A groan escaped my lips.
Rubbing my half-asleep eyes, I pushed myself up from the sofa.
“Ugh… what time is it…?”
My gaze drifted to the clock hanging on the wall.
The hands of the clock already pointed to nine.
‘I’d slept longer than I intended.’
“Mob, Mob…”
Still struggling to open my eyes, I clung to the sofa as I called out his name.
‘Where could he be, Mob? This genius doctor has awakened!’
‘Couldn’t he bring me my morning cocoa already…!’
I let out a loud cry, yet for some reason, no sound came from Mob.
‘Wondering why he wasn’t coming, I tilted my head, eyes barely open, when suddenly a memory from before I fell asleep flashed through my mind.’
“H-huh!?”
My mind snapped awake, and I leaped from the sofa.
Rushing to the door, I flung it open, only to find…
“M-Mob?”
There, leaning against the wall, was Mob, his face pale and shadowed by prominent dark circles, dozing off.
The moment I opened the door, he slowly lifted his eyelids, then turned his head to look at me.
“You… finally opened it.”
He must have been waiting for a long time, as his face was etched with profound exhaustion.
Feeling a pang of undeserved guilt, I offered an awkward smile and spoke.
“Y-you should have said something…”
“I… of course… I did.”
He responded curtly, his face so weary that he seemed to lack the energy even to be angry.
‘He *did* say something. I must have been too deep in sleep to hear.’
“R-right…? My bad.”
“That’s hardly a sincere apology.”
Ahem.
Despite Mob’s sharp retort, I feigned nonchalance, placing my hands on my hips and striking a confident pose.
“Anyway! This genius doctor has just been resurrected…!”
“What now?”
His exhausted gaze, clearly asking ‘what fresh nonsense now?’, fixed upon me.
I pulled up the corners of my mouth and declared.
“This body, I tell you, is now impervious to Mob’s demonic charm!”
‘Perhaps it was because I had just woken up, but now, even with Mob staring at me with that handsome face, I felt absolutely nothing.’
Hmph.
Exuding confidence, I looked down at Mob.
‘How about that, Mob?’
‘I’ve developed an immunity now.’
‘Even if Mob were to say the same things he did last time, this genius doctor would absolutely not waver!’
“What demonic charm are you talking about? What did I even do?”
The man, who had been staring at my sparkling gaze as if utterly bewildered, soon raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
“There’s… there’s just something!”
Sigh.
Mob let out a deep sigh, then waved his hand dismissively, as if bothered.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care… I’m tired, so I’d appreciate it if you’d move so I can sleep.”
With those words, he slowly, wearily pushed himself up.
Casting a brief, sidelong glance at me with his heavily shadowed eyes, Mob began to walk away.
“Oh, wow…”
That heavy gaze instantly drew an exclamation of awe from my lips.
‘What was that just now?’
‘The faint shadow cast by his hair, and beneath it, the fleeting glimpse of eyes steeped in exhaustion.’
‘Whether it was the dark circles or something else, that look, that aura, that gaze… it was incredibly atmospheric.’
“Amazing…”
“What are you rambling about now? …I’m going in. Don’t talk to me.”
I flinched momentarily, caught off guard by his unexpected ‘gaze attack.’
Mob gave me a bewildered look, then swayed unsteadily as he disappeared into the room.
I stared blankly at his retreating back, then bit my lip.
It was because Mob’s condition seemed incredibly poor.
While I suspected it was due to him lying around outside all that time, I couldn’t help but feel terribly worried.
To simply ignore him as usual felt wrong, especially since it was partly my fault for not opening the door for five hours.
It was inevitable that I would be concerned.
Hmm…
Scratch, scratch. As I stood there, idly scratching my cheek, Mob’s groans soon echoed from within the room.
“Ugh, oh…”
‘…He must be in a lot of pain.’
“Ugh. Hmm…”
‘Ugh, seriously. He’s making me so worried!’
‘Right. The Boss said that taking care of a subordinate’s mental well-being is a virtue of an excellent superior, didn’t they?’
‘And this genius doctor is, after all, the perfect superior…’
Mm-hmm.
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
‘My sunfish-like Mob (TL Note: ‘Gaebokchi’ refers to an ocean sunfish, often used humorously to describe someone fragile or easily stressed). Just you wait.’
‘This genius doctor is going to provide Mob with an absolutely incredible service!’
With my resolve firm, I scurried over to my desk.
****
“Ugh…”
The man tossed and turned on the bed.
His entire body felt heavy.
His head was hot, and his thoughts wouldn’t coalesce properly.
“Why do I feel so terrible…?”
He had only been standing outside for about five hours, yet his entire body felt like it was collapsing.
‘Could it be accumulated fatigue?’
‘After all, he had wandered, drenched in rain, even before joining this organization, and had since faced numerous perilous situations.’
‘Thinking back, it felt like a miracle he hadn’t fallen ill until now.’
Haa…
The man sighed deeply, trying to expel the heat swirling through his body, and closed his eyes.
He remained like that, eyes closed and lost in thought, for a long while.
—”…Mob!”
As his consciousness began to blur, he faintly heard someone’s voice.
It wasn’t a voice echoing in his ears, but a peculiar reverberation that seemed to resound directly within his mind.
—”…Mob, did you know? When people experience extreme stress, a hormone called endorphin circulates through their bodies.”
The man instinctively knew.
‘This voice was coming from within his own memories.’
—”Endorphins are, well…”
It was a familiar voice.
‘Who had he heard this from?’
‘It felt like one of his family members.’
He tried to recall the person who was no longer there.
But the man soon shook his head.
Forcing himself to recall those memories would inevitably bring not only cherished nostalgia but also the despair he had felt at the time.
He simply let his thoughts drift.
—”They’re an absolutely amazing hormone! When endorphins are flowing, you supposedly don’t even feel pain. That’s how heroes can exert superhuman strength!”
The voice was bright and innocent.
So much so that he could feel the genuine admiration for heroes in it.
—”But every power comes with a price, right? That’s true. When the endorphins circulating through your body stop, the rebound hits you all at once…!”
Exaggerated gestures vividly played out in his mind.
The man unconsciously let out a small chuckle.
He wondered how long it had been since he’d last genuinely smiled like that, even as he sank deeper into the hazy memory.
—”Still, the good thing is, endorphins stop when your body feels ‘truly safe.’ So, when you’re with the person who makes you feel most at ease. Isn’t that amazing?”
With those words, the memory gently faded away.
The man unconsciously mulled over the last phrase.
“When you’re with the person who makes you feel most at ease, huh…”
As he murmured this, he suddenly sensed a light presence nearby.
“Hmm?”
‘Who could it be?’
Just as he was about to question it.
A gentle touch.
A cool sensation spread across his forehead.
It was the damp, refreshing feel of a wet towel.
He didn’t even wonder ‘who could it be?’ anymore.
There was no need to question it.
Because…
“Oh.”
The only one who would playfully poke and prod his cheek with a soft index finger like this.
The only one with such tender, velvety skin.
The only one who exuded such a rich scent of milk.
Poke, poke.
“Ooh.”
Poke, poke.
“Interesting…”
As far as the man knew, there was only one such person.
“Don’t just poke me like that.”
Annoyed by the impudent fingers repeatedly prodding his cheek, the man mumbled and opened his eyes.
What entered his vision was the sight of a truly tiny girl.
It was the adorable Doctor, sitting beside his bed, her small arms laden with various items, as if intending to nurse him back to health.
Poke, poke.
“I said… stop poking me.”
Poke, poke. Press.
Haa…
Seeing her still completely disregard his words, the man let out a sigh so deep it felt like the earth itself would crack.
“You’re really hot. Like a hot pack…”
“Don’t just blurt out your observations.”
“Meat… If I put it on you, would it cook…?”
“Hey!”
Just as he was about to get angry at the Doctor for her continuous strange remarks.
Shhh.
The Doctor’s soft, squishy index finger rested directly on the man’s lips.
“…!”
The sensation instantly stole his breath, and his eyes widened.
It was soft. It was chewy. It was smooth.
These three sensations surged simultaneously, delivering an ecstatic touch.
“Mob… wait, just hold still…”
That alone was enough to drive him mad, but then the Doctor’s small body suddenly began to draw closer…?
Something seemed poised to reveal itself beyond her loose gown.
A dangerous shadow flickered before the man’s eyes.
“What the?!”
‘What on earth was happening?’
The man felt an extreme sense of confusion.
The Doctor’s body drew closer. Closer. It was stimulating. He was going insane.
He couldn’t tear his gaze away. A pleasant scent filled his senses. Her small body came even closer. She was right before his eyes.
His breath brushed against her delicate skin, and his own heated breaths slowly returned, churning wildly through his mind. They were so close, he could almost reach out and touch her. It felt as if, with just a slight shift, her clothes might reveal something…
A soft ‘oops.’
…
While the man’s head was bursting with countless thoughts.
The Doctor calmly took the towel she had placed on the man’s forehead.
After gently touching his forehead with her fingertips, she nodded repeatedly.
She even picked up the towel and sniffed it.
“Why are you sniffing it…?”
As the man asked in a trembling voice, the Doctor murmured softly.
“It’s already cold. You must really be sick, huh…?”
“Would I be faking it…?”
The man’s words were cut short.
Because the Doctor squeezed the towel dry, then prepared to place it fresh upon his forehead once more.
“…?!”
Just as before, the Doctor’s small body loomed before his eyes.
In the space where the Doctor had moved, the lingering scent of rich milk filled his senses.
It was the very aroma that had just emanated from her small body.
‘Why was this happening?’
Before, when he smelled this milk scent, his head would throb, and he would feel dizzy.
But now, for some inexplicable reason, he felt a desire to inhale it more deeply.
His head didn’t ache; instead, a peculiar sensation of his chest pounding more warmly enveloped him.
“Why…?”
Confused by this unfamiliar emotion he had never felt before in his life, the man’s body stiffened.
“Hmph. How is it? This genius doctor’s devoted nursing…!”
…
Beside him, the impudent Doctor, utterly oblivious to the man’s tumultuous confusion, placed her hands on her hips and chattered away.
“I’ll be by your side all night, taking care of you, so be prepared! I won’t leave you alone until you’re fully recovered…!”
Haa…
The man unconsciously nodded at her last words.
‘Indeed, he might have to brace himself.’
‘For it would be incredibly difficult to maintain his sanity amidst the dense scent of milk pervading the room.’
“Oh, you smiled! Mob, can you already feel yourself getting healthier?”
It seemed tonight… would be a long, long night.
A truly long night.
