Sharing Body Heat

“What’s that?”

“Huh?”

“What you’re hugging.”

“Toilet paper.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Ju Hayan lifted the bundle of toilet paper in her arms slightly as she answered, then awkwardly lowered her arms again.

Since her hands were full, Shin I-hyeok held the door for her until she safely stepped inside the entrance.

He followed behind as she hurried in small steps.

She pushed off her tightly tied shoes with her heels and barely managed to slip them off before entering the house first.

“I changed my phone today, and they gave this to me as a free gift.”

“Huff.”

Ju Hayan dropped the bundle of toilet paper onto the sofa and rubbed her arms.

It was just toilet paper, but carrying it around all day had been surprisingly heavy and annoying.

“A phone?”

“Yes.”

“The one I used before was really old.”

“Ah.”

Even though he had asked first, Shin I-hyeok didn’t seem particularly interested in what Ju Hayan was saying.

He had only asked because she brought something random home, and now that she answered, he responded with casual acknowledgment.

But to Ju Hayan, who was excited after changing her phone for the first time in years, even that reaction felt enthusiastic.

More than anything, she wanted to show off the phone she had gotten only a few hours ago.

“Do you want to see it?”

Ju Hayan pulled the white smartphone from her pocket and gently wiped the screen with her palm as if it were something precious.

“It came out about a year ago, but the features seem pretty good.”

“And they gave me such a big discount that it was basically free.”

Without any prompting, Ju Hayan excitedly tapped around the phone screen.

She added that the clerk had given her a big discount after seeing she was still using a 2G phone.

Exaggerating slightly, she said the clerk had been amazed by how old it was, almost like a phone from ten years ago.

When she even pulled out her old phone to show him, Shin I-hyeok—who had been quietly listening the whole time—let out a short laugh.

“You’re practically advertising how poor you are.”

“But still, good job replacing it.”

It didn’t sound like he meant anything serious by it.

There wasn’t any mockery in his tone either.

Still, feeling slightly embarrassed, Ju Hayan quickly slipped her old phone back into her pocket.

Shin I-hyeok, who had simply been watching the whole process, suddenly held out his hand.

“Give it to me.”

“…?”

“I said give me the phone.”

For a moment, Ju Hayan wondered which phone he meant.

But seeing that Shin I-hyeok’s hand was extended toward her chest instead of her pocket, she guessed he meant the new one and handed it over.

Fortunately, she guessed correctly.

Without another word, he took the phone.

“You’ve got a pretty small social circle.”

“What?”

“Did you even have friends at school?”

Ju Hayan stepped closer and looked down at the phone screen.

Because of their height difference, she had to stand on her toes to see it clearly.

He was looking through her contacts.

There were barely about thirty people saved.

She had already graduated anyway.

And she had only kept the people she actually needed.

Feeling awkward, Ju Hayan stepped back again.

After tapping the screen a few times, Shin I-hyeok returned the phone.

“Save this.”

“It’s the number I gave you when we first met anyway.”

On the screen facing Ju Hayan were eleven digits.

It was an unfamiliar combination, but she quickly realized it was Shin I-hyeok’s phone number.

Come to think of it, his personal number had been written on the business card he gave her that day.

But she had only checked the name and stuffed it somewhere.

She couldn’t even remember where it was now.

It wasn’t that she deliberately avoided it.

She just hadn’t felt the need to use it.

“Ah, okay.”

Taking the phone back, Ju Hayan recalled the steps Lee Jonghun had shown her earlier and opened the contact creation screen.

Shin I-hyeok kindly spelled out each character of his name.

Before Ju Hayan even had time to wonder how she should save it, she wrote it down exactly as he said.

Shin I-hyeok, CEO.

Even after pressing save, Shin I-hyeok’s gaze remained fixed on the screen.

Only when she turned the completed contact entry toward him did he finally look away and lightly ruffle her hair.

“If you didn’t bring that as a housewarming gift, clean it up.”

Pointing at the bundle of toilet paper thrown carelessly on the sofa, Shin I-hyeok walked past her deeper into the house.

Ju Hayan looked through her contact list.

With one more person added, there were now exactly thirty-six names.

Even though she saved the number, she probably wouldn’t need to contact him anyway.

She gently stroked the phone again before putting it back into her pocket.

Bending down to pick up the toilet paper bundle, Ju Hayan headed upstairs for now, following Shin I-hyeok’s suggestion.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Ju Hayan bowed slightly as she got out of the passenger seat.

Then she walked around to the back seat and took out the bundle of toilet paper she had carefully laid there earlier, hugging it against her chest again.

While she awkwardly closed the car door with her body, Shin I-hyeok stepped out of the driver’s seat and quietly watched her.

After locking the car with the smart key, he followed behind Ju Hayan as she headed down the stairs first.

Ju Hayan had assumed he would drop her off and leave immediately.

But Shin I-hyeok naturally followed her right inside the entrance.

Thinking back on it, it had already felt strange.

When the landlord contacted her saying the boiler had been repaired the night before, she told Shin I-hyeok she would go home early the next day to check.

He had simply nodded in agreement.

Then that morning he suddenly insisted on driving her.

When Ju Hayan asked about work just before leaving his house, Shin I-hyeok casually said that the people who get paid could figure that out themselves.

“Brr, it’s cold.”

The chill of the house, which had been empty for days, was strong.

The weather outside—where the cold wave had already passed—actually felt warmer.

Rubbing her slightly numb cheeks, Ju Hayan walked straight to the boiler and pressed the power button.

Fortunately, the screen lit up immediately.

Even after turning it on, though, there was no telling how long it would take for the house to warm up.

“Living in a place like this would wear down even a healthy body.”

Without any warmth, the damp gloom of the semi-basement room felt even stronger.

Shin I-hyeok clicked his tongue in disapproval.

His face openly showed his dissatisfaction.

Still… this is where I live.

Ju Hayan had nothing to say in response.

She shifted her body awkwardly and rubbed her cold feet against the tops of her other feet.

Shin I-hyeok’s gaze dropped downward.

“Your feet must be cold.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’ll warm up soon.”

“I doubt it’ll be that soon.”

“I’m used to the cold.”

“I think you’d be colder than me, CEO.”

After all, Ju Hayan was wearing a padded jacket, even if it was old.

Shin I-hyeok was only wearing a coat.

And unlike Ju Hayan, who endured heat in summer and cold in winter, Shin I-hyeok had probably always lived somewhere comfortable.

He would likely be more vulnerable to extreme temperatures.

Shin I-hyeok didn’t bother denying it.

Instead, he slowly looked around the house.

“Don’t you have slippers?”

“For indoors.”

“Of course not.”

If the floor were marble or the house was large, maybe.

But in a place where five steps from one wall reached the other wall, why would indoor slippers be necessary?

After her blunt reply, Shin I-hyeok fell silent for a moment before suddenly pointing at the bundle of toilet paper she had set down.

“Sit there.”

“What?”

“On that toilet paper.”

“If you sit and lift your feet, at least they won’t get cold.”

“I think it’ll collapse before I even lift my feet.”

Ju Hayan stared up at him with an incredulous expression.

What kind of ridiculous suggestion was that?

Even rounding up, he was a man nearly 180 centimeters tall.

The moment he sat down, the rolls would flatten.

Yet Shin I-hyeok looked completely calm.

The age difference between them was large, but she had no idea how small and young he thought she was.

When Shin I-hyeok grabbed her arm despite her protest, Ju Hayan quickly placed her other hand over his and pushed back.

The difference in strength was overwhelming.

She could barely resist the force of his one hand using both of hers.

No wonder he treated her so lightly.

Even she found the situation ridiculous and let out a small laugh.

Looking down at her, Shin I-hyeok gently pulled the arm she was holding closer to himself.

“Then should I just hold you?”

“What?”

“If we share body heat, it’ll warm you up a little.”

By the time he finished speaking, Shin I-hyeok had already pulled Ju Hayan into his arms.

He opened his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, clasping his hands behind her back.

Because of the thick winter clothes, the space inside his arms felt full.

Ju Hayan ended up resting her face against his shoulder.

It seemed his behavior inside the house wasn’t any different outside.

“If your feet are cold, put them on top of mine.”

“No.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

She refused immediately.

She wasn’t a toddler just learning how to walk.

What kind of sight would that be?

But of course, Shin I-hyeok ignored her.

Their feet were already close together, and he slid his foot beneath hers.

Ju Hayan stepped back to escape.

Shin I-hyeok followed.

After some awkward shuffling and struggling, Ju Hayan eventually gave up.

Her feet quietly rested on top of Shin I-hyeok’s.

“Cold.”

“The floor is cold.”

“See?”

“You should’ve done it earlier.”

Despite gaining someone else’s weight and cold feet, Shin I-hyeok looked rather pleased.

Ju Hayan tried to place most of her weight on the heel that was still touching the ground.

Feeling embarrassed, she changed the subject.

“Should I just lay out a blanket for you?”

“You can sit there.”

“That’s fine.”

“If Hayan lies down with me.”

“You can just sit.”

“Why do you need to lie down?”

“If we’re under a blanket, we’ll have to stay close.”

“The blanket will be cold too.”

“No—wait.”

“No.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I was wrong.”

Ju Hayan, completely overwhelmed by his persistence, lifted her face from where it had been resting and leaned back slightly.

When she looked up with narrowed eyes, Shin I-hyeok lowered his head toward her as if about to kiss the corner of her eyes.

“Seriously!”

Startled, Ju Hayan quickly buried her face against his chest.

Instead, she felt his hand patting her dry hair a couple of times.

After struggling like that for a while, Ju Hayan suddenly noticed that her heels had grown warm.

She quickly pulled her feet away and stepped onto the floor.

When she tried to move her body away as well, the arm wrapped around her back stopped her.

Warmth slowly spread through the soles of her feet.

It seemed the boiler repair had worked well.

Meanwhile, Shin I-hyeok was still pretending it was cold.

“Let go already!”

Her face puffed up with irritation as she grabbed his arm and pushed with all her strength.

The body that had felt like a wall moments ago suddenly moved away easily.

But then his hands quickly reached out and grabbed both sides of her ears.

A faint smile curved across his handsome face.

“Do you really want to be my little sister, Hayan?”

“You’re cute.”

Her head shook back and forth as he held her face and playfully wiggled it.

The same Shin I-hyeok who hadn’t reacted even when she hit his arms or back now stepped away just as quickly as he had approached.

Completely ignoring Ju Hayan, who was now fuming with dizziness and annoyance.

“So where are you heading after work today?”

“Of course home.”

She answered immediately without hesitation.

After a moment of silence, Shin I-hyeok nodded.

“Today… no, for the next few days, I might not be able to come.”

“There’s an old man waiting for me so eagerly his neck might fall off.”

Shin I-hyeok spoke jokingly.

But he didn’t seem willing to explain further.

He simply said he would stop by when he came down again before casually leaving the house.

Since Ju Hayan wasn’t really in a position to ask him for anything anyway, she only nodded.

As soon as he left, she plopped down onto the floor.

Being away from this place for several days felt almost like a dream.

Even the boiler couldn’t fully hide the damp smell of the semi-basement.

In the familiar space, she stretched out and lay flat on the floor.

She would rest her body a little longer before going out.

It was still too early to start the day.