Returning home, the first thing Kai did was tidy up the room.
His room had never been particularly large, so cleaning the mess was hardly a difficult task. Most of it consisted of torn snack packets, wafer crumbs, and the assorted remnants of meals eaten too quickly or too late.
He normally kept the place clean. Lately, however, he had been receiving far more customers than usual, and by the time he returned home, staying awake long enough to clean was often beyond him.
His recovery demanded plenty of food and sleep if he wanted to walk properly the following day. Between the increased workload and his own growing tendency to put things off, the mess had accumulated before he even realized it.
Jean moved to help, but Kai stopped her.
"Just relax and let me handle this. You’re already taking care of the baby."
Jean sighed softly. "If we’re going to live together, it’s only right that we divide the work."
Kai nodded. "I understand. But that starts tomorrow. Today, let me take care of this while you rest."
He reached for the vacuum cleaner, then paused.
His gaze shifted toward Jean’s arms.
"Would this irritate the baby?"
He looked genuinely uncertain. He still had little idea what could potentially harm the child, so he found himself being cautious about even the simplest things.
Jean gave him a sheepish smile. "I never actually checked whether loud noises could harm children, but this little one has already endured some pretty loud noises and slept through them just fine."
Kai nodded and kept the cleaner at its lowest setting before glancing toward the baby girl.
She was far too occupied with her mother’s hair to pay any attention to the vacuum.
Kai breathed a quiet sigh of relief and resumed cleaning, drawing the crumbs and other debris from the rug.
After a moment, he glanced at Jean when she said.
"Um, Kai. Where do you take baths here?" She asked since there was only a single bathroom in the house.
"Do you want to take a bath? There’s a good public bathhouse nearby that I usually use."
Jean’s expression immediately brightened.
"Really? How far is it?"
"Just around the corner." Kai continued pulling the dirt from the rug as he spoke. "They provide fresh towels, shampoo, and other skincare products too."
Jean hesitated before biting her lower lip.
"And how much do they charge?"
Kai glanced at her before lowering his gaze back to the rug.
"Just take my card with you. I have a monthly subscription, so they won’t charge you."
Jean’s eyebrows rose.
"Are you sure?"
Kai nodded.
"Of course. I’m paying them every month anyway. Might as well get the most out of it."
Jean exhaled slowly, her expression betraying just how pleased she was by the idea.
After everything she had been through, the prospect of a warm, uninterrupted bath seemed almost luxurious.
Kai finished cleaning and straightened up.
"Here, take this."
He picked up his wallet, pulled out the bathing house card, and handed it to her.
Jean slowly rose from the bed and accepted it. "Do I need to bring anything else?"
"Just your clothes."
Jean nodded, then glanced toward the baby.
Kai immediately understood what she was thinking.
"Don’t worry about her. I can take care of the little one. Go ahead and take your time."
A faint warmth spread across Jean’s cheeks. She nodded and hurried over to her bag. After picking it up, she hopped her way toward the door.
Just before leaving, she glanced back.
Kai was standing there with the baby in his arms, and both of them were looking at her.
Jean offered them a faint smile before stepping outside.
Kai waited until the sound of her footsteps had completely faded before reaching for his phone.
He made a call.
Fortunately, the other side answered almost immediately.
{Yeah?}
"Linda, my relative is coming over to your bathhouse. She’s carrying my card, but I don’t think she’ll be able to use it."
{That’s the rule, pal. One card is valid for one lad.}
Kai sighed.
"I’ll transfer you fifty. Don’t say a word to her and let her use the premium facilities."
There was a brief silence.
Then Linda’s amused voice came through.
{Heh? You suddenly spending money? Who exactly is this relative of yours?}
Kai rolled his eyes.
"No one. Just don’t say anything to her. I’m sending the money now."
He ended the call and transferred the money without another word.
He knew the bathhouse’s owner well enough to trust her. She was a good woman, and more importantly, she knew when to keep her mouth shut. She wouldn’t say a word to Jean.
"Haah... now, baby."
He turned toward the little girl, who had already stretched one hand toward him.
Kai leaned forward and kissed her tiny hand.
The baby responded with a soft, adorable giggle.
A smile immediately found its way onto Kai’s face.
"Come here."
He walked over to the small table and carefully settled her on top of it. Then he grabbed an apron and tied it around himself with exaggerated seriousness.
"Now, watch closely."
He struck a proud pose before the tiny audience.
"Your master-chef Dad is about to prepare the finest dinner known to mankind."
....
"Haah..."
Jean let out a long, weary sigh as she eased herself into the bathing pool.
Thin wisps of steam drifted upward from the water as it enveloped her body, the warmth spreading through muscles that had forgotten what it felt like to truly relax.
She had been constantly on the move for so long that taking a leisurely bath had become a luxury. And never one like this.
She missed the days when she could take her time caring for her hair and skin, without constantly glancing at the clock or worrying about what awaited her afterward.
She had never been particularly obsessed with her appearance. She simply liked feeling clean and taking proper care of herself.
But circumstances had a way of reshaping priorities.
There had been too many things that mattered more than comfort.
Yet now...
Could things really return to normal?
"Ah..."
The thought made her flinch. She immediately shook her head and sank a little deeper into the warm water.
"What am I even thinking about?"
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Kai.
If anything, he had proven that not everyone changed for the worse with time. The Kai she had known in the past had been rough around the edges, but the man she had come to know now was gentler, more considerate, and kinder than she remembered.
Still, she couldn’t afford to place her hopes on him.
They were nothing more than the parents of a child neither of them had planned for.
Jean lowered her gaze to the water.
She had already placed enough burdens on Kai’s shoulders.
She couldn’t ask him to carry anything more.
’I will start searching for jobs tomorrow.’