Chapter 21

Soyoon got into his car and glanced at him, still not starting the car and only staring straight ahead. It felt like it might be easier on her if he at least got angry or said something, but the fact that he kept his mouth tightly shut without a word bothered her.

“Are you very angry?”

“Is that even a question?”

As expected. He really was very angry.

But then why did she not feel like apologizing?

It even felt satisfying, as though she had made him worry at least a little. Thinking it would be a disaster if he saw the corners of her mouth twitching, she turned her head and looked out the window, when suddenly a hand came toward her and she shut her eyes tightly.

“……”

From him, who placed his hand over her eyes as if cooling the swelling with his palm, came his own particular scent. The same scent she had caught even when he had licked the back of her neck.

Soyoon’s heart began pounding rapidly like an out-of-control locomotive.

His hand was very cold. Her swollen eyes felt so cool that a smile almost rose to her lips.

“Don’t roll your eyes around.”

“It feels cool.”

“…From now on, if something happens that makes you cry, come to me.”

After a brief pause, she nodded.

“And never turn off your phone again. Answer the phone right away.”

“Yes.”

He asked bluntly just where she had gone, but he did not press her insistently. He must have sensed that she did not want to talk about it.

Only after quite a while did his hand finally fall away.

Why did that feel so regrettable?

“The party is tomorrow. I’ll come pick you up after work today, so let’s go try on dresses.”

“Okay.”

Because he had gotten her a place close to the hospital, they arrived in front of it very quickly. Even so, Soyoon did not get out. She just kept fidgeting with her hands.

She had expected him to tell her to hurry up and get out, but he too waited without saying anything.

It was not that she had anything particular to say, but it was still not time for work yet.

She did not know. Even yesterday she had turned off her phone because she did not want to talk to him.

When she lifted the head she had lowered, she felt his gaze. When she turned, their eyes met. He had been quietly looking into her eyes, and then she felt his gaze drop lower to stare fixedly at her lips.

Why did something like that affect her so much? Soyoon felt as though her lips might burn under the force of his gaze alone, and could not say a word, only parting them slightly.

“I told you not to bite them, but you really never listen, you little brat.”

His thumb rubbed over the lip she had bitten so much it had become sore. Another finger brushed lightly across her earlobe. The memory of that day, when he had licked her earlobe with his tongue, came to mind, and Soyoon’s face flushed red.

“This is driving me crazy, seriously.”

When she looked at him with clear eyes as he deeply furrowed his brow, he irritably swept back his neatly arranged hair. Soyoon, not knowing what exactly was driving him crazy, found it strange.

“I mean your eyes.”

As though kindly explaining things to someone who understood nothing, he opened his mouth.

“How can you keep looking at me with that trusting expression when you know what kind of thoughts I’m having?”

This makes me feel like I’m the one doing something bad—The way he lazily let the rest of those words fall made Soyoon’s heart swell greatly.

His eyes had definitely darkened. At the changed air between them, different from just a moment ago, she swallowed dryly.

Staring fixedly at her trembling pupils, he slowly came closer.

It was when he had fully filled her eyes.

Bzzzz-

At the vibration sound, her gaze went to his phone without her meaning to. And when she saw the woman’s name on the screen, Soyoon quickly turned her eyes away.

She had done nothing wrong, yet her heart pounded as though she were just about to be punished for a crime.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Before she could hear his answer, she fled from the car as if running away. It seemed he said something behind her, but she heard nothing.

Clutching at her pounding heart, she climbed the stairs.

“Miss Soyoon! Are you feeling okay? In just one day your face has gotten so thin.”

“Hello. I’m much better after resting yesterday.”

“Why are your eyes so swollen? If you still weren’t feeling well, you should have rested today too.”

Thanks to the people fussing over her in concern, Soyoon was at least able to smile. She thought it was a good thing that when she was working, she was too busy to think of anything else. Otherwise, she would not have been able to do anything because she would have kept thinking of the woman’s name that had appeared on his phone screen.

Because it was Friday, there were many patients.

There was not even time to eat lunch, so it was only after two in the afternoon that she was able to eat. Naturally, there had not been any break time either. Since many elderly grandfathers and grandmothers came in, this was the kind of inconvenience she had to bear.

With patients pouring in without even a moment to rest, she naturally had no time to check her phone. And even if he contacted her, she did not want to answer him.

She wanted him to grow anxious, but she knew very well that in truth, he would probably be completely unaffected.

Why did it suddenly feel as though she could hear his voice saying, ‘Because it seemed like you wouldn’t bother me.’ ‘Because it seemed like you wouldn’t cling to me.’

The more depressed she felt, the brighter she acted toward the patients.

“Miss Soyoon, get home safely and see you tomorrow.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

When work ended and she went outside, the heat wrapped around her whole body. The sky was full of dark clouds, and she wondered how much longer the rain would keep coming.

She really hated weather like this.

In the distance, she saw his car parked there. After glancing around just in case, she started walking toward it, and perhaps he had seen her, because he got out and came over. She was going to get in the car anyway, so there was really no need for him to come out.

“Where’s your phone?”

“Why? I put it in my bag…… What are you doing?”

She looked at him in surprise as he took her bag away.

He pulled her phone out of her bag, checked the screen, then grabbed her wrist and put her in the car. Once inside, Soyoon could only quietly watch him as he even fastened her seatbelt for her.

“I told you to answer the phone right away, didn’t I?”

“I couldn’t answer because I was working.”

“Are you the only one who works?”

He looked thoroughly angry. She stared at his set jaw for a moment, then turned her head away. His gaze burned against the side of her face, but she stubbornly kept looking only ahead.

When she stole a glance at him as he started the car, he was still driving with his mouth tightly shut, clearly still angry.

The silence was heavy. Even the sound of breathing seemed loud.

Soyoon was careful even about breathing all the way until they arrived at the shop.

“Get out.”

When she followed him inside the shop, the staff greeted them as though they had been waiting. Among them, a man who introduced himself as the director let his gaze travel over her from head to toe, and Soyoon had to tense her toes against the floor.

“This way, please.”

The place she was led to by the staff was full of dresses. She gazed wordlessly at the dresses, so dazzling they were almost blinding rather than merely glamorous.

“The dress we talked about before.”

“Yes. It’s ready. I think it’ll suit you very well.”

He sat down on the sofa in front of the mirror, and Soyoon, who was all but dragged into the fitting room by a staff member, swallowed hard when she saw the dress in the employee’s hands.

It was a world-famous dress. When the staff member told her to try on the dress that not just anyone could wear, one worth tens of millions of won, Soyoon gave a small shake of her head, and the employee’s mouth hardened as though such a response was absurd.