My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 12

Ep. 11

I started dating Yeon-hoo again.

That confession, so foolishly made without even telling him my name.

I managed to reach him somehow.

‘To be honest, I like you too. Want to try dating?’

That day, your confession, slightly fueled by alcohol,

Reached me, even if just a little.

—

After starting to date again, Yeon-hoo and I had many conversations. Most of it was stuff I already knew, but I was so happy to be able to talk to him again and reminisce.

Also, unlike back then when we started dating after already having some interaction, your current self, shyly making eye contact and then looking away,

Was so cute.

I could feel Yeon-hoo before he met me so clearly, which initially made me feel a bit lonely, but now that I have more time to spend with him.

Every moment now feels so precious.

When we took a two-shot [a photo of two people together] together, I could see that he was tense and stiff.

Yeon-hoo in the first photo he’s ever taken in this life was awkward all over,

But it was a treasure-like photo that I’ll never have again.

So much so that I want to keep it forever.

So, I set it as my profile picture, and of course, I asked Yeon-hoo to do the same with a bit of aegyo [acting cute in a childlike way].

Just in case, if there were any connections I didn’t know about.

So that anyone could see at a glance that we were dating.

—

I made plans to go on a date with Yeon-hoo on Saturday, and it was Friday when we were just sending texts.

I know that no matter how much you like someone, it’s hard to see them every day, even if you’re dating. So, I thought I’d try to endure it for a day, so I didn’t go, and I told Yeon-hoo not to come either.

But we kept having short conversations between classes. Just a few hours gap in the evening.

And I felt surprisingly empty, as if my heart was hollow.

Even though it was me who decided to refrain from texting during self-study time because I needed to study. But when I actually did that, my body just felt more restless.

Without even changing out of my school uniform, I wandered around the house and eventually couldn’t stand it and headed to Yeon-hoo’s school on time.

Yeon-hoo was taken aback when he saw me, who had said I wouldn’t come, but he soon smiled and welcomed me.

I felt relieved.

I know he wouldn’t hate me or be disgusted by me for just this, but I didn’t want to receive even the slightest bit of hatred, not even a fragment of it.

From Yeon-hoo.

I just wanted to receive love.

—

Saturday arrived.

The day of my date with Yeon-hoo.

As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, I felt like I was going to burst into tears.

When was it, I can’t even remember now.

The last date I had before I learned about love.

And the date I was going to have after belatedly learning about love, but ultimately couldn’t meet Yeon-hoo for.

I wanted to overwrite all those memories.

Even though Yeon-hoo didn’t love me yet.

It was something I could work on little by little.

However.

What if Yeon-hoo doesn’t arrive at the meeting place again? Even while putting on makeup with all my might in the morning, I couldn’t control my trembling body.

I was anxious even after sending a message to Yeon-hoo.

I know he’s coming by subway, but even so.

I even thought about going to Yeon-hoo’s house and leaving together, but if I did that, I felt like I would never be able to shake it off for the rest of my life.

The car took everything from me in my previous life.

But it didn’t become a trauma.

Clearly, it took everything away,

But it was an opportunity for me to learn something so important.

Because it made me realize my love for Yeon-hoo.

—

I arrive an hour early than the agreed time and wait for him.

Because I wanted you to come and meet me waiting.

I was sure Yeon-hoo would come earlier than the agreed time, so I arrived at a more leisurely time. I waited, staring at my phone anxiously for about 30 minutes.

He arrived.

Because there are so many people waiting for appointments or passing by, he pushed through the endlessly dense crowd at a leisurely pace.

You came to me.

I could meet you this time.

“Yeon-hoo!!”

I couldn’t hide my happy heart and ran to him.

Holding Yeon-hoo’s hands tightly with both of mine, I braced myself. If I relaxed even for a moment, I felt like tears would flow.

Thank you, Yeon-hoo.

For coming this time, without being late.

—

I was relieved to have met him safely.

After talking for a while, he took my hand.

Not interlocking fingers, just normally.

A corner of my heart stung a little.

‘Interlocking fingers?’

‘We’re dating, so holding hands to this extent is…’

Right, you approached me like that. I’ll try as much as you did, or even more.

I let go of Yeon-hoo’s hand and re-grabbed it, interlocking our fingers.

“I like holding hands like this. Because we’re dating.”

Yeon-hoo nodded, saying he understood.

Seeing the corners of his lips twitching, I knew he was happy, so the lump in my heart quickly disappeared.

“Oh, I almost forgot to say.”

“You look really pretty today. I was so surprised as soon as I came up from the subway station.”

Moreover, his words that I was pretty.

Made my face bloom with a smile.

—

I hold hands with him and walk down the street together.

Lying in the hospital room, I dreamed of these days.

While undergoing rehabilitation, I hoped for these days.

The self that worked so hard for this moment flashed through my mind. It was a painful and difficult time, but all those processes made my heart for Yeon-hoo grow bigger and bigger.

The fact that I’m walking with Yeon-hoo at this moment filled my whole body with happiness. I wanted to do anything for the lovely him.

‘You know I love street stalls, right?’

‘Eating in places like this, that junk food feeling is amazing.’

‘Hee-na! You have to try a bite! Just one bite!’

Passing by the street stalls lined up on the street, I remember the words you used to say.

That you liked so much.

That I disliked a little because of the slightly unsanitary feeling.

That kind of street food.

‘Hee-na, my family used to go to the East Sea every summer, and there’s a five-day market that opens up with lots of street stalls every other week during the summer season? That’s the pinnacle of hidden 맛집 [matjib – a popular or well-known restaurant]… Seriously, let’s definitely go together later. You’ll definitely like it there too. If you go, you’ll see it’s cleaner than you think?’

“You know what? There’s a festival in the East Sea in the summer, and the street food there is so delicious?”

Actually, I don’t know.

In the end, I couldn’t go with you.

But I want to go together this time.

Leaving behind a conversation that was like foreshadowing a trip to the sea together later, I headed to the street stalls that he was currently eyeing.

At this time, I had been focusing all my energy on studying, so I had mostly saved up the allowance I had received. I always went shopping for cosmetics and clothes with my parents or older brother, so I hardly spent my own money.

So, I impulsively stepped forward to buy him things. I know it’s not good to be too one-sided, but I just wanted to do it for him.

On the bench where we sat down in the middle, I took out the scarf I had prepared in advance and spread it out.

He seemed surprised by my actions.

It’s nothing, Yeon-hoo.

I learned it all from you.

From you, who always thought of me first and was considerate of me.

—

We stopped by an eyeglasses store.

He doesn’t wear glasses now, but I knew that his eyesight wasn’t very good.

However, there was no need to get them right away, and even if he were to get them, I couldn’t let him spend money on cheap ones. It would cost quite a bit to get the lenses properly fitted.

I could buy them for him, but he would definitely refuse.

“Should I buy one for fashion?”

I was overjoyed at your words.

And the sight of you wearing the glasses I gave you overlapped so much with the you from before.

I held back.

I held back the stinging in my eyes with joy and laughter.

I pondered and pondered and chose a frame for him, and when he ended up paying for it, I hid my disappointment and asked the owner to wrap rubber around it.

When you first got glasses, you didn’t know that the metal frame would cause an allergic reaction on your skin, so you suffered for quite a while.

It’s a relief that that won’t happen this time.

—

Looking around the movie theater, we went into the arcade next to it. Memories are flooding back.

Whenever I watched a movie, I always visited this shopping mall, and I always stopped by here at least once while waiting for the movie.

I knew he wouldn’t be interested in the small game machines, and looking around, I found a familiar basketball game.

Every time, you would grab it, saying you would only play it once, and I would always just watch from the side.

Thinking, you’re good.

After the accident, I regretted and regretted everything. But more than anything, I regretted missing the opportunity to do something together with you.

Even the rehabilitation, which was said to be so successful, couldn’t even allow me to run normally like others.

I wanted to try everything you liked.

So, for the first time, combining the past and the present, I stood next to you, who was holding a basketball.

And I also grabbed the ball with both hands. It’s probably different from a real ball, but I felt like this is what it feels like.

You liked this ball so much.

And I’m only grabbing this ball now.

With a slightly gloomy heart, I threw the ball with all my might with both hands. When I succeeded several times in a row, Yeon-hoo smiled and said that we could play basketball together.

I thought that would be nice too.

I wouldn’t be actually playing a game, but I wanted to at least pass the ball back and forth with him on the court where he was running around.

After throwing it a couple more times, I felt my shoulders stiffen quickly, probably because it was putting more strain on my arms than I thought. So, I held a basketball for a while to rest and watched Yeon-hoo, who was concentrating next to me.

He was so engrossed in the game that he had become silent.

Clearly, there were many different aspects of Yeon-hoo in the previous life and the present.

Because he’s still young, and because the emotions at the start of the relationship are different, he didn’t have as much consideration and 余裕 [yoyuu -余裕 (yoyuu) means composure, or having room to spare, both in a physical and mental sense] as he did back then.

And your 모습 [moseup – appearance], who was very comfortable with me because we started dating as close friends.

Has turned into an innocent child who is nervous about every little thing his girlfriend does.

But, even so.

Your gentle smile remained unchanged.

The face you make when you’re worried about me, when you realize that your consideration is a little lacking.

The way you desperately try to hide the corners of your lips that are trying to go up when you want to hide your happy heart.

The way you, who always had a smiling face, has a serious expression only when you’re concentrating like now.

All of that.

Was the Yeon-hoo I love.

No, in fact, he probably hasn’t changed much. It’s just that we met earlier, and this 모습 is just Yeon-hoo before he turned twenty.

-Drip, drip

The tears that I had barely held back when we first met today, when we stopped by the eyeglasses store.

Fell down my cheeks and dripped one by one onto the ball I was holding.

Yeon-hoo was next to me.

Basketball, which he liked so much.

Friends, who were always around him.

Yeon-hoo, who gave up all of that and devoted himself to me.

Was preparing to spend those times with me again, next to me.

That thought suddenly came to mind.

And I felt once again grateful for the new opportunity.

Tears flowed.

—

I was foolish and couldn’t hold back the last time, so I worried Yeon-hoo. I ruined the plan to stay close until late in the evening.

I was disappointed and sad, but I knew that Yeon-hoo was worried about me, so I received his send-off.

Before getting on the bus, I hugged him and remembered the feel of his body, the scent coming from his exposed neck. In fact, I wanted to be with him not just until the evening, but until the next day.

I wanted to experience everything I couldn’t do before right now.

But I shouldn’t be too hasty. I wanted to make it a fait accompli [something that is already done and cannot be changed], but.

Because I know that you 은근히 [eungeunhi – subtly, secretly, or unexpectedly] like things that are more romantic than I do.

I decided to hold back.

It won’t be easy to 참다 [chamda – to suppress or endure] the 욕구 [yoggu – desire or urge] while feeling you this close.

But still, for you.

On the day when you feel the happiest in your life.

I want to become one with you.