My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 42

Girlfriend is Too Good to Me – Episode 41

After I told her I’d show the video—the one guaranteed to make my friends gag—to my brother and mom, she hasn’t replied.

Sighing inwardly, I put my phone in a waterproof case and followed the path the others had taken.

They’ve probably already seen it, and there’s nothing I can do about it now. But the first impression I’m giving her brother is a kissing face? I’m truly sorry, sir.

I tried to banish the video from my mind and quickened my pace.

The path to the valley wasn’t perfectly paved, but it was well-maintained enough to walk without too much trouble. After about two or three minutes, the valley came into view.

“Han Yeon, hurry up!! The valley water is freaking freezing!!”

“Isn’t jumping straight in a surefire way to get a heart attack?”

We were the only ones there, and the guys who’d arrived earlier were standing at the edge, looking hesitant and shouting.

Looking around, I saw they’d piled up stones in the middle of the flowing valley water to create a small dam. It wasn’t wide, but it looked decent enough for the five of us to splash around in.

Most importantly, the water was so clear you could see the bottom, making it hard to judge the depth.

Of course, being a man-made pool in a place like this, it probably wasn’t deep enough to drown in.

“You scaredy-cats, what are you doing? If you’re a real man, you gotta jump in first!”

Shouting bravely, I approached the valley.

Not knowing the depth, I didn’t just dive in. Instead, I carefully made my way across the rocky path in my sandals. The moment my foot touched the water…

-Shiver

“This is bullshit!! It’s so cold!!!”

It was unbelievably cold.

Damn, I thought my foot was going to turn into an ice cube. Is this what a mountain valley is like?

I couldn’t bring myself to go any further. I immediately understood why the others were just standing there, staring at the water.

But if we kept this up, we’d just be wasting time after coming all the way here to have fun. So, I shouted at the four guys who were still just dipping their toes in.

“Hey! This isn’t going to work! Let’s huddle up first!”

Ui-hyeon’s uncle had just laid out a mat nearby and gone home, so I gathered the guys who were loitering around and made a suggestion.

“How about a dive-in rock-paper-scissors tournament?”

Let’s sacrifice one guy to the icy depths and then figure things out.

—

-Splash!

“Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!”

Damn, it’s so cold!!

After being utterly destroyed in rock-paper-scissors, I dove in, trusting Ui-hyeon’s word that the deepest part was only about waist-deep.

Damn it, it’s always the one who suggests it who gets caught!

Usually, you get used to the cold after diving in once, but I just felt like I was going to freeze solid.

“You bastards!! Get in here too!!”

“We’re going, we’re going~”

“Is it bearable?”

I wanted to give Kim Su-hwang and Jeong Yun-seong, who were grinning and laughing, a Falcon Punch [a powerful punch, referencing a move from the video game series *Super Smash Bros.*] to the face, but my legs were frozen and wouldn’t move.

At least those guys had their calves in the water, but they couldn’t bring themselves to go any further and were just wetting their hands, looking like total wimps.

I desperately wanted to teach them a lesson, but I held back because I felt like if I got out of the water, I wouldn’t be able to get back in because of the cold.

First, let’s take a selfie in this state.

I grabbed my phone with trembling hands, feeling the cold to my bones, and took a picture, making sure the valley was clearly visible in the background.

Then, I immediately sent it to Hee-na via KakaoTalk [a popular South Korean messaging app].

[Hee-na: The water looks so clear~ Can you see any fish?]

She must be planning to stare at her phone all day, as she replied instantly.

[Han Yeon-hoo: There’s really no one here and the water is nice but it’s so cold..]

My hands are shaking so much I can’t type properly, but it doesn’t matter as long as the message gets across.

[Hee-na: Are you very cold? Did you bring a towel? Make sure to dry yourself off when you get out of the water! You can’t catch a cold ㅠㅠ [Korean emoticon for crying]]

[Han Yeon-hoo: Ughhh]

[Hee-na: I showed the video from earlier, and my mom said it was so cute~ She asked when you’re coming again. And so did my brother!]

“…….Holy shit.”

The cold seemed to vanish as I was reminded of today’s embarrassing moment, which I had been trying so hard to forget.

[Han Yeon-hoo: Really?]

[Hee-na: Yeah! He said we should definitely meet up when you come to our house? We’re going to visit before the vacation ends, so we can meet then!]

[Han Yeon-hoo: O….]

[Hee-na: Then have fun~ I’ll cry if you catch a cold and I can’t see your face..? Got it?]

[Han Yeon-hoo: Got it]

Hee-na’s brother. I guess I have to meet him. I felt very uneasy about having to meet him after showing him that video.

Not wanting to interrupt our fun for too long, I ended the conversation after a short chat.

-Splash!

“Ugh-pooh, pooh!! Hey, who the hell did that!!”

I was feeling weighed down by the upcoming meeting when suddenly water was splashed on me, and the cold snapped me out of it.

Looking around, I saw four beasts surrounding me, already close enough to touch.

“L..l-lis… 아니, 선생님들. 아니, gentlemen [Korean mixed with English: “No, teachers. No, gentlemen”]. Let’s calm down and solve this with words.”

The anger was subdued by the atmosphere that suggested they would drench me with all their might at any moment.

I felt a sense of déjà vu in this situation, just like in the classroom.

“Talk to a son of a bitch who’s texting his girlfriend even after coming all the way to the valley with us? Do you need it, Yun-seong?”

“Definitely not needed. What do you think, Hyun-woo?”

“Can’t we just dunk him right away? Seriously, we came here to hang out with each other, so cut it out.”

“Calm down. He might have been texting his parents. Right, Yeon-hoo?”

Why is there murder in his eyes even though he’s speaking so gently? Shin Ui-hyeon, that bastard, always pretends to be gentle but he’s the most violent.

A man’s gotta have his pride here.

“Of course, I was texting my parents to tell them I’m having fun!”

I have pride, but the water was too cold. It had been a while since I got in, but I could still feel the chill.

I gave a bright smile, naturally showing my teeth, and even gave a thumbs up, but they didn’t seem to believe me at all.

“Yeah. We know you never text your family. You sent a text to your mom as soon as you got out of the car, right? There’s no way you’d do it again.”

Jeong Yun-seong, you son of a bitch. My shitty 5-year-long friend. Thanks, you bastard.

As soon as those words were finished, Kim Su-hwang strongly swung his arm and shouted.

“Water Style, Great Waterfall Technique!!!”

Is that really the sound of a palm pushing valley water?!?!

As he slapped the valley water with his big palm, as big as his ignorant bulk, it crashed over me like a wave.

“Ptooey!!! Hey!! Don’t…pooh!!”

I couldn’t even breathe properly with that one attack, and I was sputtering, but next to me, they were bursting out with forced exclamations.

“Water Style of this level in a valley…!!”

What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bastard? This isn’t a place without water!!

Of course, that was only for a moment, and then these guys teamed up and fed me water with all their might.

“Die, Han Yeon!!”

“You cheapskate, I told you to try to pick up your girlfriend’s friends…!”

I got rejected, what are you talking about picking up again!!

“S-sirs, ugh.. Hey, stop.. Pooh!!”

Like beasts, they ignored everything I said and attacked me without mercy.

After drinking enough water to fill my stomach, this Water Style madness finally came to an end.

By that point, my body had adapted to the cold valley water, and I was somewhat immune to the cold.

After playing like that for about 2 hours, everyone was exhausted and came out of the valley.

I was tired, but I felt it was a bit too early to go in, so I was wondering if we should just soak our feet and talk. But when I stood outside the water for a moment, I couldn’t stand the cold.

And once you’re done splashing around, there’s not much else to do. If the water was a little less cold, I would have sat leisurely and tried to catch the minnows that occasionally appeared. I decided to save that for tomorrow.

I guess this is the disadvantage of a mountain valley compared to a beach. Since there are no shops or items for leisure, it felt more like we came to relax rather than to play.

Besides, it took quite a while to drive here. Thanks to that, it was getting close to evening, and since it can get dark quickly in the mountains, we decided to call it quits for today, which was a shame.

“Wow, it’s so great that my house is close, really.”

It was a huge bonus that the way back was short after playing so hard. It was also nice that the valley water didn’t feel as sticky as seawater.

The bathroom was even spacious and clean, so it was comfortable to shower. The hot water seemed to come out better than at my house.

“Wash up and come outside! We’re going to eat pork belly in front of the house!!”

“Crazy… Thank you!!”

While we were playing and washing up, they had already prepared the meat to grill outside. I wondered if I should have bought them a gift when we came. They’re just my nephew’s friends, but they seem to be taking such good care of us.

It was as comfortable as visiting my grandmother’s house.

I checked the KakaoTalk messages from Hee-na while I was washing up and getting dressed.

[Hee-na: It might be a little hot when you come out, but make sure to wear a top. Okay? You have to take care of yourself!]

[Hee-na: Should we video call since you might be bored while washing up?]

[Hee-na: Just kidding~ :>]

.

[Hee-na: My family and I decided to eat out to celebrate my brother’s discharge! Do you remember the place we passed by last week?]

[Hee-na: (Picture)]

[Hee-na: How’s the outfit? If you like it, I’ll wear it on our next date~]

[Hee-na: I guess you’re still washing up.. I’m going out soon too, so I’ll text you again later!]

[Hee-na: I]

[Hee-na: Love]

[Hee-na: You]

[Hee-na: ♡]

[Hee-na: (Puppy making a heart with its hands emoticon)]

It wasn’t like we hadn’t been texting for a long time. We had texted before coming out of the valley, and before going in to wash up.

Nevertheless, seeing the conversations piled up like this in an instant made me feel like Hee-na was here with me.

It’s almost half the time playing and half the time texting Hee-na.

I felt my lips loosen at the sight of the “I love you” messages sent one letter at a time, and I went outside.

The guys, being guys, had finished showering in an instant and were sitting quietly like country Jindo dogs [a breed of Korean hunting dog, known for their loyalty and alertness], staring intently at the grill where the meat was being cooked.

I chuckled at the sight. It was fun. It had been a long time since I had come to a place other than a PC cafe [internet cafe] with my friends. Besides, Ui-hyeon’s aunt and uncle took such good care of us that it was comfortable, and it felt like I was healing.

However.

I wondered if I had been moved by Hee-na’s enthusiastic heart.

Even though I had seen her last night, and honestly, there were even fewer days that we hadn’t seen each other since we started dating.

There was a part of me that wanted to see her again.

Not seeing her when she’s within reach but not meeting her, and not being able to meet her in a place where it’s hard to go right away, felt completely different.

Hee-na, who kept sending texts and photos as if telling me not to forget about her and have fun, was cute.

But I guess texting isn’t enough.