Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Second Day of the Holiday
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Insomniacs sleep lightly.
Short bouts of sleep are always filled with endless dreams,
and after wandering through unfamiliar alleys in dreams whose content I can't even recall, they all vanish the moment I open my eyes.
Far from recovering, I wake up drained of energy, starting the day in a daze.
But that's strange.
How many days has it been since I last dreamed?
No, more than that—when did I even fall asleep?
I have no memory of drifting off, yet here it is, morning.
Feels like I passed out.
Just thinking about it makes my lips curl into a grin this weekend morning.
Maybe because I slept so soundly for once, my body feels light as if it's floating. My mood, too.
Sunlight stretches long across the bed.
On my right arm rests a small head, lavender scent wafting from her hair.
Tucked within that hair is a delicate nape.
Above it, fine peach fuzz grows neatly.
Pretty people even have pretty fuzz.
Some of us are too busy shaving every day, but this world has zero balance.
And my left hand... well.
It's warm and nice, but a bit too stimulating for morning.
A hand buried in a woman's bosom—not even my girlfriend's, no less.
This hand's stained with sin on Midas's level.
The kind of morning every guy dreams of at least once, but this time, it's no dream or illusion.
Stone-cold reality.
Ugh.
Memories from before sleep bubble up.
[Park Dahye. Just live here. It's my wish.]
With that one line I stubbornly insisted was my wish, this place became Park Dahye's home starting today.
Damn it.
Pissing me off first thing in the morning.
Why do I keep spouting shoujo manga protagonist lines?
What's even funnier is that they all work.
When she followed me home, when I showed her the gaming room, even last night's absurd wish—
Dahye always gives me exactly the answer I want, no matter how much I mess up.
She might even cosign a loan if I asked.
I need to watch my mouth from now on.
Still, thank goodness her wish was a back hug.
If it were just a regular hug, our eyes would've met the second I woke up.
After throwing that tantrum last night, how am I supposed to face her now?
'Sigh...'
But no helping it.
Have to endure.
Because that wish I blurted out last night wasn't some delirium—it was sincere.
Better me dying of embarrassment than watching her go back to that gositel.
With Park Dahye right in front of me, I just have to suck it up.
"♬~ ♪~"
Dahye's humming a tune from inside my arms right now.
A refreshing melody that lifts my spirits just hearing it.
This time, it's from Billion Saga's BGM: "Ode to the Beginning."
Yeah.
All beginnings feel awkward, but not everyone fumbles through them.
Some beginnings are as mindlessly upbeat as that BGM.
So I'll forget the embarrassment and start the morning strong.
First, a big, satisfying stretch!
"Aaaah! Gah?"
I try to stretch and sit up, but my body won't move.
'This little...'
Thought she was still asleep since she was so still.
But she'd woken up ages ago and noticed me stirring.
Reason I can't move? Dahye's clamping down on my arms and head with all her strength, sealing them.
Strong for morning.
"What's up? Why're you doing this?"
"..."
"I know you're awake. If you don't let go by the count of three, I'll throw you."
"..."
"One."
"Two."
"Thre—"
"Wait! Okay, okay, wait~!"
"Knew it. So what're you doing now?"
"Seonghyeon. Think about it. You're granting my wish right now, remember?"
"What about it? A day's passed."
"Nuh-uh~ I never said a time limit. So relax and lie back down."
What the hell.
Does that mean the final wish is still going?
Ridiculous.
It's 9 a.m. We crashed around 2, so seven hours in the same pose, and it's still not enough?
One night hugging should've sufficed. How long does she plan to keep this up?
"You like back hugs that much?"
"Well... it's my final wish, too... and once it ends, I might never get another..."
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah..."
Sigh.
I lie back down.
I know full well Park Dahye can't lie to me.
Dunno why, but she still feels guilty about that little fib from our first meeting.
Over something so minor, she's such a worrywart.
So no matter how awkward or embarrassing the question, she never lies.
When a girl like that says it...
Hard to push away.
If she likes it that much, refusing now would make me the bad guy.
Girls her age should be crushing on sparkling idols, but here she is with me. Kinda pitiful.
How starved for warmth must she be?
Maybe she's got a touch of Stockholm syndrome.
Mine was persuasion, not kidnapping... hope she snaps out of it.
"Just a bit longer. Hang in there, Seonghyeon."
"How much?"
"Like 20 hours?"
"Was your wish a back hug or execution?"
"I'll let go before you die. Just wait. Heehee."
Not newlyweds, so what is this morning nonsense?
But I half-expected it.
I knew she craved human warmth.
I didn't invite her to live here on a whim.
We've gamed together for eight years.
She's the type who sits in her room all day playing Billion Saga, no future plans.
It's her choice, so I won't call it wrong.
But... someday she'll need to step away from games and live her own life.
Until then, I want to be her home.
Help her plan a career, teach her basic chores.
And when loneliness hits hard... fill those heart gaps.
That's how I atone a bit for my guilt.
Her gaming wreck life is basically my fault.
I know our skinship isn't something I get to enjoy freely...
But right now, my job is to fill the void in her heart.
Until someone she truly trusts comes along.
I hug Dahye with all my might.
This time, not skinship—an assassination attempt.
"Die, Park Dahye!"
"Eeeeek!!"
"Still wanna keep going? Huh?"
"Iiiit tickles!!! Holy Shield!!"
She seems to like it more. Demoralizing.
Better stop.
"Heehee. That was a joke, Seonghyeon. Let's stay like this a sec and talk about what to do today."
"Mm... not hungry?"
"A little? Wanna eat the leftover chicken from yesterday?"
"Nah, something else. It's the weekend—gotta eat good."
"Oh yeah. You said galbi jjim yesterday."
"That's for dinner. Oh, means we gotta shop."
"Whoa, I haven't been to a mart since moving here."
"How the hell have you survived, human? Miracle you're alive..."
"Convenience store bentos have all the balanced nutrients."
"Along with tons of seasoning and salt."
And one more thing on my to-do list.
Holding her now, I can say it clearly:
Dahye has zero muscle tone.
None at all.
Waist's soft, chest's soft, and even this slender back's that soft? Case closed.
A year glued to games in her room—body can't be healthy.
Hospital would diagnose dry obesity on sight.
Muscle mass aside, bone density's probably shot.
Vitamins? Doubt she took any.
If I were her parents, I'd bawl.
So while she's here, I'll make sure nutrition's on point.
And one more.
Left to her own devices, she'd hole up all day.
Luring her outside's my job, too.
"Dahye, ready to get up?"
"Nooo... 20 more minutes... hug tighter and I'll cut it to 10."
"Forget it. Got something better."
"Huh? What?"
"Let's go on a date."
"Huh?"
Park Dahye, straight to desire as always.
Works like a charm.
My arms are free in seconds, and the unsealed demon leaps up.
Then plants herself on my stomach, pinning my shoulders.
Ugh.
Mount position now?
And her face is way too close.
Those big round eyes are intimidating.
Manners, girl—tone down the beauty in the morning.
And leaning like that... your pajama top's wide open, you know.
"A date? For real?"
"Yeah. Holiday anyway."
"What do people do on dates? Like dress up and go to a fancy restaurant?"
"What drama'd you watch? Guy and girl go out and have fun—that's a date. Wait, is it not these days? Guys do it too?"
"Whoa. So just going out to play."
"Sound fun?"
"Fun! What'll we do?"
"Mm... breakfast out somewhere good, grocery shopping, maybe buy some clothes? You've only got one set of undies."
"Whoa... let's get up quick, Seonghyeon."
"You wash up first. I gotta stay here a bit."
"Why? You said get up fast earlier."
"Why d'you think... I'm a Republic of Korea reservist. Gotta belt out the national anthem in the morning."
"Oh? Okay. Hurry up!"
Phew... no clue.
Can I pull this off?
If I'm constantly exposed to defenseless Dahye like this... I might become the world's best national anthem singer someday.
But today... date first.
One step at a time.
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