Chapter 109
“Folks! The cotton-swab killer is here. Ugh!”
“Stop it!”
Jae-gyu, who was practically dying of happiness even as he was being hit, pulled his hands away from Bom’s armpits and wrapped her tightly in his arms.
“Gotcha.”
“……”
Nestled in his embrace, which was firm due to his muscles yet strangely felt warm and cozy, Bom rubbed her face against him.
“Mmm… it’s warm.”
“Your body is so soft.”
“Jae-gyu, should we stay like this for a little longer?”
“Alright, let’s.”
They were left alone in the silence, where only the faint ticking of the clock’s second hand could be heard, yet it wasn’t awkward at all. She loved these intimate moments, standing in the middle of the living room, sharing each other’s warmth.
“I don’t want to go.”
She tried throwing out a complaint like that for no particular reason.
“Don’t go. Can’t you really just not go?”
“I’d like to, but I have work tomorrow…”
Jae-gyu stroked the back of Bom’s head with his large hand and whispered.
“I’ll take you there in the morning. Vice Principal took Bom-sik, so I can just put him in the car and take care of him in the morning.”
He was saying all this. The situation was perfect. Since Han-gyeol and Bom-sik weren’t there, all she had to do was decide.
“Should we, then?”
“Let’s change into comfortable clothes. Do you want to wash up in my room’s bathroom? You said you liked it there.”
Jae-gyu rummaged through the dressing room and handed her a plain white T-shirt. After a refreshing wash, Bom unfolded the shirt and was surprised anew.
‘Why is it so big?’
She knew it would be big since it was Jae-gyu’s T-shirt, but this big?
When she put it on, it was practically a One-Piece Dress. It naturally covered her hips, and more than half of her thighs were hidden. The sleeves also reached past her elbows. It was loose and comfortable, but…
Was it really okay to just wear this? Bom, not wearing a bra, cautiously stepped out of the bathroom, clutching her chest to cover the protruding parts. And then she immediately encountered an unsightly sight.
“Ugh, what are you doing dressed like that?!”
Jae-gyu, who had washed up in another room and was now fresh and dry, stood there blankly, wearing only tight-fitting Drawers.
“I’m thinking.”
“Thinking what…?”
“I thought about it carefully, and we shouldn’t have washed separately like this. Ah, I regret it.”
“What now?”
He was about to say something weird. She felt uneasy, but deep down, she was also curious what he would say.
“Why did I do that? I should’ve washed with you.”
“Wash what together?”
“Lying right in the bathtub, with Bom tucked snugly between my legs, and with the bubbles, like this—”
“Ack! Stop!”
She had been quietly watching Jae-gyu’s gestures before hastily stopping him. He was going to do something weird with the bubbles. It was a blessing that they had washed separately.
He had said before that bubble baths were fascinating, and she’d just seen that he had several bath bombs bought and ready.
She had only thought it was cute, but she hadn’t known he harbored such lewd thoughts. As she stomped her feet, her ears turning red, Jae-gyu’s lustful gaze fell upon her.
“Why are you looking at me like that…?”
Bom, backing away, fled through the open doorway. “Where are you going?!” Jae-gyu shouted, following noisily with a clatter, but Bom skillfully evaded him, running around the living room.
“I told you I have work tomorrow, no!”
“Ha, damn it. Is that why you ran away? I won’t do it. Really.”
Bom looked at the aggrieved Jae-gyu, who was several meters away, with suspicious eyes.
“Trust me.”
“Really?”
“I swear.”
Only then did she finally feel relieved. So, should they play some wholesome board games tonight and then sleep? Like Rummikub or Splendor…
“The reason I was looking at you like that, Bom, is because there’s something I want to show you.”
“What is it?”
Bom lowered her guard and went to Jae-gyu’s side. Jae-gyu pointed with his finger to the room next to his.
“Why the study, all of a sudden…?”
She had asked him once before what that room was.
It was the room right next to Jae-gyu’s, and it was always securely locked. Back then, Jae-gyu had casually opened the door to show her, saying it was like a study but didn’t actually have many books.
The spacious room was bare. As Jae-gyu had said, there were so few books that it was embarrassing to call it a study.
[Actually, rather than reading, I often lie on the floor here and zone out.]
Judging by its use, it was closer to a meditation room than a study. Why would he suddenly want to show her that room?
“I’ve been remodeling it little by little, and it’s mostly finished. I was going to show you when it was 100% done, but my mouth is itching, I can’t stand it. Aren’t you curious?”
It was an obvious question. Instead of answering, Bom stood in front of the door.
“Um, can I open it?”
“Of course.”
Had he collected a bunch of books and decorated it in the meantime? Jae-gyu’s eyes sparkling like a child’s, urging her to open it quickly.
“……”
Bom twisted the doorknob and opened it, then looked up at Jae-gyu, flustered and at a loss for how to react.
“How is it?”
What should she say? First of all, the study that used to be there had vanished without a trace.
The most noticeable change was that the window had become larger. It was dark now because it was night, but during the day, sunlight would pour in, making the room incredibly bright.
In front of the window were a sofa and a bed. This was particularly perplexing. The size was also large. Who was it for?
Besides that, the side tables, the chest of drawers—everything was luxurious. The combination of navy and beige hues gave it a distinctly sophisticated feel. Overall, it was a room that clearly showed a professional had been hired.
“……”
Leaving the hesitant Bom behind, Jae-gyu strode into the room and flicked on the tall lamp beside the bed.
The low-intensity, soft yellow light instantly warmed the space, making the room look even more splendid.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Right? Do you like it?”
“…Huh?”
Jae-gyu said with a proud expression to Bom, who was carefully stepping in and looking around.
“It’s yours.”
What did that mean? Jae-gyu emphasized again to Bom, who was furrowing her brow.
“This room, it’s Bom’s room.”
“You want me to use this place?”
“Yes. I’ll show you around.”
Jae-gyu quickly went behind Bom, gave her a back hug, and began explaining the room.
He said the window frames were sturdy, having received the highest security rating, and the flooring was eco-friendly, explaining professionally that it would be better than marble.
Next, he introduced a bed wider than a standard king size, saying he had deliberated over it the longest, and then a strangely shaped lamp, which he said was a designer’s piece won at auction.
Everything she heard about was high-end, and there were many designer products. When she heard that even the rug on the floor had been personally sourced, she couldn’t help but be astonished.
“Now for the highlight. Hold on tight so you don’t faint.”
Saying that, Jae-gyu went to the wall and smoothly slid open a sliding door the same color as the wall.
“If you open all of this, my room and this one become one.”
“Wow, so it connects like this. When did you make this? I had no idea.”
Jae-gyu made a gesture of wiping sweat, saying he almost died trying to do the construction without her noticing, as it was part of the surprise.
How did he plan and prepare all of this? Bom was bewildered, and at the same time, felt a little burdened.
It wasn’t long ago that he’d given her a car, and now he was giving her a corner of his house. And a space filled with only the highest quality items.
Jae-gyu, observing Bom’s ambiguous smile, closed the sliding door again.
“Is it not good?”
“It’s not that…”
Jae-gyu let out a short snort, then had Bom sit on the edge of the bed and sat beside her. He took her hand.
“Do you remember what it was like here originally?”
“The space was really big, but it was empty, wasn’t it? He called it a study, but he put all the books he actually read in the living room cupboard, and this place was completely empty, which was strange.”
And now it had transformed into such a modern bedroom. She felt his efforts anew.
“Do you know what I used to do when I came into this room? I’d take out a few books, put them on the floor, and lie down with them as a pillow.”
Right, he had said he would lie here and zone out. Jae-gyu, in a subdued voice, told her a story he hadn’t told her back then.
“I’d lie there and think. About getting hit by my father, my mother suffering from illness, almost dying on a Chinese ship—things like that from my childhood.”
She had no idea. She never imagined such stories were hidden behind his casual remark about zoning out.
“Sometimes I think about my childhood. When that happened, I’d come here and process it alone.”
His loneliness, having no one to confide in or rely on, pained her heart.
“I see. I didn’t know that.”
“But I’m not going to do that anymore. Since meeting you, Bom, I’ve barely come in here.”
“That’s a relief.”
“This is all thanks to you, Bom. Can’t you think of it as a token of my gratitude?”
She felt strange, thinking she hadn’t done anything for him, yet he said he had changed because of her.
Wasn’t the sense of pride Jae-gyu often displayed of a similar nature? That moment when the happiness of the person I love becomes my own joy.
“I haven’t done anything excessive enough for you to feel burdened. Really. Rather, thinking of you while decorating this place was my pleasure.”
How could she reject Jae-gyu’s heart, as he carefully threw out each word, gauging her feelings?
Thinking that he had thought of her while decorating this room made her heart tingle. More than anything, the fact that he had decided not to dwell on his unhappy past anymore resonated deeply within her.
“I can’t pay rent.”
“That won’t do. You have to give me kisses, regularly, every month, alright?”
Jae-gyu’s devoted love, so thrilled that she had accepted something he’d poured so much time and effort into, made Bom’s heart tremble.
She liked this man so much, what should she do?
“Now, give me a kiss.”
They were already dating, meeting every day, but sometimes she suddenly felt that it wasn’t enough.
“Quickly. Give me a peck.”
She felt that way even now. What exactly was this feeling?
“Hey, My Bom-Bom♡. Why aren’t you answering? I only take payment upfront—”
Bom placed her hands on Jae-gyu’s shoulders. As his muscles twitched, Bom pressed her lips against Jae-gyu’s.
“…Ha. That was a quick deposit.”