Chapter 20.1

Chapter 20.1

“…So, did you get into college?”

“Huh?”

“XX University. You always said you’d go there.”

“I couldn’t get in.”

Yeon-ha let out a faint, bitter smile, feeling a slight wave of disappointment. The face she once saw across the table with a bowl of seolleongtang now blurred with the man in front of her. She’d noticed it before—sometimes Kwon Min-gyu acted much older than her, but at moments like this, he seemed just like someone her age.

Was he really taking her grandmother’s words to heart? Seeing him bring up college with such a serious expression, he almost looked innocent.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why…?”

His genuinely puzzled look made Yeon-ha frown slightly. He seemed so earnest that she felt the need to explain. She hadn’t applied yet, but with her current grades, getting into XX University was out of the question, and she wasn’t sure about the other schools she’d applied to either. He nodded thoughtfully before asking another question.

“But you’re still planning to go to college in Seoul, right? Have you found a place to live?”

Yeon-ha shook her head. The way she did it was more like admitting she’d given up on everything, but he didn’t seem to catch that. Instead, he kept going.

“Alright, forget the place to live for now. How are you going to get to school with your leg like that? Or will you be off crutches by then and it’ll be fine?”

“It still might be too much… If it worsens, I’ll just take a leave of absence.”

Min-gyu seemed to take her offhand comment seriously, nodding slightly as if deep in thought. Just as Yeon-ha was starting to think the conversation was winding down, he caught her off guard.

“You don’t really have any relatives helping you out, do you?”

The sudden question cut deep, making her pause. Her gaze, drifting back to the bowl of porridge, snapped to him.

Yeon-ha’s face was expressionless as she stared at him; the room filled with a heavy silence. Their eyes locked, and the tension in the air was palpable, broken only by the faint creak of the window frame in the cold draft.

In that quiet moment, Yeon-ha realized that he already knew the answer. What was the point of trying to save face now with a weak excuse? Maybe he’d known all along.

Min-gyu noticed the dimming light in her eyes, and his expression darkened, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes following her wavering gaze with an intensity that made her uneasy.

“But first, let’s clear something up.”

“…”

“When someone else says this, it’s usually complete nonsense, you get that?”

What? The abruptness of his words made her eyes widen slightly. Seeing her pale face looking back at him, something in his expression shifted, turning cold and sharp in an instant.

“Especially if it’s a guy saying it? That’s really messed up. If anyone says that, they’re a total jerk. You should just report them right away.”

What’s this…? The sudden barrage of swear words made everything spin. Yeon-ha’s lips parted in shock. The man’s anger was so palpable it felt like he might explode any moment. He locked eyes with her, his gaze intense as he let out a rough breath.

“But I’ll make an exception this one time.”

His voice softened, but his words still carried weight.

“…Not here. Come downstairs.”

“Huh?”

“To the first floor. Come to where I live.”

“…”

For a moment, Yeon-ha thought he meant he’d let her move to a different room. Maybe he was offering to make it easier for her, given the difficulty of moving up and down stairs with crutches. It was a silly thought, but it was all she could think at that moment. The suggestion was so unexpected.

But Min-gyu didn’t give her time to linger on her misunderstanding. Seeing her dazed expression, he clarified again, speaking as gently as he could.

“Until your ankle heals, let’s live together.”

What?

Before Yeon-ha could even question her ears, he continued.

“While you’re with me, I’ll take care of everything for you.”

His words struck a chord, tightening a part of her heart. It wasn’t just a matter of liking or disliking; it felt like something was squeezing her chest, making it hard to breathe… It was a strange feeling.

Her gaze met his anxious face, and he seemed to sense she was still confused. Perhaps he thought he hadn’t explained enough. He spoke more quickly.

“I want to stay by your side until your leg is fully healed. Just to make sure you’re comfortable and get better. I don’t want you to get any wrong ideas, so don’t worry. You just need to eat, sleep, and rest. I’ll take care of your meals and hospital visits, that sort of thing. Just focus on getting better.”

“…”

“You’re struggling to eat properly because of your leg, right? That’s why you’re still in pain. Do you think I want to be doing this? So I…”

“Why?”

Her question slipped out, cutting off the man’s rambling. As he exhaled a deep breath, lips pressed tightly together, Yeon-ha found herself tensing up without realizing it.

“Why are you doing all of these?”