Confess Your Love #3
“Nngh...” The Doctor forced her eyes open. Her blurry vision gradually sharpened as time passed. The first thing she saw was a circular ceiling light that had been turned off. This was her own bedroom. Bright light seeped in through the gap under the door. There was also a delicious smell wafting in.
“.....”
Now that she thought about it, she had clearly collapsed and fallen asleep, so why could she see the ceiling? Even the blanket had changed from the floral microfiber one to a plain, much thicker one. Her hair, which had been tied up, was now loose. And what was this bandage wrapped around her right sole?
The Doctor’s mind snapped into focus and she bolted upright, only to wince as a headache struck her.
“Ah...”
She pressed her palm to her forehead and stayed still for a moment. Footsteps approached from the living room. The Doctor stared at the door with a disbelieving look. Soon after, Jihyeok peeked in through the gap, spotted her, and entered. His eyes were filled with worry. He let out a soft sigh at the sight of her dazed expression, then sat on the edge of the bed.
“You’re awake?”
The Doctor was utterly confused. Why had Jihyeok come here? She was overjoyed to see him, but something felt off. He had been disappointed in her and left... Was she really dreaming?
While she was lost in thought, Jihyeok gently pushed her upper body back down. She relaxed and lay flat, her eyes rolling around. Jihyeok exhaled a long breath and scolded her.
“Noona, are you an idiot? Why would you take four sleeping pills?”
“.....”
It had to be a dream. There was no other way Jihyeok could possibly know how many sleeping pills she had taken. Just as she was starting to feel a little sad, he said something surprising.
“Last time, when I was getting vitamins, I saw the sleeping pills. I even knew there were twelve left. You wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called you, so I checked just in case... Geez.”
“How...”
“Do you have any sense or not? You know better than anyone that you shouldn’t overdose on something like that. I was shocked when I saw only eight left. I was really worried.”
“.... Hic...!”
Realizing it wasn’t a dream, the Doctor burst into tears. Jihyeok pulled her into his arms and patted her back.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Ah... Look at that big heart of his. She was the one who had made the mistake, yet he was the one comforting her. She wasn’t supposed to cry... but the tears came from sheer happiness.
“Huuueeeng...!”
The Doctor sobbed in his embrace for a long while. After nearly thirty minutes of crying, she sniffled when the tears finally stopped. Only then did Jihyeok release the hug.
“Did you know you slept for almost thirty hours?”
“Th-thirty hours...? Really...?”
The Doctor’s eyes widened in shock. Jihyeok clicked his tongue and nodded.
“Yeah. Exactly twenty-eight hours. How can a person be this stupid... The car was wrecked... You were soaked and collapsed on the bed... What if you caught a cold?”
“.....”
“And why did you smash the TV? You’re not a kid.”
The Doctor pressed her lips together. She had nothing to say, even if she had ten mouths. Jihyeok gently stroked her hair. She closed her eyes, savoring his touch, when a sudden question occurred to her.
“When... did you get here...?”
“Twenty-four hours ago.”
The Doctor swallowed. That meant he had arrived around midnight yesterday... Had he come straight back from the bar? He had left like he never wanted to see her again, so why had he returned so quickly?
Jihyeok answered her unspoken question himself. He scratched his head and explained.
“I just... felt like I said some harsh things to Noona... And I missed you, so I came.”
After hearing his answer, the Doctor bit her lower lip hard. Jihyeok loved her this much, yet she had been acting so ambiguous... During the hours he was gone, she had nearly gone insane, and in that time she had become certain of her own feelings.
The Doctor looked straight at Jihyeok, her eyes filled with resolve.
“I love you.”
At first, she had fallen for him far too quickly—much faster than when she had met Edward—and had tried to deny it. But not anymore. She loved him deeply. She had no intention of denying this feeling any longer.
Jihyeok’s lips curled upward at both corners. He spoke in a gentle voice.
“I love you too.”
She had thought she had squeezed out every last tear, but now she wanted to cry again. Happiness filled her entire body. Hearing those words from his wonderful lips made her heart melt. She should have said it sooner... What had been so important about holding back such a simple word? She really was a fool.
“The blanket... Did you change it?”
She wiped her eyes with her palm and asked. Jihyeok nodded slowly.
“Yeah. I cleaned everything too. I ordered a new TV and installed it.”
“E-even the TV...?”
“Well, it was broken. Of course I had to buy a new one. What, should I have left it?”
“.....”
The Doctor lowered her head, speechless. Jihyeok’s expression turned serious as he warned her.
“I put you in the medical equipment and checked your condition while you were asleep. It’s a relief nothing was wrong, but... don’t even think about taking sleeping pills again. What if something serious had happened?”
“Medical equipment...?”
“I stopped by the lab while you were sleeping.”
The Doctor’s mouth fell open. She never imagined he would go all the way to the lab... And while he did that, she hadn’t even woken up?
Gratitude welled up inside her. She wanted to thank him... but first, she should apologize.
“I’m sorry... I’m sorry, Jihyeok...”
“I’m sorry too.”
“No. You don’t need to apologize... I’m really sorry for being such a selfish bitch...”
“It’s fine. When people love each other, they fight sometimes.”
The Doctor’s face melted into ecstasy. That was right. When people loved each other, they fought sometimes. And after all this, her love for Jihyeok felt even stronger.
Jihyeok caressed her cheek and continued.
“Answer me. You’re not going to take them again, right?”
“Ah, I won’t... I was wrong...”
“How do you feel? Better now?”
There was still a small knot left inside her, but as Jihyeok said, she did feel relieved. It was a completely different feeling from when she had been with Edward. It felt like the dark clouds had cleared. She had never felt this desperate with him. She had never gone this far either. They had argued a little when discussing future science, but that was all.
“Yeah... I feel better...”
She nodded meekly. Jihyeok smirked.
“Stay lying down.”
Anxiety rose in the Doctor and she grabbed Jihyeok’s hand tightly—an instinctive action. She asked urgently.
“Wh-where are you going...?”
“Nowhere. I’m just bringing some porridge.”
“Ah...”
So the delicious smell she had noticed when she woke up was porridge. The Doctor let out a sigh of relief and released his hand. Leaning against the headboard, she buried her face between her knees as Jihyeok headed to the kitchen.
She had confessed her love to Jihyeok and accepted her jealousy. Because of that, she felt a strong urge to keep him away from Sehwa. That didn’t mean she planned to start an ugly love triangle, at least not right now.
Before long, Jihyeok returned with a tray. Sitting on the bed, he picked up the bowl, scooped some porridge, and blew on it before offering it to her.
“Eat.”
“I-I can feed myself...”
“Eat when I give it to you.”
“.....”
It felt like she had become a child, but she didn’t mind. When would she ever get this kind of service from Jihyeok again? If she could just endure a little embarrassment, she would get used to it.
The Doctor opened her mouth wide and took the spoon. The moment she tasted the porridge, a warm feeling spread through her body. A smile naturally formed on her lips. It was perfectly warm and seasoned. As expected, Jihyeok was good at cooking.
“Tastes good, right?”
The Doctor nodded while chewing. Before she had even finished swallowing, Jihyeok offered the next spoonful. She pulled her head back like a spoiled child, and Jihyeok laughed pleasantly.
“I’m not rushing you, so eat slowly. I was just offering it because it was ready.”
Feeling a strange rebellious urge, the Doctor said, “.... Aang...” and opened her mouth wide to snatch the spoon before she had even finished swallowing the previous bite. She clamped down on the spoon with her teeth and refused to let go. Jihyeok let out a dry laugh.
“This is ridiculous, seriously...”
The Doctor wholeheartedly agreed. She didn’t even know why she was doing this. It was ridiculous. But a smile kept forming on her face, and it seemed Jihyeok felt the same. The two of them looked at each other and giggled.
After being fed for a long time and filling her stomach to a reasonable degree, the Doctor shook her head.
“That’s enough, thank you.”
“You’re not eating more? There’s over half left.”
“You brought too much. I’m full now.”
“Then just one more bite.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Really? Alright. I’ll leave this here and come back.”
Jihyeok stood up and headed to the kitchen. A moment later, clattering sounds could be heard. He was probably washing the dishes. The Doctor got out of bed and placed her feet on the floor, wincing slightly.
“Ah...!”
Her right foot stung a little. Still, it wasn’t bad enough to limp, so she walked into the living room and watched Jihyeok’s back. He was doing the dishes. His back muscles twitched beneath his T-shirt, looking like they might burst out. Heat began to rise in her body. She wanted him to hold her with those strong arms as soon as possible.
How could she make Jihyeok look only at her? First, she should become prettier. When he went to work, she should visit the makeup shop she had been putting off. Maybe get plastic surgery? No. Jihyeok liked her as she was now... She shouldn’t put a knife to her face. And she needed to lose weight. She had lost some recently, but it wasn’t enough. She would make her body not just skinny, but healthy and attractive, so Jihyeok would fall even harder for her.
She didn’t need to go to the lab. No monsters were appearing right now. That meant the Aether held by Silvia and Adele wouldn’t decrease either. Earth was currently at peace. If monsters did appear, Jihyeok would surely suggest going to the lab first, so she should let go of any unnecessary obsession. Besides, Sehwa and Yuria were there, so even if something happened, it would be dealt with quickly.
After finishing her thoughts, the Doctor ran toward Jihyeok the moment he turned around after finishing the dishes. She jumped powerfully, wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist.
“What are you doing?”
Jihyeok asked in a warm tone while patting her bottom. The Doctor, delighted by his touch, said,
“Let’s do it now. I want to.”
At her words, Jihyeok tugged down her shorts slightly. Then he asked,
“You want it that badly?”
“Yeah.”
“Shouldn’t you rest?”
“I don’t need to. I’m fine.”
“Got it.”
Jihyeok raised one corner of his mouth and slowly walked toward the utility room while carrying her. The Doctor flinched for a moment. He was planning to have sex in the utility room... where Edward’s belongings were. Jihyeok was doing this on purpose. To confirm her feelings.
The Doctor decided not to stop him. The first thing she needed to do right now was show him her true feelings. Simply saying she loved him wasn’t enough. From Jihyeok’s perspective, she had lied before. So to regain his trust, she had to show proof instead of just talking.
‘Ed... I’m sorry...’
I hope you understand. You were a good man who only thought of me, so I think you’ll understand. You wanted me to be happy too. So please don’t say anything to me anymore.