CH 99

Muyeol listened to the ringback tone as he called Yiyoung. He tapped the table anxiously with every passing second. He didn’t understand what was taking her so long to pick up.

5 seconds later, Yiyoung finally picked up the call. “A pill got stuck in my throat because of your call!”

Muyeol unconsciously smiled. “My bad. I will properly apologize to you later.”

Once he hung up the phone and was about to get back to his work, he recalled what Yiyoung had said in the morning. “Idiot. Then, tell me how you feel. Do you feel like you can’t wait to come home?”

‘Hm… My feelings, huh?’ Muyeol thought.

His lips lifted into a smile, like a seed sprouting in spring.

* * *

Muyeol kept his word and came home at 8 o’clock.

Yiyoung rushed to the entrance to greet him. “I really didn’t think you would make it.”

Once dinner was over, Muyeol started washing the dishes.

Yiyoung stood behind him as she chatted, “I didn’t know you were good at washing dishes, too. Have you done this before?”

“Do you really think I’ve done this before?”

“You’re right. While I had to plunge my hands in water the entire time, you probably never even needed to dip a finger.”

“You’re still pretty,” Muyeol more or less whispered, continuing to wash the dishes squeaky-clean.

Yiyoung quickly brought her ear closer. “What did you just say, sir? I couldn’t hear you. Did you compliment me?”

Muyeol looked at her with a sour face. “It was a compliment.”

“Oh, thank you, sir!” Yiyoung smiled mischievously. “One compliment per day. I like it!”

“Why do you sound like that?” Muyeol wiped his hands, finally done with washing the dishes. “Where did you learn that?”

“I was so bored today, so I watched TV, right? There were so many channels for home shopping,” she said excitedly.

“So, did you buy something?”

“Of course. I wanted to shop nonstop! I bought some clothes.”

Muyeol curled his lip and muttered, “You’re going to regret that.”

Yiyoung stared at him in confusion. “Why?”

“You’ll learn that you were deceived by the advertisements.”

“Really? Should I cancel it then?”

“No, don’t. You need to experience it yourself”—Muyeol gently touched her cheek—”to learn how ignorant you are.”

This time, Yiyoung reached out to hold the back of his neck. She tugged his face closer, his forehead inches away from hers. “I think you don’t know me yet.”

Muyeol stared at her bright eyes, which sparkled as if they held all the lights in the world.

“I tend to hold grudges,” Yiyoung continued.

“What do you mean?”

“You said you were going to properly apologize to me once you came home, but you’re teasing me instead, huh? Honestly, isn’t that too much?”

When Yiyoung squeezed the back of his neck, Muyeol abruptly lifted her and placed her on the dining table. He rested his hands on the table, too, placing them right beside Yiyoung’s legs. “Did your throat hurt a lot earlier?”

“Yeah.” Yiyoung fixed him with a smoldering gaze, as if she was expecting something from him.

“The inside of my throat almost fell numb when I tried to swallow the pill.”

“That was my fault…”

“It was! I was going to take the medicine on my own, but you had to check up on me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay,” said Yiyoung.

Muyeol slowly lowered his head. Yiyoung first felt his breath brush against her face, and then his lips followed. She leisurely closed her eyes as he rested his lips on hers and tasted her. They parted from each other, and Yiyoung opened her eyes.

“Continue,” Yiyoung ordered.

Muyeol lowered his head again and kissed her deeply. But Yiyoung still wasn’t satisfied; she unconsciously let out a whine.

The sudden sound startled her. ‘I’ve gone crazy! What did I just do?’