Chapter 35: Mean

 

“Haha...! That’s not like you, Eun-ha, to make a joke like that!”

 

It had been merely a month since we met.

 

Until becoming seniors, we’d never even spoken to each other.

 

But now, my heart kept racing because of Han-gyeol who stood before me.

 

Even though I heard his voice every day, I always found myself yearning to hear it again. When he was not in sight, I missed him terribly.

 

When did my feelings for him grow this strong?

 

I thought I was managing my emotions well; I believed I could control them.

 

But apparently, it was too much to keep those ever-growing feelings inside.

 

I even felt jealous watching him talk to other girls, pretending not to know the answers to questions I knew, just to have him explain them to me. On rainy days, I lied about not having an umbrella, just to share one with him, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder.

 

I went so far as to lie because I wanted to be with Han-gyeol, even if it was just for a little while longer.

 

I liked him that much.

 

So I decided not to hold back anymore.

 

“It’s not a joke...”

 

“Huh? What did you say, Eun-ha?”

 

“I can’t stop thinking about you, Han-gyeol.”

 

I looked him straight in the eye as I said it.

 

And little by little, I started to unveil my true feelings.

 

“To be honest, I’ve been feeling this way for a while now. I keep missing you, from the moment I wake up in the morning until I go to sleep at night. I can’t wait to go to school to see you, and at night, I want to call you just to hear your voice... but I’ve been too shy to dial your number. Instead, I lie in bed, telling myself that I should just go to sleep so I can see you at school the next day. But then my heart starts racing again, and I can’t fall asleep. So I toss and turn until I finally manage to get some sleep...”

 

I thought I couldn’t hold back any longer.

 

“I was so happy when I received chocolate from Han-gyeol! In fact, I was hoping all day that you would give it to me. I overheard you talking with Jang Yujin and found out you made the chocolate yourself! I was disappointed when you gave me a store-bought one at school, but so thrilled when you gave me the homemade chocolate as I got home.”

 

Only a sliver of my feelings slipped out, but I couldn’t stop myself. My emotions poured out uncontrollably.

 

“The reason I avoided you, Han-gyeol, was because my heart would pound like crazy every time I saw you! My face would get hot, and I couldn’t even speak properly. I was scared you’d figure out how I felt. That’s why I avoided you. It was the same on the night we took that walk. I knew it wasn’t right to call you late at night, but I really wanted to hear your voice. Even last week, when I accidentally hugged you, all I could think of was wanting to keep hugging you. That’s how I’ve been these days. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re all over my daily life.”

 

I blurted out a lot of things, but saying what I really wanted to say was still difficult.

 

“So what I’m trying to say is...”

 

Up to this point, I had been making eye contact with Han-gyeol. But I couldn’t keep it up as I got to the final sentence.

 

Without realizing it, my gaze dropped, and I held onto the hem of my dress as I softly spoke.

 

“What I’m trying to say is... I like you, Han-gyeol.”

 

I clenched my eyes shut as I said it.

 

I was dying to know what expression Han-gyeol was making, but I couldn’t bring myself to look up.

 

Then, Han-gyeol’s gentle voice filled my ears.

 

“Eun-ha, you have to look up if you want to hear my response.”

 

“Can’t you just say it? I’m too embarrassed…”

 

“No.”

 

“Ugh…”

 

I cautiously lifted my head to look at Han-gyeol.

 

He met my eyes with a bright smile.

 

But the embarrassment was too much—I swiftly turned my head away.

 

Mustering the courage to confess was a monumental endeavor of its own.

 

“Uh—? You haven’t answered yet.”

 

“You expect an answer without making eye contact?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Han-gyeol could be really mean sometimes.

 

Finally, with my face flushed, I met his eyes.

 

Only then did he take my hand and speak.

 

“I like you too, Eun-ha.”

 

Upon hearing those words, my face heated up even more.

 

I tried to cover it with my hand, but Han-gyeol firmly held it and wouldn’t let go.

 

“So, about the cherry blossom festival we planned to go to this weekend—we should go as a couple, not just friends.”

 

At the sound of Han-gyeol’s soft voice, I simply nodded my head in agreement.

 

“I’d like it if you could say it while looking into my eyes.”

 

“Uh—! It’s embarrassing, okay! Fine! I want to go to the cherry blossom festival as your girlfriend, not just a friend!”

 

He really had to make me say it out loud, didn’t he?

 

I sneaked a glance at Han-gyeol with a slightly peeved expression.

 

He teased me so many times, it was unreal.

 

Knowing full well what I would say next.

 

Definitely sensing it all.

 

Annoyed, I pinched Han-gyeol’s cheek.

 

“Eun-ha?”

 

As I squished Han-gyeol’s cheek, I let out my frustrations.

 

His cheek felt so soft and pleasant.

 

But Han-gyeol made a pitiful sound, as if it hurt.

 

“Eun-ha, Aa—”

 

“It can’t possibly hurt. I’m the one patient here.”

 

Still, just in case it really did hurt, I let go of his cheek.

 

“Fine, I teased Eun-ha, so I’ll go buy you some porridge.”

 

“I’m not hungry... just stay by my side.”

 

I was hungry since I hadn’t eaten lunch.

 

But if he goes out to buy food, I won’t be able to see Han-gyeol.

 

I wanted to continue being with him like this.

 

We had just started dating; it was okay to be a bit clingy, right?

 

“Koreans live for their meals, you know. Shouldn’t you eat something?”

 

“I’ll eat after I sleep and wake up... Can we just stay like this for a little longer?”

 

“What if your stomach growls loudly again? Wouldn’t you be embarrassed?”

 

“Ah—! Forget that ever happened. That’s so impolite to a girl!”

 

“How can you be so cute?”

 

“Do you think you can just tease me like this?”

 

“Have I ever made stomach noises in front of you?”

 

“Ah—! I said forget it!”

 

I spoke as I playfully kicked my feet.

 

But Han-gyeol laughed joyfully, clearly amused.

 

“Fine, fine. But if you get hungry, tell me right away. I’ll have food delivered.”

 

“Maybe order it in about an hour? I think I’ll be hungry by then.”

 

“So precise with your stomach’s timing? No wonder it was so loud.”

 

“Stop teasing me! Is this okay even when I’m your ‘girlfriend’?”

 

“What’s not okay?”

 

“Hey!”

 

He really teased me until the very end.

 

“Let’s stop lying around and sleep a bit more. I’ll wake you up when the food arrives in an hour.”

 

“I’m not sleepy, but I’ll lie down for now.”

 

“Good. Lie down.”

 

As I folded my legs and lay on the bed, Han-gyeol covered me with the blanket.

 

“But I slept so much that I’m not sleepy.”

 

“Looks like it’s the perfect time for me to tell an interesting story. Let me think.”

 

“Never mind that. What did you do in school today?”

 

“I was thinking about you all day, okay?”

 

Han-gyeol responded instantly.

 

I burst into soft laughter.

 

“You didn’t spend the whole day just thinking about me, did you?”

 

“I did, actually. Thought about Eun-ha all day.”

 

“You’re bluffing.”

 

“It’s unfair when you say it like that.”

 

“So, what did you think about?”

 

“I wondered what kind of porridge Eun-ha might like.”

 

I chuckled again at Han-gyeol’s words.

 

“So, what did you decide?”

 

“I thought you’d probably like tuna vegetable porridge.”

 

“Why? Is there a special reason?”

 

“No, I just settled on something generic after pondering a bit.”

 

“So you didn’t think it through that much after all!”

 

“You can’t keep wrestling with an unsolvable problem forever.”

 

“Ugh— you’ve got me there.”

 

My boyfriend could be quite rational at times.

 

Boyfriend...

 

“So, what kind of porridge do you like, Eun-ha?”

 

“Guess.”

 

“Tuna vegetable porridge.”

 

“Hey!”

 

I sat up abruptly.

 

“Ah, why does the patient keep getting up?”

 

“You keep teasing me, Han-gyeol!”

 

“How can you be so cute?”

 

Hearing the word ‘cute’ over and over made me blush.

 

Seeing that I didn’t say anything, Han-gyeol gently laid me back down on the bed.

 

He then took my hand, which had slipped out of the blanket, and looked at me intently.

 

I also gripped Han-gyeol’s hand firmly in return.

 

“You don’t have to hold on so tightly; I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“I, I didn’t hold on that tight.”

 

“Ah, you’re stronger than you look.”

 

“Ah—! Stop teasing me!”

 

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

 

Now I finally understood what Harim meant when she said Han-gyeol looked at me with so much love.

 

He might play cheeky pranks on me, but I could feel the way he cherished me in every glance and gesture.

 

Those feelings filled my heart to overflowing.

 

“Eun-ha.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Thanks for confessing. I really like you too, Eun-ha.”

 

It was the phrase I had been dying to hear, but when I heard it like this it made me even more embarrassed.

 

Unable to say anything, I just stared back at Han-gyeol.

 

 

He is so mean.

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

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