Chapter 9

"A... An adult relationship………?"

Every time the wind blew through the slightly ajar window, the curtains fluttered back and forth. Beneath those swaying curtains, two people were looking at each other, so close that there was no more room to move.

Whenever Ho Rang exhaled a heavy breath, Bo Bae’s brown hair trembled. She could feel his weight pressing down more heavily upon her body. Her heart, crushed beneath him, pounded frantically.

"Even if it’s a contract relationship, I'm going to make it deep and intense."

Deep and intense...what exactly?

"I’m asking if you’re okay with that."

In Bo Bae’s mind, a contract relationship was rated PG-15 at most, not R-19. So what was he planning to do so 'deeply and intensely'? And what was the meaning behind words like 'adult relationship' or 'going all the way'?

Could it be……?

Suddenly, a rumor about Ho Rang that she had seen online flashed through her mind.

[Do you know why President Baek Ho Rang’s nickname is 'The Overtime Man'?]

[Overtime Man? A boss who makes you work late is the worst.]

[No. It’s because he 'works' so well at night. They say he goes strong and long enough to make the night feel short.]

As the internet rumors swept through her head, images followed...of Ho Rang and herself tangled together on a bed in a feast of skin. In her imagination, the two of them, feeling each other with suggestive expressions, began a heated kiss without knowing who started first, their lips exploring until they moved towards something deeper……

The color rushed to Bo Bae’s face. Just imagining it made her head spin and her heart thump so hard she could barely breathe.

Unlike Bo Bae, however, Ho Rang looked perfectly fine. In fact, as if to provoke her further, he leaned in closer with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Why? Are you scared?"

"..."

"Scared I might eat you up?"

As Ho Rang’s low voice brushed against her ear, goosebumps broke out across Bo Bae's skin. When they became so close that not even a sheet of paper could fit between them, Bo Bae startled and squeezed her eyes shut.

'How close is he going to get? Is he going to kiss me again……?'

While all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind, Ho Rang’s soft chuckle fell upon her ear.

"You're shaking."

"?!"

Her eyes snapped open.

Confused by the situation, she stared at him with wide eyes only to see Ho Rang pushing himself up.

"Don't worry. I won't eat you."

Seeing the corner of Ho Rang’s mouth curled up mockingly, she realized she had been played! Ho Rang looked delighted, as if he had finally gotten his revenge for the earlier incident in the ladies' restroom.

Bo Bae, realizing too late that she had been tricked, glared at him.

"How do you plan on dating if you’re going to be this much of a coward?"

"Who said I was a coward?"

"You were shaking like a leaf."

"I was not!"

"Why do you keep provoking me when you're going to flinch at just this much? What if I actually wanted to do something?"

"What... what were you going to do......."

She tried to shout to prove she wasn't scared, but her voice trailed off at the end. For some reason, she felt like he might suggest something far more overwhelming than what she was imagining.

In truth, Bo Bae was a complete novice when it came to romance. Because of her profession as a writer, her theoretical knowledge was vast, but her real-life experience gauge was at zero. No, it was closer to a negative value.

Unaware of Bo Bae’s predicament, Ho Rang took it a step further.

"When you feel like you can handle something deeper than a kiss?"

When she feels like it?

"Tell me then. I'll do it for you. The dating."

Wait! If it’s something deeper than a kiss....……?

"That just means you aren't going to do the contract relationship!"

Only then did Bo Bae understand his point. She glared at the smirking man and said.

"You have a very roundabout way of saying no."

"I'm just giving you time to prepare yourself mentally."

"Oh, look at the cat worrying about the mouse. How ever shall I thank you? Squeak, squeak, squeak."

As Bo Bae mimicked a mouse, Ho Rang laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world. Seeing him clutching his stomach with laughter, Bo ae, overcome with irritation, yanked the curtains shut.

"You can actually laugh right now?"

……While my heart is racing like crazy.

Bo Bae glared at Ho Rang's silhouette beyond the curtain and placed a hand over her chest. Even after running until she was exhausted, her heart had never beaten this fast. It was pounding so hard she worried she might actually have a heart attack, all from just a little bit of physical contact.

Still, she was glad. At least the curtain was there.

If not for this, he would have seen how her heart had been completely stolen by a single touch.

~~~~

Night had fallen over the hospital room.

Ho Rang stared intently at his smartwatch. The battery, which had been at 40% when he checked it during the day, had somehow risen to 50%.

When he first arrived at the hospital, the remaining battery was a mere 1–2%. After spending three hours in the room with Bo Bae, it had charged to 11%, only to plummet to 9% the moment they were apart. Then, after kissing Bo Bae, it charged up to 40%, and following their brief contact just now, it had reached 50%.

Professor Kwak was right. There was an incredibly close correlation between his distance from Bo Bae and the battery charging.

When he moved beyond a certain distance from her, the battery drained. When he maintained a certain distance, it charged ever so slowly. The closer he was to her, the better it charged.

And he had discovered one more vital fact. That was...

"Physical contact triggers rapid charging."

What Ho Rang had newly discovered was 'rapid charging.' Just as one might fast-charge a mobile phone battery, there was a way to fast-charge the battery of his artificial heart. And that was...

"Skinship."

As Ho Rang muttered under his breath, his eyes glinted fiercely in the moonlight.

~~~~

A few days later.

After finishing various tests and returning to the hospital room, Ho Rang cried out in surprise the moment he saw Bo Bae.

"What are you doing right now?"

Bo Bae, who had already changed into her regular clothes, answered with a nonchalant expression.

"Can't you tell? I’m getting ready to be discharged."

"I mean, why are you being discharged?"

"I’ve passed gas, the doctor said I’m good to go, and I need to get out of here and earn some money."

"No, that’s not what I’m asking! I mean, why are you leaving without even consulting me?"

At Ho Rang’s words, Bo Bae, who was packing her bags, let out an incredulous chuckle and turned toward him.

"Look here, Mr. Baek Ho Rang."

The look in Bo Bae’s eyes as she stared at him was chilly. There wasn't a trace of emotion directed toward him in her gaze.

"Why should I have to consult with you about my discharge?"

"What?"

"What exactly are you to me, Mr. Baek Ho Rang? We're strangers. What kind of relationship do we have?"

Faced with her combative questions, Ho Rang was speechless. Her words were right. They were strangers, and there was no relationship between them.

"You were the one who rejected my proposal, Mr. Baek Ho Rang. Not me."

This, too, was true. She had tried to help him and had only suggested one condition in return. And it was Ho Rang who had turned her down.

That meant Bo Bae had no duty or responsibility to charge the battery of Ho Rang’s artificial heart.

"So, what more am I supposed to do?"

"..."

"Our negotiation fell through, and I’m simply returning to my own life."

For the first time, Ho Rang felt that Bo Bae, who was hitting him with point after point of cold logic, seemed like a stranger. Even though they hadn't known each other long and he didn't know much about her, she felt entirely different than before. It was a feeling that made it difficult to approach her.

As Ho Rang stood there in a daze, Bo Bae handed him a slip of paper.

"This is my phone number."

Still, a person's life was at stake, and she couldn't just ignore him completely. While she didn't feel the need to proactively help him, she had no intention of stopping him if he came looking for her just to survive.

"You know the café where I used to work, right?"

Ho Rang, who usually held his head high like a haughty cat, nodded with his eyes cast down like a dejected puppy.

"I work there in the afternoons. If you need to charge, just come by the café and take care of it yourself."

That was the most Bo Bae could offer. Now that their deal was off, there was no reason for her to follow him around like a busybody to keep him charged.

"Well then, take care of your health."

With a brief farewell, Bo Bae left the hospital room.

It all happened in an instant. He hadn't even known she was being discharged today, and now she was suddenly gone.

"She didn't even look back."

Once Bo Bae had completely vanished, Ho Rang’s energy drained away, and he slumped onto the sofa.

He had enough battery to last through today, but tomorrow was the problem.

"Should I have just said I'd do it?"

A contract relationship...how hard could it be? Dramas and novels were full of people doing it.

After a moment of regret, Ho Rang shook his head. There were too many people watching his every move, waiting for a chance to strike. There was no need to blow things out of proportion. His plan was to wait for the day of his re-surgery as quietly as possible.

Ho Rang unfolded the note he was clutching in his hand. Eleven digits starting with '010' were written in a flowing script.

"The number is easy."

He decided he should just memorize it. It would be troublesome if he lost his phone.

Yes, he would just memorize the whole thing.