Ch.1818. The Night of Falling Asleep

I had to calm down Hwa Nabi who was sulking, but I finally managed to finish the dishes and cleaning up.

After completing everything, I looked up at the wall clock.

The current time was 9 PM.

“Hmm.”

I sighed without realizing it. It was still too early to go to sleep, but too late to start doing something—truly an awkward time.

Actually, when I have free time like this, I could just lie down and laze around. But this wasn’t my house; it was someone else’s. That wouldn’t be very polite.

Moreover, I had just received a free meal that wasn’t planned. As they say, you get what you give, so now it was my turn to repay Hwa Nabi.

“Hmm.”

Repayment, huh. What would be good? I sat on the sofa with my back straight and started thinking.

Simply expressing gratitude verbally would definitely seem insincere.

So excluding that, the next thing that came to mind was cash, or maybe a gift card…?

“Hmm…”

But that didn’t seem right either. It’s not like I’m giving pocket money to a niece on a holiday—that would be treating her place like a restaurant.

Then how about a gift instead of cash? Even though Hwa Nabi bubbles like carbonated water, she’s still a girl. She’s at an age where she’s probably very interested in taking care of her appearance.

Plus, these days there are plenty of cosmetics made specifically for teenagers, so maybe she’d like it if I bought her some.

“Tsk.”

But there was a problem with this approach too.

First, I don’t know much about women’s cosmetics. Well, I could ask a store clerk about that, so let’s put that aside.

The most important issue was the act of giving a gift itself. I’m not comparing monetary value, but buying something in return for just one meal seemed like I might be overreacting.

“…”

I’ve heard somewhere that nothing good comes from moving too fast. People often call that “rushing things.” For a moment, I wondered if that’s exactly what I was about to do.

It felt somewhat awkward. Like I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s hard to explain in words, but that’s how it felt.

And generally speaking, ominous intuitions often turn out to be right.

“…Don’t overdo it, just stay put.”

Just as I was making that resolution to myself.

I heard the sound of a door opening from the bedroom, followed by light footsteps. The homeowner had come out of her room.

“Siwoo, it’s ready.”

What’s suddenly ready? I didn’t need to ask. I could tell what she meant as soon as I saw her.

So instead of asking, I opened my eyes wide.

“Are those pajamas?”

She had asked me to wait a moment, and it seemed she had changed her clothes.

The unfamiliar outfit naturally drew my attention. Hwa Nabi standing before me was wearing pink pajamas with rabbits on them, and even had slippers with rabbit pictures on her feet.

Is this a set? Somehow it looks like something you’d often see in an online game. It seems more like a rabbit suit than pajamas.

Swish—Hwa Nabi twirled around in place as if to show herself off. It was such a graceful turn that I almost mistook her for a figure skater.

“How is it? Cute, right?”

It was cute, as she said. But a man’s heart is both simple and complex, so I said something different from what I really thought.

“Looks really hot though.”

“This is thin and breathes well. Want to feel it?”

“Really? Let me see.”

Since I had the owner’s permission, I reached out without hesitation to touch the outside of the rabbit pajamas as Hwa Nabi approached.

As she said, the material was indeed thin—it stretched easily when I pulled it slightly.

“Oh, that’s interesting.”

“Right? It’s interesting, isn’t it?”

With a bit of exaggeration, I’d believe it if someone said it was real rabbit fur. Of course, I’ve never actually touched rabbit fur, but that’s how it felt to me.

“Would you like to wear one too?”

“But this is for women.”

Regardless of colors like pink or blue, the size wouldn’t fit me. If I wore this, the clothes would definitely tear. Of course, I wouldn’t wear it even if they had my size.

“There are men’s ones in the storage room. Brand new.”

…She really had them? I was momentarily dumbfounded and asked.

“Why do you have men’s pajamas?”

“Well, I guess in case something like this happened?”

Why is that a question?

“What do you mean by ‘something like this’?”

“That’s, um… No, why are you asking?”

It’s strange to have men’s pajamas prepared when you say you’ve never brought a man home before.

I unconsciously furrowed my brow. And while gently holding onto her clothes, I asked again.

“I’m curious.”

“W-why are you curious about that?”

She’s avoiding the question instead of answering. Look at this. People who have something to hide tend to change the subject, so I became increasingly suspicious of Hwa Nabi’s attitude.

“Don’t change the subject. Answer me.”

“…Do you really need to know the reason?”

“Yes.”

I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t know. At my firm response, Hwa Nabi sighed deeply.

Then hesitantly, she opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked at me, then at the wall, repeating this pattern. She was still debating whether to tell me or not.

Then I’ll help her make that decision. With that thought, I moved a little closer and tightened my grip. I wasn’t going to let go until she told me the truth.

Sensing the intent in my gaze, Hwa Nabi finally opened up and revealed her thoughts.

“Well… This was kind of like my dream. Nothing special, just… I thought it would be nice to wear couple pajamas. So I prepared them… Did you not like it?”

“…”

Only then did I realize what kind of question I had asked.

So this was why Hwa Nabi was reluctant to answer. Of course she would feel uncomfortable.

Everyone has situations they dream about. But I had insisted on hearing her innermost thoughts.

I shouldn’t have asked. I felt sorry belatedly, but the water was already spilled.

I needed to smooth things over… but how?

As I just stared blankly, unable to respond quickly, Hwa Nabi pulled her rabbit-eared hood down and hurriedly avoided my gaze.

“Um… Please say something. I’m really embarrassed.”

“Huh? Uh… Those pajamas are cute.”

“…That’s not what you should be saying in this situation, is it?”

Though I was trying not to show it, I was surprised, and my true thoughts slipped out unintentionally.

Feeling that anything else I might say would just come out strange, I carefully chose my words internally.

Naturally, an awkward silence fell between us.

Amid the uncomfortable quietness, Hwa Nabi was the first to speak.

“By the way… how long are you going to keep touching it?”

Hwa Nabi’s gaze was directed at my right hand, and following her gaze, I finally realized why she had said that.

Unable to bear the awkwardness, my hand had been unconsciously fiddling with Hwa Nabi’s rabbit pajamas.

Realizing the situation, I slightly backed away.

“Ah, sorry.”

“…As long as you know you’re sorry.”

Hwa Nabi seemed just as flustered, muttering meaningless words before taking a seat far away from me.

It seemed like quite a distance for two people in the same house, but it was better this way. Being close would only multiply the awkwardness.

“Hwa Nabi, what time do you usually go to sleep?”

“I… I think I usually sleep around eleven.”

“Really? What time is it now…?”

Deliberately muttering loudly to break the awkwardness, I looked at the clock and saw it was just five minutes past nine. How depressing.

“We have a lot of time left.”

I couldn’t spend two hours in silence, so I had to do something.

So the method I chose was.

“Right? Then shall we…”

“Then, shall we study?”

“…What?”

The moment I spoke, Hwa Nabi asked back as if in disbelief. Her expression was downright bewildered.

“What?”

What’s wrong with suggesting we study? Come to think of it, that was my original purpose for coming here. To tutor Hwa Nabi.

Didn’t she say it herself? That she had a quiz tomorrow and wanted me to help her prepare for it.

“No, how can you suggest studying in this flow? Wasn’t this flow heading toward something else?”

“We’re not waves—what flow? And a student’s primary duty is to study.”

It was indeed the correct principle. When I stated it firmly, Hwa Nabi could only open and close her mouth without any rebuttal.

Looking more closely, she seemed to be looking at me with eyes of disbelief…

“…”

Well, whatever meaning was in those eyes, the fact remained that Hwa Nabi needed guidance.

Even if it’s just a small quiz, a test is a test and can’t be taken lightly. Academic records are important. Especially for a student like Hwa Nabi.

“Come sit down.”

“…You’re not really going to do this, are you?”

I got down from the sofa, took a seat at the floor table, and pointed to the opposite side. Hwa Nabi sat down, half-doubting my words but complying nonetheless.

“Now, let’s start studying. Do you remember where we left off earlier?”

Conveniently, we had moved the workbook to the floor table for dinner, so we just needed to open it.

Hwa Nabi looked at me with dazed eyes.

“I thought maybe, just maybe, but you really…”

I roughly calculated in my head. Considering she’d need time to prepare for bed, we had about an hour and a half left.

“That’s enough time.”

“What’s enough?”

“Time to teach you.”

There was something I realized before dinner. Hwa Nabi is not the type who should be left to study independently. I’m not just saying this—her concentration is practically zero.

So what should I do? After a brief consideration, the answer was clear. There’s only one way to teach this type of student.

One-on-one tutoring. Saying she lacks concentration means she’s constantly getting distracted.

So the solution is to keep watching her closely and teach her persistently, preventing any distractions.

“Don’t think about getting distracted. I’ll be watching you the whole time.”

“Ah, okay…”

What an extremely poor attitude for a student.

*

An hour and a half later.

Teaching Hwa Nabi was good review for me too, but given the late hour, my body was starting to feel tired.

“The quiz will probably cover up to here. Do you have any other questions?”

Tap tap, I lightly tapped the table with my mechanical pencil as I asked. But Hwa Nabi just kept her head down without answering.

“Hmm.”

Is she so focused that she can’t hear me? Maybe Hwa Nabi has surprisingly good concentration after all.

With that thought, I looked at the workbook she was solving.

…The pen wasn’t moving.

“Wait, are you…?”

I gently pushed back the rabbit hood she was wearing. This revealed Hwa Nabi’s pink hair and the top of her head. If she were awake, she would have reacted with surprise, but she remained motionless.

This could only mean one thing.

“Are you sleeping?”

I muttered, suddenly feeling deflated. Here I was, the teacher, earnestly explaining things, while the student was openly sleeping? For a moment I wanted to wake her up and scold her… but I decided against it.

“Sigh.”

How tired must she be to fall asleep sitting up? Seeing her nodding off like a sick chicken, I couldn’t bring myself to scold her.

If she was tired, she could have at least said something, and I would have let her sleep. As I muttered this to myself, I reached out my hand but suddenly stopped.

“…Should I wake her up?”

The quickest way to wake someone is to put a hand on their shoulder. It’s the most sensitive part of the body, so it gets an immediate response.

So I was about to touch her shoulder to wake her, but something was bothering me. Is it okay to touch someone who’s dozing off?

Shouting to wake her seemed too harsh, but touching her might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

While I was contemplating what to do, Hwa Nabi, who had been nodding off, suddenly hit her head on the desk.

-Thud!

“Whoa, that startled me.”

The sound was louder than I expected, and it gave me a shock.

How can a human head make such a noise? As I was calming my surprised heart, Hwa Nabi looked at me with drowsy eyes.

“…I wasn’t sleeping. I was just thinking for a moment.”

She mumbled in a voice full of sleepiness.

“Ah… I see.”

It was a lie that even a child wouldn’t believe. Taking it in stride, I rested my chin on my hand and observed the situation.

A sleepy Hwa Nabi unable to distinguish the situation—this was a rare sight worth taking in completely.

“Do you want to go to bed?”

“…What time is it?”

“Eleven o’clock.”

It was actually five minutes before, but that hardly mattered. When I told her the time, Hwa Nabi smiled broadly and spread her arms toward me.

“Siwoo, please hug me.”

“……”

For a moment, my heart couldn’t help but race at such a request.

Is it because she’s half-asleep? She’s saying things that could easily be misunderstood.

First taking a deep breath, I asked Hwa Nabi, who was still smiling.

“…You mean you want me to carry you?”

“Heh, yes.”

“Alright, where should I take you?”

“To the bedroom, please, driver.”

It’s a bit cheeky of her to treat me like her chauffeur, but it’s a request from my fiancée, not just anyone, so I should comply.

“Okay.”

But carrying her from the front as she requested would surely be embarrassing for both of us.

So the method I chose, somewhat cowardly, was to go behind Hwa Nabi and lift her from there.

“Hwa Nabi, stay still for a moment.”

Arriving behind her, I placed my hands under her back and knees, then lifted her up in one swift motion.

Suddenly, Hwa Nabi was cradled in my arms, and I looked down at her with a slight smile.

“Not uncomfortable, right?”

“…No. It’s comfortable.”

Of course it should be, especially since it’s me. Nodding, I carefully walked toward the bedroom where the bed was.

“Phew.”

Normally I would have arrived quickly, but carrying someone face-to-face while trying to keep my footsteps quiet was no easy task.

So, feeling like I was walking on thin ice, I finally reached the bedroom.

“Whew…”

First, I carefully placed Hwa Nabi, whom I had been carrying, onto the bed.

Seeing that she didn’t move at all during the process, it seemed she had fallen asleep again.

“Already asleep?”

I muttered once, but there was no response.

“She wouldn’t even notice if someone carried her away.”

I don’t know what makes her so defenseless. What if I had bad intentions?

“……”

Let’s stop saying things I don’t mean. Feeling somewhat awkward, I took a quick look around the room.

“Hmm.”

The furniture arrangement was simple.

There was a large bed in one corner, with a vanity and bookshelf placed in order next to it.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary girl’s room with no special features.

But uniquely, Hwa Nabi’s room had a rocking chair near the bookshelf. Looking closer, there was even a book placed on the chair cushion.

“So she reads books too.”

Curious about what book it was, I looked at the title: “Romeo and Juliet.”

It’s such a famous romance novel that if someone claimed not to know the plot, you’d seriously suspect they were an alien… but isn’t it a bit old-fashioned?

“Why is she reading this?”

Even as I said that, I was opening the book. There was a bookmark made of string marking a certain page.

Seeing traces of reading, it clearly wasn’t just for show, which naturally piqued my curiosity.

Looking at the bookmarked section:

“…?”

It was quite a passionate kissing scene between the male and female protagonists.

Reading it briefly, the descriptions were quite explicit. Hands placed on each other’s bodies, something about the chest area, something about the buttocks…

“…This is a bit much.”

Feeling I shouldn’t read any further, I quickly closed the book.

I was about to turn around and leave the room when the view outside the window caught the corner of my eye.

-Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

Outside, the rain was still falling steadily.

And March nights are still cold.

“Sigh.”

I approached the bed again and pulled the blanket, which Hwa Nabi had only half-covered herself with, all the way up to her neck.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

Of course there was no response, and I backed away a few steps from the bed.

In the quiet room, occasional sharp breaths could be heard.

Without realizing it, I found myself holding my breath as I looked at her.

“……”

Unlike her usual playful expression, her cheeks were completely relaxed.

Seeing the smile on her lips, she must be having a happy dream right now.

To let her peacefully drift into her dream, looking unusually happy,

The last words I chose were a light goodnight greeting.

“Sleep well.”