By Zephyria Am I dreaming right now?
Standing alone in the empty bathroom, Koi blinked blankly. From the moment he got out of the car until now, he hadn’t felt any sense of reality. The doorman who opened the apartment’s front door, the huge painting hanging on one wall of the hall, the elevator covered in dark, translucent glass on all sides, and the spacious living room that could easily fit his entire basement apartment, the high ceilings that made him crane his neck, and the wide, duplex interior that he walked up the marble stairs to.
Ash had led him to the bathroom, but he was still dumbfounded. This isn’t all a dream, is it?
Koi blinked his dazed eyes and raised his hand to slap his cheek hard. The sound of the slap was followed by a jolt of awareness, and he clutched his cheek, groaning softly.
It’s not a dream.
Only after rubbing his still-tingling cheek and barely accepting reality did he begin to prepare to wash up. In front of the spacious bathroom was a marble bathtub, and the adjacent wall had a large window, making it the perfect place to enjoy a bath while looking out at the night view. In addition, the shower room, separated by a glass wall, was filled with large and small natural stones, making it so beautiful that he couldn’t help but admire it.
This is the first time I’ve seen such a luxurious and clean bathroom.
While grateful for Ash’s kindness, he didn’t dare to use the bathtub. He was just going to take a quick shower, but when he took off his clothes, he couldn’t find a place to put them. He was afraid that his dirty, old clothes would make the bathroom dirty no matter where he put them, so he was stuck when he suddenly heard a light knock on the bathroom door. Startled, he stepped back, and Ash opened the door.
“Koi? Are you okay?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah.”
Ash gave him a quick once-over as he nodded hastily. After confirming that he was still wearing his clothes, he placed the clothes he had brought in the empty space next to the sink without saying anything.
“Wash up and change. My pajamas are a bit big, but it’s all I have.”
“Ah, okay. Thanks.”
As Koi thanked him, Ash asked before leaving.
“Do you need anything else?”
Koi shook his head hastily.
“Uh, no, I’m fine.”
Ash nodded lightly and turned to leave. Koi belatedly called out to Ash, who was about to leave.
“Um, Ash!”
He stopped and turned around. Koi asked cautiously with a flushed face.
“Where do I put my dirty clothes?”
Ash pointed under the sink. Koi found a large rattan basket and said, “Ah,” raising his head, he saw Ash still standing there. He was still waiting, as if to make sure he didn’t need anything else.
“Um, um…”
Koi hesitated before mustering the courage to speak.
“Could you, um, show me how to use the shower? I’ve never seen one like that before…”
His voice trailed off into silence. Koi’s face flushed, but there was no other way. All the facilities in the bathroom were new to him, and he had no idea how to use them. He could just not use the other things, but not the shower. It wasn’t separated into hot and cold water, so he guessed he could adjust the temperature by turning it, but he had no idea how to turn on the water.
Ash didn’t say anything for a moment. Koi was anxious, not knowing what he was thinking, but Ash glanced at the bathtub and spoke.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take a bath than a shower?”
“Huh? Uh…”
Of course, it would. But it felt too presumptuous to jump into the bathtub right away. He was about to say it was okay, but Ash seemed to see through Koi’s mind and spoke first.
“Koi, I want you to relax and rest comfortably while you’re here at my place.”
He added in a quiet voice.
“That would make me feel better too.”
Is he saying this as a friend or as a lawyer to his client?
As he suddenly thought of this, the new clothes that Ash had left caught his eye.
〈It’s a lawyer’s duty to protect their client.〉
“…Did you do this for your other clients too?”
He realized he had made a mistake after saying it. He had blurted out what he was thinking. He panicked and covered his mouth with his hand, but it was too late. Ash, who had been staring at him silently, spoke.
“Koi, don’t get the wrong idea.”
Koi’s heart sank for a moment, and Ash continued with a blank face.
“My clients have more than ten hideouts that no one can ever find if they want to.”
…Huh?
Koi blinked at the unexpected words, but Ash didn’t say anything more and moved towards the bathtub.
“Come here, Koi.”
“Ah, okay.”
Ash began to explain how to use the bathtub to Koi, who followed him in confusion.
“Turn this to the right for hot water, this is cold water, this is the valve, and this is…”
Koi listened intently, nodding at the continuous stream of words. The luxurious bathtub had just as many functions.
While Ash was explaining the functions of the bathtub one by one, Koi was mesmerized by his voice. This was the first time Ash had spoken so much since they had reunited. He used to laugh often and make silly jokes all the time, but he didn’t do that at all now. Ash’s words had decreased so much. He was sad about that, but he was happy to be able to hear his voice like this, even if it was just like this. He smiled faintly without realizing it, but suddenly Ash called his name.
“Koi, are you listening?”
“Huh, uh?”
Startled, he blinked and saw purple eyes staring at him. Koi quickly came back to reality and nodded.
“Ah, yeah. I heard everything. Thanks for explaining.”
It was a sign that he could leave now, but Ash didn’t. His gaze was full of disbelief as he frowned and looked at Koi.
Are you sure you really know?
As if he had heard the silent question, Koi hurriedly reached out his hand and said.
“Really, I can do this myself…”
It was when he pressed the button with a smile. The water, which he thought would fill the bathtub, suddenly poured down from the ceiling.
“Ugh, ack!”
Koi screamed in panic, and Ash quickly turned off the water. Koi barely opened his tightly closed eyes and looked up, momentarily losing his mind. Water was dripping from the sunflower showerhead on the ceiling.
“S-sorry.”
Realizing what had happened, Koi screamed in panic after confirming the man in front of him was soaking wet. Ash just stared at him silently. His neatly combed hair was a mess, and his wrinkle-free shirt was clinging to his skin, revealing his flesh. In addition, the water that had soaked his entire body was flowing down his body, creating a puddle on the floor. Standing in front of the top lawyer in the East, who was a mess from head to toe, Koi turned pale.
What should I do?
He wouldn’t be able to say anything even if he was kicked out like this. He was just a burden, unable to even pay his legal fees. He should be helping in any way he could, but he had made such a mistake. He couldn’t bring himself to look Ash in the face, so he squeezed his eyes shut when he heard a quiet voice.
“Koi.”
Koi flinched at the quiet voice and cautiously opened his eyes. Ash’s face, which he barely met, wasn’t much different from before. He waited anxiously, and Ash slowly continued.
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay wet for too long.”
…Huh?
Koi couldn’t react to the unexpected words. Leaving him like that, Ash began to fill the bathtub with water himself. Koi could only watch as he sat on the edge of the bathtub, put his hand in the water to check the temperature, and turned the lever.
Ash had taken off his suit jacket and was wearing a white shirt and tie. He might have been about to take a shower. He probably came to give Koi clothes to change into before that.
Did Ash do this with other people while he was separated from me?
His heart sank at the sudden thought. Just as Ash checked the water temperature and took his hand out, he raised his head and called him in confusion.
“Koi? What’s wrong?”
Koi couldn’t answer and just looked at him. He couldn’t open his mouth because he was desperately swallowing the words that filled his mouth.
Ash.Facing Ashley, who was staring at him, Koi couldn’t deal with the frustration building inside and repeated the question silently.
How many people did you date while we were apart?
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