over the bathtub. His face showed no change in expression as he turned on the water and checked the temperature.

Yeon-ha, silently watching the deep scar that followed the contour of his muscular shoulder, decided not to argue anymore.

Despite barely lifting a finger, she felt completely drained after being thoroughly ‘washed’ with hot water. Min-gyu only entered the bathroom to clean himself after making sure she was back in bed.

‘I should have turned off the light.’

Yet, she had no intention of getting up. Wearing an oversized T-shirt that didn’t fit properly, she burrowed deeper into the blanket. He had swiftly changed the sheets and blankets while she was dressing.

I need to sleep quickly.

As she thought this, an unbearably strange feeling washed over her.

Yeon-ha took a long breath and slowly blinked. For some reason, everything felt intensely unreal. Even this space, which should no longer feel unfamiliar, struck her as awkwardly out of place. It all felt like an illusion, pointless and floating.

She had no intention of telling anyone, but the overwhelming sensation that even her breathing felt abnormal was not new to her.

Taking another deep breath, Yeon-ha glanced around the room. Although generally tidy, it bore traces of age here and there. The large bed and brightly colored bedding were decidedly out of place.

This bed wasn’t here when she first arrived. According to Min-gyu, he used to sleep on the bare floor in the living room or occasionally on an old mattress in this small room. That old mattress was gone now, but Yeon-ha remembered the few days she slept on it when she first came here.

Yeon-ha pulled the blanket up to her neck and habitually wiggled her right ankle. Although the pain had subsided, a lingering discomfort remained. As she moved her ankle again, she realized the blanket was quite thick. Maybe she was belatedly noticing Min-gyu’s offhand remark about it being April.

‘Does he sleep without a shirt because it’s hot?’

Even in the dead of winter, Min-gyu would sleep shirtless, which initially shocked her. Now, he wore at least a T-shirt, likely out of consideration for her. Despite that, he still insisted on sharing the bed with her every night.

Ever since their first night together, he always held her close while they slept.

‘I need to sleep.’

Resolving to fall asleep quickly, Yeon-ha got up, turned off the light, and lay back down. In the darkness, she could see the faint light from the bathroom door and hear the sound of running water. The quietness of the room felt both familiar and strange.

It was a very quiet neighborhood, especially since the house was at the end of a secluded alley. She remembered running from the bus stop to the house because the deserted streets scared her at night. It felt like ages ago, though it hadn’t even been a year.

Now, there was no going back.

“Are you asleep again?”

Startled out of her thoughts, Yeon-ha’s eyes snapped open. She had been drifting off, lost in a memory of walking home in her school uniform. Instead, she found herself staring into Min-gyu’s dark, glossy eyes, unaware he had slipped into bed beside her.

He lightly tapped her cheek a couple of times, then withdrew his hand.

“How can you be sleepy after napping all day?”

She blinked, too groggy and embarrassed to respond. He was always busy, making her feel endlessly lazy in comparison.

In the now warm room, their eyes met in the silence. Min-gyu suddenly chuckled as he gazed at her small face.

“You’re so weak because you don’t eat properly.”

“.…”

“Or maybe you sneak out when I’m not home? Wandering around alone?”

Yeon-ha didn’t feel the need to answer again. He probably knew the answer, but he was asking anyway. It was a ridiculous question. During the entire time she used crutches, she hadn’t stepped outside without him. She had often gone entire days without eating and just slept.

“You’re giving me that look again as if I’m talking nonsense…” His slightly drowsy voice seeped into her ears. Right now, he seemed noticeably more relaxed than usual.