CHAPTER 399: THEN, YOU WERE PROBABLY SLEEPWALKING

Back to Jo-Pil’s POV

It felt weird.

Hearing a confession, I mean.

It felt like fireflies were whispering in my ears and butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I couldn’t concentrate on anything.

I didn’t expect it and maybe that was why it hit me by surprise.

My heart... It wouldn’t stop pounding.

I was happy. Happy to hear those words I swore to play hard to get with.

I remember telling myself that I would shun down any of my masters who dared to confess such to me.

But look at me now, blushing and fluttering because the feelings I’ve fostered were just as strong.

At this rate, I just might accept every confession I get but... I looked at Ki-hoon as he softly scrubbed my arm... He wasn’t asking me to return his feelings.

He wasn’t being greedy and seizing the opportunity to seize most of my love.

Thinking of this, my cheeks warmed up even more.

He was such a Prince Charming when he was like this.

He was so focused on what he was doing and that concentrated look made him look even more handsome.

’Do I love him as much as he loves me?’ I wondered and closed my eyes. ’I don’t know, but I’m sure I also l—’

"Turn around, Jo-Pil," Ki-hoon said, his voice soft and affectionate and I nodded.

I turned and he began to scrub my back.

What was I thinking of just now?

I shouldn’t think that far yet.

My face lightly burned. It’s fine.

"Jo-Pil," Ki-hoon called and I glanced over my shoulder. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes," I think.

"Do you want to talk about it now?" He asked but the thought of it made twisted knots in my throat. "No one will blame you for anything. No one wants to make you uncomfortable. We just... Worry about you, do we need to know what happened? Jo-Pil, no matter what anyone else says, I am always on your side."

Ah, if you ask me about that, how am I supposed to answer?

I don’t even know what happened.

"I was in a dream," I said to him, folding my arms atop my knee and then fiddling my toes anxiously. "I really didn’t do anything to her knowing she was there. I didn’t mean to hit her or raise the chair either. I didn’t even know what I was doing."

"Then, you were probably sleepwalking," Ki-hoon said but I went silent. What sort of vicious sleepwalk was that?

In the first place, I’ve never had such a habit of sleepwalking before, so how did it come about all of a sudden?

"What happened in the dream?" Ki-hoon asked but I stayed silent. "If you’re still not uncomfortable, you can just ignore it."

No, I had to talk.

The fact that the dream shook me up so much and made me do all that must have them worried.

How in the world would they rest peacefully if they knew that I was being disturbed with unknown thoughts?

"I was jealous," I said, my voice low enough to be a mumble. "I was shamelessly jealous of Jie-Yu because she shared the same interest in novels as Seo-Jun." I closed my eyes, scared of how pathetic I sounded.

"And then what happened?"

"I began having thoughts that Seo-Jun might end up sleeping with her since that’s the pattern he follows." I fiddled with my wet hair.

Did my words make sense? I didn’t want to keep talking because of his strange way of saying my own words felt to me.

But Ki-hoon did not think the same. He listened and chose his words carefully, only speaking when he should.

"Of course, I know it might not happen and Jie-Yu doesn’t seem like that kind of girl either, but my inner thoughts were conflicted. So much that I had a dream like that and my body moved while in that dream," I pressed my hand on my face, anxiously.

I wanted to be friends with her and was the one who asked her to stay over, yet I had such thoughts of her stealing my man, so much so that my subconscious moved my body in order to get rid of the hindrance in my relationship.

It was as shameful as it was ugly.

"Jo-Pil," Ki-hoon called. "It’s not your fault, okay? Why would we blame you for hitting someone in your dream?"

But it doesn’t make me feel any better.

"I think it’s because I was scared that something like that would happen, that’s why the impersonation of Jie-Yu mocked me and called me a slave in my dream. I didn’t listen, because I was confident in the feelings my masters have for me and yet... I opened my eyes to see the chaos I had created."

Any sane person would lose their mind in that situation. I was no different.

"I’m done," Ki-hoon said, standing to his feet.

He helped wash my back and chest while I was absentminded, but didn’t go further down. That was his limit, I assumed.

"Jo-Pil," he called my name affectionately. "If you’d like, we can all pretend like this night never happened," he said, offering his hand to me and I gulped.

Yeah, we could do that but... My mind flashed back to the scared expression on Jie-Yu’s face. It wouldn’t be fair to her if I didn’t explain it and just acted like nothing happened.

I took Ki-hoon’s hand and said,

"As much as I’d like to keep running, I don’t think that’s the best thing to do." I got out of the tub and Ki-hoon stared into my eyes.

I stared back into his eyes and then closed my eyes, leaning forward as I tiptoed to kiss his lips.

"Thank you, Hyung," I said and finally smiled. "You made me feel so much better."

Ki-hoon stared at me briefly and then smiled warmly, holding my hand firmly as he said,

"I’m glad I could once again put a smile on your lips."

Well, he sure did do more than put a smile on my lips.

He wrapped a robe around me and then dropped a towel on my head.

Come to think of it, ah, given this was a special circumstance, I didn’t overreact when he carried me to the bathroom to bathe me.

I mean, my mind was already in shambles. It would be weirder if I had time to think of things like that.

But now that it’s done and my mind is clear, I can’t stop my face from heating up.

With my palms pressed on my cheeks, I desperately tried to remove my mind from such thoughts in order to calm down but it was no use.

I looked at Ki-hoon’s back.

He had such broad and reliable shoulders.

"Where does it hurt?" He suddenly asked and I blinked.

"Hm?"

Ki-hoon looked at me, tilted his head, and then shook it.

I wondered what he was getting at when he suddenly swooped me off my feet and embraced me to his body.

"H-hyung, what are you doing?"

"You don’t even know you’re hurt, Jo-Pil." He said. "Physically."

My mind loaded briefly and then I recalled I rolled down the stairs, and hit a lot of corners, causing me to bleed.

It was no wonder the water looked a little pink. It was my blood.

I just thought it was the dirt.

And because my mind was so preoccupied, I didn’t feel any pain or sting when the water touched the wounded areas.

Maybe it’s not that serious. I thought to myself, but I was sure Ki-hoon wouldn’t hear of it.

He carried me out of the bathroom and then dropped me on his bed.

Then, he began to gently dry my hair. While he did that, I hissed feeling a sting on my forehead.

"Are you okay? Was I too rough?" He asked, frantic in worry but I shook my head.

"No, it’s not that. It’s..." I touched my forehead. It seemed like I had an injury there as well.

"The doctor will be here soon, okay?" He said and my eyes went bleak. Why did things have to always come to this point?

By doctor, he definitely meant Cha Hyun-woo. I don’t remember him making a call so I assumed it was the others who did the honor.

"I’m not badly hurt," I said but he did not respond. He simply looked at me and shook his head, sighing like an old man who had seen the whole of the world. "What?"

"You tend to neglect your own body." He said, his hand reached for the side of my face and brushed my hair softly. "How would you know if you were badly hurt if you tell yourself that? You’re hypnotizing yourself, Jo-Pil."

Was I?

I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think so.

I did do it in the past, telling myself it was fine and that I could get through without getting hurt and that was how it always went. I liked to call it being greatly optimistic, not self-hypnosis.

Was that it the whole time?

A knock came on the door and I raised my head to look in that direction. Ki-hoon equally looked up and then, as if he already knew who it was, said,

"Come in."

The door opened and I watched Seo-Jun walk in. Behind him were Min-Cheol and Cha Hyun-woo.

They had this weird expression on their face, as if they had a debt they couldn’t afford to pay back and were here to beg for more time.

Hm, why did I think of such a reference? Strange.