Episode 81
They say happiness arrives at the end of hardship.
In the days since everything had finally been resolved, Baek I-hae’s contentment was at its absolute peak.
“I-hae noona!”
Seo-yeol burst in, fuming that he’d only just been told what happened and demanding why no one had informed him directly.
He ran straight to me with tears in his eyes the moment he saw me at home.
Even Seo Do-gyeom, sternly peeling him off her, was exactly the same as always.
The only reminders that time had passed were Seo Do-gyeom’s slightly more mature air and Seo-yeol’s height, which had somehow surpassed hers in the interim.
My room is still the same.
It was spotless, as though it had been waiting for her return. She lay on the bed, grinning like an idiot, when the door opened and someone slipped inside with perfect ease.
There was only one person who would enter her room like that.
“Baek I-hae.”
It was Seo Do-gyeom, freshly discharged from the hospital. She sat up and reached out both arms toward him. As if he’d been waiting for exactly this, his warm embrace enveloped her.
“Do-gyeom, are you really okay now? I’m so sorry—it was because of me.”
“No. I’m the one who’s sorry. You asked me for help, and I couldn’t do a thing… I made everything harder for you. I wanted to be useful.”
The doctors had marveled at how astonishingly fast he recovered—nothing like someone who had only just regained consciousness.
Is this some kind of male protagonist buff?
Either way, it was good news. Baek I-hae gently cupped his cheeks and looked up at him as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Soon his face drew closer, and their lips met softly.
Even after all the time that had passed, his affectionate gestures remained unchanged, and an indescribable satisfaction bloomed inside her.
“It feels so good just being like this with you.”
“Me too. Your hair’s gotten really long.”
“Yeah, and your bangs that you finally cut have grown out again.”
There was a quiet pleasure in noticing the little ways they’d changed while apart. While straightening his fringe, Baek I-hae suddenly thought of Baek Yeong and spoke without thinking.
“Both you and Baek Yeong—why do you hide such handsome faces?”
“…Sounds like you and Baek Yeong got pretty close.”
“Huh? Oh—while I was stuck away because Do Ha-jun was threatening me, he looked after me a lot. At first I thought he was scary, but he’s actually really good to his own people.”
“His own people?”
She’d only meant it in the sense that Baek Yeong cared for his subordinates, but Seo Do-gyeom’s expression hardened in an instant.
Realizing the misunderstanding, she hurriedly clarified that it wasn’t like that, and only then did the crease between his brows ease a little.
“You two seemed awfully close. I didn’t like it.”
“I understand why you feel that way because of what happened before, but right now I’m grateful to him.”
“…”
Seo Do-gyeom openly sulked. Finding it adorable, Baek I-hae playfully tugged at his lower lip. His eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re so cute. Do you like me that much?”
That much you’d lose your reason the moment you saw me hurt?
She couldn’t quite bring herself to ask the question that hovered on her tongue. Instead she looked up at him with fluttering eyes, and after a brief hesitation he nodded.
“If you like me that much, you won’t say pointless things anymore about getting engaged to Yeol instead, right?”
She assumed that would be obvious now—Do Ha-jun, the source of his trauma, had been dealt with.
But just as he hesitated, her phone buzzed, cutting off his answer. Seeing it was Ye Eun-seol, Baek I-hae asked Seo Do-gyeom to step out for a moment.
Surprisingly obedient, he left, and she answered the call, intending to apologize for avoiding her all this time.
—you rotten Baek I-hae! How could you not call me even once after everything was resolved? Am I really your friend or what?!
A thunderous scolding hit her before she could even speak. Flustered, Baek I-hae hurried to respond.
“W-wait, Eun-seol. How do you even know about it?”
—Is that important right now? If you were going through something that hard, you should’ve leaned on me at least! I’m the one person who would believe and understand anything you said!
She said it so matter-of-factly, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Somehow touched, Baek I-hae sniffled and apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry I didn’t contact you right away. I was so overwhelmed… And I’m sorry I couldn’t explain the situation. The status window threatened me using you and Yeol as hostages.”
—Agh, that damn status window!
Ye Eun-seol ranted for a while before calming down with a deep sigh.
—From now on, lean on me. I can’t fight, but I’ll help in other ways.
“Because I need to end up with Do-gyeom?”
Ye Eun-seol snorted at Baek I-hae’s teasing.
—What are you talking about. Even without that, you’re my precious friend.
So annoying. Now she couldn’t even tease her properly.
Baek I-hae thanked her. When she explained everything that had happened, Ye Eun-seol cursed out Jang Seul-gi and Do Ha-jun to her heart’s content. She was a friend who understood her better than any same-sex friend ever could.
Ye Eun-seol even offered to reserve a hotel restaurant for them, saying they deserved good food after everything they’d been through. Baek I-hae was startled.
—You haven’t been able to go on proper dates, right? You’re adults now—if you want, I can even cover an overnight stay.
“Hey, you lunatic. Is there anything you won’t say?!”
—Just kidding, kidding. Anyway, the atmosphere there is great, so go enjoy it.
Ye Eun-seol laughed mischievously and added that since it was her family’s hotel chain, money was no object.
Baek I-hae had no intention of refusing, so she coolly accepted.
A date! An adult date!
Until now, their only dates had been walking home from school hand-in-hand in uniforms, or brief strolls after Baek Yeong finished work.
Come to think of it, they’d never had a proper date. Cheeks flushed with excitement, she dashed out of her room.
She reached Seo Do-gyeom’s door and flung it open without knocking.
“Do-gyeom, let’s go on a da—!”
He was in the middle of changing his shirt, and their eyes locked. She froze.
Oh my god, it’s the first time I’ve seen a guy’s body!
And it belonged to the person she loved.
Baek I-hae’s face burned crimson. But she didn’t cover her eyes.
I thought he just had a nicely lean build.
The defined muscles were far more captivating than she’d imagined—attractive enough to make it impossible to look away. A pure, innocent admiration rose in her: so men’s bodies could be beautiful too.
“Date?” Seo Do-gyeom asked calmly, pulling on a shirt as though nothing had happened.
Still dazed, Baek I-hae nodded.
“Yeah! Eun-seol booked a restaurant for us—she said not to worry about money because it’s her family’s hotel. You’ll come with me, right?”
“Of course.”
“But where are you going? Why are you changing?”
“I have a quick errand.”
He was wearing black sweats top and bottom—clearly planning to work out. After lying in a hospital bed for so long, he must feel stiff, but his discipline was still impressive.
She couldn’t quite bring herself to ask to tag along, so she just waved and told him to take care. He smiled and stepped closer.
A now-familiar kiss followed.
“Why are you so pretty?”
She looked like a mummy wrapped in bandages and plasters—hardly pretty.
Still, the compliment made her happy, and she pretended otherwise by looking away.
“That’s just rose-colored glasses talking.”
“No, you really are pretty. So pretty I don’t want anyone else looking at you.”
Their lips met again. Until now their kisses had been light, so she expected the same.
Huh?
She responded softly, but this time he didn’t pull away quickly.
Startled, she tried to draw back to ask what he was doing, but his hand gently cradled the back of her neck.
Seo Do-gyeom drew her closer, his palm warm against her head. Then his tongue slipped between her parted lips.
Every muscle in her body tensed at the unfamiliar sensation.
So this is what a real kiss feels like?
She’d only seen them in movies—never expected to experience one so suddenly. Of course, it wasn’t something one could practice.
He playfully nipped her lower lip, and she clenched her fists in shock. Hearing her trembling with nerves, he let out a soft chuckle, but he didn’t stop.
He kissed her deeper, handling her with care yet claiming her with unmistakable certainty.
