SMW 6

“Of course I can. I mean, what are friends for? We should help each other out in times like this. Let’s just go, get some proper rest, and think about the rest later.”

Both of us knew very well that we weren’t actually friends. The reason I didn’t bother insisting on that fact all day was likely the same reason Choi Seol was clinging to my wrist. Right now, he might be like a chick that had just hatched from its shell. Since I was the only person he knew upon waking up with no memories, he might actually be relying on me. Even if he acted composed on the surface, he was desperate. I couldn’t just ignore that.

It’ll be fine, right?

Even while holding his hand and feeling his body heat, my heart didn’t ache as if it were dying, nor did it flutter like it used to. Then again, Choi Seol wasn’t the only person I had loved over the past ten years, so perhaps this was only natural.

It was probably just because it was my first love and it had remained unfulfilled that it felt so poignant. I had simply been shaken for a moment by this sudden reunion. But I didn’t think that would happen again. Even if I wavered a little, I was no longer the seventeen-year-old Han Yeo-reum. I was a twenty-seven-year-old adult who, at the very least, knew how to manage my own emotions.

It’ll only be a few days at most, so what could possibly go wrong?

With such complacent thoughts, I pulled Choi Seol along, wearing a reasonably mature smile.

“Shall we go then?”

“Watch your step coming up, and just sit here for a moment.”

Welcoming a sudden guest was always hectic. I pulled a floor chair over for Choi Seol, who had followed me up onto the wooden veranda, and slid open the paper doors leading to stolen contentthe [stolen content]backyard. Just in case, I dragged over a fan and turned it on, and soon a decent breeze began to flow through.

“It’s cool,” Choi Seol said, his voice sounding much more relaxed as he felt the wind while looking around. I was glad he seemed to like it.

“Right? Since it’s a hanok, most places are cool if you just stay still. It helps that there’s a mountain behind it. Even on days like this, I don’t think about the air conditioner at all.”

“Is this where you live?”

“Not exactly; this is my mother’s family home. Five years ago, my maternal grand—… anyway, it’s empty except during the holidays, so I’m staying here for a bit on the condition that I maintain the place.”

I almost mentioned that my Maternal Grandmother had passed away, but I quickly glossed over it. While ten years had passed for me, it might have only been a few days ago for Choi Seol, and I was cautious not to accidentally trigger a memory of her death.

“Then what about school?”

Fortunately, his thoughts didn’t seem to linger there.

“I’m enrolled, but I’m currently on a leave of absence after finishing my military service.”

“You went to the army?”

He looked as if he were hearing the strangest thing in the world. Suddenly remembering the cigarette incident at the hospital, I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders.

“Every man in Korea gets dragged there, so why the surprise? You probably went too.”

“…Did I?”

Seeing Choi Seol’s expression darken rapidly, I regretted saying it. I thought I only had to be careful about the maternal side of the family, but for a seventeen-year-old who had lost his memory, every detail about the present seemed to act like a switch for a bomb.

“Is this your first time in a hanok?”

In my heart, I wanted to bolt into my room as quickly as possible, but since things had turned out this way, I felt I should give him a tour of the house to change his mood. Since it was a traditional house with a fair bit of history, I assumed it would be his first time, but Choi Seol didn’t answer immediately.

“I’ve been to one once before. But I left quickly.”

The voice that emerged after a brief silence was quite heavy. Was he talking about a trip? Or a school field trip? Seeing as he remembered it, it didn’t seem to be something that happened after he became an adult. I was curious, but wondering if I had stepped on another landmine, I couldn’t ask further as Choi Seol’s face remained clouded. When things couldn’t be salvaged, the best option was to flee.

“I’ll be back in a bit. Feel free to look around the house if you’re bored.”

I intentionally circled around the veranda to enter my room, revealing the cluttered interior. I should have run the vacuum. For some reason, the dust seemed especially visible today, and a sigh escaped me. That was why I had been in such a rush as soon as I got home.

I had bragged at the hospital about there being many rooms, but the only place in this house where one could immediately enter and rest was this room where I stayed. The others were only used during the holidays, so I only cleaned them about once a month. And the next cleaning day was a week away.

The only saving grace was that I could prepare the guest bedding immediately. I had washed them and kept them in the wardrobe, so I just needed to air them out in the sun. First, though, the floor needed cleaning.

I flung open the windows and roughly folded the blanket I had kicked off this morning. As I picked up items scattered on the floor and shoved them haphazardly into the bookshelf, a book that had crushed my toe this morning caught my eye. My [Read on Read BL Novels]frantic visit our sitemovements stopped instantly. In slow motion, I pulled out the book and stared at the cover featuring a little wizard.

Come to think of it, it was quite strange. I had taken it out from time to time until I graduated high school, but after twenty, it was a book I simply kept in storage. I didn’t know why I had suddenly wanted to take it out last night.

And then I met Choi Seol today. In a way, it was a remarkable coincidence. Or perhaps fate.

Strictly speaking, ‘fate’ was the more fitting word. Of course, that’s if either I or Choi Seol had been a girl. In this country, where people still couldn’t understand a man liking another man, there was a high probability that I’d be the only crazy one. Yeah, fate my ass.

Let’s just clean up.

Choi Seol must not see this. If he took it lightly, it might end as a pleasant trip down memory lane, but it was a book that could potentially cause a massive misunderstanding. Even if it wasn’t a misunderstanding for me, it would be different for Choi Seol. Just as I was looking around, wondering where to hide the book…

“Han Yeo-reum?”

“Gah!”

At Choi Seol’s sudden appearance, I dropped the book, and it landed right on the bridge of my foot. Stars flashed before my eyes, and a searing pain rushed in. I collapsed to the floor, clutching my foot.

“Are you okay?”

Gasp, no. Don’t come here!

He couldn’t find the book. Despite the pain, I grew desperate. I pretended to [Read on Read BL Novels]lean against the bookshelf and quickly unauthorized copyshoved the book into the gap between the shelf unauthorized copyand the floor. Immediately after, Choi Seol arrived in front of me.

“Let me see. Are you bleeding?”

“…It was just a light bump, so I’m fine.”

The pain was one thing, but my heart was pounding wildly from the crisis of almost getting the book discovered. It felt as if I had returned to the days when my first love was still in progress. Let’s not be mistaken. This was simply a thief feeling guilty.

“I see you’re still the same with these things.”

Despite my saying I was fine, Choi Seol stared at my foot held in my hand and let out a sigh-like comment. I wanted to ask what he meant, but seeing him genuinely worried, I shut my mouth. I felt as if his blessed visuals were alleviating the pain. At times like this, I wondered if I had fallen for that stunning beauty. As I was staring blankly, Choi Seol brought me back to my senses.

“By the way, I think you dropped a book…”

As his gaze scanned the area, I swallowed hard and quickly racked my brain.

“Uh, I don’t know. Did it bounce away? I don’t see it.”

How far could it have bounced with that weight? I sneakily lowered my gaze toward the bottom of the bookshelf. Just as I was tensing up, worried about whether it was well-hidden, Choi Seol reached his hand toward that spot.

“Did it go in here?”

“W-wait a second!”

For the second time today, I succeeded in grabbing my first love’s hand. Making eye contact was a bonus.

“It’s just… you know, I’m worried your hand will get dirty. There’s a lot of dust here. I’ll just take it out later.”

I gave a plausible excuse to Choi Seol, who had frozen again at my sudden action. However, his expression didn’t soften. I thought about letting go of his hand, but fearing he would go straight for the book, I remained stuck in limbo. That was when…

“Meow.”

Huh? That sound… Gasp!

At the faint meowing coming from outside the wide-open window, Choi Seol’s head turned. It was just one thing after another. There were only two stray cats in this neighborhood that meowed like that. One of them was Il-sun-i, the primary cause of Choi Seol’s accident.

“Do you have a cat?”

“No! It’s just, a stray. I have absolutely nothing to do with it, but there are some that come by for food occasionally.”

No matter how much memory he had lost, one could never be sure. He might seem subdued now because of the accident, but considering Choi Seol’s old personality, both Il-sun-i and I could be in danger if we got entangled.

So, Il-sun-i, please run away.

“Right! Do you want to wash up first?”

I raised my voice to divert Choi Seol’s attention, which kept drifting outside. I intentionally squeezed the hand I was holding, and Choi Seol looked back at me. His slightly widened eyes seemed bewildered. Then again, after suggesting he wash up, I felt a bit embarrassed myself. Still, since I had absolutely no—not even a little bit—of lewd intent, I confidently suggested it again.

“The whole village draws water from the mountain, so the water is very cool. Of course, there’s a boiler, so the hot water works well too. You’ll feel refreshed after washing. I’ll make food in the meantime.”

“Food?”

“You’re hungry. I am too.”

The only things I’d eaten from dawn until now were a piece of bread and a carton of milk bought at the hospital. And I’d spent the whole day. At this point, I desperately wanted to eat some freshly cooked rice with warm soybean paste soup.

“You have to take the medicine you were prescribed anyway, so you’ll need to fill your stomach. Do you like soybean paste soup? Or I could make steamed eggs.”

Since I’d lived alone since I was twenty, I was confident in my ability to cook to a certain extent, even if it wasn’t gourmet. Of course, I got a bit nervous thinking about cooking for Choi Seol, but right now, diverting his attention from the book and Il-sun-i was more important. Whether that desperation reached him or not, Choi Seol, who had been looking at me with a strange expression for a while, gave a light nod.

“Both are fine, but… I want to rest for a bit now.”

Only then did I notice the fatigue in his face and voice. Considering what Choi Seol had gone through today, it was only natural. That was exactly why I had brought him home.

“Alright. Then just wash up quickly and come out. I’ll get your bed ready.”

“…Thanks.”

“It’s nothing.”

I gave him a bright smile, fearing he might feel burdened. Choi Seol just stared at me intently.

Why isn’t he leaving? I’d said everything I needed to, so it was time to move. Yet, since he didn’t budge, I became anxious again. Was he planning to look for the book before washing? Or was he going to see Il-sun-i?

“Your hand… are you going to keep holding it like this?”