However, the people who left us behind had no intention of hearing my silent plea and exited the room, leaving only Ian and me behind.
Click.
The door closed without hesitation.
I froze, awkwardly turned toward the door, and a tense silence filled the room.
After a brief pause, Ian spoke.
“…Are you planning to stay like that?”
I cleared my throat belatedly.
“Ahem, right.”
“If you’re uncomfortable, you can just leave the medicine and bandages and go.”
“No, I’ll… take care of it…”
The moment I turned toward the bed where he was sitting, I silently screamed again.
‘Why is he undressed?!’
Ian was sitting on the bed, his upper body completely exposed.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Not only had his hand been injured, but his arm had also been soaked with tea, so it was natural.
But witnessing it without warning was another matter entirely.
‘If I show any reaction, I’ll just look like the weird one. Stay calm.’
Barely managing to regain my composure, I hesitantly approached the bed.
Unlike me, who was on the verge of fainting, Ian seemed entirely unfazed.
‘Does he have no awareness of the situation?’
Thanks to him, I had to make an effort to keep my eyes from wandering toward his bare torso.
“Uh, can you… show me your arm?”
I awkwardly sat in the chair prepared next to the bed and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
Ian stared at me for a moment, then extended his arm.
The injury looked much better now, likely due to the doctor’s treatment, but it was still red and inflamed.
“At least it won’t leave a scar.” I murmured, a mix of relief and frustration in my voice.
“Yes. The doctor said my hand, which took the brunt of the water, was the most at risk, but fortunately, the first aid was well done, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Why he was saying this while looking at me and not his hand, I had no idea.
To avoid his gaze, I bowed my head even lower. I didn’t have the nerve to meet his eyes and deal with the inevitable awkwardness.
‘It’s already awkward enough!’
Just being alone with a half-naked Ian in an empty room was more than I could handle.
I had only planned to take a quick look and leave. But here I was.
Stiffly, I set the tray down, dipped my fingers into the ointment, and began applying it to his shoulder, slowly and carefully.
The air between us grew more stiflingly awkward with each passing second, as neither Ian nor I spoke a word.
‘Just hurry up and wrap the bandage and get out of here.’
I silently prayed that neither of us would speak until I finished.
But my earnest wish was shattered the very next moment.
“Are you angry?”
Grit.
Why did this guy, who could barely be bothered to answer when spoken to on normal days, always decide to strike up a conversation at moments like these?
I couldn’t outright ignore him because, unlike Ian, I wasn’t that rude.
“…Why do you think I’m angry?”
“Your expression hasn’t been good since earlier.”
That’s because you’re sitting there shirtless, idiot.
“I’m not angry. Why would I be?”
I really wasn’t angry, but for some reason, my tone came out snappy.
Ian seemed to sense it as well because he paused before speaking again.
“Should I be apologizing?”
“Why would you apologize?”
“Because your expression looks…”
“Oh, come on! I’m telling you I’m not angry…!”
I abruptly lifted my head, but then froze.
Ian’s eyes were staring right at me.
The uncomfortable, intimate atmosphere I had been dreading crashed over us, just as I feared.
“……”
“……”
I was the first to look away.
“Anyway! I’m not angry.”
For some reason, my ears felt hot.
I barely managed to stop myself from letting my voice crack.
“…I’m not angry, but don’t do that again. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt that badly. The tea would have spilled mostly on my skirt anyway…”
While I grumbled, Ian stayed silent.
Normally, when I nagged him, he’d respond with half-hearted answers, but this time, he was acting completely different.
It was clear he had no intention of listening.
Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but sigh.
‘I know why he’s acting this way, but still…’
It made me feel even more unsettled.
Ian had an obsessive aversion to seeing those around him get hurt.
Specifically, he blamed himself entirely whenever someone close to him was injured.
This was also why he pushed people away and refused to keep anyone close.
‘The male lead’s mentality is so fragile, like glass…’
I clicked my tongue in my mind but stopped myself. It wasn’t Ian’s fault he had ended up like this.
I let out a sigh, soft enough that he wouldn’t hear, and carefully finished applying the ointment all the way to the back of his hand before picking up the bandages.
“Did you hear what I said? Don’t do that again. I can take care of myself.”
“……”
“Answer me.”
“…I’ll consider it.”
So he’s just going to think about it, huh.
I had to give him credit for never telling a lie, even in a situation like this.
I knew pushing him further wouldn’t get me anywhere, so I just clammed up and focused on wrapping the bandages.
As Ian silently watched, he asked. “Is this your first time doing this?”
…Could he tell?
I must admit, the bandaging job was pretty sloppy.
Well, it wasn’t surprising.
How many chances had I had to wrap a bandage in my life? The most I’d ever done was hastily wrap a compression bandage after spraining my ankle while sprinting down the stairs during high school lunch.
Without answering, I firmly wrapped the bandage from just above his elbow down to his hand.
If it was too bad, the doctor could redo it later.
Once I was sure the end of the bandage was secure, I quickly moved away from him.
“Alright. This should be enough to prevent any irritation. I applied plenty of ointment, so have the doctor check it again tomorrow. He’s the expert, after all.”
Whew, I felt like I was suffocating in there.
I quickly gathered the leftover bandages and ointment, then stood up abruptly.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
I was just about to flee the room without even looking at Ian when his voice stopped me.
“My Lady.”
Oh, come on. What now?
Why does he keep calling me?
“Yes, go ahead.”
Reluctantly, I turned around, awkwardly keeping my gaze lowered, glancing at him only through the corner of my eye.
After an uncharacteristically long silence, Ian spoke in a low voice.
“…Thank you. And…”
“……”
“Let’s go on a date again sometime.”
…What?
I couldn’t believe my ears.
I forgot all about trying not to look at him and stared at him blankly.
Ian’s azure eyes wandered for a moment before finally locking onto mine.
“If it’s not something you dislike, that is.”
He looked strangely awkward, like he wasn’t used to saying something like that.
Before I could even process what was happening, a silent scream erupted in my head.
‘What the—?!’
But before I could react, he spoke again, and I had to make my escape.
“I-I’ll be going now!”
I dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind me, and leaned against it, breathless.
‘What the hell just happened?!’
It was shocking enough that he thanked me, but to suggest another date?
Since when did he care about things like that?
Clutching the tray tightly, I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.
‘Calm down, Eloise!’
They say people’s hearts race when they’re extremely scared or startled. That was exactly how I felt.
‘Don’t fall for the suspension bridge effect. You’ve just had too many surprises today.’
Even though I tried to calm myself, my heart kept pounding in my chest for a long time.
I stood there for what felt like forever, leaning against the door, still clutching the tray tightly.
♧♧♧
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