There was a brief silence between me and Seon Woo Jin.
“……”
“……”
What’s with this atmosphere?
‘This is so awkward!’
For some reason, being alone with Seon Woo Jin suddenly felt insanely awkward.
‘I didn’t expect him to come at this time.’
I thought he might come sometime, but I never imagined he would show up without warning when I was so unprepared.
I rolled my eyes and quickly racked my brain to find the right words.
“Um……”
“Me.”
Damn it. The fact that we spoke at the same time made it even more awkward.
“You go first.”
“No. You go first……”
I trailed off, subtly passing the ball to him. But Seon Woo Jin didn’t open his mouth either. It became quiet again.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
At that moment, I suddenly realized I was about to go out.
‘Yeah, maybe it’ll be less awkward if we walk?’
At least it seemed better than sitting still in this quiet place, waiting for each other to say something.
‘Okay. Let’s go out!’
Having made up my mind, I said to Seon Woo Jin,
“I was about to go out just now. Do you want to walk and talk?”
[This is the timeline separator]And so, I went outside with Seon Woo Jin.
Since we didn’t have a specific destination in mind, we decided to just walk around the promenade created around the hospital.
It was already dark outside, but perhaps because the weather was warm, patients like me could be seen here and there.
The occasional night breeze that blew felt gentle.
Seon Woo Jin seemed to have come straight from school, as he was wearing his school uniform. He had a band-aid on his left cheek, and injuries could be seen all over his exposed arms. He must have gotten hurt last time. Thinking about how he got hurt while coming to save me made me feel tremendously guilty.
We walked along the promenade in silence for a while.
“How’s your head?”
Seon Woo Jin was the first to speak. I hastily replied,
“Huh? Uh….. I’m all better.”
“You’re all better?”
“Yeah……”
Please don’t ask any more. I have nothing to say.
Fortunately, Seon Woo Jin only slightly frowned without bringing up further conversation.
I secretly let out a sigh of relief and opened my mouth.
“What about you? Are you okay? You got hurt a lot that day too.”
At that, Seon Woo Jin said incredulously,
“Is now the time to worry about me? After getting hit in the head like that?”
“I told you I’m all better……”
To be honest, it was already in the past, and since there were no scars left, the seriousness didn’t really hit me.
Moreover, I had collapsed right after being hit, so my memory of that moment was very hazy. So from my perspective, Seon Woo Jin getting hurt felt more significant.
‘Shouldn’t you have been the one hospitalized?’
But for having faced so many people, Seon Woo Jin looked fine.
It seemed that what Sung Ji Chan said about trusting him wasn’t all nonsense.
‘He did fight amazingly well back then.’
I was too busy talking to Choi Yu Han to see it properly, but I remember Seon Woo Jin practically flying among the Haseong High School delinquents. Is fighting a talent too……?
Ah, this isn’t the time for that.
“Um…… Thanks.”
I belatedly opened my mouth. Seon Woo Jin replied gruffly,
“For what?”
“For coming to save me.”
I added an explanation.
“If it wasn’t for you, I would have been in big trouble. I was really grateful then.”
Actually, even if Seon Woo Jin hadn’t come, I would have been released, but anyway, it’s the thought that counts.
Above all, I was truly thankful. I really thought no one would come.
However, even at my words of gratitude, Seon Woo Jin remained silent for a moment.
‘Why isn’t he responding?’
I glanced at Seon Woo Jin. Contrary to my expectation that he would be wearing a sullen expression as always, Seon Woo Jin’s face was serious.
‘What? Did I say something wrong?’
I don’t think I said anything bad though? I pondered over the words I had said. No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing that could be a problem.
Then, after a long time, Seon Woo Jin opened his mouth.
“……Sorry.”
“Huh?”
I asked back in surprise.
“Why are you sorry?”
Seon Woo Jin apologizing to me made me feel like something was wrong. The one who should really be sorry is me. But Seon Woo Jin’s expression refused to brighten.
“Don’t tell me you’re sorry because I got hit?”
There was no answer.
‘What?’
Only then did I realize the seriousness of the problem.
‘He’s really feeling guilty?’
This was the first time I saw Seon Woo Jin looking so deflated. Usually, he was indifferent to everything and, if I had to say, on the arrogant side. He seemed like someone who wouldn’t apologize to others, let alone feel sorry.
It felt strange. It was strange to see Seon Woo Jin like this, and it was also strange that it was because of me.
I hurriedly stopped Seon Woo Jin.
“Don’t say you’re sorry.”
Seon Woo Jin stared at me intently.
“Me getting hurt was just an accident. It’s not your fault.”
It’s not like Seon Woo Jin hit me, and it’s not like he pushed me to get hit.
Seon Woo Jin has no fault in me getting hurt. At least that’s what I think.
‘In the first place, if only I hadn’t intervened.’
Of course, if that were the case, it would have been Seon Woo Jin who got hurt instead of me.
I don’t know why I suddenly acted so altruistically unlike myself, but anyway, I had no regrets about this incident. Above all, the system healed me, so I recovered cleanly. All’s well that ends well, right?
“So don’t make such a weird face. It doesn’t suit you.”
Instead of answering, Seon Woo Jin looked at me for a long time. A deep emotion was evident in his eyes, but I couldn’t accurately read what that expression meant.
I also quietly met Seon Woo Jin’s gaze. Hoping my sincerity would get across.
Soon, Seon Woo Jin chuckled.
“This is funny.”
“What is?”
“You wearing a hospital gown.”
Suddenly?
Wasn’t this a serious atmosphere? I showed my bewilderment all over my face.
“It’s not funny, you know?”
“Maybe not to you.”
This guy?
Seeing my face, Seon Woo Jin burst into laughter. It felt strange to see Seon Woo Jin laughing so loudly for the first time.
After laughing as he pleased for a while, Seon Woo Jin finally spoke again.
“But don’t do that next time.”
In the end, he was worried about me.
Somehow, Seon Woo Jin’s demeanor felt different from usual. The air surrounding him and the way he looked at me were all different.
But for some reason, it felt like I shouldn’t think too deeply about this issue. I couldn’t understand why. I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Ah, right. But this is your family’s hospital?”
Seon Woo Jin looked at me for a moment before answering.
“Yeah.”
“I found out for the first time. So your parents are doctors?”
Honestly, whether they were doctors or not didn’t matter at all, but I just wanted to escape this atmosphere.
Before even hearing his answer, I joked and said,
“Wow, you’re really the son of a wealthy family. Buy me an ice cream later.”
“Your dream is modest.”
“What? Then can you buy me something more expensive?”
“We’ll see.”
He wasn’t easy to deal with as expected.
Like that, I talked with Seon Woo Jin a bit more while walking around the promenade.
I was the one chattering mostly, and Seon Woo Jin would occasionally chime in with a word or two, but anyway, it was a rather enjoyable time.
Time passed, and it was time for Seon Woo Jin to leave.
I said my final goodbye to Seon Woo Jin.
“Go well. See you at school.”
Instead of a goodbye, Seon Woo Jin said something else.
“Don’t get sick.”
Leaving those words behind, Seon Woo Jin left. I watched Seon Woo Jin’s back as he walked away, then returned to my hospital room.
As I entered the room and closed the door, the system appeared.
[Jin is such a good friend!]Friend?
Yeah, a good friend. Where else would you find a friend who does this much for you? I lay on the bed and blankly stared at the ceiling.
‘What was that earlier?’
It was the first time since our first meeting that it felt awkward being with Seon Woo Jin.
I was about to think about the nature of that awkwardness, but I erased the thought from my mind.
However, Seon Woo Jin’s face kept popping up.
‘I shouldn’t do this. Don’t think about it anymore.’
Because I’m someone who will leave here……
I kept tossing and turning in bed and fell asleep very late.
[This is the timeline separator]And the next day.
Ding-a-ling!
[Good morning, Ju Eun!]I woke up to the sound of the system’s notification instead of a morning call.
“Yawn, I’m sleepy.”
I yawned and stretched.
[But your face is quite swollen today!]“What?”
I hurriedly got up and looked in the mirror.
Indeed, as the system said, my face in the mirror was puffed up.
“Wow, I look ugly.”
Sometimes when I wake up, my face swells badly, and it seems today is that day.
‘I can’t go out looking like this.’
I panicked for a moment, then quickly changed my mind.
‘But I’m going to be in the hospital all day anyway. Do I really need to look pretty? Can’t I just stay swollen?’
It’s not like I have anyone to meet anyway.
And well…… even if I do have someone to meet, I don’t always have to look perfect. It’s not like I have to look good for anyone.
Convincing myself like that, I lay back down on the bed.
“Should I just sleep some more……”
At that moment, the system appeared again.
[No, you can’t!]Here we go again.
Instead of getting up, I just opened my mouth to answer.
“Why are you doing this now?”
[Because you’ll have a visitor soon!]At those words, I sat up with a start.
“What?”
A visitor?
‘That can’t be.’
The only people who would visit me in the hospital are the Three Clowns and Yoo Hee Na. Ban Ha Min is still on an overseas trip, and the others came and left yesterday, so there’s no way they’d come again today.
‘Who else could there be besides them?’
Could the system be lying?
[It’s true! -_-+]If it insists like that……
I gave in and groomed myself. It was only to the extent of brushing my hair and applying lip balm though.
And not long after, just as the system said, a new visitor really came to see me.
“Have you been well, subordinate?”
Seol Yu Hwa smiled at me.
That’s right. The visitor who came this time was none other than Seol Yu Hwa.
__________
Male Lead, The Black-Hearted Lotus (Female-dominant)
Short intro by Yuushi L:
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~