. Sleeping With The Enemy (II)

[L]ee Ju-hee slowly stirred from her slumber, the cozy embrace of sleep still lingering. Her eyes remained shut, but the sounds of a conversation crept into her consciousness.

A sweet, innocent voice filled the room. "Uncle, how come she gets the cute rabbit, but I can't?" The little girl's voice was accompanied by the rustling of what sounded like a plush toy.

Still half-asleep, Lee Ju-hee felt a gentle tug on the toy she was holding, causing her to instinctively clutch it tighter. Her senses woke up, but her eyes stayed closed.

Another voice, gruff and matter-of-fact, chimed in, "Because it's hers! Now, don't pull too hard, or you'll wake her up!"

"Uncle, that's not fair!" The little girl's protest grew louder.

Even in her drowsy state, Lee Ju-hee could pieced together the situation from their conversation.

"Breadcrumbs, shh!" The gruff voice hushed. "You'll wake her up!"

"But I just want the rabbit," the little girl insisted.

Lee Ju-hee heard a sigh before the gruff voice spoke again. "I'll buy you another one."

"Promise, with a pinky?" the little girl asked innocently, prompting Lee Ju-hee to slowly open her eyes with a soft 'hmm'.

At that moment, she saw Yoo Jin-ho kneeling beside the couch she was on, linking his pinky with the baby girl's. "Sure thing! Pinky promise?"

He still seemed a bit unsure around kids, but she had to admit, the gesture looked rather cute.

With another soft "Hmm" and a slight grimace, Lee Ju-hee rubbed her eyes to fully awaken, drawing the attention of Jin-ho and the little girl.

"Oh, you're awake?"

"Yeah. Hard to sleep with all the commotion," Lee Ju-hee mumbled, shifting to lie flat on her back and gaze up at the ceiling.

"Unnie, sorry!" The sweet voice of the child chimed in sheepishly, causing Lee Ju-hee to turn her head toward her.

Nari? What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be with a relative?

"It's nothing," Lee Ju-hee replied, her gaze softening as she looked at the little one.

"You can go back to sleep if you want," Jin-ho offered.

Only then did Lee Ju-hee shift her attention to him, noticing his fresh clothes, and hints of a recent shower from his damp hair brushed back messily. His eyes looked slightly red, probably from a lack of sleep.

"W-what time is it?" Lee Ju-hee asked with a stammer, trying to change the subject. As much as she hated to admit, he was looking specifically hot this morning.

"It's 9:36 am."

Startled, Lee Ju-hee sat up quickly, her face showing a mix of stern bewilderment. She was late to open her café, which was an unusual occurrence. She wasn't used to oversleeping.

Jin-ho placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. "Don't worry. Ha-eun said she'd open the café so you could sleep a bit longer. Han-sol dropped her off this morning when he went to get Nari."

Her anxiety eased slightly at those words. But what about Min-ho? The Min-ho she knew would never abandon her in the enemy's lair.

"Your cousin is helping Han-sol make breakfast in the kitchen, by the way," Jin-ho added, as if sensing her inner turmoil accurately.

With a relieved sigh, Lee Ju-hee turned to Jin-ho, her hand gently resting on his impeccably chiseled cheek as her thumb brushed beneath his right eye.

"Why are your eyes red?" she asked, her tone casual but curious. She had a hunch about the cause but still wanted confirmation from him.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, maybe because I haven't slept a wink?"

"Why didn't you? I thought you—"

He cut her off with a simple, "I promised I'd keep an eye on you," as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A subtle, unspoken tension hung in the air between Jin-ho and Lee Ju-hee, like a magnetic pull. His gaze briefly lowered to her lips, silently questioning, before meeting her eyes, seeking some unvoiced approval.

'Ah... they looked deep blue in the early morning,' his thoughts echoed in her mind.

Without a doubt, he was probably thinking about the color of her eyes in the morning.

Suddenly, the clearing of a throat disrupted the strange moment. Lee Ju-hee was the first to break the eye contact, her cheeks faintly flushed, as she noticed a fully refreshed Min-ho standing by the kitchen entrance, holding a platter of what seemed to be dumplings.

Jin-ho's lingering stare at Lee Ju-hee was interrupted by a narrowed-eyed glare from Min-ho.

"What was that?" Min-ho asked bluntly, his gaze shifting between Jin-ho and his cousin.

Frowning, Lee Ju-hee inquired, "What was what?"

Min-ho didn't mince words. "Don't forget there's a little kid around! Please refrain from... well, you know."

Understanding the not-so-subtle hint, Jin-ho and Lee Ju-hee exchanged a few glances before shifting their attention to Nari, who had somehow managed to free the rabbit plush from Lee Ju-hee's grip and was now engrossed in playing with it.

"I-I'm not sure what you're saying... but... anyway..." Lee Ju-hee started, attempting to change the subject. She asked, "Why didn't you wake me up, Min?"

With a shrug, Min-ho walked in the direction of the dining table, probably setting down the platter he was holding. "I don't know, maybe because it's the first time in years you've actually gotten some decent sleep?"

"Min—" Lee Ju-hee was about to retort, but Jin-ho cut in.

"What do you mean, 'it's been years'? Are you saying the nightmares are a regular thing?"

Min-ho chuckled blankly before turning to Jin-ho, crossing his arms casually. "I'm sure you're not stupid. The under eyes are a dead giveaway," he said, pointing to the area beneath his eyes.

"Ah? Is it serious?"

"Shall I remind you both that I'm still here?" Lee Ju-hee interjected, breaking the awkward tension.

Another long pause ensued before it was broken by the joyful chuckle of the little girl. "Hehe..."

All three heads turned toward her, seeing that she was hugging the rabbit plush and pretending to lull it to sleep.

"You like it that much?" Lee Ju-hee asked, her tone flat.

Nari bobbed her head cutely and replied, "Mm! But Uncle won't let me have it."

"Why not?"

"Because he said it's yours!"

Lee Ju-hee contemplated the situation. "Well," she mumbled thoughtfully, starting to understand what was happening. "Yeah, we did win it together."

She couldn't believe that he had kept this plush. Even more surprising was the fact that, despite the events of that night, she had kept hers too.

"Do you want it?" Lee Ju-hee asked tentatively.

"No... I said I'd buy her a new one!" Jin-ho quickly protested, showing a strong reluctance to part with the plush toy.

Lee Ju-hee frowned, not quite understanding why he was so attached to that stuffed animal.

"I mean, even though it's hers... it's still mine too! And I... kind of like that plush too?"

"Hmm? Uncle likes the rabbit too?" Nari tilted her head, innocently probing for an answer.

"Yeah... it does mean a lot to me..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lee Ju-hee frowned at those cryptic words. She wanted to read him again, but Jin-ho got up quickly, extending his hand toward Nari, asking for the plush toy.

Reluctantly, with a forlorn look, Nari handed over the toy. The scene looked somewhat pitiful, making Lee Ju-hee want to comfort the little girl.

But before she could say anything else, Jin-ho spoke up again. "If you don't plan to sleep any longer, how about freshening up and joining us for breakfast?"

As Nari reluctantly handed over the cherished rabbit plush to Jin-ho, Lee Ju-hee responded, her gaze lingering on Jin-ho. "Breakfast sounds good."