Invisible String

One Step Forward

Panting, he called her by name in an attempt to wake her up.

Si-eun frowned, lazily opening her eyes and yawning.

She stopped when she saw Joong-Gil staring at her, and immediately her face turned hot and red.

- I'm sorry! - she said, feeling embarrassed.

Joong-Gil almost smiled when he saw her acting that way. Almost.

- You need to clean these wounds. - That was all he said.

Si-eun raised her eyebrows in confusion, and then blinked.

- Ah, yes. I'll do that later. Actually, I think I'd better go. - he said, getting up.

- No. She looked at him in surprise, blushing. 

She looked at him in surprise, blushing.

Even he was surprised by what he had said.

- I mean, you can treat your injuries here. - He showed her the bag he was holding.

- A-ah. Thank you. - Si-eun whispered, sitting up again.

He handed the bag to her and walked away.

He was starting to feel uncomfortable.
Si-eun looked inside the bag, taking all the products in it and placing them beside her on the sofa.

Stopping for a moment, she thought, and then turned to face him.

- Do you... have a mirror? I need one so I can get a good look at my injuries.

He blinked.

I hadn't thought about that.

Frowning, she answered:

- No.

An awkward silence settled between the two of them.

- Hm, I think I'd better go. I can take care of the wounds when I'm-

- I can do that. If you want.

Si-eun's eyes widened slightly, looking at him in surprise.

- Uh? S-seriously?

Joong-Gil huffed, looking at her.

- Yes.

She watched him for a few moments, which to him seemed like minutes.

He was acting strange, and she recognized it. Maybe suggesting it had been a mistake and made her uncomfortable.

- Okay.

Hearing her say this, he tried to hide the surprise in his gaze and stepped closer, standing in front of her.

To their surprise, he sank down onto one knee.

The look she gave him was something that made him curious, as he could not identify what it was. But there was a strange glint in her gaze.

He began to clean her wounds, lightly touching her face with the cotton pad he held. Si-eun tried to pull her face away, grimacing at the burning sensation.

It was then that Joong-Gil gently held her face.

- Don't move. - he ordered, concentrating on finishing the task as quickly as possible.

When he seemed satisfied, he stopped, analyzing Si-eun's face. He had bandaged (or attempted to bandage) the deepest wounds. Finally, he looked into her eyes.

The two of them stood like that for a few seconds. Separated only by centimeters of distance. In complete silence. But, strangely, neither of them was uncomfortable about it.

Joong-Gil huffed and stood, walking away.

With that, Si-eun stood up.

- Thank you. - she thanked him, bending down so that he couldn't see her flushed cheeks.

He nodded, leaning back against the desk in his office and crossing his arms.

— Are you all right?

She looked at him in surprise.

— Hm, yes. The bruises aren't hurting so much anymore.

— No. - He frowned. - I mean, are you okay? I don't know what really happened, however...

He paused. He didn't what to say or what to do in that situation.

For a moment she stood there without answering, staring at the ground.

Joong-Gil wondered if he had crossed a line, or if he had been insensitive.

After a while, he said:

— You don't have to answer, if you don't want to.

— I... feel terrible. - Her voice faltered.

It took him a while to realize that she was crying. It had been a mistake to ask that.

— I'm sorry. – he said, not knowing what to do.

She sniffled, shaking her head and wiping her tears away.

— Don't worry, I'm fine. It'll pass. - She lifted her head, trying to smile. - Tomorrow I'll be better, you'll see.

He didn't believe her, but nodded.

— Well, I'll be going. Thanks again. - She headed for the door. - Good night, Joong-Gil.

Before he could say anything, she left the room, leaving him alone.

This was the first time she had ever said his name. It surprised him.

Joong-Gil stared at nothing for a while, thinking over what had just happened.
For some reason, the office seemed colder after she was gone. Lonelier.

He shook his head.

He was imagining things. It was probably just tiredness.

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A/N:
If you like it don't forget to leave a star and to comment! I love reading your comments.
By the way, I probably won't be doing any updates this week because college is beating my ass and I have lots of exams and essays to do this week, sorry