Chapter 98
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98
Another week had passed since her return.
For Dokyun, it was the first time he’d seen Eun-ah in nearly two months, but any awkwardness had already vanished.
Of course, part of it was that they were always physically close, that he could always feel her presence.
But beyond that, the biggest reason was that Eun-ah had become someone truly special to him.
He found himself thinking that he could never grow tired of this warmth clinging to him all day.
She would press against him as if the world would end if they separated. When she looked at him with a soft smile, her cheeks would flush a pale pink.
Watching her try so hard to take in his entire being, he couldn't help but smile. It was impossible to ever get tired of her warmth.
However, he couldn't just smile and let it be, because he could still see signs of anxiety in her.
For instance, if he suggested going out to the yard for some fresh air.
“I-It’s cold… let’s stay inside…!”
That was her reply. Even though she said it with a gentle smile, she would clutch his sleeve, revealing her unease. She couldn't meet his eyes, her gaze eventually falling to the floor.
Through this, Dokyun could feel that she was trying to ignore the temporal gap.
It was understandable. Outside, spring was already taking its first steps. If they went out, new buds would be sprouting. The earth, dry all winter, would now be showing faint signs of life.
The moment she stepped outside, she would have to face it. She would realize that her time was flowing differently from the rest of the world's.
She feared that, desperately clinging to her delusion, a reality twisted from the truth.
It was a sad, heartbreaking thing.
In moments like these, it felt as if she couldn't live without that delusion, as if she could only survive by clinging to it, and his stomach would churn without him even realizing it.
It was because he felt so small, able to do nothing more than hold her tight.
It was because he would shrink back, afraid that what she needed wasn't him, but the role he filled.
It was because he wasn't sure if he could endure it, if he could remain unbroken when the time came.
He found himself wishing that he was the one she wanted, that he was as special to her as she was to him.
It was a flaw of his, one he couldn't excuse.
He had come to accept it over the winter, but shedding it was still a distant prospect.
He briefly thought how pathetic it was to get so sentimental over something like this, gratifying himself by assigning meaning to her every little action. Dokyun patted the back of Eun-ah, who had fallen asleep in his arms, and closed his eyes.
The sun should be high in the sky. Inside this house, isolated from the world, he had to guess, but her daily routine was as precise as a clock, allowing him to deduce the time with reasonable accuracy.
For the past few days since her return, she had dedicated most of her waking hours to her manuscript. The stockpile she’d built up had been completely used during the two-odd months she was gone, so she had to create a new one.
Her writing speed was quite fast, so she was steadily replenishing what she’d used, but she constantly showed signs of impatience, as if spurred on by the anxiety from her lost time.
Just as Eun-seol had said, it was likely because she had never been asleep for such a long time before.
Time hadn't waited for her. It was tightening its grip around her neck, making it impossible to continue her delusion.
Dokyun wondered what he could do.
Simply comforting her wasn't enough. Playing along with her delusion was a bad move.
Ultimately, the thought that came to mind was that her delusion was a sandcastle that could crumble at any moment.
Her delusion would one day come to an end, whether by his hand or her own.
The empty time would eventually create a gap she could no longer ignore.
Dokyun contemplated what he should do in that moment.
He wondered what he could do to keep her from collapsing when she finally realized it was all a delusion.
His thoughts deepened. The churning in his stomach tormented him.
As he was lost in thought, he felt a tremor from his arms and looked down to see her slowly opening her eyes.
“Are you awake?”
“…Mmmng…”
A small, whining reply.
Eun-ah blinked for a moment, then looked at him and snuggled closer as she spoke.
“I-I slept well…!”
Dokyun watched her exhale against his chest after she finished speaking, then tightened his embrace slightly and replied.
“You must have been exhausted.”
“Mhm…”
Dokyun patted her back as she answered with a whimper and continued his thoughts.
She had every right to be. Ever since waking up, she’d been writing at a grueling pace.
“Eun-ah-ssi.”
“Yeees…?”
Dokyun looked at her as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze and continued.
“Should we take a break today? You’ve worked so hard, I think it’s okay to be lazy for just one day.”
He didn't want her to be anxious. He didn't want her to be consumed by impatience and wear herself down.
With that in mind, he suggested a short rest. She trembled slightly, mulling it over, before finally nodding.
“Sh-Should we…?”
Dokyun found her stealing glances at him even as she spoke to be unbearably amusing. He smiled and replied.
“Yes, you’ve worked hard for a week, so let’s just rest for one day. Let’s make today a day where you get to be lazy and I take care of you.”
“A-A day you take care of me…!”
Dokyun felt another smile escape as he saw her eyes sparkle with anticipation. He nodded back.
“Yes, for today, I’ll do anything you want.”
“A-Anything…!”
Gulp. She swallowed hard, looking at him. The way her suggestive gaze scanned him from top to bottom was utterly lecherous.
When Dokyun narrowed his eyes at her, she belatedly started rolling her eyes and feigning innocence.
Honestly.
Dokyun let out a smirk as he watched her, then patted her back and whispered in her ear.
“That’s for tonight. It’s still daytime.”
“T-Tonight… yes…! Tonight…!”
Dokyun watched her gulping repeatedly.
That’s not what I meant by that.
What should he say? He felt like he’d been having a very serious internal debate just a moment ago. But seeing her twitching the corners of her mouth, her head clearly filled with devilish thoughts, he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.
She kept stealing glances at his crotch, then subtly climbed onto his thigh and rubbed her butt against him. Seeing her so worked up from a single phrase, the thought, Maybe all I really need to do is work hard at night? began to creep into his mind.
Thinking back, it had been a while.
They hadn't been intimate at all for nearly two months, and since her return, she had been so exhausted from writing that she fell asleep the moment she lay down. So yes, it had been a while… but seeing her act like this, he couldn't help but feel a little hollow.
Dokyun began to seriously contemplate his role. Was he just a living dildo? Was his purpose just to be the loyal servant who diligently satisfied his mistress?
As the brief thought passed, she, now re-energized, spoke with the brightest expression he’d seen in a week.
“Th-Then, since today is the day Honeybee-nim takes care of me…!”
“Hm?”
As Dokyun looked down at her, she pushed her head toward him with sparkling eyes.
“F-First, pat my head…! K-Keep going…! Until I tell you to stop…!”
Dokyun looked at the top of her head bobbing beneath his chin, let out a soft chuckle, and placed his hand on it.
“Hehe…”
Her silly giggle tickled his ears again, and listening to it, Dokyun began to stroke her head.
*
As the day went on, the things she asked of him—“hug me,” “kiss me,” “pat my back”—mostly didn't stray from what they usually did.
He had thought she would ask for something more, but her requests were more modest than he’d expected.
Dokyun wondered if this was because she was highly satisfied with their daily life, or if she was gathering her energy for the night like a Spirit Bomb, as he watched her back while she prepared dinner.
Since it was a “take care of you day,” he had offered to make dinner himself, but she must have been absolutely unwilling to yield when it came to cooking. Not five minutes after he entered the kitchen, she had deployed her signature dissatisfied tone—“That's not how you do that…”—and kicked him out.
Dokyun recalled the scene and let out a chuckle as he continued his thoughts.
She, who was never stubborn about anything else, became even more of a stickler than Eun-ji when it came to cooking.
It was as if she had some firm philosophy; she would critique his every minor mistake and was only satisfied when she took over herself. As for Dokyun, he had no choice but to concede the kitchen to her.
Besides, wasn't it delicious?
Watching her pour her heart into cooking, going slightly beyond the realm of a hobby, made him think that this, too, was one of her joys.
Dokyun still hadn't forgotten that moment from a week ago.
The despair he'd felt after eating the meal Eun-seol had made for him the day before she left. And the breakfast the next morning that had washed it all away in an instant.
That moment, which had made him feel like he'd ascended from hell straight to heaven, would remain preserved in his memory for a long time.
Suddenly, as his thoughts drifted, the memory of Eun-seol's cooking resurfaced. Dokyun squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake it off, but it wasn't easy.
That damned cilantro…!
He had no idea why she loved cilantro so much, but in his personal opinion, that “Cilantro Steamed Salmon” was more agonizing than the “Hot Tomato Salad” or the “Mint Malatang.”
The scent of the cilantro bomb—so much that it discolored the fish—should have faded by now, but the memory still made his tongue tingle.
As he was lost in thought, she finished cooking and brought the food to the table.
“H-Here, eat.”
Dokyun couldn't help but be moved once again as he looked at the dish placed before him, a dish that was well within the “bounds of normalcy.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Hehe…”
Her silly giggle echoed in his ears. The fragrant aroma wafting to his nose made his heart flutter.
As expected.
When it comes to cooking, it has to be Eun-ah.
*
After a dinner filled with happiness, they washed up and entered the bedroom. Dokyun felt a laugh escape him at the sight of Eun-ah leaning against him, gulping so much he thought she might fill her stomach with saliva.
She'd been like this ever since dinner ended. As bedtime approached, she began to reveal a blatant, sultry aura.
Even while brushing her teeth, her hands had clung to him stickily. While washing her face, she had subtly pressed her body against his.
And now, she had her nose buried in the nape of his neck, her shoulders trembling.
Dokyun felt her breath tickling his neck and spoke in a voice tinged with laughter.
“How was today?”
“Mmm… g-good…!”
A mumbled reply. Dokyun felt his smile widen and teased her.
“I’m glad. Shall we go to sleep then? It’s getting late.”
“Whaat…?”
Flinch. She jolted so hard the word seemed made for her, looking up at him with devastated eyes as she spoke in a tearful voice.
“N-N-No, that's not it…!”
Her stutter was even worse than usual. Feeling his smile grow even wider, Dokyun couldn't resist teasing her again.
“Hm? It’s nighttime now. The ‘take care of you day’ is over, so we should sleep.”
“B-B-But…!”
Frustration. Despair. Her face crumpled as she displayed these emotions, her lips trembling before she protested.
“I-It’s not over yet…! W-We haven’t slept! S-So it’s still the take care of you day…!”
Her voice was practically a tantrum. Watching her shake his collar and whimper, Dokyun figured she might actually burst into tears if he pushed it any further, so he nodded.
“Alright. Then let’s say it’s a ‘take care of you day’ until we fall asleep.”
“Ah…! Y-Yes…!”
Seeing Eun-ah's face instantly brighten at his words, Dokyun let out another laugh. He reached out, stroking her cheek as he spoke.
“So, how should I take care of you?”
“Umm…”
Dokyun watched her hum thoughtfully at his question.
The eyes that met his were already thoroughly pickled in a sultry aura.