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Noticing Seok-hyun watching her hand, Hee-jin looked back at him while sipping her ginger ale. The gaze they exchanged in the air didn't spark like it used to. Instead, their eyes blended together quietly.
New York strip and ribeye steaks soon filled the table. The thick cuts of meat sizzled on the cast-iron pan, emitting a rich, smoky aroma.
“It doesn't pale in comparison to the original, does it?”
“Yeah. It's good.”
Hee-jin ate better than usual once the familiar Chicago-style steaks arrived. Seok-hyun didn't hide his pleasure as he watched her. Since she usually had a small appetite, seeing her eat so well made him feel genuinely pleased.
A comfortable silence settled in, even without much conversation. When they finished their meal and stepped outside, the cool June evening air lightly brushed past them like a caress.
“The weather is nice. Shall we walk for a bit?”
Having arrived home, Seok-hyun suggested a stroll.
“Sure. I ate more than usual for the first time in a while, so I want to walk.”
Hee-jin readily agreed, and they walked toward a nearby park. Perhaps because everyone loves the weather just before summer arrives, there were quite a few people out for walks. In particular, there were many people with dogs, and Hee-jin's gaze wouldn't leave them.
“Do you like dogs?”
“I do. Though I couldn't raise one...”
Because her circumstances weren't ideal, she had never owned an animal. Moreover, the burden of being entirely responsible for a living creature made her hesitant to even try. Since Chicago was a city where many people owned dogs, she was content with seeing them frequently while passing by. Looking at those lovely creatures naturally warmed her heart.
“What's wrong with raising a dog?”
“What do you mean 'what's wrong'? Of course it's hard... Wait, are you planning to bring one home?”
Suspicious of why he was suddenly talking about raising a dog, Hee-jin scanned him with doubting eyes. Go Seok-hyun was the kind of person who wouldn't be out of character to suddenly bring home a dog, claiming it was a surprise gift. Just as Hee-jin was recoiling in horror, she noticed Seok-hyun wearing a somewhat mischievous expression, which irritated her.
“Right. I already have one, so why bring another?”
Resting his chin on the back of his hand, Seok-hyun wrinkled his nose cutely. Looking at Seok-hyun, who referred to himself as a dog, Hee-jin felt absurd, remembering how she had called him a 'son of a bitch' in the past. Even then, he had simply countered by saying he was good at keeping pace... It seemed he was aware that he acted like a dog.
“You know dogs have to be cared for for their entire lives, right?”
“Don't even say such terrible things.”
Hee-jin's expression turned stern, and she walked ahead as if she didn't want to deal with him. Seok-hyun burst into laughter, but she didn't look back.
✾ ✾ ✾
“You can come in now.”
After returning home and filling the tub, Seok-hyun called Hee-jin, saying it was ready. Hee-jin entered the shower, barely glancing at Seok-hyun, who had already gotten into the tub. Since it was a glass door and he was right next to her, he would be able to see her clearly from his spot, but she didn't care. It wasn't as if it were the first or second time; she was used to it now, so it didn't bother her.
Hee-jin stood under the water for a moment, wetting her hair. Summer was gradually approaching, but she still preferred warm water. She felt that once it got hotter, she wouldn't want to loosen up her hand in hot water. If it were Go Seok-hyun, he would probably just say to lower the air conditioner temperature. Hee-jin turned around and looked at the tub. Unsurprisingly, her eyes met his.
“Don't look.”
When she muttered this to herself, Seok-hyun tilted his head as if he hadn't heard. The way he pretended not to know what she said, despite clearly knowing, was quite brazen.
After washing herself thoroughly and entering the tub, Seok-hyun naturally opened his arms. It was a signal for her to sit between his legs. Even though the tub was wide enough for them to sit side-by-side, he always tried to hug her from behind. Just like during her rehabilitation.
As she sat in front of him, Seok-hyun wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Only after pressing her body against him as if stuffing her into his embrace did he relax his arms with satisfaction. It was a position where she couldn't help but feel his center.
“Noona, don't you know how to joke?”
“If hiding your intentions like that is a joke, then I don't know how.”
“What intentions did I hide?”
The way he asked back, deliberately pretending not to know, was truly wicked. When she pretended not to know, wondering if he actually expected her to tell him, Seok-hyun's laughter tickled her ear. It was so ticklish she wanted to scratch her ear, so she raised her hand.
“Is that much okay now?”
He seemed fascinated by the way she naturally rubbed her ear with her left hand. As he said, this much was no problem. However, the action of pressing down on a violin fingerboard applies considerable pressure to the bones, tendons, and muscles, so she couldn't even attempt it yet. The doctor had even said that pressure is distributed across the entire hand, putting a strain on the injured finger, so she shouldn't even practice with the fingers that were still fine.
Recalling the single note she had played a while ago, Hee-jin bit her lip hard and lowered her hand. She rotated her hand half a turn as if holding a violin and let out a long sigh. In her slightly trembling eyes, there was both the anxiety of whether she could reclaim that sound and the longing to feel it again.
“I want to see that expression you're making right now.”
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Because I feel like you're making a very beautiful expression.”
What was he talking about while being behind her? Hee-jin scoffed, finding it absurd, but she clamped her mouth shut at the timing that seemed to pierce right through her psychological state. She looked around, suspecting he might have seen her expression through a mirror or some other means, but nothing like that was visible. Noticing Hee-jin searching the bathroom, Seok-hyun burst into laughter.
“I didn't say it because I saw you. If I had, I wouldn't have said I wanted to see it.”
“…Then?”
“I just know. The density and speed of your breathing changed. You lowered your head and bit your lip, right?”
“…….”
“And seeing how you composed your breath at the end, it didn't just end with a heavy heart. You imagined the moment your hand heals... yes, the moment you start your first practice, didn't you?”
Hee-jin's body froze at Seok-hyun's words as he methodically traced her thoughts. It felt as if he were looking clearly into the deepest parts of her inner self.
Just how much does he know about me? He can figure out my thoughts just by the sound of my breathing?
Hee-jin felt a chill and wanted to escape his embrace immediately, but at the same time, she felt a stubborn urge to see how much further he could go.
“If you know me that well, then you must also know how much I hate you.”
“I know. It's only natural to hate me. Because I made you take a much longer detour.”
He seemed completely unfazed by the fact that she hated him. Hee-jin could hardly imagine how thick-skinned a person had to be to act like that.
However, the meaning behind his words pricked at Hee-jin's heart. The implication that she was merely taking a detour, and that she would eventually return to her original path. Hee-jin felt uncomfortable at his absurd level of confidence; she stopped being sarcastic and chewed on her lip.
While she was flustered by his unwavering attitude, which left no room for her anxiety and skepticism to seep in, she felt herself gradually overwhelmed by the subtle persuasiveness beneath it. Where on earth did this infinite positivity and faith originate from?
“Still, please let me be with you for that first practice. I don't want to miss it.”
Hearing his quiet yet confident voice, Hee-jin composed her breath again and looked at her left hand. Would the day ever come when she could feel that sensation again—pressing the fingerboard with her entire hand, which was on a completely different level from pressing a single pinky finger? She tried to imagine that moment in her head, but it still felt vague.
“Is that a promise?”
When he asked as if seeking a vow, Hee-jin started to answer half-sarcastically but stopped. Realizing that while she was so skeptical, there wasn't a single tremor in Go Seok-hyun's voice, she found herself unable to say anything.
Staring at the now-silent Hee-jin, Seok-hyun gently took her left hand. In the past, she would have reflexively rejected him, but now she only flinched for a moment and naturally entrusted herself to his touch. It was likely because she had already grown accustomed to this act of him massaging her hand.
Hee-jin's back, which had been tense and straight during their conversation, leaned against his chest. This moment meant more than anything to Seok-hyun. A state where Hee-jin felt comfort without even being conscious of his presence. Because the moment she began to accept him in her subconscious was exactly what he had hoped for.
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