The Awkward Warmth
“…….”
The moment Baek Eun-hwa fell asleep, time slipped away like water. By evening six, the living room felt strangely alive with the quiet sounds of someone moving about.
Of course, Charlotte was still in Baek Eun-hwa’s house, tending to her like a devoted nurse. Thanks to that care, her eyes had opened far more comfortably than they had been when she first arrived at the café that morning.
“……Cough.”
Her body still felt wretched, and the headache and lingering cough refused to leave. Yet she had woken, and now lay there, simply staring at the ceiling, too exhausted to move.
“……Cough……”
The weak coughs came again and again.
Back then, Baek Eun-hwa had never once fallen ill in years. The accumulated exhaustion from nonstop schedules finally cracked open into a full-blown cold.
After her hero debut, her workload had only grown heavier. The pressure to excel never let up. Without rest, her body had simply worn out.
So this cold was far worse than a normal one. If she were an ordinary person, she would already be in an emergency room hooked to an IV.
“……Cough……”
Charlotte had said, “You’re a troublesome woman, so hospitals are the last place I’d take you.” Of course, she also couldn’t let a hero show weakness in front of others, but even accounting for that, it was still a silly decision.
“……Cough.”
That was why she had simply lain in bed, hot with fever and unable to do anything.
The words “she blamed herself for everything” fit perfectly.
“Eun-hwa, are you awake?”
“……Yes.”
While coughing, Charlotte entered the room. Platinum-blonde hair, petite figure. She looked up at her from the bed.
Normally she would have sat up, but her body was too weak. If she moved, Charlotte would scold her, and Charlotte was already known for scolding.
She knew that. In this headache state, refusing any help would be too much.
So she could only answer in short, quiet replies.
“The fever seems to have dropped a little. It’s still hot, but—”
“……I see.”
Charlotte gently placed her hand on Baek Eun-hwa’s forehead and spoke those words.
Normally she would have rejected such a touch, but today her strength was gone. She couldn’t refuse the care.
Charlotte began checking her temperature, then slowly examined her condition. At the same time she wiped the sweat on her forehead and changed the small towel she had placed there.
“Um, you’re definitely better than this morning. If you rest like this, tomorrow you might even manage a normal schedule. Though I’d recommend not overdoing it.”
“……I see.”
“Yes. Of course, because you pushed yourself so hard to get this way. Hehe, it’s still much better than this morning. That’s something to be grateful for.”
“……”
Charlotte’s hand gently wiped the sweat that had dripped down her neck.
Softer, more careful than usual. The touch felt unfamiliar at first, yet somewhere it was familiar, and Baek Eun-hwa felt a strange, awkward warmth spreading in her chest.
*…Even when I’m usually gentle, today she’s even gentler.*
Even after accounting for that, the Charlotte she had met in the morning—when she had foolishly come out without telling her true condition—had been far kinder and more compassionate than the one who scolded her earlier.
“Eun-hwa, you haven’t eaten anything since lunch. Are you feeling okay? I made some food, but do you want to eat now? Or should I wipe the sweat first?”
“……I’ll eat first.”
Today, Baek Eun-hwa had no choice but to accept it.
Even she knew her body was near its limit, and she couldn’t refuse someone who was always worrying.
Surely, ordinary Baek Eun-hwa would have rejected such concern. But right now, she couldn’t.
Either way, she had left the long afternoon nap and stepped out into the living room.
“……Saran?”
“Oh, I sent her home first. She’s not even the main staff member, and she’s not really that close. It would be rude to keep asking her to do things when she has nothing to do inside anyway?”
“……”
No black snake was visible in the living room.
When she had entered earlier, Saran had been there too. But after waking from the nap, she was gone. That had left a brief question mark in Baek Eun-hwa’s mind.
Then Charlotte’s answer erased the doubt.
Of course, it did.
“……Why didn’t you go with her?”
“I had to help Eun-hwa, right?”
She had sent Saran, yet why was Charlotte herself still here?
The question had grown in her mind, but in an instant it was answered.
Of course, some parts still felt confusing, but with Baek Eun-hwa’s current condition, any more questions would have been pointless.
“Congee is ready. You should eat, but if you eat too much now, your stomach might feel worse.”
“……I see.”
“Sit comfortably. I made some warm tea too. Drink that while I heat up the congee again.”
“Alright.”
That evening became her second meal of the day.
The only thing she had planned was a handful of mung beans to toss into the ramen. She had bought them herself, but her schedule had been so busy lately that she never got to cook. Yet here they were, served with a generous portion of rice.
A warm home-cooked meal.
The definition of home-cooked food had always been vague to her. Compared to the instant meals or pasta she usually made, this was completely different. Not too spicy, warm, not particularly delicious, but every dish felt like someone was thinking of her.
The mung-bean congee, the rice she had cooked herself, the grilled pork belly that had been frozen until recently—each one carried that same feeling.
“……”
“Why? Do you need water?”
“……No, thank you.”
That was why it felt so awkward.
She had only known Charlotte for about a month. Even that short time had been forced. Why was this person treating her so kindly?
She couldn’t understand it.
*…Do all counselors act this way?*
She had never heard much about the Welfare Bureau’s services. Yet she had never once heard of anyone caring for her like Charlotte did. Not while she was a hero, and not even in the years since childhood.
“……”
It was impossible to feel anything but awkward.
“You sweated a lot while you were sleeping. I wiped down every part that was showing skin as much as I could.”
“……Did I?”
“Yes. If you leave sweat on, it gets worse. And you can’t shower with a cold like this. I tried my best, but I should have done more.”
“……”
After eating, Charlotte wiped the cooling sweat from her body.
It almost made her question whether it was necessary, but her strength was gone. She simply let the gentle hand touch her.
Countless questions rose in her mind, yet she found no answers. Even though she still didn’t fully understand Charlotte’s behavior, she didn’t dislike it.
Instead, she found herself sinking into the comfort and peace Charlotte offered.
“You must have slept a lot this afternoon. Right now, if you sleep, you’ll probably wake up around dawn. Right?”
“Right.”
“Actually, I thought about waking you up midway. Once the coughing stops, you can sleep comfortably.”
“……I see.”
Charlotte’s blunt, short answers still felt familiar, yet Baek Eun-hwa kept thinking she didn’t mind staying like this.
Of course, it was only because she was sick. If her body truly recovered and the fever broke, the thought would vanish.
She was Baekyeou, after all. The Baek Eun-hwa who had survived alone for years.
“Let’s chat a little while you rest.”
“……That’s fine.”
“Hehe, you look completely drained today. You must be really tired.”
“……”
Even in pain, Baek Eun-hwa tried to act as normal as possible.
Her body was bad, but she still managed to shift her posture slightly.
“Ugh……”
“Massaging your hands or muscles helps a little.”
“……”
“How does it feel? Better now?”
“……I don’t know.”
“Then shall I keep going?”
“……That’s fine.”
Actually, after several meetings, Charlotte’s actions—especially the skinship—had already become familiar to her.
“……Huh. Is it because of the cold? Your tail and ears feel so weak today.”
“……Heh.”
“Because you’ve been lying down, I’ll untangle your fur a little.”
“……Okay.”
She had no intention of rejecting Charlotte’s movements. Instead, she was growing used to them.
It was already a huge difference just that she no longer refused the gentle strokes of those nine tails.
She noticed it herself.
“……Hehe.”
“……Ugh.”
While brushing her hair, Charlotte kept touching the silky texture of her tail without any hesitation. She played with the fur, twisting it playfully.
The wall between them crumbled faster than Baek Eun-hwa had expected.
“……Hoo. Still, you’re improving little by little. That’s good, right?”
“……Yes.”
When you came into the café this afternoon, you looked so unwell. I was worried sick.”
“……”
After that, just like during the counseling sessions, she lay with Charlotte’s soft thigh under her head, completely relaxed, saying nothing.
“From now on, if your body hurts, just tell me honestly. As a hero, it’s hard to go to the hospital, but I’ll find a way to help.”
“……”
“If you can’t cancel your schedule, or if you can’t call, I’ll call for you. I already did it once today, remember?”
“……I understand.”
Baek Eun-hwa was slowly getting used to leaving herself to Charlotte.
It felt strange, yet it also naturally evoked memories of when she was very young. Even as she felt awkward, she could not refuse the warmth.
Her condition was too unstable to reject the strange warmth now.
Even without hypnosis, she had started craving it without realizing why.
---
But suddenly, as if reading her thoughts, Charlotte smiled softly.
“By the way, did you know? You’re even prettier when you’re all relaxed like this.”
“……”
Baek Eun-hwa’s tail flicked once in surprise, but she said nothing. The compliment landed strangely warm on her chest, and for the first time in years, she didn’t want to hide behind the usual cool mask.
She just closed her eyes again, letting the awkward, gentle touch wash over her.