#74

“……Somehow, it feels like I’m receiving an incredibly luxurious kind of care.”

I spoke with a somewhat awkward smile, now comfortable enough to entrust my hair after experiencing it a few times. In response, Secretary Sung Yoojun spoke in a gentle voice.

“I’m still lacking in skill, but I’m truly grateful that you say so.”

“Lacking in skill……? You’re being way too modest. Even if I searched the entire world, I doubt I’d find a secretary more skilled than you.”

“Aren’t you overestimating me?”

“No. I’m simply giving an accurate evaluation as it is. If anyone who knows you were asked, I’m sure they’d all agree with me.”

As I spoke with an intentionally exaggerated tone, Sung Yoojun finished drying my hair and tidied it up slightly. After putting away the hairdryer, he carefully took hold of the hand I had resting on my thigh.

“Secretary Sung?”

Wondering why he suddenly grabbed my hand, I called out to him, but he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he simply examined my hand with a very cautious expression.

Curious about what exactly he was doing, I quietly observed him as he continued to fidget with my hand. Then, with a dissatisfied look, he placed my hand back down on my thigh and reached for my face this time.

As his large hand touched my cheek, I instinctively closed my eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again. Then, watching him carefully touch my cheek, forehead, and the nape of my neck with a serious expression, I asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Your complexion is pale, so I’m checking your body temperature.”

“My temperature?”

“Yes. As I thought, it’s lower than usual. Even after soaking in warm water, you’re still like this……”

Hearing the concern overflowing in Sung Yoojun’s voice, I widened my eyes slightly. Then, as if to reassure him, I gently curved my eyes into half-moons and lifted the corners of my lips into a radiant smile.

Sung Yoojun still had his hand on my cheek, gauging my temperature. I placed my palm over the back of his hand and spoke.

“Thank you for worrying about me. And also, thank you for taking care of so many things today. The reason I’m managing to live decently in this world is all thanks to you, Secretary Sung.”

I rubbed my cheek against Sung Yoojun’s palm, which was still resting on my face. If it was true that my body temperature was lower than usual, then the warmth of his hand felt especially comforting against my skin.

“Ah…… um……”

It seemed that my sudden expression of gratitude had caught him completely off guard, as Sung Yoojun, who was usually so composed, uncharacteristically stammered. It was a rare sight. I let out a small chuckle and released his hand. The moment I did, he swiftly pulled his hand away and turned around hastily, speaking in a voice that sounded almost urgent.

“I should go check on Lee Daon-ssi’s condition. I’ll see if he can come downstairs.”

“Okay. Please do. And if he doesn’t seem well enough, tell him to get some rest and that we can talk tomorrow instead.”

“Understood.”

For some reason, as Sung Yoojun opened the door and walked out in quick strides, his ears seemed slightly red. Was he embarrassed to hear words of gratitude? If so, that was kind of cute.

Smiling faintly at the thought, I soon reined in my laughter and slowly got up from my seat.

I wasn’t sure whether I’d get the chance to talk with Lee Daon today, given his condition, but I decided to prepare some tea just in case. If we couldn’t have a conversation, then I could just drink it myself.

As I left the room and made my way toward the kitchen, I pondered seriously over what kind of drink would be best. Since it was cold, maybe hot cocoa would be a good choice? A cup of warm cocoa topped with marshmallows would be delicious. But did we have marshmallows at home? Oh, and rather than using water, it would be better to heat up some milk for the cocoa.

Thinking that I should first check if we had milk and marshmallows, I stepped into the kitchen—only to find an unexpected figure.

“Gaon-ssi?”

With a puzzled voice, I called out to Lee Gaon, who was standing still in front of the sink, staring blankly downward. At my voice, he quickly snapped out of his daze and turned to look at me.

“……President.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought that since both you and Daon had been in the cold for a long time, something warm would be nice.”

It seemed like Lee Gaon had the exact same thought as me.

“Is that so? Actually, I also came here thinking that having some warm tea or something similar would be a good idea.”

“Looks like we were thinking the same thing.”

“Indeed.”

At my soft agreement, Lee Gaon smiled bashfully. Seeing his expression, I walked over to the sink where he was standing. As I got closer, something that had been hidden behind his body came into view—an assortment of tea bags in his hands.

Noticing my gaze directed at his hands, Lee Gaon scrunched his nose in slight embarrassment and explained,

“I already decided what Daon and I would drink, but I couldn’t choose one for you, sir. You usually drink coffee, but I thought having coffee this late at night wouldn’t be the best idea.”

At his words, I blinked blankly for a moment before chuckling softly.

“What did Gaon-ssi and Daon-ssi decide on?”

“We’re going to have cocoa. There’s some cocoa powder left, and it just felt like the perfect drink for winter……”

“That works out perfectly. I was also thinking of making cocoa for myself. Looks like all three of us will be drinking the same thing.”

“Really? In that case, I’ll put these tea bags away.”

As Lee Gaon returned the tea bags to the cupboard, I watched him briefly before heading toward the refrigerator. Taking out a carton of milk, I turned to him and asked.

“Gaon-ssi, do we have any marshmallows at home?”

“I think we do. Should I go get them?”

“Yes, please.”

While Lee Gaon went to find the marshmallows, I started preparing the cocoa on the counter. I set out four mugs and opened the lid of the cocoa powder container that Lee Gaon had taken out earlier, along with the tea bags. Luckily, there was more than enough left, so I wouldn’t have to worry about running out.

“Sir, I brought the marshmallows.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude as I accepted the unopened bag of marshmallows from Lee Gaon. Placing it on the counter, I then asked him.

“Will Daon-ssi be coming down?”

“Yes, he should be down soon. He was just coming out of the bathroom when I left.”

I see. I nodded at his response and picked up the milk, skillfully beginning to prepare the cocoa. After warming the milk and mixing in the cocoa powder, I topped each cup with a few marshmallows. In no time, the drinks looked rich and delicious.

Beside me, Lee Gaon, who had been watching anxiously as I made the cocoa, widened his eyes in awe at the finished product.

“That looks amazing!”

“Well, maybe not amazing, but it should taste decent enough.”

Even if I wasn’t great at cooking, it was hard to mess up something as simple as mixing cocoa powder into milk. And since I had made cocoa plenty of times before, I was confident it would taste fine. With that in mind, I handed two mugs over to Lee Gaon.

“But sir, why are there four mugs? Daon told me it would just be the three of us talking……”

“One of them is for Secretary Sung. He will probably go straight to his room after Daon-ssi comes down, but I want to give this to him first. He’s worked hard today.”

He had calmed down a frantic Lee Daon, cleaned up the mess in the living room, prepared a warm bath, adjusted the heating in the house…… Sung Yoojun had truly done a lot today.

Lee Gaon, seemingly recalling everything the secretary had done, nodded in understanding.

Holding a mug in each hand, I turned to him and asked.

“Should we head to the living room?”

“Oh, yes.”

Since discussing things in the living room seemed better than in the dining room, I asked the question, and Lee Gaon readily agreed. With his approval, I started walking toward the living room first, and he hurriedly followed behind me.

After setting down the mugs on the table in front of the sofa, I took a seat on the single-seater. Lee Gaon, who had followed me, also sat down, placing his mug on the table as well.

I moved the mug prepared for Lee Daon to the spot where he was likely to sit and then started sipping my own cocoa, blowing on it gently. Seeing me drink, Lee Gaon stole a glance at me before cautiously taking a sip of his own.

In the living room, where only the two of us sat, the only sounds that occasionally broke the silence were those of us drinking.

“Gaon-ssi.”

“Yes?”

It was I who broke the peaceful quiet first. As I placed my mug down on the table and softly called his name, Lee Gaon flinched slightly before responding.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever asked for your opinion.”

“Huh? About what?”

“Your thoughts on me meeting with Rep. Oh Hahyun today.”

As I carefully voiced my question and looked at him, Lee Gaon blinked in surprise.

“Uh…… I didn’t expect you to ask me that.”

After a brief pause, he replied in a somewhat bewildered voice.

“I think it’s only natural to ask. If anything, it’s a little overdue.”