Kiss the Ground Chapter 32

Dare to nutmeg my dog? In that moment of irritation and determination, Chahyun swiftly ran to grab the tripod he had placed nearby. It took only a few seconds to fix the camera onto it.

After roughly checking the shooting angle, Chahyun jumped into the midst of Misha and Hong-sam. Seeing Misha’s face as he successfully stood the ball up with his foot, there was a smile that seemed to say, “I knew you could do it.”

“Instead of showing off your skills to the dog, play with me. Every time you succeed, it’s one point.”

“Okay. What’s the prize if I win?”

“I don’t know, but if I win, I get something.”

“What is it?”

“I get to bathe him.”

Chahyun pointed to Hong-sam, who was covered in slobber. At the sudden confrontation with the two humans, Hong-sam sat on the ground with his hindquarters down. His panting tongue was a cute shade of pink.

“It’s okay.”

Nodding slightly, Misha pushed his tie through the gap in the front of his dress shirt. It might have been quite awkward to straighten out the mess, but seeing him tidy it up now, was he actually provoking something by holding back until now? Chahyun glared at him for no reason. Despite the intense gaze, Misha kicked the ball first.

In the soft afternoon sunlight pouring down, an unexpected confrontation was unfolding in Yoon Chahyun’s backyard.

The two humans and one dog walking out of the bathroom were literally soaked rats.

The nutmeg game that had unfolded all afternoon ended with Yoon Chahyun’s narrow victory. The moment Misha finally admitted his defeat came when the sun was setting. Just a couple of hours ago, his pristine white shirt had been neatly tucked in, but now it was as if someone had grabbed it by the collar and tossed it aside.

Seeing the defeated look of the loser, Chahyun felt a clear sense of having successfully avenged the ridicule of his dog, but at the same time, he felt a tiny bit sorry. After all, bathing a dog the size of Hong-sam was a daunting task that even an amateur would hesitate to undertake. Anyway, having a weak heart was definitely a problem.

They carried Hong-sam into the house like a rice sack, holding him tightly. Their feet, worn out from vigorous outdoor activity, simply couldn’t step into the living room.

Despite Chahyun’s offer to take on the punishment like a gentleman, Misha politely declined, but his stubbornness didn’t last more than twenty minutes. Rolling up his sleeves and trouser legs, and looking forlornly through the crack of the bathroom door at Chahyun, Misha’s appearance was quite pitiful. Chahyun bit his tongue to keep from laughing as he followed him into the bathroom.

While Misha poured water over Hong-sam’s back, Chahyun vigorously scrubbed his body. They became a team, enemies in the garden turned teammates in the bathroom. Watching Chahyun skillfully bathe Hong-sam, a skill honed over several years of caretaking, Misha kept his eyes wide open. It seemed he had experience raising smaller or medium-sized dogs. Compared to this battlefield, those friends of similar size were, well, just kids playing around.

“Misha, let him down.”

“He’s good, Hong-sam.”

“What do you mean, good? You saw him snapping at us.”

“Well, yeah.”

Misha gently placed Hong-sam on the floor. The dog, now even more hefty from drinking water, joyfully rolled around on the large absorbent towel Chahyun had laid out beforehand. Watching the carefree sight, Chahyun and Misha straightened their sore backs and stretched their achy arms.

“More tiring than it looks, huh? Don’t you think it’s punishment-worthy?” Chahyun teased.

“Did you usually do this alone?”

“If not me, who else?”

As Misha wiped away the water droplets dripping from under his chin, he glanced sidelong at Chahyun. It seemed he just now realized the source of Winchester 12’s stamina. Chahyun looked down at the mess on the floor with a sense of pride for having relieved himself of a heavy burden. The water droplets that had started from the bathroom were gradually spreading, reaching their feet. Like people practicing under a waterfall, they were soaked to the bone. Misha nonchalantly brushed off his arms, his transparent dress shirt clinging to his body in places. Although he had declared it a self-imposed punishment, Chahyun felt he should at least treat Misha to a meal. It would feel strange not to send him off after feeding him something substantial. Ordering some Chinese food would be perfect, but there were no convenient places around here.

“Since it’s late, how about we grab dinner before you go? Nothing fancy, and I’m not a good cook, but if you’re okay with that… I roughly know what you like since we’ve eaten together before.”

“Sure!”

Before Chahyun could finish his sentence, Misha turned around with a delighted expression. As a result, a few water droplets that had clung to his hair flew unceremoniously onto Chahyun’s face. How much water did he flip around for that to happen… It was when Chahyun wiped his cheek and looked at Misha’s face to discuss the menu.

“Huh? When did this happen to your face?”

“What do you mean?”

“That, your face…”

Captivated by the unexpected discovery, Chahyun stared intently at Misha’s face. Misha widened his eyes in surprise at Chahyun’s gaze just below his eyes, then cautiously raised his hand to feel his own face.

“Why? Is something on it?”

“Don’t touch it.”

Chahyun grabbed Misha’s wandering hand, which had climbed up without a clear destination. It was about to touch his scar where the medical tape had come off. Perhaps due to the sudden movement caused by the water, the tape had lost its adhesive power and was hanging halfway off, dangerously swaying from where it should have been securely attached.

When did this happen? It hadn’t been noticeable even in the bathroom just now.

Hong-sam, perhaps feeling particularly good because there were two people washing him today, shook his body vigorously. As a result, Chahyun and Misha had to be hit by water droplets every few minutes. Even their faces and hair were not exceptions, so it was natural that they couldn’t withstand it even with medical excuses. The reason the coaches had prohibited Misha from training was probably because of this. If sweat or water got into the wound, it could lead to complications. Just like the current situation…

Chahyun unconsciously twisted his expression. His own carelessness was maddening. Why did he suggest such a game without thinking? His voice sank with the thought that he had brought someone who hadn’t fully recovered yet and caused an accident for no reason.

“The tape covering your wound fell off. Maybe it’s because of the water.”

“Ah. I felt something was off.”

“We should probably take some measures…”

“It’s okay, Yuan. The doctor said I’m almost completely healed. This shouldn’t be too serious.”

Misha offered a faint smile. The wound revealed through the loose tape didn’t seem to be as serious as he had feared, but Misha was good at reassuring Chahyun. After a moment of thought, Chahyun grabbed Misha’s arm.

“We probably have something similar at our house. It might not be as good as what’s in the medical center, but… Let’s deal with that first, before anything else.”

“We can probably do without it for a day, right?”

“Absolutely not.”

Holding onto Misha, who weakly insisted, Chahyun turned him around, and he surprisingly followed quietly. Holding onto his damp sleeve, Chahyun led him to the bedroom.

“Do you remember this place?”

“A little bit? Just waking up in the morning.”

As Chahyun sat Misha on the bed, he subtly asked about his memory. Being in this room with him naturally brought back memories of that night’s fierce struggle. The ordeal of two large figures, nearly reaching 187cm in height, clashing and rolling until they reached this bed. It was like a modern-day epic… To see Misha’s calm face, completely devoid of any memory of that night’s battle, Chahyun glanced at the storage space inside the dressing room.

“I found it.”

From deep inside a drawer, Chahyun took out a first aid kit that was rarely used at home. Since they rarely stayed at home and most injuries were treated at the club, there was rarely a need for it, but it was good to have it ready just in case. There might still be some tape left inside that was used for knee or wrist support. Carrying the box, Chahyun returned to the bedside and sat next to Misha.

“Okay, here it is.”

Chahyun opened the lid of the first aid kit with a click and rummaged through it. Misha leaned over and peered into the box.

“Is this the same tape I used?”

“No, this is for joint taping… But it should be fine to use for a day since the effects are similar. Still, we should ask the doctor to switch it back to what you were originally using tomorrow.”

Chahyun first looked at Misha’s face to remove the tape that had originally been attached. He didn’t have much medical knowledge about injuries other than muscle or bone fractures, but he knew that it wasn’t advisable to stick something wet onto a wound. As he fixed Misha’s face to look at him, Misha stared back at Chahyun’s face intently. Avoiding his gaze, Chahyun carefully removed the remaining tapes.

As everything was peeled off, the intact appearance of the unfamiliar wound slowly revealed itself. As Misha had said, it seemed to be almost healed. It looked like it was in the midst of transitioning from a wound to a scar.

“…”

Chahyun truly saw his face for the first time in a while. On his bare face, without any obstructions, there were long traces from his ears to under his eyes. They weren’t clear, but they were distinctly red marks that couldn’t be ignored. It was just unfortunate that those scars marred Asplund’s face, that they were unbearable… Everyone had gathered around expressing concerns about his appearance, but at this moment, Chahyun thought all those words were meaningless. Because, even with those cracks, Misha’s face didn’t look unpleasant.

The line drawn on his noble face gave off an impression closer to sacredness rather than being grotesque or repulsive. It was almost like the mark of a noble saint who had received some holy stigmata. Chahyun unconsciously stopped his hand and stared at his face.

“Why?”

“No reason.”

Misha glanced at Chahyun’s face with a hint of amusement in his puzzled voice. Chahyun licked his lips unknowingly. His hurried motion of tearing the new tape package seemed a bit off.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“It’s nothing.”

There was a faint hint of laughter in Misha’s voice as he probed for the second reason. To dispel the strange sense of defeat, Chahyun maintained a poker face.