TCWS 04

Chapter : 04

“What happened, sunbae?”

When she went inside, Junpil was sprawled on the floor, and the man lay quietly with his eyes closed.

“When I tried to take his pants off, that bastard kicked me.”

“What?”

“I’m serious. He glared at me and said, ‘Get lost,’ and then kicked me.”

When Iseol didn’t seem to believe him, Junpil got up from the floor, breathing hard as if wronged.

Iseol approached the man and spoke carefully.

“Um… I’m going to help you change clothes. They said you might get pneumonia if you stay like this.”

The man opened his eyes halfway and stared at her.

“You do it. Get that bastard out of here.”

His gaze said he’d rather die than let another man handle his pants.

It made her let out a hollow laugh, though she couldn’t say she didn’t understand how he felt at all.

“Who does this guy think he is, telling people whether they can take his clothes off or not. Just leave him. Let him freeze to death for all I care.”

“How can you say that?”

Just then, Director Jang came in carrying a large bath towel.

It was big enough to completely cover the lower body.

“Wouldn’t it work to cover his pants with this and take them off that way?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Junpil crossed his arms over his chest and kept watch over the man.

As if to warn that if even a fingertip moved the wrong way, both of them would be dead.

They covered the man’s lower body with the towel and slipped a hand underneath to undress him. The feel of the firm muscles under her fingertips was unfamiliar.

Even though she tried her best to avoid skin contact, whenever she couldn’t help brushing against him, the area behind her ears flushed red without her realizing it.

The wet jeans clung tightly to his skin and wouldn’t come off easily.

And why were his legs so long?

No matter how far she pulled, there seemed to be no end.

She somehow managed to get his pants off, but when she tried to remove his underwear, it caught on something and wouldn’t come down properly.

She had been keeping her gaze fixed elsewhere, but when it wouldn’t budge, she glanced down—and saw that the already tight underwear, soaked through, was caught on the prominent bulge in the center and wouldn’t slide off.

The man, slack and drowsy from the anesthetic, murmured,

“Don’t… keep stimulating me…”

“What…? Who’s stimulating you!”

Flustered and incredulous, she yanked the underwear down anyway. The man let out a low groan and frowned.

The towel slipped out of place, exposing his groin.

Junpil’s displeased snort was loud enough for Iseol to hear.

She quickly fixed the towel and exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

Ha.

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

After finally removing all his clothes, Iseol wet another towel and wiped his head and body.

The entire time, Junpil didn’t take his eyes off the two of them.

The man didn’t come to his senses while she was wiping him down.

It took quite a bit of effort to remove the salt crusted on his hair and skin.

Once she cleaned him thoroughly and dressed him in dry clothes, his handsome features stood out even more.

But his body was extremely hot.

Just as Director Jang had said, it really did seem like there was a risk of pneumonia.

“Director, his fever’s really high. Will he be okay?”

After checking his temperature, Director Jang muttered,

“He’s shivering with chills. We should lay him somewhere warm, not on a bed…”

“Let’s put him in my room. If we lay him on the floor, it’ll be warmer.”

Iseol’s room was spacious, and if they laid bedding on the floor, he’d be able to retain the warmth.

“Why are you giving up your room? Where are you going to sleep?”

Junpil interjected.

“I’ll sleep in the living room.”

They wheeled the examination bed into Iseol’s room and moved the man onto the thick bedding laid out on the floor.

“Sunbae, you should go now. Thank you for today.”

“Is there anything else I can help with?”

“I’m fine, really. You should go. I want to rest now.”

“Alright. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes.”

“If anything happens, call me.”

“Okay.”

Junpil left reluctantly, still looking uneasy.

As Iseol was coming back after seeing him off, the phone in the clinic rang loudly.

Director Jang answered and said with a troubled expression,

“Grandma Samnye is unwell. I think I need to go check on her now. What should we do?”

“I’ll stay here, so go ahead.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you. If his fever doesn’t go down within an hour, wipe him with a towel soaked in cold water.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll come back as quickly as I can.”

“Have a safe trip.”

Holding a wet towel, Iseol looked closely at the man’s face.

The closer she looked, the more she couldn’t help but admire his beauty.

Such a gentle-looking face, paired with such a dangerously good body.

Without realizing it, she swallowed hard, captivated as she gazed at him.

His eyes were intense and deep, his features so well-defined they looked drawn, and even with his eyes closed he appeared strong yet beautiful, as if putting the final touch on a masterpiece.

But now wasn’t the time to be admiring the face of a man whose name she didn’t even know.

“Excuse me. Your fever’s high, so I need to wipe you down. I’m going to lift your shirt.”

There was no answer—she couldn’t tell if he heard her or not—but she began wiping him anyway.

Thankfully, unlike before, he wasn’t tense or on guard.

She started with his face, then his hands and arms, and carefully lifted his shirt.

Now she understood what the director had meant about the knife not going in too deep because of all the muscle in his abdomen.

Not only were his abs clearly defined into six distinct sections, but his entire body felt as hard as steel.

Just how much did he have to work out to have a body like this?

“Wow…”

She let out a gasp of admiration before snapping back to her senses and continuing her task.

Being careful not to touch the stitched wound.

The towel soaked in cold water quickly became warm.

After wiping him down for quite a while and pulling his shirt back down, she stood up—only for the man to suddenly reach out and grab her.

Iseol fell forward beside him.

“…Don’t go.”

“…What?”

“Cold…”

He murmured as if sighing.

It seemed the chills had really set in.

He clearly wasn’t in his right mind, delirious with fever.

Maybe he was dreaming.

Could he be mistaking her for his girlfriend?

A man this handsome must surely have a beautiful girlfriend.

What should she do?

She couldn’t just heartlessly leave someone who was shivering with chills.

“Should I turn the boiler up more?”

Instead of answering, he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.

Caught in his embrace before she could react, Iseol hesitated, unsure of what to do, as his consciousness sank deeper and deeper.

Even though he was injured and probably couldn’t use his full strength, his grip was so strong she couldn’t break free.

Flustered, she bit her lip, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat and breathing, far too close.

How cold must he be to cling like this?

Seeing such a robust body trembling made her wonder if his condition was worse than it looked.

How long had she been held like that?

The trembling she felt through her skin gradually began to subside.

Body heat was clearly effective in calming the chills.

Alright—just a little longer.

Just until the shaking stops.

Just until his temperature returns to normal.

It was a stranger’s embrace.

The embrace of an adult man she had never been held by before.

So different from her own soft body—unyieldingly firm.

And yet, strangely comforting, giving her the illusion that it could protect her from all the dangers in the world.

Maybe he was instinctively clinging to her.

Because she had saved him.

Because she was the only person he could trust and rely on right now.

Grandma Samnye lived on the opposite side of the island, so it would take at least two hours before the director returned.

She could leave before then.

But as soon as she closed her eyes, drowsiness washed over her.

She had jumped into the sea to save him, then exhausted herself getting him onto a boat and bringing him here—her body felt unbearably heavy.

Iseol fell asleep just like that.

When she opened her eyes again, it was a bright morning.

Waking up, Iseol was horrified to find the man lying right in front of her like a painting.

“Oh my god. I’m crazy. What do I do?”

She was lying with her head on his arm like a pillow, her own arm draped over his chest.

She had slept incredibly sweetly—for the first time in a long while.

A deep sleep, without waking once, without dreaming.

Ha.

What do I do?

This is driving me crazy.

No—it’s fine.

He might not remember.

It all happened while he was half-conscious.

If I quietly leave now, he won’t know anything happened.

Swallowing the groan that threatened to escape, she carefully withdrew her arm and started to sit up.

At that moment, the man suddenly opened his eyes, and their gazes met head-on.