“But why did you bring a first aid kit?”
“Ah. I saw yesterday that your hands and the back of your neck were red. I didn’t know whether wound ointment or skin ointment would be better, so I just brought everything.”
“…….”
She had been reflexively pulling down her sleeves, but realized from his fleeting gaze that he already knew about the wounds on her hands and neck.
“It’s better than not applying any, so put it on whenever you think of it.”
“Please do it for me.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t see well enough to do it alone. Please do it for me, Oppa.”
“…….”
Ugyeong said she needed a brighter spot, went out to the living room, and sat sideways on the sofa, angling her body. Her slender neck and soft profile revealed beneath her lustrous hair, along with her neatly lowered eyelashes, entered his field of vision one by one.
Why was her pretty face catching his eye before her wounds? What did he think he was doing, indulging his own selfish desires in this situation? It truly was something he could never understand.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Huh? Oh. I’m coming.”
Taeheon, snapping out of his thoughts, washed his hands, dried them, and grabbed the ointment. Just looking at her was overwhelming enough, yet he couldn’t exactly say he wouldn’t do it.
Fuck. Loathing himself for being on the verge of crossing the line, Taeheon muttered self-mockingly as if in contempt, steadied his mind with a deep breath, and approached her. He sat with a slight gap between them, worried she might feel burdened if he sat too close. With her in front of him, he sat with one leg folded up on the sofa.
“I don’t have any cotton swabs, so I’ll use my hand.”
“Okay.”
“It might tickle a little.”
“Okay.”
“Then, I’ll touch you.”
It was simply applying ointment. Even though he wasn’t trying to do anything impure, his last remark brought a strange scene to mind. You crazy bastard. Calling himself a lecherous loudmouth in his thoughts, Taeheon bit his lower lip.
Soon, ointment was spread thinly over her white skin. The wounded area was wide, so he rubbed with his fingertips in long strokes, and Ugyeong shook her shoulder.
“Ah, sorry.”
Startled, Taeheon withdrew his hand for a moment before bringing it back. It felt even slicker and hotter than before.
“Pfft.”
Unable to endure the ticklishness, she flinched and turned her shoulder more than before. At the same time, his hand floated in the air. Frozen in bewilderment, he stood there stupidly, unable to decide whether to continue or stop.
“I’m sorry, I did that because it tickled. I won’t do it again.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Though she gave permission, once the flow was broken, it was difficult to bring his hand back.
Taeheon shook his head fiercely to erase his wicked thoughts.
Having rallied his determination, he looked closely and found more scratches on her skin than he had thought. They were all traces of some object, not fingernails, slicing through her flesh. Fuck, how dare someone do this to her body…….
“Hey, wait a moment.”
Because she suddenly leaned back, his two hands that had lost their way spread open to either side. Worried the ointment he had applied would rub off, he immediately grabbed her shoulder and sat her up, but she once again let her body go limp and leaned against him.
“Why? Am I heavy?”
A playful question flew out. She was smiling uselessly brightly, unaware that somewhere other than his heart was on the verge of bursting. Should he flick her forehead, or put on a stern face and say she was heavy?
To hell with it. Taeheon extended his folded leg to the side and pulled her in between. As the gap narrowed, his center pressed against her waist, making him dizzy, but he tried his best not to be conscious of it.
When he sneaked a glance, her face was calm too. She was looking at the sky beyond the window with eyes that had no idea what she was leaning against.
“The weather is really nice today, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, well. I suppose so.”
“It would be so nice to go on a picnic on a day like this. I always wanted to spread out a mat in a shady spot and sit in a circle with family, sharing a lunchbox. You must have done that since you’re close with your family, right?”
“…….”
Even though no answer came back, Ugyeong didn’t ask again. She concluded that he was staying silent for her sake, as he was originally a kind and considerate person.
The family in her imagination was very familiar. Laughing and chatting so much that they couldn’t walk straight, they finally arrived at the park and spread out a mat. Someone lay down, someone played music, and someone prepared the meal.
“You look happy.”
With the perfectly clear sky supporting the mood, it was a moment that couldn’t be better.
Feeling her nose tingle, Ugyeong closed her eyes for a moment and steadied her breathing. It was a day so impossibly peaceful that emotions surged within her.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I was a little scared sleeping alone. So I thought about you a lot. I wished you were here with me.”
“Is that so?”
At his tender question, her closed eyes opened.
Ugyeong tilted her head up, met his eyes, and answered, “Yes.” As if responding, he straightened up and pulled her waist in tightly. Ugyeong felt comfort and stability in his embrace. It was distinctly different from last night.
She had fallen asleep quickly but woke up several times at dawn. In a daze, she checked her phone to find it turned off, then looked at the lights beyond the window before falling asleep again. Perhaps, unlike her tired body, her mind hadn’t found spending a night in an unfamiliar place easy.
“I like you, Oppa.”
Her pupils, layered with an affectionate gaze, were a deep black. So deep and dark that his face was reflected in them—eyes that appeared clearer than anything transparent in the world.
“I’ve never liked anyone as much as I like you. Not even once. Everyone else only looked at me with bad eyes, shouting and getting angry. But you’re not like that.”
“Those people were bad.”
“That’s why I like you, I suppose. You’re the most handsome, the coolest, and the best person I know.”
It was a continuous stream of emotions she was experiencing for the first time in her life. The first person on her side, the one who planted trust in her, the being who allowed her to reveal herself honestly.
She propped herself up on the sofa and turned her body around to face him. Fixing her gaze on his calm, unwavering eyes, she glanced at his lips. Was it curiosity or impulse? By the time she searched for the reason, her lips had already touched and parted from his.
“That’s not the right place.”
Taeheon scolded, stroking beneath his chin.
Startled, Ugyeong raised her hands to cover her mouth. It was humiliating. She hadn’t expected to ruin her first kiss in such a way, of all things.
“I-I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment.”
“Where do you think you’re going after getting me worked up?”
The moment she got up, her body collapsed back down. And before she could come to her senses, their lips overlapped and parted.
*Smack*, accompanied by an undeniable, clear sound of friction.
“You’ve got to do it here.”
“……I know, me too.”
Red flowers bloomed on both her cheeks as heat flared across them. Unable to endure her shame, Ugyeong turned her head away. She might not know what it felt like to tangle tongues, but she wasn’t so dull that she didn’t know how to kiss. She had seen it countless times in dramas and movies. It was merely embarrassing and frustrating that she had messed up despite knowing how.
“Want to do it more?”
A heated whisper reached her ear.
A red hue flitted across his calm gaze, just as before. The languid smile hanging at the edge of his lips also hinted at his state.
The moment Ugyeong swallowed dryly, he approached suddenly. Cupping her cheeks so she couldn’t turn her head away, he unhurriedly pressed his lips to hers.
It was her first kiss.
* * *
She returned home around evening. The time spent in the cozy house with its blue sky visible and bright light streaming in, chatting softly and sharing food, had passed in the blink of an eye.
As surely as there is day and night, happy moments are inevitably followed by unhappy ones. The sharp gaze directed at her, stopped in the entryway, was an omen of misfortune. Hong Mijeong looked at her empty hands and asked in a crooked manner.
“Why are you empty-handed today?”
“Should there be something?”
“There should be. Your boyfriend probably bought you something. Ah, did you hide it somewhere else because you thought I’d ask for it? Where, did you hide it in your underwear? Did you?”
Hong Mijeong, who had been eating canned beer with apple slices as a snack, threw everything aside and stood up. Her swaying movements indicated she was drunk. Hong Mijeong blinked her drowsily loosened eyes and groped her body recklessly. Not satisfied with that, she even tried to lift up her underwear.
“What are you doing, what are you trying to do right now!”
Terrified, Ugyeong backed away until she was cornered, then shouted. Hong Mijeong’s bizarre actions sent shivers down her spine. She barely managed to grab her wrist and stop her, but the disgust spreading throughout her body remained.
“Why are you really doing this.”
“Won’t you let go?”
“I’m asking why you’re doing this to me, what did I do so wrong! You were the ones who brought me here. You said let’s live together, you were the ones who held my hand at Grandma’s funeral!”
She couldn’t understand her—no, them—growing more violent and ferocious by the day. This was the woman who had patted her, calling her pretty, smiling and being affectionate. The one who had hugged her warmly, saying, “I’m your maternal aunt,” was the same Hong Mijeong before her eyes.
“That’s right. Seol Gicheol said there was money in your name, so I got my hopes up. It was also nice, like I suddenly had a daughter I never had.”
It seemed the few months after Grandma passed away were fine. Though Seol Gicheol would come home drunk and they’d fight, the sparks hadn’t flown to her. They had provided three square meals a day without fail and bought her textbooks and necessities.
“But raising a kid, that’s not something I’m cut out for. Why is there so much money to spend? Just because we gained one family member, food and living expenses shot up. How would your uncle know of such circumstances? If he had known, he wouldn’t have brought another brat over.”
I Gyeong was said to be the son of an acquaintance Seol Gicheol knew indirectly. Amid a complex situation involving remarriage and immigration, at the moment when the ex-wife was about to send the child to an orphanage, Seol Gicheol had readily reached out. He must have been tempted because he could rake in hefty child support under the pretense of adoption.
She had somewhat expected it from the way they ignored I Gyeong, who was receiving long-term hospitalization after surgery, but to them, money was more important than human life. It was kindness and indifference born from money.