episode_0012

Could this be what it feels like to play Usain Bolt in a game of jump rope?

“Whoaahhh!”

“You’re going to fall!!”

I was surprised by Strelka’s size.

And I was surprised that he didn’t bark or come at me aggressively.

“Wowww!”

“Miss!”

He seemed restless, so I took him out to the garden of the dog hotel.

They said once he starts running, he runs 100km.

These guys are really out of their minds.

Thanks to them, I realized that Chaewon has better stamina than me.

If I had run with Strelka instead of Chaewon, I probably wouldn’t have lasted more than 5 minutes and would have collapsed.

But even Chaewon can’t handle more than 10 minutes.

In the end, I couldn’t keep up and handed the leash over to the maid.

“I got it! Rest!”

“Ugh!”

Handing over the leash as if passing a baton, I staggered and sat on the bench.

Even though it’s not hot, sweat pours down like rain.

I want to shower right away.

— Clang!

“Right! You’re doing great!”

Strelka kept running around the field tirelessly, not even realizing the rope had been passed to someone else.

His speed doesn’t diminish at all.

How can he be so calm when playing the piano?

“Uh… Huh… Huff… Huff… Hoo…”

“Miss, here’s some water.”

While the maid ran around the garden with Strelka, she didn’t miss attending to her duties when she came close to me.

“Take a towel too!”

“Ugh.”

“Mom, my mistake.”

“It’s okay.”

Wiping the sweat off with the towel she handed me, I watched Strelka running around absentmindedly.

Wolf-dogs are said to require good training, but he seems well-tamed through Chaewon’s efforts.

Impressive, Min Chaewon.

“You’ve been living a busy life too.”

I always felt disappointed not being able to see you every day.

Well, it’s natural since you have your own life and responsibilities.

Honestly, it was just as I expected.

How busy must you have been to upload videos every two weeks?

Listening to the original piece, arranging it in your style, memorizing the sheet music, perfecting it, adding nuances, adjusting colors, narrowing the gap with the original, all required tremendous effort.

Ordering clothes for cosplay, trying them on, reordering if the size didn’t fit, finding props, striving to capture the character’s essence, adjusting camera angles—how many times did you move around?

But it doesn’t end there.

Having tried jumping rope with Strelka myself, I can feel it.

You must have prepared Strelka’s stamina in advance, so she could calmly listen to your music.

I can’t help but admire.

My life of just playing the piano was actually easier.

I’m not complaining, but it feels like I’ve lived in a narrow well and suddenly emerged into this world.

Refreshing yet uncomfortable.

There were so many things in the world that I didn’t know about.

“Good job, Strelka! Here, water!”

Strelka gradually slowed down and stopped in front of me.

Water gushed from the large water bowl held by the maid.

I affectionately stroked his head as he drank, his ears that were perked up now lying flat, looking incredibly cute.

He seems so happy to see me after just one day; his tail has been wagging non-stop since earlier.

“Phew, it’s not easy after all. You did well to change your clothes beforehand.”

“….”

However, didn’t the maid touch the leash and make him run for another 20 minutes?

Why doesn’t he look tired at all?

“Why? Miss?”

“Oh, no.”

Although she is breathing heavily compared to before, she looks completely different from me, who ran for 10 minutes and collapsed onto the chair.

Did they select only those with steel-like stamina to handle Strelka?

Or is she a former swimmer? Possessing an incredible lung capacity?

This corner of the house has nothing ordinary about it.

“By the way, please sit. Sit properly.”

“Huh?”

“You’re sitting with your legs too wide open.”

“… So what?”

The maid furrowed her brow and used a damp towel to pat away the sweat on my face.

“You speak like a ruffian that Miss dislikes so much.”

“Is that so?”

Well, yes.

Some friends are quite carefree about spreading their legs.

But for men, it’s basic. I feel an empty, lonely sensation between my legs for the first time.

Before, when I closed my legs, it felt like something precious would burst!

… The maid probably hasn’t experienced that in her lifetime.

“Hmm. The weather is nice.”

“No matter how nonchalant you try to be, it’s useless.”

Currently, I’m enjoying the convenience of wearing pants, but

I don’t want to look like an easy girl like Chaewon.

So if I ever wear a skirt, I’ll definitely pay attention.

Even though she looks radiant in pants, she becomes twice as beautiful in a skirt.

I can’t let that beauty go to waste.

“I still remember.”

The second time we met. It was when we went to the hospital together next week.

She looked so pretty in a formal pleated skirt and a beret.

I wanted to keep that image in a photo forever, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask to take a picture, so I kept it only in my memories.

By the way, I’ve been wearing formal pants with blouses or t-shirts these days.

Did they consider Chaewon moving around actively here and there?

Since I’ve only seen her in dresses or skirts, this is refreshing.

Although my feelings are complicated at the thought of wearing a skirt soon.

If I wait a bit, I can enjoy a good sightseeing opportunity, right?

Moreover, now I can take pictures without permission and look at them whenever I want.

“Oh my. Miss, sit properly. Quickly!”

“Huh? Why? It’s bothersome. I’m still tired—ugh.”

“Hello!”

Suddenly forced to close my legs, I turned around to see the maid bowing unexpectedly behind me.

Her legs stuck together like neodymium magnets.

Who came that she had to greet so formally?

As I turned my head slightly, a large hand landed on my forehead.

“You seemed like you’d be here.”

What? Who dares to touch Chaewon’s head like this?

“…Huh?”

I doubted my eyes.

My awkward posture quickly turned towards the unexpected guest.

“S-So. So… Sorry.”

Seeing me stumble over my words in confusion, the man who had come tilted his head slightly.

“Hey. Where does it hurt?”

“I ran around with Relka.”

— Ouch!

No way.

Why is he here?

Isn’t it time for the lesson?

“Song Sung-hyuk?!”

— Ouch!

After Relka’s howling ended, Song Sung-hyuk, surprised, laughed and patted my forehead again.

Once again, I realized how big his hand was.

“Why are you like this? Shall we go to the hospital?”

“Is it really Song Sung-hyuk? Not a fake? Not a hidden camera?”

— Thud, thud!

“It’s me. You’ll know when you see me.”

I grabbed the hand on my head and pulled it down.

It was the same long, slender hand I had seen in orientation, in the practice room, during joint rehearsals.

A hand that defied logic.

13th-degree magician.

Exaggeratedly, Korea’s Rachmaninoff.

A prodigy who will captivate classical music fans worldwide at the 2025 Chopin Competition held in winter.

Song Sung-hyuk.

My classmate from the same year.

Always the object of admiration and jealousy in front of me, the shining star of the piano department at Hanyang University.

“You… where does it hurt today?”

I absentmindedly fiddled with his hand before snapping back to reality.

So, I let go of his hand, stood up from the chair, and fled behind the maid.

Relka came to my side, completely unaware, and blinked her eyes.

Get a grip.

Right now, Song Seonghyuk and I are on unfamiliar terms.

I shouldn’t act like we’re friends from the piano class.

… No, wait.

We do know each other, right?

Seeing how naturally he approaches and greets me.

Even Relka seems calm.

Chaewon mentioned in a video that Strelka is very cautious around unfamiliar people.

In other words, Song Seonghyuk being a close friend of Chaewon’s means even Relka acknowledges him.

“Are you feeling unwell? Bad timing, perhaps.”

Song Seonghyuk scratched his head and let out a big yawn.

“I stopped by on my way to school. Gotta go.”

“Oh. Uh…”

“See you Sunday morning.”

Turning away with a lackluster wave.

Without a doubt, this is the Song Seonghyuk I know.

From his face down to his fingertips.

There’s not a single thing that doesn’t scream Song Seonghyuk.

“Wait a minute.”

What did he just say?

Meet on Sunday morning?

“You made plans for Sunday together?”

Vroom.

A white convertible car emitting a splendid exhaust sound slowly veers off the road where the dog hotel is located.

As my gaze follows the fading exhaust sound, it hits me.

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[SSunH] 23.04.09

Safely get back to your accommodation

See you at the hotel lobby on Sunday morning at 9 AM

White convertible

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Sunday morning appointment.

The person who was supposed to pick me up.

White convertible.

“What the heck.”

“Miss, what a lovely expression.”

SSunH, who introduced me to the studio and helped with channel video uploads.

If he, who always put me on edge, turns out to be the same unchanging man, then I was determined to uncover something from Chaewon no matter what.

But to think that person turned out to be Song Seonghyuk, of all people.

It’s really…

“This feels so weird.”

“Miss…”

— Thud!