TIN 84

Noticing my condition, Joo Do-hwa suddenly reached out toward me. He brushed my forehead with his large hand, then smoothly moved his hand down to my cheek and stroked it there.

“Are you sick somewhere?”

“…”

A sweet fragrance wafted over to me. I wasn’t sure if it was the perfume I had sprayed on or Joo Do-hwa’s pheromones. Feeling my hair stand on end for a moment there, I reflexively swatted his hand away.

“…Ah.”

Honestly, I regretted it immediately. The moment I pushed him away, his face hardened. His lips curled up crookedly, looking like someone about to throw a fit.

“Sorry.”

Fearing another sudden outburst coming on, I quickly apologized.

“I was startled just now. It’s okay, I’m not sick.”

From past experience, if I delayed and upset him, the response would certainly not be good. So it was better to yield before he could tell me to beg.

“…”

He looked down at me silently. It wasn’t the first time I had seen those eyes, but today the golden irises looked particularly frightening. It felt like clear evidence that this dominant alpha was going to harm me.

Fortunately, or perhaps I should say fortunately, Joo Do-hwa didn’t scold me. He just slowly withdrew his hand that had been hanging in the air and straightened his upper body. Then, nodding his chin, he said, “Come this way.”

Normally, he would have grabbed my arm and pulled me along, but this time he quietly led the way. He glanced back to see if I was following him, but didn’t forcibly try to drag me away as I followed a step behind.

Since he stopped demanding sex from me, Joo Do-hwa had also abruptly cut off the skinship he used to maintain in daily life. Even when he didn’t necessarily touch somewhere, he always used to come close, but now he awkwardly widened the distance. It was an unnatural attitude, as if we were strangers, but I couldn’t deny that this was more comfortable.

‘Why are you crying?’

Come to think of it, was that the last time he touched me? I remembered that it was that day when I came back from meeting Chairman Joo, spouting vulgar words and taking off my pants. The day when he comforted me irritatingly, saying he would stop so don’t cry, and touched my lips saying the inside of my mouth was red.

“…”

I lightly bit down on my lower lip. The lips that had been covered in unsightly scabs had healed cleanly over the past few days. When there was no longer any need to endure pain or pleasure, wounds naturally healed themselves.

Yeah…But why ask if I’m not feeling well now?

Suddenly, it seemed too much to be sick just from missing some sleep, given that peaceful sleep had been rarer throughout my life. Whether living on the streets or even at Oceans, I used to fall asleep while still tense every day.

So, except for my childhood, this was probably the most comfortable period in my entire life. Even if I couldn’t sleep well, I was at least eating well, so there was no reason to be sick from mere stress. Even the muscle pain in my lower body had disappeared completely.

“…”

I pressed my lips together and looked at Joo Do-hwa’s back as he walked ahead. A height a head taller than me, and broadly spread shoulders. Although he wasn’t shirtless like the others, he was a man who drew attention just by his sheer presence.

Perhaps because of this, I could feel gazes following him as he walked. While naturally making way so as not to disturb him, people were busy appreciating Joo Do-hwa with their eyes. Such gazes occasionally fell on me too, but that wasn’t what bothered me.

Is it just me feeling this?

From the man who looked unmistakably alpha to anyone, a faint, brain-melting sweet scent had been emanating for a while. At first, I thought it was perfume, but now I realized it was pheromones. Pheromones were said to be released normally, but today the scent was particularly strong.

Surely not…It can’t be.

Feeling unnecessarily hot, I unbuttoned one more button of my carefully buttoned shirt. The cool material of the dress shirt was already designed with a low neckline, so just that made me feel much better.

I couldn’t be more relieved by the fact that I didn’t have to spread my legs for him recently. I pushed down the creeping anxiety, reminding myself that nothing had happened yet.

The place Joo Do-hwa took me was a sunbed located in a corner of the swimming pool. There were sunbeds and tables right next to the pool, but this area was relatively private with a screen partition. The bed part was made of soft cushions, probably waterproof fabric, and it looked quite cozy just looking at it.

“Lie down.”

Although I wasn’t so unwell that I couldn’t stand, I obediently climbed onto the sunbed.

As I half-lay down, leaning my back against the backrest, the gradually darkening sky came into view. Given that I was sweating cold despite the heat, my physical condition was certainly not normal.

“Why is your body so weak?”

Joo Do-hwa, sitting on the adjacent sunbed, clicked his tongue. He looked me over carefully, raised his hand, then hesitated and lowered it. His slightly furrowed brow looked quite annoyed.

“If you’re feeling too unwell, go up to your room.”

“…”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Telling me to go up if I was sick. As if he didn’t know very well why I was attending this party in the first place. Even though I knew it was a lie, it seemed Yoon Ji-soo really wasn’t coming.

“…I’m really okay.”

Even as I answered slowly, I couldn’t help but feel self-deprecating. What was I expecting, forcing myself to be here? Even knowing this was nothing but stubbornness, a habit once formed didn’t easily disappear.

“I’m saying this because you look sick.”

Despite my assurance otherwise, Joo Do-hwa didn’t readily back away. It seemed like he was arguing at first glance, but ironically, it looked like he was genuinely worried. Of course, his fabricated concern would be directed at his hyung, not me.

I am what I am, but you are you too. What am I to you? What is a partner of just over half a year to you that you’d go this far? Me unable to forget Yoon Ji-soo, you unable to forget your hyung. If others saw us, they’d think we’re both foolish and frustrating.

“I’ll go up later if I feel sick.”

“Before you get sick…”

Joo Do-hwa, about to argue, suddenly lowered his gaze and stopped speaking. I wondered what he was looking at, only to find him staring intently at the button I had just undone. Thinking something might have gotten on it, I lowered my head, and he tapped his own chest.

“Button that up.”

“What?”

I looked alternately at the shirt he was wearing and the one I was wearing. Unlike Joo Do-hwa, who had his half unbuttoned, I had only undone one more at most. It wasn’t particularly strange attire, and if I turned my head a little, there were many people more exposed than this.

“…You want me to button this?”

“Yes, button it up.”

However, Joo Do-hwa ordered firmly, as if he wouldn’t say it twice. It was so sharp that I was left with no other choice but to button it up again. Joo Do-hwa, who had been watching me as if monitoring my movements, nodded once more.

“Fix your clothes properly.”

“…”

I sat up from my half-lying position and straightened my collar that had fallen forward. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, but judging by Joo Do-hwa’s expression, it seemed I was. Despite him dressing like a layabout himself. Does he think he’s Henry, suddenly telling me to fix my clothes like that?

“Done?”

“Yes, it’s done.”

As soon as I got his permission, I leaned back against the backrest again. As I raised my knees and slid down slightly, I felt like I could fall asleep like this.

If I could stay like this, then the pool party wouldn’t be so bad. Unlike the previous parties where I had to wear uncomfortable, tight-fitting formal suits, now I was in a loose top and shorts.

Comfortable clothes, a relaxed posture, and a moderately shaded spot—the perfect conditions for lounging around.

“…”

But what was bothering him now? Joo Do-hwa’s gaze on me wasn’t pleasant. It might have been a subtle change to others, but to my eyes, accustomed to reading his moods, it was clear.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he started unbuttoning his shirt one by one. Just as I widened my eyes at this strip-show-like behavior, Joo Do-hwa draped his shirt over my legs.

“Keep this on.”

“…”

On such a hot day?

“I’m not cold.”

“If you were cold in this weather, that would be a problem.”

His matter-of-fact response was absurd. If he knew that, wasn’t covering me with clothes like telling me to die of heat? Especially when he himself was wearing nothing on top.

“You’ll catch a cold if your sweat cools.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I still felt disgruntled. How bad must I look for him to treat me like an invalid like this? Maybe it would be better to not stay long and go up to my room.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“No, I’ll just lie here.”

Too lazy to think much, I simply shook my head. Perhaps he was only asking casually, as Joo Do-hwa didn’t ask twice. Instead, he straightened the shirt that had slipped down, but the touch that grazed my thigh made my shoulders flinch.

“…There you go again.”

Joo Do-hwa mumbled softly. The irritation that flashed across his eyes was sharp enough to make my solar plexus tighten for a moment. I expected immediate criticism, but surprisingly, he withdrew his hand without saying anything else.

“Sleep. I won’t touch you.”