Chapter – 04
As Cheonga pushed the mop back and forth like she did every day, her gaze stopped at a large pair of shoes planted firmly in front of her.
“Huh?”
Her eyes followed the tips of the shoes upward, her head tilting higher and higher.
Neatly pressed dress pants above black leather shoes. A white lab coat that started mid-thigh. And then, after quite a while, she finally reached the sharp, intimidating eyes of the man standing there with his arms crossed.
Cheonga wasn’t exactly short.
But Min Yushin was tall enough that she had to crane her neck all the way back to look at him.
“Oh my, hello, Professor. I was so shocked yesterday when you suddenly… collapsed. Ho ho ho. Are you… feeling alright?”
At Cheonga’s awkward smile, Yushin’s brows furrowed even more above his mask.
“Ah, thanks to you, I almost died.”
“Um… that was an unfortunate accident…”
Her grip tightened around the mop handle.
She really did feel bad about hitting such a sensitive area.
But it hadn’t been intentional.
And besides, she couldn’t afford to grovel and apologize to someone who might be connected to the Cheonghwa faction.
After a brief moment of consideration, Cheonga decided to strike first.
“By the way, Professor… do you happen to remember anything?”
“Remember what? I was attacked out of nowhere.”
“No, I mean—yesterday, I thought I heard you suddenly call my name, and it really startled me. I wondered if you knew me or something. Ho ho ho.”
She deliberately spoke lightly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She wanted to probe him—see whether he had really called her name, and whether he truly was connected to Cheonghwa.
Yushin slid both hands deep into the pockets of his lab coat.
His gaze slowly dropped to the name tag on Cheonga’s chest. Then he let out a laugh, as if dumbfounded.
“My calling your name? You mean I shouted ‘Madam Park Bokseon’? I wasn’t shot in the head.”
Park. Bok. Seon.
With each clipped syllable he spat out, Cheonga’s gaze fell lower and lower—
From his chest, to his abdomen, and finally to the floor by his shoes.
Ah. Right.
I’m Park Bokseon.
The amusement faded from Yushin’s eyes as he watched Cheonga struggle to compose herself. A sharp, icy tension settled between them.
“What I remember is that our madam here is surprisingly good at first aid.”
An awkward silence followed.
“You found my pulse immediately. Did you train somewhere?”
“Ah—well—during the basic safety training when I was hired…”
“You checked my pupils quickly too.”
“That was, um… YouTube?”
“Heh. YouTube.”
Under his interrogation, Cheonga’s voice grew quieter and quieter. Lying had never been her strong suit. From above her head came the sound of Yushin scoffing.
She wanted to look calm, but that was probably impossible.
What the hell? Was he pretending to be unconscious?
Inside, she was already screaming.
“Then…”
Yushin’s shoes, which had been resting within her downward gaze, suddenly stepped closer. And then—
His hand reached out and grabbed her by the chin.
“…?”
With a twist of his wrist, he forced her head up. Their eyes met, staring directly into each other.
“So rubbing my genitals was also some kind of YouTube first-aid technique?”
“……”
“Why can’t you answer that one?”
Her lips trembled around the chin he held, opening and closing uselessly. There was nothing she could say—no excuse in the world.
Cheonga didn’t even think to knock his hand away. She simply turned her eyes aside.
At the edge of her vision, she caught the sight of Yushin’s deeply furrowed brow.
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue once and released her chin.
He said nothing more, simply brushing past her and walking away.
“…?”
Cheonga spun around, staring blankly at his retreating back.
What… was that?
It was strange. Really strange.
He clearly remembered her grabbing his crotch—so why hadn’t he asked about checking his wallet?
Wasn’t that the most important thing to confirm?
Suspicious. This is seriously suspicious.
Suppressing her footsteps, Cheonga followed him.
With his long legs and tall frame, his stride was huge. It felt like he’d only taken a few steps, yet he was already entering his lab at the far end of the corridor.
She quickly scanned her surroundings.
As usual, the hallway was quiet, with no one passing by.
There was a CCTV camera at the end, but if she stood with the door at her back, her face wouldn’t be captured.
Alright. Let’s just check what he’s doing.
She hurried up to the front of Yushin’s lab.
And just as she carefully leaned in, holding her breath and pressing her face toward the door—
Bang!
The door suddenly flew open, filling her vision. Cheonga reflexively stumbled backward, but she was a beat too late.
With a loud clang, the metal door slammed into her forehead.
Her vision flashed white as her balance tipped backward.
“Urk!”
Huh? flashed through her mind, and then the ceiling spun into view.
She regained awareness just as the back of her head was about to hit the floor.
But her body reacted faster than her thoughts.
Instinctively, Cheonga spread her arms wide, relaxed her body, and took a proper fall.
Slap—!
Her palms and forearms hit the floor, and a sharp, ringing shock shot up her arms.
When she blinked her eyes open again, Yushin’s face filled her vision.
“Why—what the hell are you—!”
She had no idea when he’d moved so fast. Still blinking, Cheonga looked up at him.
Yushin yanked his mask down roughly, his lips parting as his eyes scanned her frantically. Worry bled into his voice.
“Why the hell were you standing here and getting yourself hurt?”
Cheonga quickly pushed herself upright.
“Oh, I—”
She was about to say I’m fine.
But she stopped mid-sentence, staring up at Yushin instead.
“…Just now. What? What did you say?”
Her forehead burned.
Any thought of saying she was fine—or that it hurt—had already scattered.
Did he really just snap at me like that, with that expression and that tone, asking why I was standing here and got hurt?
Is this bastard a sociopath?
As she blinked in disbelief, something warm began to trickle down from between her brows.
The familiar metallic scent of blood hit her nose.
Yushin’s expression twisted even more seriously.
Had she passed out for a moment?
Or had she simply lost consciousness from sheer agitation?
She wasn’t sure—but when Cheonga came to, she was inside Yushin’s lab.
She was sitting on a sofa, and the sharp scent of disinfectant filled the air around her forehead.
On the table were blood-stained gauze pads and several first-aid tools.
“What are you doing right now?”
“…Shh.”
Yushin’s hands moved busily in front of her.
His sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing firm wrists, tendons shifting subtly every time he applied the disinfectant.
Only then did Cheonga realize she was being treated.
Her gaze slowly lifted to Yushin’s face.
Wow… he’s insanely handsome. Is it even legal for a doctor to look like this? He looks like the kind of tragic male lead with a thousand stories. Ow, that stings. But why is his personality such a sociopath? …Well, if he’s connected to Cheonghwa, I guess it’d be weird if he were normal. …What a waste. That face. Seriously, if his nose were just a little prettier, I’d believe he was a celebrity. Or maybe braces first? Hm. Still… impressive.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Yushin’s face now that his mask was off. As she stared, a deep crease formed between his brows.
“……”
His sharp, knife-clean eyes slid toward her, locking with her gaze.
“Got something to say?”
Only then did Cheonga realize she’d been openly staring at him.
Mouth half-open, no less.
“Uh…”
Flustered, she quickly darted her eyes around the room instead.
Then, in a painfully awkward voice, she tried to explain herself.
