Steamy Shower and Sleepless Watch
"Yoo-ri, let's hit the PC bang after class today!"
"Can't tonight—got stuff to do at home, so I'm heading straight back."
"Skipping cafeteria food too? You'll starve if you just go home."
"No choice. I'll grab something on the way. See you tomorrow!"
Lee Yoo-ri parted ways with her classmate on the walk home, her thoughts drifting to the new guy, Min-ho, who was starting to live with them from today. According to her sister, he'd escaped severe abuse and been found collapsed in front of their house. She'd only met him at lunch today, so she didn't know the details, but her sister said he'd been in pretty rough shape when discovered—clothes torn and riddled with cigarette burns, covered head to toe in dirt. Even a woman in that state would shock anyone, so how bad must his abusers have been to do that to him?
'He had such a cute, puppy-like face...'
She knew it was rude to think it, but Yoo-ri couldn't help seeing him as a stray dog. And she loved animals.
'Who knows how long he'll be here, but I should take care of him while he is.'
Abused people could be unstable, so she planned to be subtle—no obvious fussing. Too much attention would just make him uncomfortable.
'It's normal to stress when your living situation changes suddenly.'
Arriving home, Yoo-ri opened the door and noticed the TV on.
[......So experts say the meteorites that fell en masse on Earth this time......]
"Left the TV on and went somewhere?"
Shhhhh—
As she started toward the bathroom to find Min-ho, the sound of the shower hit her ears.
"Must be in the bathroom."
She'd felt a flicker of anxiety at his absence, but it eased as she turned away.
Thud crash—!
Something fell inside the bathroom. Could've been just a shampoo bottle, but unease lingered, so she called out.
"You okay? Heard a loud noise!"
Shhhhh.
No reply. She shouted again.
"Did you fall? Say something!"
"Ughhh..."
A groan slipped through the water spray. Convinced Min-ho was hurt, Yoo-ri flung the door open.
"You okay?!"
Her eyes filled with pale, smooth skin. Min-ho, buck naked, slumped in the shower stall. Yoo-ri froze, taking in the sight. The water-glistened body was so stimulating she forgot why she'd barged in.
"......Snap out of it! What happened?!"
Summoning superhuman willpower, she averted her eyes, shut off the water, and asked, "You with me? Are you hurt?"
"Ugh..."
"Should I call an ambulance? Your condition..."
Min-ho, swaying without responding, mumbled at her words.
"So sleepy... haven't slept... I'm fine......"
"Sleepy? Does anyone collapse like this from sleepiness?"
Yoo-ri was dumbfounded. But say what she would, Min-ho started breathing deep and even, like he'd passed out cold.
Snoooore.
"......Better get some clothes on him first."
Averting her gaze, she grabbed a towel and tentatively wiped the water from his body, peeking sideways.
Swish swish.
"Ugh... seriously..."
Drying a naked guy's body—hands down the most stimulating thing in her life. Touching here and there while thorough, by the time she supported him like a hug, her face was beet red.
Dragging him out, she dressed him as best she could without looking directly.
'Why does he smell so damn good for no reason...'
His clothes outside the bathroom were damp but oddly fragrant.
'Not our house scent.'
She sniffed curiously, then shook her head in panic.
'Not the time. Hurry and finish dressing him before he wakes and gets the wrong idea.'
Her fingertips, which she'd tried ignoring, felt hypersensitive. Fingers brushing his skin twitched like electric shocks.
"Phew~ Done."
Finally clothed, she laid him on her bed.
Just shuttling between bathroom and room felt like sprinting full tilt—her heart pounded wildly.
'What a mess...'
Yoo-ri sighed down at the sleeping Min-ho. He had a slight fever, but as he said, he was just dead asleep. Her sister said they'd met yesterday, so he hadn't gone sleepless entirely—probably tension released now that he had a safe place, crashing him out.
People hold up during crises, then stress hits when they relax.
"Poor guy..."
She hadn't planned to bring him to her room. She'd meant to play it cool, no burdening him. But seeing him so vulnerable? Impossible not to care.
In the end, she decided to nurse him here till her sister got home. Kitchen looked like he'd eaten, at least.
Changing his cold compress, old memories surfaced.
'Back in the basement days, when I got sick, unnie took care of me like this.'
Tough times, but fond memories of learning each other's value.
Yoo-ri hoped Min-ho would one day remember this fondly too.
"He's handsomer than I thought."
Adjusting the towel, she studied his face. Slightly curly hair, defined brows. Eyes with subtly downturned corners. A nose you wanted to touch. Soft-looking lips drawing her gaze. Lower still, his clear collarbones rising and falling with breath, firm chest...
'Argh! What am I imagining?!'
Thwack thwack!
Yoo-ri punched her own head. That bathroom view burned into her brain like a brand.
'I'm the criminal here! Perving on a sick kid—what's wrong with you, Yoo-ri!'
But a lifelong singleton through girls' middle/high school and engineering major—her first real naked man wasn't fading easy. Gazing at his angelic sleeping face, no hint of his traumatic past. Pristine skin, no scars despite escape from abuse; not starved, nicely fleshed out. And from dressing him, skin smooth as porcelain...
Ding-dong clank—
Door opening snapped her runaway train of thought.
"I'm home."
Thud thud.
"Unnie's back?!"
Hearing Lee Hye-ri enter, Yoo-ri bolted out like hiding evidence.
"Yeah. Everything okay? Where's Min-ho?"
"Well..."
Yoo-ri explained: weird bathroom noise on return, Min-ho passed out on the floor, nursing him since. Omitted wiping his naked body and dressing him—no malice, just not gossip fodder. Saying it aloud would just awkward everyone.
Hye-ri checked on Min-ho right away.
"He's out cold. Good job, Yoo-ri."
"Heh, no biggie."
Proud her sister could care for others already, Hye-ri praised with a smile. Eyeing the compress, she teased.
"You didn't do anything weird, right?"
Twitch.
"Wha?! As if! What would I do to a sick kid?"
Caught off-guard by fresh fantasies, Yoo-ri yelled. Her sister trusted her, of course—just joking.
"Better let him sleep here tonight, undisturbed."
"Sure. I'll take the living room couch."
Hye-ri shook her head at Yoo-ri's offer.
"Just in case, stay with him in here. Floor mat's fine."
"Huh? But..."
"He collapsed suddenly, remember? Need someone watching."
"True, but..."
"Don't want to? Too early to wake him... Guess I'll swap rooms with you tonight and—"
"No! I'll do it!"
Yoo-ri blurted. Hye-ri tilted her head.
"That's the plan then?"
"Ugh... Fine..."
Sleeping beside Min-ho? Questionable. But better than swapping with unnie—she hated anyone in her room. Min-ho seemed meek, asleep anyway. Tolerable.
'How'd it come to this...'
She sighed at the door.
I woke on the bed, eyes gleaming at Yoo-ri asleep on the floor mat.
"Time to make some progress?"