NILWM - 39

The time was well past midnight, at 1 AM, and it was quickly approaching 2 AM. Ye-seo sat in the far corner of the convenience store with a can of coffee in front of her, anxiously looking at her phone.

He didn’t get into an accident or anything, did he?

She had never been there before, but she knew his office was near Park Sung-joon’s officetel. It wasn’t even a time for traffic, so it was already way past the time he should have arrived. Just as she was about to call him, unable to bear the wait, she heard the convenience store door open.

“Ye-seo.”

Han Joo-hyuk walked toward her in a long coat. His eyes were tired, and his jawline was thinner, but he wasn’t as haggard as she had imagined.

“Senior...”

“I’m sorry, I’m so late. A coding error came up on my way here, so I had to go back to the office to fix it. Why are you dressed like that? Did you come out in those clothes?”

Ye-seo tightly pressed her lips together and just nodded. She felt that if she opened her mouth any further, she would burst into tears. He, who had appeared in the desolate winter cold and the empty convenience store, felt like a savior.

“Let’s go. Let’s talk in the car.”

He took off his coat and draped it over Ye-seo’s shoulders. It was only after they got into the car, which was parked behind the building, that tears started pouring out. She felt Han Joo-hyuk turn to look at her as he turned on the heater. The tears, which had burst out like a dam breaking, showed no signs of stopping.

He leaned over the console box and gently held her. He patted her affectionately, but he didn’t tell her not to cry.

Han Joo-hyuk waited in silence until she calmed down. When she finally did, he wiped her eyes and cheeks with a tissue, but this time, too, he didn’t pressure her to tell him what was wrong. It seemed that he had decided to wait patiently until she was ready to talk.

“I... had a fight with my mom.”

Ye-seo sniffled and took a deep breath before giving him a rough outline of the situation. By the time she finished talking, the clock on the dashboard was approaching 3 AM.

“Should I go say hello to your mother?”

Han Joo-hyuk intertwined his fingers with hers and asked her seriously.

“First, in order of priority, I’ll make it clear that I’m your boyfriend so that she never brings up Choi In-ha again. And next.”

He continued speaking seriously.

“What do you think about moving out?”

“What? That’s...”

“This is about your family, so I’m being very careful about what I say... but unless your mother fundamentally changes her values or her way of thinking, I think this situation will continue in the future.”

“...”

“Other people will never change to be the way you want them to be. No matter if they’re your parents or your family. So the only way for things to change is for you to be the one who changes. Or you can completely conform to your mother’s way of thinking. If you can’t do that, you have to create some distance.”

He wasn’t wrong. To be precise, everything he said was right. It was an extremely cool-headed and logical piece of advice from an outsider’s perspective. But it was realistically difficult to put into practice.

“I agree with what you’re saying, Senior, but I don’t have the money to live on my own...”

Just then, her phone buzzed faintly. It was her mother. While she hesitated about what to do, the call ended. Soon after, a text message was sent.

[It’s almost 3 AM. Where are you? Aren’t you coming home?]

The tone was sharp, but it seemed she was still worried.

“Who is it? Is it your mother?”

“Yes. Just a moment...”

Ye-seo hesitated for a moment and then sent a text.

[I’m at a friend’s house. I’ll go back tomorrow.]

“I told her I’m at a friend’s house... and that I’ll go back tomorrow. I can’t stay away forever, but... I don’t want to run into my mom right now.”

She said that, but she sighed, feeling weak again. Han Joo-hyuk seemed to have roughly figured out the situation and started the car.

“I’m going to a hotel for now. You can sleep there and go back tomorrow.”

“What? A hotel?”

“I’ll go to a place that’s a reasonable distance from here. I’m not thinking about anything else, so you don’t have to worry.”

“It’s okay, Senior. I can just go to a jjimjilbang or a 24-hour manga cafe and go back in the morning...”

“I can’t be at ease with that.”

He mumbled to himself as he drove off.

“What kind of crazy guy would be okay with his girlfriend spending the night alone in a place like that? It’s dangerous.”

His tone was calm, but he seemed quite displeased.

“Then let’s talk about you moving out or living alone again later. If you were a stranger, I wouldn’t have just let it slide, but you’re family.”

He trailed off as if he was frustrated. A heavy sigh followed. Ye-seo looked back at him in the driver’s seat. She was happy that she suddenly had a reliable guardian. It was a separate feeling from the frustration she felt about the conflict with her mother.

“I feel like I have someone on my side for the first time.”

“...”

“Until my dad passed away, he was the only one...”

“From now on, don’t hold back and contact me right away. No matter what happens.”

“Thank you, Senior. But you’re busy a lot of the time... I’m worried I’ll be a bothersome burden to you...”

“Don’t think like that. Knowing your personality, if you’re at the point where you can’t hold it in anymore, it must be something serious. You’re not just nagging me to come see you because you can’t meet me... That’s a serious matter, so you don’t have to hesitate.”

“Okay... I understand.”

Ye-seo nodded. She was so happy that he said that. But inwardly, she resolved to control herself. Even today, she had impulsively contacted him even though she knew he was extremely busy. She felt sorry to him, but the selfish feeling that she was glad she had contacted him was even stronger.

The moment the car entered the hotel grounds, Ye-seo’s head shot up. Her eyes were wide with surprise. It was a 5-star hotel, one of the biggest and most luxurious in downtown Seoul, that was sometimes featured in dramas and variety shows.

“Senior? This is...”

“It’s the room I booked last time and then postponed, so I can use it today. I’ll just see you get to sleep and then I’ll leave. Let’s get out.”

Ye-seo got out of the car in a daze. Until they got into the elevator and entered the room, she wore his coat and had her hoodie pulled over her head. It had been a long time since she had been in a hotel since her high school field trip, so it felt unfamiliar. To be honest, it was more than just being in a top-of-the-line hotel she had never even imagined; she was just incredibly embarrassed to be in a hotel alone with a man.

“What’s wrong? Look up.”

“It’s just...”

“We’re both adults, so it’s not like we’re in a forbidden place. And we’re not having an affair.”

He chuckled. Even though he said that, as soon as they got out of the elevator, he pulled her into a tight hug to cover her face even more. As they walked to the room at the end of the hall, Han Joo-hyuk gently squeezed her cheek.

“But I was a little surprised. Your bare face.”

“What?”

Ye-seo was startled and pulled away from him. It suddenly dawned on her that she was completely bare-faced. Oh, what do I do? When she saw him at school, she had at least put on some cushion foundation or compact powder.

“Oh, what should I do? I look a little dull... right?”

“Not at all. You look like a baby bunny. So white and soft.”

When Ye-seo tried to lower her head again, he pinched her cheek affectionately and brought the card key to the room door. With a cheerful sound, the door opened.

The room was as clean and beautiful as a painting. The glittering night view beyond the large glass window on one side, combined with the snow sculpture decorations in the annex garden, was dazzling.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful...!”

“You’ll have some hot chocolate, right? Go wash up, drink that, and then go to sleep. I have to get back.”

Han Joo-hyuk disappeared into a small area that looked like a home bar. Ye-seo hesitated for a moment and then headed to the bathroom. The bathroom, which was equipped with both a jacuzzi bathtub and a standing shower, was bigger than her room. She couldn’t even guess how much a night in this room would cost.

And he had reserved this room that day... the day we decided to start dating?

Her heart swelled once again. To think he had planned to spend their first time in such a magnificent room.

Ye-seo quickly brushed her teeth and turned on the standing shower. She wanted to wash up in the jacuzzi bathtub, but she was worried about her senior waiting for her in the room. She washed her body in a rush in just 5 minutes, like she did at home, roughly dried her hair, and put on the white bathrobe from the hanger.

Han Joo-hyuk was nowhere to be seen. The living room, which was brightly lit, was completely silent. She went to the dark bedroom on the opposite side.

“Senior...?”

He was lying in a corner of the king-sized bed, motionless. His broad chest, under his sweater, was moving up and down with his regular breaths.

Her heart ached. How tired must he be to be sleeping so soundly, like he was dead? But after feeling sorry for him for a moment, Ye-seo reached out her hand to his shoulder. She wanted to let him sleep more, but he might need to go back to his office quickly. Just then, a phone vibrated with a faint buzzing sound from the living room.

A mug and his phone were on the side table in the home bar area. Just as Ye-seo was about to reach out her hand, a text message popped up on the screen.

[CEO Han. We’ve finished up the rough stuff, and we’re heading home now.]

More messages popped up.

[I’ll be back in time for the video conference this afternoon.]

Ah, so he doesn’t have to go back right away. That’s a relief.

A smile unconsciously formed on her face out of relief. Ye-seo brought the hot chocolate he had made to her lips. It had cooled down to a lukewarm temperature, but it was sweet. Even though it was probably a common instant mix, it felt like the most delicious hot chocolate she had ever had.

Ye-seo turned off the living room light and looked at the night view for a moment before going into the bedroom. She had thought about sleeping on the sofa so as not to wake him, but lying down wasn’t as comfortable as sitting up.

Han Joo-hyuk was still sleeping as if he were dead. Ye-seo gently put her finger under his straight nose. Luckily, she could feel his breath.

Despite his well-built physique, the bed was very wide. It was already almost 4 AM. She turned off the lights and lay down next to him, but she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind was more alert than ever. She still couldn’t believe that Han Joo-hyuk, of all people, was right next to her.

She gently turned her head and looked at his profile. He had his face turned the other way, so his long eyelashes, his dimensional nose, his sharp-looking jawline, and his Adam’s apple came into view in her dark-adapted vision.

Ye-seo looked at his profile for a long time before turning her head and closing her eyes. The dreamlike reality receded, and she remembered the situation from a few hours ago, when she had confronted her mother. The disappointment and sorrow toward her mother, who only cared about Jung-woo, welled up in her chest again.

Should I really move out, just as Senior said? If I work hard at my part-time job and find a share house near the school, I think I could manage somehow. But...

[It’s almost 3 AM. Where are you? Aren’t you coming home?]

It was the first time her mother had called her about her being out late at night. She had never contacted her before, not even when she had pulled all-nighters at the library during finals week, or even when she was a high school student.

But she’s still my mom. What would she do if I moved out right away, about the pharmacy and the housework...

In the end, her weakening resolve was sinking into the depths of her hazy consciousness. Her head was slowly tilting, and her body was soon snuggled up right next to Han Joo-hyuk.