The Gift Park Yuna Wants

The sound of pitiful sobbing filled the empty house.

"Ugh… hic… sob… huu…."

Park Yuna sat on the living room floor with her knees hugged tightly to her chest, tears streaming endlessly down her face.

"Uuu… aah…."

She hated herself so much she could barely stand it. She was the one who had tried to take advantage of Han Jihoon's wealth, knowing full well it was wrong. She was the one who had rationalized it, telling herself that if she just became the perfect wife for him, everything would be fine. She had brought all of this on herself, yet here she was, crying pathetically. She despised the pathetic girl she had become, but the tears refused to stop.

'I'm so pathetic. I got all excited by myself without even knowing what Jihoon was really thinking….'

She wanted to go back in time and tell the version of herself from just a few hours ago—the one who had been happily imagining a future with him—that a horrible girl like her would never receive his heart. That not only him, but her mother and everyone else would be the same. So she should just give up on trying to earn anyone's attention.

'Yeah… I can't do this. Let's just give up on everything. I'll just keep living alone like this.'

Her phone buzzed, but she felt no excitement at all. She already knew no one would be calling to find her. Sure enough, when she checked, it was just a cold, impersonal advertisement with zero human warmth.

'Oh… right. Today is my birthday.'

She only realized it now because no one had wished her a happy birthday. It wasn't any different from last year, so it shouldn't have mattered. It really shouldn't have.

"Uuu… sob…."

For some reason, the fact that she was alone hit her especially hard today. Even though she had told herself to give up on everything just ten seconds ago, the heartbreak tearing through her chest showed no sign of easing.

"…"

In the end, she picked up the phone she had set down. Even though she knew it was pathetic, she wanted even the smallest bit of comfort or congratulations from someone. The only person in her recent contacts was Han Jihoon. But she couldn't shamelessly reach out to him again, so with a tiny spark of hope, she called her mother instead.

[Oh, Yuna.]

"…Mom."

[What is it? Mom's busy right now.]

"I just… wanted to hear your voice…."

[Why does your voice sound like that? Are you sick? Should I send someone over?]

"No, I'm not sick anywhere…."

[Geez. You scared me. Mom has to work, so let's hang up. I'll call you later.]

Click.

"You won't call anyway… I told you today was my birthday…."

Even though she said it out loud, the call had already ended. The words she had wanted to say to her mother scattered meaninglessly into the empty air.

"…"

She pulled up the advertisement message again for no particular reason. Was this really the only thing that would acknowledge the day she was born? The thought made her feel so unbearably lonely that she hugged her legs again and buried her face between her knees. She just wanted to sink into the floor and disappear without a trace. Or maybe it would be better if the last few years had all been a dream.

Thud. Thud. Thud!

Someone was knocking on the front door—the door that no one should have been coming to.

—Yuna!

"Jihoon…?"

===

After reading through all of Park Yuna's circumstances written in Sexmuwiki, it felt like I had been slapped hard on the back of the head.

She had retired from acting because she wanted to spend more time with her mother? But her mother was only interested in business, and she had been bullied at school, which left her suffering from severe affection deprivation? The reason she had tried to marry me wasn't simply to get rich, but to regain her mother's cooled interest?

Of course, a tragic backstory didn't excuse everything she had done. But she hadn't tried to lie her way out of trouble, and she had sincerely apologized to me. Moreover, the moment I learned about her life, I could no longer see her as nothing more than a gold-digging snake.

She had spent too many years trapped in loneliness. She had simply been a weak girl who didn't want to miss a chance that had come her way by coincidence. And that girl had been on the verge of breaking down in tears before she left my place, so it was obvious she was probably crying alone at home right now.

'…I can't just leave her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like this.'

So I stepped out into the hallway and ran down the stairs. When I reached her familiar front door, I didn't even think to press the doorbell and just started knocking hard.

"Yuna!"

—…

"Yuna! You're inside, right?!"

"J-Jihoon…?"

The sight of Park Yuna through the slightly opened door was heartbreaking. Her eyes were swollen, and her makeup was a complete mess. She must have burst into tears the moment she got home.

"Why… why did you come…?"

Just seeing her face made guilt wash over me. Honestly, before I knew her story, I hadn't felt this level of remorse. After all, she had deceived me, and I had deceived her right back. But now, I felt a heavy ache in my chest, like something was crushing my heart. It was the kind of feeling a parent might have after scolding a child too harshly and then seeing how crushed that child looked because of them.

"Well… can I come in first?"

Once I was inside, I had no idea what to say. I wanted to apologize, but I couldn't explain how I had learned about her situation, so I felt incredibly frustrated. Still, I couldn't just leave things like this, so I opened my mouth without thinking.

"Yuna. I have no intention of reporting you. I don't even know if it would count as a reportable offense in the first place."

"…Huh?"

"What I was trying to say earlier was that if you truly reflect on what you did, we can keep things the way they are."

"R-Really?"

To her disbelieving expression, I nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. And I should apologize too. I was harsh because I wanted you to regret what you did… I think I went too far. I'm sorry."

"No! It's not your fault at all, Jihoon. I was the one who tried to deceive you… It's all my fault."

We kept talking, saying whatever came to mind, but I still didn't know what to say next. That's when I noticed her phone lying on the living room floor.

"Yuna, this…"

I picked it up to hand it back to her. The screen was still on, probably because she had opened the door right after checking something. What I saw was the advertisement message congratulating her on her birthday.

"Is today your birthday?"

"Yes… it is."

The information I had read in the app before rushing over here came back to me. Her mother was always busy with work, and she couldn't make friends at school, so Park Yuna had always suffered from loneliness at home. Did that mean the only "happy birthday" she had received today was from this advertisement?

If that was the case, then I should be the one to say it.

"Yuna."

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday."

"Ah…"

Park Yuna didn't say anything. Her already large eyes grew even rounder as she stared at me blankly. After staying frozen like that for a moment, as if she had been enchanted by something, she finally moved her slightly parted lips.

"…Actually, there was something I couldn't say to you earlier. I really do want to date you. It doesn't matter if you're rich or not. I like you for who you are."

"…"

"I feel loneliness really strongly, but when I'm with you, I don't feel it at all. I was so happy that I kept wanting to see you again."

She poured it all out without pausing, then continued as if she wasn't finished yet.

"I'm truly reflecting on what I did. If you can't believe me, I'll do anything you ask. I'm not saying we have to date right away. Can't you just… give me another chance while we keep seeing each other like we have been?"

Her desperate eyes trembled as they looked at me. It was the fear of being rejected by me again. Faced with that gaze, I couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

I already had someone I cared about, and the feelings I had for Park Yuna right now were a little different from romantic affection.

'Should I just be honest? But that might hurt her again…'

No. If I lied to her again under the pretense of being considerate, it would only cause her even greater pain in the end. So here, I had to tell her the truth too.

"I'm sorry, Yuna. To be completely honest… I have someone else I like. We aren't dating yet, but we have the kind of relationship where we've slept together, just like you and I did."

"What? Oh… I see. Then I guess there's nothing that can be done."

Park Yuna tried to answer calmly, but tears had already welled up in her eyes.

"Ah, I shouldn't cry. I'm sorry, Jihoon. This must be making things difficult for you… I'm fine, so you don't have to worry about me."

She kept wiping away the tears that kept forming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and forced a smile. Seeing her like that, I made up my mind.

Sexmuwiki or not, I could never leave this woman alone. Not in a million years.

"Yuna. Like I said before, if you're okay with it, I want to keep our current relationship too."

"You do? But you said you already have someone you like…"

"Yes. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can accept your feelings. I can't make that person sad. But I also can't stand seeing you sad either."

"…"

"I'll try to persuade her somehow. I know saying this makes me sound like a total player and a piece of trash…"

My head was spinning from trying to figure out how to explain it. Still, I didn't give up and kept talking.

"Even so, I want to keep talking to you and spending time together like we have been. Of course, only if you're okay with that."

"…"

I was nervous about what her answer would be. Because of that, the silence around us felt meaningless as my heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears. The one second I waited for her answer felt like a whole minute. Finally, her voice broke through the sound of my heart.

"Can we really keep going like before?"

"…Yes. If that's what you want."

"I… I'm okay with it. If it means I don't have to become a stranger to you, then that's what I want. But can I ask you for one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Since I'm not going to marry anyone else or even think about it, please let me keep liking you. And even if you have someone you like… feelings can change someday, right…?"

"…"

"I won't ask you to date me or do anything that would trouble you. Just… don't tell me not to like you."

It was a request that made me think about a lot of things, but I couldn't control someone else's heart however I wanted. I nodded in agreement.

"Okay. I won't tell you not to like me."

"Thank you, Jihoon!"

Finally, a real smile spread across her face. It was a beautiful, pure smile that put anyone who saw it at ease. Thanks to that, I was able to let go of the heavy weight in my chest and smile brightly too.

===

"Haaah…"

Park Yuna, who had just finished washing off her makeup in the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror and let out a sigh. Unlike the sobs she had let out in the living room earlier, this sigh was filled with relief and happiness.

'I'm so glad I'll still be able to keep in touch with Jihoon…'

Even though she couldn't become his lover, just knowing she wouldn't become a stranger to him made her happy. Since she didn't want to cause any trouble for the man who cared about her, Park Yuna decided to be grateful for the current situation.

Of course, she had no intention of giving up her feelings for him. Han Jihoon was the first man to take both her body and her heart, and he would be the last. She planned to act according to her own heart, as long as it didn't become a burden to him.

'What kind of face should I make when I go out…? If I go from crying to smiling, won't Jihoon think it's weird?'

She was conflicted, but she couldn't leave Han Jihoon alone in the living room forever. She quickly wiped her still-damp face with a towel and hurried out of the bathroom.

===

A little while later, Park Yuna came out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the bathroom with a clean face. She walked over to the sofa where I was sitting and sat down quietly beside me. Maybe it was because she knew she could continue seeing me from now on, but the smile on her lips refused to fade.

"You really surprised me earlier. I never thought you would come over. Hehe."

"How could I not come when you had that kind of look on your face?"

At my words, she smiled brightly again.

"You know, it's been so long since I've spent my birthday with someone. Last year and the year before that, I spent them completely alone. I'm so glad I was born!"

"Didn't you get any congratulations from your viewers?"

"No…. I was worried that if Mom found out I was streaming, she would hate me more, so I barely ever talked about myself on air."

"I see."

"Huh? But how did you know I streamed?"

"Huh?"

I was momentarily flustered. Come to think of it, I had only learned that she was the same person as the streamer Nayung through Sexmuwiki.

"Ah… your voice sounded exactly the same. At first I was confused, but the more I listened, the more certain I became."

"Oh, I see."

After successfully brushing it off, our conversation continued without pause. Yuna was happy to be with me, and I enjoyed seeing her happy, so we talked without noticing how much time had passed.

Naturally, I also heard more about her story. Even though I already knew most of it from Sexmuwiki, I wanted to listen to every single word from her own mouth, so I paid close attention.

"I'm sorry, I ended up talking only about myself. I've never told anyone these things before, so I just…"

"It's fine. I was curious about you too."

"It still doesn't feel real that I finally have a friend. Um… is it okay to call you a friend? Friends don't usually do naughty things, right…?"

I decided to tease her a little to help with her dilemma.

"If we have to put a label on it, wouldn't 'sex friend' be more accurate?"

"Sex friend? Ah! I've seen that on the internet! That's what they call friends with benefits, right? Since 'friend' means friend, it fits perfectly! Then from now on, we're sex friends! Of course, if you ever change your mind, I'll accept you anytime!"

The term "sex friend" probably wasn't supposed to be something to be this happy about, but just the fact that it included the word "friend" had her beaming. Since she seemed to like it, there was no need to correct her, so I just smiled and replied.

"Yeah, I guess so. Oh, right. Is there any present you want? Since it's your birthday, tell me."

"A present? Hmm…"

Park Yuna poked her own cheek with her finger while thinking, then spoke.

"I don't really have anything specific I want to receive, but there is something I want you to do for me!"

"What is it?"

"Since we're sex friends, do something naughty with me!"

I never expected her to make such a lewd request in this warm atmosphere.

"You really are impossible to predict, Yuna."

"Is that… not okay…?"

"No, it's fine. What kind of mood do you want? I'll do whatever you want."

I figured she would probably ask for something gentle. After all, she had just confessed that she liked me not long ago.

"Then…"

As if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to prove my prediction right, Park Yuna answered with the shy face of a bashful girl.

"Please punish me with that thing of yours, Jihoon. Harder than last time…."

…Yeah, this woman really was impossible to predict.