Ah! Right There
Today was the day I’d promised to visit Jung-woo’s house and eat the meal he made for me. Since his aunt and uncle would be home, I had prepared gifts for them too.
In a way, they were like parents to me, so it only felt right to bring something when I went to see them.
This was my third time coming to Jung-woo’s house. I always thought the same thing—the apartment was in such a secluded spot. The complex itself was a maze, making it hard to even find the right building.
Ding-dong!
“Jung-woo, it’s me. I’m here.”
I rang the bell and waited. The door soon opened. Jung-woo was wearing an apron; he must have been in the middle of cooking.
“You’re here? What’s all that?”
“Oh, these? Gifts for Auntie and Uncle!”
“No one’s home right now.”
“What? No one’s here?”
From what I remembered, Auntie and Uncle hated it when Jung-woo brought friends over while they were out. That was exactly why I’d brought the gifts.
“Mom went to school, and Dad said he’s getting a haircut before heading to Grandma’s.”
“Really? Then give these to them when they get back.”
“Got it. Come on in.”
The first thing I did after stepping inside was head straight to Jung-woo’s room to check on the dolls. Just like last time, the number hadn’t changed at all. I’d expected a few new ones to have joined the collection by now.
“Jung-woo, no new dolls?”
“Did you come here to eat or to raid my dolls? You’re awfully confident about it.”
“I was planning to take some new ones if there were any. Too bad.”
“Then take that penguin on the shelf.”
“You mean this dumb-looking penguin?”
“Yeah. I bought that one too, so you can have it.”
I stared at the silly penguin perched on the shelf. It somehow reminded me of Jung-woo as a little kid. Maybe that was why I felt drawn to it. I picked it up, deciding to take it with me.
“Mom will be happy. The doll count is finally going down.”
“Does Auntie dislike them?”
“She doesn’t dislike them, but she does say there are too many.”
“Is it really okay to just give it away? You like dolls, don’t you?”
“Since it’s going to you, I think they’d be glad.”
When he said they’d be glad, I remembered punching the Ryan doll he’d given me. But that had been Jung-woo’s own fault. He deserved it. Totally justified.
After setting the penguin aside, I walked over to Jung-woo, who was busy preparing the food.
“Are you making pasta?”
“Yeah. I usually throw it together when it’s just for me, but since I’m serving you, I’m putting in real effort.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure. I’ll show you.”
After washing my hands, I moved to the spot where he’d been standing. Jung-woo stayed right beside me, his arm brushing mine like a cooking-class instructor.
“We’re slicing the onion. Want to give it a try?”
“Okay. Like this?”
“That grip’s dangerous—you could cut your finger. Hold the onion like a cat’s paw.”
“A cat’s paw?”
“Yeah, like this.”
“Oh, I get it.”
I followed his instructions, gripping the onion and slicing slowly. This onion was surprisingly pungent. My eyes started burning; if I kept staring, I was definitely going to cry.
“And you’re holding the knife wrong. That’s unsafe.”
“Then how should I hold it?”
“See where the blade meets the handle? Put your thumb there.”
“L-like this?”
“Now wrap your index finger around the other side.”
“Is this right?”
“No, not quite. Hang on.”
Jung-woo stepped behind me, reaching around and placing his hand over mine. In that instant, a warmth I had never felt before washed over me—like sinking into the coziest sofa in the world.
The fresh scent of his body wash and shampoo brushed past my nose. For no reason at all, my heart began to pound wildly. Drawn by that warmth and fragrance, I unconsciously leaned back into his chest. His body didn’t feel thin at all; it felt reassuringly solid.
Even though the moment was brief, his embrace seemed wider and safer than anyone else’s.
“Hold it this way and you won’t hurt yourself while cutting.”
“Y-yeah. Thanks.”
“Now we just add the sauce and the cooked noodles. That’s it.”
“It’s simpler than I thought.”
“Was the onion really that strong? Your eyes are watering.”
“Yeah, it was pretty intense.”
“Let me see.”
Jung-woo crouched down to look into my eyes, then pulled out a few tissues and gently wiped my tears away.
Why are you so calm? I’m feeling strange for no reason, so why do you look so natural?
My heart, which had started racing out of control, refused to settle. I pressed a hand to my chest, but it only beat harder.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“Huh? No, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“Let’s eat. It’s ready.”
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Want something to drink? We have cola and cider—all zero sugar.”
“Cola for me, then.”
As I ate the spaghetti, I kept glancing at Jung-woo. My heart only raced faster. If he had been sitting right next to me, he definitely would have heard it.
He must have noticed my gaze, because he looked up. Right before our eyes met, I quickly turned away. I usually had no problem looking at him—why was today so different?
After we finished eating, Jung-woo kept stretching, as if something was bothering him.
“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“My shoulders feel stiff. I must have slept wrong.”
“I’ll massage them a bit.”
I walked over to where he sat on the sofa and slowly pressed on the shoulder he’d mentioned.
“Ah! Right there—yes! Wow, that feels amazing.”
“It’s really knotted up. You definitely slept wrong.”
“Thanks. It’s loosening up already.”
“What do you want to do now? Anything you feel like?”
“Hmm. Oh, the Switch! Let’s play that!”
“Sure. What games do we have for two players? Want to play Mario Party?”
“Yes! That looked super fun.”
We used to play games together all the time as kids, so I figured playing would help calm my frantic heartbeat. I connected the Switch to the TV, and the title screen appeared. The graphics had improved over the years, but everything else felt exactly the same.
“Do you know the controls?”
“I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos, so yeah.”
“You’re quick to suggest a bet on something like this. Up for it?”
“Absolutely. Loser gets a forehead flick. Full power.”
“I’d better play seriously or I’ll end up with a hole in my forehead.”
The game began. Mario Party relied more on luck than skill, so even though Jung-woo had played it a lot, I still had a decent chance.
Or so I thought.
Why is he so good at this?!
“What?! There was a hiding spot there?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know?”
“Hey! Go easy on the newbie!”
“You didn’t go easy on me when we bowled.”
“Even without going easy, I still lost at the beginning!”
Rolling the dice was luck, but the minigames were pure skill. Since I’d only watched videos occasionally, I lost every single minigame to Jung-woo.
“I’m almost at the goal. You’ve still got a long way to go.”
“You never know. All I need are good dice rolls.”
“You need three sixes in a row. Think you can manage that?”
I ignored Jung-woo’s teasing and rolled. Six. If it had been a five, I would have landed on a minigame, but I got coins instead. Lucky.
“Nice.”
“Just wait. I’m catching up.”
“Oops, my mistake. I lose.”
“You lost on purpose, didn’t you?”
“No, my hand slipped.”
Going easy on me? I’ll make you regret that.
I gritted my teeth and rolled again. Another six. This time I even won the minigame.
“Not bad at all.”
“Told you I’d catch up.”
Then another six. I won the minigame on his turn too. With my coins and goal points, I won the round overwhelmingly.
“How did you roll three sixes in a row?!”
“The person who got three strikes in bowling sure talks a lot. This is all your karma.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“Just wait. I’m putting a hole in that forehead. Close your eyes.”
Jung-woo brushed his bangs back and quietly closed his eyes. For some reason, I found myself staring at him. He had lost so much weight that his childhood face was gone. He looked like a completely different person now—straight nose, sharp jawline.
He was… handsome.
“How hard are you planning to flick if you’re still hesitating?”
“Clench your teeth. Here it comes.”
“Are you actually planning to punch me instead of flicking?”
“No. Ready?”
Tok!
Right before I flicked his forehead, all the strength left my hand. I had meant to hit him with everything I had, but the flick was pathetically weak. I’d wanted to see him scream in pain.
“You did it wrong!”
“It’s already over. No take-backs. Let’s play one more round.”
“Huh? I won. Why should we play again? I’m not doing it.”
“We should at least play two rounds.”
“Then beg me. Call me big sis and ask very, very desperately.”
No matter how pathetically you look at me, it won’t change anything. This is all your karma. If you hadn’t made me call you that during bowling, I wouldn’t be doing this either.
“B-big sis… please play one more round with me…”
“Fine, I’ll play.”
“So this is how you’re getting even? Fine. I’m definitely winning this time.”
“We’ll see.”
From the very first turn, Jung-woo focused completely and started beating me. Only then did I realize how much he had been holding back before.
The second round ended in his complete victory, of course.
“Just wait. I’m drilling a hole in your forehead.”
“With those thin fingers? Good luck.”
“I’ll show you whether I can or not. Close your eyes.”
I hadn’t meant to hit him that hard, but still…
Pak!
“Aack! That hurts so much!”
“S-sorry! I hit too hard.”
“Hey! I think you actually put a hole in it. Ow… aack!”
Feeling guilty, Jung-woo immediately came over and cupped my forehead. He rubbed it gently, pulling me into his arms so I could lean fully against him.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
The natural warmth of his body heat. My heart, which had finally calmed for a second, began racing madly again.
“There’s a bump…”
“I’m telling Mom that Jung-woo hit me.”
“W-wait, then I’ll look like the bad guy.”
Jung-woo wiped the tears that had gathered in my eyes. Without thinking, my hand shot out and grabbed his.
“Uh, why?”
“My makeup will smudge.”
“Ah, right. I’ll get some tissues.”
I didn’t know why I had grabbed his hand. It wasn’t just about the makeup. Clutching my wildly beating heart, I watched Jung-woo’s back as he walked away to get the tissues. It wouldn’t calm down. If anything, it beat even harder.
“Chae-yeon, don’t try to hide it. You know I didn’t mean it that way.”
Why was Ju-hee’s voice suddenly echoing in my head?
I fell into thought for a moment. Every time Jung-woo came close, my heart sped up. I studied him carefully—the strange pull, the heart that refused to settle.
Could it be that I… like Jung-woo?