Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Haejoo felt her consciousness fading into the distance.
Unlike at the fashion show, his heated skin made sharp contact with hers.
Dojun revealed his flushed eyes and temperature so clearly, it was as if he were a different person.
His exhaled breath was also conveyed to Haejoo.
When the inhaled breath passed her throat, the scent of hydrangeas mingled and permeated.
“Can I be special to you?”
At Dojun’s question, hoping the question itself was the answer, Haejoo trembled.
“Perhaps.”
That was Haejoo’s answer.
Even though it wasn’t explicit, her cheeks flushed bright red.
During their second meeting, Dojun had asked if they would get a divorce or live together.
Looking back now, he had no intention of divorcing from the start.
There was no room for hesitation or conflict.
At the end of the ecstatic sway, eventually...
“Okay. That’s enough for me.”
Haejoo didn’t know what the emotion of love was.
Until now, even desperately liking someone was a luxury.
To her, Dojun repeatedly made clumsy confessions.
On this starry night.
“You feel hot, Dojun-ssi.”
“What?”
“Your lips are hot.”
“Is that so.”
“You seem like a different person.”
“I’m dizzy.”
“Because of me?”
“Because I like you.”
Haejoo raised her hand and touched Dojun’s forehead.
Feeling the unusually high temperature that was briefly conveyed, she also touched her own forehead.
Dojun was definitely dizzy.
“Your forehead is hot, Dojun-ssi.”
“Can I be a little sick now?”
“What do you mean?”
At his incomprehensible words, sweat filled Haejoo’s hands.
“Until I met you, I couldn’t even be sick, let alone rest.”
“Dojun-ssi.”
“I want to be sick comfortably now.”
Haejoo guessed that Dojun had also been running forward without looking back.
Even though she didn’t know in detail how he had lived, she could feel it.
“You’ll get really sick if you keep doing that.”
“I’ll rest a little and get back up.”
Dojun stepped down the pipes he had climbed, one by one, and jumped onto the ground.
For a moment, his head really spun.
He hadn’t taken a single day off since starting his business. He had been able to reach his current position by clinging to work without weekends or holidays.
“Hoo...”
After Haejoo came home, even his sleeping hours decreased, and recently, he had stayed up all night several times.
Yet, he hadn’t taken a single day off, and his fatigue had reached its peak.
“I should go inside.”
He wasn’t in good condition.
After putting the roughly parked car in the garage, he briefly leaned his head against the headrest.
He only intended to catch his breath for a moment.
He didn’t know how long that moment lasted when the car door suddenly burst open.
“Dojun-ssi!”
Haejoo had come down to the garage.
She placed her hand on his forehead again and then put a thermometer to his ear.
“What are you doing?”
“Just stay still.”
After the temperature measurement was complete, a short beeping sound rang. Haejoo, seeing the number on the small screen, rolled up her sleeves.
“It’s 37.8 degrees Celsius.”
“That’s not even that high.”
“It’s not low either.”
“I’ve had a slight fever often. I just need to take medicine and sleep.”
Only then did Dojun get out of the car.
He was fortunate that he hadn’t drunk any alcohol today.
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
“I can stop by on my way to work tomorrow. It’s not bad enough to go to the emergency room.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday.”
“I’ve never taken a day off on the weekend.”
“No!”
Haejoo was firm.
She stood in front of Dojun and said resolutely, “You’re definitely resting tomorrow. And you’re going to the hospital too.”
“Now?”
“I looked it up, and there’s a hospital nearby that’s open late. Let’s go.”
“It’s okay.”
“If you keep disobeying me like that!”
Haejoo put on the scariest face she could muster.
Dojun chuckled at her puppy-like appearance.
“I’m going to run away from home!”
“Is that even something to say...”
“So hurry up and get back in the car.”
Haejoo turned on the navigation to the hospital she had searched for on her phone.
Fortunately, they arrived just before the hospital closed.
The white-haired doctor said only one thing to Dojun.
“It’s overwork, so eat well and rest.”
“Yes.”
He left the examination room after being told to return if his fever rose further.
Haejoo nagged him non-stop on the way home.
“See? I’m glad we went to the hospital, right? The doctor told you to eat well and rest well too.”
“......”
“How can you work without a single day off? Something really bad will happen if you keep doing that.”
“......”
“Are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Why on earth are you working so excessively?”
Dojun’s eyelids lifted as he looked at Haejoo.
Her snow-white skin, glowing even in the late night, was simply mystical.
“To feed you.”
The car had just entered the garage.
Haejoo, who had turned off the engine, turned her body and asked back at his incomprehensible words.
“What do you mean?”
“I just wanted to provide a comfortable home and a stable life for you when you came.”
“......Why, Dojun-ssi?”
Haejoo asked even though she knew the reason.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and replied, “I’m your husband.”
“That’s...”
“Let’s go inside.”
As soon as Dojun got home, he took his medicine. The heaviness in his head all day wasn’t just from fatigue.
He called Secretary Song, intending to really rest tomorrow.
-Yes, President.
“I will rest on the weekend.”
-Understood.
The short call ended, and he was taking off his suit jacket.
Haejoo came down the stairs, having rolled up her sleeves.
“I’m drawing water in the bathtub on the second floor.”
“A shower is enough.”
“If you put in bath salts and soak for a bit, your fatigue will be relieved.”
“Then you do it with me.”
“......What?”
“Take a bath.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Yeah, I’m crazy.”
Dojun grabbed Haejoo and went up to the second floor.
The bathtub was already filled with water, and she turned off the faucet.
“Aren’t you going to have to wash anyway?”
“Well, yes, but this is a bit...”
“What’s the problem? We’re married.”
He pulled down his tie in front of Haejoo.
The buttons of his shirt, which had begun to loosen one by one, quickly formed a V-shape.
Even though he wasn’t in good condition, his upper body was fiercely robust.
Haejoo, seeing this, unconsciously held her breath.
“I don’t think I can.”
“Comfort me.”
Dojun grabbed her as she tried to leave the bathroom.
The slight fever had become like a pleasantly intoxicating whiskey, stirring up a languid feeling.
He didn’t want to let Haejoo go, as if the kiss through the window had been a fuse.
Even as her gaze avoided him, he steadfastly pleaded, “Comfort me.”
The request, close to an order, wasn’t entirely unpleasant for Haejoo.
Seeing that Dojun, who had only worked all this time, seemed to be getting sick, Haejoo offered a compromise.
“Then I’ll sit next to the bathtub.”
“Get in with me.”
“Why are you being so stubborn... Kyaa!”
Dojun kicked his removed pants with his toes.
Even as a startled Haejoo buried her face in her hands, he stepped into the bathtub in his underwear.
“Let’s at least have our skin touch.”
In Dojun’s memory, he had never hugged anyone.
Especially not a stranger.
All he remembered was hugging his father and Ijun’s emaciated body before they passed away when he was young.
After that, no one had ever touched him.
But now, for the first time, he longed for someone.
Looking back, he especially felt that way on the day Ijun received his cancer diagnosis.
Enduring sorrow alone was no different from the pain just before starvation.
He had to go up to the rooftop, face the swirling wind, and ruminate on the bitter grief rising in his throat.
He wished he could hurt as much as Ijun was hurting.
Even self-harm, where his body temperature dropped rapidly in the harsh wind, didn’t alleviate his unwarranted guilt.
It was daytime, but no different from night.
Trapped in a starless void, he was wandering aimlessly when Haejoo appeared.
Her body covered in a heat rash, she was about to throw herself into the world.
‘Dangerous!’
The small frame he held in his arms was burning with fever.
The warmth in Dojun’s body, which had been cooling in the wind, ignited instantly.
Haejoo had appeared in his weakest moment and was now with him like this.
The scent of her skin that stimulated his instincts, her breath... had imprinted a great lingering feeling with their kiss just moments ago.
“Okay. But go in first and close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
He got into the bathtub and sank deep into the water.
Leaning back comfortably, he closed his eyes as she had told him to.
Haejoo intently watched Dojun, who seemed to be asleep.
Then, she adjusted the slip she was wearing underneath and took a step.
“Don’t open your eyes.”
After giving him a firm warning, she plopped down into the bathtub.
The water splashed everywhere, causing Dojun to open his eyes.
“Lean on me.”
“I can stay like this.”
Haejoo, who had curled up, found a spot at Dojun’s feet.
He quietly gazed at her. Then, he quickly grabbed Haejoo’s wrist and pulled her towards him.
When Haejoo regained her senses, she was embraced against his upper body.
“You always cause trouble.”
“This is too...”
“Good.”
His hand sank into the water and wrapped around Haejoo’s waist.
She felt his damp hand through a subtle gap.
The strength left Haejoo’s body, which had been holding firm, and she gently pressed her forehead against Dojun’s shoulder.
“We’re only doing this for five minutes.”
“In five minutes, we can make more history than you can imagine.”
Unconsciously, Haejoo stirred.
As she tried to pull her upper body away, Dojun tightened his arms around her slender back.
The two ended up pressed even closer.
Haejoo forgot to breathe and listened to the voice vibrating through his Adam’s apple.
“While being your husband, I haven’t even held your hand once.”
“......”
“I spent three whole years like that.”
“......”
“Sometimes, I struggled several times a day with the urge to run to you.”
“......!”
“But I don’t want to hold back anymore. Just looking at you makes me feel like I’m going crazy.”
Dojun lowered his face to Haejoo’s small shoulder.
His breathing slowed, and the conversation stopped.
“Dojun-ssi?”
There was no reply even when she called him.
Haejoo cautiously raised her head, and Dojun’s face tilted to the side.
Helplessly, she reached out and put her arms around his broad back.
The words she murmured as she patted him weren’t particularly special or grand.
“You’ve worked hard... all this time.”
Nevertheless, she put her heart into it.
Haejoo, hoping he wouldn’t get seriously ill, got out of the bathtub and showered first. Then, she woke Dojun up and left the bathroom.
________________________________________
Dojun was glued to the bed all weekend.
Fortunately, his fever didn’t rise further, so he was able to go to work normally on Monday.
He usually didn’t eat breakfast anyway.
After washing up, he knocked on Haejoo’s room before leaving, but there was no response.
When he opened the door, the bed was neatly made.
“Where did she go?”
Worried, he hurried downstairs.
The kitchen light was brightly lit, so he stepped inside and stopped.
“What are you doing?”
“Dojun-ssi!”
Upon closer look, Haejoo had prepared breakfast.
He swallowed hard at the sight of what looked like bean sprout soup or rice soup with bean sprouts.
“It’s bean sprout rice soup.”
So it was.
No wonder there was rice in the soup.
“Did you make this yourself?”
“Yes. Do you want to try it?”
Secretary Song was waiting outside.
He had to leave right away, but he couldn’t ignore Haejoo’s expectant eyes. Her unexpected behavior was cute, and the corners of his lips curved up.
“Yeah.”
He sat at the table for a moment and took a large spoonful of rice and bean sprouts.
A familiar savory taste spread in his mouth.
Amazed by her unexpected skill, Dojun emptied the bowl in an instant.
“It’s delicious. What did you use for the broth?”
“MSG.”
“......!”
“I searched the refrigerator, but I couldn’t find any ingredients to make broth.”
“It’s still delicious though.”
“Really?”
Dojun smiled back at Haejoo’s bright smile.
For some reason, he felt strange today because she came out to the front door to see him off.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Have a good day at work. I’m going to the agency office during the day too.”
“I’ll call you later.”
After Dojun left, Haejoo filled her hunger with the remaining bean sprout rice soup.
She took a short nap and then went out.
As soon as she opened the agency door, Hyun-sung greeted her first.
For some reason, the manager team was in disarray today.
“Noona, you’re here?”
“How have you been? But why is the manager team’s atmosphere like this?”
“It’s because of Seonyoung-noona.”
Seonyoung had also come to Jinhan’s birthday party. She had been unnecessarily irritable that day, so Haejoo didn’t have particularly good feelings towards her.
“Why, Seonyoung-sunbae?”
“Didn’t you know that she secretly mixed alcohol into your cocktail at the director’s birthday party?”
“......So it was Seonyoung-sunbae.”
“Anyway, she got scolded by the director for that and is about to have all her work cut off.”
Recently, Seonyoung’s drama had ended, and she was looking for her next project.
Since she wasn’t an A-list actress, the agency’s influence was important.
“Where’s the director?”
“He’s in his office.”
As Haejoo went up the stairs, Jinhan was on the phone.
Jinhan was on edge due to a call from the police.
“If the source of the rumors is domestic, we’ll find it quickly.”
-It’s not that simple. We’re thoroughly investigating, but it spread very cleverly.
“We suffered significant damage because of that.”
-We should be able to find the initial spreader. It’s just a matter of time.
“Then I’ll wait for your call.”
Just then, Haejoo came in, and Jinhan quickly ended the call.
Seeing that she looked much better in the past few days, he also faced her comfortably.
“Have you been well, Director?”
“So-so. I saw the script that came in, and it’s become more mainstream than before.”
“Really?”
Haejoo received the revised new script with a thrilled heart.
As she turned the cover, Jinhan explained, “The first phase of filming will be on location.”
“On location?”
“Director Kwak was thinking of a minimum of three months and a maximum of five months.”
“That long?”
“Jeju Island is a candidate location, and the filming schedule looks tight.”
Jinhan’s lips faintly stretched as he conveyed the news of the on-location filming.
On the other hand, Haejoo couldn’t readily answer.
That meant she would have to live apart from Dojun, which was very unpleasant.
Google Sites
Report abuse