Ch.9191. When Night Passes and Morning Comes

Morning.

I slowly opened my eyes to the dazzling sunlight coming through the gap in the open curtains and what sounded like chirping sparrows.

“…Phew, my head.”

Despite wincing from a headache that might be a hangover or something else, I managed to look around.

And I immediately realized.

“What is this?”

The chirping birds I couldn’t figure out where they were coming from was apparently the alarm sound from her phone. Come to think of it, that makes sense, right? There’s no way sparrows could be heard from the top floor of a hotel.

I reached out to turn off the phone alarm and tried to sit up… but stopped abruptly.

It felt like something was trying to come along with me.

The identity of that something was, needless to say.

“…Mmm.”

“……”

It was Hwa Nabi, my girlfriend and fiancée. Still making soft breathing sounds with her eyes closed, she was hugging my torso tightly with a blissfully happy face.

And not just hugging, but firmly pressing her chest against my side.

“Geez…”

She has a talent for making people uncomfortable first thing in the morning. Though I thought this, I still felt tense, so I took a deep breath and gently moved her back a bit.

It seems a shame to wake her when she’s sleeping so soundly. So I picked up my phone to check the time first, pressing the button on the side.

“…Huh?”

The time on the screen seems… a bit strange? I thought I must have seen wrong. So I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and checked again.

It really is 6 PM.

“No way.”

Startled, I opened my eyes wide. My wandering mind returned to its place, and I felt like sleep was completely gone. What on earth, how long had I been asleep? I’m pretty sure I fell asleep watching the sunrise, but now the sun is about to set…

By rough calculation, I’ve slept for almost twelve hours straight. I quickly turned my head to look at the window.

“…It wasn’t morning sunlight, but sunset?”

No wonder the light had a strangely reddish color for morning sunshine. This also explains the mysterious headache. After sleeping this long, how could my head not hurt?

“Haah…”

The disappointment of wasting the entire first day of our special trip together. With a deep sigh, I pressed my throbbing head and tapped Hwa Nabi’s shoulder.

“…Nabi, wake up. We’ve slept for a really long time.”

“Mmm… no, I want to sleep a little more…”

She’s still sleep-talking. Since she showed no signs of waking up when I touched her, I moved my face closer and shook her awake.

“Look at the time, it’s six in the evening. Stop being spoiled… hurry up.”

“…Huh?”

As I gently rubbed her shoulder while whispering, she finally opened her eyes drowsily.

Hwa Nabi blinked her large eyes, staring at me blankly… then soon smiled brightly.

“Oh, it’s Siwoo. …Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I slept well…”

The quality of sleep isn’t the issue; the current time is the bigger problem. Just as I was about to answer that way, Hwa Nabi slowly stretched out her arms and gently wrapped them around my neck.

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I slept well?”

Seeing her pink lips moving so close up is too stimulating first thing in the morning.

I suppressed my pounding heart and barely managed to speak.

“Right, did you sleep well?”

“Mmm, I did sleep well… but I haven’t quite woken up yet.”

“…Why?”

“Well… because you haven’t given me a wake-up kiss yet…?”

“……”

If I suddenly collapse from heart disease one day, it will probably be because of Hwa Nabi’s lovability.

Carefully calming my heart that was beating wildly from the morning, I gave Hwa Nabi a light kiss on the cheek.

“…Did you sleep well?”

“Yes… thanks to you, I slept very well.”

The way she glances down at her lower abdomen while answering seems quite suggestive, but that must be just my imagination.

…Somehow I couldn’t look at her directly, so I slightly turned my head away.

“Now that you’re awake, go wash up first, the time is…”

As I muttered while still looking at the wall, Hwa Nabi tightened her arms around my neck and pulled me slightly. Naturally, our faces came very close together.

Her face, seen from a distance where our noses almost touched, somehow seemed displeased… slightly pouty.

“Siwoo.”

“Oh, yes.”

“…Why are you in such a hurry? There’s no need to rush at all.”

“Huh? No, I’m not rushing… it’s just that it’s getting late.”

Hwa Nabi pulled me a little closer, and the gap narrowed even more until our lips were almost touching.

I could feel her hot breath on the edge of my lips.

“It’s not like we have to be somewhere at a specific time, so what does it matter if we’re a little late…?”

“That’s true… but.”

Just as I opened my mouth to reply, Hwa Nabi’s lips briefly touched mine and then pulled away.

Though I had expected it, I didn’t think she would actually do it, so I froze, and seeing me like that, Hwa Nabi’s eyebrows curved into beautiful crescents.

“…Huh, Siwoo. Aren’t you too cute…? It’s not like this is our first time, why are you surprised by a kiss?”

“I’m not surprised by the kiss…”

Seeing you this close reminds me of yesterday… But Hwa Nabi, unaware of my thoughts, looked at me drowsily as if I were some cute animal.

“Ah, Siwoo is really cute… come here.”

Without giving me a chance to speak, Hwa Nabi pulled my neck and buried my face in her embrace. Against my will, her fragrant scent brushed against the tip of my nose.

This might sound a bit perverted, but Hwa Nabi’s scent is so much to my taste that just quietly smelling it makes me feel very good.

Gathering a bit of courage, I carefully hugged Hwa Nabi back. Then, as if acting spoiled, I slightly rubbed my nose while keeping my face buried in her embrace.

Hwa Nabi didn’t push me away but soothed me, stroking the back of my head.

“Mmm, my Siwoo. Good boy…”

I wonder if she had some change of heart overnight; Hwa Nabi suddenly seems more mature, which feels a bit unfamiliar.

But I don’t dislike this side of her. No, I think I rather like it. Maybe it’s because she was always kind-hearted and lovable, but this more embracing aspect seems to suit her well.

As I deeply inhaled Hwa Nabi’s scent with my face buried in her embrace… gradually, something like an alarm bell started ringing deep inside me.

It’s hard to explain, but it feels like if I stay like this, something inside me will suddenly change.

“…”

Becoming somewhat afraid of that feeling, I slowly regained my senses and pulled away from Hwa Nabi’s embrace.

“Ah…”

As I moved back, her eyes filled with deep regret.

I was well aware of it, and I felt very regretful too… but I deliberately suppressed those feelings and opened my mouth.

“Um, aren’t you hungry?”

“Well… a little. Since we didn’t eat anything last night…”

As I tried to make conversation while gently fixing my bangs, she responded with slightly pursed lips.

“Right, I’m getting hungry too. Let’s go get dinner.”

“Hmm… okay. Let’s get dinner…”

Hwa Nabi suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Then, as if checking whether she heard correctly, she tilted her head for a moment before opening her eyes wide.

“Wait, Siwoo. Did you just say dinner?”

“Huh? Yeah, I said let’s get dinner… why?”

“Breakfast, or rather lunch… didn’t you misspeak? We did fall asleep a bit late, but there’s no way it’s already dinner time…”

Watching Hwa Nabi mutter as if denying reality, a faint smile escaped me.

I must have been confused earlier. How could Hwa Nabi have become more mature? Looking at her now, she seems slightly dazed, just like the usual Hwa Nabi.

“Look at the window.”

I nodded toward the curtained window. Hwa Nabi blinked her large eyes, then immediately jumped up and approached the window.

And with trembling hands, she grabbed the curtain and.

-Swoosh!

She roughly pulled the curtain aside to look outside.

“Huh, what?”

The setting sun scattering its rays westward. The evening sea of Jeju Island, dyed crimson, is quite beautiful.

But Hwa Nabi, apparently not satisfied with the scene, stared blankly out the window before quickly turning her head.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so surprised?”

“S-Siwoo! Why, why didn’t you say anything? It’s already evening…!”

“Just now you were saying time doesn’t matter?”

“No, there’s a limit to that. This is our special trip together, and we’ve lost an entire day!”

Her thoughts are similar to mine. They say couples grow to resemble each other; is that really true? Though we’re not officially married yet.

“…Pfft.”

That silly thought made me chuckle involuntarily. Hwa Nabi seemed to take it as mockery and stormed over, fuming.

“S-Siwoo! You find this funny?! This is serious… ah, ah!”

I wrapped my arm around her waist as she was making a fuss over nothing, pulled her close, and laid her down on the bed.

“What’s wrong with being a little late? Why is that such a big deal? Let’s take it slow.”

I whispered in her ear while keeping my arm around her waist, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek to calm her down.

At that, the excited Hwa Nabi instantly became docile, her cheeks turning red.

“O-okay. Let’s take it slow…”

I held Hwa Nabi from behind, inhaling her fragrant scent and waiting for a moment.

…And after a short while, thinking she might have calmed down, I was about to slowly pull away when.

“Um, Siwoo.”

Hwa Nabi suddenly placed her hand over the back of mine and called my name in a quiet voice.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Well… we’re already quite late, aren’t we?”

“Hmm… that’s right.”

“Since we don’t have any other schedule, there’s no need to hurry…”

“That’s true… but.”

Hwa Nabi took a deep breath, tickled the back of my hand, and then blurted out.

“Then, since we’re already late, how about being… a little more late?”

The idea of being even more tardy because we’re already late is really not a good way of thinking.

So I should quickly open my mouth and say no…

“Should… we?”

…By the time I came to my senses, my mouth had already uttered those words.

“Yes… let’s take it… slow.”

“……”

…By the time we left the hotel room, it was much later.