Enough Already. Finally... The End Is In Sight!
My breathing had grown completely ragged without me realizing it.
And then there were Yuna’s fingers, gently gripping my shoulder.
But even this ordeal was finally drawing to a close right before my eyes.
Because now I could see the final flight of stairs leading to the fourth floor.
Feeling the sweat trickling down from my scalp, I forced one more step forward.
My legs and lower back had been screaming for mercy for a while now, but I ignored them completely.
Just three steps left.
Hang in there a little longer, Kang Woohyuk.
One step.
Then, squeezing out every last bit of strength, another step.
And finally, the very last one.
Whoaaaaaaa! I made it.
I won. Take that, you shitty world.
I felt the same electrifying rush of conquest as someone who had just summited Everest.
“...Oppa. Are you really okay?”
“Huff… yeah. I’m fine.”
In truth, I was anything but fine. I felt like I was going to die.
The moment the stairs ended and the hallway opened up ahead, my legs started trembling so badly I thought I might drop Yuna.
“You can put me down now, oppa. I’m really sorry.”
For some reason, Yuna’s voice was laced with guilt.
I couldn’t keep carrying her on my back any longer either.
Still, I lowered her carefully from my back so she wouldn’t get hurt.
Yuna braced herself against the wall, limped over to the door, and entered the passcode.
Then she looked at me with pity as I stood there completely drained, hands on my knees, gasping for air.
“Want to rest at my place for a bit before you go? You look exhausted.”
“Hoo… I’d really appreciate that…”
Normally I might have refused out of pride.
But right now I had zero energy left for pretending to be tough.
I simply followed Yuna obediently into her home.
I stepped cautiously into Yuna’s apartment.
The first thing I did upon entering the living room was collapse into the nearest chair at the table.
I just really needed to sit down.
“Hoo… I seriously thought I was going to die.”
Only now, as my breathing finally started to return to normal, did I fully register the muscle pain.
It had been a while since I’d pushed myself like this, and every part of my body was screaming.
It looked like it would take some time to recover my completely spent stamina.
Ah… I’m so thirsty… Is there any water?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a glass of water was pushed in front of me.
“That’s why I told you not to overdo it. Your stamina is so weak.”
Of course, it was Yuna handing it to me.
When I took the glass, I saw it was filled with nice cold water.
I didn’t even have the strength to argue, so I simply accepted it and soothed my parched throat.
Gulp, gulp.
The cool liquid slid down smoothly.
How many times in my life had water ever tasted this good?
After finishing, I set the glass down on the table with a soft clink.
“I told you not to move. You’ll make your ankle worse.”
“It’s fine. This much is nothing.”
Yuna stood there on the balls of her feet so one foot wouldn’t touch the ground.
She must have been hobbling around the living room like that the whole time.
I wondered if I was overreacting, but I really didn’t want to see her in any more pain.
Soon after, Yuna sat down in the chair beside me.
“Ugh… look at all that sweat. It looks like you got caught in the rain too…”
Then I felt the soft touch of a towel brushing across my forehead.
Yuna was looking at my face with a worried expression as she gently wiped away the sweat.
Mixed with the damp scent of rain, her familiar fragrance drew closer.
The warmth of Yuna’s hand through the towel felt ticklish.
“Hold still, oppa.”
“I’ll do it myself. Just give me the towel.”
“No. I want to do this much for you.”
When I tried to take the towel from her out of embarrassment, Yuna quickly pulled it away.
Guess I had no choice.
I gave up and let her continue.
Honestly, it felt nice.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were getting rained on, seriously.”
Yuna sighed and scolded me.
I help her and end up getting lectured. What a life.
“If you had, I would’ve tilted the umbrella more toward you…”
It was probably because of the umbrella size that I got wet.
Even though it was a large one, the rain had been pretty heavy.
If I’d tilted it more toward me, her back would’ve likely gotten soaked instead.
“Then you would’ve been the one getting wet. It’s better that I get rained on than someone who’s already hurt.”
“...You really are an idiot, oppa.”
Despite her sharp tone, the way her hand moved across my skin with the towel somehow felt even gentler.
“Yuna, do you have any ice at home?”
After resting for a bit, oppa said that ice packs were best for a sprain and started looking around for ice and a plastic bag.
I told him not to move and made him stay seated in the chair.
Every time he tried to stand up, I scolded him, so he couldn’t budge.
“I don’t have any pre-frozen, but our water purifier makes ice.”
It didn’t make a ton, but there should be enough to put on my ankle.
I’ve always liked drinking cold beverages.
That’s why I always started streams with a tumbler full of ice and drinks.
The ice-making purifier was a bit expensive to rent, but it was worth the expense to satisfy my preferences.
“Oh. It really does. Modern water purifiers can make ice now?”
His surprised reaction left me speechless.
Are we even living in the same era?
From his perspective—someone who buys bottled water at the convenience store—it probably did seem like new technology.
“All right. Can you lift your foot over here?”
He had already filled a plastic bag with ice and approached the table.
I propped my leg up on the chair he had been sitting in earlier to make it easier for him to treat me.
He crouched down and pressed the ice bag against my foot.
“Ugh… it’s cold.”
The icy sensation made me instinctively pull my foot back for a second.
My skin must be thin because I’m way more sensitive to both cold and heat.
“If it’s too cold, tell me. I’ll wrap it with a towel or something.”
“Yeah. This is fine.”
I nodded in response to his words.
It was treatment, after all. I could endure this much.
“Oppa, don’t just stay like that. Give it to me.”
I was wearing a white skirt, after all.
Having him crouch down lower than me felt a little embarrassing.
“Ah… right.”
I took the ice from him and placed it on my own ankle.
The cold sensation seemed to ease the pain a little.
...They say the person who helps you when you’re struggling is the real one.
I already had feelings for him, but after what happened today, I knew I’d never forget it.
My gaze kept drifting to him as he stood there awkwardly.
Even his hair, still damp and not fully dry, somehow looked cool.
A brief silence fell between us.
“...”
Maybe he noticed I was staring at him in the quiet atmosphere.
He turned his eyes toward me.
“...What?”
Our eyes met as he said that.
I repeated the words I had said to him once before.
“Oppa. Remember when you said… we should take things slow and get to know each other…?”
I recalled his shy confession, the one he’d made while blushing.
The timid suggestion that we take our time getting to know each other.
“...Yeah, I did.”
He looked embarrassed too, now that we were alone and the memory had resurfaced.
“How far do you think we’ve gotten to know each other?”
I wondered if he understood what I meant.
I still couldn’t tell if he was sharp or dense.
“Uh… I think we know each other pretty well by now, don’t we?”
He answered even while flustered by my sudden question.
It seemed like he hadn’t quite grasped what I was getting at.
Was it because the pain had made me sentimental? Or because so many bad things had piled up?
Or maybe it was because of all those times he’d said he was always on my side.
Or the way he was taking care of me like this.
...Or perhaps it was because he was Uni_clip.
All the feelings I had for him swirled together inside my chest.
At this point, I couldn’t even tell what had started it anymore.
The pieces of affection had mixed together in a whirlwind until I simply liked the person called Kang Woohyuk for who he was.
No particular reason needed.
Seo-yeon’s words from back then suddenly flashed through my mind.
I had a feeling that if I didn’t do it now, I never would.
Before these feelings faded, before my courage disappeared.
I wanted to tell him how I felt while I still could.
“Oppa. Do you like me…?”
The words slipped out naturally, without any buildup.
He hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Yeah. I do.”
The way he avoided my eyes as he answered somehow seemed cute.
Now I had to deliver the finishing blow with sincerity.
“Then I think we can stop taking things slow.”
“...What do you mean?”
What do I mean? You know exactly what I mean.
Stop playing dumb.
“Let’s stop testing the waters and just date already, Uni_clip.”
At my bold declaration, the corners of his eyes trembled violently.