Throughout the chaotic packing, a name that kept lingering in her mind sparkled on the screen of her phone.

“Khhmm!”

Ji-an cleared her throat vigorously before pressing the call button.

“Yes, Executive Director.”

[Dash] Can’t sleep.

His deep voice conveyed the purpose right away.

Ji-an pressed her warm cheeks with her hand and flopped onto the bed.

“You did well. How many hours did you sleep before being hospitalized?”

[Dash] Just enough to not die.

“What kind of answer is that?”

[Dash] Is the moving preparation done?

“Yes, mostly… Stop changing the topic.”

Ji-an glanced around her cluttered room, frowning slightly.

She didn’t want to be a nagging girlfriend from the beginning of their relationship, but Kang Hyun’s bad habits were not just harmful but destructive to his health, and she couldn’t just ignore them.

[Dash] I’ve been like this with sleep for a long time.

“When I’m there, you seem to sleep deeply, even if it’s for a short while, right?”

[Dash] Yes.

Ji-an turned half around and lay looking up at the ceiling.

Kang Hyun’s face, breathing peacefully like a child in sleep, was drawn on the faded ceiling.

That was also a reason she insisted on asking her parents.

She hoped he would sleep comfortably, even if it was just for a few hours.

“Okay, if you want to meet me in the future, you need to eat well, sleep well, and laugh a lot.”

[Dash] I might have shown you a sick side often, but I’m better than you think, much better.

“What do you mean better?”

[Dash] Everything.

Perhaps it was his voice that tickled her ears.

Ji-an blushed and vigorously wiggled her toes.

Her heels thumped loudly on the mattress, matching the rhythm of her heartbeat.

[Dash] So just worry about me moderately. Is that friend, Ha Joon, coming to help with the move tomorrow?

“Ah, yes. He said he’d help with organizing since it’s his day off.”

[Dash] Make sure to tell him.

After a brief silence, his tone became more serious.

“Tell him what?”

[Dash] That I like you.

“Yes, yes?”

[Dash] If you’re shy, say we kissed.

“That’s even more embarrassing.”

[Dash] I wish I could be the only one to touch you. Your hair, cheeks, shoulders.

“I will.”

Thinking of Ha Joon, who never concealed his discomfort with physical contact, Ji-an readily agreed.

[Dash] I feel like breaking it if he keeps touching you.

“Br-break, what?”

[Dash] Ah, um, forget what I said later.

Seemingly unintentional words spilled out, and Kang Hyun, uncharacteristically flustered, tried to retract them.

“Executive Director, I’m just asking this in case, but you know…”

[Dash] Yeah.

“Don’t come tomorrow, okay?”

As the response from the other side of the phone was delayed, Ji-an sat up abruptly.

“Executive Director?”

[Dash] Okay, I got it.

Ji-an straightened her crinkled nose and hugged a soft pillow.

His slow response was suspicious, but she hoped he wouldn’t show up with his injured body.

[Star Icon] [Star Icon] [Star Icon]

The move went smoothly.

Following Ji-an’s firm insistence that it’s better to spend a bit more money than to be exhausted, they hired enough center staff, making the process of moving the boxes not too strenuous.
“The more I look at this house, the more I love it. Look at this smooth dining table, and all the furniture is brand new too. I don’t even know how to properly thank the Executive Director,” Jeong-hye exclaimed, stroking the white marble dining table with her palm.

Honestly, the first time I visited this house, it didn’t feel real. Despite hearing about the great benefits of large corporations, I had never heard of them providing such luxurious villas.

“Should I have accepted this house so readily? Wouldn’t Ji-an suffer later because of it?” I had many worries, but once I moved in, it felt like I could fly anywhere. The built-in home appliances, the sleek interior, and the spacious living room extending to the terrace particularly captured my heart.

“Given his poor health, what can we do? It looks like we won’t be able to return the favor with a meal anytime soon,” Do-cheol commented, having just sat down at the dining table upon hearing that the black bean noodles had arrived.

“Ji-an, about the Executive Director. Is his condition so severe that he needs someone by his side?”

“Yes, he needs someone around. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him,” Ji-an exaggerated Kang Hyun’s condition. Though it felt morally ambiguous as she was actually going for a romance disguised as caregiving, until the stitches from his surgery were removed, he was practically an invalid.

“Where are you going?” Ha-joon asked Ji-an, who was smirking for no reason, while holding two bowls of black bean noodles.

“Uh, that’s…”

Knock-Knock.

“Excuse me.”

A respectful voice echoed from the entrance, a little away from the kitchen.

Ji-an’s hand, unwrapping the enticingly mixed noodles, slipped.

“Oh my, we’re not expecting anyone.”

“I’ll check,” Ji-an said, rising before Ha-joon and heading towards the wide-open door.

“Who is it?”