Chapter 358: He had a big brain so of course his head was big
"It’s quite lonely in here."
Seo-Jun gripped my hand tightly and then pulled me into the water.
I was stunned beyond measure and I quickly lifted my head, coughing as the cold water choked me and seeped into my veins.
"You bastard!" I yelled my inner thoughts at him.
"Wow, you look so sexy when you curse at me." He said but I glared at him.
My hands were folded due to the cold and my shirt was wet, revealing my chest and nipples so clearly that you’d think the shirt was meant to disappear once wet.
My shirt clung to my body, and for a second I forgot how to breathe. Was it the cold? Probably.
Seo-Jun was grinning like it was the best joke in the world, his hazy eyes were no longer hazy. They were bright. His fever was probably gone to some extent.
And then I looked at his body so close to mine.
His impeccable abs were so wet and hot next to me. Kya, look at that pecking chest. I could just grab it and—
Wait, wait, this was no time to be excited over chest and abs. I’m supposed to be furious.
"You’re impossible," I spat out, shivering while trying to sound more annoyed than excited.
He only laughed and leaned in, closer than necessary and I turned my face away, as if I knew he was coming for my lips.
"Jo-Pil, you look cute when you’re mad," he said with a soft voice.
Get away from me, you weirdo.
His laugh faded and something honest slipped into the corners of his mouth.
What was that just now?
I wanted to be furious, trust me I really did. But the laugh that left me had an edge I hadn’t heard before, the kind that came from someone who’d been through too much and decided to mask it with jokes.
My heart did that stupid, traitorous flip again. Literally.
"Seo-Jun," I said, my voice quiet as if I was whispering a secret.
He blinked, the mischief lighting on his face.
"Hm?"
But I didn’t say anything. I simply stared at him. Stared at his wet hair, his damp face, his pretty and handsomely annoying face, and then the neck that carried that big head of his.
Gosh, he had a big brain so of course his head was big.
His collarbones, his pecs, his inverted nipples... I ended up trailing all of that and I didn’t get interrupted once with his stupid joke or attempt to tease me into annoyance.
He let me take all that in till I raised my gaze to meet his eyes again.
He was really something, this man.
"Seo-Jun," I called again. "You... You’re very handsome."
And why the hell did such a line have to slip out of my lips in such a situation?
His lips curled and he said,
"I know."
How very narcissistically expected of him.
He reached his hand towards me and brushed a wet strand of hair from my forehead. And the look he gave me didn’t demand anything. It looked like he was being serious now.
"And you’re very pretty, Jo-Pil." He said, his hand resting on my cheek.
It was fragile, like he’d put his defenses down because he trusted me to not slap them away... This time. It’s not like I ever slapped his tender hands on my cheek before.
Let’s rule out the beginning of our relationship, ahem.
"Thank you for... putting up with me," he murmured, and the words were so low that I almost missed them. "I get weird when I don’t take things at the surface level or make jokes that leave me laughing and you fuming. It’s easier to make light of it."
He chuckled.
"But I don’t do them to upset you. I’m glad you know that."
"And how do you know that I know that?"
"Because if you were genuinely mad at my jokes..." His thumb grazed my cheek gently, giving me that pitiful look in his eyes. "...you would’ve dropped everything and walked away, even if I called you back. But... You stay, you react... You do everything despite how annoyed you are. This... I think I don’t need to ask that question a second time because this is enough." He smiled at me.
"That... Question?"
I wondered what he was talking about for a moment and then realized it was the one when he asked how much I mean to him.
I blinked a bit and parted my lips.
"Ah," I exclaimed.
It’s good that he doesn’t want to hear my answer but was this really enough?
To Seo-Jun, just knowing there was someone who would genuinely get annoyed at his extreme jokes but still not walk away, someone who’d hold his hands and stay despite how he was...it was the best gift he could ask for.
And... He wouldn’t be greedy anymore.
I felt something melt inside my chest at the realization of that. It wasn’t sympathy but rather... recognition.
I knew what it was to use a smile as a shield, I do it all the time, and my masters did it so many times that I can hardly count.
And... I knew how heavy helplessness could get when you’re supposed to be the strong one. When the world expects you to be strong.
"Don’t do that," I said to him, and my voice surprised me. It was something I wanted to say. Maybe I’ve been going about it in a roundabout method during all this time but... not anymore.
I need to tell him to his face.
"Seo-Jun, don’t hide under a joke just because you’re scared. Tell me when you’re like this." I grabbed his arms. "I said I was going to be a shoulder you can rest your heavy head on, and I still stand by it. So... No more jokes."
My words were firm and serious enough to touch even the deepest and darkest hearts.
Seo-Jun looked at me like he’d swallowed a new thought and wasn’t sure if it fit. He was stunned.
But then that stun fell asleep the corners of his lips tugged slowly.
"And I thought you liked my jokes,"