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It was another ten minutes at least until I could answer his original question. “I want to take time off. The rest of the week.”

“Can you?” he hedged, sounding a bit too relaxed to really comprehend what I was saying.

I snorted. I was the boss. I could do whatever the fuck I wanted. I glanced around and sighed. “Do you love me enough to go get my phone now?” I didn’t realize what I’d said again until he went rigid behind me. “I didn’t mean likethat. I meant—I make more of a mess with all the wet hair than—never mind.”

“I got you, my sweet kimchi,” he whispered, kissing my temple and getting back out before I could pull myself out.

“I really want to take a bite out of your fucking fantastic ass,” I said as he walked away. I smiled when his laugh filled hisbedroom. Well, that was nice to hear. I thanked him with a kiss when he brought back my phone.

“I’m getting more water on the floor than in the tub,” he chuckled when he started to get back in.

“Are we done?”

“Five more minutes, Mum,” he teased and slid in.

Yeah, five more minutes for sure. The bath was like perfect.

I snuggled back against him and sent a few emails and messages basically telling the correct people that I wouldn’t be in the office until Monday. Almost immediately I had responses from people asking what they should do about this or that.

I snorted, and in the most polite way possible, I told them to handle it. I didn’t need to be there for the employee presentations. Most of them were a joke or fucking annoyed me. Honestly, the non-doctor ones were the only worthwhile ones besides Ha-joon’s.

There was nothing on my calendar that was pressing for me to be there. Honestly, I’d spoiled a bit too many people taking on so much that they were confused as to what to do if I didn’t handle it for them.

And I’d run myself into the ground that way. Like what did I pay them for if I had to hold their hand every step of the fucking way? Or comfort them when they got yelled at for fucking up? I got a few messages asking if I was mad at them.

For wanting them to do their jobs? I was a bit pissed I had to waste time responding and they were so tone-deaf they didn’t understand their reactions were the problem. I was having to put too much time and effort in to cover for the job they were paid to be done.

The question was more—why hadn’t I been pissed sooner?

So a few people got responses saying if they were confused how to handle what was in their job descriptions and I’d been covering for them, then their job roles and compensationpackages needed to be reevaluated. I also included the head of HR on those emails.

That was about the nicest way to say if I had to double check your work to that point then you didn’t deserve what you were getting paid.

There were a few meetings that I said I’d listen in on from my laptop. I got pissed when I got some pushback from the department heads saying it wasn’t the time for this. I reminded them of vacations they took or family emergencies they had no matter what was going on at the hospital.

Things Inever had… Ever. I didn’t even take fucking sick days.

Sometimes I didn’t work Saturdays and/or Sundays, which I wasn’t supposed to anyways.

I was glad when Alan jumped in and told people to shut it. It was three fucking weekdays and to grow up already. They ran directly to me with everything way too often and that had to stop too. He was one of the people always bitching at me to delegate, but the department heads got bitchy when they had to deal with anyone but me.

Any of the doctors actually which honestly summed up my job in a nutshell and why I was so burnt out.

Alan did message me on the side and asked if I needed anything. What I was going to be doing with my time off?

Shockingly, I knew right away. The best I’d felt in recent months was when I went through that section of my closet after things ended with Tommy. It wasn’t just about the breakup, but—I never had a chance to just reflect on my life and where I was at.

Okay, fine, the best I’d felt besides having sex with Ha-joon. And not just sex. Spending time with him. I enjoyed… The best I’d felt adulting and like I was handling my life. I wanted more of that.

Hell, I wanted to do my whole condo.

“Do what to your whole condo?” Ha-joon asked, sounding half asleep.

“What I did to my closet,” I answered, wondering how he knew what was going on. Right, I’d probably said something out loud or mumbling while typing. “Yeah, that’s what I want to do.”

“Good for you. You should.”

Yeah, I should. I pushed to stand and set my phone to the side so I could finish up in the shower.