LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The First Day of the Holiday
—–CROW—–
“Sung-Hyeon, what’s wrong? Are you feeling really sick? Should we go to the hospital?”
This isn’t feeling sick, it’s a guilty conscience.
Okay, to be honest, I’m a man, so when a woman with a great body like this is right in front of me, I have impure thoughts.
But… there’s a nine-year age gap.
With someone who’s barely had a drink before,
On the day we first met,
Lying in the same bed…
Touching her chest?
This isn’t right.
My guilt meter exploded.
I swear, I’m far from that kind of promiscuous lifestyle.
So, surely something like *that* didn’t happen…
But I should probably check, just in case.
“Da-Hye.”
“Yeah?”
“Did we… sleep together yesterday?”
“You still don’t believe me after seeing the picture?”
“Not that. I mean, did we have sex?”
“Oh my god.”
Yes, I know it’s awkward.
But if I keep beating around the bush, you’ll never understand, will you?
Park Da-Hye’s face turned bright red as she buried her face in her hands and punched my shoulder repeatedly.
I thought she just had good punching power, but her technique is good too. She’s got some moves.
And the blush on her cheeks quickly spread to her ears.
I couldn’t understand it.
Park Da-Hye was wearing nothing but a thin white t-shirt, her figure clearly visible.
Yet, she was acting so shy that *I* felt embarrassed by the close proximity.
Besides, you just proudly showed me that unsettling picture!
Why are you acting more embarrassed about a single word than about all those other awkward situations?
When she was crying at the barbecue restaurant yesterday, I thought I understood her.
I concluded that she was a pure, honest, and innocent person.
But after revealing my identity, she’s a little… I don’t know.
I don’t know what Park Da-Hye is thinking right now.
Anyway, the good news is, judging by her reaction, we didn’t have sex.
I’m so relieved. I don’t even have condoms at my place.
“Sex… is that what you’re worried about?”
“Yeah. To be honest, I’m a little worried.”
“Oh, no, no. Nothing happened, so don’t worry. You just quietly fondled my breasts while you slept. It’s just because you were drunk.”
How can that be “just because you were drunk”?
From the outside, it looks like I brought you here and took advantage of you.
You have no experience with the world, and you must have been scared.
You probably didn’t know what to do.
It breaks my heart.
“Why didn’t you do anything? Weren’t you scared?”
“Scared of what?”
“A strange man suddenly bringing you to his house… making you sleep in the same bed… and the… chest thing…”
“Hey~ what’s so strange? It’s you.”
“Am I not a man? What if I… you know… did something?”
“Did something… like what?”
“I’m not crazy!”
“See? Sung-Hyeon wouldn’t do that.”
“How do you know?”
“Why wouldn’t I know? I know you best.”
“That’s funny, we just met yesterday.”
“No! I still know for sure.”
“Then let’s hear it. What kind of person am I?”
“Hmm… you’re… the most kind-hearted person in the world…”
“And… you’re easily influenced by others… and…”
“You’re a person born with a heart full of love.”
Pwahahahaha.
Is that a fairy tale?
That’s even more embarrassing than the lines I used yesterday.
I’m known at work for being emotionless.
And two days ago, I was a piece of trash who cursed at his girlfriend of two years and blocked her.
If you keep misunderstanding me like this, won’t you get sick of my trashiness?
You’re way off the mark.
“Da-Hye.”
“Yeah!”
“Do you know what my nickname is in the guild?”
“Hmm… yeah. Mabaji unnie calls you Tin Man. What does that mean?”
“They call me the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. A guy who only thinks logically and has no heart. That’s not all. Functionary, psychopath, quadrupedal CPU. That’s my reputation.”
“Nah~ unnie and oppa are wrong. I’m right.”
You just met me yesterday, and you know me best?
If this girl wasn’t KimPokDaughter, I might have gotten angry.
Told her not to overstep her boundaries.
To keep her distance.
But I couldn’t do that to her.
Because… I thought the same thing yesterday.
*Do you know KimPokDaughter? I’m confident that no one in the world knows KimPokDaughter better than I do.*
Is this what they call mirror therapy?
What do I even know about her to be so cocky?
“Da-Hye. Maybe I seemed like that in the game… but this is reality.”
But Park Da-Hye just put her hands on her hips and shook her head firmly.
Resolute.
Does she even realize she’s talking about *me*, not herself?
Where does that confidence come from?
Shouldn’t *I* know myself best?
Yet, she raised her index finger as if lecturing me.
“Sung-Hyeon.”
“Yeah.”
“I was worried last night too. Is this person really Sung-Hyeon? Is Sung-Hyeon the same in real life as he is in the game? Or is he a completely different person?”
She cupped my cheeks in her hands.
As if comforting me for my self-reproach.
I felt embarrassed by the reversed roles.
I’m the adult, and you’re the kid, so it’s my responsibility to sort out this awkward situation,
But I’m just flustered, and you’re the one comforting me.
Her face so close, her smile, her unwavering conviction…
It was so dazzling that I wanted to close my eyes.
But I stubbornly met her gaze.
If I closed my eyes now, I’d really feel like a child.
I could feel Park Da-Hye’s breath on my face.
“Sung-Hyeon. But… I don’t doubt it anymore. You were exactly as I imagined, and you’re the Kwon Sung-Hyeon I know. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, so I won’t believe it if anyone else says anything bad about you. Are you satisfied now? So, don’t worry about yesterday.”
“You’ve seen it with your own eyes?”
“Yeah! So trust me.”
“What… exactly did you see?”
Now I was scared.
What did my drunk self do?
Spouting lines like a shoujo manga character.
What else is there? What else did I do?
I only remember drinking, laughing, and talking… and that ridiculously cheesy line at the end. That’s all I can remember. What did Park Da-Hye see that made her say that?
Seriously, can someone stab me in the stomach?
“Heehee. Curious?”
I didn’t want to know, but I was incredibly curious.
“I’m not telling, silly.”
**
After that, I was completely swept away by Park Da-Hye’s pace.
She kept grinning, refusing to tell me what she saw last night.
And… she didn’t delete the picture either.
“What!? Why would I delete it!”
“It was a mistake, so just delete the picture since you’ve already seen it~.”
“No way!”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“This is the only picture we have from the day we first met! I can’t delete it! No!”
After a bit of back and forth, Park Da-Hye snatched her phone and ran to the other side of the room.
Her eyebrows were furrowed in a V-shape, showing her determination.
I knew she was a person with clear likes and dislikes, but this was the first time I’d seen her so adamant.
Seeing her like that… sigh…
I wouldn’t be able to delete that picture unless I was prepared to fight her.
Where is my life headed…
Whatever.
My head hurts.
The combination of stupidity and alcohol created a terrible synergy.
I gave up on the picture and decided to focus on sobering up.
“Fine… do what you want. Keep the picture. Think of me as a fairy or whatever. I don’t care anymore. I need to sober up.”
“Then, should we go out and buy something to eat?”
“No, I’ll make something. I always have hangover cures at home.”
“Oh? You can cook, Sung-Hyeon?”
“A nine-year veteran of living alone can do anything.”
“Wow… you’re a real adult. Can I watch?”
If I were a real adult, I wouldn’t have made that mistake.
But Park Da-Hye didn’t seem to care at all about what happened last night.
I’m grateful for that, but…
I felt bad, so I had to at least feed her something delicious.
**
On hangover mornings, my menu is always the same.
Spicy vongole pasta with plenty of green chilies.
It’s simple, and the broth is refreshing; there’s nothing better for a hangover.
Since a single man’s apartment doesn’t have many side dishes, Western food is more convenient than Korean food.
Let me be clear, this is an incredibly simple dish.
But after I said I was cooking, Park Da-Hye clung to me and wouldn’t let go.
Her eyes were so bright that it was overwhelming.
“It’s dangerous to be that close. Stay back a bit.”
“Okay, okay. Tell me if there’s anything I can help with.”
There wasn’t.
It’s not a difficult dish.
The first thing to do was to mince the bacon and garlic for flavor.
*Chop chop chop chop chop!*
But as I started chopping, Da-Hye, who had been standing a step away, let out a scream of excitement.
“Kya! Sung-Hyeon, what the!”
You scared me.
“What.”
“You’re so good at chopping! You look like a chef on YouTube!”
“This…?”
“Yeah! That’s amazing! So cool!”
Really? This is nothing.
I just picked it up while working various part-time jobs at restaurants during college.
I didn’t learn it properly.
But… why is she making such a fuss over something so trivial?
It felt strange.
Next, I added olive oil to the pan and started frying the bacon.
I added the pre-washed clams and stirred them with a flick of the wrist.
*Clack! Clack! Clack!*
“Wow!! Kwon Sung-Hyeon!”
“Is this cool too?!”
“Amazing!!!”
“Then how about this?”
Caught up in an inexplicable sense of excitement, I even did a white wine flambé, something I rarely do.
*Whoosh!*
Flames erupted from the pan and quickly disappeared.
This time, there was no reaction, so I turned to look…
Park Da-Hye was frozen, covering her mouth.
Her eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to pop out.
“Wow… crazy. Kwon Sung-Hyeon, what are you making? Is this alchemy?”
What… what is this feeling?
I cooked for my ex-girlfriend too, but Soo-Yeon always sat on the sofa playing with her phone until the food was ready.
I’d just quickly make it and bring it to her since it wasn’t anything special.
But having someone react like this… somehow…
“Kwon Sung-Hyeon, you’re so cool!”
Maybe… I’m actually… kinda awesome?
Even at this point, I didn’t realize.
The current situation, with Park Da-Hye, nine years younger than me, at my place.
I thought she was just being swept along by my whims.
So, I didn’t consider the opposite possibility at all.
That I was falling for her, captivated by her reactions, her pure joy at everything I showed her, due to her lack of experience.
I didn’t notice it at all.
* * *
—–CROW—–
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