TIOAWN Chapter 30

“Come to think of it, it’s already…”

 

Has it been 15 years?

 

The past, which became clearer whenever she came to the hospital, occasionally sent her back to her childhood.

 

As if shaking off the lingering images, Ha-yoon shook her head vigorously.

 

Her mind recognized reality, but her consciousness remained hazy. At any moment, she felt as though her father would burst through that door, shouting.

 

She pulled her knees close and curled her body into a ball. When she slightly turned her head and peeked out with just her eyes, she made eye contact with a familiar man watching her from outside the hospital room.

 

“Ah.”

 

The man with the close-cropped hair.

 

He had given her his coat and handed her a chocolate bar, and now he was even standing guard in front of her hospital room.

 

Beside him stood another man who had also given her his coat.

 

“It’s different.”

 

It was so different from the long, arduous years when her father had been watching her.

 

Only then did the meal placed in front of her come into view.

 

Ha-yoon took a deep breath and slowly picked up the spoon.

 

Pristine white rice, japchae, rolled omelet, cucumber salad, and kimchi—it was a combination of colors that naturally stimulated the appetite.

 

As she scooped up a large spoonful of rice and brought it to her mouth, a burned corpse came to mind.

 

A wave of nausea surged.

 

The pristine white rice gradually turned black, then in an instant, became charred ash.

 

Ha-yoon gagged, covering her mouth with one hand. The guilt she had been suppressing spread through her entire body.

 

—How does it feel to have lived all this time on money sucked from people like that?

 

Moo-geon’s voice echoed in her ears, trampling her nerves.

 

The glistening rice seemed to be glaring at her with resentment.

 

Ah. Ha-yoon gasped and slammed the lid over her meal.

 

As nausea rose again, she clutched both hands over her mouth. The spoon slipped from her grip and hit the floor with a dull clatter.

 

“I… I don’t deserve to eat.”

 

Ha-yoon pushed the meal aside, curled up tightly, and pulled the blanket over herself. The moment she closed her eyes, sleep overtook her.

 

Joo Hyun-ho and Oh Jae-gyu, who had been watching her, were perplexed.

 

“Bro.”

 

Oh Jae-gyu, glancing back and forth between the cold lunch inside the hospital room and the dinner tray in his hand, finally called out to Joo Hyun-ho.

 

“What?”

 

“No, I mean, what should we do about this?”

 

She had taken so long to eat the single chocolate bar he had given her. And now she was refusing to eat her meal.

 

He really couldn’t understand her.

 

Was she that sick?

 

Or should they call someone?

 

Not knowing what to do, his feet tingled, and his tongue felt prickly.

 

“Do you want to eat it?”

 

Joo Hyun-ho, who had also been staring at the abandoned meal, casually suggested.

 

Was the important thing right now getting rid of the food?

 

Hearing the response from the person he trusted and relied on, Oh Jae-gyu nearly dropped the tray in surprise.

 

“No. Didn’t the boss tell us to make sure she— I mean, Seo Ha-yoon— Ah, Ms. Seo Ha-yoon eats?”

 

So whether she eats or not, as long as she doesn’t die, isn’t that all that matters?

 

After some thought, Joo Hyun-ho neatly wrapped up the situation.

 

“Well, that’s true.”

 

They had been told to monitor her, not to take care of her. It wasn’t entirely incorrect, so Oh Jae-gyu nodded reluctantly.

 

“You reported it, right?”

 

“I did, saying there were no unusual changes, but… will this be okay?”

 

“What now?”

 

Oh Jae-gyu gestured toward the hospital room with his chin instead of answering.

 

“Then do you want to go in there, pick up a spoon, and feed her yourself?”

 

“I’ll pass.”

 

They didn’t know what the boss was thinking, but one thing was certain: their boss had Seo Ha-yoon with him. And she was quite close to him.

 

Any man with eyes could see what the reddish marks on Seo Ha-yoon’s neck meant.

 

Oh Jae-gyu inadvertently saw them when he set the meal down.

 

One wrong step, and things could get complicated. Just follow orders to survive long.

 

Oh Jae-gyu reminded himself of that once again.

 

Unaware of the murmured conversation outside, Ha-yoon, deep in sleep, only woke up in the middle of the night.

 

She sat up and looked outside. In the distance, tree branches swayed weakly, surrendering themselves to the wind.

 

The moonlit night shone beautifully. Absorbing the sight, Ha-yoon crawled on her knees toward the window.

 

“Hoo.”

 

The warmth inside the hospital room met the cold air outside, fogging up the window instantly.

 

“Hoo.”

 

Ha-yoon blew on the window again and again, making it opaque, then quickly moved her hand to write something.”

 

As the mist disappeared, she exhaled again. When it vanished once more, she breathed out again.  

 

Even as she moved busily, fearing that the tree branch she had drawn might disappear without a trace, she did not forget to blow her breath beside it.  

 

There was no one to see it.  

 

There wasn’t even a trace left on the window.  

 

In the end, this was all she could do. Ha-yoon, with an IV line dangling from her arm, finally completed a painting.  

 

“Ah.”  

 

As soon as she lost strength and collapsed onto the bed, the drawing disappeared.  

 

“I told you to stay still. You couldn’t even wait that long?”  

 

A voice spread thickly, like twilight settling in.  

 

Familiar with the voice, her head naturally turned.  

 

“Cha Moo-geon.”  

 

As if she had been waiting, Ha-yoon turned her upper body swiftly, and Moo-geon stopped in his tracks as if dumbfounded. The cold air of the winter night followed him inside.  

 

“Acting like an equal now, huh?”  

 

His gaze lingered briefly on the food tray before returning to Seo Ha-yoon.  

 

“Hey…”  

 

Ha-yoon, who had been about to say something, closed her mouth tightly. Moo-geon’s eyebrows hardened into a straight line.  

 

“You were so good at talking before. Why?”  

 

What’s with the sudden change?  

 

Moo-geon quickly closed the distance between them, lowering his upper body. Ha-yoon swallowed hard.  

 

Jin Bo-young, was it?  

 

– Jin Bo-young should not have gone looking for Seo Ha-yoon.  

 

That’s what was said, wasn’t it?  

 

– Draw a picture that Director Jin will be satisfied with. Until then, don’t expect food or water.  

 

The voice that had haunted her all her life tore through her mind. Her nerves stood on edge, and her heart pounded. If that director Jin was Jin Bo-young…  

 

Was she searching for her to obtain the remaining ten paintings?  

 

Then what should she do?  

 

Her mouth instantly dried up. Her throat cracked, and her breath quickened. It felt like someone was pulling her down beneath the earth.  

 

Dizzy, her head swayed forward. She thought she would fall, but instead, she landed against Cha Moo-geon’s shoulder.  

 

Without realizing it, Ha-yoon buried her face in him and wrapped her arms around his neck.  

 

“What the hell are you doing?”  

 

Whether it was anger or something else, his voice carried an edge despite its even tone. Even knowing that, Ha-yoon clung to him desperately. The scent of winter wind cleared her senses, and the now-familiar scent of Cha Moo-geon steadied her ragged breath.  

 

“Just….”  

 

“Just what?”  

 

Heh. Not a single day goes by peacefully. She never stays quiet for even a moment. Moo-geon, as if finding her a nuisance, started to push her away but then slid his fingers through her hair.  

 

“If you’re not even going to suck me off, what the hell are you doing?”  

 

“Do you want that? Should I do it?”  

 

No hesitation. Seo Ha-yoon asked so directly that for a moment, Moo-geon was at a loss for words.  

 

Saying yes felt like he was taking things too far with a sick woman.  

 

Saying no made his pride flare up.  

 

After all, she was the one who clung to him first.  

 

She had learned how to seduce men in the worst possible way. Clicking his tongue, Moo-geon grabbed the back of her head, tilting her face up until their noses nearly touched.  

 

But Ha-yoon was desperate in her own way.  

 

“I’ll do it. I will.”  

 

If doing this would keep her from being sent to that director Jin, or Jin Bo-young, or whoever they were—  

 

The words she couldn’t bring herself to say stacked up in her heart. Instead of explaining, Ha-yoon moved her body.  

 

The IV line swayed, and just like in the morning, her blood began to backflow.  

 

What was she thinking of doing with those hands?  

 

She hadn’t even eaten and was so thin, her long lashes casting deep shadows as she whimpered.  

 

His lower abdomen tightened. The back of his neck prickled, and his spine tensed.  

 

Annoying. An eyesore.  

 

Everything about her pissed him off. His chest burned hotter than his stiffened manhood. This wasn’t why he had come. He hadn’t braved the cold, stayed up all night, or driven here for this kind of nonsense.  

 

Now that he thought about it, why had he come? What was he expecting to see? Nothing made sense.  

 

“Haah.”  

 

Moo-geon let out a low breath and grabbed Ha-yoon’s wrist. Lowering it to prevent the IV from backflowing, he slowly laid her down.  

 

“What are you always trying to suck on with those tiny lips?”  

 

Wasn’t she supposed to have an infection? Did the fever make her lose her senses? Moo-geon, unable to help himself, cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers.  

 

“Is your mouth bored? Should I give you some candy?”  

 

The way she kept provoking him was absurd. He had only intended to tease her with a few kisses and stop.  

 

Maybe because she had been wearing his clothes all this time.  Even though she had changed into a hospital gown, the scent of him clung to her.  

 

“Should I suck you off, Seo Ha-yoon?”  

 

Moo-geon twisted his lips slightly. A glint flickered in his dark pupils.  

 

“That’s—”  

 

Before she could even answer, his soft lips traced over her neck. His long, deft tongue swept over her skin, making wet noises that sent her body tipping backward.  

 

Moo-geon devoured her flesh without hesitation.  

 

He swallowed her lips, and when there was even a small gap, he ran his fingers down her pale neck.  

 

As he sucked deeply, letting his saliva drip down her skin and licking it up with his tongue, his fingers teased her sides.  

 

“Ha… ngh.”  

 

Familiar moans lingered in his ears.  

 

Moo-geon let out a breathy chuckle against her lips. That small movement made Ha-yoon’s body tremble.  

 

“Ah… mmh.”  

 

He made sure she heard it. As if she had to. He greedily sucked on her skin, making loud, obscene noises.