episode_0140

When I opened my eyes, it was morning.

The rain that had been falling all night seemed to have stopped, chirp chirp. The sparrows were chirping loudly.

I opened the window with a swish.

The sky was clear, and the breeze, signaling the end of summer, was cool but humid.

I stared blankly at the damp street, then suddenly felt something was off and looked around the room.

“… Huh.”

Siwoo was nowhere to be seen.

He wouldn’t have gone to school. Is he in the bathroom?

The bathroom, reached with cautious steps, was quiet. No sound of water, no sound of slippers.

Is he taking a bath? No. Then classical music should be playing, but it’s not.

Although the door was closed, I didn’t feel the need to open it, so I returned to bed.

“…….”

How did I fall asleep last night?

I remember thinking of leaving everything to Siwoo, drinking a bowl of makgeolli, and then rushing to Siwoo coming out of the bathroom…

Since my memory abruptly ends there, it seems like I fainted.

Nothing unusual happened afterwards.

Seeing him in his everyday clothes.

‘As expected… Jung Siwoo.’

I believed in you.

I believed that you wouldn’t cross the line.

That’s Jung Siwoo. Ah.

Maybe it’s because I have a tiny bit of Min Chaewon in my heart.

First, I need to find out where Siwoo went.

Because I want to see him in the morning.

I want to praise him for doing well.

Drrrr.

The signal goes off,

— Beep beep beep

My phone’s default ringtone rang loudly.

The call was from the bathroom.

What, were you in there?

I ran to the bathroom with a bright expression.

“Siwoo, are you in there?”

“…Uh, yeah. I am.”

“What are you doing? Pooping?”

Siwoo didn’t reply.

Was my statement a mistake? Did I act too much like a family member?

Well, it was a bit strange to ask if your girlfriend was pooping.

“Sorry. Is something wrong?”

“Do you really need to clarify that?”

“I felt like I said something without thinking.”

“Okay, just rest. It stinks.”

“I don’t smell anything.”

“Ah! Go!”

“Okay, I’m going.”

I might have done something a bit extreme to Siwoo.

But this is also the charm of Min Chaewon, so Siwoo will understand.

‘I’m a good person…’

I know Siwoo is too nice for his own good.

And Siwoo, who became Min Chaewon, is also too nice.

As long as we don’t cross the line.

Then there won’t be any mistakes between us.

I threw myself on the bed, wondering what to do when Siwoo comes out.

We had planned to watch movies all night, but after watching one, I passed out, and Siwoo took care of everything after eating. I felt like I should do something too.

Should I suggest going out for sundaeguk as a stress reliever?

Or should I cook something simple at home?

But to do that, I need to go grocery shopping, and Siwoo will probably say something if I go out alone.

‘Let’s wait and go to the mart together…’

Then I’ll cook with the ingredients we buy.

I have to pay the price for falling asleep first, ah.

… But if he’s not pooping, why isn’t he coming out?

Was he taking a shower? But there’s no sound of water.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of the wardrobe opening.

Whether the toothpaste ran out, the soap ran out, the toothbrush was misplaced, the toilet paper ran out, or drying off with a towel after a shower… various situations that require opening the mirror-covered wardrobe.

However, Siwoo is neither showering, nor wiping himself, nor washing his hands. He’s not pooping either.

It’s eerily quiet.

So quiet that you can’t even hear the sound of water dripping after a shower.

… Then?

There are only two things left in the wardrobe.

Why would he be looking at that now….

Tick tock.

A sound of something being sprayed into the air could be heard.

‘Ah.’

In that moment, my heart ached.

I couldn’t bring myself to touch my lovely girlfriend who was right in front of me, so I was struggling alone, which reminded me of Siwoo.

I shouldn’t be able to see inside the bathroom.

It felt like a fake mirror that only showed my side.

Siwoo….

I clenched my teeth, trying not to show my bitter emotions.

I wanted to leave for the mart right away, but I wanted to at least freshen up a bit. I had to wait until Siwoo finished cleaning up.

‘It’s better not to know too much…’

I wanted to remain ignorant.

‘It’s unreasonable to leave everything to Siwoo.’

The moment I realized that Siwoo was suffering alone, I couldn’t stubbornly stick to my decision from yesterday.

I have to stand by him as well.

At least until a few months later.

Even just holding Siwoo’s hand will keep the warmth of the fire in my heart.

Let’s try to comfort Siwoo with words rather than actions.

Helping Siwoo prepare for the concours is also part of love.

I have to go meet the professor at school anyway, so we can do various things, right?

I can make delicious lunch boxes.

I can sit next to Siwoo to make sure he doesn’t eat lunch alone.

I can watch him practice and give him my opinion.

There’s a lot I can do. There’s no rule that says dates have to be outside of school.

Let’s think about everything I can do. At least until the end of this year, I won’t let Siwoo spend time alone.

After a short post-cleanup and finishing up in the bathroom, Siwoo felt that Chaewon’s smile was warmer than usual.

“I’ll just wash my face and then we can go to the mart.”

“Oh, okay. Did you sleep well?”

“Sorry. I didn’t plan to fall asleep so early yesterday.”

“…I told you to have just one drink. How much did you drink while I was in the bathroom?”

“Just… a bowl? Hehe. Anyway, I’ll wash up and come out!”

Chaewon headed to the bathroom, hopping over the doorstep.

Until she closed the door, Chaewon didn’t say a word.

Watching her, Siwoo wiped his chest. It was a good idea to clean up well. The bathroom must be filled with the scent of air freshener now.

‘If it wasn’t like that…’

Even though Min Chaewon knows Siwoo well, she knows him too well.

Surely, saying something like “This smell is…” would have sent chills down Siwoo’s spine.

It’s often comforting when she easily picks up on his thoughts. But sometimes, knowing too much makes him anxious.

“Let’s go.”

“Your clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“Don’t you remember from yesterday?”

“…?”

Min Chaewon was under the illusion that the clothes she was wearing were hers.

But no matter how you look at it, isn’t it oversized? It was the shirt Siwoo had put on her instead of her wet t-shirt.

Siwoo handed Min Chaewon a small, neatly folded short-sleeved shirt.

“… Oh. My clothes.”

“Yesterday, you spilled makgeolli on yourself, so I washed it for you.”

Only then did Chaewon realize that the clothes she was wearing were Siwoo’s.

“Oh, right. This isn’t my clothes.”

The shirt was long enough to cover Chaewon’s short shorts, but she didn’t notice. Is it because she’s still not fully awake?

Or maybe she mistook it for her own house like last time. It must be one of the two.

Smiling sheepishly, Chaewon went into the bathroom and came out a while later.

“Hey.”

Chaewon clapped her hands as if in admiration.

“You’re really amazing.”

“…What?”

“In that situation, you didn’t do anything even after taking off your clothes. Just as expected of Jung Siwoo.”

Is that something to be praised for?

Siwoo felt a sense of cognitive dissonance.

“You’re a good boyfriend, Jung Siwoo.”

Chaewon handed him the t-shirt she had worn while sleeping and quickly headed towards the front door, smiling mischievously.

“Sorry. I can only do this… Hang in there a little longer!”

A flood of emotions that he never thought he would experience in his lifetime engulfed Siwoo.

His flushed face was hotter than usual.

The musician who had moved away from black knew. That blackness stemmed from his dry and colorless life, and from the moment he met Min Chaewon, the saturation of his life began to change.

So he was grateful to Chaewon.

He couldn’t lie to her.

Even the smallest thing, he wanted to tell her everything.

“Sorry. I did something bad while thinking about you.”

Chaewon’s laughter burst out as she playfully stabbed his shoe with her foot at the entrance.

“No. I was pretending not to know, why would you say that with your own mouth….”

“… You knew?!”

“I know everything that’s in our pantry. How could I not know that?”

It was more embarrassing than creating a dissonance with a missed touch at the concours.

His face, which had been filled with excitement and heat, was now as red as if it had been painted with crimson.

“Just, just say it!”

“Even if I know well, there’s something called tact, how can you be like that?!”

“Ugh….”

“And why is that a bad thing?”

Chaewon rolled her hand in a circle and shook it up and down.

It was a gesture that any man would recognize.

“I think it’s a great act to suppress a man’s wildness.”

Siwoo immediately recoiled.

Even though it hadn’t been long since he had taken care of important business in the bathroom, his body reacted.

“Why are you like that?”

“… No. You go out first.”

“Where does it hurt? Are you hungover? Do you really have to go number two?”

“Ah! Stop it!”

“Why are you getting mad?!”

Min Chaewon. Please.

She’s like a devil of a girlfriend.

“Fine. I’ll go out first, so hurry up and finish.”

Yeah, let’s just go with the excuse of needing to go number two.

Siwoo raised his head in resignation and muttered to Chaewon.

“Thanks for understanding….”