Heena's Dreams and Our First Kiss
Past Flashback: Lee Heena (9)
After finishing our meal, we decided to take a stroll outside to aid digestion. As we chatted about this and that, we suddenly found ourselves in the bustling commercial district.
"Aren't you famous? What if people recognize you?"
"I came prepared for that." Heena pulled a mask from her handbag and slipped it on. She wasn't just any beauty—she was the kind who turned heads wherever she went—so I wondered if that would really do the trick. Worst case, I still had the hypnosis app, so no real worries there.
Twenty minutes passed without incident, thankfully. Everyone was too glued to the few-inch gadgets in their hands. Smartphone addiction was no joke.
"Oppa, my legs hurt. Can we take a break?"
"Huh? Your legs hurt?"
"Yeah. This 'digestion walk' turned into quite the hike."
I was fine, but she wasn't, so I didn't want to push on like some drill sergeant. I sat her down on a nearby bench and grabbed two cans of soda from a vending machine.
"Oppa, your stamina's insane. We've been walking for over two hours, and not a drop of sweat. What kind of workouts do you do?"
Workouts... Did manual labor count? Nah, labor and exercise were different beasts.
"None. Too busy scraping by to have time."
"Huh? Your body's so built, I figured you must."
"Manual labor. That's my workout."
We traded a few more empty words like that, and Heena gulped down her soda. By the time she'd finished half, I'd drained mine.
"Heena."
"Yeah?"
"What do you want to do now?"
"Um... with oppa..."
She trailed off, suddenly whipping her head to the side. Her ears were bright red.
"Yeah?"
"I-I just want to be with you! It's not weird or anything!"
"..."
The way she said it made it sound kinda weird... Anyway, moving on.
"Heena. That's not what I meant."
"Then what?"
"Not stuff like 'what you'll do for me' or 'what you want to do with me.' What you want to do. I'll always be by your side, so anything you want to do with me, you can, right?"
I blocked off answers about boyfriend stuff. The hypnosis I'd put on her was to become my girlfriend, so it was natural she'd want to do things with me. But I wanted her to pursue what she truly desired. Thanks to the app, she'd reconciled with her father and cleared up most of the resentment—nothing was holding her back anymore.
"What I want to do..." Heena pondered for a moment, murmuring "um..." I waited patiently without prompting her.
"Golf... yeah."
"Golf?"
"Yeah. At first, when I went abroad to study it, it was just okay. But the more I played, the more fun it got. I want to play golf again. I want to hold up that world championship trophy once more. Getting knocked out in regionals wasn't my real skill. That was just bad luck—winning the world championship is what shows my true potential. I want to prove it."
Even after reconciling, hearing that from her father must have left deep scars. She wanted to shake it off completely by proving herself again.
"Lee Heena, golf goddess and world champion. I want to show Dad that's the real me."
It wouldn't be easy. Sure, she was a former champ, but reviving her suddenly deceased form would take brutal training beyond the norm.
Fine. Before she starts, I'll use the hypnosis app to rewire her mindset positively and cheer her on to give it her all.
We walked a bit more, grabbed waffles for dessert, and headed back. Heena stretched her slender, delicate arms high above her head and yawned.
"Oppa, I'm gonna wash up."
"Huh...?"
Wash up...? Oh.
"Ah, yeah."
Right. We'd been out, so a shower made sense.
"Oppa's face is red."
Heena giggled. I shoved her back playfully.
"Shut up and go shower."
"Okay. Oh, oppa should wash up too. There's a shower on the second floor—go ahead. I'll leave clothes out for you, so don't worry about that."
"Uh-huh."
Watching her head into the shower, weird thoughts started creeping in.
'Hey, no. Calm down.'
My son was rearing up, thinking it was his time. I forced him down, but no dice. Guess I'd need a cold splash after all—I headed to the second-floor shower.
It felt like stepping into another world. Unlike my dingy studio where hot water took forever even after cranking the boiler, here it switched from hot to cold or vice versa in seconds. The bathroom itself was so spacious, it was hard to tell if it was a shower or a bathhouse.
Under the steaming water, those stray thoughts from earlier evaporated.
"Hm."
I checked myself in the sleek mirror. No workouts, yet I had the chiseled physique of a pro athlete. How'd this happen...? One day I just woke up like this. No matter how hard I pushed my body, it never felt taxing. I could run all day without tiring. Bruises faded in half a day, cuts from a utility knife healed just as fast. I puzzled over it but figured if it ain't broke...
'Right, the nutrition pills.'
Something felt off—I'd forgotten Jin Dahyeon's pills. I finished showering, popped one, and swallowed. Good habit, always carrying them.
Right outside the shower, fresh clothes awaited. She'd fetched ones that fit me perfectly while I washed—efficient as hell.
"Excuse me..."
"Yes?"
I grabbed a passing servant and asked about my old clothes. Laundry room, she said. Perfect timing.
'Time to hypnotize these folks too.'
Nothing fancy. Just make them recognize me, Yun Geon-woo, as Heena's boyfriend and treat me with the same respect they give her.
True to chaebol life, most servants were young women with standout looks and figures. Once I'd hypnotized them all, I headed to Heena's room.
There she was, changed into pajamas and lounging on the queen-sized bed. Our eyes met the second I entered—she'd been staring at the door, waiting eagerly.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"No, I just got out too. Wanna watch Netflix?"
"Netflix? Sure."
Heena smiled and patted the spot beside her. Invitation to lie down.
Should be fine? I lay next to her as directed. The moment I did, she clutched my arm and snuggled right in.
Heena... why...?
Things were stirring down there.
"It's a movie I like, but it might not be your taste. Okay? Or is there something you wanna watch?"
"Nah, I don't watch a ton of movies."
I half-heard her, mumbling a reply. Right now, hiding my obvious reaction was priority one.
"Cool then?"
She burrowed deeper. Something big and soft pressed against my arm. Was she doing this on purpose?
"O-Of course it's f-fine! Yeah!"
"Oppa, you must hear 'clueless' a lot."
"Outta nowhere...?"
Heena was acting weird. What was with her?
"It's called For Your Pleasure."
I braced for something sketchy given the vibe, but no—it was a growth story about a protagonist abused at home who sets out to find her own joy. For some reason, it reminded me a lot of Heena. Coincidence?
Felt like eyes on me, so I glanced over. She wasn't watching the screen—her blank face was fixed on me.
"Not... watching the movie?"
"Tried to, but you're more fun."
"R-Really? Uh..."
The movie was short. Not even ninety minutes before the ending theme and credits rolled. I'd been too distracted by her from midway, so no real impressions stuck.
"...Thank you."
Her sudden thanks caught me off guard—I wasn't great at following emotional cues.
"Outta the blue?"
"The golf abroad... I figured it out. It was a perfect excuse to shove aside the talentless, clueless kid—the failure—out of sight."
"You're no failure."
"It was my only path. So I worked and worked. For the day Dad would see me again."
I wanted to tell her to stop, but I listened. Felt like words she needed to get out.
"Winning the world championship felt amazing. Gave me hope. 'He'll finally see me now,' I thought. I didn't even want sis-level treatment. Just one 'good job.' One acknowledgment."
Unlike her drunken ramblings before, this was sober, raw emotion pouring out. The app had gotten her father's approval now, but years of torment didn't vanish overnight. I got it.
"But he didn't. Brushed off my achievement as nothing special—said I couldn't have done it without family backing. It hurt, but... I was okay."
She sniffled here and there, letting it all spill.
"But when he tried to sell me off to the Taesan Group chairman, knowing what kind of monster he is... I couldn't take it anymore. I was so sad. After Dad left, I just wandered aimlessly. Didn't notice the night deepening or where I was going. Just kept walking."
Explained the soju binge at the convenience store. Totally understandable. Dizziness just thinking about it. If I hadn't gone for cleaning supplies then, her suffering would've been worse.
"You went through hell."
"..."
"From now on, only good things. Got it?"
Snap! I flicked her forehead lightly.
"Enough. Oppa's gonna hurl."
"Ahaha..."
She smiled—lighter, more relieved than before.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"Remember what you asked earlier?"
"Huh? What I wanna do?"
"Yeah. You said... anything I wanna do with you... I can... haha... do."
Stammering now, face exploding red. But her grip on my arm didn't loosen a bit.
"I... I wanna... with o-oppa... y'know..."
I knew I was dense, but even I couldn't miss this signal.
"You sneak a drink or something?"
"No! This is p-purely my will...!"
She declared it firmly, then climbed on top of me and pressed her lips to mine.