Chapter 42: The Red Panty


    We continued doing theundry, but I couldn''t help stealing nces at Kiro from time to time. It was


    hard to believe that someone from a wealthy background could be so adept at household chores.


    "Ahm... Why are you staring at me?" he suddenly asked, breaking my reverie. I hadn''t realized that I


    had been looking at him for a while, and I felt embarrassed and ashamed for being caught in my


    curiosity.


    "Y-you just know how to doundry—" I stammered, trying to exin myself.


    Kiro raised an eyebrow yfully. "Hmmm. Is that your reaction?" he teased, making me wonder


    what he was thinking.


    I chuckled nervously, trying to ease the awkwardness. "HAHA! It''s just rare to see a rich man who


    knows how to do housework..."


    Kiroughed along with me, his smile infectious. "Well, I''ve never been one to let my background


    define me. Besides, knowing how to doundry is a useful skill, don''t you think?"


    "Absolutely," I replied, genuinely impressed. "It''s just... unexpected."


    Kiro nodded, his expression turning more serious. "I believe that everyone should be self-reliant to


    some extent, regardless of their background. Life is unpredictable, and knowing how to take care of


    oneself and others is important."


    His words resonated with me, and I couldn''t help but admire his perspective. Kiro was more than


    just a wealthy young man; he was wise andpassionate, with a genuine desire to be helpful.


    "Thank you for not letting Mother do theundry. She can be quite stubborn!" I said with a grateful


    smile, feeling relieved that Kiro had stepped in to help.


    "You were very worried when your Mother was hospitalized. I was worried about you too; you were


    crying so much," he added, his voice filled with concern, which made my face turn red from the


    memory.


    "Thank you so much..." I mumbled, feeling a bit overwhelmed by his kindness. We both fell silent,


    focusing on the task at hand.


    As we continued washing the clothes, I couldn''t help feeling embarrassed by the situation. After all,


    Kiro was the one who drove me home, and on top of that, he had generously paid for my mother''s


    hospital expenses. And now, here he was, doingundry with me—something that I had always


    considered a personal responsibility.


    My thoughts were interrupted when I saw the cloth that Kiro was washing. It was a small, thin red


    cloth, and my eyes nearly popped out when I recognized it. It was my panty! How did it end up in


    theundry? I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment as I quickly snatched it from him. In my


    haste, I identally sshed water on his face.


    "Omy! K-Kiro... Sorry! Sorry!" I rushed to apologize, feeling mortified by my clumsiness.


    "It''s fine, Lyka. I can handle it," he said, wiping his wet face with a small smile.


    But I couldn''t shake off the embarrassment. "I-I''m really sorry. You got sshed because I grabbed


    my panties from you!" I blurted out, feeling like I had just embarrassed myself even more.


    "P-panty?" he asked, looking at the cloth I was holding.


    "H-huh? What panties? No, you heard all that wrong!" I stammered again, trying to cover up my


    embarrassment, my cheeks burning hotter by the second.


    "Nothing! Nothing! I-I''ll take care of it. Can you just fetch water to rinse it, K-Kiro?" I requested, my


    voice shaky as I tried to divert the conversation.


    Kiro looked a bit puzzled, but he obliged without further ado. "Sure, I''ll get some water to rinse it."


    As he went to get water, I let out a sigh of relief, feeling too embarrassed to face him any further.


    How could I have been so careless? I scolded myself. Theundry incident had turned into a


    comedy of errors, and I wished I could just disappear into thin air.


    As we finished theundry, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward, at least from my end. I was too


    embarrassed to look at Kiro directly, afraid that my cheeks would betray me again and turn into a


    shade of red that matched my panty.


    "Lyka, are you okay?" Kiro finally asked, his voice gentle and concerned.


    I mustered a small smile. "I''m fine, Kiro. It''s just... a little embarrassing."


    Kiro chuckled softly. "Don''t worry about it. idents happen."


    –


    It was already noon when we finished hanging theundry. As we entered the house, a delicious


    lunch prepared by Mother awaited us. The four of us—Mother, Dodong, Kiro, and I—gathered


    around the table, grateful for the meal and each other''spany.


    "Eat more, young man... I know you''re tired from doingundry since you''re not used to it," Mother


    said, offering Kiro some more rice.


    "Of course not, Tita. It''s okay, thank you," Kiro replied with a grateful smile.


    "Omy mother! You''re too sweet for bro Kiro! Stop it! Because I''m shipping him with my sister Lyka!"


    Dodong eximed, making me roll my eyes yfully and kick him under the table for speaking with


    food in his mouth.


    "Manners, Dodong! And what do you mean by ''shipping''?" Mother scolded him, not familiar with the


    term.


    Kiro and I exchanged amused nces for a moment before returning to our food.


    "Shipping, Mama! You know what that is? I''m teasing them about being a couple, hehe. So don''t be


    too sweet to bro Kiro! And you''re getting old to understand Gen Z words, Mom..." Dodong teased,


    trying to exin.


    "This boy knows too much. ''Shipping''... ''Shipping''... Tss, just eat!" Mama yfully scolded him,


    shaking her head in amusement, and then turned to me.


    "Lyka, why don''t you tell us about what happened while Kiro was helping with theundry?" she


    asked, clearly curious.


    My face flushed slightly, but I smiled and shared the story. Of course, I did not include the panty


    incident.


    While enjoying our meal, Mama shared some exciting news. "Lyka, my daughter, there''s a fiesta at


    your Aunt''s area today. You''re invited, so go and get me some medicine from her garden there,"


    Mama instructed.


    "Aunt Tarling, Mom? They''re having a fiesta already? Their Barangay is a bit far from here, right?" I


    asked curiously while taking another bite.


    "Don''t worry. I can apany you there, Lyka," Kiro said, looking at both mother and me with a


    reassuring smile.


    I noticed Kiro''s subtle smile at the words ‘don''t worry’ and ‘I can apany you there’. I couldn''t


    help but feel grateful. N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Well, that''s perfect! It won''t be too embarrassing for you to apany Lyka, right? Besides, there’ll


    be a lot of good food there since it’s fiesta!" Mama added kindly, making Kiro feel included in the


    conversation.


    Dodong chimed in with his mischievous grin, "Yeah, bro Kiro, it''s gonna be fun! You''ll see how our


    fiestas are!"


    It seemed like I really needed to go out for a little while. A fiesta would be a wee distraction,


    and spending time with my family and Kiro would surely lighten the atmosphere.


    ‘You get me snake grass from your Aunt, alright? The tall leaves.’ I recalled Mama''s reminder,


    knowing that it was essential for her health.


    Kiro and I patiently waited for Dodong to get ready before we set out to visit my Aunt''s ce. I let


    out a soft sigh; that boy always took forever to prepare. I wondered what he was up to inside the


    house, probably lost in one of his games or daydreams. The sun was still scorching outside, and we


    didn''t have an umbre.


    "Lyka, let''s get in the car. We''re getting cooked by the sun out here," Kiro suggested and opened


    the car door for me. I sighed with relief once I was inside.


    "I''m really sorry, Kiro. Dodong is always like that, he takes forever—"


    "Shhh. Stop saying sorry when it''s not your fault, Lyka. Maybe he got caught up with something


    else. Let''s just put on our seatbelts so that when he''s here, we can leave right away," he interrupted,


    and I nodded.


    Kiro finished putting on his seatbelt, but I found myself once again struggling with mine. Why was


    this seatbelt not cooperating?


    I didn''t tell Kiro that I couldn''t fasten the seatbelt properly; he was busy with something on the car''s


    dashboard, so he didn''t notice my struggle.


    He looked at me, and I quickly pretended to be looking outside. As he fiddled with something else, I


    attempted to put the seatbelt on again, but it still wouldn''t work. Was I cursed?


    My heart skipped a beat when Kiro''s face came very close to mine, so close that I could smell his


    pleasant breath. He was staring at me, and we were still in close proximity. The thought of there


    being another time when I couldn''t put on the seatbelt made me smile involuntarily.


    "Hey, Lyka? Tell me if you have a hard time with the seatbelt, okay?" Kiro asked while still looking at


    me, and we remained close. I was about to nod in response when suddenly, someone spoke from


    behind me, startling me.


    "Omy! Is this some sort of ninja move, bro Kiro? Yie!" Dodong''s voice broke the moment, and to my


    surprise, my lips identally touched Kiro''s. I slightly pushed Kiro back to his ce so Dodong


    wouldn''t notice and I shrugged off what had happened.


    ‘Get ready for me, Dodong!’ I thought, feeling embarrassed and flustered by the unexpected


    situation.