WWBU - 38

“Ahem,” Hyun-soo cleared her throat and tried to pull her hand away, shifting her body backward. At that moment, she felt something suddenly bulge up from below, brushing against her thigh and the space between her legs.

“What...”

Hyun-soo, who hadn’t anticipated the obvious, lowered her head and confirmed the object with her own eyes. It was a dark red and massive something protruding between her thighs.

Hyun-soo jerked up and scrambled out of the bathtub. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

“You... you that...”

It was ridiculous to ask why, and it must have happened by chance, surely not because of her?

Hyun-soo bit her lip, shook her head, and warned him again.

“Yoon-han, you said it wasn’t you. I’ll believe you, I will! Just stop and come out.”

“Okay.”

Han smiled faintly, answering obediently. He seemed to see right through Hyun-soo’s flustered state.

“I’ll go out first. You come out quickly, too.”

“Since we’re already wet, why don’t we wash together and go out?”

“Do you want to get in trouble?”

Han shrugged. Hyun-soo sighed and left the bathroom, dripping water.

Click. The door closed.

“...”

Han stared blankly at the closed door. Seeing Hyun-soo, so much smaller than him, jump in to save him made him smile.

Han wiped his wet face with one hand and suddenly noticed his arousal, which was pressed against his lower abdomen. It was absurd to see it so erect when there was no situation or scene that warranted it.

“Are you in heat?”

He couldn’t hide his faint chuckle and rested his arms on the sides of the bathtub, leaning his head back.

Steam flowed like a haze under the light.

What was he thinking? What thoughts were so complicated that he wanted to hold his breath and dive to clear his head?

After closing the door, Hyun-soo paced across the room, deep in thought. She had dismissed it as nothing in front of Han, but as someone concerned about his well-being, she couldn’t just brush it off.

She suspected it might be due to the fire incident at the company’s anniversary celebration two days ago. Although it wasn’t a real fire, the commotion might have triggered past memories. Like a form of trauma, it was a plausible explanation.

If that was the case, what should she do? She felt helpless.

To the victims of the fire accident over a decade ago, Hyun-soo was nothing more than the arsonist who took away their families, whether it was true or not. So, how could she, in such a disadvantageous position, possibly help Han? It was ironic that she was even discussing the incident. Hyun-soo lowered her head.

After leaving Han’s room, Hyun-soo closed the door. Then, she leaned against it for a moment, looking down at the floor. Her mood plummeted as quickly as the water droplets falling to the floor.

She seemed to have forgotten, being around Guk and Han, how people treated her. How her brothers saw her as a person.

The water dripping from her body formed a small puddle at her feet. Hyun-soo stared at it for a moment, then snapped out of it and raised her head.

“Oh...”

“...”

She found Guk staring at her. Standing in the second-floor living room, he seemed to have just returned from work.

Not knowing what to say and looking at her state, Hyun-soo simply walked past him towards the stairs. She thought it would be less awkward to disappear quickly. However.

“We have a guest downstairs. Are you planning to go down like that?”

She stopped abruptly at Guk’s low voice, which seemed to grab her by the back of her neck.

Hyun-soo turned around with a troubled expression. Water droplets were scattered like traces along the path she had walked, as if fleeing.

“I’ll wipe that up,” Hyun-soo said, feeling unnecessarily guilty. Her body, standing still, was still dripping water.

Guk, who had been silently watching Hyun-soo, let out a long breath.

“Follow me.”

He left those brief words and walked into his room.

Hyun-soo blinked, confused. Did she hear him correctly? She wondered. Was he really telling her, in this state, to follow him to his room of all places?

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Huh?”

Guk, standing by the open door, gestured towards the inside of his room. Only then did Hyun-soo come to her senses. It was true. Guk was really telling her to go to his room.

Hyun-soo slowly moved forward, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of the wet fabric clinging to her skin.

“...”

“...”

Their eyes met at the door, and they stared at each other in silence for a moment. Hyun-soo swallowed nervously and stepped through the open door.

Click. The door closed behind her, and Hyun-soo’s shoulders twitched slightly.

“...”

Guk, who had been silently watching Hyun-soo, took off his jacket and walked into the room.

“The bathroom is over there.”

A moment later, Yoon-guk reappeared and handed Hyun-soo something. It was a dark blue robe.

“Change into this for now and give me your clothes. I’ll get them dried.”

“This, with this?”

“Then do you want to stay naked?”

“No? Of course not.”

Hyun-soo quickly took the robe from his hand. The soft, cozy robe felt full in her hands.

“What are you doing? Go in.”

“You...?”

“I think taking care of your situation is more urgent than mine.”

At Guk’s gesture towards her body, Hyun-soo looked down. Sure enough, her soaking wet clothes were dripping water.

Embarrassed, Hyun-soo nodded and headed towards the bathroom with the robe. Passing through the arched entrance, she entered a black-toned powder room. Her disheveled appearance was reflected in the large wall mirror.

“Kim Hyun-soo... this is a disaster.”

She wanted to applaud and mock herself, but decided to refrain. Dealing with her disheveled hair and wet body seemed more urgent.

Hyun-soo passed through the powder room and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Then, she hung the robe on the towel rack and tried to take off her wet clothes. Or rather, she tried to. But.

“Why is this like this? Huh?”

There was a problem. The blouse zipper, located below her neck, was stuck and wouldn’t budge. It was so tightly stuck that it wouldn’t move up either.

Hyun-soo couldn’t give up and twisted her arm like a contortionist, trying to shake the zipper. But no matter how many times she tried, it was useless.

“Why, why is this, happening!”

She suddenly felt a cold sweat on her back, but there was no solution. Hyun-soo sighed, walking in circles.

Should she just go home in her wet clothes? He said there was a guest downstairs. So, she would have to wait in this state until the guest left.

It wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t a choice she wanted to make.

Hyun-soo decided to try one more time and bent her arm backward.

Just a little, just a little more...!

Clang.

“Gasp.”

Hyun-soo, who had been struggling and twisting her arm, froze. Her eyes, wide as if they would pop out, turned to the floor. Scattered shards of glass, unrecognizable in shape, lay on the floor.

“What is this? What is it?”

Hyun-soo whispered, dumbfounded, and squatted down. The glass shards, which looked like crystal, sparkled brilliantly. It seemed she had knocked over an object in the dry bathroom with her arm.

Knock knock.

That’s when it happened. A knock came from outside the door. It was undoubtedly Yoon-guk, the owner of the room.

“Oh? Uh-oh. Why?”

Trying to pretend nothing was wrong, Hyun-soo trailed off her words and frantically touched the glass shards. She wanted to clean them up somehow. But in her haste, she grabbed them carelessly and cut her finger deeply.

“Ouch...”

Knock knock.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I know you caused an accident, so come out instead of trying to clean it up.”

“...”

She had nothing to say. After all, the sound of breaking glass was so loud, there was no way he wouldn’t have heard it.

With her bleeding hand behind her back, Hyun-soo opened the door. Guk looked her up and down, noticing she was still in her wet clothes.

“Why are you still like that?”

“Actually, I think the zipper is broken. It’s stuck and won’t go down... and my hand can’t reach anymore.”

Guk, watching Hyun-soo stammer, grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Hyun-soo stood with her back to him.

Tug, tug. Guk, with his large hands, managed to grab the small zipper and tried to pull it down.

“It’s not working, is it?”

“...”

“I don’t know why it’s like this all of a sudden. It was fine this morning.”

“...”

Hyun-soo made various noises, feeling awkward, but Guk wasn’t really listening. As he tried to pull down the zipper, only Hyun-soo’s nape caught his eye. Her skin, damp and cool from the water, somehow gave him the urge to crush it with his lips or taste it with his tongue.

Tug, tug.

Looking at that pale skin, he became slightly agitated and pulled the zipper down. Soon, the zipper slid down with a zip, all the way to Hyun-soo’s waist, above her hip crease.

“I, I’ll do it now.”

Hyun-soo, startled, turned around.

“Thank you, I’ll do it.”

Hyun-soo, awkwardly curling the corners of her lips, gently pushed Guk out the door. Then, she hurriedly closed the bathroom door.

“...”

Guk, standing in front of the door, clenched and unclenched his fist, trying to suppress his disappointment.

A moment later, Hyun-soo opened the door and came out. She looked around cautiously, her movements careful. She seemed particularly sensitive, probably because she was only wearing a robe.

Guk was sitting at the table in his room, drinking whiskey. He looked relaxed in his comfortable clothes.

Hyun-soo, holding her wrung-out clothes, hesitantly stepped into the room. Guk, who had been looking out the window and tilting his glass, noticed her and held out his hand. Understanding his intention, Hyun-soo handed him her wet clothes.