Chapter 24
Seoha was unharmed thanks to Ethan’s protection, but Ethan was not. He was soaked from head to toe, looking like a drowned rat.
Seoha quickly stared at the disappearing mid-sized sedan. 7742. It was Seonyong’s car.
“That crazy bastard…!”
Seoha ground her teeth and glared at Seonyong’s car as it faded into the distance with its long red tail lights.
She was certain Seonyong was holding a grudge for what Ethan did to him earlier and had deliberately done this.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, apart from feeling bad about this, I’m fine.”
Ethan replied nonchalantly, wiping the water off his face. Though he said he was fine, his expression didn’t seem so.
Of course, getting drenched like that would make anyone feel off. Seoha sighed quietly to herself. She was worried because it seemed Ethan got into this situation because of her.
“Here.”
Ethan handed Seoha the umbrella handle.
Why me? Seoha looked at him puzzled, and Ethan took a step back into the pouring rain.
“I’m already wet, so I don’t need the umbrella.”
He smiled calmly, standing in the heavy rain like a scene out of a movie—elegantly shining alone in the darkening dusk.
But wasn’t he badly hurt? And now he was soaking wet too?
“What are you doing? Come inside right now.”
Seoha hurriedly grabbed Ethan’s arm and pulled him under the umbrella.
“If we stay close, you’ll get wet too.”
“Is that the problem right now?”
Seoha responded curtly as she glanced him over.
He was way too soaked to just go back to the hotel, wash up, and change clothes easily.
No choice. Seoha held Ethan’s arm and turned around.
“Let’s go wash up.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You mean go to a motel or something?”
Look at how he thinks. Seoha clicked her tongue and gave him a sharp look.
“No, the hospital has a shower room for staff. You can wash up there.”
“But I don’t have any clothes to change into.”
“We have staff uniforms. I’ll give you one. Your underwear probably didn’t get wet, right?”
If it did, she could buy some at a convenience store.
“Let’s hurry before you catch a cold.”
“I’m fine just going like this.”
“I’m not fine. This happened because of me, so I have to take responsibility.”
Take responsibility? Ethan’s lips loosened into a small smile.
“Then let’s go.”
Seoha walked, holding Ethan’s arm.
Following behind, Ethan looked very satisfied.
Seoha told Ethan to wait briefly outside the hospital, then used her card key to open the door and go inside.
“Dr. Han?”
The night-duty vet came down from the second floor when he heard the door unlock.
“Why did you come back?”
“I forgot something. I’ll just grab it and go. Sorry for the interruption.”
“No problem. I’ll be on the second floor, so call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
The night vet went back upstairs. Seoha signaled Ethan, who was waiting outside.
“Come in.”
Seoha led Ethan to the staff lounge where the shower room was and kept an eye on the second floor’s activity.
Fortunately, the night vet did not come back down.
Just in case, Seoha locked the lounge door and told Ethan:
“The men’s shower room is over there. You can wash up there. I’ll prepare clothes for you while you do.”
“What about the wet clothes?”
“Take them off and leave them there. I’ll take care of them.”
As soon as Seoha finished, Ethan took off his coat. The wet, limp coat fell sloppily to the floor.
Surely he didn’t plan to undress right here?
Seoha’s eyes widened. To her surprise, Ethan really was about to undress here, holding the lower part of his relatively intact sweater.
Crazy! Seoha gasped and turned around quickly.
“Why are you taking your clothes off here?! Take them off inside the shower room!”
“But you said to take them off and leave them?”
“That meant inside the shower room! Wet clothes go outside in the basket!”
“Oh.”
Ethan nodded with a smile that said he finally understood.
“But why so shy about it?”
“Who said I’m shy?”
“You’re acting shy right now.”
Ethan stepped closer and blew warm breath by her ear.
“Ah!”
Startled by the hot sensation near her ear, Seoha covered her ears, her earlobes flushing red.
“What are you doing…!”
“Trying to ease your tension. You seemed really nervous.”
Who eases tension like this?!
“Stop that nonsense and go wash up!”
Seoha pushed Ethan into the shower room and rubbed her ear, still feeling his warm breath lingering.
“Seriously, he’s not right in the head.”
That kind of guy is the head of the Miller family? Seoha wondered if the Millers were really okay.
For the first time, she worried about another family as she opened the cabinet containing uniforms.
“What size should I get?”
Maybe large? He wasn’t bulky but tall, so smaller sizes wouldn’t fit.
While Seoha searched for clothes to change into, Ethan left his wet clothes outside.
Seoha placed the uniform at the door and picked up Ethan’s wet clothes. Water dripped heavily from them.
“I’ll have to put these in a plastic bag.”
It’d be impossible to carry them as is.
First, she had to get his belongings.
Seoha rummaged through his coat and pants pockets, pulling out his wallet, phone, and everything else.
“Oh no.”
She had dropped his passport in the rush. It lay on the floor opened wide like butterfly wings.
Usually, passport photos are ugly, but Ethan was an exception. Even the photo sparkled.
“Born handsome, huh.”
Unfair. Seoha grumbled as she picked up the passport.
“Huh? Wait a minute.”
He’s younger than me?
By three years. She checked several times, but the birthdate on the passport didn’t change.
“Tsk.”
She didn’t want to sound like an old fogey, but it was ridiculous that someone three years younger acted like that.
More than that, she had been physically intimate with someone so young.
Her cheeks flushed again from the thought.
‘Stop thinking about it.’
It was a good thing she kept thinking about, she told herself, shaking off the wandering fantasies.
When she finished organizing his belongings and wet clothes, Ethan came out.
“The clothes fit perfectly.”
The length was a bit short but not unbearably so. She had worried it wouldn’t fit, so she was relieved.
“Here’s your stuff.”
“No pockets to put them in. You hold onto them.”
“Then I’ll keep them safe until we get to the car. By the way, you’re younger than me?”
Ethan’s eyebrows lowered.
“Did you sneak a peek?”
“I didn’t sneak, I just happened to see it.”
It was true she had seen it by chance, but feeling a bit guilty, Seoha licked her lips.
“Judging by your reaction, you already knew you’re younger than me, huh?”
Ethan didn’t answer, but his silence was practically an agreement.
Well, he even knew her phone number, so of course, he knew the age difference.
“But you talked down to me and called my name directly?”
“You did it first.”
“That’s because you started it.”
“What if I spoke politely, would you?”
“Of course.”
Seoha answered as if it was obvious, and Ethan’s lips curved smoothly.
He leaned forward slightly and brought his lips to her ear.
“Noona.”
His wet voice pierced her eardrum. Seoha’s heart swelled and stopped.
“Do you like it when I call you that?”
A shiver ran down her spine instantly. She rubbed her goosebumps and stepped back.
“Enough. Just talk normally.”
“You’re so fickle.”
“Yeah yeah. I’m a fickle person, as you say.”
Despite the creepy feeling, it tickled her heart like someone was gently brushing feathers over it.
The word ‘Noona’ kept echoing in her mind.
“Anyway, are your wounds okay?”
Remembering Ethan was injured, Seoha asked. He nodded.
“As you can see.”
A lie. It hadn’t been a week since he got hurt, so the wounds couldn’t have fully healed.
“Let me see. Ah, first, let’s go to my clinic.”
There were no medicines to treat wounds in the lounge.
Since the night vet could come anytime, Seoha took Ethan to her clinic.
She locked the door as soon as they entered and turned on only the innermost light.
“Sit there.”
Seoha had Ethan sit on a chair and fetched bandages and disinfectant.
“Take off your clothes.”
Ethan’s eyebrows tilted slightly.
“If you wanted to undress me that fast, you should have told me from the start.”
“Stop talking nonsense and take off just your top. We don’t have much time.”
The door was locked tightly, and although the night vet rarely came here, it was better to be safe.
They had to treat him quickly. Since the night vet was also a Lime of the Cha family, it wouldn’t be good if he caught Ethan here.
“Hurry and take it off.”
“Will you take it off for me?”
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop talking nonsense?”
Seoha rolled her eyes, and Ethan shrugged as he took off his clothes.
Seoha carefully watched his shoulder movement. Despite his injury, his movement was smooth and natural.
The wound on his side had almost healed. Without the red marks, it would have been impossible to find where he was hurt.
“You’re recovering fast.”
“Because I’m a beastkin.”
It’s true that beastkin heal faster than normal humans, but this was unusual.
Maybe their strength also means better recovery.
Though it looked okay on the outside without needing disinfectant, Seoha pressed gently around the wound to check if it was alright.
Ethan tensed his abdominal muscles.
“Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Then why are you tensing your stomach?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Well…!”
Seoha was about to reply that she was asking because she didn’t know, but Ethan buried his face in her neck.
