Chapter 12.1

Chapter 12.1

“No, Hyung-nim.”

“The medicine.”

Gukhyun took the medicine from Yunam and pushed it between Heeju’s lips. The pill settled on her soft, pliant tongue, but Heeju, whose eyelids twitched, only breathed softly like a child with her mouth slightly open.

“Water.”

Gukhyun extended his hand backward, his gaze still fixed on Heeju.

“Here it is.”

Yunam opened the cap of a water bottle and handed it to Gukhyun. Gukhyun took a gulp of water and then leaned over Heeju.

“Mm…”

At first, Heeju instinctively kept her mouth closed, but when the moist tongue parted her lips, her eyebrows twitched. She must have been quite thirsty from the fever.

Realizing that the liquid flowing into her mouth was cold water to quench her thirst, she unconsciously gulped it down eagerly. Water trickled down from the corners of her open mouth.

With a smacking sound, their lips parted. She smacked her lips as if she missed it, then let her head fall to the side. Her dry cheeks were flushed pink due to her elevated body temperature.

“She probably doesn’t even know whose tongue she just sucked on, right? Yunam.”

“Yes, probably.”

Gukhyun chuckled at Yunam’s response.

“How can be so defenseless?”

“……”

“That f2ck!i1ng pisses me off.”

Gukhyun roughly brushed aside Heeju’s hair, which was stuck to her forehead with cold sweat. Annoyed by his touch, Heeju frowned and turned her head to the other side.

“Get out.”

At Gukhyun’s command, Yunam placed the tray on the side table. He was about to leave but hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.

“Uh, Hyung-nim. You need to leave in two hours for your flight.”

Gukhyun, who had been touching Heeju’s cheek, looked up at Yunam. The light from the lamp cast shadows on his expressionless face.

“Why? Are you worried I’ll be late because I’m busy screwing a sick girl?”

“No, hyung-nim. I just mentioned it out of concern in case you forgot your schedule.”

“No, you idiot. It’s written all over your face.”

His sharp, clear eyes narrowed.

“I must be trash if Seo Yunam is taking the side of a girl who has nothing to do with him.”

Gukhyun gently lifted Heeju’s chin with his fingertip.

“Or do you like her? Is she fu2c.ki1ng pretty?”

“I’m sorry, I misspoke.”

“Forget it. Go rest.”

Yunam bowed at a 90-degree angle and left the room silently. Gukhyun looked down at Heeju, who was peacefully asleep, and reached out for her hand that had slipped out from under the blanket. Contrary to her feverish body, her fingers were as cold as ice.

He eliminated anything that bothered him.

That was his common sense, the truth, and the way he survived in this world. He knew that ignoring the warnings of his instincts would never end well. It was also something that didn’t suit him.

Gukhyun opened his mouth and deeply swallowed Heeju’s finger. He swallowed it so deeply that it reached his throat, sucking on the cold joints as if rolling them on his tongue. Heeju, frowning in her sleep, mumbled something indistinctly, perhaps in a dream.

“Mmm, it’s wet…”

“Is it just wet?”

Gukhyun muttered as he poked his tongue between the slender, white fingers.

“There are so many things I want to suck on, and here I am just sucking on a finger. How are you going to handle this later?”

“Mmm, I don’t like it.”

“Even if you don’t like it, bear with it. I’m holding back a lot too.”

Heeju, who had been tossing and turning uncomfortably, soon quieted down again, her hand still resting gently in his.

***

Sunlight poured through the window, casting streaks across Heeju’s face. Her eyelids, which had been closed as if she were dead, twitched slightly, and after a moment, she slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked at the ceiling blankly before slowly sitting up in bed. Something that had been on her forehead fell down. It was a square cooling patch that had been stuck to her forehead, now lying on the blanket.

Aah, yesterday…

Recalling her last memory from the previous night, Heeju wrapped her hand around her neck. She felt an intense thirst, likely due to a fever. Her throat felt as if it would stick together. For some reason, her lips and the tender flesh inside her mouth stung and ached.

Heeju spotted a water bottle on the side table and gulped down the water. As the water flowed into her parched throat, which felt like drought-stricken land, she finally felt some relief.

But did Kwon Gukhyun put that on me?

After setting down the empty water bottle, Heeju glanced at the medicine packaging rolling around on the side table. She then touched her forehead with her hand. Unlike her throat, which felt as dry as if it would tear, only a slight fever remained in her head.