Chapter 85: A Loyal Aide and a Mischievous Tiger

When I entrusted my body to Yoon Bora, she took care of almost everything.

From washing my body to drying me off and dressing me, she handled it all.

The only thing I had to do myself was hide my embarrassment.

With my face flushed red from the rush of blood, I sat on the hospital bed.

Looking around, I realized that Raxy Bora and Delphine were nowhere to be seen.

“Harang, you feel refreshed now, right?”

“……”

I did feel refreshed.

The problem was that the overwhelming sense of helplessness from being unable to resist overshadowed that feeling.

‘Z……’

Shame and guilt surged within me.

I had broken a taboo that should never have been crossed.

As I sat with my head lowered, fiddling with my fingers, the hospital room door suddenly opened.

‘X21……’

It was Jinhyang.

Dressed not in casual clothes but in an office outfit.

She only wore that when working, so why was she dressed like that at the hospital?

I stared at her in confusion as she slowly approached us.

“What were you two doing?”

At Jinhyang’s question, Yoon Bora grinned and answered.

“I was showering with Harang.”

“Showering…?”

“Yup! Since Harang can’t move properly, I helped wash her while I washed myself too.”

“Hmm…”

Jinhyang narrowed her eyes and stared at me.

Under her gaze, I shrank back and kept looking at the floor.

‘I’m going to get scolded.’

No matter how close we were, taking a shower with Yoon Bora was bound to seem inappropriate in Jinhyang’s eyes.

“Sigh.”

I braced myself, wondering what kind of reprimand I was about to receive.

As I stared at my blanket, dreading what was coming, Jinhyang suddenly reached out and grabbed my ear.

“You did well.”

“Huh?”

Did I hear that right?

I took a shower with Yoon Bora, and she’s saying I did well?

Stunned, I looked up at Jinhyang, only for her to gently tug my ear upward as if trying to straighten it.

It was a tender touch, not painful at all.

Not wanting to make her efforts go to waste, I perked up my ears.

“It must be hard to wash up alone, so if you want to bathe, just ask anyone for help.”

“Even you, Boss?”

“Yeah. You don’t really have a choice right now.”

“Whoa…”

I never expected Jinhyang to say something like that.

My mouth hung open in disbelief as she leaned down to meet my gaze.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Well, the thing is, I used to be… I mean, originally…”

I was originally a man.

But the words wouldn’t come out, and my lips just trembled.

I debated whether to say it at all, but staying silent didn’t feel right either.

It was embarrassing, but I had to tell them.

“The thing is… I used to be a man…”

I muttered so quietly that even I could barely hear it.

But it was loud enough for them.

“Hmm.”

“Mm.”

Yoon Bora and Jinhyang exchanged glances.

They furrowed their brows and tilted their heads as if something didn’t add up.

‘What’s going on?’

I couldn’t understand their reaction, so I just darted my eyes back and forth between them.

Then, Jinhyang finally spoke.

“Are you seriously still hung up on that?”

“What?”

Still? I had been thinking about it constantly!

Whenever they went to shower or change clothes, I either left the room or pretended to sleep just to avoid looking.

Of course, when I pretended to sleep, I usually ended up actually dozing off.

“Anyway, I really can’t handle showering together.”

I furrowed my brows in protest.

This should be enough to make them understand, right?

Just as I thought I had made my stance clear, Yoon Bora, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“I thought Harang had completely become a girl, but I guess not?”

“A girl…?”

“Yeah.”

Yoon Bora nodded with a bright smile.

“Bora, haven’t I always been super manly?”

“Uh… huh?”

At my words, Yoon Bora’s smiling expression stiffened.

But she avoided my gaze, making it clear what she was thinking.

She probably never thought I was manly.

‘Why though?’

It was strange.

I always growled fiercely and showed off my strength.

I deliberately acted intimidating and macho, yet she didn’t even register it?

Feeling defeated, I melted onto the bed.

“Sigh.”

Even Raxy Bora said she didn’t find me scary, and now Yoon Bora too?

I never expected living together would have this kind of downside.

‘Just wait and see.’

Once I get discharged, I’m going to be even more terrifying and ruthless.

With a sulky pout, I crossed my arms and turned my head away from Yoon Bora.

But Jinhyang suddenly reached out and gently tugged my cheek, pulling my face back toward her.

“So, are you planning to bathe alone from now on?”

“Well… that’s…”

I hesitated to answer Jinhyang’s question.

Because in my current condition, I couldn’t wash by myself.

“I get why you’re struggling with it, but you need to start getting used to it.”

“….”

I quietly nodded.

I wasn’t sure if I could get used to it, but it was true that I needed someone’s help.

For now, I had no choice but to rely on others.

That evening.

As the night settled over the hospital, an inexplicable sense of loneliness crept in.

‘They all have to go home, don’t they?’

Jinhyang, the twins, and Delphine all had jobs.

They couldn’t stay with me forever.

Of course, the hospital staff would be around, but…

They weren’t people I could open up to.

That thought alone drained the strength from my body.

“Harang, are you in a lot of pain?”

Delphine, who had been lying next to me, turned her head to look at me.

She was tapping away on her phone, seemingly writing something.

“Yeah. My heart hurts.”

“Why does your heart suddenly hurt?”

Delphine sat up in bed.

She placed her hand over my chest, and somehow, that simple touch brought me comfort.

Of course, this sense of security would vanish the moment she left.

With a bitter smile, I spoke to Delphine.

“At night, I have to be alone. And I hate being alone more than anything in the world.”

I had spent a long time alone before.

Back then, I even found it comforting.

But not anymore.

Now, I knew how wonderful it was to be with others.

‘I don’t want to be alone.’

As I stared at the ceiling, wiggling my toes in frustration, Delphine suddenly poked my cheek with her finger.

“I’ll stay with you, Harang.”

She giggled, continuing to playfully squish my cheek.

“But you have to go to work, Delphine.”

“It’s fine. I’m resigning right now.”

“…Resigning?”

I stared at Delphine in shock, and she casually held up her phone for me to see.

‘Huh?’

On the screen, an open document app was visible.

At the very top, the title read: “Resignation Letter.”

“Jinhyang unnie asked me to take care of you.”

“Are you sure about this? It must’ve been hard to get a job at the association.”

“I’m getting paid well as Harang’s friend, so it’s fine.”

“…Friend allowance?”

Wasn’t that basically buying friends with money?

I stared at her in disbelief, but she just chuckled and lay back down.

“I’m kidding. Jinhyang unnie actually asked me to work as your aide in the Tower.”

“Aide? You’re going to be my aide?”

“Yup. But for now, since you’re sick, I’ll be staying with you in the hospital.”

I see.

So, Delphine is my aide now.

That means I won’t have to be alone in the hospital anymore.

Just the thought of it made me so happy that my tail wagged uncontrollably.

“Hehe.”

Unable to contain my joy, I burrowed into Delphine’s arms.

I rubbed my ears against her, marking her with my scent.

I even licked her all over with my tongue.

I really licked her everywhere.

“W-Wait, Harang!”

As I continued licking her face nonstop, Delphine suddenly grabbed my face and gently pushed me away.

“What’s wrong?”

“Y-You can’t just lick there…!”

“Huh?”

Where did I lick?

I had been sticking my tongue out without thinking, so I didn’t remember exactly.

‘It was just her face and ears, though.’

Of course, I knew that different people valued different body parts.

Just like an artist treasures their hands, there must be something important on Delphine’s face.

Something she didn’t want my tongue touching.

‘Tch.’

It seemed like that was the end of my licking spree.

Her face had turned bright red.

She might get mad, so I figured I should give her a moment to collect herself.

Slurp—

For good measure, I gave her face one last big lick before pulling away without hesitation.

Since we’d be together from now on, I’d have plenty of opportunities to lick her in the future.

“Harang is rougher than I expected…”

Delphine muttered to herself while touching her lips.

“Well, I am a bit rough.”

After all, I’m a fierce and terrifying tiger.

At least she understood that much.

Feeling satisfied, I giggled to myself, but then a thought suddenly popped into my head.

“Delphine.”

“Yeah?”

“So… that means you’re my subordinate now?”

Delphine hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she nodded.

Her cautious confirmation made my tail wag again.

“Then that means you have to do everything I say, right? You have to follow my orders?”

Delphine stared at me silently.

She didn’t even blink.

After a few seconds, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Harang, I’m quitting.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because you’re trying to boss me around too much.”

“S-Sorry! I won’t do that!”

If she quit already, I’d be alone again.

That was something I absolutely couldn’t allow.

“Harang, if you want to work with me, you have to listen to me too, okay?”

“Okay! I’ll listen! Just don’t quit. I want to be with you forever.”

“…Fine. I’ll see how it goes.”

“Phew… What a relief.”

As I sighed in relief and clutched my chest, Delphine chuckled beside me.

She seemed to be in a good mood, so it looked like I had successfully stopped her from resigning.