Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Friday #1
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The alarm I'd set for this important day blared to life.
Normally, I'd wake up on my own bright and early for my morning workout, but today I wasn't feeling great, so the alarm—set later than my usual wake-up time—finally roused me from sleep.
From the moment I opened my eyes this morning, I felt more drained than usual.
Was it because today was the first of two straight days I had to head out?
At this rate, I wasn't sure if I could enjoy the rest of the holiday in peace—it wasn't even half over yet.
Since I'd set the alarm well ahead of the meetup time with plenty of buffer, I took my time dragging myself out of bed.
My work desk on the opposite side of the bed caught my eye.
When drawing for work, I mostly used the computer, but for hobby sketches, I preferred good old paper.
It all started because I loved the feel of the pen gliding across the page, after all.
Atop the stack of papers on the desk sat the illustration I'd finished up last night.
It was a special gift drawing for Lee Soyun.
The main difference from the one for Lee Sea was that this was a caricature.
A straight copy of Sea's would've felt half-hearted, and besides, this style suited Soyun better.
I carefully tucked the precious sleeping portrait into a small frame and slipped it into my bag.
Seong Yurin had kindly offered to drive me again today.
Thanks to that, I could leave my bag in the car while we played—no worries about it getting jostled or smashed.
The frame settled neatly atop the boxed clothes already in the bag.
After stretching out my stiff post-sleep body, I grabbed my phone to check the time.
Time to get moving if I wanted to take it easy.
I skimmed the group chat, saw nothing urgent, and started getting ready to head out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "I'm off!"
"Have fun, sweetie."
With her parents seeing her out, Lee Soyun stepped from the house.
She glanced back at her ponytail one last time, checking it over again.
Amusement park.
Fun fair...
Theme park!
It had been ages since her last trip to one, and going with new friends made her excitement sky-high.
So much so that she could barely sleep the night before.
She'd only drifted off at dawn, only for her mom to shake her awake in a panic—nearly bringing her to tears thinking she was late.
Of course, she wasn't late at all; if anything, it was way too early.
Her mom had jolted her just to mess around.
In the end, to soothe her puffed-up cheeks, Mom had no choice but to hand over some extra pocket money in a little morning fiasco.
After that, they'd had a quick family birthday celebration with breakfast, and with her heart pounding, Soyun finally took her first steps toward the meetup spot.
"Hee hee. This is gonna be fun."
As she navigated to the rendezvous point on her phone, a grin lit up Soyun's face.
Ijin, Sea, Jiu, Jia, Yurin, Yeonseo.
All of them had come out on their day off just to celebrate her birthday.
...That said,
One thing the thrilled Soyun had overlooked?
Pedestrian crossings demand your full attention—no staring at your phone. Eyes front, eyes side.
Beeeep—!
"...Huh?"
The honk snapped her back to reality as Soyun looked up.
Definitely.
The light was green for pedestrians.
So why was that car...?
Why was it coming so fast...?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I brushed off the shirt I'd pulled from the closet.
Lee Sea had chewed me out yesterday for always wearing black, so this was a rare bright-colored pick I'd dug out.
Luckily, no musty smell, so a few sprays of deodorizer made it feel fresh as new.
Hands in pockets, I strolled the familiar street.
A flock of tiny sparrows darted by.
Wish I could catch one and keep it as a pet.
I like small, cute things.
...Don't get the wrong idea, though.
Just saying.
Lots of guys like cute characters and cutesy stuff.
Holding my breath, I framed one sparrow in my phone camera.
Click.
With the shutter sound, they flapped off in a flurry.
That's gotta be key to surviving in the wild—reacting sharp like that.
Safety first, always.
On my way to the meetup, I reached a three-way intersection.
Straight ahead led downtown, past Yoon Jiu and Lee Sea's places.
Hang a right, and it'd take me toward Lee Soyun's house.
Heading for the crosswalk, a familiar silhouette appeared around the corner.
Ponytail hanging down. Petite frame.
Casual clothes that looked easy to move in.
Hm. That outfit? Yeah, she'll probably love the gift I prepped.
Nodding to myself, I crept up behind her to surprise her.
The light changed just as I got right on her tail.
Beeeep—!
The accident hit without warning.
I whipped my head right at the sound. A sedan barreled toward us, brakes nowhere in sight.
What the hell.
Daytime speed demon? Drunk driver? Sudden acceleration?
No time for guesses.
From the side of Soyun's face in my view, I could see a storm of emotions in her eyes.
A split-second felt eternal, and in that instant, I grabbed her and threw us backward in a roll.
"...Kyaaah!?"
Screeech—
Thud—!
It was a miracle.
We tumbled to the ground unscathed.
My clothes were trashed, sure, but Soyun, who'd landed on top of me? She seemed fine.
Meanwhile, the car that looked unstoppable swerved hard—driver-side clear of the wall as it smashed front-first into the barrier. The impact finally halted it.
"Ah, uh.... Wha...?"
"You okay?"
Soyun trembled in my arms.
Any injuries? Maybe a sprained ankle from my pull?
She craned her neck awkwardly to meet my eyes, her own welling up and spilling over.
"I-Ijin... Waaah!"
She burst into sobs and threw herself at me.
Poor kid must've been terrified. Hell, I was too—crying made total sense.
I stood, holding her tight.
"Soyun."
"Hic. Sniff."
"Soyun, look at me."
"Mmph...."
I locked eyes with her, calming her down.
"First, let's check on the driver. Can you call 119?"
"Mmph. Sniff. Got it...."
After stroking her hair once, I approached the smoking wreck cautiously.
"Hey! You alright?"
Smoke rising from the car was unnerving, but I tapped the door gently.
The heavy tint hid the inside, frustratingly.
How long did I knock? Eventually, the door creaked open.
"Urgh.... My head....... Ah! A-Are you okay?"
The driver stumbled out clutching his head, asking about me.
Early twenties, handsome guy, looked fine otherwise. Why the hell...?
I answered, puzzled.
"Yeah. We're okay-ish. You?"
"Just a ringing headache here too.... Ah! I'm so sorry. The car suddenly accelerated—I floored the brakes, but it wouldn't stop."
"Ah, gotcha...."
Sudden acceleration glitch, huh.
Not his fault, then.
Still, sheer luck. A bit more turn, and the driver's side would've eaten wall.
No way he'd walk away like that.
I waited with him at a safe distance.
Soon enough, emergency services arrived.
And so the morning mishap wrapped up.
Lightning from a clear sky, what the—.
Still dazed.
First time for me, heart still racing.
Is this normal event fodder in rom-com worlds...? Nah, obviously not.
Without me, Soyun could've died.
Glitch in the matrix? Or some canon event?
If it was scripted, how was Yoon Jiu not here to save her? And why me instead?
Questions galore, but unanswerable ones.
At least no one was hurt.
Well... Soyun's heart took a hit, maybe.
I kept soothing her whimpers.
Hugging tight as she burrowed in.
Her small frame fit perfectly, warmth seeping through.
I gently stroked her back as she shuddered and sobbed, easing her.
"Um, excuse me. Kid? Right?"
"Ah, yeah."
As we sat there, the driver—done chatting with the EMTs—approached.
"Look, just in case, wanna head to the hospital? All fees on me, obviously. And I'd like to compensate for any damages too...."
He shot Soyun an apologetic look.
I was fine, but she must've been scared out of her mind.
Hmm. Protocol here?
Never dealt with this in my old life or here—no clue.
Can't call cops over it.
So, reinforcements it was.
"Ah, hold on."
I dialed Seong Yurin.