Chapter 124: Change (2)

 

Last night, after having a really close moment with Han-gyeol, I felt incredibly happy.

 

And the fact that he wants me to be completely immersed in him...!

 

Just thinking about it makes me so joyful.

 

He’s already made me think of nothing but him, yet he’s still so greedy.

 

I have a feeling today is going to be a great day.

 

“Hehe…”

 

“Eun-ha, you look especially happy today~! Did something good happen?”

 

It seems others can tell I’m in a good mood too. Chae Jiyoung noticed my expression and asked.

 

“Huh? Do I really look that way? Well, something nice did happen~.”

 

“Oh? What is it?! Come on, tell me~ I’m curious. Please? Tell me quickly~.”

 

Jiyoung started poking me in the side, urging me to spill the details.

 

“Well, I just had a fun time with my boyfriend~.”

 

“Eun-ha, do you really enjoy hanging out with your boyfriend that much?”

 

“Yeah, it’s super fun and exciting. Next week is the cherry blossom festival, so we’re planning to go see the blossoms.”

 

I’m already looking forward to our second cherry blossom festival together with Han-gyeol.

 

This time, I’ll pack a nice lunchbox too.

 

“Oh, right. Yoori, you mentioned you’re meeting your boyfriend this weekend, didn’t you?”

 

“Yeah, it’s been almost a month, so I’m really looking forward to it too.”

 

Yoori smiled brightly, clearly as eager for the weekend as I am.

 

“Do you and your boyfriends ever fight? You both seem so happy all the time.”

 

“Han-gyeol and I? Hmm, I don’t think we’ve ever really fought. What about you, Yoori?”

 

“Well… we do fight a bit. Not all the time, but yeah… we have our moments~.”

 

“Yoori, that’s more typical. Eun-ha, have you really never had a fight?”

 

“Umm… Nothing comes to mind. If we have, I guess I’ve forgotten?”

 

Fighting with Han-gyeol… No matter how hard I try to recall, nothing comes up.

 

We’re both pretty good at expressing any dissatisfaction right away, and we take care of each other well.

 

“What do you usually fight about with your boyfriend, Yoori?”

 

“Well… if he doesn’t contact me often or if there’s an issue with female or male friends?”

 

We’re together so much that honestly, I’m not sure.

 

Neither I nor Han-gyeol have any female or male friends that would be an issue.

 

If anything, there’s Harim or Choi Jiyoung, but that’s about it.

 

And I don’t have any male friends to speak of.

 

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind and be careful.”

 

“You two must be really compatible as a couple… Maybe it’s because we’ve been together for so long, but these days it feels like…”

 

“Does it really change a lot after being together for a long time?”

 

“Yeah… I think so. There’s almost nothing we don’t know about each other, and we’ve done just about everything when it comes to dates. So, I guess that’s why we fight more often. We try to mix things up sometimes, but given our situation, it’s not easy~.”

 

“I see.”

 

“You and Han-gyeol are coming up on one year, right? Try to change things up every now and then~. It’s natural to get too comfortable as time passes.”

 

Even though I listened to Yoori’s advice, nothing specific came to mind.

 

“Change things up?”

 

“Yeah. Before things get too routine, it might be a good idea to introduce some changes every now and then.”

 

“Change, huh… I’m not really sure what that would look like.”

 

Seeing me deep in thought, Jiyoung chimed in from the side.

 

“What about changing your hairstyle?”

 

“My hair? Hmm… I’ve always had long straight hair. Maybe I should try dyeing it? Or go for a bob cut?”

 

“That could be nice! The difference between long hair and a bob is huge. Guys would definitely notice a big change!”

 

“Really?”

 

Something Sparked in Me

 

I was intrigued.

 

Even though Han-gyeol seems to prefer long hair.

 

I remember having short hair when I was very young, but I never thought it suited me much.

 

Short hair is definitely more convenient… Should I give it a try this time? But, I do feel a bit hesitant.

 

“Eun-ha, I think you’d look adorable with short hair. What do you think, Yoori?”

 

“She’d be super cute. Eun-ha has this pure vibe with long hair, but with short hair, she’d be, like, incredibly cute, you know?”

 

“Right? Eun-ha, come over here for a second.”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

Before I knew it, the girls came up to me and started tying up my hair.

They pulled my long hair up as high as possible and tied it securely, instantly shortening its length.

 

“Wow...”

 

Jiyoung and Yoori both stared at me, speechless.

 

“So cute…”

 

“Right? Even cuter than I imagined. It’s like you’ve gone all-in on cuteness, leaving the pure look behind.”

 

“Wow, that’s such a perfect description. Eun-ha, have you ever shown your boyfriend how you look with short hair?”

 

“No… I think I’ve only shown him when I’ve loosely tied it up.”

 

“You should totally show him! I bet he’d love it!”

 

Their compliments made me a little shy, but I hope Han-gyeol finds it cute too.

 

I’ll take a look in the mirror when I get home and show him later tonight.

 

Maybe I should even try some different hairstyles while I’m at it.

 

“Okay! I’ll show him tonight!”

 

“Yeah~! Let us know how it goes!”

 

“Sure! Thanks!”

 

****

 

After all my classes were done, I met up with Han-gyeol for a bit.

 

“Eun-ha, you’re heading home now, right? I’ve got a three-hour class, so don’t wait for me. Just go home first.”

 

“Okay! Got it. Then I’ll stop by the market on my way home.”

 

“If you have a lot to buy, we could go together later in the evening.”

 

“It’s fine~ I don’t need to buy much. I can carry it all on my own.”

 

“Alright then. I’ll see you at home later. I’ve got to head to class now.”

 

“Yep! See you later~.”

 

“Be careful. Watch out for cars.”

 

“Will do~.”

 

After waving goodbye to Han-gyeol, I headed straight to the supermarket near home.

 

I’ve set a budget for my living expenses, so I can’t afford luxurious meals every day.

 

“Hmm… maybe I’ll just make a simple kimchi stew today.”

 

I put a pack of pork shoulder into my shopping basket.

 

Then I wandered around the store, looking at seaweed and various vegetables.

 

I wanted to make something with salmon, which Han-gyeol loves, but my budget is tight this month.

 

Maybe I should start looking for a part-time job starting in April.

 

It’s probably still too early to make money from video editing, right?

 

I think Han-gyeol has been browsing part-time job sites occasionally.

 

“Oh—right, I need to buy eggs too…!”

 

With an eco-bag in one hand and a carton of eggs in the other, I headed home.

 

After arriving, I immediately put the groceries away in the fridge.

 

As I started to casually tie up my hair, the girls’ words suddenly popped into my mind.

 

“Should I tie it up now…?”

 

I stood in front of the wall mirror in the living room and tied up my hair the way I wanted to show Han-gyeol.

 

I think I showed him a ponytail once before… Maybe braiding my hair would be a good idea.

 

As I played around with my hair, I decided to split it into two braids.

 

Hmm... Pigtails Might Be Too Much, Right?

 

Pigtails at twenty years old? Yeah, it does feel a bit much.

 

But still, reminiscing about childhood memories with my mom, I decided to try it out for old time’s sake.

 

Since no one else was home anyway, I carefully tied my hair into two pigtails and looked into the mirror.

 

As expected, doing this at twenty feels a little embarrassing.

 

“It’s a bit awkward to pull this off as an adult.”

 

Just as I was about to untie my hair, I suddenly heard the door click open.

 

“Eun-ha, you home?!”

 

My heart nearly stopped.

 

But as soon as I saw Han-gyeol coming out of the computer room, I felt both relief and utter dread.

 

“Oh? You tied your hair…?”

 

Han-gyeol paused for a split second when he saw me.

 

That pause told me everything.

 

“Why is Han-gyeol… coming out of there…?”

 

It felt like the world was crashing down around me.

 

“Answer me. Why is Han-gyeol… coming out of there? What about your class?”

 

“Uh… well… The professor suddenly canceled, so I came home.”

 

“You could’ve called…”

 

“My phone died…! Haha…! I saw you coming up from the window, so I thought I’d surprise you by hiding in the computer room…!”

 

“Oh. I see. You did…”

 

As Han-gyeol was about to comment on my hair, I quickly shouted out.

 

“Don’t say anything—!! Absolutely—! Please…! The only thing you should do right now is go back into the computer room as if nothing happened. Got it…? Just erase what you saw from your memory… And come out in ten minutes like nothing ever happened. Got it…?”

 

A twenty-year-old girl tying her hair into pigtails at home, admiring herself in the mirror—

 

No matter how much Han-gyeol cares for me, this might be a bit much for him to handle.

 

I’m doomed.

 

Of all people, to be caught by the last person I wanted to see this…

 

I collapsed onto the sofa, utterly defeated.

 

Seeing me like that, Han-gyeol offered some comforting words.

 

“Eun-ha, you look cute with pigtails.”

 

As soon as his words reached my ears, my face started to flush rapidly, starting from my neck.

 

In the end, unable to bear the embarrassment, I screamed and dashed into the bedroom.

 

“Ughhhh—! Han-gyeol, I hate you—! I told you not to mention it—!”

 

I locked the door, something I’d never done before, and slumped down against it.

 

“Ugh—! Eun-ha! You really looked cute! I’m serious—!”

 

Han-gyeol kept knocking on the door, trying to talk to me.

 

“I don’t care—! Everything’s ruined—! Just leave me alone—!”

 

“Eun-ha, you were seriously the cutest—! Honestly, the cutest in the world—!”

 

“I don’t care—! Stop calling me cute! Please forget it ever happened—!”

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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