TMFS Chapter 4 (Part 2)

Eventually, she gave up on escaping. If she was going to sink, then so be it—she stopped resisting, curled up in the deep, dark mire.

Then suddenly, Yoon’s head lifted. Reddish-brown eyes locked onto hers, sharp and intense.

Her eyes, which had lost their focus, slowly sharpened again. Lucas didn’t hide the storm in his heart as he spoke.

“Why would you say something like that?”

Yoon quietly met his gaze. His reddish-brown eyes were clouded with emotion—anger, sadness, pain, and…

“…Did I make you think that? Have I ever treated you like that, even once?”

Undeniable affection.

She wanted to know everything—the countless emotions flowing from him. If emotions had color, his right now would burn bright red, like searing flames.

“No, you’ve never treated me that way. Not once.”

He was truly strange. He worried about her condition when no one else cared, always checked if she’d eaten during mealtimes without fail.

Every time she returned from a mission, he’d examine her for injuries, and on days when her mood dipped, he somehow sensed it like a ghost and brought her something delicious.

He was the only one who reacted to her. The only one constantly watching over her, always wondering how she was. That was Lucas.

“I don’t care about you for some useless reason like that.”

He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. At some point, Yoon had quietly closed her eyes too.

If gentleness and sighs had a temperature, his would be warm for sure. That large embrace wrapping around her, those familiar hands—surely they held warmth too.

Yet all Yoon could feel was the sound of his heartbeat. And today, that truth stung unbearably.

“…Alright. Because it’s you, I’ll believe it.”

Her cold hand gently brushed his cheek. As her hand stroked his smooth face, it slowly moved beneath his eyes.

Yoon softly caressed the dark circles under his eyes, evidence of his exhaustion. Then, quietly withdrawing her hand, she spoke in a calm voice.

“Sleep.”

Lucas, who had seemed about to say something more, let out a low sigh and pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, almost like a binding. Yoon buried her face in his chest, thinking—this must be his way of giving comfort.

* * *

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, signaling morning as it filled the room. At the sound of birds chirping, black eyes fluttered open in a daze.

Yoon blinked blankly for a moment, then felt something was off. The familiar ceiling she should be seeing was nowhere in sight—instead, a firm chest blocked her view.

‘What…?’

Puzzled, she slowly raised her head—and her pupils dilated. Right in front of her was a smooth, well-defined jawline.

Her lips parted slightly in shock. Like film rolling through a projector, memories of the previous night flashed rapidly through her mind. The vivid rush of it all made her let out a small groan.

‘First things first—get up.’

Carefully, Yoon began to slip out of his arms. Just then, he stirred faintly, a frown forming between his brows.

With her face stiff and frozen, Yoon stared at him. Time seemed to crawl until his breathing returned to a steady rhythm. Only then did she finally escape the bed completely.

She glanced down at herself—and sighed. Her appearance was a mess. The loose clothes hanging off her were hardly better than being naked. With a small sigh, she casually undid the shirt.

Still draped in the shirt, now hanging off one arm, Yoon rummaged through his wardrobe. Finding something familiar, she shut the wardrobe and headed toward the bathroom.

Before closing the door, she glanced back at Lucas once more, then stepped out. The soft click of the door closing echoed behind her.

At that moment, reddish-brown eyes slowly opened. In the morning sunlight, they shone like glass, clear and bright. Staring blankly at the door Yoon had just exited, his eyes gradually closed again.

After a refreshing shower, Yoon returned to the bedroom. Water dripped from her hair, but she didn’t mind as she approached him.

She carefully sat on the bed and studied his face. The soft sound of water droplets hitting the blanket and his calm breathing filled the room.

It was the first time—seeing Lucas asleep. Somehow, it felt strange and new. He was always awake before her—showering, working, or cooking breakfast.

Realizing that, he seemed rather domestic. A faint smile touched Yoon’s lips. As she lowered her head, his face came into clearer view.

Whenever he swept his bangs back, his smooth forehead would show, but with his hair now calmly falling over it, his features looked much softer. Yoon quietly studied his face again.

His perfectly sharp nose was striking, and his red lips were full. With a gentle touch, Yoon traced his lips.

They were a bit dry—he must’ve been tired. Her hand lingered on his lips for a while.

Thinking about how she’d clung to him all night, making a mess of things while he was this exhausted, made her feel a little guilty. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, a large hand caught her wrist.

Looking down, she met his reddish-brown eyes, hazy and unfocused as they looked up at her. His gaze, usually sharp and clear, was blurry with sleep. Seeing him like this—unguarded and soft—made her want to laugh.

“Morning.”

Lucas blinked a couple times, then let out a low groan and released her hand.

“You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I had some expensive stuff last night.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

At the sound of his deeply husky, sleep-laden voice, Yoon chuckled softly and poured him a glass of water. He drank without protest. His firm throat bobbed as he swallowed.

Yoon lightly took the cup back and set it on the shelf. Lucas sat up, leaning against the headboard, and looked at her.

“Give it here. Your hair’s dripping all over.”

Noticing the water trailing from her hair, he motioned for her to come closer. Yoon handed him a towel, and he gestured for her to turn around.

Obediently, Yoon sat with her back to him. Lucas adjusted his posture and took her wet hair into his hands.

“What time is it?”

Lucas began drying her hair with practiced ease. The towel quickly grew damp.

“Twelve.”

“…What?”

His hands, mid-motion drying her hair, froze. As if he’d misheard, he repeated,

“I was basically passed out?”
Yoon teased him with a smirk.

“…Unbelievable.”

Lucas was dumbfounded that he’d completely lost awareness. Letting out a sigh, he resumed drying her hair.

Guess he’d been more exhausted than he thought. Yoon seemed to think the same, her voice calm and casual.

“You must’ve been really tired. This is the first time you’ve woken up later than me, right?”

“…Yeah.”

He gave a small nod in agreement and ran his fingers through her hair one last time. The droplets stopped falling, and her hair turned soft and dry. He let his hand fall away.

‘Good thing it’s the weekend.’

Lucas let out a small breath of relief and tossed the towel into the laundry basket near the bathroom.

“I should shower too.”

As he stood up, Yoon gave him a small wave. He let out a chuckle and headed into the bathroom.

Wondering what to do, Yoon opened the fridge and started pulling out various ingredients. If I just throw everything in, something will come out, she figured, and got to work cooking.

Lucas stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair, when a waft of food hit his nose. He paused mid-step, nose twitching. No way… it can’t be. Trying to deny the thought, he quickened his pace despite himself.

The moment he reached the kitchen, Lucas froze.

Yoon stood in front of the stove, holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a spoon in the other, staring intently at the food with a deeply focused expression.

“…What… are you doing?”

He stammered, clearly flustered by the unfamiliar sight.

“Oh, you’re out? I tried making something—want to taste it?”

Looking pleased, Yoon set the dish in front of him. Lucas sat at the table, hesitant and stiff.

Yoon, holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a spoon in the other, was intimidating just by existing. Lucas forced his gaze down to the food. At least visually, it didn’t look bad.

Maybe—just maybe—it was actually edible. Trying to stay positive, he picked up the spoon.

After tasting it, he silently set the spoon down. Then, without a word, he poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down.

“…First, put down that knife.”

Lucas spoke in a calm, low voice, as if trying to soothe her. There was no way he could give an honest review while she was holding that thing.

“Come on, tell me how it tastes. Well?”

Yoon’s eyes sparkled as she studied his face. She had thrown in everything that seemed flavorful, but had no idea if it had actually worked.

“…You haven’t tasted this, have you?”

He asked with a grimace.

“Nope, not yet.”

Yoon nodded matter-of-factly. Lucas let out a quiet sigh before finally speaking.

“…Then try it.”

Scooping some up, he offered it to her. Without hesitation, Yoon accepted the bite—and instantly scrunched her face.

“What the hell… this tastes like garbage.”

Caught off guard by the disaster in her mouth, Yoon frowned deeply. It was sweet, salty, bitter—nothing a human should consume. Sweet and salty she could understand, but where had the bitterness come from?

With a bewildered expression, she set down both “weapons” in her hands.

“Sit down. I’ll make something.”

Letting out a light sigh, Lucas quietly got up and guided Yoon to a chair. As he passed her, he muttered,

“From now on, never cook again.”

Yoon scratched her chin, thinking it over, then nodded. Yeah… this probably wasn’t her calling.