Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: After You Leave
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There were about thirty minutes left until self-study ended.
Seol-i had been fast asleep the whole time. By the clock, she'd slept for over two hours.
I couldn't let her sleep any longer. Getting caught by the teacher didn't matter—she already knew Seol-i was sleeping.
So what was the issue? Nothing major. If she slept this soundly now, she wouldn't be able to at night.
Plus, right when it was time to head home, if she didn't get ready in advance, we couldn't leave right away.
That would mean sticking around school longer, and after already staying for evening study until night, I had no interest in lingering even more. Seol-i probably felt the same.
So I poked her soft, squishy cheek one more time.
This time, it was really to wake her up. Not because I was tempted to poke her cheek.
"Uuuuung... Ung...?"
Thankfully, she woke up just as I'd hoped. I looked at her and asked softly.
"Sleep well?"
"Uuuuung...?"
Seol-i blinked slowly, taking in her surroundings, then suddenly looked shocked and glanced around frantically, as if she'd just pieced it all together.
That lasted only a moment before she whispered to me.
"Um... Haneul... what time is it...?"
"9:30 now."
"9:30..."
Her shocked face was cute, but also a little apologetic.
She must have felt guilty for sleeping during self-study. And that guilt seemed real, because she apologized to me.
"...Sorry, Haneul."
"For what?"
"You were studying... and I was sleeping right next to you..."
I shook my head.
"Nah, you didn't bother me at all. If anything..."
"If anything...?"
I couldn't finish the thought. I'd consciously stopped myself.
What I wanted to say was that it was actually nice.
Yeah, honestly, it was great. Having a cute, pretty girl like Seol-i sleeping beside me while I studied was incredibly healing just to watch.
Doesn't seeing something cute just make you happy? Exactly that.
So I whispered to her softly.
"Anyway, don't worry about it. You slept so quietly, no one noticed."
It was a lie that no one knew—the teacher did. Her face flushed red as she nodded slightly, like my words embarrassed her too much.
Once she stopped nodding, Seol-i noticed the jacket draped over her shoulders. It was my uniform jacket, which I'd put over her because she might get cold.
She hurriedly handed it back to me and whispered.
"...Thanks for the jacket."
"No big deal."
I slipped on my jacket, which had been warming her whole body just a minute ago.
It smelled different from my own scent—super fresh and sweet. Was it Seol-i's scent?
...Don't think weird things. Just poking her cheek without permission already makes me feel guilty enough. No need for naughty thoughts.
Unlike my impure mind, Seol-i got right to work the moment she woke up, tackling the math homework from school.
It was only about thirty minutes, and the workload wasn't heavy—just basic calculations—so she finished in no time.
As self-study neared its end, the PE teacher supervising us announced,
"Alright, kids~ Great job studying~ Time to head home~"
His words were like flipping a switch—the kids started buzzing with excitement.
Seol-i immediately grabbed her bag, while I'd already packed mine and was waiting for her.
I'd glanced at the clock and tidied up bit by bit, so I was quick about it.
Seol-i only had one workbook, one notebook, and some scrap paper out, so she didn't take long either.
Once we had everything, we headed out.
"Thanks for your hard work, sir."
"Thank you...!"
"You got it~ Be safe going home~"
The teacher waved us off kindly, and we passed him on our way to the school gate.
As we walked toward the gate, Seol-i suddenly grumbled at me.
"...You should've just woken me up."
"Why?"
"I didn't get to study..."
"Eh, one day won't hurt~"
"Wake me tomorrow during self-study. Got it?"
"Got it, got it."
I nodded and looked at her.
That two-hour nap must've helped a lot—Seol-i seemed more alert than I'd expected. Maybe the crisp early spring air had chased away her sleepiness too.
"Sleep off now?"
I teased her a bit, and she pursed her lips, looking a little displeased.
Soon she turned her head away sharply, pouting.
It was unbearably cute. Hard to believe she was the same age as me—this pure innocence.
Maybe that's part of Seol-i's charm.
"You were even drooling earlier~"
"Ughhh... Stop talking about it...!"
She started lightly punching my arm.
I figured teasing more might actually make her cry, so I stopped.
Instead, as we passed the gate, I made her a good offer.
"Sorry for teasing. How about chocolate milk as payback? Or strawberry?"
She nodded right away.
"Strawberry...!"
"Strawberry it is."
We headed straight to the convenience store just outside the gate.
I bought one strawberry milk and one chocolate milk. (The chocolate one's mine, for the record. Chocolate beats strawberry.)
I paid, stuck a straw in the strawberry milk, and handed it to her.
"Here."
"Thanks...!"
Seol-i held the strawberry milk with both little hands and started sipping through the straw.
It wasn't a big carton, but the way she gripped it with both hands and her eyes sparkling as she drank was insanely cute. Heart-attack levels.
"That good?"
-Nod nod
Mouth full of milk, she just nodded.
"Thanks for buying. I'll get tomorrow's...!"
"Sure, your treat tomorrow."
"Hehe, deal!"
Her bright smile as she took another sip was radiant.
Seol-i's smile really is the cutest. Sleeping was cute too, but this wins.
On the way to the bus stop, Seol-i was humming happily. The strawberry milk must've put her in a great mood.
To snap her out of it a bit, I asked,
"Seol-i, when's the next bus to your place?"
"Uung... 10:10!"
"You'll get home around 11 then."
"No! It's fast—10:30!"
"Good to know."
I walked leisurely with her, checking the time.
Thanks to the PE teacher letting us out ten minutes early, even with the milk stop, we had about five minutes left.
The bus stop was right ahead.
So I sat on the bench there and kept chatting.
"How was your first day of self-study?"
She shot me a glare, like 'I slept through it, why ask?'
I rephrased to avoid misunderstanding.
"I mean, how's staying late?"
She answered without hesitation.
"...I like it."
She said she liked it.
Unable to comprehend, I had to ask.
"Like it? Why?"
It made no sense. High school meant staying at least an hour later than middle school, often past 10 p.m.
How could she like that? I couldn't wrap my head around it.
She just shook her head at my question, like she wasn't going to tell me.
If she wouldn't say, I'd never know her feelings, so I let it go. It didn't really matter if I didn't get it.
"They said we can skip self-study this week. Wanna bail if you're too tired?"
She hit me with an out-of-left-field question.
"Are you... uncomfortable with me...?"
I shook my head immediately—nope, not uncomfortable.
"Then... why skip...?"
"You just looked so tired..."
"That was just post-meal drowsiness...! I'm not skipping! No way!"
So firm. Hard to imagine coming from Seol-i.
I nodded at her determination.
"...Yeah. Let's keep doing self-study together then."
"Keep doing it...?"
"Yeah, together."
She liked that, beaming at me.
"Yeah... together forever...! Hehe..."
Right after her adorable laugh, her bus pulled up.
She spotted it and started waving.
"See you tomorrow, Haneul...!"
I waved back at her fluttering hand.
Until the bus carrying her vanished from sight.
Only then did I check my phone.
It had the bus schedule I'd looked up during self-study.
Next one was at 10:20—the previous at 10:05.
A shame, but oh well. I wanted to see her off first. Got home late, but confirming she left safely was a win.
Plus, coming home this late might dodge Dasom's wrath.
Good girl Kang Dasom was surely in dreamland by now.
Forcing myself to focus on the positives, I rationalized the late return and waited for my bus.