RACA 62

The incident with Pyo Jaebeom turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The throbbing headache, the tingling body aches, and the burning fever had all vanished by the time he woke up.

“Haaah…”

Thanks to that, Eunsol found himself contemplating just how susceptible his own body was to temptation.

“No. It was just because so much had built up over time. Of course. There’s no other reason. That’s all.”

He rationalized it away like that and placed his hand on his forehead. He felt a slight warmth, but it was safe to say the fever had completely broken by now.

“Yeah. I never get sick for long anyway.”

One of Eunsol’s strengths is that he rarely gets sick, and when he does, it doesn’t last long. Plus, this time he didn’t even need medicine.

It just so happened that Jaebeom helped in a peculiar way, which led to this…

“Dammit!”

As his thoughts drifted back to the situation before falling asleep, Eunsol recoiled in disgust and sat up.

Yet somehow, his gaze drifted toward his core. It was covered by the blanket, but the situation was definitely different from before he fell asleep.

The problem, if there was one, was that he couldn’t quite bring himself to welcome this feeling of relief…

“Let’s wash up! I need to wash up.”

Eunsol hurriedly got out of bed, trying to break the train of thoughts that kept drifting in an unpleasant direction whenever he had a chance. He entered the bathroom, quickly stripped off his clothes, and as he passed the sink, he found himself looking at the mirror hanging on the wall.

Just then, his lips, still swollen, caught his eye.

“What is this?”

He’d never seen it swell up like this before, except when eating incredibly spicy food or getting bitten by a mosquito, so he was puzzled.

Eunsol’s mouth fell open as he approached the mirror. His lower lip was completely puffy and swollen. He even noticed a slight scab forming. Instantly, the incident with Pyo Jaebeom came back to his mind.

“Oh, seriously…”

Eunsol, having concluded it was because of the passionate kiss they shared, closed his eyes before opening them again.

Why did he remember every sensation, the way his tongue swirled inside his mouth, the way it rubbed against his?

A rush of heat instantly flushed his face. It seemed his cold wasn’t fully gone after all. To cool this heat, there was no choice but to wash immediately.

Desperate to escape reality, Eunsol quickly turned away from the mirror and stepped under the showerhead. In his haste to lift the lever, he hadn’t even thought to adjust the water temperature first.

“Ah, it’s cold!”

Startled, Eunsol quickly backed away.

“Eunsol-ssi?”

Eunsol turned as he heard the familiar voice, he saw Pyo Jaebeom looking startled.

“Ah!”

When did you come in?! Equally stunned, Eunsol took a step back, then gasped at the chill he felt on his head and back.

“Haa… What are you doing?”

Pyo Jaebeom approached in a single stride, thrust his hand into the pouring water to check the temperature, and sighed. He turned the lever, adjusting the temperature to lukewarm.

“I came in because I thought it was time to get up. Why are you taking a cold shower when you have a cold? And you’re pregnant, isn’t that something you shouldn’t be doing?”

Eunsol grumbled inwardly as he listened to the ensuing scolding.

‘Exactly. Who told you to suddenly show up! I wonder if he realize this isn’t good for the twins either!’

Of course, he didn’t say anything because he knew arguing about that now won’t change a thing.

“Seems like you have something you want to say right now?”

“No. I was just wondering why you came.”

“Why else? I came because I was worried about Lee Eunsol’s condition. I never expected to see him like this, so I’m a bit flustered.”

When Pyo Jaebeom’s gaze landed on him, Eunsol covered his chest with both hands. Seeing that, Pyo Jaebeom chuckled in disbelief.

“What? Did you think I was going to do something?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, yeah. Trying to hide it from the start makes it seem like you had dirty thoughts.”

“Well, I’m telling you it’s not. Ah, get out. Let me wash up, hurry!”

Knowing from experience that arguing further would only lead to his defeat, Eunsol pushed his broad back. When his damp hand touched him, Pyo Jaebeom raised his eyebrows. The damp, cool sensation had stirred a peculiar feeling within him.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

“Of course. I’m already all better, right?”

“Already?”

When Pyo Jaebeom placed his hand on his forehead, Eunsol instinctively held his breath. He forced himself to keep his eyes half-open, straining to stay composed. Of course, that didn’t stop his already fluttering heart from racing.

“Wh-what…?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re wet. I’m not sure. But it does seem like the fever’s gone down a bit. But just in case, I’ll stay here.”

“I said I’m fine!”

What’s there to be? Eunsol, disgusted, shook his head vigorously. It was already difficult enough that he kept remembering something harsh even when he wasn’t around!

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, really.”

“Hmm…”

Pyo Jaebeom scrutinized Eunsol once more. Perhaps because of the yellow-tinged lighting, his face seemed unusually flushed.

The same was true for the corners of his eyes. The most noticeable feature, however, was his swollen lips.

“Ah.”

Caught off guard by the sudden realization, Jaebeom covered his mouth and chin with his hand. Even so, he couldn’t suppress the gasp that escaped him.

When Eunsol looked at him in confusion, he casually brushed his hair back with the hand covering his lower jaw, as if it were nothing.

“Then just leave the door open while you wash up. I’ll be waiting in the room.”

“What the hell…!”

What on earth is going on in that head of his? He’s embarrassed enough asking him to leave, and he’s actually listening to that?

Of course, one could view it as perfectly wholesome, thinking Pyo Jaebeom is just concerned about him. But considering the unwholesome situation he was in with him before bed, isn’t it only natural!

“I get it. I understand, so please leave now.”

Eunsol waved his hand dismissively at Pyo Jaebeom as if shooing away a fly. Pyo Jaebeom frowned, seemingly displeased, but instead of saying anything else, he simply stepped aside.

Of course, he didn’t close the door. The only saving grace was that the gap was barely wide enough for a finger joint.

Even that was enough to make Eunsol aware of whoever was outside, but he resolved to finish his shower as quickly as possible.

Thinking that showering this quickly was something he’d only ever done in the military, Eunsol stepped out of the bathroom after drying his hair and body in just ten minutes. No, he hesitated at the door as he tried to step out.

He’d put all his clothes in the laundry basket when he came in earlier. That meant he had to go outside like this.

“Haaah…”

They say if things aren’t going your way, even falling backward will break your nose. That was exactly his situation right now. What should I do? He bit lis lip, and the pain came back even worse than usual.

Realizing that was the aftermath of that intense kiss, he covered his face with his palms. Rubbing his forehead and cheeks vigorously, Eunsol pulled his hands away and decided to go out.

This way, he’d only be revealing that he was conscious of Pyo Jaebeom. Having made up his mind, Eunsol pulled the doorknob.

Just as he was about to step inside, he noticed the neatly placed clothing in front of his and hesitated.

“I left the clothes there for you to wear.”

As if he had noticed Eunsol stepping out of the bathroom, Pyo Jaebeom spoke up. Eunsol stared straight ahead, not responding, and picked up the pants.

Then he slipped his head through the top. It felt looser than usual, but he shrugged it off and walked off casually.

“Hmm… This outfit seems a bit big.”

At those words, he looked down at his outfit again.

“I picked it out of the drawer, but I guess the size didn’t fit. More importantly, how’s your body feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Yeah, you do seem fine.”

The smiling face was indeed actor Pyo Jaebeom, as Eunsol remembered him. But for some reason, meeting his gaze felt awkward, so he quietly looked away.

“Why are you being so self-conscious? We even have children on the way.”

“Don’t say things like that…”

Does that guy even have any self-awareness ?! Seeing the playful look on Jaebeom’s face, Eunsol realized he’d done it on purpose to tease him.

“Lee Eunsol-ssi, you seem to have a bit of a hot-tempered streak.”

“I do have a tendency to get worked up sometimes.”

But Eunsol started at him, implying he seemed even more so around certain people. Whether Pyo Jaebeom actually noticed that, though, was unclear.

“Sit down here for now.”

“Why?”

Since he pointed to the bed, Eunsol reacted warily. But when Pyo Jaebeom deliberately pulled out the item, he ended up looking embarrassed instead.

“I’m just going to take your temperature.”

In his hand was a household thermometer. Eunsol, who hadn’t even recouped his initial investment, sat down quietly. He pretended not to hear the chuckle beside him.

Well, what was he supposed to do? It was all because Pyo Jaebeom had acted suspiciously first!

But blaming others like that couldn’t hide his ears turning bright red.