A Delicate Treatment
After returning to Gong Haeseon's house, I set the items I'd bought on the table and began explaining them one by one.
“This is an elixir. It’s good for your body, so take one every couple of days. Stacking them doesn’t do much. This one’s for right now, and this is a simple, easy-to-prepare—”
“J-Jihwan, wait! What is all this…?”
I naturally ignored her flustered reaction and kept pulling things out.
“I bought them for you. Um… this one you just pour in and boil. And this—”
She stared at me with a dazed, almost vacant expression. Had she been moved?
Once I finished explaining every item, I immediately tore open a bottle of the Elixir of the Golden Ox. The moment the cap came off with a soft pop, a rich floral aroma spilled out. The quality was clearly excellent.
I casually handed her the opened bottle.
“Here. Drink it all in one go.”
Gong Haeseon, who had been gazing blankly at my face, reached out with trembling hands and carefully accepted it.
“…Th-thank you….”
Without the slightest hesitation, she brought it straight to her lips.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
“…Haa….”
After emptying the bottle in one refreshing go, she glanced at me with eyes that seemed to ask if she’d done well. She looked exactly like a child who had taken bitter medicine and now wanted praise.
The sight reminded me so much of Soyeon that a warm smile spread across my face. I gave her back a couple of gentle pats.
“Keep taking them from now on. If you need more, just tell me. …I’m not giving these for no reason. You helped me a lot at Toyland, so this is my way of saying thanks.”
“Uh… yeah….”
I’d drawn the line on purpose, making it clear there were no hidden motives, but Gong Haeseon simply nodded with a shy little smile, as if even that explanation pleased her. What a cute kid.
After she took the elixir and we put the rest of the items away, I asked if there was a good place to sit so I could give her some basic first aid.
That was when…
“…Eh? N-no, Jihwan! I’m fine…! It’s really nothing, you don’t have to worry about it…!”
She frantically covered her body with her thin arms, desperately refusing treatment.
…What was this? The refusal felt strangely obsessive. It didn’t seem like she was simply trying not to burden me; it felt more like she didn’t want anyone touching her wounds.
What should I do…?
While I pondered her behavior, it occurred to me that her injuries might be connected to her current situation. No matter how minor, a wound was still a wound. A healthy mind lived in a healthy body. I had to treat her somehow.
“…Those look like wounds from the fight earlier. Even now, treating them will keep them from scarring. It’d be a shame to leave marks on such pretty skin.”
The moment I spoke in a soothing tone, Gong Haeseon flinched and met my eyes.
“…P-pretty skin…?”
The unexpected reaction caught me off guard for a second, but I quickly pulled myself together. Treatment came first.
“…Yes. So let’s start by applying the medicine.”
“…If you’re going to say it like that… O-okay….”
Only then did she slowly nod and accept my suggestion. Her face looked like it might burst if I so much as poked it.
Since there was nowhere suitable to sit in the living room, we ended up moving to her bedroom.
“…C-come in….”
Entering a girl in the prime of her youth’s room felt a little awkward, but she probably wouldn’t apply the medicine properly if I simply handed it to her, so I had no choice.
As I stepped inside quietly, a sweet, distinctly feminine scent washed over me. I pretended not to notice and casually scanned the room. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy—just a pile of hastily folded clothes, a bed, and in the corner… a pink bra.
“…H-hiek…!”
Gong Haeseon let out a strange squeak, dashed over, and frantically buried the underwear beneath her clothes.
“….”
The atmosphere grew painfully awkward in an instant.
…Best to pretend I didn’t see it.
Acting as if nothing had happened, I walked over to the desk chair.
“…I’ll use this chair. Why don’t you sit on the bed?”
Realizing my intention, Gong Haeseon’s face flushed crimson. Her voice shook as she answered that she understood. Thankfully, we’d moved past it.
After much back and forth, I finally finished preparing the treatment and tore open the ointment. It was made from ingredients extracted from a desert lizard monster and worked well for skin regeneration and fading minor scars.
I squeezed a long ribbon of the medicine onto my palm, then gently channeled a thread of magic power. The ointment began to glow softly in response.
“All set.”
Now I just had to spread it thinly. I started with the bruises and wounds on her shoulder.
“Haeseon. Can you roll your sleeve up a little?”
But…
“…U-up to where…?”
She asked how far she should pull her clothes up. Come to think of it, I had no idea how extensive her injuries were. All I could see were her slightly exposed forearms, legs, neck, and face. There might be wounds in places I couldn’t see.
“Just up to where the wounds are.”
She flinched again and stared at me. Her expression looked troubled, as if she were wrestling with some dilemma.
Why was she reacting like this…? The moment that small question crossed my mind—
Whoosh.
She suddenly pulled her t-shirt off over her head.
“Wha—?!”
I reflexively covered my eyes with my arm. In a trembling, tiny voice, she whispered,
“…Y-you can look now…!”
Her strangely moist tone sounded oddly suggestive. Swallowing hard, I slowly lowered my arm.
Her face was burning with embarrassment, and beneath it lay pale skin covered in scattered bruises.
“….”
Even she seemed ashamed of being undressed. She clutched the removed t-shirt to her chest, but the fabric was so form-fitting that it barely covered her upper body.
With her chest barely hidden, her exposed torso revealed bruises and wounds everywhere, without a single spot left untouched. This was far more serious than I’d imagined.
My mood sank instantly. I debated once more whether I should ask about the wounds. They weren’t especially large, but there were so many of them, and their similar shapes suggested they’d all been inflicted the same way.
As I stared at her with an expression I couldn’t keep from turning grave, she shyly offered her shoulder as if it were nothing.
“…G-go easy, please….”
…It was probably better not to ask.
“…Here I go.”
I carefully reached out and applied the ointment to her forearm.
Sticky—
“…Hngh….”
The instant the cool medicine touched her skin, she flinched and let out a faint moan. Startled, I froze.
When I glanced at her, she hung her head and apologized.
“…S-sorry….”
This was going to be a difficult treatment.
“…Shall I continue?”
After receiving her confirmation, I spread more ointment across her shoulder. The combination of her pale skin and the slick medicine created a strangely sensual sensation.
If she had been my wife, I would have eagerly offered to apply it everywhere else. But this was Gong Haeseon. In my eyes, she was still just a child. Strangely, the thought calmed my mind. I continued applying the medicine slowly, watching her reactions the entire time.
Worried it might hurt, I stroked her skin as lightly as a feather. In response—
“…H-hyah….”
She twisted and squirmed as if it tickled, letting out one soft moan after another.
How long did I spend carefully massaging the medicine into her body…?
“Done.”
I finished applying it to her arms and legs and withdrew my hands. No matter how young she was, I couldn’t keep touching someone else’s precious daughter in their own home.
I told her she could apply the rest the same way I had. With her eyes completely unfocused, she simply nodded in a daze.
…She understood, right?
“…Then put your clothes back on and come out. I’ll just wash my hands…”
The moment I turned to leave the room—
“…W-wait…!”
Gong Haeseon grabbed my arm with trembling hands.
“…I-I can’t reach my back….”
“…Huh?”
Before I could answer, she flopped face-down onto the bed.
“…C-could you do up to here, please…?”
It was a request I couldn’t easily refuse. Her back was covered in wounds too.
…I really needed to take her to a hospital.
Having made up my mind to bring her to a doctor soon, I reluctantly climbed onto the bed.
*
“B-be careful on your way home, Jihwan….”
“…I’ll head out then. Make sure you eat well and rest. See you next week.”
“…Yeah…! Th-thank you so much for coming today…!”
Leaving Gong Haeseon’s grateful farewell behind, I stepped out of the house and let out a heavy sigh as I slowly walked away.
“…Haa….”
Even though it had been treatment, I never imagined I would one day touch a woman’s back who wasn’t my wife. Despite having done something clearly good, I felt strangely like I’d committed a sin. I glared at my perfectly innocent hands and stepped into the elevator.
On the way down to the first floor, I watched the changing floor numbers and wondered how I should get to Min Soyeon’s house.
…There’s no mirror here?
I suddenly noticed the elevator had no mirror.
“Interesting…”
First floor.
Before I knew it, the elevator had arrived. Whirrr— The doors opened to reveal a woman in a white suit waiting to get on.
“….”
She glared at me openly, as if something unpleasant had happened, clearly waiting for me to exit.
…What a strange person.
I ignored her stare, stepped out of the elevator, and left the building.