# 72
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However, the people they left behind had no intention of hearing my silent pleas and walked out of the room, leaving only Ian and me behind.
Click.
Close the door without hesitation.
I froze, turning awkwardly toward the door, and a tense silence filled the room.
After a short pause, Ian spoke.
“...Are you planning to stay there like this?”
I cleared my throat late
“Uhm, right.”
“If you're uncomfortable, you can just leave the medication and bandages on and leave.”
“No, I'll take care of that...”
The moment I turned towards the bed where he was sitting, I silently screamed again.
'Why did he take his clothes off?!'
Ian was sitting on the bed, his upper body completely exposed.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Not only was his hand injured, but his arm was also wet with tea, so it was normal.
But seeing it unannounced was another matter entirely.
'If I show any reaction, I'll look like a stranger. 'Keep calm'
Barely managing to regain my composure, I hesitantly approached the bed.
Unlike me, who was on the verge of fainting, Ian seemed completely unfazed.
'Does he have no situational awareness?'
Thanks to him, I had to make an effort to keep my eyes from wandering to his bare torso.
“Uh, can you… show me your arm?”
She sat awkwardly in the armchair next to the bed and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
Ian stared at me for a moment, then extended his arm.
The wound looked much better now, probably due to the doctor's treatment, but it was still red and inflamed.
“At least it won't leave a scar.” I whispered, my voice a mixture of relief and frustration.
“Yes. The doctor said that my hand, which took the brunt of the water, was the most vulnerable, but fortunately, the first aid was done well, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I had no idea why he said that while looking at me and not at his hand.
To avoid his gaze, I bent my head down. I didn't have the courage to meet his eyes and deal with the inevitable embarrassment.
'It's embarrassing enough already!'
Just being alone with Ian half naked in an empty room was more than I could handle.
I was just planning to take a quick look and leave. But here I am.
I placed the tray on the floor stiffly, dipped my fingers in the ointment, and began applying it to his shoulder, slowly and carefully.
The atmosphere between us became more awkward with each passing second, as neither Ian nor I said a word.
'I have to hurry up, wrap the bandage and get out of here.'
I silently prayed that neither of us would speak until I was finished.
But my sincere wish was shattered the next moment.
“Are you angry?”
Why did this man, who barely bothered to respond when someone spoke to him on normal days, always decide to start a conversation at moments like this?
I couldn't completely ignore him because, unlike Ian, I wasn't that rude.
“…Why do you think I’m angry?”
“Your expression hasn't been good since earlier.”
That's because you're sitting there without your shirt on, you idiot.
“I'm not angry. Why would I be angry?”
I wasn't really angry, but for some reason, my tone was sharp.
Ian seemed to sense it too because he paused before speaking again.
“Should I apologise?”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Because your expression looks like…”
“Oh, come on! I'm telling you I'm not angry...!”
I suddenly raised my head, but then froze.
Ian's eyes were staring directly at me.
The uncomfortable intimacy I had feared had collapsed on us, just as I had feared.
I was the first to look away.
“Anyway! I'm not angry.”
For some reason, my ears felt warm.
I could barely stop myf from letting my voice crack.
“…I'm not angry, but don't do that again. I wouldn't have been hurt too badly. The tea would probably have been spilled on my skirt anyway...”
While I was complaining, Ian remained silent.
Usually, when I bothered him, he would respond with cold answers, but this time, he was acting completely different.
It was clear that he had no intention of listening.
When I saw him like this, I couldn't help but sigh.
'I know why he's acting this way, but still…'
This made me feel more anxious.
Ian had an obsessive aversion to seeing those around him get hurt.
Specifically, he blamed himf entirely whenever someone close to him was injured.
This was also why he would push people away and refuse to keep anyone close.
'The mentality of a male hero is very fragile, like glass...'
I mentally clicked my tongue but stopped myf. It wasn't Ian's fault that he ended up like this.
I let out a sigh so soft that he didn't hear me, then carefully finished applying the ointment to the back of his hand before picking up the bandages.
"Did you hear what I said? Don't do that again. I can take care of myf."
“Answer me.”
“...I'll think about it.”
So he'll just think about it, huh.
I had to compliment him because he never lied, even in a situation like this.
I knew that pushing him any further wouldn't get me anywhere, so I kept quiet and focused on wrapping the bandages.
As Ian watched silently, he asked. “Is this the first time you've done this?”
...How could he know?
I have to admit that the way I wrapped the bandages was quite imprecise.
Well, it wasn't a surprise.
How many opportunities have I had to tie bandages in my life? The most I've ever done was quickly wrap a compression bandage after spraining my ankle while running down the stairs on my high school lunch break.
Without answering, I wrapped the bandage tightly from the top of his elbow to his hand.
If it's really bad, the doctor can repeat it later.
Once I was sure the end of the bandage was secure, I quickly pulled away from him.
"Okay. That should be enough to prevent any irritation. You put too much ointment on, so have the doctor check it again tomorrow. He's the expert, after all."
Wow, I felt like I was suffocating in there.
She quickly collected the remaining bandages and ointment, then suddenly stood up.
“Okay, I'll go.”
I was about to flee the room without even looking at Ian when his voice stopped me.
"my lady."
Oh, come on. What now?
Why does he keep calling me?
“Yes, please.”
Reluctantly, I turned around, lowered my gaze awkwardly, and only caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye.
After an unusually long silence, Ian spoke in a low voice.
“...Thank you. And...”
“Let's go out on another date sometime.”
…What?
I couldn't believe my ears.
She completely forgot about trying not to look at him and just stared at him expressionlessly.
Ian's blue eyes wandered for a moment before finally settling on mine.
“If it's not something you hate.”
He sounded strangely awkward, like he wasn't used to saying something like that.
Before I could even process what was happening, a silent scream exploded in my head.
'What-?!'
But before I could respond, he spoke again, so I had to run away.
“I'll go now!”
I quickly left the room, closed the door behind me, and leaned on it, panting.
“What just happened?!”
It was awful for him to thank me, but to suggest another date?
Since when did he care about things like this?
I held the tray tightly, closed my eyes, then opened them again.
“Calm down, Eloise!”
They say that people's hearts race when they are extremely afraid or terrified. This is exactly how I felt.
“Don't be fooled by the suspension bridge effect. I've had a lot of surprises today.”
Even though I tried to calm myf down, my heart kept beating in my chest for a long time.
I stood there for what seemed like forever, leaning against the door, still holding the tray tightly.