First Day of Care
Sighing once more, Ji-eum closed her front door behind her and stopped right in front of unit 1212 across the hall—just a single step away.
“Ahem.”
She pressed the doorbell. A few seconds later the door flew open. Before she could even register surprise, a thick soap scent rushed straight into her nose. Perhaps because it was morning, his low, husky voice tickled her ears.
“You’re a bit early.”
“Ha, a bit early…?”
The lips she’d parted to snap about who’d been dropping hints for the last thirty minutes snapped shut again.
Kwon Beom-ju stood in the doorway with his top off and his pants buckle only half fastened. Fresh from the bathroom, moisture still clung to his shoulders and chest. Ji-eum blankly traced the muscles—firmer than she’d imagined when he’d been clothed—then spotted something on the cleft of his chest and whipped her head sharply to the side.
Oh no. I just saw Kwon Beom-ju’s nipple.
“Y-you call someone over and then stand there half-naked?”
She stammered in shock, only to get an incredulous reply.
“It’s not like I’m completely naked.”
He’d figured she’d show up right on time, he added, fastening the open buckle with his left hand. The motion was slow and clumsy. It really did look inconvenient….
So the nursing isn’t just an excuse after all.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”
“Uh, I’ll… just wait out here.”
“Why?”
Why, indeed. At Beom-ju’s question Ji-eum rolled her eyes for a second before speaking.
“Well, uh, it’s a guy living alone, you know?”
She trailed off, suddenly awkward for no good reason.
“I do look like a guy, don’t I?”
“What?”
Kwon Beom-ju grinned again, flashing his teeth. Heat flooded her face at the completely unfunny line. She opened her mouth to retort, then closed it, afraid it would sound like a lame excuse.
“If you can’t come in, then don’t.”
Watching her flounder and laughing at her like that was ridiculous. Who said she was staying out because she was embarrassed?
“If you’re not ready in five minutes, I’m going alone.”
Ji-eum glared at him with flat eyes, then swept past him into the apartment. The door thudded shut behind her. The moment she stepped inside a fresh, pleasant scent made her flinch. A diffuser blending narcissus and grapefruit filled the whole place. She’d pictured him living like a beast, but this was unexpectedly nice….
“Look around wherever you want. I just need to throw some clothes on.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It was her first time in a place where a guy lived alone. She’d been to Seung-jo’s before, but that was a house with his parents.
Ji-eum slowly took in Kwon Beom-ju’s apartment. She’d heard the units on this side had different floor plans and sizes, and it really did feel like another world.
The living room was spacious. Behind the spotless kitchen sat a large TV and a plush-looking brown leather sofa; a few frames hung on the wall.
She stepped closer. They were photos of Kwon Beom-ju with his grandmother.
“Oh…”
Not recent—maybe a few years old. The boyish softness still lingered on his face.
He seems really close with his grandma….
There was a solo shot of the white-haired old woman, and another of the two of them in a hospital room, each making a heart with one arm. Other people’s family photos usually made her eyes sting for some reason, but Beom-ju’s carried a warmer, more poignant feeling. Even to a first-time viewer the affection for his grandmother poured out of every frame.
Why only pictures with Grandma? Are the ones with his parents or siblings hanging in the bedroom?
Still staring at the frames, Ji-eum finally pulled her gaze away and moved to the bookshelf beside the sofa. Thick volumes stood packed tight.
Wittgenstein, The Consolation of Philosophy, Ancient Western Philosophy, Symbolic Logic…. Scanning the spines, they all looked like major texts from her own department. The edges were worn from heavy reading.
“So he didn’t just pick Philosophy for the image.”
Kwon Beom-ju. Huh. He’s a little different from how he looks…. She was still marveling when he emerged from the bedroom.
“Ugh, shit, that fucking hurts.”
“……”
Ji-eum turned. Beom-ju was fighting a losing battle. The left hand alone wasn’t enough, so he was trying to use the casted right one too, cursing under his breath every time he moved.
Of course. So much for any hidden depths….
“Aigo…. Give it here. You’ll take half a day at this rate.”
Unable to watch any longer, she stepped in and tugged the hoodie over his head. His hair was shorter than when she’d first seen him in Bupyeong, so his ears showed more clearly. Clean, nicely shaped ears.
“Hey, lift your left arm too.”
“What perfume are you wearing?”
“What? I don’t wear that stuff. Just lift your arm.”
“Weird.”
His thick, long forearm shot up in a victory pose. Between the balanced muscles that belonged in a textbook, a bushy armpit came into view.
“Ugh.”
Of all the things I’ve seen in my life, now it’s Kwon Beom-ju’s armpit. Heat flooded her face. A man’s bare armpit was a genuine first. Over the hollowed groove the swollen muscle flexed as if ready to burst.
“See? This is why I need the nursing. Look—can’t even put on one shirt.”
Ridiculous. She was dying of secondhand embarrassment and he was saying that so casually.
“How’d you manage the pants by yourself?”
“Those took a while too. Thighs are the hard part.”
The instant the words left his mouth her eyes flicked, unbidden, to the crotch of his pants. Over the left thigh a long, thick outline stood out clearly. It bulged against the thin cotton fabric so plainly she knew exactly what it was.
“Eu…!”
Eugh…. She barely swallowed the scream that tried to escape, dropped the hoodie sleeve she’d been holding to thread, and spun around.
“Th-the rest you can do yourself…!”
The silhouette she’d just seen lingered like an afterimage. Is everything on him that big? Rough estimate… the length alone was… No—length was one thing, but the girth especially was thick.
“Haa…”
She’d definitely gotten herself into the wrong mess. She’d thought it would just be light help during campus meals or quick meet-ups, yet here she was dressing him at home and seeing things she never wanted to see.
What even is this….
“Hey. I’m ready. Let’s go.”
They left together and stepped into the elevator. Beom-ju raked a hand through the hair mussed by the hoodie, then kept glancing sideways.
“What are you looking at?”
“Isn’t that bag heavy?”
“It’s fine. I carry it every day.”
“Give it. I’ll take it.”
“I said it’s fine. You’re the one with the broken arm—”
“Just hand it over.”
He didn’t give her a chance to argue. In one smooth motion he snatched the peddler bag and slung it over his shoulder, then muttered with a stunned look.
“Fucking heavy. Hey, you packing bricks in here?”
“I only put things I actually use, okay?”
“What the hell do you haul around? Spill.”
Nothing special, really…. She rattled off the contents.
Major textbooks, laptop, tumbler, picnic mat, socks, multi-outlet, power bank, flashlight, knee blanket, glasses….
“Why the picnic mat?”
“Well… in case I ever need to sit on the grass.”
“And the flashlight?”
“That’s… if I get stuck somewhere or the power goes out.”
“What, you carrying a disaster kit?”
“It’s my peace of mind, okay….”
While they talked the elevator stopped at B2. Ji-eum trailed after his broad back. Because so many students lived in the building, the parking level was sparsely occupied.
No way. That car?
Beom-ju’s steps led straight to a gleaming blue BMW parked by itself.
Beep.
Before her doubt could fully form he pulled out the key fob and unlocked it, then brushed past the still-staring Ji-eum and opened the passenger door.
“What are you doing? Get in.”
I’ve never ridden in a car like this. Kind of intimidating…. Ji-eum climbed in carefully. Beom-ju tossed the bag into the back seat and swung around to the driver’s side. Despite his size his movements were quick and natural. Watching him grip the wheel and start the engine, she thought to herself:
He uses that left hand just fine living day to day. Does he really need the help?
“First time I’ve ever given anyone a ride.”
“Huh?”
“First time putting someone in this car. Feel free to brag about it wherever you want.”
Brag… where, and to whom? It was absurd, but she just nodded.
Moments later the blue midsize sedan glided out of the garage. Ji-eum fidgeted with her seatbelt and let her eyes drift. She stole a glance at the side profile calmly watching the road while he turned the wheel.
His temper’s weird, but he really is handsome. Until now she’d been too busy being shocked by his personality to notice. Kwon Beom-ju’s looks were suddenly impossible to ignore.