Ephphatha Chapter 15

He slowly swept his gaze over the long, slanted eyes, the dense eyelashes, and the reddened, swollen eyelids from crying before bringing his index finger to them. A fine eyelash landed on his fingernail. When he brushed it aside, Seul-ah squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, as if tickled.

 

Of course, he had no peculiar habit of collecting eyelashes. He had suggested it as a joke because her tear-streaked face intrigued him, and since her reaction was amusing, he had simply persisted.

 

But now, an inexplicable urge to pluck one for real welled up inside him. He didn’t know why. He even considered taking one while she slept, raising his thumb and index finger—but at that moment, Seul-ah’s lips parted.

 

“…Mom….”

 

“…….”

 

Chi-gyeom’s gaze shifted to her lips. A scab had formed at the corner of her mouth. Seeing that, another impulse surged within him, changing his focus.

 

His straightened index finger pressed against Seul-ah’s slightly parted lips. He firmly pressed the center of her plump lower lip and moved it to the side. As much as he applied pressure, the lips softened and yielded warmth.

 

His target was the scab. When he pressed down on it, Seul-ah’s face scrunched up. Yet, he paid no mind and applied more force.

 

“Ah….”

 

As expected, a familiar sound escaped her lips. From the corner of his vision, he caught sight of Kang Jin-ah’s arm flinching on the steering wheel. Ridiculous. Clicking his tongue, Chi-gyeom pressed down on Seul-ah’s wound a little more.

 

“Nnng, nn….”

 

Seul-ah whimpered softly, slightly parting her lips. It was an instinctive reaction to avoid pain, but as a result, his finger slipped further into her mouth.

 

“Haa.”

 

Her mouth barely accommodated even a single finger. Confirming how small it was compared to his stature, he finally understood why she had taken so long to chew even a small cherry tomato.

 

Chi-gyeom slowly moved his finger, brushing against the delicate inner lining of her mouth. He grazed the textured roof of her mouth and played with her limp tongue.

 

At this size, she probably wouldn’t be able to handle much at all. Her tongue was so small that even licking wouldn’t be particularly effective. Of course, someone as inexperienced as Seo Han-seong would be thrilled with anything.

 

With that detached assessment, he curled his finger like a hook. Naturally, Seul-ah’s mouth opened wider, and her breath escaped a little louder.

 

Each time he withdrew and reinserted his finger, her lips widened and then closed again. This was quite something.

 

When he pushed his finger in deeper, saliva trickled between her parted lips. The sheen of moisture glistening around her jawline was unexpectedly alluring. Chi-gyeom used his finger to wipe it away and pushed it back into her mouth.

 

Caught up in mild curiosity, he pressed his saliva-coated finger in again, and Seul-ah’s mouth tightened around it. Slurp. Unconsciously, she sucked in her saliva, and the warmth of her inner mouth wrapped around his finger.

 

Slurp, suck, slurp.

 

“Hm.”

 

Chi-gyeom’s jaw clenched slightly without him realizing it.

 

“…….”

 

As he rolled his tongue inside his mouth and glanced downward, Seul-ah sucked on his finger again, drawing his attention back.

 

“Nng….”

 

Completely unaware of what she was doing, she drooled as she sucked. Watching in silence, he pressed his fingernail against her tongue. This was entertaining, at least.

 

– Also, promise not to do anything to me if I cooperate.

 

The man, who had been pushing in his middle finger now as well, let a mischievous smile spread across his face. What was she going to do when she had no idea what was happening?

 

***

 

Seul-ah woke up in her bed. The first thing she noticed as her mind cleared was the dull ache in her jaw.

 

Groaning softly, she opened her eyes and instinctively touched her lips. Her lower lip was more swollen than usual—probably because the wound she had given herself had worsened.

 

Puzzled, she brought her thumb to her jawline. Why did her jaw hurt? As she gently massaged it, she tried opening her mouth. Her lips felt tight, and her jaw throbbed.

 

“Ugh….”

 

Half-asleep, she winced and then absently glanced at the bedside table. An orange handkerchief lay there carelessly.

 

“Your sleeping habits are awful. You ruined my car.”

 

The moment Chi-gyeom’s voice echoed in her mind, the lingering drowsiness vanished. Her cheeks flushed bright red.

 

Just before dawn, she had woken up in the car only to be utterly humiliated by Kwak Chi-gyeom. When she had asked why a handkerchief was pressed under her chin, he had casually replied that she had drooled in her sleep, so he had placed it there. With the undeniable evidence of dampness around her lips, she couldn’t even call it a lie. She had been so flustered that she hadn’t even realized her jaw was sore at the time.

 

“Um… I’ll compensate you for the cleaning fee and the seat damage….”

 

“Will you?”

 

“Let me know how much later… Uh, well then, I’ll be going. Thanks for the ride.”

 

After hastily fleeing the sedan, she found the handkerchief still in her hand. By the time she turned back, Chi-gyeom was already gone. She couldn’t just throw away someone else’s belonging, and since it felt strangely damp—probably soaked with her own saliva—she decided to take it home and wash it.

 

Still clutching the blanket up to her nose, Seul-ah stared at the handkerchief, then couldn’t resist burying her face in her hands.

 

This is so embarrassing….

 

Judging by the state of her lips and chin, she hadn’t just drooled in her sleep—she might have ground her teeth as well. Normally, she was a quiet sleeper, but given how her life had been shaken to its core recently, it was no surprise if her sleeping habits had changed.

 

I shouldn’t have helped out at the funeral. The regret washed over her as she thought about how she had wasted her energy there, only to end up falling asleep in Kwak Chi-gyeom’s car. And it wasn’t like she had gotten a kind word from him either…

 

As she agonized over it, a sigh of exhaustion escaped her without realizing it.

 

Her mother was dead. Aunt Chae-young was dead. Back-to-back tragedies had struck her life, yet here she was, feeling embarrassed over something as trivial as drooling in her sleep. It made her feel like some emotionless robot.

 

It was probably because of Kwak Chi-gyeom. The man who had entered her life alongside these tragedies felt too unfamiliar, making it hard for her to process reality as it was. Hadn’t she been too busy running for her life from that lunatic who chased her, threatening to pluck out her eyelashes, to even fully grieve her aunt’s death? That was how things had gone, and that was how she had ended up here.

 

Peeking out from under the covers, she glared at the handkerchief again before groggily pulling herself up.

 

Grabbing the handkerchief as if snatching it away, Seul-ah climbed out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. The face reflected in the sink mirror was just as much of a mess as it had felt under her touch. Especially her lips, crusted over with scabs—just looking at them made her wince. What had she done in her sleep to end up like this? Letting out a deep sigh, she turned on the lukewarm water and carefully washed her face.

 

Brushing her teeth required even more caution. When she accidentally touched her wounds, pain shot through her, making her eyes well up. It wasn’t just the physical pain—her lips’ soreness reminded her of Aunt Chae-young’s death. She had bitten her lips anxiously the entire way to the funeral.

 

The feeling of being pulled back to that moment made her tear up, toothbrush still in her mouth. Then, her eyes landed on the handkerchief draped haphazardly over the sink.

 

“……”

 

The moment she saw it, the shameless man’s face and her own pitiful behavior flashed through her mind, making her tears instantly dry up. Sniffling once, Seul-ah wiped the corners of her eyes and resolutely resumed brushing.

 

After finishing, she washed the handkerchief with soap.

 

And that was a terrible mistake. 

 

The once smooth and glossy fabric instantly became dull and lifeless.

 

“…Huh?”

 

She panicked and tugged at it, but no amount of pulling would restore it. Only belatedly did she recall that different fabrics required different washing methods. Too late.

 

She had completely ruined it.

 

What do I do…? Just as she was about to bite her lip in distress, she stopped upon feeling the sting of her wound.

 

Rrrr- Rrrr- 

 

The sudden ringing of her phone from outside made her head snap up. 

 

Now that Aunt Chae-young was gone as well, there was only one person who would call her on this newly changed phone.

 

Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, she clutched the handkerchief and hurried out of the bathroom. She dug through her bag, which she had tossed onto the living room sofa last night, and pulled out her phone. The screen displayed an unfamiliar number, not her old one from the last time they had spoken.

 

“Hello?”

 

— Good evening.

 

Just as she expected. Seul-ah sat on the sofa, looking conflicted.

 

“What’s going on so early in the morning?”

 

— That handkerchief you stole yesterday.

 

She flinched and glanced down at the one in her hand. The timing was eerie.

 

“The handkerchief… what about it?”

 

— I’d like it back.

 

“Ah…”

 

— Keep it safe and return it to me next time.

 

Seul-ah hesitated for a moment before speaking.

 

“Um, Mr. Kwak Chi-gyeom, about that handkerchief…”

 

— Yeah? What about it?

 

“Well, I… I accidentally washed it with soap, and now it’s ruined…”

 

— ……

 

“I’m really sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

 

After her honest explanation, apology, and offer to replace it, all she got in return was a long, weary sigh from Kwak Chi-gyeom.

 

— This is troublesome. That handkerchief is really important to me.

 

“I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll get you a new—”

 

— It’s my late mother’s keepsake.