CH 17.1

17. Let me help you, Kelly (1)

Darkness came outside the window.

Only one light attached to the wall next to the table lit the room.

So-hee opened her eyes to the dim light.

“What time is it?”

It was morning before she went to bed but she had woken up in the early evening, instead.

Upon hearing her soft gasp, Joshua put down the paper in his hands.

“Did you wake up?”

The current time shocked her but what shocked her the most was Joshua, holding her in his office chair all along.

“You should have woken me up, Joshua.” She glanced up at him.

“You slept so well so I didn’t. You even snored, too.” Joshua flashed her a mischievous grin.

Come to think of it.

Joshua had a deep wound close to his rib so he must have had a hard time carrying her in his arms.

“Does your wound hurt?”

“No.”

“But, there’s blood on your shirt.”

The back of Joshua’s hand fiddled with his white shirt as So-hee copped a feel at the blood stains to spot the fresh wound.

“The wound had burst but I think I’m all right.”

The man was truly an expert at uttering thoughtless statements.

Well, she shouldn’t be surprised.

Joshua might be quite numb but he was strong enough to face unbearable pain because he was the male protagonist.

She cast him an admiring glance while Joshua peeked at her beneath his lashes.

Suddenly, a strange noise from her stomach interrupted the romantic vibe.

The sound of silence that followed was too deafening in her ears.

“You must be hungry. It’s already dinner time.” His tone was serious but that didn’t reflect the good-natured smile spreading across his lips.

It would be fortunate if she was hungry until both of them heard another strange sound.

This moment felt so horrible for So-hee that she wouldn’t be shocked if her eyes had turned white as they rolled at the back of her head.

She was hyper-aware of her body’s immense need to respond to the call of nature.

It was good that Joshua merely assumed she was just hungry so she quickly grabbed the man’s wrist to hold herself up.

Unfortunately, the jacket hanging over her shoulder had fallen off.

“I——-”

So-hee had lost the ability to speak.

Joshua’s lips twitched as he waited quietly for her to recover it.

“I mean—-”

She had no idea if she should bring this up in front of a statue-esque handsome man.

“I have to go to the bathroom, Joshua.”

She was such a disgrace to the female race.

So-hee’s legs squirmed restlessly as she tried to suppress the urge.

One corner of Joshua’s mouth curled into a smirk before the chuckling bastard lifted her without delay.

“You seem rather tense when you say that, Ariad.”

“Ah.”

She wanted to die that instant.

So-hee winced and buried her face in his shoulder while Joshua continued to laugh as he carried her to the bathroom.

Her shame was so abominable that she opened the toilet lid gently as if that would make her appear lady-like.

Thank you very much.”

Smirking, Joshua gave her blushing face and neck a quick glance before he closed the door and left.

She never thought that in the process of asking him to stay with her, she would suffer in shame beyond endurance.

Would it be less embarrassing for her to think of Joshua as her human wheelchair?

“Are they coming out well, Ariad?”

‘He must be standing outside this door.’ So-hee thought, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

“I think I’m having constipation, Joshua. Please go away for ten minutes.”

Then, she heard his footsteps fade away including some giddy words she couldn’t quite hear.

She was relieved that her human wheelchair had listened to her request so that she could finally find her peace of mind.

* * *

So-hee was in Joshua’s arms again, too exhausted from her chagrin.

However, when she entered the greenhouse garden where dinner was prepared, she regained all of her energy in an instant.

Her stomach roared with hunger as the delicious smell reached the tip of her nose.

Joshua sat down on a chair while he had her in his embrace.

“Are we going to eat like this?”

“It’s not difficult.”

No matter how powerful his love was, Joshua was simply unreal that it made her jealous of Ariad.

Fancy courses, appetizers, and desserts were laid on the tablecloth.

The scrumptious foods sparkled brightly even more after the maid had lit the candlestick at the center of the table.

“What do you like to eat, Ariad?”

To that simple question, So-hee answered one by one.

Shrimp.

Rose pasta.

Steak tenderloin.

Orange juice.

Macaron, strawberry shortcakes.

Joshua put those foods in front of her in the order she spoke.

His left hand hugged her waist while his right hand held a fork to feed her himself.

So-hee opened her mouth and ate every single one of them eagerly until it hurt.

After several tries, she developed enough tolerance and got herself full.

She noticed Joshua feeding her nonstop and that made her ask a question.

“You’re not going to eat?”

“I’m eating.”

He lied.

The only time she saw food entering his mouth was when he tried to give So-hee a salad and she rejected it.

He ate the salad, instead.

“Try the shrimp. They’re soaked in butter so it’s really good.” She suggested.

“I don’t like seafood.” He turned her down with such determination.

Her web novel’s plot might be disorganized but her characters felt like they were separated from it.

They were too independent for their good.

She lifted the shrimp and brought it close to his lips.

“It’s really good! Just try it once.”

Joshua scrutinized the shrimp for a long time; she swore she could see his blood-red eyes sparkle.

Then, his hesitating lips parted slightly.

She pushed the shrimp inside his mouth before he could change his mind.

“What do you think? Isn’t it delicious?”

She looked at him expectantly and he nodded in response.

“It’s delicious.” So-hee took a bite of the macaroon and pushed what was left inside Joshua’s mouth again. “This is good, too.”

She was aware that Joshua disliked sweets because it was a trait that she made herself, but she wanted him to know what it tasted like.

Joshua maintained eye contact with her for a while before he fed her again with a smile.

Tch.

If he didn’t want to eat, that’s fine.

So-hee pouted from the rejection and filled her mouth with the remaining macaroons.