Sehwa Finds Yu Seunghyeon Embarrassing #3
Sehwa was on the verge of losing her mind. The problem was Yu Seunghyeon—stone-drunk and unable to hold himself upright. If that had been all, she might have endured it. But he kept dumping his full weight onto her as she struggled to support him.
“Ah… seriously…”
She grunted and groaned, half-dragging the barely conscious man toward the Gold Perfume Hotel. The hotel wasn’t far from Korea University—just a short, leisurely walk on any other day. To Sehwa right now, however, the distance felt longer than a marathon. She seriously considered transforming into Leona, smashing open a hotel window, and hurling him inside.
“Mmm… Sehwa…”
Seunghyeon called her name in a childish whine. Sehwa was speechless. They had finally gone out together after so long, yet all he did was guzzle drink after drink, completely unable to control himself. What infuriated her most was that he had talked only about his own work the entire time. She hadn’t seen him in ages either, but instead of showing the slightest consideration for his girlfriend, he had bragged nonstop—like some terrible rap—about how well he was doing his job. Even loudly telling the student council senior to “take good care of me” had made her blood boil. Who did he think he was, saying something like that to someone he had just met?
Right after receiving the couple’s ring, she had been so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Watching Seunghyeon start belting out old songs beside her, Sehwa bit down hard on her lower lip. She understood he was happy to see her, but how could he be this immature? He used to seem so dependable.
She missed Jihyeok. She missed the man with impeccable drinking manners, the one who would scoop her up the moment she got drunk first, carry her to bed, and caress her body with those loving hands. She longed to see him kiss her forehead and tuck her in beneath a luxurious duvet. She wanted to act spoiled with him, to be held by him.
While those thoughts swirled in her mind and she forced her heavy legs to keep moving, Seunghyeon staggered violently.
“Uwaaa…”
The weight suddenly lurched sideways. Sehwa yanked his arm with all her strength to keep him from falling. Panting, she propped him against a wall, then leaned her own back against it. The irritation that had been rising from the pit of her stomach finally burst out as a single exclamation.
“Ah…!”
Her voice had been louder than intended, drawing stares. A few passersby shook their heads with pitying expressions. Looking at them, a dark thought suddenly surfaced in Sehwa’s mind.
Why aren’t any of you helping? Jihyeok, Dr. Cash, and I work ourselves to the bone for all of you. We help people in trouble without asking for anything in return. Without us, you wouldn’t even be able to stroll around the streets this comfortably.
No… Sehwa, get a grip.
She slapped her own cheek hard enough to sting, forcing the anger back down. She could not think such things. How could Leona, with her righteous heart, entertain thoughts like these?
Steeling herself once more, Sehwa moved to drape Seunghyeon’s arm over her shoulder again when he suddenly mumbled,
“Mmmnya… Sehwa… Transform into Leona for me… I miss her…”
Her mind snapped back into focus. Without thinking, Sehwa slapped his cheek.
Smack!
His head whipped sideways with a crisp sound. Seunghyeon let out a startled “Oof!” as his eyes suddenly cleared. He stared at her in confusion.
A curse she had never uttered in her life flew from Sehwa’s mouth.
“Hey! You crazy bastard!”
Her shout echoed down the street. Seunghyeon pressed a hand to his burning cheek, eyes wide.
“Se… Sehwa… What’s wrong…?”
What’s wrong? Did he not even remember what he had just said? She should have stopped him before he drank himself into a stupor.
Clenching her fists until they trembled, Sehwa snarled at him.
“Are you sober now, you idiot?”
“Huh…? Yeah… I think so…”
At his hesitant answer, Sehwa took several deep, shaky breaths. Then she declared,
“Go home by yourself.”
“I must have done something wrong. I’m sorry…”
“You’re sorry even though you don’t know what you did? Just go. Go! Go sleep it off!”
“Okay… I’ll call you when I wake up.”
Seunghyeon, looking like he might faint from shock, stumbled backward—only to trip over a slightly raised curb and crash onto his backside. He tried to stand, but the alcohol still clouded his balance. He staggered and fell again.
Sehwa pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head.
“This is so annoying…”
That was when a siren wailed. A police car pulled up nearby. A middle-aged officer stepped out with a kind smile and approached them.
“Need a hand?”
To Sehwa, the man looked like an angel sent from heaven. Ah… Society is still alive after all. The people still have their protector.
“Yes… Please, I beg you…”
Her earnest plea made the officer nod. He took over supporting Yu Seunghyeon. Sehwa quickly added,
“Just to the Gold Perfume Hotel, if you would…”
“Of course.”
“Thank you… Thank you so much.”
“It’s nothing. Does this gentleman live with you?”
“No. I live in the officetel nearby. I’ll head back now. Thank you again.”
She bowed deeply, then shot Seunghyeon one last glare as if he were her mortal enemy before turning on her heel.
As she walked toward her officetel, free of her burden at last, tears suddenly spilled from her eyes. They were a messy blend of emotions—frustration, sorrow, anger at herself for resorting to violence, irritation toward Seunghyeon, and an overwhelming longing for Jihyeok.
Wiping her eyes with her left hand while forcing her feet forward, she felt the hard band of the ring on her finger and froze.
If Jihyeok sees this, he’ll be furious…
She tried to pull the ring off, but her finger had swollen after she slammed it against the wall while trying to keep Seunghyeon upright. A small cut stung fiercely. Still, she kept twisting at it desperately—until a low, familiar voice spoke from behind her.
“Sehwa, what are you doing?”
It was the voice she had been dying to hear. The man she had missed more than anything—Jihyeok.
She wanted to whirl around and throw herself into his arms, but fear that he would see the ring and grow angry kept her frozen with her back to him. She could not, however, stop the sobs from tearing free.
“Huuueeeng…!”
Head bowed, shoulders shaking as she cried uncontrollably, she finally turned when Jihyeok approached and gently embraced her from behind. She buried herself against his chest and wept bitterly for a long time.
I brought a water-dampened finger to Sehwa’s pretty nose and said softly, “Sniff. Sniff.”
She blew her nose with a loud kruuung! Sticky snot clung to my hand. I showed no reaction whatsoever. I simply washed my hand in silence and returned to help clear her nose again.
This time she blew long and hard, then coughed. The combination was so ridiculous I nearly laughed. In the end I let out a small chuckle, and Sehwa glared at me through teary eyes.
I stroked her hair with my other clean hand. After finishing with her nose and wiping her face with a soft towel, I carefully washed the hand that bore several small scrapes.
“Ow!”
She shrieked and yanked it back. All I had done was run water over it, yet she was already throwing a fit. When I softened my expression and lowered the water pressure, she pouted but finally relaxed her hand.
I reached for a fresh towel, but she whispered, “Use tissue… The towel stings…”
“Tissue will hurt more. The water will make the skin tear and little bits will stick everywhere.”
“…..”
“I’ll be gentle.”
“…Okay.”
The way she nodded obediently while I held her hand made her look exactly like a small child. I wiped her hand with the utmost care. She winced when it stung, but she endured bravely.
I led her to the living room, sat her at the dining table, and fetched the first-aid kit. Taking out the ointment, I crouched in front of her. Her face was completely swollen from fifteen straight minutes of heartfelt sobbing.
Meeting her had been pure coincidence. After wandering around Gangnam, I had decided it was time to head back and contact her—only to find her at the officetel entrance desperately trying to remove the ring.
Things must have gone worse than I expected.
Seeing her cry so miserably made my chest ache. It was obvious at a glance that Yu Seunghyeon had screwed up again. That bastard—I should lock him up for life and feed him nothing but gyoza.
“Can you hold on until I finish applying the ointment and bandages?”
“…Yeah.”
“Good girl. We’ll give you proper treatment with the medical equipment back at the lab later.”
I spread ointment over the three fingers on her left hand and wrapped them carefully. Then I peeled off my shirt, now thoroughly ruined by the unholy trinity of snot, tears, and drool. I lifted Sehwa, laid her on the bed, kicked off my pants, and slipped in beside her.
She murmured in a tiny voice, “The blanket’s going to smell like food now…”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“You’re… not angry?”
She was asking about the ring on her finger. Of course I was angry, but today was a day for boundless generosity. I gave her a warm, forgiving smile.
“I’m not. I’m sorry, Sehwa.”
She looked utterly confused by the apology.
“Why…?”
“I shouldn’t have let you go to the festival. I regret sending you.”
She started crying again. What a crybaby. I wiped her eyes, and between sniffles she opened her lovely lips.
“I want to wash…”
“After I just put ointment on?”
“Just… not the hand.”
“You’re going to shower with one hand?”
Her expression turned positively murderous. Ah. She wanted me to wash her. Her spoiled side was in full bloom today. Well, it was better than letting the bed smell like Yu Seunghyeon anyway.
I stood, lifted her easily, and carried her to the bathroom. Today’s Sehwa was like a one-year-old baby. She remained perfectly still, not moving a single finger, simply entrusting her entire body to my touch. Consider it an honor—the Demon King himself is bathing you.
After thoroughly cleaning every inch of her and lying down together once more, I listened as she told me everything that had happened.
“So… the police officer helped me… and that’s how I got here.”
“I see.”
I smiled gently once she finished. So she had actually slapped that idiot’s face? Impressive. And calling him a crazy bastard—coming from Sehwa, who had never uttered a single curse before, it was downright shocking. Even her flash of anger at the people who refused to help was surprising. Still, it was all good news for me.
“I really missed you,” she whispered.
“I missed you too. That’s why I came back so quickly. But… that Yu Seunghyeon bastard really does have a loose mouth.”
“…Tell me about it.”
She actually agreed? Her affection for him seemed to have hit rock bottom. Impressive. It wasn’t easy to break the steadfast heart of someone like Sehwa.
“Jihyeok.”
“Yeah?”
“My head feels too complicated right now.”
Because of Yu Seunghyeon and me? Or because of the curses and violence she had used today? Probably both.
I said nothing and simply pulled her tightly against me. She buried her face in my chest.
“You’ve worked hard. Let’s rest properly for a while.”
Sehwa didn’t answer. She only parted her lips slightly and blew warm air against my skin. I could feel her fingers secretly struggling beneath the bandage, trying to pry the ring off.
I could sense her hand fidgeting against my stomach. If you’re going to do it, at least be obvious about it.
“Stop.”
At my stern tone, her hand finally went still.
Bzzz—!
At the same moment, her phone began vibrating on the nightstand. It had to be Yu Seunghyeon, now somewhat sober. When I moved to hand it to her, Sehwa sat bolt upright, snatched the phone, and glared at the screen. Her face twisted with disgust. Then she hurled the device at the wall with all her strength.
Crunch!
The old phone clattered to the floor. It no longer vibrated. It looked thoroughly broken. Sehwa stared at the dented device for a long moment before muttering in a low voice,
“So damn unlucky…”
Then she crawled back into my arms and let out soft, even breaths. I held her with a stunned expression, secretly cheering with triumph inside.