RT 10

Chapter 10

Yeo-ryeon’s hand fumbled and touched Woo-kyung’s chest. Contrary to Yeo-ryeon’s desire to pull away out of embarrassment, Woo-kyung pressed his smooth, wet body even closer against her chest.

“W-wait a moment…!”

“Stay still. You’ll fall.”

The vivid skin tone abruptly filled Yeo-ryeon’s vision; unable to even make proper eye contact, she hurriedly straightened her body.

“I’m fine. I-I’ll go out.”

Pushing Woo-kyung’s arm away, Yeo-ryeon staggered out of the bathroom.
As soon as the door closed, Yeo-ryeon leaned her back against it, taking deep breaths as if to cool the heat clinging to her.

“Hah… I must be crazy…”

Yeo-ryeon’s heart raced as she felt her face burning up.

She clutched her chest tightly, trying hard to suppress the confusing emotions.

It was already surprising how his sturdy body, even in a suit, was so pronounced in real life, but the lingering image of it shimmering in her mind was downright flustering.

And it was big, too.

Yeo-ryeon shook her head vigorously, and as her thoughts veered into unnecessary territory, she lightly tapped her cheeks.

“Stop thinking about it!”

While Yeo-ryeon was catching her breath, the bathroom door opened, revealing Woo-kyung.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Eek!”

“Why are you so startled?”

Just as Yeo-ryeon had barely composed herself, she hastily took a step back. Woo-kyung chuckled softly and lowered his gaze.

“O-oh, no. But why are you here at this hour?”

“To someone who’s just trying to see how Yoo Yeo-ryeon is doing, are you going to be that harsh?”

What was more bewildering to Yeo-ryeon was that Woo-kyung’s upper body was still bare, and a bath towel was loosely wrapped around his lower body. Droplets of water continuously fell from his wet hair.

The moisture streamed down his shoulder line, seeping between his firm chest and abs.

Yeo-ryeon, momentarily speechless, let her gaze skim over Woo-kyung’s wet skin before flusteredly looking away.

At that moment, the corner of Woo-kyung’s mouth slowly curved upwards. His eyes held a mischievous glint, as if he found Yeo-ryeon’s reaction amusing.

“Yoo Yeo-ryeon, I like that you’re more honest than I thought.”

Not knowing if she had been staring intently without realizing it, a flustered Yeo-ryeon bit down gently on the inside of her soft lip and answered curtly.

“That’s not it. Couldn’t you have put on clothes before coming out?”

Woo-kyung stopped the motion of shaking off the water from his hair on purpose and slowly approached. Drops of water fell to the floor—one, two—reaching right up to where Yeo-ryeon stood.

“Anyway, it’s just the two of us in this house, so what’s the big deal? Besides, aren’t you and I in a relationship where we can legally share anything?”

Woo-kyung tilted his head slightly, smiling slyly as he closed the distance.

“Just dry yourself off quickly. What if you catch a cold?”

Yeo-ryeon immediately frowned. But despite her firm tone, the nape of her neck was slightly flushed, and Woo-kyung didn’t miss that subtle change.

“Then you dry me off, Yoo Yeo-ryeon.”

“Me?”

“You can see everywhere I’m wet and where I’m not fully dry, right?”

Yeo-ryeon took a sharp breath and promptly turned her head away.

“Stop joking around.”

Perhaps the joke was too much, as Yeo-ryeon’s expression hardened. Woo-kyung quickly backed down.

“What were you doing?”

“I just finished my assignment and was about to wash up when you were there, Mr. Cha Woo-kyung.”

The scene she witnessed in the bathroom earlier suddenly popped into her mind, making Yeo-ryeon’s face turn red. She quickly changed the subject.

“What about dinner?”

“We should eat.”

“I’ll prepare it. Come down.”

Deciding it was better to retreat to the dining room, Yeo-ryeon hurried down the stairs, catching her breath with a sense of relief.

Ten minutes later.

When Woo-kyung went down to the dining room, the food prepared by the helper who had already left work was set on the table.

“Did you always eat like this?”

“It’s nothing much. I always eat alone.”

Of course, she knew Woo-kyung was busy. Just as she was about to say he didn’t need to feel sorry, his expression softened slightly.

“Sorry.”

“No. I understand.”

“Let’s eat together sometimes.”

*Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?* A sense of wonder crossed Yeo-ryeon’s mind as she blinked in confusion.

“Sit.”

Woo-kyung took a seat, and Yeo-ryeon followed. The only sound in the quiet room was the clinking of chopsticks. Yeo-ryeon cautiously observed him while picking up her water glass.

Somehow, they were the only two in this spacious place. That’s why Yeo-ryeon felt uncomfortable and awkward.

The meal was so uncomfortable that she had to focus all her energy just on swallowing the food.

Then, Woo-kyung put down his spoon and looked at Yeo-ryeon for a moment.

“Oh, right. How is that teaching assistant I saw you with last time?”

Woo-kyung asked with a sly smile.

“Teaching assistant?”

“The one who seemed particularly fond of you, Yoo Yeo-ryeon.”

Yeo-ryeon’s gaze wavered momentarily in panic.

“Fond of me? Hardly.”

“Well, seeing how you are, Yoo Yeo-ryeon, I’m relieved of one worry.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t show any openings, like you are now.”

Woo-kyung shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

“More importantly, was it that bad?”

“Was what bad?”

“I thought I did my best to provide maximum satisfaction.”

Instantly, Yeo-ryeon’s cheeks flushed. Since Woo-kyung hadn’t brought up that day’s events, Yeo-ryeon had also been pretending not to know, playing innocent.

“Should I say it was good?”

Woo-ryeon looked at her with her innocent face and transparent question. A soft laugh escaped through Woo-kyung’s lips.

“The fact that you’re not immediately saying ‘no’ makes me think I can interpret it as ‘good,’ right?”

“Well, if Mr. Cha Woo-kyung wants to think that way…”

As Yeo-ryeon averted her gaze in embarrassment, Woo-kyung grinned.

Yeo-ryeon fidgeted, pointlessly touching the water glass on the table.

It was true that things were definitely more comfortable than before. When they first met, Cha Woo-kyung was arrogant and cold. He seemed to believe his personality, born with everything, was also a privilege.

But the more she saw him, the more different he seemed. Emotions she hadn’t fully realized were slowly blossoming in her heart, leaving Yeo-ryeon confused by a turmoil she couldn’t explain herself.

***

After finishing the meal, Woo-kyung said he would clean up, so Yeo-ryeon went up to the second floor.

Since she hadn’t been able to wash up earlier, she went straight into the bathroom. The entire time she showered, the lingering image of Woo-kyung haunted her mind, confusing her.

Shaking her head vigorously, Yeo-ryeon walked towards her bedroom but stopped when Woo-kyung, blocking the doorway, barred her path with his arm.

“Mr. Cha Woo-kyung?”

Woo-kyung leaned one hand against the doorframe, the other in his pants pocket, looking down at her.

“Do you know what a colleague said to me today?”

“Huh?”

“They asked if the rumor about me being married was a lie.”

*What is he talking about all of a sudden?* Yeo-ryeon furrowed her brow.

“And?”

“If we want to create at least some proof that we live together, shouldn’t we use the same room to be convincing?”

“All of a sudden?”

“Our marriage, which we agreed upon, looks like a half-baked deal—are you going to take responsibility for that?”

Yeo-ryeon was momentarily speechless. The more she was, the more Woo-kyung looked at her as if he were the wronged one.

“Wasn’t it you, Mr. Cha Woo-kyung, who said you didn’t want to get married?”

“I changed my mind.”

“Changed your mind about what?”

“Since things have turned out this way, I thought we should do it properly. It occurred to me that I’m passionate about everything I do, so how can I be neglectful about marriage?”

“What did you say?”

Yeo-ryeon, with a clearly troubled expression, let out a long sigh.

“If the floor is okay with you, then come in.”

Yeo-ryeon spoke firmly, brushed past Woo-kyung, and entered the bedroom first.

Woo-kyung chuckled and followed her into the bedroom. Before Yeo-ryeon could even wonder if he was really going to sleep on the floor, Woo-kyung lay down on the bed as if it were his own room.

“There’s only one bed.”

“Do you really mean to sleep together?”

Woo-kyung glanced at Yeo-ryeon, whose face was panicked and pale, and tossed out a remark.

“Oh, right. I sleep shirtless because I get hot. That’s okay, right?”

Yeo-ryeon froze for a second. Before she could even answer, Woo-kyung smiled slyly and grabbed the hem of his T-shirt.

“Yoo Yeo-ryeon, it’s so you can get used to it. You know how important repetitive learning is, right?”

*Whoosh.* The moment the T-shirt was pulled over his head, his solidly built shoulders, distinct arm muscles, and the smooth, firm shadows of his abs were revealed without concealment.

Yeo-ryeon’s eyes widened in an instant.

“…What are you doing? All of a sudden.”

Yeo-ryeon turned her head away sharply, but she couldn’t hide the fact that her earlobes were turning red.

It was instantaneous.

Woo-kyung pulled her wrist.

Yeo-ryeon lost her balance and was gently laid back onto the bed.

The soft mattress enveloped her back, and her long hair spread across the white sheets.

Yeo-ryeon held her breath for a moment.

“Wh-what are you doing.”

Her eyes wide and round, she slowly looked up at Woo-kyung’s face.

The gaze that had felt so distant just a while ago was now unbearably close.

“Yoo Yeo-ryeon, be honest.”