Chapter 62: Vacation

Still, the world remained unchanged.

The morning after sharing our hearts in the storm, graduation ceremony day had finally arrived.

Students chattering excitedly about summer break. The principal’s tediously long speech.

Everything looked exactly the same as before.

The only thing that changed overnight was my relationship with So-yul.

In other words, it took that much struggle just for this one thing.

Well, if I had to be specific, there was one other change…

“cough cough”

Namely, that I’d caught a cold.

“Are you okay?”

Right after the ceremony ended, Juho asked with concern as I kept coughing non-stop.

He wasn’t usually nice enough to worry about a mere cold. I wondered just how terrible I must look.

“I’m fine. I can manage.”

“Manage? You sound like you’re about to die.”

“Don’t say such ominous things…”

“That’s how sick you look.”

When I weakly protested, Juho chuckled while responding.

I was grateful he was joking about death with someone who looked so ill.

I’d stood in the pouring rain completely soaked last night. It wasn’t strange at all that I caught a cold.

Sure enough, I’d been burning with fever since morning. I could tell I was sick the moment I opened my eyes.

My whole body shivering, everything aching, endless coughing.

It was a miracle I could even stand here right now. I just wanted to go home and lie down.

“Man, your luck is terrible. How do you catch a cold right when break starts?”

“Well, it’s not like I had plans anyway. Better to be sick during break.”

“True. At least you got sick after exams ended.”

Juho shrugged slightly then:

“Anyway, when you get home… take medicine and get some rest. Order some porridge if you’re hungry. Call 119 if you feel like dying.”

“I told you I’m not dying. Thanks for worrying though.”

When I barely responded in my hoarse voice, Juho smiled and waved.

He said goodbye and have a good break, then walked toward the school gate. It seems he planned to leave school right away.

I hadn’t missed the slight pause in Juho’s joking words.

He’d probably started to mention parents but quickly swallowed the words.

Going home to welcoming parents.

Something so natural for other kids was like a dream to me.

My ties with father were cut. Mother never visited. Even if she somehow heard I was sick, she wouldn’t care at all.

Well, what could I do?

It was just a cold that would pass in a few days anyway. Not serious enough to need anyone’s help.

Better to shake off these depressing thoughts. Rationalizing this way, I quickly moved my feet.

My destination was… the piano room.

[Can we meet briefly after the ceremony?]

This message had arrived from So-yul this morning.

Since we wouldn’t see each other for over a month, we needed to say goodbye. I’d planned to have a quick chat anyway.

Plus starting today we were real boyfriend and girlfriend, so I had to see her before she left.

Though there was one concern…

“Did you catch a cold?”

“…A little bit.”

As expected, things went exactly as I’d feared.

I’d barely said “hi” but So-yul’s expression immediately changed. Her concerned gaze was clear as she placed her fist against her chest and asked softly.

I’d tried holding back my coughs since the hallway thinking this might happen. But there was nothing I could do about my hoarse voice. It had all been pointless effort.

“I’m sorry. I suddenly called you out in the rain…”

So-yul whispered dejectedly.

I smiled forcefully as I answered:

“You couldn’t have expected I’d run out without an umbrella. It’s fine since break’s starting anyway, I can rest at home. Besides, it’s not that bad.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. cough cough”

“…Ugh.”

So-yul’s expression turned almost tearful at my ill-timed coughing.

I hadn’t meant to make my girlfriend worry. What a terrible boyfriend I was.

“You caught a cold because of me… I’m really sorry…”

“I said it’s fine. Why are you apologizing so much over just a cold?”

I asked with an amused smile.

Getting a cold in exchange for comforting So-yul and becoming real lovers – weighing the two, I’d clearly come out ahead. This little cold was worth suffering through all break.

Plus by any measure, So-yul had nothing to apologize for. There was no reason for her to feel this sorry.

Thinking this while smiling.

Soon So-yul lowered her eyes, took a deep breath and:

“…My boyfriend is sick because of me. How could I not feel sorry?”

She spoke these words in a trembling voice.

Boyfriend.

The title I’d heard so many times before felt especially ticklish today. Though it was the same word as always, it carried a completely different feeling from yesterday.

Seems I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

Seeing So-yul’s cheeks flush pink made it perfectly clear.

For both So-yul saying it and me hearing it, the meaning of “boyfriend” had changed, so it couldn’t be helped.

It made me newly realize we’d finally become real lovers.

“Mm, I guess that’s true.”

“Right?”

So-yul asked with a gentle smile.

Usually she would have teased me for being shy. Her reaction was strangely mild.

Well, since she was embarrassed herself, she wasn’t in a position to tease others.

So-yul being this shy seemed several times cuter than usual.

Wasn’t it perfectly normal to want to tease your cute girlfriend?

“Still, I’m happy my girlfriend isn’t sick.”

“…Ugh.”

When I deliberately used the title “girlfriend,” So-yul bit her lip and widened her eyes.

Her sulky expression clearly showed her embarrassment.

When I chuckled at her reaction, So-yul glared at me hard. Looking closely, her eyes even seemed to glisten with tears.

For some reason, So-yul and I felt more awkward than when we were fake dating.

Instead, it was harder to look each other in the eye, we became careful with every word, and somehow kept trailing off…

I’d thought we’d grow closer quickly after becoming real lovers since we’d already been through fake dating. Strangely, reality was the opposite.

Until now we could brush everything off saying we were just pretending to be lovers. But from now on all our actions would come from genuine feelings. Maybe that naturally made things more awkward.

Where our “fake” excuse had vanished, our true feelings now filled the space.

Something we’d have to gradually get used to from now on.

“cough cough”

My coughing still showed no signs of stopping.

Finally So-yul seemed to come to her senses as her eyes grew round.

“Oh, um, anyway. When you get home, will someone take care of…”

“Who needs someone to take care of just a cold? I’m fine without.”

“…That means there isn’t anyone, right?”

Though I’d answered indirectly, she read my meaning.

After a moment So-yul nodded gently.

“I see.”

“…What do you see?”

What exactly did she understand? I didn’t know what she meant, but well, probably that she’d stop worrying.

If so, that was reassuring. I decided not to probe deeper.

Anyway.

“You stayed at school after midterms, but you’re going home for summer break?”

“Yeah. They won’t let me live alone for over a month no matter what. I’ll probably take the evening flight to America tomorrow.”

Then she added faintly:

“During break… I’ll have to stay with my parents.”

“I see.”

These were the same two people who tried to break So-yul’s spirit at the arts festival and competition. Living together, how much would they torment her… Worry already started growing in my heart.

It was just frustrating that as her boyfriend, there was nothing I could do to help.

“If it gets too hard, contact me anytime. I’ll swim there if I have to.”

So-yul giggled at my playful words then:

“You don’t need to swim here, but make sure to answer when I contact you every day.”

Then she whispered with a fleeting eye-smile:

“You promised yesterday you’d accept all my clinginess.”

“…Yeah. I did.”

If it was my lovely girlfriend being clingy, I’d have to wake up even at dawn to answer.

It was a moment of reaffirming my determination.

After that we could only exchange brief goodbyes before parting.

I wanted to hug her since we wouldn’t meet for a long time. But I couldn’t embrace my girlfriend while sick.

Above all, now that we were really dating it became harder to touch her. In the end I just lightly ruffled her hair before quickly running away.

I never dreamed dating someone would be this difficult.

There must be a gap of several light years between fake lovers and real lovers.

The journey home after that was pure hell.

The roads were crowded since it was weekend. My whole body ached from the fever. The fever wouldn’t go down at all. My nose was so stuffed I could barely breathe.

I even wore a mask to avoid spreading germs, which made me feel almost delirious. Like Juho said, I nearly had to call 119.

By the time I reached home I was practically half dead.

I staggered into my room and threw myself on the bed.

Just as I was about to close my eyes… my phone suddenly started buzzing in my pocket.

Checking the screen with blurry vision, I saw a message had arrived from So-yul.

[Sorry, but could you tell me your home address?]

Why suddenly ask for my address…? I didn’t even have the energy to ask.

By now my eyelids were barely listening to me.

Maybe she was planning to send medicine or fruit. Or perhaps write letters while we couldn’t see each other.

Well, as my girlfriend she should probably know my address anyway. I managed to move my fingers to type and send the address.

“Haah.”

A hot sigh escaped my lips the moment I put my phone down on the bed.

I needed to shower and change clothes too.

In this state I’d be lucky not to collapse just walking to the bathroom. Having just experienced hell, I didn’t even have energy left to change clothes now.

My eyes slowly closed.

I’d just sleep a little then get up for dinner.

Yeah, just rest my eyes for a moment…

Knock knock.

A soft knocking sound woke me from deep sleep.

Glancing at the clock, I’d somehow been asleep for two hours already.

There shouldn’t be anyone visiting this house. Who could be knocking?

I roughly fixed my messy bed head and opened the front door.

And there stood…

“…Hi. Boyfriend.”

None other than So-yul.

[Author’s note: Thank you for reading.]