‘Whoa… that startled me.’
After telling Jung Hwanhui to rest and finishing feeding him the porridge, I left the motel room.
I’d thought he was handsome even with his eyes closed, but once he opened them and we actually talked, there was a reason he was the male lead. The very first thought that crossed my mind the moment he opened his eyes was he’s good-looking. That said everything.
‘That cold, rigid tone. Those eyes full of wariness, staring me down.’
And yet, unlike his sharp gaze, his speech was unexpectedly polite. The contrast was oddly amusing. Of course, worried he might recognize me, I deliberately used casual speech and put on an unnaturally easygoing face. Judging by his reactions, it seemed he hadn’t realized I was the housekeeper.
‘About a week of care should do it.’
From what I’d seen, that would be more than enough. His condition wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. I’d need to come back later to change his bandages. Make sure he ate properly too….
Busy. I’m busy.
Looks like my workload as a housekeeper just increased by one.
‘First things first, I should go take care of Jung Hwangyu and Jung Hwangyeong’s breakfast.’
* * *
“Have a good day, young master.”
After seeing Jung Hwangyeong off to kindergarten, I stretched and fell into thought.
Jung Hwangyu had already gone out. Jung Hwangyeong had just left for kindergarten. Jung Hwangseo hadn’t been seen since yesterday. Even though it was a weekend when Jung Hwanhui hadn’t come home, everyone went about their routines as if this were nothing unusual.
Which just meant Jung Hwanhui had a long history of not keeping promises.
That’s what being a gangster boss was like—relentless and exhausting.
I knew that life well. When I first took over as boss, I barely slept. Day and night blurred together—dealing with rival gangs picking fights, managing the organization’s businesses. It was nothing but work, work, work.
Should I bring lunch over?
No—he’s probably sleeping right now. It hadn’t been long since he ate the porridge, and I’d left him medicine too.
Though, judging by the wary look in his eyes, there was a good chance he’d thrown the pills away….
‘Wait. What should I make for dinner?’
More sweet pumpkin porridge?
Jung Hwangyeong never seemed to get tired of it, but Jung Hwanhui would be different. From the way he ate earlier, mixing in more rice should be fine…. There’s plenty of meat at home too.
Should I make samgyetjuk while I’m at it?
Yeah. No matter how well Jung Hwangyeong eats, I can’t keep feeding him nothing but pumpkin porridge forever. I’ll try samgyetjuk today. I’ll serve the pumpkin porridge on the side—see if he eats it or not.
‘But first… cleaning.’
I started with cleaning and worked through the house nonstop. It was busy right now since I was alone, but once the heroine arrived, there’d be another pair of hands. Things would get easier.
Unlike that idiot Park Gyumin, I’d put the heroine to work as much as I could. Same pay, same job—she should do her share. Still, when exactly was she supposed to arrive? If I remembered right, it was sometime in summer….
‘…Oh? He finished it?’
Time flew by while I was busy moving around.
I made dinner for Jung Hwangyeong after he got back from kindergarten, and thankfully, he polished off the samgyetjuk too.
Good.
From now on, I should rotate different kinds of porridge instead of sticking to just pumpkin. If I keep at it, he’ll eventually start eating regular meals too.
After finishing the dishes, I returned to my room.
It was time to head out.
I hurriedly gathered what I needed and left the house.
* * *
‘…Is he asleep?’
The motel room was dark.
I knocked, but there was no response, so I quietly went inside.
“You’re here.”
A voice dripping with cold tension came from the bed. Realizing Jung Hwanhui wasn’t asleep, I turned on the light.
He stared at me with a pale face and an icy expression.
I get being cautious, but still—those eyes were cold. Freezing.
That said, in the short time I’d been gone, he’d recovered enough to lean back against the wall, even if only at an angle. Earlier, he hadn’t even been able to sit up.
‘That recovery rate is insane.’
“Yeah. How do you feel?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good. Here—eat this.”
I held out the thermos of samgyetjuk I’d brought.
Unlike the first time, when he’d eyed the pumpkin porridge with suspicion, he accepted it without protest and ate quietly.
I glanced at the bandages. There was a bit of blood seeping through.
I was pulling medicine out of my bag, planning to change them after he finished, when Jung Hwanhui spoke, his voice tinged with mild surprise.
“…Are you a chef?”
“Why? Is it good?”
He didn’t answer, but silence was answer enough.
Looks like my cooking had made an impression.
For someone who’d been on edge the entire time to ask that—it said a lot.
Well, I was confident in my cooking.
Once I confirmed he’d cleaned the bowl spotless, I climbed onto the bed with the bandages.
“What are you doing?”
As soon as I got on the bed, Jung Hwanhui glared at me, full of wariness.
He looked like a wounded wolf—almost pitiful.
I shrugged to show there was nothing to fear and held up the bandages.
“I’m changing those blood-soaked bandages and reapplying medicine. You won’t heal if you leave it like that.”
“…Understood.”
His words were compliant, but his expression looked like he wanted to tear my throat out.
Relax your eyes a little. Don’t they hurt?
‘It’s just treatment. Treatment, okay?’
I carefully unwound the bandages.
Thankfully, the wound I’d stitched was intact, no tearing.
“Bear with it even if it hurts.”
“Ghk.”
I sprayed disinfectant and reapplied the medicine.
Clenching his teeth through the pain, Jung Hwanhui eventually let out a faint groan.
It couldn’t be helped. This was how wounds healed faster.
Once I was done with the medication, I leaned in close to wrap the bandages again.
Since the injury was on his abdomen, I had to wind the bandages all the way around his body. There was no avoiding physical contact.
As I pressed close, I felt his body tense.
‘Cold sweat…’
The medicine must’ve stung badly—cold sweat trickled down from his collarbone, sliding over his firm chest.
Being so close, my gaze followed those beads of sweat without me realizing.
Not just one or two.
They kept flowing. Streaming down.
‘That’s… kind of annoying.’
I figured I should wipe it off before it soaked into the bandages.
I paused mid-wrap and, with my free hand, wiped away the sweat running down his chest.
And then—
“Ghk—w-what are you doing?!”
I froze as his hand shoved me away in a panic.
“No, I was just wiping the sweat—”
I pointed at his chest, eyes wide.
Unfair.
Jung Hwanhui stared at me like I was some kind of pervert, then finally noticed his upper body was drenched in sweat. His pupils shook in clear embarrassment.
“I should’ve said something first. Sorry if I startled you.”
I hadn’t expected him to react so strongly.
“…It’s fine.”
He turned his head sharply to the side.
That’s when I noticed his ears were bright red.
Looks like he’d misunderstood my intentions.
I mean—come on. We’re both men.
Seeing how uncomfortable he was with me using my hands, I got up, grabbed a towel, and wiped him down with that instead.
Flinch.
Flinch, flinch.
‘Wow. He flinches like crazy.’
You’re not a blushing bride or anything.
Why are you reacting like I’m harassing some innocent kid?
I thought Jung Hwangseo was the sensitive one, but Jung Hwanhui’s just as bad.
Big body, though….
Huh? He won’t even look this way.
Watching Jung Hwanhui stare off into the distance with a flushed face, I was dumbfounded.
I tossed the towel aside, finished wrapping the bandages, and quickly put some distance between us.
The moment I stepped back, the color returned to Jung Hwanhui’s face.
“Make sure you take your medicine. I’ll bring food in the morning. Don’t move around and reopen the wound—just sleep.”
“Yes.”
I waved at him as he answered obediently, tidied up the bedding roughly, and turned to leave so he could rest.
That was when Jung Hwanhui called out to me.
“Excuse me.”
“Hm? What is it? Need something?”
“May I have your name? I intend to repay this debt.”
That expression looked less like repaying a debt and more like settling a score.
After a brief hesitation, I answered.
“Kim Hanyul.”
“…Kim Hanyul?”
“Yeah. My name. Get some rest.”
It’d been a long time since I’d spoken my real name out loud.
Leaving behind Jung Hwanhui softly repeating Kim Hanyul to himself, I headed home.