Before taking photos, I held my breath and listened carefully. After staying in silence for a moment, I moved my fingers. I quickly took photos one page at a time from the front.
As I went further back, I also saw foreigners’ names. Starting with former soldiers who had served in various special forces units, there were all kinds of professions—hackers, drug brokers, and so on.
I could feel sweat beading on my forehead. Perhaps because I was concentrating on sounds and was extremely tense, my mind became calmer instead and my fear disappeared.
I photographed all the text written in the notebook and placed it back properly in the drawer. I saw other notebooks below it, but I felt I should stop now.
I didn’t know why. It just didn’t feel right. This wasn’t the only opportunity, so I absolutely shouldn’t think impatiently. I organized the contents accurately and quickly back in their places and closed the drawer.
Then I silently stood up and left the study. I arrived at the room with only a bed and closed the door. As soon as I slid down against the corner wall behind the door, leaning my back against it, I came to my senses.
“……”
As if I’d been given a tranquilizer, my heart, which had been fine, suddenly began racing like crazy and I started gasping for breath. Maybe it was because the tension had released. My legs were trembling and I felt dizzy.
I rubbed my cold fingertips and took out my phone from my pocket. Jiwoo might know my phone’s password.
Frightened for no reason, I changed the password from 4 digits to 8 digits. At this level, he’d never be able to unlock it even by chance.
Then, faint footsteps approached my heightened ears. I gasped and quickly stood up from my spot. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and frantically wiped my damp neck and forehead.
I needed to calm down, but I was so breathless I couldn’t stand it. I kept pacing around restlessly before inevitably jumping onto the bed like a dive. Then I waited, and as soon as the door opened, I fell to the floor with a crash.
“Ack!”
I felt dull pain in my shoulder, leg, and head. I deliberately acted like it hurt more, curling up my body and groaning.
“Uugh…”
“Are you okay?”
Jiwoo, who had frozen with a flustered face while holding the doorknob, hurriedly approached me. He was wearing a white robe, and water droplets fell onto me—he hadn’t even properly dried off.
“What’s wrong? Were you dozing?”
“What? Ah, yes. Just for a moment… Ah, it hurts.”
“I mean, even if you were dozing, why would you fall off the bed?”
“I guess it’s because it’s been a while since I lay on a bed. I’m okay.”
I spouted any words while slowly sitting up. It felt a bit embarrassing like a one-man show, but it was better than being caught. And anyway, no one knew I’d fallen on purpose, so only I needed to be embarrassed.
“Let me see.”
“I’m fine though…”
Even though I was groaning, gasping for breath, and my face was a bit flushed, Jiwoo didn’t find it strange. With a serious expression, he rolled up my sleeve and examined my arm. Then he felt my legs and shoulders before sighing.
“Let’s just lay out bedding on the floor tonight and sleep there. That’s more comfortable for you anyway, right?”
“No, I can sleep on the bed. This was just a mistake, a mistake.”
“I’m too anxious. Have you ever thought about how distressed I’d be if you got hurt?”
I’d never once thought about that. I smiled sheepishly and touched the back of my neck.
“I’m really fine. I guess I was just startled by the sound of the door opening while I was dozing lightly. Don’t you have times like that too, Jiwoo-ssi? When you suddenly jerk awake from sleep.”
So that Jiwoo wouldn’t suspect anything, I deliberately rambled on, distracting him. Whether he was genuinely worried or pretending to worry, I didn’t know, but Jiwoo’s expression remained dark for quite a while.
He even told me to try walking straight and standing on my head. Normally I would have ignored it, but because the thief’s feet were tingling, I really did a handstand using the wall as support.
Since I went that far, he had no choice but to believe my words that I wasn’t hurt. Jiwoo, whose expression had improved considerably, took me to the bathroom.
“Are you going to use the bathtub? There’s a bigger one on the second floor—want to go there? Should I give you bath salts? I have oils and salt too.”
The other things aside, what’s with the salt suddenly? I was already too tired to leisurely enjoy a bath in the tub, so I shook my head.
“I just need to shower.”
“Okay then. If you need anything, call me. Even if your arm hurts while washing, call me. I’ll wash you.”
I was so moved by the devoted treatment I almost cried. I sent Jiwoo out and was finally alone.
I brought my phone to the bathroom in case Jiwoo secretly looked at it while I was washing. Then a worrying thought suddenly occurred to me. I hadn’t thought that far earlier because the situation was so urgent, but there wouldn’t be CCTVs in the house, would there?
If I get another chance to come here, I should bring gloves next time. In case I leave fingerprints or something…
“Sigh.”
No, is that going too far? This isn’t some drama or movie… I don’t know.
I slowly took off my clothes and turned on the water. As the warm water hit me, I gradually became drowsy and my heart started pounding again. I had no idea what state of mind I was in when I took all those photos earlier. What would have happened if I’d been caught? Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine.
I kept sighing heavily, so washing took longer than expected. After finishing, I put on the robe hanging on the wall and went outside.
I went to my room along the excessively silent and dark corridor.
“Done washing?”
“Yes, could you give me some clothes to sleep in? And something like lotion…”
“Ah, that’s in front of the bathroom.”
Jiwoo took me back toward the bathroom. Before entering the bathroom, there was a small space with just a large vanity. While I applied lotion to my tight face and dried my hair, Jiwoo sat in a chair, propping his chin, and watched me.
“Aren’t you going to dry your hair?”
“It’s almost dry.”
“It’s not dry yet though…”
After finishing drying my hair, I dried Jiwoo’s hair too while I was at it. His soft, wispy hair tickled between my fingers. Perhaps feeling good, Jiwoo closed his eyes and swayed along with the movement of my hands.
“Seoun-ah.”
As soon as I turned off the hair dryer, Jiwoo called me. His voice was languid and husky. It made sense he’d be sleepy. After what happened earlier, I was exhausted too. Thinking he was calling me to go to bed, I nodded.
“Yes, I’m done.”
“I want to kiss again.”
But what came out of his mouth were unexpected words. I’d completely forgotten while doing that spy work earlier. How, why, and with what resolve I’d come here.
While I was flustered, Jiwoo slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me. Without even hearing an answer, he naturally reached out and pulled the back of my neck. My waist bent, and Jiwoo’s lips touched mine.
The subtle, fragrant smells of various bath products mixed together, making me dizzy. Not much different from when we kissed in the alley, Jiwoo still wasn’t good at kissing. But this time, as if he’d learned how to breathe through his nose, he didn’t gasp as if choking.
His soft, warm, and pliable tongue awkwardly stirred inside my mouth, and my shoulders flinched every time his tongue tip touched my bumpy palate.
Perhaps the position was uncomfortable, because Jiwoo eventually stood up from the chair and wrapped his arms around my waist. I also straightened my bent waist and tilted my head to the side.
It was neither urgent nor too slow. Breaths, wet sounds, and the sound of bath robes brushing overlapped together. Our lips slowly parted and his now-heated tongue licked my tongue once.
“Seoun-ah.”
Why does he keep calling me? Seoun-ah, Seoun-ah—I’m getting goosebumps every time my name is called.
“I really love kissing you.”
Jiwoo lowered his head and rubbed his soft cheek against my neck. His small voice, like a whisper, crawled into my ear, tickling the fine hairs.
I embraced his waist in return and stammered,
“I like it too…”
I stopped mid-sentence trying to say I liked it too. Because Jiwoo bit my neck and sucked on it as if he’d just been sucking my tongue. That wasn’t the end. He gently pressed and released his lips, sliding them upward, ticklishly soft.
The lower part of my ear, even the back—he rubbed his lips there before touching my earlobe with his tongue.
“There’s no one here…”
Then he pressed his lips to my ear and muttered incomprehensible words. I was as tense as when I’d been secretly taking photos earlier, so I had no time to understand what Jiwoo was babbling about.
