"I said I'm sorry!" He exclaimed in between laughs. "How long are you going to stay mad? I couldn't help it! He came in here giving me dirty looks and I just wanted to get under his skin, that's all." He confessed.
"At my expense!? You didn't get under his skin, you embarrassed me to death!" She huffed as she angrily washed the dishes in the sink.
"Same thing." He shrugged.
"How is that even close to the same thing?"
"Wait, really? You didn't know he likes you? Wow, you are naive."
She turned to look at him, who was sitting at the table, with her top lip slightly pulled up and shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Ok..." He chuckled, putting his hands up in defeat. "Hey, what happened to my coat? My phone was in there." He said, changing the subject.
"Oh yeah, it fell behind the couch. I'll get it. She dried her hands, put down the towel and walked to the living room. The couch sat against the largest window with small tables on either side. She put her knees on the cushions and folded herself over the back, reaching behind it and blindly searching with her fingers for the lost article of clothing. He couldn't help but stare at the shape of her butt and thighs, plainly outlined in those skinny jeans as she bent over the back of the couch. His mouth opened in awe.
"Got it!" She said proudly as she got up and held it in the air with a smile. He quickly turned his head away, trying to act interested in something on the other side of the room before she handed it to him.
"Damn. You are so naive." He muttered to himself.
"What?"
"Thank you." He said with a smile.
She went back to her chores and he pulled the phone from the pocket of his coat. There were dozens of missed calls and messages. He rubbed his head in frustration.
"I need to make a call." He said as he started to get up. She quickly stopped what she was doing to help him up. "Thanks." He said. "Just help me to the bathroom or somewhere private."
"You can go in my room." She helped him inside and sat him on the bed. "I'll close the door, just call me when you are ready to come out and I'll help you." He smiled and nodded.
When the door clicked shut, he dialed a familiar number.
"Hyung!" The voice on the other end answered. "Hyung what happened to you? Are you ok? Where are you, we've been looking for you all night!"
"I'm fine. That bastard stabbed me. I'm ok now though, but I just need a few days to recover. I really don't have a choice."
"Boss is looking for you."
"I know. Just tell him what I said. I'll be back in a few days."
"Ok, I'll tell him."
"Ten..."
"Yes, hyung?"
"Tell everyone not to call me for a while. I'm laying low and I don't want to be interrupted."
"Ok, I will. Be careful." The voice said before the call ended.
He sighed and tossed the phone on the bed next to him. He glanced around the room, feeling like he was somehow peeking inside Yuna's brain. It was quite unusual and its contents a bit contradictory. Her soft bedding was white with pink cherry blossoms scattered near the bottom. There was a desk with a mirror and lots of cosmetics organized neatly on one side, while the other side stored a monitor, keyboard, mouse and a pile of games. A small tv sat in the corner connected to a gaming console. The walls had posters of kpop boy groups and marvel superheroes. Her shelves had plushies and books about science and medicine alongside stacks of manga.
He smiled to himself as he laid back on the bed.
"This girl is interesting." He chuckled.
***
"Hey, Taeyong!" She shook his shoulder lightly. "If you were going to fall asleep, you should at least not have half your body hanging off the side of the bed. It's bad for your circulation."
He stretched his arms above his head, being careful not to reach too far and pull on his stitches. He quickly yanked his arm back down in response to a surge of pain, instantly regretting the thoughtless movement and realizing that moving his arm also utilized muscles in his abdomen and made him feel as though his insides were being ripped to shreds.
"How old are you anyway?" He said grumpily. "You keep saying 'hey hey hey' since I met you, but you really don't look like you're older than me."
"I'm 21."
"I'm 24."
"Oops. Sorry. I really thought we were probably the same age."
"It's fine. No need to be all formal now, I guess. I supposed not leaving me to die grants you that privilege."
She rolled her eyes and ignored his statement. "Let me help you get all the way on the bed so you can sleep better."
"No it's ok. I don't want to sleep anymore. I really want to take a shower."
"Umm...you can't." She carefully broke the news.
"Why?"
"Your wound can't be exposed to water for a few days. If you want to bathe you have to just wipe yourself with a damp cloth. But to be honest...it's going to be pretty difficult with having such limited movement...so...I'll probably...have to help you..." She mumbled, her cheeks turning bright pink.
He blinked, dazed by her sudden bashful expression.
"Just with the top though!" She quickly added. "The bottom shouldn't be so difficult if you're sitting because you will have to twist less.
"Ok, let's go." He smirked.
She sat a chair in front of the sink in the bathroom and brought him in.
"Help me take this off." He tugged at his shirt. She seemed flustered and uncomfortable and for some reason he felt the urge to tease her more.
She cleared her throat, gripped the hem of the shirt and took a deep breath.
"Ok, here I go." She said, as if she was trying to give herself a pep talk. She lifted the shirt as he pulled one arm out. She lifted it to the side, pulling it over his head and down his immobile arm. She paused for a moment, blushing at the smooth pale skin of his firm body. He smiled in response, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment and inexplicably wanting to take it just a small step further.
He placed his hand over hers that still held on to the shirt. She looked up
at him in surprise. He had a distinctive gleam in his eye and a smirk on his face.
"You don't have to be so nervous." He whispered, his gaze strongly fixed on her eyes. "You've already seen this last night." He reached up with his other hand and gently pushed her hair aside with his finger that lightly swept her skin.
"You better stop or I'm going to punch you in the side." She said flatly
He let out a laugh.
"Ok, ok." He nodded. "It's just fun to tease you." She childishly mocked his laugh, and instructed him to sit down.
She pushed his head back so it hung over the sink and poured warm water over his hair. She drizzled her fragrant shampoo into her hands and smoothed it over his hair, gently rubbing his scalp. The room filled with the scent of lavender and he shut his eyes, breathing a sigh of contentment.
"I guess getting stabbed isn't so bad after all."
"Oh really? Maybe I'll try it sometime." She responded sarcastically. He smiled. "Why did you get stabbed, anyway?"
"Hmm.." He thought about how to answer her question. "It was business related." He said, simply.
"I see." If he got stabbed doing business, she was sure he wasn't at liberty to talk about what kind of business, so she left the subject alone. She finished rinsing his hair and helped him stand so she could help him wash his upper body.
She ran the damp cloth along his chest, across his collar bone and up and around the muscles of his arm. She couldn't help but pay close attention to each ripple of each muscle that were prominent on his lean form as she gently ran the cloth over his body. She tried to compose herself but the glistening water droplets on his skin made it more difficult. She moved around behind him and took in the sight of his broad shoulders and the pituresque form of his upper back, then returned to the front, gently wiping his firm abdomen, being careful to avoid his wound.
As she moved upward to clean his neck and face, she noticed his eyes were closed. She saw his adams apple travel the length of his throat as he swallowed when her fingers brushed his skin as she moved his damp hair from his face. She was curious about his expression and wanted to return his teasing a bit so she gently brought the cloth down along the side of his face and to his neck at the spot just beneath his ear. She extended her pinky and ring finger out, being sure to slowly and lightly brush them along the shell of his ear. She heard the faint but distinct sound of an inhalation of breath and smiled.
"Done." She interjected. His eyes fluttered open and he cleared his throat. "You can finish, right?" She asked. He nodded, seemingly in a stupor. "I left you some of my brothers clothes, tell me if you need help putting on your shirt. I'm going to go start making dinner."
"I think I'll be a while." He muttered.
"Take your time." She grinned and shut the door.