Hug Me
Eunbyul fanned her face with her palm, the blanket pulled up to her knees. Her cheeks were still flushed bright red. At least she looked much better now. She must have rested well. The warm porridge and medicine, followed by a deep sleep, had clearly done the trick. When it came to colds, nothing beat eating well and sleeping plenty. Jinwoo had come here out of worry, but if this meant Eunbyul recovered faster, then the outcome was perfect. The trip had been worth it.
“How long did I sleep?”
At her question, Jinwoo glanced at the clock. “You went straight to bed after the porridge, so… about three hours.”
“Three hours?!”
Eunbyul’s eyes widened. From her expression, she clearly hadn’t expected to sleep that long. A moment later, she spoke with a guilty look. “Ugh, so you waited all that time? Sorry. You must’ve been bored by yourself.”
“I was fi— It was fine.”
Jinwoo barely swallowed the word “good” that had almost slipped out. He’d been able to watch her sleeping face from the best seat in the house, and reading a novel beside her had made the time pass without any hardship. He’d even felt a little intoxicated by the situation—nursing Eunbyul all by himself. Besides, reading novels was his hobby to begin with, so he’d actually enjoyed it more than usual.
“Time flew while I was reading web novels.”
“What novel?”
“Luna’s new one.”
“Wow, I haven’t read that yet. Is it good?”
As expected of a web novel author herself, Eunbyul’s eyes lit up the moment the topic turned to stories.
“It’s pretty entertaining. I like this author’s work too.”
Luna was one of the rare writers who specialized in pure romance. Her elegant prose and skill had earned her quite a following. Like Silverstar, she was considered one of the star authors—though the mood of their stories differed quite a bit.
“This time the protagonist is an elf. It’s worth reading.”
“Hmm~ Better than mine?”
Eunbyul asked with a slightly sulky expression. There was a hint of jealousy in her voice, but Jinwoo, fully in reader mode, didn’t notice.
Well… between Silverstar and Luna, which was more fun? That was…
“I enjoyed Princess’s Seduction more. Your writing is the best to me.”
It wasn’t because it was an adult novel. He simply liked the characters and their stories. Luna’s tales were beautiful and carried a strong sense of stillness. That was nice too, but Jinwoo preferred something a little more stimulating yet deeply moving—just like Silverstar’s novels. That was why he’d even drawn fan art to celebrate the completion. At least, it was the only work he’d gone so far as to send a congratulatory message for.
“Hmm~ Really? Maybe I should try writing a pure romance next time.”
“That’d be nice too. If it’s your novel, I’d love it no matter what.”
Eunbyul twirled a strand of hair around her finger for no reason. She hadn’t really planned on writing one, but knowing Jinwoo would like it made her oddly conscious of the idea.
He said he likes it…
She tried not to show it, yet the corners of her mouth kept curling upward on their own. At the same time, she felt a little embarrassed for having been so childishly jealous. It was because she knew Jinwoo’s answer had been completely honest and pure.
When I’m with him, I feel like I’m the only one acting like an idiot.
The same went for when she’d suggested the school uniform date. And for the strange things she’d said while sick. No one else would have acted that way, no matter how exhausted or ill they were. Yet around Jinwoo, she loosened up far too easily. Was it because she knew how pure he was?
Still, this won’t do. At this rate, my dignity as the older one will disappear completely.
Eunbyul made a silent vow. She wouldn’t become someone who only received help from this strangely kind, mature, and reliable junior.
“Ah, it’s already dinnertime. Since you’re here, why don’t you eat before you go?”
“Are you sure?”
“You even nursed me. I’d feel bad sending a guest away hungry. Though it’s just delivery food.”
As she spoke, Eunbyul picked up her smartphone. She couldn’t cook in this condition, and going out while sick wasn’t an option either. So she decided to order delivery instead.
“I’m getting tteokbokki and sundae. That okay?”
“You want to eat snacks while you’re sick?”
“When you’re ill, nourishing your body is the priority, and the best nourishment comes from healthy food. And when you think of healthy food, it’s tteokbokki and sundae! Just look at how much protein there is in the intestines!”
Was… that how it worked? Well, she did seem fairly recovered. Maybe following Eunbyul’s advice and replenishing her nutrients properly wouldn’t be a bad idea. As the son of a snack shop owner, he had his doubts about calling tteokbokki “healthy food,” but…
“Hehe! When I was little, I couldn’t even eat cup tteokbokki whenever I wanted. Now that I’m an adult, I can have fried stuff and sundae as much as I like. It’s great.”
“A thousand won was precious back then.”
“We should order fish cake and tempura too!”
“Can you finish it all?”
“If I want to eat something, I have to eat it!”
Eunbyul had quite the appetite. Come to think of it, she’d looked happy when she’d taken the takeout from his family’s shop too.
Huh? Then the place she ordered from might be…
Before Jinwoo could finish the thought, Eunbyul set her phone down with a bright smile.
“Order’s done! They said it’ll be here in thirty minutes!”
“Um, senior?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did you order from?”
“It’s nearby! The food there is amazing! I really liked the fried seaweed rolls they gave me as a service last time, so I told myself I’d order from there again…”
Eunbyul, who had been smiling cheerfully, suddenly froze. It was probably a place Jinwoo knew very well. After all, he was the one who had included the seaweed rolls as a service. Eunbyul stiffly turned her head toward him.
“Jinwoo, um… these days everyone uses delivery services, so the owner doesn’t come in person, right?”
“……My father leaves the shop to the part-timer and comes himself. He says he enjoys meeting people while he’s out and about.”
Thinking about it, Jinwoo’s father was quite the eccentric too. He’d never really dwelled on it before, but he hadn’t expected it to come back like this.
Eunbyul stared at the mirror on the wall for a moment, looking like a child who had done something wrong. Then she suddenly jumped out of bed.
“I-I’ll be right back after I wash up!”
“Huh? You don’t have to—”
“I can’t let your father see me like this!”
With that, Eunbyul dashed straight into the bathroom. She didn’t look nearly as bad as she thought—Eunbyul right now was plenty pretty. Jinwoo’s father wasn’t the type to care about such things either, and more importantly—
“You could just ask him to leave it at the door.”
When she panicked, Eunbyul’s thoughts really did race ahead. Jinwoo realized it anew.
*
“Ahem! Ahem! Do I look okay?”
Eunbyul kept checking her reflection in the mirror. Once inside the bathroom, she moved with lightning speed to get ready. She washed quickly, tidied her face and hair, spent a long time picking out clothes from the closet, and even put on light makeup. Of course, Eunbyul looked beautiful to Jinwoo even without any effort, but there was no need to say how stunning she was when she dressed up on purpose. Watching her, Jinwoo found himself unconsciously impressed.
So she gets this worked up even when meeting me.
He’d thought he’d put some effort into his own appearance, but seeing how seriously she was taking this made him feel guilty for just throwing on whatever was in his closet.
“Jinwoo? Hey, am I pretty?”
“Well……”
He’d meant to say of course she was. But the words wouldn’t come out. Saying something like that suddenly felt embarrassing.
Huh? Wasn’t it easier to say before?
It was just one compliment—calling his senior pretty. Why did it feel so difficult now? Instead of answering, Jinwoo felt the back of his neck grow hot.
“……You don’t have to go that far, do you?”
“How could I not? It’s not just anyone—it’s your father.”
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Eunbyul hadn’t thought that far ahead either. Her own mind was a mess at the thought of meeting her future father-in-law. Not that it meant anything big! He probably wouldn’t even recognize her anyway!
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to settle for this.”
What Eunbyul wore was a white short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. She’d worried that dressing up too much would make her look like a strange woman who ordered snacks in going-out clothes. Jinwoo kept telling her there was no need to worry so much, but on this point, Eunbyul refused to budge.
Well, if that’s what she wants, there’s nothing I can do.
He couldn’t say he didn’t understand the feeling. After all, when he’d gone to meet Eunbyul—Silverstar—for the first time, his heart had been pounding like crazy too.
“Phew, now all that’s left is to wait.”
Eunbyul wore a composed expression, like a warrior heading into battle. The sight was so cute that Jinwoo let out a small laugh.
It’s such a simple thing—one phone call would’ve been enough.
Jinwoo was looking at his smartphone when a thought occurred to him.
“Oh, senior. What’s the Wi-Fi password here?”
“Hug me.”
She wants a hug…?
Jinwoo tilted his head. Was the cold still lingering, or was she just nervous? Maybe she felt like being a little spoiled. Without thinking much of it, he stood up and pulled Eunbyul into his arms.
“……Huh?”
Because of their height difference, Eunbyul fit perfectly against his chest. A woman’s body was soft, unlike a man’s. Maybe because of the makeup, she smelled sweet too. It was a little embarrassing, but if it was Eunbyul, he didn’t mind indulging this kind of whim.
“Uh, uh?”
“Will you tell me now?”
Jinwoo looked down at the girl in his arms as he spoke. But something was off about Eunbyul. She was the one who had asked to be hugged, yet she looked like she’d been ambushed—her face bright red, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. Her pretty eyes, gazing up at him, trembled wildly. After a long moment of flustered silence, she finally managed to speak.
“The Wi-Fi password is… ‘Hug me’…”
“……Ah.”
This time, it was Jinwoo’s face that turned crimson in an instant. He’d only just realized what he’d done. He quickly tried to pull his arms away, but Eunbyul grabbed onto them tightly. Still blushing, she spoke in a slightly sulky voice.
“Well…… You can just keep holding me if you want.”