episode_0033

Jeong Ye-eun walked the streets at night.

Winter has long passed, and now the sun sets considerably later.

The time when the street lights turn on and the time when people disappear from the streets.

“What are you thinking?”

“No, nothing.”

When she looked to her left, Choi Do-hyeon, smiling with a scarred face, came into her field of vision.

Although there was a bandage attached to the face, it was fortunate that the movement of the body seemed to be no problem at all.

Other than helping me briefly earlier, I didn’t even ask for help.

“..How was dinner?”

He asked as usual.

However, there is a slight tension in it.

Jeong Ye-eun thought.

I was able to fully guess that the restaurant owner’s grandfather and Choi Do-hyeon were more than just ordinary people, they were like family.

To that extent, he seemed eager for her to evaluate the meal just now favorably.

It’s like introducing a family member, wouldn’t it be natural?

She also felt great joy when Choi Do-hyeon enjoyed the food her mother made.

I felt proud even though I was not the one who made the food.

“Yes, it was delicious! I’ll come back to eat again next time.”

“Really?”

It was a calm answer, but I could see the corners of his mouth turning up.

She chuckled and laughed to herself.

‘cute.’

A cute side hidden behind a manly appearance.

“…My grandfather, the restaurant, and… I live here. Don’t talk about it anywhere else.”

“Huh? Ah… Yes, okay.”

The surrounding environment cannot be said to be good even with empty words.

She decided to respect his wishes.

It felt like there was a secret between him and her.

Moon Jeong-woo may know the neighborhood where Choi Do-hyeon lives from what happened last time, but that restaurant… is a place only they know.

I tried to laugh at the sight of him treating me specially.

Previously, when my perception of Choi Do-hyun changed from when I still thought of him as a scary person to a friend.

Just as at that time, a new shift in perception was taking place.

People cannot always be strong.

Today, she saw a side of him that was like a weakness.

What he wants to hide.

Conversely, it also meant that he trusted her that much.

My heart was tickled.

When I realized that there was no problem with his body after the fight earlier, those feelings became stronger.

After that, the night got even darker as we ate dinner, but I wasn’t afraid that something like before would happen again.

His presence walking next to her was so reassuring.

A body that was almost unscathed even after a rough fight, and strong muscles that could be confident that they would protect her.

Even his dependable personality was something that could not be found in Moon Jeong-woo.

As I approached the crosswalk, the place where I had to part ways with him, my regret grew.

“We’re there…”

I said a word with regret.

I wanted him to know his regret, too.

“Sure.”

“Tell Grandpa that the food was delicious.”

“Okay.”

His face brightened.

Looking at it this way, he was a very easy friend to get to know.

Sometimes it’s impossible to read what’s inside, but at other times it becomes infinitely easier.

It was cute how he instantly smiled whenever he talked about his family, so she unconsciously moved her hand to his hair.

Suddenly, the hair that brushed against my hand felt soft.

“…?”

He looked at her with a doubtful expression.

“Why?”

“Just.”

I guess we can do this much now.

He chuckled and then took a step further than her.

-pook

His strong arms wrapped around her back.

Her strong chest felt against her forehead, and Choi Do-hyun’s unique smell invaded her nose.

“Return.”

In an instant, her head turned blank.

A sudden hug at a completely unexpected time.

This doubled the favorability and charm that had been building up over the years.

It was Choi Do-hyun who made me feel his charm as a man from the beginning.

Wow, I felt the man’s power.

A sense of security that cannot be felt in a light hug between same-sex friends.

I had hugged Moon Jeong-woo a few times, but even though it was the same man, the feeling was completely different.

“Uh…. Huh?”

“Go in, now. It’s late.”

“Ugh, uhm….”

She left Choi Do-hyeon in a dazed state and slowly walked home.

My mind was only thinking about hugs.

‘Huh…’

It was so strong that he could have hugged her forever, and it was a strong body odor that could have come out of a dream.

At that moment, a feeling of happiness that made me faint came over me.

This feeling was unfamiliar, but I knew one thing.

‘What I did with Jeongwoo… was just playing house.’

It was literally like that.

She had thought that she might one day develop a romantic relationship with Moon Jeong-woo.

However, after a brief hug, all the past times started to feel trivial.

‘This… is a boy.’

It’s different, completely different.

It was just a childish prank.

Just by touching it, fireworks explode in my head and my cheeks become hot.

I met someone who gave me those feelings, but I couldn’t just play in the sand forever.

Squeaking, she opened the door and entered, her sister greeted her as usual.

“Yeeun… What, why are your cheeks so red?”

“Sister… I… Dohyun just…”

“What? Why Dohyun Choi? What did you do?”

“Dohyeon…”

Squeak, boom.

She left only those words and entered the room.

For Choi Do-hyun, it may have been a simple hug between friends.

When I thought about it that way, I felt like my current joy was fading a little.

But when I think back to the hug, I cringe at the feeling of security.

Paang, paang.

Jeong Ye-eun’s feet hit the bed with her makeup-free face buried in the pillow.

‘I… I think Dohyun likes me…’

They weren’t just like-minded friends.

When we got close, we weren’t just fun friends.

I was finally able to realize it clearly.

-Yes, yes, yes!

The door was locked.

I didn’t want to disturb my current mood.

Would hugging between friends make you feel that way? That can’t be possible.

If it was a hug from someone I liked, it would have been possible.

“Hehe… Heh…”

Laughter kept coming out.

I couldn’t stop laughing.

After realizing this, I felt more excited about my future life.

Choi Do-hyun only hung out with them.

I became distant from the gangster friends I used to hang out with, and now the only people I can call friends are her and Moon Jeong-woo.

Doesn’t that mean that you can be with someone you like all the time at school?

‘What about Dohyeon…?’

Jeong Ye-eun was wondering if he liked me too.

You never know.

He was quite handsome, and she did not know his past activities.

What if there were a lot of women in the past, so skinship like a hug could be done lightly?

What if she gave it too much meaning?

If he… thinks of her as just a close friend.

No matter how close you become, crossing the line from ‘friend’ to ‘girl’ is difficult.

When studying, you can go from level 5 to level 2, but it is difficult to overcome the barrier between level 2 and level 1.

You can go from friends to close friends, but there was a wall to go from friends to a romantic relationship.

A new concern arose.

at that time,

-Wow

I received a call from Moon Jeong-woo.

She answered the phone with a flushed voice.

“Uh, Jeongwoo! Why?”

-Just… Would you like to go for a walk together after a long time?

Night walks are one of his and her hobbies.

When I went out, I was able to change my mood with fresh air and meet like-minded friends.

However, I didn’t want to do that now.

She wanted to slowly look back on her day.

If I go out now, I might be able to get some inspiration.

It’s like playing fancy games on a game console at an arcade, but then suddenly going to the playground to play in the sand, and feeling unimpressed.

“No, let’s go next time.”

-okay…? By the way, what good is there? Because your voice seems excited.

“Ah, just now – ”

She stopped talking.

I wanted to leave what happened earlier as a secret just between the two of us.

-do…?

“I also saw a really cute cat on the street.”

-I see… Well, then…

“Jungwoo, I’m sorry, but I’m a little tired today. I’ll hang up.”

When the story starts to get longer, Jeong Ye-eun quickly cuts it off.

-uh? Uh, okay…

Took.

Now, she closed her eyes and thought of Choi Do-hyun.

At this moment, no one else’s intervention was needed. I didn’t even want it.

**

Meanwhile, Jeong Ye-rin was very distraught about her younger brother.

Suddenly, he came in, clearly out of his mind, and hid in his room, leaving only three letters for Choi Do-hyeon.

I couldn’t help but have uneasy imaginations.

‘No way… no way…!’

I thought something had changed these days, but in the end, people don’t change.

‘Oh, no…’

I couldn’t jump to conclusions without knowing the details of the situation.

‘Did we exchange numbers last time…?’

She picked up her phone.

‘It’s here.’

I called, but there was no answer.

‘Tomorrow… let’s talk in the morning.’

She gathered her trembling heart and headed to bed.

She rushed to sleep to find out exactly what had happened to her sister.