Became an Observer in Love Company

Shh—a—a—

The showerhead sprayed water vigorously. Warm water enveloped and trickled down my shoulders.

Tok, tok.

Droplets falling from the tips of my hair drew small circles on the tiled floor.

White steam filled the bathroom.

Kim Dohyun’s house, Kim Dohyun’s bathroom.

The realization that I was showering here suddenly hit me.

“Ugh…”

I covered my face with my hands and needlessly shrank back.

For some reason, my cheeks were burning.

No, of course they’re hot—I’m taking a shower.

But I still felt strangely awkward.

Shh—a—

I lowered my head into the water stream.

Trying to distract myself, I puffed my cheeks and blew, but

Only a deep sigh escaped.

Why did it end up like this?

I slowly retraced my memories.

The cause I found ultimately lay with me.

I slipped and fell into a puddle while trying to catch Kim Dohyun.

“…Ughhhh! I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know!”

I crouched down, covering my face with my hands, letting the water hit me.

The white shirt, the wet clothes. And the glimpses of skin that showed through.

Kim Dohyun saw all of that.

My face flushed red.

I felt embarrassed. Why did this always happen in front of Kim Dohyun?

The one person I least wanted to see me like this, and it always happened in front of him.

I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.

Then, I lifted my head abruptly and faced the water.

The warm water soaked my face.

“Guwah!”

Water went up my nose. I flailed around, coughing and shaking my head.

“Really… why am I like this…”

I felt like an idiot.

I silently turned my head and looked around.

Kim Dohyun’s room, Kim Dohyun’s clothes, Kim Dohyun’s showerhead.

Even this bathroom seemed to carry Kim Dohyun’s scent.

No, that shouldn’t be possible!

I shook my head to clear the strange thoughts.

“But it was so quiet.”

The silence that spread when the door closed.

The sound of my footsteps stood out even more because of the quietness.

The house, devoid of any trace, felt like time had stopped.

The cold air, the house that looked organized but was overly empty.

It felt more like a temporary place for someone rather than a home.

A kind of loneliness that made leaving at any moment unremarkable.

And—

The gym uniform.

The clothes he handed me, with his name stitched on it.

I was gently holding the sleeve.

Kk, kk.

I secretly lifted the end of the sleeve to smell it.

The familiar scent remained calm even amidst the cold air.

At that moment, I suddenly thought:

How much of his warmth remains in this house?

While he’s living here, does he really consider it a “home”?

“…”

I quietly gripped the gym uniform tightly.

I wanted to remember this moment a little longer, a little deeper.

“Uuuuugh!”

Under the showerhead, I flailed my arms and stomped my feet for no reason.

Why does that scene come to mind right now?!

The image of me hugging the gym uniform, the tip of my finger pulling at its sleeve, flashed through my mind.

“Aaaah, I’m really gonna lose my mind!”

I buried my face in my hands under the hot water.

My cheeks, already flushed, felt even hotter.

Shh—a—

The sound of the water filled the bathroom.

But I still don’t know if the ticklish feeling in my chest will wash away.

“Kuh… Why does this keep happening to me?”

Afraid that someone outside might hear, I quietly bit my lips shut.

Then, I secretly rolled my eyes.

“Could it be… this towel is Kim Dohyun’s too?”

I jerked my head to look at the towel hanging there.

…Of course it is. That’s obvious.

But why does it bother me so much?!

“I’m just being a pervert.”

I grabbed my head with both hands and leaned against the wall.

Shh—a—

The water from the shower dripped down my back.

I absently poked the bathroom wall with my fingers.

Once, twice, three times.

“…It’s okay. Nothing is wrong. I’ll just wash and leave.”

I muttered to myself, trying to reassure myself.

But as I looked around again, a strange sense of embarrassment crept over me.

“Uwwwww…”

The water droplets quietly slid down my head.

Trying to catch the droplets with moving hands, but of course, I couldn’t.

“Are you gonna throw a tantrum and ask for it?”

Instead, a strange thought popped up.

I’m not a kid asking for a toy, and what tantrum is this?!

Not knowing what to do, I tapped my forehead against the wall, kon, kon.

I quietly leaned my forehead against the wall. The cold temperature calmed my head.

But my emotions still wouldn’t settle.

“Is it unrequited love?”

Kim Dohyun already liked someone else.

Someone brighter than me, someone anyone would naturally like.

A person with the magnetic power to draw others in, like the sun.

But it didn’t matter.

As my sister said, we’re not dating, so it’s not over yet.

The opportunity hasn’t disappeared.

The mirror, foggy from the humidity. I drew a small circle on it.

It’s not just the sun that can disperse clouds.

The moon can do it too.

I brought up my hands to clap.

Pah! A small but clear sound echoed in the bathroom.

“Not unrequited love, but mutual love.”

Saying it that way, it felt like destiny.

Not just one, but two.

That my feelings were not just my own, but might one day meet with his.

My lips slightly turned up.

“Hehe.”

I really hope so.

I realized I was paying more and more attention to him.

I was getting closer and closer to him.

I started thinking that I wanted him to look at me.

I wanted only him to look at me.

That’s why I liked Kim Dohyun.

Shh—a—

Warm water enveloped the back of my hand.

I absentmindedly opened my palm.

And—

The sensation from that time vividly came back.

Kim Dohyun’s hand.

It was much bigger than mine, sturdy.

The subtle sensation of his hand enveloping my cold one.

I silently closed my hand.

His hand was big enough to completely cover mine.

The difference was stark the moment our fingertips touched.

I quietly gripped his hand.

The warmth seeping through the gaps between our fingers felt strange.

In this cold house, his hands were warmer than I thought.

When I grabbed his hand, Kim Dohyun definitely flinched slightly.

The startled look in his eyes, the tips of his ears gradually turning red.

And, the feeling of him gently covering my hand.

At that moment, my heart began to race through my fingertips.

Just holding hands, why is my heart tingling so much?!

“Ah, seriously… get out of my head!”

I moved my body around trying to avoid the shower spray.

Ducking to the right, then the left—there was no escape.

“Ugh, I give up!”

I stomped my foot lightly and shielded my face from the water with one hand. But I couldn’t stop my face from turning red.

I quietly opened and closed my hand.

The sensation hadn’t disappeared; my fingertips still tingled.

“Kim Dohyun, you’re really something…”

I pouted and rubbed my cheeks.

“He can’t run away. Really.”

Kim Dohyun hesitatingly trying to pull away.

He seemed clearer for a moment but looked even more fragile.

Like the strong light emitted by a fire just before it goes out, that’s how he appeared.

I slowly touched my fingertips together.

A small sound, but a definite sensation.

“…What should I really do?”

Shyness and excitement filled the bathroom.

As I rinsed off the last of the shampoo foam, I closed my eyes and took a small breath.

The traces of Kim Dohyun remaining in the bathroom felt like they were floating in the steam.

“Really… what should I do?”

I quietly pouted and muttered.

“Ugh… it’s all because of the water! Yeah, the hot water… it’s because of the hot water. Right?”

It’s because my head is heated up.

I pouted and rubbed my cheeks.

But my face wouldn’t cool down, so I eventually just covered it with a towel.

I pressed the towel onto my head. It was warm.

However, strangely, my mind was completely unsettled.

I pressed it harder.

Maybe this way, my mind would quiet down too.

But what came to mind with the warmth—

The careful touch running lightly over my hair.

“You didn’t dry your hair properly, did you.”

Instantly, my heart raced again.

It’s true I dipped my head in, but it was just a joke.

I expected him to lightly push me away.

But contrary to my expectations, the towel was placed gently on my head.

Sa-rak, sa-rak.

The cautious sound of the towel brushing over my hair.

The touch was softer than I imagined, causing my heart to race unnecessarily.

At that moment, I stayed still.

Trying not to let my breathing be noticed.

His fingertips hesitated.

The sensation kept coming back, causing my face to flush for no reason.

“Ugh…”

I fiercely scrubbed with the towel.

But… something feels different, strange.

Dohyun’s touch was softer when he did it.

While I’m just roughly wiping my head.

Back then, it was more careful, slower, warmer…

“…Ugh, I don’t care!”

I pressed the towel hard and wriggled my body like a little kid rolling on the floor.

Dohyun’s act of drying my hair was so vivid, I wanted to erase the memory.

I vigorously rubbed my head with both hands.

But in my mind, the memory only became clearer.

My hair got all messy from scrubbing with the towel.

Yet, inside, I felt even more tangled.

“…If you want, I’ll dry it for you.”

What did he mean by that?

Was he just saying it, or…?

Thinking about it, Kim Dohyun wasn’t acting like himself.

When he extended his hand, when he moved the towel, even though his expression was indifferent as usual—

There was a small tremble.

The fingers gripping the towel tightened and loosened.

The way his knuckles awkwardly bent— I didn’t miss it.

He seemed to avoid looking at me, but his gaze wavered.

I caught the brief moment his eyes trembled.

I inhaled deeply.

I could see his wavering.

Kim Dohyun, who never shows any cracks.

But he wavered because of me.

I quietly covered my head with the towel, firmly biting my lips.

My heart started beating strangely.

Though his face remained expressionless, his trembling fingertips.

Though his voice was calm, the moment his hands touched my hair, they moved slowly.

And the clumsy look when he looked at me.

…I wasn’t the only one who was shaken.

I slowly clenched and opened my hands.

The sensation from that time came back to my fingertips.

“…What should I really do?”

Now that I could clearly see his trembling.

Knowing it makes me feel like

I can’t retreat anymore.

So—

If I’m embarrassed, I hope you’re too.

If I’m getting excited, I hope you’re getting excited too.

I quietly exhaled with a small breath.

“…Hoo.”

At the moment of exhalation, I felt a strange tingling.

As if the wind could touch his heart too.

[!– Slider main container –]

---