Update begins from the previous chapter.

Waking up was more uneventful than she expected. Not after she relived every time Minho didn't respond to her affectionate gestures, got rid of things she touched, and made her false promises in her nightmare.

Minyoung just stays the way she woke, on her side, finding comfort in the warmth of an arm under her head and a warm body against her back. She continued to stare into the darkness. It's unusually darker tonight and the sound of pelting rain behind the screen-covered windows indicates why. She remembers it was raining in the morning and it's still raining.

How long has the unseasonal rain continued? Did she sleep through it all?

All she can tell is this is the bedroom that has been hers for a week now. She can smell the lavender air freshener she bought yesterday and make out the silhouette of the shelf lined with pictures ahead of her.

She's in one of her strappy nightdresses which is making her shoulders shiver on this chilly night. When she moves a bit, a sting of pain shoots up her leg and she gasps quietly.

Surprised about it, she reluctantly moves away from that warm body to shift on to her back. Only for another stinging pain on her shoulder blade to make her squeak louder this time. Before she could make sense of all the assaulting aches, a hand pulls her shoulder to lie on her side again.

"Stay on your side. Your back is bruised." That sleep-heavy hoarse voice is followed by the lights turning on.

In her direct line of sight, Minyoung can see her clothes from earlier today in a crumpled mess on the armchair. Her bag is on the floor next to it.

She shifts to sit up, grateful for the arms helping her. Minyoung watches Changwook go to the bathroom when she takes in her state.

It's past 2 in the morning. Which means it's been hours since she ate. That would explain the hunger pangs.

Flinging the cover aside, she gasps at the state of her feet. Apart from her sprained foot wrapped in a bandage, there are little cuts and scratches along with a couple of broken toenails.

She can see her reflection in the full-length mirror across her and notices what is giving her a restricting feeling on her neck.

Ignoring the throbbing ache in her foot, she scrambles to the mirror and sees her neck. A broad pink plaster covered half of the left side of her neck and disappears into her nape. She can make out faint red lines peeking under the patch.

Holding her hair up and turning her body, she tries to see where the plaster ends. Instead she sees a black bruise on her right shoulder blade. The sight of it reminds her of when he slammed her into the car.

This is the first time he's physically hurt her. Minho has a temper and he's intimidating. But it was never directed at her and he never got violent at anyone. Was today the first time or has he become like this in recent years?

Lost in thought, she doesn't notice Changwook return till he's tugging her hands gently out of her hair that's unusually frizzy. He places a little white pill in her palm and held out a glass of water.

"It's a painkiller..." Minyoung doesn't argue when her foot is aching in revolt for not being careful. She plops the pill in the mouth and downs the entire glass. "Take a bath... You got wet in the rain. I'll change the bandages afterwards." Changwook takes the glass and goes out of the room without so much as a glance.

Minyoung is belatedly startled by Changwook's lack of reaction. She was expecting to be questioned about all this. She's already sure someone told him that Minho was at the Dessert Room and she saw him. Or is he waiting for her to talk about it first?

When the anxiety makes her stomach churn, she rushes to the bathroom. She takes a sniff of one of the scented candles she left in there when she felt like hurling, relieved that it works.

Letting the bathtub fill, she slips out of the flimsy nightdress and examines her injuries again. She doesn't know why but she had the urge to see what's behind that plaster on her neck.

Just as her itchy hands move towards it, a stern voice cuts her. "Don't take that off." Minyoung yelps before she realizes she's and covers her front.

Changwook chuckles at her sudden onslaught of shyness before crouching in front of her and taking off the clip holding the bandage on her foot. "Take that off before you get into the bath..." When Minyoung is still being bashful, he unrolls the bandage himself. She watches him leisurely roll the long strip with no inclination of leaving.

"Are you going to watch me bathe now?" That was his cue from her to leave but he clearly has no intention to. "I once responded to an old man who drowned in the bathtub after self-medicating on painkillers for a broken hip. I'd rather not take my chances..."

He's as stern as a doctor with a difficult patient when he gestures at her to get in the tub. Hearing him speak, Minyoung finds herself obeying.

A couple of minutes later, she's lying in a lukewarm bath while he sits on the floor and leans his back against the bathtub. The only sign she's awake are her fingers playing with the ends of his hair on his nape.

"It's the first time you told me a story from your paremedic days... I always thought you'd have many interesting stories from that time..."

Changwook doesn't move, but he hums. "Nothing interesting... mostly trauma...every day for two years..."

"Was it hard...?"

"Gives you perspective... everyone thinks it's fulfilling. But I couldn’t deal with all that…I don’t even know how I lasted that long...sometimes... like the time I was pumping a kid with blood while firefighters tried to get out the rod impaling him to the car, I thought I can't keep dealing with this every day and thinking what happened to those people after I handed them to a doctor... I got the offer for NYU that time... so I quit..."

"did the kid..."

"He found me last year... just before I met you... He's an idol now, that bug-eyed kid you like on Produce 101..."

Minyoung lightly smacks his head. "Could've told me sooner..."

"You were shaking me so violently at his solo I forgot how to talk."

She flicks water at him in punishment. But the sudden movement makes her bruise on her back smart. "Ow!" Changwook turns around swiftly when she is trying to reach for her back. He holds her straighter so the cold ceramic wall doesn't hurt her a