MUL - Chapter 54

As if this were something he was used to, he folded it neatly and placed it on my forehead. Then, with his damp hand, he rubbed my face all over.

“Does it hurt?”

“……It hurts like hell, damn it…”

Nam Kangwoo looked apologetic at my thoughtless words, and even in my feverish state, I was embarrassed.

Nam Kangwoo sat by the bed for a little longer before getting up at the sound of a doorbell. “Just a moment,” he mumbled, stroking my hair before turning away. It seemed the fever reducer had arrived.

I heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and then the sound of Nam Kangwoo moving about. The sound of busy footsteps soon returned to my side.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Nam Kangwoo helped me up, but instead of leaning me against the headboard, he had me lean against his chest.

“Eat this and get some more sleep.”

“……Mm.”

At the fine hand moving toward my mouth, I naturally opened it. A pill held between two straight fingers dropped into my mouth, and a glass of water was brought to my lips. After I gulped down a few sips of water from the tilted cup, Nam Kangwoo laid me down flat again.

“Sleep,” a low voice echoed. I think I answered, but I’m not sure if Nam Kangwoo heard me.

“……You too, sleep.”

Seeing his bloodshot eyes, I reached out my barely-moving arm and brushed his eye area, and his eyelids immediately closed.

“After I see you fall asleep.”

Nam Kangwoo caught the hand on his face, intertwining his fingers with mine and pulling it down. My palm was only released after his soft lips pressed against it several times.

I think I must have smiled at the ticklish sensation. Then, my weary mind quickly fell into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was morning. I wondered how long I had slept, but when I tried to get up, my body felt heavy, so I just tossed and turned under the covers. My vision was blurry, so I blinked a few more times and turned over, only to find Nam Kangwoo’s face right in front of my nose.

He acted as if he wouldn’t sleep. Seeing as the ridiculously sensitive guy didn’t even wake up at my movement, he must have been tired. With nothing much to do, and even less desire to get up, I studied Nam Kangwoo’s face.

I don’t think I had ever looked at him this closely before. I had thought he looked cold, and even with his eyes closed, he still looked cold. The times he smiled with his eyes curved like half-moons were the only times he seemed like a spring breeze.

My hand reached out on its own. I moved my finger along his straight eyebrow, then lowered it onto his tightly shut eyelid. I brushed over his dense eyelashes, then gradually moved my finger to his high-bridged nose.

My finger, moving as if possessed, landed on his tightly closed lips. It was the moment I was stroking his plump lips with my finger. Nam Kangwoo’s closed eyes fluttered open, revealing the black pupils that had been hidden.

I was so surprised that a curse escaped me without thinking. At my softly uttered curse, Nam Kangwoo gave a faint smile. I tried to pull my stiff fingers away in embarrassment, but a large hand covered mine. Heat spread through me as he pressed a quick kiss on the tip of the finger that had been stroking his lips, making a small sound.

“Did you sleep well?”

I stared blankly at Nam Kangwoo, then at the sound of his voice, tinged with laughter, I snapped back to my senses and nodded. The distance of only a handspan between us felt awkward, so I tried to move my body to create some space, but as if he didn't like even that, Nam Kangwoo pulled me into a tight hug.

“You were burning up all night.”

“……”

“It's gone now.”

The end of his low, subdued voice was cracked. That sounded strangely erotic, so I held my breath for no reason. I mumbled, “Let, let go,” but my face burned as if it would explode at the words Nam Kangwoo whispered in my ear.

“Huh? Ha Yeoul.”

That crazy bastard… so suddenly…

I blushed at the disconnect between the Nam Kangwoo who had worried about me all night and the Nam Kangwoo who, the moment my fever broke, was asking if I had enjoyed our time together. He kept asking how many times it was good, to the point I felt like cursing, but since it wasn't that I hadn't liked it, I just stayed quietly in his arms.

As if he had decided it would be difficult to get an answer out of me, Nam Kangwoo placed a light kiss on the top of my head and slowly got up. When I shook my head at his question of, “Should I wash you?” a faint smile appeared on his face.

Nam Kangwoo picked up the robe that had fallen on the floor, put it on, and walked out with a languid expression. I stared quietly at his back, then closed my eyes again. I was tired, and it felt like I would fall asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

We ordered some simple room service to eat and then left the hotel. I was still exhausted, walking while held by Nam Kangwoo’s hand. It was the same when we left the hotel room, when we got in the car, and when we returned home.

Nam Kangwoo showed some concern seeing my state, but I was always this low on energy. It wasn't anything new.

Shaking off his worried hand, I gently picked up Sally, who was circling my feet, and headed straight for my room. It seemed they were now so used to my door being open that these guys left it open even when I wasn't home.

I carefully set Sally down and laid myself down on the bed as well. The fatigue grew deeper as time passed. It was the kind of fatigue that wouldn’t be cured even if I chugged a box of fatigue recovery drinks.

Lying on my side, I gently petted Sally, who was nibbling on my fingertips. This cute creature made a whining sound as if it was in a good mood.

“Did you miss Oppa?”

At my low mumble, Sally barked, “Woof woof!” as if answering. My heart tickled. Sally pressed her wet nose against the back of my hand, my palm, and all over my face, sniffing and licking.

Her enthusiastic welcome was cute, but it also made me suspicious that these guys might have bothered her while I was away. But then, I quickly concluded that they weren't that bad, and with that final thought, I dozed off.

* * *

When I vaguely woke from my sleep, the first thing I saw was someone sitting on the edge of the bed. My body jolted as if I was having a seizure, and I sat up.

At my movement, the head of the guy sitting on the edge of the bed slowly turned towards me. It was too dark to see well.

“You’re awake.”

I could tell who it was after hearing the voice. My vision was blurry from not being fully awake, and I blinked several times. My eyes, finally adjusted to the darkness, confirmed Mo Taehee’s face.

“Uh…? Ah… Yeah.”

“You were sleeping so soundly, Yeoul-ie.”

“……”

“You must be very tired.”

At his low voice, I nodded instead of answering.

“You have to eat dinner. I came to wake you up because I planned to feed you and put you back to sleep.”

“……Ah, I’m… not really…”

“Your voice is still rough, though.”

Mo Taehee, who had only his head slightly turned, twisted his body to face me. Even in the darkness, the shine of his black eyes was vaguely frightening. When I unconsciously avoided his gaze, the sound of air escaping Mo Taehee’s lips could be heard. The atmosphere sank lower than before.

"I’m feeling a little shitty." At the voice that sounded like a mutter to himself, my wandering gaze returned to Mo Taehee’s face.

“……Huh?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, but I feel a little shitty.”

Fine, but shitty. It was difficult to properly understand what Mo Taehee was saying. What was he talking about?

“I was the one who said it was okay to share, Yeoul-ah.”

“……”

“But now that I actually think about you sleeping with Kangwoo, it feels pretty dirty.”

I had to chew over Mo Taehee’s quietly spoken words several times before I could understand what he meant.

“Which one are you leaning toward?”

“……What?”

“There’s only one left now, Yeoul-ah.”

"Jaehoon-ie hasn't had his turn yet." The low, subdued voice drilled precisely into my ear.

Mo Taehee slowly called my name again. “Yeoul-ah, Yeoul-ah.” Still, as if calling for a lost first love.

At his strangely toned voice, I couldn't answer and just furrowed my brow. As if he had noticed my expression, a large arm reached out and gently stroked the space between my eyebrows.

“Still, for me, this is better than just one person.”

“……”

“So what I’m saying is, don’t choose, Yeoul-ah.”

“……”

“Get yourself together and come out. You have to eat dinner.”

Mo Taehee finished his words and slowly stood up. He looked at my dumbfounded face and gave a faint smile, then reached out and cupped my cheek. Soft lips gently landed on my frozen ones and then pulled away.

“Come out when you’re awake.”

My mind still not fully rid of sleep, I mulled over Mo Taehee’s words. I mean, what does he mean by ‘don’t choose’…

I gently stroked Sally, who was sleeping on her back on my pillow, her belly fully exposed. No matter how hard I tried to understand Mo Taehee’s words, I couldn't.

As always, I stopped thinking without trying to figure out the meaning. The answer I came up with probably wouldn’t be close to the correct one anyway.

I had woken up too recently to eat dinner, but I felt like if I didn’t go out, my Housemates 1, 2, and 3 would come in line to find me, so I moved my body.

The four of us inevitably gathered for dinner, and the atmosphere was strangely on edge. No, it was Seo Jaehoon in particular who was as prickly as a hedgehog. I was wondering what was wrong with that guy as I drank my water, when suddenly Seo Jaehoon’s gaze turned to me.

“Cough, hack— Cough! Cough—!"

Startled by the sudden eye contact, I choked. The water I was drinking went down the wrong pipe, and my nose stung as it flowed back up.

“Where were you yesterday.”

After I had exhausted myself coughing for a while, Seo Jaehoon looked at me and asked articulately. I couldn't answer right away and had to catch my breath.

“Ye-yesterday?”

A hoarse sound came from my throat. The fortunate thing was that the preceding cough gave a plausible excuse for the hoarseness.​