Chapter 41: Kiro and the Laundry


    I can''t stand the awkwardness I''m feeling after seeing Kiro topless. My cheeks are burning, and I''m


    desperately searching for something else to focus on. The living room suddenly feels too warm, and


    my heart is beating faster than ever.


    I try to discreetly avert my gaze, my eyes darting to the floor, to the ceiling—anywhere but him. But


    the image is etched in my mind, and I can''t escape it.


    "I''m r-really tired now, so I''m going to bed. You should go to sleep, too," I said, heading straight into


    my siblings'' room.


    When I was inside the room, Dodong surprised me by saying, "Are you okay, sister? I thought you


    were already asleep."


    "Huh? Oh, yeah, I''m fine," I replied, trying to sound casual, but my heart was pounding in my chest.


    "I''m going to bed now," I added hastily, almost diving into my own bed for cover. I could feel the heat


    rising to my cheeks, and I hoped Dodong wouldn''t notice how flustered I was.


    Even though he seemed unsure, Dodong just nodded in response, probably sensing my


    nervousness. I pretended to be engrossed in arranging my pillows, hoping to distract myself from


    the embarrassment.


    It''s all because of Kiro! Did I really see him without a shirt on? My mind kept reying the image of


    his toned abs, and I gulped nervously. I had not expected that sight, and now I couldn''t get it out of


    my head.


    Oh my, I don''t think I''ll be able to sleep well tonight. The butterflies in my stomach seemed to have


    taken flight, and my thoughts were in disarray. How could I face Kiro tomorrow without feeling like I


    was about tobust from the awkwardness?


    I pulled the nket up to my chin, hoping it would somehow shield me from my own thoughts. But


    every time I closed my eyes, his image lingered in the darkness.


    Why did I have to be so clumsy and turn immediately like that? My mind scolded itself for not being


    more careful. But then again, I hadn''t expected him to be there, half-naked and catching me


    completely off guard.


    –


    The next day, I woke up early, my mind still grappling with the events ofst night. Trying to shake


    off the awkwardness, I decided to head to the kitchen. As I tiptoed past the living room, I couldn''t


    help but steal a nce at Kiro, who was fast asleep on the couch.


    He looked so peaceful, even though his body probably wasn''t used to sleeping on the sofa. I


    couldn''t help but feel a twinge of guilt.


    I decided to cook breakfast for the family, I chose to prepare a simple soup. As we remained


    uncertain about when we could return to Kiro''s mansion or if I would stay here for a few more days,


    taking care of Mom remained my top priority.


    Heading back to my siblings'' room, I gently woke up Dodong and Datdat. We gathered together


    inside and talked before starting the day.


    "A-ate..." Datdat began.


    "What is it, Dat?" I asked, wondering what was on her mind.


    "Is Sir Kiro your boss?" she inquired with innocent curiosity, making me smile softly at her question.


    "Yes, why do you ask, Dat?" I inquired, curious about her line of thinking.


    "Oh my, sis Datdat! Maybe you have a crush on your sister''s boss'' son! Oh no, not bro Kiro, okay? I


    ship him with sis Lyka!" Dodong teased with a mischievous grin, yfully poking Datdat''s side. I


    couldn''t help but chuckle at Dodong''s lighthearted banter; he was always like this, finding ways to


    tease us.


    "Shut up, Dodong! What are you saying? And a ‘crush’? Where did you learn those things, huh?


    And do not tell me you will believe Dodong?" Datdat responded, her annoyance evident. I found it


    amusing how she defended herself, and I realized I had missed their yful back-and-forth during


    my absence.


    As we shared a few moreughs, Datdat''s contagiousughter and yful screams echoed through


    the room. Her giggles were like music to my ears, filling the space with joy and light. I couldn''t help


    but smile as I watched her enjoying the moment, her eyes sparkling with happiness.


    But a small part of me couldn''t help but worry. I nced towards the other side of the house, I


    hoped our loud chatter wouldn''t wake Dad up.


    "Come on, you guys, let''s stop this teasing," I interjected, trying to keep the mood light.


    "Anyway, let''s get back to the topic. Dodong and I will leave you here, Datdat; we need to do some


    housework."


    Dodong feigned disappointment. "Aw, but I was having so much fun!"


    I yfully ruffled his hair. "Don''t worry, Dodong. We''ll have more funter. But for now, let''s give


    Datdat some time to rest."


    With that settled, Dodong and I set out to tackle the household chores. As we cleaned and


    organized the inside of our rooms, Dodong kept teasing me about Kiro, which made me roll my


    eyes in mock exasperation.


    "I don''t know where you get these ideas, Dodong," I said, trying to sound serious. "Kiro is just a


    friend and my boss. There''s nothing more to it."


    Dodong grinned, clearly enjoying my reaction. "Sure, Ate, whatever you say."


    I shrugged him off.


    "Datdat, just rest here, okay?" I told my sister before leaving the room.


    As I walked through the house, my gaze fell upon Kiro''s empty bed sh chair. Where could he be?


    I wondered, a sense of curiosity tickling my mind. I know he’s usually this early but this isn’t their


    house so where could he go as early this morning?


    Feeling a tug of concern, I decided to check on the broth I had prepared earlier in the kitchen. As I


    stood there, taking in the aroma of the simmering soup, I heard the sound of voices nearby. One of


    them was familiar—it was Mother''s voice.


    My heart skipped a beat, and I cautiously moved towards the direction of the voices. As I


    approached, I realized that Mother was scolding someone. The surprise of hearing her stern tone


    made me hesitate to intrude, but my concern for her well-being overrode my hesitation.


    Peering around the corner, I saw Mother standing there, her expression serious, as she talked to


    Kiro. He looked somewhat taken aback, but he was listening attentively to what she had to say.


    "Kiro, I appreciate your kindness, but we can''t keep burdening you like this," Mother said firmly.


    "And oh my gosh! Your clothes are soaking wet! Are you serious about doing this?" Mama''s voice


    reached my ears, filled with surprise and concern.


    Intrigued by her tone, I hurried outside to see what was happening. To my surprise, I found KiroContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    sitting in a small chair, facing a basin filled withundry. He had a bright smile on his face,


    seemingly enjoying the task at hand. Mama stood nearby, watching him and engaging in


    conversation.


    I was taken aback. What was Kiro doing? Did he know how to doundry?


    "Oh my gosh! This is really embarrassing for you! Just stand there, and I''ll do theundry!" Mama


    eximed, clearly worried.


    But Kiro shook his head with a warmugh. "No, no, Tita. It''s okay. I want to help. You just got back


    from the hospital yesterday, and I can handle this."


    Mama looked at him incredulously, as if she couldn''t believe her eyes. "But you''re a guest here,


    Kiro. You don''t have to do this."


    Kiro shrugged, his expression earnest. "I know I don''t have to, but I want to.” With that, he gently


    began applyingundry soap to the clothes, taking care to clean them thoroughly.


    "You just got back from the hospital yesterday, Tita," Kiro added with concern. "Lyka will be angry


    with you if she finds out you''re doing this."


    Mama huffed in response but couldn''t hide the appreciation in her eyes.


    "M-mom?" I managed to say as I approached them, my surprise evident in my voice. Our makeshift


    laundry area was outside, and the sludge from the previous day''s rain made the ground a bit sticky,


    but Mama had found a way to make it work by using stones to hold a basin and minimize the mess.


    "My daughter! Lyka!" Mama greeted me with a warm smile, seemingly happy to see me.


    "Mom! I heard you and Kiro—Sir Kiro! And why are you doingundry? You just got out of the


    hospital yesterday!" I scolded her, my concern for her well-being taking over.


    "I-I can do it, Lyka... And it''s justundry. Kiro suddenly appeared and took over what I was doing! I


    should be the one doing theundry!" she protested, but there was a hint of amusement in her


    voice.


    I turned to Kiro, feeling a mix of gratitude and bewilderment. "Kiro, thank you for helping, but you


    really didn''t have to. I can handle the chores."


    Kiro chuckled softly, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "I know you can, Lyka. But I wanted to do


    something to lighten your load. Your mom was working so hard, and I couldn''t just sit back and do


    nothing."


    Mama and I exchanged a nce, both of us amazed by Kiro''s willingness to lend a hand despite his


    privileged background. Mama couldn''t resist her curiosity and asked, "Kiro, where did you learn to


    doundry, even though you were raised with a silver spoon in your mouth?"


    Kiro''s face lit up with a fond reminiscence. "When I was a child, I used to y with my toys,


    pretending I was an adult who knew everything. So, yeah, that''s where I learned. It was just a game


    for me in the bathroom."


    Mama and I burst intoughter at his unexpected response. "Bathroom games?" I thought to


    myself, feeling a bit silly for my random thoughts. But theughter felt good, easing the tension in


    the air.


    "But even then, young man! I''ll just continue doing theundry; it''s too embarrassing for you," Mama


    persisted, trying to persuade Kiro to let her take over.


    I sighed, understanding Mama''s concern, but I knew Kiro was more than capable of helping. "Just


    go inside, Mom. Kiro and I will take care of this together," I said with a reassuring smile, hoping to


    convince her that we could handle the task.


    Finally, she relented and went inside, leaving Kiro and me alone with theundry. I sat down next to


    him, ready to assist, but to my surprise, he suddenly stood up. I wondered what his problem was


    now.


    "Here, you can sit here," Kiro said, offering me the small chair he had been using earlier.


    "Huh? It''s okay, Kiro! I''m used to it; Mama and I used to be like this. . . . It''s okay, you can sit there,"


    I replied, declining his offer.


    But he gently insisted, pushing me to his seat. I was taken aback by his action, feeling a rush of


    emotions as we ended up being very close to each other. My heart started to race at the thought of


    him being so near.


    He ced the small chair at my feet and made me sit down, asking, "That''s it. Comfortable?" I


    blinked, looking into his eyes, and simply nodded in response.


    My heart was pounding, and I could feel butterflies in my stomach. Not again! I scolded myself. You


    and your gestures, Kiro. They always leave me feeling flustered and confused.


    As I sat there, close to him, I couldn''t help but notice the way he looked at me, the gentleness in his


    eyes, and the warmth of his smile. There was something about him that drew me in, something that


    made my heart skip a beat whenever he was near.


    It was then that I realized the truth—I was falling for him. The realization hit me like a wave, leaving


    me both exhrated and afraid. This wasn''t supposed to happen.