Chapter 116
I suddenly woke up with a start in the early morning.
I blinked my eyes while tossing and turning in a bed that felt somehow different from usual.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the dim interior of the room came into view.
Ah, right, we came to a motel. My last memories quickly came back to me.
Joo Kwon-oh was sleeping next to me.
Rubbing my eyes, I checked the digital clock on the wall. It was 3 AM.
So I must have slept for about two hours.
Perhaps because of the unfamiliar sleeping environment, I couldn’t fall into a deep sleep even after we had been intimate a few more times in bed after coming out of the bathroom.
Although my body was tired, I felt I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I just stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. Then, getting bored, I turned to my side and observed the sleeping Joo Kwon-oh.
Earlier, I didn’t have a chance to look at his face closely because I was slightly tipsy and we were intimate after a long time. I thought this was a good opportunity.
Being able to observe Joo Kwon-oh’s sleeping face up close, even if dimly, made me feel so good that I didn’t even notice my fatigue.
I traced his sharp-looking eyes, high nose bridge, and defined jawline one by one. Seeing his lips with a small wound made my heart flutter but also ache. I firmly resolved to be more careful when kissing in the future.
…Oh my, come to think of it, I said I’d draw during the break, but I haven’t done anything at all. I even forgot that I was going to use Joo Kwon-oh as a model because I was so caught up in dating.
When we were at home, we were busy cooking and eating together, or rolling around in bed watching Netflix after sex, so drawing took a back seat.
To think I haven’t captured this handsome face even once. I have a boyfriend from the Business Department, none other than Joo Kwon-oh, and yet as an art student, I haven’t taken advantage of this benefit at all.
I raised my hand and carefully traced the outline of Joo Kwon-oh’s face in the air. I wanted to touch him directly, but I decided to be content with just looking at him up close, afraid of waking him up.
Right now, I just wanted this tranquility to continue. I wanted to enjoy this long-missed comfort for as long as possible.
As I gazed at him for a long time, naturally, the conversations we had shared came back to me one by one.
The fact that he met his friends during the period when we were having a cold war was partly a misunderstanding, so that no longer bothered me.
As for Lee Sung-rok sunbae, who was the biggest problem… Although nothing has been concretely resolved yet, and it’s not an area where we can find a resolution, I felt strangely relieved that he said he would be leaving soon.
Of course, I was still wary and afraid of the worst-case scenario I had been imagining in my head. But even if strange rumors spread in the department because of that sunbae, I didn’t just want to run away blindly like before.
The fear of people’s gazes still existed, but when I thought about it calmly, there were hardly any people around me who would disapprove of me dating Joo Kwon-oh.
Maybe Bae Yu-rim would… be a little surprised at first, but soon become indifferent. She might offer a word of congratulations, but after that, I don’t think she’d pay much attention. Honestly, she wasn’t that interested in me normally anyway.
If anyone would make a fuss, it would be Kim Jae-hyun. But considering he once said he was a fan of a gay Hollywood actor, he might surprisingly not think much of it.
Even though these are just speculations, maybe I don’t need to be so frightened.
Of course, even this level of attention was burdensome for me. But if it was a gateway I had to endure to be with Joo Kwon-oh… I felt somewhat mentally prepared now.
However, I still didn’t want to make Joo Kwon-oh a spectacle for others because of me. Even though he said he didn’t care what others thought or saw…
As these unsettling thoughts kept chaining together, I remembered the conversation I had with Joo Kwon-oh just before falling asleep in bed.
‘Did you get the final results for the job fair?’
‘Ah, that. I did get in, but I wasn’t assigned to the department I applied for.’
‘So what are you going to do?’
‘I was planning to just do it if it overlapped even a little with the work I originally wanted to learn. But it’s a completely different area, so I’m thinking of quitting.’
In the end, Joo Kwon-oh got accepted as a job fair staff but couldn’t get the job he wanted.
He also completely fell out with Lee Sung-rok sunbae, who had promised to help him get placed in the department he hoped for, so perhaps this was the expected outcome.
‘Peach.’
‘…’
‘This is a problem between that bastard and me, so don’t worry unnecessarily.’
Seeing my expression harden, Joo Kwon-oh said playfully while lightly pinching my cheek.
I nodded. There’s no use in blaming myself for something that can’t be undone anyway.
‘You understand, right?’
‘Yeah. So what are you going to do now? Will you apply again next year?’
‘I don’t know yet. There must be other ways.’
‘What kind of ways?’
‘Um… well.’
Joo Kwon-oh trailed off, which was unlike him. Honestly, maybe because of the alcohol, I was feeling sleepy and didn’t find his response strange at the time.
I fell asleep before I could properly ask what other ways he meant.
Well, anyway. Since the breakup was nullified, it was fortunate that I could now give Joo Kwon-oh the birthday gift I had prepared without worrying.
It was good that I prepared it in advance.
…Huh? Wait. Birthday gift? Come to think of it, did I bring it with me from the bar?
I suddenly froze as if cold water had been poured over me. It felt like I was wide awake now.
No matter how distracted I was, to think I left Joo Kwon-oh’s birthday gift at the bar.
I sighed involuntarily while rubbing my face. The digital clock on the wall showed it was still 3:20 AM.
What should I do? Should I call now to check if the box is there and ask them to keep it separately?
After various considerations, I concluded that I should go there in person.
Someone might have taken the box in the meantime, or an employee might have thrown it away by mistake. If I went now, I could at least search through the trash, so it was better to go get it as soon as possible while I remembered.
Anyway, it was less than a 5-minute distance from the motel to the bar.
As soon as I made up my mind, I quietly got out of bed so as not to wake Joo Kwon-oh. Then, like a thief, I tiptoed around picking up scattered clothes and putting them on.
I remembered that my T-shirt got completely wet when I took it off in the bathroom earlier. Checking, it seemed Joo Kwon-oh had hung it on a hanger while I was asleep. Given the hot weather and the thinness of the fabric, it was already almost dry.
After getting fully dressed, I grabbed my phone and hurriedly left the motel room.
Being in an unfamiliar place, I felt a bit intimidated walking through the corridor, but with the sole purpose of finding the birthday gift, I rushed outside without hesitation.
Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to find my way since the bar was nearby. After arriving at my destination in a few minutes, I confirmed that the bar sign was still brightly lit and went down to the basement.
Just like when I left this place a few hours ago, soft music was flowing from the speakers installed outside.
“I’m sorry, but we’re closing… Oh? You’re back?”
The manager, who was wiping glasses, recognized me and greeted me.
Unlike earlier, the interior was quiet with all the customers gone. It seemed like the few remaining staff were cleaning up. I approached the manager.
“I left something behind earlier. Did you happen to see two gift boxes about this big…?”
“Lost items should be… Ah, is this what you’re talking about?”
The manager tilted his head for a moment, then put down the glass he was wiping and went into the staff office.
Shortly after, the manager came out holding a shopping bag.
“An employee found this while cleaning the table. Is this it?”
“…Ah, yes! That’s it!”
I exclaimed after checking the contents. Fortunately, the gifts were exactly as they were when I first brought them to the bar. Both the strap and the two perfumes were intact, with no crumpled or torn packaging.
“Thank you. I was worried I might have forgotten something important.”
“That’s good. I guess you were still hanging around nearby. Seeing how you rushed here at this hour.”
“Haha…”
“Well then, take care on your way back.”
I awkwardly laughed, said goodbye, and left the bar.
I almost lost the gift I had prepared after over a month of careful consideration.
“Phew.”
Standing in front of the brightly flashing sign, catching my breath, I felt like having a cigarette.
Holding the shopping bag, I habitually rummaged through my pants pocket. Fortunately, my e-cigarette was there.
Since I was already out, I might as well smoke before going back. I checked the capsule inside and put the tip in my mouth.
Meanwhile, wondering if Joo Kwon-oh might have woken up and tried to contact me, I checked my phone and saw a missed call from my mom.
“Ah.”
Only then did I realize that I had been staying at my parents’ house these days.
They must have been worried since I didn’t come home without saying anything. Today had been so hectic that I completely forgot to contact them.
Fortunately or unfortunately, my sister often stayed out overnight, so our family was quite lenient about not coming home.
Still, feeling that my mom must have been worried, I left her a KakaoTalk message.
Having finished smoking and sent a message to my mom, I started walking back to the motel.
But as soon as I took a step, I bumped shoulders with someone. The impact caused the shopping bag I was loosely holding to fall to the ground.
“I’m sorry.”
If there was someone in this alley at this hour, they must be drunk. I thought I might get into unnecessary trouble for not watching where I was going.
Thinking this was bad, I was about to pick up the shopping bag when:
“Right, you should be sorry for coming to a place like this without telling your boyfriend.”
“…Huh?”
Hearing the familiar voice, I looked up and met eyes with Joo Kwon-oh, who was looking down at me with his arms crossed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
