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Chapter 4
As always, Cheonga was vigorously pushing a mop across the floor when a large, polished shoe came to a stop right in front of her.
“Huh?”
She slowly raised her head, following the shoe upward with her gaze.
Above the black dress shoe was a pair of neatly pressed suit trousers. Above those was a white coat that fell from the middle of a muscular thigh. It took her quite some time to reach the fierce eyes of the man standing before her, his arms folded tightly across his chest.
Cheonga wasn’t exactly short herself.
Yet Min Yushin was so tall that she had to tilt her head back to look at him.
“Oh my, hello, Professor! I was so surprised when you suddenly collapsed yesterday. I was worried sick! Hohoho. Are you feeling… all right now?”
At Cheonga’s awkward laughter, the furrow between Yushin’s brows, visible above his mask, grew even deeper.
“Ah, thanks to you, I almost ended up in quite a predicament.”
“Um… That was an unfortunate accident…”
Her grip tightened around the mop handle.
She genuinely felt sorry for hitting him in a particularly sensitive area.
But it wasn’t as though she’d done it on purpose.
Besides, she couldn’t afford to apologize to someone who might be connected to the Cheonghwa Sect and then let herself get dragged into whatever trouble he had in mind.
After a moment’s deliberation, Cheonga decided to strike first.
“By the way, Professor, do you happen to remember…?”
“What exactly am I supposed to remember after being attacked without warning?”
“No, I mean, I thought you suddenly called my name yesterday, and I was so startled! I wondered if we knew each other or something. Hohoho.”
Cheonga deliberately chattered away, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
She wanted to subtly test whether Yushin had actually called her name and whether he really was connected to the Cheonghwa Sect.
At that, Min Yushin shoved both hands into the pockets of his white coat.
His gaze slowly dropped to the name tag on her chest. Then he let out a laugh of utter disbelief.
“My name? You’re telling me I called out Mrs. Park Bokseon’s name while I was collapsing? What, did I get shot in the head or something?”
Park. Bok. Seon.
With every clipped syllable he spat out, Cheonga’s gaze dropped a little farther.
From Yushin’s chest, to his navel, and finally to his feet and the floor beneath them.
Oh, right.
I’m Park Bokseon.
Yushin watched Cheonga’s troubled expression, and the amusement in his eyes faded. A frosty atmosphere settled between them in an instant.
“The only thing I remember is that our dear Mrs. Bokseon is surprisingly good at first aid.”
An awkward silence lingered for a moment.
“You found my pulse right away. Did you receive any special training?”
“Ah, ahaha. That was part of the basic safety training when I started working here…”
“And you checked my pupils quickly, too.”
“That was… YouTube…?”
“Ha. YouTube.”
Under Yushin’s relentless questioning, Cheonga’s voice grew quieter and quieter. She wasn’t very good at lying.
Above her head, she heard Yushin give a derisive snort.
Cheonga wanted to act nonchalant, but she had a feeling that was going to be impossible.
What?! What?! Did he pretend to faint?!
She was already screaming internally.
“Then…”
Yushin’s polished shoes, which had been standing still as his gaze remained fixed on the floor, suddenly took a step toward her.
Then he reached out and seized the tip of her chin.
“…?”
He tilted his wrist upward, forcing Cheonga’s head back. Their eyes met, and he stared directly into hers.
“Rubbing my penis was a first-aid technique you learned on YouTube, too?”
“…”
“Why can’t you answer that?”
Her lips twitched beneath his fingers, but no words came out.
She truly had nothing to say, even if she had a hundred mouths.
Cheonga couldn’t even bring herself to push his hand away. All she could do was avert her gaze.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Yushin’s brows drawing together into a fierce scowl.
“Tsk.”
Yushin clicked his tongue once and released her chin.
He said nothing more. Instead, he walked past her and continued on his way.
“…?”
Cheonga stared after him, turning her head in bewilderment.
What was that?
Something was seriously strange here.
He remembered her grabbing him by the crotch, so why hadn’t he asked about the part where she’d taken out his wallet to check it?
Wasn’t that the most important thing to investigate?
He’s suspicious. Extremely suspicious.
Cheonga quietly followed Yushin as he disappeared down the hallway.
With his tall frame and long legs, he had a remarkably long stride. He’d barely taken a few steps, yet he’d already reached his own laboratory some distance away and was walking inside.
Cheonga glanced around.
The hallway was quiet today, too, and there was no one else passing through.
There was a CCTV camera at the end of the corridor, but if she stood with her back to the direction the door opened, she could avoid having her face recorded.
All right. I’ll just take a quick look at what he’s doing.
She hurried over to Yushin’s laboratory.
Then, carefully holding her breath, she was just about to press her face against the door when—
Bang!
The door suddenly flew open, filling her entire field of vision.
Cheonga instinctively tried to dodge it by stepping backward, but she was a moment too late.
BANG!
The heavy metal door slammed straight into her forehead.
Her vision flashed white, and her balance tipped backward.
“Urgh!”
The thought Huh? had barely crossed her mind when her field of vision flipped, leaving her staring at the ceiling.
She didn’t regain her bearings until the back of her head was mere inches from the floor.
But her body reacted faster than her thoughts.
Instinctively, Cheonga spread both arms wide, relaxed her entire body, and assumed a breakfall position.
Thwack!
Both palms and her forearms struck the floor, sending a sharp, tingling shock racing up her arms.
She blinked.
When her eyes opened again, Yushin’s face filled her field of vision.
“Huh? Why…!”
She had no idea how he’d managed to get to her so quickly when he’d been holding the doorknob just moments ago.
Cheonga stared up at him, blinking in confusion.
Yushin looked flustered. He roughly pulled his mask down, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something.
His gaze swept rapidly over her, and when he spoke, his voice was tinged with concern.
“Why the hell were you standing here, getting yourself hurt…?”
Cheonga hurriedly sat upright.
“Oh my, I’m—”
She was just about to say, I’m fine.
But she stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly up at Yushin.
“…Just now. Excuse me? What did you say?”
Her forehead was burning.
The words I’m fine and It hurts had long since scattered from her mind.
Did he really just ask me why I was standing here and getting hurt, in that voice, with that expression?
This bastard. Is he a sociopath?
She blinked once, utterly dumbfounded.
Then something warm began trickling down the bridge of her nose.
The familiar metallic scent of blood brushed her nostrils.
Yushin’s expression darkened further.
Had she briefly passed out?
Or had she simply lost her senses in a fit of overwhelming rage?
She wasn’t entirely sure, but by the time Cheonga came to her senses, she was already inside Yushin’s laboratory.
She was sitting on a sofa, and the sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air around her forehead.
On the table lay several pieces of first-aid equipment and the gauze he’d used to wipe away the blood.
“What are you doing right now?”
“…Shh.”
Yushin’s hands moved busily right in front of her.
The sleeves of his coat had been pushed up slightly, revealing his firm wrists. Each time he applied disinfectant, the tendons beneath his skin shifted ever so slightly.
Only then did Cheonga realize that he was treating her wound.
Her gaze slowly traveled up to Yushin’s face.
Wow, but he’s ridiculously handsome.
Is a doctor even allowed to be this handsome? He’s the kind of man who looks like he’s carrying at least ten thousand tragic backstories.
Ah, that stings.
But why is his personality so sociopathic? …Well, if he’s connected to the Cheonghwa Sect, I guess there’s no way he’s normal.
…What a waste, though. That face. Seriously, if only his nose were just a little prettier, I could believe he was a celebrity.
No, wait. Maybe he should’ve gotten orthodontic work first? Hmm. Still, he’s gorgeous…
With his mask off, Yushin’s face held Cheonga’s gaze captive. As she continued staring, she noticed the crease between his brows deepening.
“…”
His sharp, smooth eyes, as if carved with a knife, shifted toward her and met her gaze.
“Is there something you want to say?”
Only then did Cheonga realize she’d been staring at Yushin intently.
With her mouth even half open, to make matters worse.
“Uh…”
Flustered, she darted her eyes around the room, searching for something—anything—to look at.
Then, in a thoroughly awkward voice, she began to make an excuse.a
