SELA - 33

While Ji-Hyuk slept, Sa-hee gently placed a cool, damp towel on his forehead and quietly stepped outside. She realized there were several things she needed to fetch, so she decided to make a quick trip out.

First, she needed to buy some porridge for Ji-Hyuk to eat, and while she was out, she figured it would be good to pick up an ice pack and some ice as well. The damp towel would quickly lose its coolness, after all.

“Could you pack one serving of porridge for me?”

“Could you ring this up for me?”

“Do you have any ice packs here?”

Finally, after receiving the ice pack from the pharmacist, Sa-hee hurried out of the pharmacy. She was anxious that Ji-Hyuk might wake up while she was gone. With porridge, ice, and an ice pack cradled in her arms, Sa-hee practically flew back to Ji-Hyuk’s apartment.

“Vice President.”

Sa-hee barely caught her breath as she called out to him. Ji-Hyuk slowly opened his eyes, which were dark and hazy like storm clouds.

“Please eat some porridge first. You need to take your medicine.”

“...”

“I’ll help you sit up, okay?”

He didn’t respond but simply closed and reopened his eyes sluggishly. Since he didn’t outright refuse, Sa-hee took it as permission. Carefully sliding her arm under his neck, she supported his shoulders and helped him sit up. His body radiated significant heat.

“Eat this. I chose something simple since I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer.”

“...”

“You seem to have a fever, so I also bought some fever-reducing medicine. Please take it along with the painkillers.”

Ji-Hyuk nodded weakly as he pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead. He accepted the bowl Sa-hee handed him but made no move to eat, clearly lacking appetite. Eventually, Sa-hee had no choice but to spoon-feed him bite by bite.

“My arm’s getting tired.”

Thanks to Sa-hee’s persistence, Ji-Hyuk managed to swallow three spoonfuls of porridge before immediately reaching for the medicine. He didn’t fuss much and swallowed the pills without complaint.

“Now try to rest.”

As if her words were an order to obey, he lay back down almost instantly. Not long after, his breathing became steady and rhythmic—he seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Sa-hee brought a freshly soaked towel and gently wiped his feverish face. It pained her to see how much cold sweat had soaked through his skin.

“...”

Summoning her courage, Sa-hee carefully wiped his neck and arms before sitting beside him to observe him. His peaceful sleeping face, free of any apparent pain or worry, stirred something tender in her heart. If only she could let him rest until he fully recovered—days, even weeks—but she knew how busy he was and that such indulgence was impossible...

What power did she have when she couldn’t even touch him freely? With a faint, self-deprecating smile, Sa-hee rose from her seat.

Even as Ji-Hyuk slept, Sa-hee remained ceaselessly busy. In addition to tending to his needs, she couldn’t neglect her work-related duties either. After canceling and rescheduling his appointments, she found herself standing abruptly before him.

“You’ll catch a cold if we don’t change your clothes.”

In the short time she’d been away, his clothes were already drenched in sweat. Leaving them as they were might lead to a worse illness.

After some deliberation, Sa-hee decided to leave his pants alone and focus on removing his shirt. However...

“V-Vice President, just a little more... ugh.”

It wasn’t easy maneuvering his tall, lanky body to remove the shirt. When she finally succeeded, Sa-hee was the one drenched in sweat, exhaling deeply.

But why did her ears suddenly feel hot? Was it because of the sight of his chiseled physique, or the unavoidable sensation of his smooth skin beneath her fingertips? Surely, she wasn’t reacting to the warmth of his feverish body. Despite having seen him at his worst, Sa-hee’s emotions still fluctuated wildly whenever it came to him.

Hemming awkwardly, Sa-hee fetched a fresh towel and meticulously wiped down Ji-Hyuk’s sweat-soaked body. From his handsome Adam’s apple to his broad shoulders, the toned chest, and the taut abdomen with perfectly defined muscles, every movement felt as thrilling as being enveloped in his embrace. Several times, Sa-hee had to bite her lip to keep her thoughts in check.

Once she finished wiping him down, Sa-hee placed a new ice pack on his still-warm forehead. Then, she sat at the round table in the bedroom and began reviewing documents on her tablet PC. Even though Ji-Hyuk, her superior, was unwell, she couldn’t afford to slack off entirely; she intended to get as much work done as possible.

About two hours passed this way. Unable to open the curtains, she relied on the dim orange glow of the bedside lamp, but her focus gradually waned. Before she knew it, a yawn escaped her lips. She tried patting her cheeks to wake herself up, but it was futile. Eventually, Sa-hee succumbed to drowsiness and dozed off, her head resting on the table.

________________________________________

A short while later, a tall, shadowy figure quietly approached the sleeping Sa-hee. It was Ji-Hyuk. Without waking her, he gently brushed her hair aside.

Sa-hee stirred awake, feeling the comforting sensation of fingers running through her hair. For a moment, she was too groggy to distinguish between dream and reality. But then she remembered where she was—Ji-Hyuk’s home—and why she was there. Startled, she bolted upright, causing his hand to reluctantly fall away from her hair.

“When did you wake up? How are you feeling?”

“My head still feels heavy, but I’m alright.”

“I’m glad. I was worried because you had such a high fever.”

“How worried?”

“Huh?”

“How worried were you?”

Ji-Hyuk’s languid smile accompanied his question, making Sa-hee hesitate for a moment.

“A lot... I was very worried.”

Whether pleased with her response or not, Ji-Hyuk let out a soft chuckle. His relaxed demeanor—hair tousled, dressed casually—felt different from usual, exuding a warmer, cozier vibe.

“I’m going to shower, so wait here, okay?”

“Uh, okay.”

With that firm request, he turned and headed toward the bathroom. The muscles on his bare back rippled smoothly, catching Sa-hee’s eye.

Why did he tell her to stay put? Did he have something to say?

Lost in these minor doubts, Sa-hee awkwardly averted her gaze. Her clumsy expression stared back at her from the black screen of the tablet PC on the table.

________________________________________

When Ji-Hyuk emerged from the shower, a cool, refreshing scent wafted around him. Drying his damp face, he ran his fingers through his wet hair and approached Sa-hee. Thankfully, his complexion looked livelier than before.

“We should check your temperature first.”

Sa-hee retrieved a disposable thermometer she had bought alongside the ice pack, just in case. Rising to her feet, she stood face-to-face with Ji-Hyuk.

“You need to place this under your tongue.”

Still drying his hair, Ji-Hyuk draped the towel around his neck and looked down at her.

“Oh, go ahead.”

At her instruction, Ji-Hyuk’s usually impassive expression softened into amusement. Smiling faintly, he parted his lips slightly, allowing her to proceed.

Swiftly unwrapping the thermometer, Sa-hee inserted it into his mouth. Once it was deep enough, Ji-Hyuk closed his lips around it.

“...”

“...”

An awkward silence hung in the air as they waited the required minute.

Sa-hee lowered her gaze, tracing the line of his jaw, then his Adam’s apple, and finally settling on the deep gray robe he wore. Her eyes slid slowly over him, but Ji-Hyuk merely continued to watch her intently.

In the quiet room, droplets of water from his damp hair fell to the floor with soft plop sounds. Sa-hee averted her eyes to follow the shattered remnants of the drops, secretly inhaling the moist, refreshing scent emanating from him.

Suddenly, Ji-Hyuk’s hand rose to lift her chin, naturally bringing their eyes to meet. He gazed at her with those unfathomable eyes, steady and direct.

Though his hand had long dropped away, Sa-hee felt as though the lingering warmth of his touch still burned against her skin. Unsure of what to say, she fidgeted with her lips.

“It’s been a minute.”

That was all she managed to blurt out—foolishly.

Ji-Hyuk’s expression returned to its usual inscrutable calm. At Sa-hee’s words, he obediently opened his mouth, allowing her to retrieve the thermometer. Checking the reading, it showed 37.9°C—a mild fever.

“There’s still a slight fever, but it’s come down significantly.”

Ji-Hyuk nodded. Running his large hand through his hair, the strands fell gracefully back into place.

“Shall we have some tea?”

She wasn’t sure why this thought popped into her head. Perhaps it was a reflex, given how often she performed such tasks to distract herself in tense situations.

“Sure.”

His simple reply cleared her mind.

Sa-hee tidied up the table, packing items back into her bag. After seeking his permission, she headed toward the kitchen.

The immaculate, spacious kitchen clearly hadn’t seen much use beyond hosting guests—it was hard to imagine Ji-Hyuk cooking anything himself.

Carefully opening cabinets, Sa-hee soon found a stash of tea tucked away in a corner. It seemed he kept various types for entertaining visitors, though everything appeared untouched. It seemed he rarely invited people over.

Next came the issue of cups. None were visible. After rummaging through multiple cabinets, Sa-hee finally located some teacups.

The mere presence of teacups in this otherwise barren kitchen felt surprising. Why bother stocking proper teacups when pots and dishes were so sparse? Perhaps it was another trivial mystery she didn’t need to dwell on.