Chapter 5.2

Chapter 5.2

“…”

Yeon-ha’s mouth fell open slightly. She wasn’t silent because she agreed but because she was astonished.

To be honest, she cried a lot when she was alone, but she had only shown tears in front of him once.

After the surgery, she was in so much pain that she wondered if something had gone wrong. Her foot would swell up alarmingly and then go back down, and her heel would throb intensely, sometimes causing her sleepless nights with unexpected back pain. Later, she learned that using crutches could cause imbalance, leading to back and shoulder pain, which reassured her a bit.

At the time, there was no one she could openly complain to or lean on but him. Would she ever fully recover?

She recalled a particularly bleak day. She barely touched the dinner Min-gyu had prepared and retreated to the room he had given her. As she quietly wiped away her tears, he had walked in, asking if she was cold, and saw her crying.

He asked if it hurt, and she said she was fine…

“You’re so soft-hearted,” he said and then, out of nowhere, pulled her into a hug. It was just days after they had started living together, and they had barely spoken. Such a gesture of affection was entirely new.

In the unexpected embrace, her pain momentarily faded. She was startled by the sudden hug but didn’t push him away, finding the unfamiliar sensation somewhat intriguing. Despite the awkwardness, she remained still, enveloped by his large frame.

She couldn’t remember how long they stayed like that. Suddenly, Min-gyu said he needed to step out and left the house. The next day, a large bed was delivered to the room. She didn’t see the connection between her tears and the bed, but it was clear he had done it for her.

In any case, she hadn’t cried her eyes out, nor had she asked him for a hug.

Yet Yeon-ha chose not to argue. Despite the uncertain future, she liked hearing that Min-gyu would be there when she had her surgery. He often made seemingly random comments that precisely hit the mark.

Feeling her spirits lift, Yeon-ha took another bite of meat. “Good to see you eating well,” she heard him say from across the table.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Why do I feel so happy when I see you eat?”

It was a bit strange. Min-gyu squinted slightly, smiling. Yeon-ha watched him silently. Since they started the meal, or rather since they left the house, Min-gyu seemed to be in a particularly good mood.

“You barely eat anything, so I’m happy to see you enjoying your food huh?”

Out of the blue, he spoke to her in an almost accusatory tone, gesturing towards the nearly empty bottle of soju.

“I’ll teach you how to drink someday.”

“…Drink?”

“Yeah. You’ve never had alcohol before, right?”

She nodded, and his well-shaped mouth curved into a deeper smile.

“Someone like you needs to learn how to drink properly. Though honestly, it’s best if you don’t drink at all…”

“What do you mean, ‘someone like me’?” she asked, sensing something off in his tone.

He shrugged.

“It’s just a thing.”

“…”

“When you go to college, you’ll have those MTs, right? And drinking parties. Learn everything from me first.”

‘Even if I go to college, I won’t drink.’

She didn’t say this out loud. As Yeon-ha quietly sipped her drink, Min-gyu called the waiter to order more meat and soju. She was already full, but soon, her plate was piled high with meat again. She tried to protest, but he ignored her as usual.

“Hold on a sec.”

Hearing a series of messages coming in, Min-gyu put down his tongs and pulled out his phone. Yeon-ha glanced at him, noticing how small the phone looked in his large hands.

From being around him, she had learned that Min-gyu didn’t seem to have many close friends or frequent contacts. Of course, she could be wrong. She didn’t know exactly what he did when he went out, but she knew he worked various jobs. Based on the hours he kept and occasional comments, she guessed he mostly did day labor. She had never asked him for details.

‘Is it work again?’

She found it curious that despite being her age, he never mentioned anything about college, yet talked about teaching her to drink when she went.

Her gaze wandered over his face, taking in his thick, dark eyebrows, cool eyes, sharply defined nose, and tightly closed lips. She then moved down to his strong jawline, broad shoulders, muscular arms, and, finally, large hands.

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