My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 131

Ep. 130

After that weekend when Sarang successfully rolled over, the busy days continued. I was swamped with newly assigned tasks and preparing for final exams, while Hee-na was getting ready to return to school and taking care of Sarang.

Programming languages and discrete mathematics made my head spin, but when I got home, Sarang would greet me with “Aboo Aboo~,” which always cheered me up.

Without that, I would have been completely exhausted and burned out. But seeing Sarang smiling brightly and rolling around always gave me a boost of energy.

Plus, maybe it was because it was Seoyeon University, but most of my classmates were really enthusiastic about studying, even as freshmen. It was a good environment to stay focused.

After surviving the hell of assignments and final exams, summer vacation arrived, but our daily lives didn’t change all that much.

We definitely spent more time together at home than before. But just like during our senior year of high school, we mostly stayed in, focusing on various certifications and studying English.

If Sarang had been a little older, we would have tried to go somewhere, but it still felt too risky. And we were both pretty busy.

In fact, Hee-sung hyung [older brother/friend] even tried to take Sarang to a park a little further away in the car once.

“Oppa [term used by a younger woman to address an older brother or male friend]… Do you really want to die?”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I won’t take her. Don’t look at me like that.”

I backed down under Hee-na’s murderous glare. Hee-na was just as overprotective of Sarang as she was of me, so taking her anywhere out of her sight was a no-go.

Still, I felt bad about keeping Sarang cooped up at home because of us, so we often went for walks near the house. That’s how I ran into Jae-hee noona [term used by a younger man to address an older sister or female friend] a lot, who became a neighborhood acquaintance. Eventually, I made plans to meet up with my friends and finally see them.

Since inviting them to my place would be awkward with our families around, we met at the playground in front of my house.

“Wow… seriously, damn! You shouldn’t use foul language in front of a child. She’s so cute!”

“Look at her tiny hands… She definitely looks like you two. I can see it.”

“Sarang-ah! Say ‘Su-hwang uncle’! Uncle!”

“She can’t even say ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ yet, how can she say that?”

“Ah, she can’t talk yet?”

“And what’s with ‘Su-hwang uncle’? Yoon-sung uncle comes first. Have you even brought them a plate of tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes]?”

Hyun-woo and Eui-hyun, a little hesitant to touch her, were just watching from a distance. Su-hwang, with his big face, was eager to be called uncle, and Yoon-sung, next to him, was bragging about delivering a few servings of tteokbokki before.

The four of them sat around Sarang’s stroller, chatting.

Sarang might have been a little intimidated by these big guys looking down at her, but like a true daughter of mine, she was smiling brightly and greeting them. She definitely had promising social skills.

“Woo-eh!”

“Wow… I can see why people have kids! How can she be so cute?”

“It’s because it’s Sarang, you idiot.”

“Already acting like a fool for his daughter.”

Su-hwang was so amazed that she was my child that he kept exclaiming and gently tapping the tip of Sarang’s finger. Sarang grabbed his finger with her tiny palm.

“Oh, oh! Hey! She grabbed my finger! W-what should I do?!”

“What do you mean, what to do? Don’t pull it away, Sarang might hurt her arm.”

“Take a picture, take a picture!”

“I’m already on it.”

I snapped a picture of Su-hwang, who was making a big deal out of having his finger grabbed, and glanced back. Hee-na and Ria were sitting side by side, chatting.

“It’s hard to catch your face these days~ Well, I’ve seen you a lot in videos.”

“How’s studying going?”

“So-so? Ah, but I’m reconsidering studying abroad. I’m wondering if I really need to go.”

“Really? But it’s a good opportunity.”

“I’m also scared of living alone in a foreign country, and I think I’ll miss you and Sarang if I go. So, I’m just going to travel once instead.”

“Isn’t our Sarang cute?”

“So cute! She looks just like you and Yeon-woo? You two still look good together~ I’m jealous!”

“Really~?”

Hee-na smiled shyly at Ria’s words. Having been close to Hee-na for so long, Ria knew exactly what she wanted to hear.

After a while, Ria started fussing over Sarang and taking pictures, and then my friends took turns taking pictures with Sarang.

It was inevitable that they took turns like that. Since Ria and my friends didn’t really know each other, it would have been a little awkward to hang out together.

Fortunately, we were able to keep the conversation going by talking about us as a couple.

“They were amazing even in high school. Honestly, they were practically inseparable.”

“I thought so~ They’ll be like that in college from the second semester? Their department buildings are also close to each other.”

“If you see Han Yeon-woo on the street, you can bet Lee Hee-na is right next to him.”

“Hehe~”

“I don’t think it’s time to look so smug, Hee-na.”

“Hee-na, should I try to match my lunch time with when you return to school? I could adjust my class schedule a bit.”

“That’s great~ I won’t be able to do it often because I’m busy, but let’s eat together sometimes.”

“Are you indirectly telling me not to disturb your cozy time too often?”

We chatted and caught up with friends for a while. We talk often on KakaoTalk [popular messaging app in South Korea], but it was nice to see their faces after so long.

Unfortunately, Sarang started to whine before a few hours had passed. It was time for her formula. Our Sarang is very punctual when it comes to mealtime.

The guys must have sensed it from her whining, because they got up and prepared to leave.

After turning twenty, it’s hard to get together like this because everyone has their own schedule, so I was grateful that they came all the way here to see us.

“Thanks for coming, everyone. Sorry we can’t go far because it’s hard for us.”

“It’s okay, you idiot. You have to take care of Sarang, where would you even go? When she grows up a bit, I’ll treat you to a full course at the zoo.”

“Oh~ Kim Su-hwang~ Should I provide that valley house? It’s still empty there.”

“I’ll do a tteokbokki full course. Come anytime. I’d welcome you as an employee.”

“This guy is always selling something.”

“I see you both at school anyway~ See you both after the vacation! Take care, Sarang~ See you again, auntie!”

“Awoo!”

After meeting my friends and catching up for a short time, I focused on studying at home again. I can’t rely on everyone’s help and consideration forever.

I have to maintain good grades and get a job at a good company to buy our Sarang delicious things. And of course, for my family too.

With that determination, I spent the summer vacation studying English and getting certifications.

And at the end of August.

Hee-na returned to school after the vacation.

—

As the day of her return to school approached, I couldn’t help but feel more sorry for my mother-in-law. While we were at school, there was no one to take care of Sarang except for her.

Of course, my mom subtly suggested leaving Sarang with her. But my mother-in-law strongly opposed it, so as a son-in-law living with his wife’s family, I didn’t have a say.

It felt like taking care of Sarang was a reward, and the competition for it was fierce.

Anyway, there were no other problems except for that. It wasn’t Hee-na’s first time going to college; she was just returning after taking a break.

No, there was one more problem.

“Sarang-ah… Mommy’s going. Listen to Grandma, okay?”

“Woo-eh!”

“Mommy, don’t go? Should I just stay home with Sarang?”

“Oh my~ Our daughter can’t leave because she can’t take her eyes off Sarang. You’re going to be late~”

“But! How can I go when Sarang is looking at me so pitifully, telling me not to go!”

“Sarang is looking at her cat doll?”

Since Sarang was born, it’s rare for Hee-na to be away from her for a long time, so Hee-na couldn’t bring herself to leave. Except for the few times we went out on a date, we had never left her for more than a few hours.

I coaxed and persuaded Hee-na, who couldn’t get out of the shoe rack area, and waved to Sarang, who was holding her cat doll tightly, and we left the house. Together.

Hee-na had also moved all her classes to the earlier slots as much as possible, so the time she left and returned home was similar to mine.

“What if Sarang misses us and cries?”

“We can hurry back when we’re done. She’ll be drinking formula and falling asleep soon, so don’t worry too much.”

“Still…”

“Do you know what’s more important? It’s our first time going to school together. We went to different schools in high school, and I saw you off last year, but this is the first time we’re both going to class.”

“Come to think of it, that’s right?”

“I feel like we’re on a date.”

“Really! I’m happy to go with you~”

At my words, which changed the subject, she smiled brightly and linked her arm with mine, as if she could put aside her worries about Sarang. Her head was still full of Sarang, but she would definitely be happy to go to school together like this.

Especially since every time I went to school, she was so wary of other women approaching me while she wasn’t there. Well, I was too busy keeping up with classes to care about women.

Of course, there were friends who kept up well and did everything they wanted to do, but since I was aiming for high grades, it was difficult to expect romance in college life.

So, we linked arms and arrived at the university after an hour.

From the entrance, I could feel people glancing at us as they passed by. It wasn’t just that we were clinging to each other and linking arms, but Hee-na’s face was too pretty to ignore.

As someone who has seen her up close for a long time, I never get tired of her face; it always feels new, thrilling, and admirable. It’s hard to believe that she’s already had a child.

Hee-na didn’t seem to want to let go at all, as if she was showing off to everyone watching, even after entering the university, until we arrived at the fork in the road to go to each other’s department buildings.

“Do your best, honey. I’ll call you at lunchtime.”

“Okay. Sarang’s mom, do your best too.”

-Chu!

Before parting, we kissed one last time, and I watched Hee-na’s back until she disappeared from sight, then I turned around.

But as soon as I turned around, familiar faces came into view.

There, my classmates Chan-hyung and Jae-hwan were staring at me with cold eyes.

“……”

“…Did you have a good vacation?”

“I was having a good time, but I wanted to kill myself because of you, hyung [older brother/friend].”

“Me too.”

“Sorry…”