Happy(?) Dependent Life
Three days after I regained consciousness, a problem arose.
The issue was that I hadn't properly washed my body. Until now, all I'd done was wipe my face and arms with wet wipes from the bed. Baek Sehee occasionally brought hot towels, but that was far from enough.
Sweat was the real culprit. Phantom pains kept me up at night, leaving cold sweat soaking my entire body. A day like that, two days, three days.
I want to wash up.
"Yujin-ssi."
As if reading my mind, Baek Sehee spoke up.
"You need to shower."
"Ah, no. I'm fine."
My reason for refusing seemed trivial but was actually surprisingly important. Baek Sehee kept insisting on helping me shower.
"Wet wipes are enough."
"That's just a temporary fix."
Her voice remained soft as ever. But there was a firmness mixed in now—a declaration that she wouldn't indulge my stubbornness any longer.
"Yujin-ssi, it's already been three days. You haven't washed properly at all."
"Still..."
"You need to disinfect the wound area while washing. Infection would be a big problem."
"I can do it alone."
"The bathroom floor is slippery. And you only have one leg right now."
"I'll be careful."
"What if you fall? What if your stump hits the floor?"
I was at a loss for words. Baek Sehee's arguments were always logical. She never appealed to emotions. She just laid out the facts.
Slippery bathroom floor. A body unable to balance properly. Risk of infection.
I couldn't refute any of it. They were all true.
"But..."
"Yujin-ssi, I'll help you."
Ugh, that's just... no.
That thought flooded my mind. What did it mean for Baek Sehee to help me shower? It meant getting undressed. In front of her.
It wasn't because I disliked Baek Sehee. To be honest, she was a beauty on par with Kang Haneul. But right now... how should I put it? Being in this situation with a woman felt a bit uncomfortable.
Anyone might think I was being ungrateful for such a stunning woman offering to help. But it really was uncomfortable. What could I do?
In the end, Moon Yujin was just a worthless F-rank Awakener. I couldn't fathom why she was showing me this kindness.
Kang Haneul's favoritism made sense. My ability offset her innate rage issues. She instinctively needed me.
But Baek Sehee's kindness? It didn't add up. That's why it felt burdensome and awkward.
Was she just a genuinely good person, feeling pity for the pitiful Moon Yujin and giving me this special treatment out of sympathy?
...I don't know. I just don't know.
But I couldn't voice any of that. I wasn't some tragic heroine. How could I say, "Why are you being so nice to me?"—especially to someone currently showering me with unasked-for favors?
"Yujin-ssi, you don't need to feel embarrassed."
Suddenly, Baek Sehee reached out and took my hand.
"I told you before, right? It's only natural from a caregiver's perspective."
That "natural" logic again. But it didn't feel natural to me.
...What do I do now?
Flat-out refusing was hard. She wouldn't back down. I couldn't live off wet wipes forever without showering. But accepting her "help" while naked? No way.
"Um, then... how about this? I'll keep my underwear on."
Baek Sehee paused.
"Your underwear?"
"Yes. That should be okay."
A few seconds of silence passed, and the corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
"Alright. Let's do that, then."
...Phew, relief.
At least I'd drawn a minimal line.
…………
The bathroom was wider than expected. It wasn't a shower stall but a sit-down tub with a handheld showerhead.
Baek Sehee placed a plastic stool by the tub—one of those common in public bathhouses.
"Sit here."
Her hand slipped under my armpit. And—my body lifted into the air.
Huh?
Since becoming Moon Yujin, I'd been picked up by Kang Haneul several times, so I knew the difference. This wasn't just arm strength. It felt like some invisible force buoyed my entire body.
Telekinesis supplementing her physical power.
My body settled softly onto the shower stool.
"Not uncomfortable?"
"...No."
Baek Sehee picked up the showerhead. She turned on the water and tested it on her wrist to adjust the temperature.
"I'll keep it from getting too hot."
"Thank you."
A few seconds later, she aimed the showerhead at me. Perfectly warm water cascaded over my skin.
Ah...
Real water after three days. It felt amazing.
"Lean forward, please."
I bowed my head. She began washing my back. A soft towel lathered with body wash rubbed slowly: upper back, between the shoulder blades, waist.
...
This was insanely awkward.
"Arm up."
I raised my left arm. Her towel cleaned my armpit. Carefully... but thoroughly. Every nook and cranny, without missing a spot.
Ugh...
The awkwardness I could endure. But physiological reactions? Harder to control.
And Baek Sehee had stripped off her outer clothes to avoid getting wet, wearing only a thin white sleeveless tee. Skin-to-skin with a woman like that—any young guy would react.
Please don't stand up. Please.
I decided to count primes in my head to calm down. An old habit of mine, not Moon Yujin's.
Two, three, five, seven...
Her hand passed the inside of my thigh.
Eleven, thirteen, seventeen...
Focus. Think of something else. That book from the cafe. The protagonist getting run over by a steamroller.
It worked. Thankfully, no reaction.
"All done."
She set down the showerhead and fetched a towel. It draped over my shoulders. She dried me off meticulously, just like with the washcloth: shoulders, arms, chest, armpits, back, legs.
...Hurry up and finish.
But she didn't rush. She took her time, drying every corner.
Washing someone else couldn't be pleasant. Yet her face seemed... satisfied somehow.
Not an illusion. The slight upturn of her lips clearly showed she was enjoying it.
...Is she actually having fun?
If so, that was pretty unusual. Finding pleasure in something like this.
…………
Shower done, and night fell. In the end, I'd spend another night in this hospital room. Recovery wasn't complete yet, so it couldn't be helped.
Time to sleep.
As I thought that, I heard the door lock click. The room lights dimmed to night mode.
She's heading home, I guess.
But the footsteps didn't fade. They drew closer.
I opened my eyes. Baek Sehee was sitting by my bedside.
"Sehee-ssi?"
"Yes, Yujin-ssi."
"Not going home?"
"No. Starting tonight, I'll sleep here."
"...Pardon?"
Did I hear wrong?
"I need to sleep here. Right next to you, Yujin-ssi."
Nope, heard right.
"Wh-why? You have a home."
"In case you need something at night."
"I'm fine. Really."
"You're not."
"I mean it. You need rest too."
"What if your phantom pains worsen? What if you fall trying to go to the bathroom at night?"
"The wheelchair's right by the bed."
"Transferring from bed to wheelchair alone is dangerous. Balancing is hard for you."
...Here we go again.
She wasn't wrong. Hard to argue head-on.
But suddenly sharing a bed? Was this okay?
"Still..."
"Yujin-ssi."
As I kept hesitating, her voice suddenly deepened sweetly.
"I'm tired too."
She said that, but her face showed no fatigue. If anything, she looked more vibrant than when I first woke up.
"I'm so worried about your leg that I can't sleep. Even at home, I just think of you. What if something happens at night..."
Her hand rested on her ample chest, as large as her head.
"So sleeping here, with you, is more comfortable for me too."
Something's... off.
Why did it always conclude with sleeping together?
But hard to call her out on it. I was relying on her kindness anyway.
Still, sharing the same bed felt excessive. Even if she said she was fine.
Then it hit me—the method I'd used the first time with Kang Haneul.
"How about a boundary line?"
"A boundary?"
"Yeah. Pillows down the middle of the bed. That way, we each have our space."
The moment I finished, her expression changed. The usual gentle warmth vanished, replaced by something firm and cold.
"No."
Her tone was unyieldingly firm.
"No boundary line. That's pointless."
"But—"
"Yujin-ssi... yes. If you're in pain from phantom limbs at night, I need to react immediately. A boundary would prevent that."
"Still..."
"No."
Baek Sehee being this adamant? She'd never been like this before.
"Your safety is my top priority. No boundary line. Absolutely not."
"..."
She was far more resolute than I'd imagined. No room left for argument.