Since Executive Secretary Min learned all these facts, it was a matter of time before it entered his grandfather’s ears. Sure enough, it already entered Chairman Ha’s ears that he’d rented the entire movie theater, and soon after the fact that he’d brought him home entered, so Chairman Ha’s curiosity gradually swelled and he couldn’t stand it and contacted his grandson.
But if he answered Chairman Ha’s contact in one go, he wouldn’t be Ha Daehoon! As expected, Ha Daehoon brazenly knew the phone was coming but didn’t contact him until dawn. Then he called past 2 AM and turned his insides upside down.
Renting the entire movie theater, bringing Ilkyung home instead of the hospital, and laying him in his own bedroom instead of a guest room—all were done on purpose. So that Dr. Ahn would come and see, and Executive Secretary Min would come and see, and tell everything to Chairman Ha. Very specifically. That way his suspicious grandfather would believe even a little.
When he finished the call and entered the room, Woo Ilkyung was occupying the entire large bed and sleeping with the blanket kicked far away.
“His sleeping habits are something else.”
He’d felt it earlier too, but Woo Ilkyung’s sleeping habits were rough. With the IV inserted, he couldn’t stay still even for that short time, tossing this way and that way, kicking the blanket far away… Daehoon stayed by Ilkyung’s side the entire time he slept, and when Ilkyung kicked the blanket and dropped it under the bed, he’d bring it back and meticulously cover him, and when he rolled around trying to tangle the IV line, he’d prevent it and soothe him back to sleep… He did this many times. And now it’s this chaos again.
“Mmm, it’s hot.”
Ilkyung pushed away the blanket Daehoon had pulled up to cover him irritably and muttered. The furrowed brow looked pathetic even trying.
“This disobedient little puppy.”
Daehoon was about to just turn and leave when he hesitated at the sound that came again.
“Mmm, hot.”
He was going to let Ilkyung sleep in his bedroom tonight and sleep in another room himself, but Woo Ilkyung caught Ha Daehoon’s steps. Daehoon approached Ilkyung and touched his forehead.
“You have a fever again. Is it because you’re a kid?”
Daehoon muttered.
They say children get fevers at night, and Woo Ilkyung was exactly that case right now. Daehoon sighed deeply and left the room. This was supposed to escape from Grandfather’s annoyance with a contract relationship, but ended up giving by the doe and receiving by the mal. Who would have known? That he’d be nursing someone! It was something not in Ha Daehoon’s fate.
Ilkyung, who woke from sleep to the sunlight coming through the window, felt something on his forehead, touched it with his hand, and realized it was a wet towel.
“Huh?”
The wet towel placed on his forehead was lukewarm. Ilkyung held the wet towel while lying down and looked this way, looked that way, then looked to the side and was startled.
“Whoa!”
“Sleep more. Sleep more.”
It was Director Ha. Ha Daehoon stretched out his long arm and placed his hand on the chest of Ilkyung who hadn’t gotten up yet and muttered while patting.
“You can sleep a little more.”
His already low voice was more subdued and sexy from sleeping. What? Sexy? I must be crazy! Ilkyung, who woke from his reflexive impression, lay at attention and could only blink his eyes without doing anything.
No, but why is Director Ha Daehoon sleeping here? Ilkyung lay in proper posture, then feeling restless, turned to the side very, very carefully. Director Ha had his eyes closed with his body turned slightly toward Ilkyung.
‘Wow, he is handsome.’
A prominent nose and pronounced eyebrows, and why are his eyelashes so long—doll eyelashes, step aside. His tightly closed lips were red and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. The skin—Ilkyung was much paler, but still, Daehoon was also on the pale side. Skin without a single blemish looked as if it received care.
‘Amazing. How does a man over thirty have such fair skin?’
White skin contrasting with black hair and deep eyes that closely resembled his hair color. Ilkyung thought this even when he first met Daehoon at the matchmaking, but he could be certain this man was truly handsome. Moreover, considering his tall height and the physique he’d glimpsed in the director’s office…
Ilkyung raised his hand to touch with his finger the shadowed area under his eyes from his eyelashes and that part descending from his prominent forehead to his nose, then startled himself.
“I’m crazy!”
“You won’t listen when I tell you to sleep. What’s crazy?”
At Ilkyung yelling at himself, Daehoon, who he thought was sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes. The moment his jet-black eyes shone, Ilkyung heard the sound of his heart dropping with a thud.
“No, why are you pretending to sleep!”
“I wasn’t pretending to sleep, I was really sleeping. I just woke up because Woo Ilkyung-ssi was staring so intently. But are you okay?”
Daehoon moved his long arm and touched Ilkyung’s forehead with his large hand.
“The fever’s gone down.”
Daehoon spoke as he sat up. Then he quietly took away the wet towel Ilkyung was still firmly clutching in one hand.
“Why are you holding this? Wash your face and come out. You can shower if you want.”
“I’ll shower.”
“Alright. I’ll leave clothes there for you.”
Ilkyung nodded and entered the bathroom. He had tens of thousands of questions he wanted to ask. Why did he put him to sleep in Director Ha’s room instead of the room where he’d slept before, why was Director Ha lying next to him, was it Executive Secretary Min buying his clothes again this time, then when on earth does Executive Secretary Min rest, Executive Secretary Min seems like a good person so he won’t quit because of this, right… Questions kept piling up one after another.
But Ilkyung couldn’t ask a single thing and just silently washed his sweat-soaked body. After washing and coming out, this time Director Ha grabbed Ilkyung’s hand in his neat appearance. Last time the atmosphere had been cold because there was a part where Ilkyung had made a mistake, but today was different.
“Come sit down. For this morning—no, morning’s already passed. Until lunch it’d be better to eat porridge, and then if you’re okay, eat regular food. Your throat doesn’t hurt anymore?”
The questions he asked were infinitely caring. Was he originally such a caring person? Ilkyung stared intently at Daehoon.
“Why?”
“Nothing. I’m just grateful.”
Daehoon chuckled.
“Yesterday it was ‘anyway grateful,’ but today it’s ‘just’? Should I be happy it’s been upgraded?”
Daehoon sat Ilkyung at the dining table and placed beef porridge in front of him. With steam rising from it, it looked delicious at a glance. He didn’t even dare ask what grade the beef in it was.
“I’ll eat well!”
Ilkyung greeted and scooped up a spoonful, blowing on it. After tasting it lightly with his tongue to confirm it had cooled, he popped it into his mouth. The taste wrapping perfectly around his mouth was exquisite. Ilkyung scooped another spoonful, blowing on it while saying.
“Did the ajumma come and make this too?”
“Ilkyung-ssi told me to stop showing off being a conglomerate heir.”
“What?”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung’s eyes widened as he looked.
“Uh, no way…”
As Ilkyung muttered, Daehoon shrugged.
“That ‘no way’ is probably right.”
“Director, you cook too?”
“What can’t I do? You have to do it to survive.”
Ilkyung looked at the beef porridge once, then at Daehoon’s face once. Daehoon made an indifferent expression as if to say think whatever you want, taking a sip of coffee.
How infuriating. A total cheat character. Ilkyung thought this as he put the spoon in his mouth again. Then, as if he really couldn’t stand it, he continued speaking.
“But Director, why aren’t you eating breakfast?”
“Aren’t I eating right now?”
“Coffee and a slice of toast?”
Daehoon nodded.
“No, you should eat a proper meal!”
“I’ve been eating breakfast like this for quite a while. Hurry and eat before it gets cold, Ilkyung-ssi. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
Ilkyung was rather flabbergasted. He’d taken out all the side dishes that could be eaten with warm porridge and beautifully arranged them on small plates for him, yet he himself was having just a slice of toast with coffee! The reversal of priorities was extraordinary.
“After you eat and if you feel okay, I’ll take you home.”
“Ah, yes. But I can go by myself.”
“What if you foolishly go without realizing you’re sick and collapse halfway?”
It definitely wasn’t meant to be sarcastic, but it felt oddly unpleasant. Really, he’s a champion at speaking annoyingly. Where did he learn it? Ilkyung thought this while glaring sharply at Daehoon.
* * *
