Chapter 50: Dojin, are you dating someone right now?

Just as I was about to unlock the door by lifting the cover of the digital lock, I heard the sound of footsteps, dudududu, from beyond the door, and then the door burst open.

“Hey, I gave you some space and left, so why did you come back so soon? Don’t tell me you fought again—”

Han Yeoreum, holding the doorknob, spewed out words like a machine gun. But her face soon froze.

I stepped inside, leaving Han Yeoreum, who was letting out a foolish groan, her eyes darting left and right, behind me.

“Hic, ugh…”

Suddenly, an immense pain shot through my right wrist. It was Dasom.
Shaking her head as if she didn’t want to go in, she struggled to pull her wrist free from my grasp.

“Unni, I understand, so just come in and let’s talk.”

Ignoring her, I pulled her arm with all my might and spoke.

“You came because you have something to say to me, right? Then you should say it at home. Where are you going to talk in this weather, in that state?”
“B-But… hic, how can someone like me dare to enter Dojin’s house…”
“Unni.”

I continued, my voice as firm as possible.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not asking you right now, I’m angry.”

At those words, Dasom’s movements stopped abruptly. Like a child who had done something wrong, she began to whimper, her lips trembling.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Dojin. I was wrong, so please don’t be angry… You don’t need to be upset because of me…”

The sight of her misery made my chest ache, but now was not the time to be consumed by such sentiments.

“…If you understand, then come in.”

I clenched my teeth and pulled Dasom’s wrist. This time, she didn’t resist and meekly followed.

“Sorry, but could you close that?”
“Uh, uh…”

Leaving Han Yeoreum, who had rushed over to close the front door, behind, I entered the bathroom, holding onto Dasom’s wrist.

Her wrist, under my palm, was as hot as a boiling kettle, and her ragged breaths, escaping her lips and brushing against my ear, were filled with an indescribable, strange excitement.

Feeling a complex mix of emotions, I spoke.

“First, wash up. We can talk after that.”
“Ah, okay. Okay, so please don’t be angry, Dojin. Hic, I’m sorry for making you feel bad.”
“I said it’s okay, so just wash up.”

I turned around and left the bathroom. Then, I scooped up some water from the sink and splashed it on my face. Dammit, this was literally driving me crazy.

“What happened?”

As I was splashing water on my face like a madman, Han Yeoreum’s voice came from behind me.
I took the towel she handed me and spoke.

“…That’s exactly it.”

Han Yeoreum tilted her head with a puzzled expression at my words.

“That’s exactly what I want to ask. What on earth is going on?”

I continued, looking at Han Yeoreum, who was raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

“She was standing outside without an umbrella, getting soaked in the rain. When I asked her what was wrong, she just shook her head and whimpered. It was a bit much to just leave her there, so I brought her in.”
“What’s that?”
“That’s exactly it.”

I threw the damp towel into the washing machine and then took off my sticky, almost stinging shirt.

“Ah, crazy.”

Han Yeoreum, who was behind me, clicked her tongue and turned away. She covered her eyes with her palm as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have and spoke.

“No, what, you’re just shoving something disgusting at me without any warning. Ugh, damn, seriously…”
“Ah, sorry. I was feeling stuffy.”

I casually apologized to the grumbling Han Yeoreum, took out a short-sleeved t-shirt from the drawer, and put it on. Then I turned my head and spoke.

“There’s one more disgusting thing coming up, so if you don’t want to see it, don’t just stand there, go over there.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Han Yeoreum cursed and stomped away.

I might have been a little sharp with my tone, but I didn’t have the luxury to be considerate of her when my mind was already in a mess.
Saying she didn’t want to see, but just standing there, not even letting me change my clothes.

After changing, I picked out a few clothes from the drawer that Dasom might be able to wear and headed to the bathroom.

“Unni, I’ll leave a change of clothes in front of the door, so get them and change when you’re done.”
“U-Uh…!”

I then took a dry towel from the drying rack and started wiping the entrance, which had become a sea of water from the earlier commotion.
Now, what should I do?

Dasom, who had only ever said “I can’t meet you until I receive a suitable punishment” whenever I called or visited her, had come to see me herself.
And she had hesitated for a long time in the rain, biting her nails, before she could even ring the doorbell.

Something unusual must have happened. But would she be willing to confide in me right now? Especially in this state, where she’s trembling just by looking at my face.
No, I’d have to get it out of her somehow, but the method was the problem.

How can I help her release the lump in her heart without hurting her? How on earth can I find out the identity of the darkness within her?

No matter how much I thought about it, no clear answer came to mind. Dammit, I just made a vow in front of Garyeon.
My grip on the rag tightened.

“You’re going to put a hole in that.”

It was Han Yeoreum. She lightly kicked my hand and then plopped down, starting to wipe the messy entrance.

“So what are you really going to do now?”

I paused for a moment and then opened my lips.

“…I’ll have to listen to her first.”
“Okay, I’ll leave as soon as I finish wiping this.”

Han Yeoreum said in a nonchalant tone.

“It’s pouring right now, so just stay put.”
“But you’ll be distracted if I’m here, won’t you?”
“She’s not the type to care about that. In fact, things will only get more complicated if you leave now.”

In her current state, she would probably blame herself for a long time for chasing an innocent person out into the heavy rain.

“Okay.”

After that, we wiped the floor in silence for a few minutes. A knocking sound came from the bathroom.

“Unni, just a moment.”

I quickly went to a corner, faced the wall, and spoke.

“It’s okay now.”

As I said that, the sound of the bathroom door opening flowed out, and then it closed again with a thud.

“Um, Dojin? I tried it on, but…”

Soon after, Dasom’s voice, filled with bewilderment, came from outside the bathroom.

“Uh, unni, why? Did something happen—”

My gaze, which had turned in concern, fell on Dasom, wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt and a red tracksuit jumper.
“Th-This, it seems a little tight…”

Dasom was struggling to pull up the zipper of the tracksuit jumper, but it was no match for her enormous chest, which bulged from under the clothes.

“Oh my, th-this, why is this…”

The rising and falling zipper, along with the undulating ridge, danced.
Stunned by the absurd sight, I quickly took out an oversized hoodie from the drawer and handed it to her.

“Sorry, wear this.”
“Ah, no. Why are you sorry, Dojin? It’s all because I’m, I’m fat…”

Dasom replied in a barely audible voice and then walked towards the bathroom, her shoulders slumped.

“…Close your mouth, it’s rude.”

I whispered to Han Yeoreum, who was gaping beside me, and then headed towards the kitchen.

****

“Unni, drink this.”
“U-Uh. Thanks, Dojin.”

Dasom, who took the teacup filled with green tea from me, closed her mouth again after that.

Judging by her expression, it was clear she had something she wanted to say, but she just fidgeted with her fingers and occasionally glanced at my face, not saying a word.

“Here, have some of this while you talk. I cut up some apples and pears…”
“Ah, thank you. Um…”
“It’s Yeoreum. H-No, Oh Yeoreum.”

Han Yeoreum, who had put down the fruit bowl, continued with a stiff smile.

“Well, you might be surprised, but the reason I’m here is not because—”

I thought it was unusual for her to be so proactive, but it seemed she was speaking up to prevent any misunderstandings.
She’s a good kid, one way or another.

“No, no, I already heard everything from Minseo. She said you’re her cousin. I’m the one who should be sorry for suddenly barging in. I’m Lee Dasom. I’m the older sister of Dojin here—”

Dasom, who had been speaking hurriedly, suddenly covered her mouth with her palm.

“Ah, ah… I said I wouldn’t act like your older sister, Dojin said he doesn’t like that. I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Dojin. I was wrong. I won’t do it again. So please, just don’t abandon me…!”

I helped Dasom, who had suddenly knelt down and was rubbing her palms together, to her feet.

“Unni, it’s okay, I told you it’s okay. I said it before. I was agitated then and spoke carelessly.”
“Hic, uwaa… D-Don’t abandon me…”
“Why would I abandon you? Now, get up. Blow your nose here.”

I carefully wiped Dasom’s face, which had become a mess of tears and snot in a short time, with a tissue.

“But you were angry earlier… You hate me…”
“I just pretended to be angry because I was worried you’d catch a cold if I left you like that. I’m not angry at all. Think about it, if I really hated you, I wouldn’t be next to you right now.”
“Hic, sob…”
“It’s okay, everything’s okay now…”

Is this really the same Dasom I knew?
I’ve known her for years, but this is the first time I’ve seen her so weak.

A person who wouldn’t bat an eye even when people around her were frustrated or crying, and just silently did what needed to be done.
Lee Dasom was that kind of person.

Did I do this to her? No, I did do this to her.
But why? What position did I hold in her life to make her like this?

But it’s not like there was any special relationship between us, like blood ties.
There was only the natural friendship formed over a long time together.

Of course, it could be my own misunderstanding and escape, like in Yu Garyeon’s case.
I won’t deny the possibility that someone could love me now.

But this is different.
I can’t express it well, but somehow, the feeling I got while talking to Yu Garyeon and looking back at the past, and what Dasom is confronting me with now, felt completely different.

Dasom, who had been leaning on my palm and crying for a long time, finally seemed to come to her senses, pulled her face back, and spoke.

“I-I’m sorry, for always doing strange things. You must have been bewildered… I feel like I can’t control my emotions lately. I’ve been taking my medicine regularly, but…”
“Medicine?”

Dasom covered her mouth with both hands, as if she had misspoken.

“Are you going to the hospital?”
“U-Uh. It’s nothing much, I just have trouble sleeping at night… Really! It hasn’t even been a week. P-Please believe me, I’m not a strange person…!”
“It’s natural to go to the hospital when you’re sick, why is that strange?”

Dasom lowered her head at my words. Her tightly bitten lip suggested she felt incredibly ashamed of the fact that she was going to the hospital.

I leaned my body and met her eyes, then spoke.

“Unni.”

Dasom nodded silently at my words.

“You can tell me.”

A shallow breath escaped Dasom’s lips. Her reddish-brown eyes darted around anxiously.

“It’s okay. You have something you want to tell me, right?”

I continued slowly.

“Can’t you tell me? Maybe I can help.”
“B-But.”

Dasom stammered, hesitating.

“You’ll definitely think it’s strange. You-You’ll be angry. I-I don’t want to be hated by you anymore, Dojin…”
“I won’t be angry. I won’t think it’s strange, and I won’t hate you.”

I said, wiping away the transparent liquid trickling down Dasom’s nose.

“Really.”

Dasom looked at me intently, her moist eyes wide, as if asking if she could really believe me.
And then slowly, very cautiously, she parted her swollen lips.

“Th-Then… Dojin… you… you know…”
“Yeah.”
“…Are you, by any chance, seeing someone right now?”

What was the intention behind this question? As all sorts of possibilities flashed through my mind, I saw Dasom, her hands clasped together, trembling.

Yes, let’s just put aside any good thoughts and just answer her sincerely.
She herself must know best how her words will be received, and that’s why she hesitated.

I shook my head and spoke.

“No, not yet.”

At my answer, Dasom sniffled silently. She lowered her head for a moment, then looked up at me at an angle and spoke.

“Then, then you know…”

Dasom, her voice trailing off, took a deep breath and continued.

“…Do you want to be my boyfriend?”