episode_0042

Episode 41: I Love You, I Love You.

“So, um, um… Even when we first met. When we became partners… and when you stood in front of me… You always made strange mistakes… Although you’re not very good at it. Still, still…”

Rambling.

His gaze couldn’t meet hers directly.

Fidgeting body language and tone.

Her face, flushed red, was not just burning with frustration but also with a fear that seemed to engulf her.

Yet the words didn’t flow smoothly.

Because there was no response, her focus was solely directed towards Han Sein.

A light chuckle relieved the suffocating tension in Jung Ah-young’s seemingly constricted heart.

“Pfft.”

“Ah…?”

“What’s that? So?”

A breathless sound escaped her lips.

Lost in a bright smile, her trembling lips betrayed her excitement.

It wasn’t a look of disgust.

Nor was it sharp or dismissive.

For years, she hadn’t received any mistreatment from Kim Hyung-min.

Han Sein’s smile tickled her heart.

Han Sein’s words demanded those emotions.

“Um… So…”

Clearly.

Though she had spoken those words before.

As she tried to say them again, she hesitated.

What a fool I am.

Jung Ah-young blamed herself over and over.

Not feminine enough, introverted, and cowardly.

However.

Anxiety crept in from the other side of her heart.

She thought of a woman facing a man.

Kang Hyeon-ah.

Instinct? No, it couldn’t be unknown.

She, too, had feelings for Han Sein.

Therefore.

She gathered her courage once more.

Confessions are what women do.

If she can’t even do this… then she’s disqualified.

“I like you. Not as a friend… but as a woman to a man, Han Sein…”

Jung Ah-young tightly closed her eyes.

The courage that emerged within her was tinged with fear.

What if she gets rejected?

Even a moment of silence approached with anxiety.

Jung Ah-young opened her mouth again.

Since the water has already started flowing effortlessly.

“Th-though inadequate… I can do well… S-so, can we love each other?”

“……”

“Ah-young.”

A lump formed in her heart.

Would it be rejection? If it is…

Her eyes, filled with fear, opened wide.

Only now did Jung Ah-young slightly part her lips.

It wasn’t a misconception.

She faced the reality presented by her senses.

“Do you… like me?”

“Mm. Enough to want to date.”

Because his eyes weren’t cold.

Because they were warm and gentle.

Jung Ah-young relaxed her tense heart and spoke.

Han Sein’s lips closed briefly, then bore fruit.

“I do.”

…!

Jung Ah-young’s eyes widened.

Han Sein, as if embarrassed, tightly sealed his lips.

Although she doubted her ears for a moment, Jung Ah-young couldn’t easily open her mouth again, fearing he might dislike it if she asked again.

An awkward and tingling silence lingered.

It was Han Sein who first broke the silence.

“If we do this… Are we really dating?”

“Ah… Yeah…”

“Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

Turning slowly, Han Sein’s body drew closer to Jung Ah-young.

Since he had to leave through her side anyway, he walked past her as if brushing by.

And then.

“Ah…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

A gently touching hand.

Perhaps due to the difference in palm size, it was cute how she awkwardly wrapped only three fingers around his.

Her heart pounding wildly.

Despite Han Sein’s casual words, she took a step forward.

She couldn’t stay still; her emotions were too unstable.

Excitement, by nature, was meant to be like this.

Where am I?

Jung A-yeong relaxed her body on the soft bed before she could gather her thoughts.

It felt like a dream.

The excitement she felt brought a buoyant sensation that was hard to express simply as euphoria.

*Umm.*

“Did it go well? – Han Se-in”

*Ahh…*

The vibrating smartphone rang.

Jung A-yeong reflexively glanced at the screen.

In truth, she wasn’t one to exchange texts frequently with him.

Was it due to immaturity? Unless necessary, Jung A-yeong rarely initiated conversations via text.

It seemed more like Han Se-in would ask about trivial things.

If she opened her mouth, they would end up texting for over an hour.

Jung A-yeong was being cautious from her end.

Regardless of that,

Her face brightened.

The name saved in the chat wasn’t just a simple name.

The heart attached behind it indicated their relationship.

*Hehe…*

“Did it go well? How about you?”

“Me too. Now I have to do some housework.”

“Cheer up! (cat emoticon)”

“Okay!”

Adorable.

Oh, so cute. What should I do?

Jung A-yeong calmed her fluttering hand and placed the smartphone aside.

She refrained from holding back her lover who was going to do house chores, fearing it might seem clingy if she continued the conversation.

But it wasn’t that difficult.

Although her responses were brief, the exclamation mark next to them was incredibly endearing.

Was this what having a lover meant?

Feeling emotions trembling like a fluffy cloud, Jung A-yeong tossed and turned on the spacious bed.

*Hehe, hehehe…*

A silly laughter.

Normally, she would have blamed herself, but now even feeling happy seemed insufficient.

*Ah! Ahh! Aaah!!*

Had she laughed too much today?

Jung A-yeong, who hadn’t lost her radiant smile, furrowed her brows.

Her facial muscles cramped, causing her to toss and turn on the bed once again.

Happiness, followed by pain.

Two different situations within the same tossing and turning.

*Ugh, hehe…*

It hurts.

It hurts, but it’s also happiness.

After a few more twists, Jung A-yeong picked up her smartphone as a habit.

And accessed the community app.

“Why isn’t Delusional Geek posting these days?”

*LOL, even though he’s a jerk, he used to write novels well.*

*Haha…*

*Hehe…*

The life of a named individual.

Jung A-yeong started to smile mischievously but soon halted her moving fingers.

The specters of the community.

Though it included herself, Jung A-yeong knew them better than anyone else.

As her feelings towards Han Se-in grew stronger,

She stopped posting on the community.

Thinking it was just a typical love, something she never dreamed of, she deleted the posts she had written.

To the point where being treated as delusional was preferable.

If she had verified it?

She could see what they would say about Han Se-in.

Therefore,

Jung A-yeong closed the community app.

“…Now what?”

So… what now?

Having quit most of her life spent on online chatting, she found herself with too much time on her hands.

She got up and turned on the computer.

A talent that required no effort.

For Jung A-yeong, it was nothing more than a form of entertainment.

Tap, tap.

The quiet sound of the keyboard.

However, to those in the industry, there were surprising things contained within.

“Oh, could this be used to create a self-driving car?”

Like artificial intelligence AI?

Jung A-yeong’s only shackle.

At the moment the community was severed, groundbreaking technology that could change the world was being born.

***

Inside an elegant mansion’s study.

Amidst classic interiors, a middle-aged woman flipped through a book.

Over 50, nearing 60.

Someone praised, while others hated, even loathed, her to the point of disgust.

Representing the people, yet sometimes subject to public criticism.

A woman with a political profession looked up from her book.

“Come in.”

“Mother.”

“Yes, Hyungmin.”

Her expression was cold.

There was no gentle smile on the TV screen; instead, a dry voice carried her son’s name.

Her gaze remained fixed on the book.

Normally, it was customary to make eye contact when speaking to someone.

However, Kim Hyungmin gazed at her cautiously, as if familiar but unsure of her intentions.

Even though she was his mother, understanding her intentions was quite challenging.

“How have you been spending your time lately? Managing well?”

“Yes…”

“And Hyuna? It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”

“I’m taking good care of her.”

“Good. You may be accustomed to it by now, but remember, boundaries must be clear.”

A gentle tone.

It might have felt affectionate, but Kim Hyungmin’s expression grew tense instead.

He knew.

Whenever such an affectionate tone was used, it usually preceded unwelcome news.

“The presidential election is next year.”

“I know.”

“One year. Just focus on studying for one year.”

“Mother!”

His voice rose.

You promised.

You said you wouldn’t care what I did once I entered politics.

Kim Hyungmin’s expression contorted.

It was a moment of blatant emotion, almost as if he would reveal everything.

“The atmosphere is not favorable.”

“…”

“A promise is a promise. However… I trust you understand how important the presidential election is.”

He wanted to claim ignorance.

Like an oblivious child.

Kim Hyungmin wished to pass through this without being noticed, just like in his childhood.

However.

The children of politicians could never live comfortably.

For every gain, there was a loss.

Naturally, what he had enjoyed before was no longer available.

It was time to take responsibility for that.

His mother declared it so.

Stop the game you’re playing now.

Just until the presidential election.

A significant event will take place in March next year.

I hope you won’t tarnish it.

Kim Hyungmin was not unaware of this fact.

But.

The realization that he could not even be free within the political circle filled him with humiliation.

Not able to rule and quietly endure.

Han Se-in and Jung A-young flashed through his mind.

No longer able to touch them?

Everything was going smoothly.

Thoughts naturally continued, and he envisioned Kang Hyeon-a.

At that moment.

Unbelievable words also came through his mother’s voice.

“And… who was it? Park…”

“Park Hyorin…?”

“Yes. Play with her, not with Kang Hyeon-a.”

“Why, why…”

“Just listen. Help her just this once.”

A cold and firm voice.

Without hearing a reason, it made one generally obedient.

This had been a recurring pattern since childhood.

Children being affected by adult conflicts.

An immature matter, yet it had persisted from the past into modern times.

“One year. Understand?”

“Yes. After that, don’t worry about what I do. No, make it so that it doesn’t matter what I do.”

“I understand.”

A sigh.

The subtly escaping breath was his only form of rebellion.