CH 13.7

“Mr. Yeon.”

“… Hmm.”

“I…”

After swallowing my saliva and organizing my thoughts, I opened my mouth again.

“It’s not that I… was trying to abandon you or anything. And you’re not someone that can be treated like that. You know, right?”

Silence was in the air. I looked at Yeon Woojeong’s face because the silence got longer. He had already opened his eyes at some point. He turned his head to face me and raised his hand to touch my cheek.

“Are you telling me to believe the words said by someone who doesn’t even cherish himself?”

I was stunned by his comment, but then buried my lips on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around his waist. I looked at his body soaked in water and muttered.

“I won’t do that.”

I could do anything so that he wouldn’t feel that way. I had no clue on how to cherish myself, but I would learn it somehow.

Yeon Woojeong patted my cheek. I hugged him for a long time and exhaled quietly. 

Yeon Woojeong soon closed his eyes and went quiet. He looked very tired, so I didn’t initiate any talk and wiped his body with a sponge. He was just quiet, lifting his arm when I lifted it, and letting me wipe his legs. 

After resting his head on my shoulder, I turned on the shower and wet his hair. I was careful not to get the water in his eyes, and then I shampooed him.

The angle was awkward as this was my first time washing someone’s hair, but I liked the sensation at the tip of my fingers. I also liked the way Yeon Woojeong leaned into me.

After I finished shampooing him, I also applied the conditioner. By the time I finished washing his hair, I was exhausted. 

I left the tub first, dried my body, wore a bathrobe, and then I took a big towel and a bathrobe.

“Mr. Yeon.”

Even though I called him in a low voice, Yeon Woojeong quickly opened his eyes and got up. He roughly wiped the water off his body with the towel I handed over, then wore the robe and went outside. 

I sat Yeon Woojeong, who was trying to head straight to the bed, on a chair and took a hair dryer. He looked at me and smirked.

I set the temperature of the air to lukewarm and then dried his hair. His dark, silky hair gradually became fluffy. Yeon Woojeong closed his eyes while I was drying his hair. When I turned off the hair dryer, he stood up and kissed me on the lips.

“Thank you.”

Hearing his thanks made me feel awkward for no reason. I looked at Yeon Woojeong lying down on the bed, and I dried my hair.

After I put the hair dryer down, and closed the curtains on the window that let in the light, I went to bed. When I lay down next to Yeon Woojeong, he, who I thought to be sleeping, wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Wake me up if I sleep too long.”

“Yeah.”

We fell asleep while other people were waking up. His breath gradually slowed down. I counted his breath and closed my eyes.

.

.

.

I dreamed. It wasn’t just one dream, though. 

I was swimming in a very large fish tank and Yeon Woojeong was watching me from outside the tank, or he and I were back in elementary school together, running a three-legged race, or we were walking on clouds and eating cotton candy. Those were generally absurd but fun dreams. 

The corners of my lips were up when I woke up from dreams. I saw Yeon Woojeong right in front of me. It was serene and peaceful inside the dark room.

I wanted to touch Yeon Woojeong’s cheek, but I only watched him in silence because I didn’t want to disturb his sleep. Forehead covered with hair, dark eyebrows, a straight, high nose and soft lips beneath. I stared at him for quite a while, then I looked around to check the time.

The number on the set-top box under the TV seemed to be the time. 1:32 PM. I didn’t sleep that long considering the time I fell asleep. 

But given the time it would take to eat, go to the field of reeds, and then go back, it was time to get up. I felt bad about waking Yeon Woojeong up. If only I had a license, I could drive on the way back. I should consider getting a license, too. But would I be able to drive a Benz?

I pondered, looking at the air, then I turned around because Yeon Woojeong wiggled. I slowly stretched out my hand and shook him.

“Mr. Yeon. Mr. Yeon.”

Yeon Woojeong opened his eyes with a sigh after several calls.

“What time is it?”

“One thirty.”

“Hahh…”

He held out his hand. When I grabbed it and helped him up, he wiped his face with his hands and looked up. 

“Your voice is a bit hoarse.”

“Is it?”

Maybe I talked too much yesterday. Yeon Woojeong reached out and wrapped his palm around my neck. 

“Let’s start with food, shall we?”

“Okay.”

That reminds me that the last thing I ate yesterday was jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk. I got very hungry after talking about food.

Yeon Woojeong went to the bathroom. I followed suit and brushed my teeth as he washed his face. Then we reversed the order, I washed my face and he brushed his teeth. 

I went outside and wore my clothes. Yeon Woojeong scanned my outfit. He looked displeased. I fiddled with the hem of my clothes awkwardly and followed him out of the room. 

“There’s roasted chicken here. How about we eat that?”

“Chicken? Fine.”

“Okay.”

Yeon Woojeong put down his phone and got in the car.

Following the navigation, the car drifted onto a deserted road. The restaurant was at the entrance to the road up the mountain. There were lots of trees around, and as soon as I got out of the car, I smelled the fresh grass. 

We walked inside and took a seat at a table. We ordered food, and side dishes were placed on our table. Yeon Woojeong wiped his hand with wet tissue and placed the plate with stir-fried eomuk in front of me. 

The chicken was served not long after. An employee came over and set up the grill over the hot coals and placed the chicken on it. My mouth watered as I watched the chicken cook to a golden brown. I was hungry, so I filled my stomach with the fried potatoes and stir-fried eomuk that came as a side dish. 

“How did you decide to go to Suncheon Bay?”

“The car center boss told me to go. Ah, can we stop by there before we go?”

“You want to say hello?”

“I’m supposed to tell them today about whether or not I want to work there, and I’ll tell them that I…”

Yeon Woojeong’s gaze on me turned cold. I slowly closed my mouth, and he let out a vain laugh.

“You were really planning to live here, weren’t you?”

“…”

“Well. You even left the socks I gave you.”

The atmosphere turned extremely cold at once. I fumbled with my chopsticks and looked down. It was hard to get used to him being angry. No words could justify my actions, so I just stayed still.

Soon, I heard a click of tongue, and a well-roasted chicken leg was placed on my plate. When I looked up, he said.

“Eat.”

I glanced at Yeon Woojeong, then picked up the leg with chopsticks and took a bite. The meat was tender, and the juices oozed out and coated my tongue as soon as I chewed it. It was delicious. I was chewing the thing in my mouth quietly, but then I heard a laugh. When I looked at Yeon Woojeong, he squinted his eyes and shook his head.

I snatched the tongs from Yeon Woojeong’s hand and placed the remaining leg on his plate. 

“Eat.”

He finally picked up his chopsticks and I felt relieved.

I was originally a good eater, but this time, Yeon Woojeong also finished his portion even though he did it slowly. We left our seats after filling up our stomachs. 

On the way, Yeon Woojeong pulled over to the side of the road. He told me to wait and entered the convenience store. I stared out the window blankly, and soon he returned with something in his hand. 

It was a box of orange juice and grape juice. After placing it in my lap, Yeon Woojeong placed the warm barley tea he was holding in his other hand into my hand. 

“Drink that, and give this to them.”

“… Ah. Thank you.”

The car drove off again. I opened the lid and took a sip of barley tea, then held it out to Yeon Woojeong as the car stopped at the light. He accepted it with one hand and handed it back to me after taking a few sips.

We got closer to the terminal. Soon I saw the car center building.