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chapter 29
“Great job, everyone!”
With a very relieved expression, Yoona raised her glass and shouted with all her strength. Those sitting with her clinked their glasses together. Soon, the four of them downed the cold beer in one go.
“Ahhh,” Seoyeon exhaled, putting her glass down and wiping the foam from the corner of her mouth.
“Honestly, I didn’t do anything! I was too busy having fun.”
“First semester of first year is for enjoying yourself. That’s the only time you can!”
Kitae chuckled, grabbing a handful of corn nuts and shoving them into his mouth. Everyone’s faces reflected the joy of finishing midterms. Among them, Yoona naturally looked the happiest.
Today, the cafe staff had given the usually exhausted owner a day off due to exam studies. Thanks to that, despite it being a busy Friday, she could come out for beer with Youngwon, Seoyeon, and Kitae.
“I really thought I was going to die. If I had studied alone, I’d probably have dozed off the whole time and ruined everything.”
Ever since going cherry blossom viewing with Youngwon, Kitae had begun studying separately for some reason, and Seoyeon was there sometimes, sometimes not. Only Youngwon always stayed faithfully by her side. And he astonishingly didn’t fall asleep, so Yoona, who kept an eye on Youngwon, couldn’t help but focus on studying as well.
Because it was her first exam since entering college, she had been tense, so right now Yoona felt like she could literally fly. Her body felt weightless.
“Did you turn in a blank paper?”
“Blank? That’s allowed?”
“There’s no homeroom teacher to call my mom, so why would I care?”
“But why did you submit a blank…? You studied together too…”
Before Seoyeon could respond that she had been reading from her tablet, Kitae suddenly frowned.
“What? Isn’t Seoyeon—”
“Come with me.”
Suddenly, Youngwon, who had been drinking beer, covered Kitae’s face with his large palm and stood up, moving with unusually swift movements. Watching Kitae being dragged away, Yoona blinked in surprise.
Seoyeon, sensing the situation, rolled her eyes and asked Yoona:
“When it’s just you and Senior Youngwon, do you only study?”
“Yes. Very diligently.”
“Hmm. Doesn’t seem like it.”
“No, really, we didn’t play… Ah! One night, we went to see cherry blossoms. For a mission.”
“Ohhh, that’s it.”
“What is?”
“Nothing.” Seoyeon simply chuckled. That day, Youngwon must have asked Yoona to be alone so they could go see the cherry blossoms. Since Seoyeon was close to Yoona, she probably just kicked Kitae out completely.
After that, she had occasionally stepped aside a few times, but seeing how much Youngwon seemed to care, it was clear he had some certainty. Even today, he kept glancing at Yoona the entire time.
“Was the cherry blossom viewing fun?”
“It was amazing! We went to the Han River, ate ramen, and seeing the blossoms at night made me feel like a true Seoulite.”
“Did you talk a lot with Senior Youngwon?”
“Yes.”
Recalling that day, a smile spread across Yoona’s face. Youngwon had only suggested going for a mission, but for her, it was a memory that would last a long time. It had been the most fun thing she’d done since leaving home.
Perhaps because of Youngwon, the usually quiet Han River park had become a romantic place overnight. The low, resonant sound of Youngwon’s voice was very pleasant. Among the drifting white cherry blossom petals, Youngwon looked like a figure from a painting. If the petals hadn’t been blown by the wind, she might have stood frozen, just staring. Thankfully, she could look away to try and catch the petals.
Under the lamplight, with Youngwon’s coat draped over his shoulders and his scent lingering, everything was perfect. His large frame made walking around with him in the early morning feel safe.
“Thanks to Youngwon, this place became romantic, even though I was just playing a geographical role.” Thinking, It would have been the same even at school, Yoona tried to disperse the warm, fuzzy feeling rising in her heart. At that moment, Youngwon caught a petal.
She didn’t know if he had a first love or if it had already ended. But if he hoped for a girlfriend in the future, all she could do was wish him happiness.
Yoona’s smile suddenly faded. Her expression, already weary, seemed pale and drained. Seoyeon noticed and crouched to follow Yoona’s gaze.
“Are you okay? A few sips of beer shouldn’t make you look this out of it.”
“Yeah… I guess I’m just tired from not sleeping properly while studying…”
Shivering, Yoona started buttoning her cardigan. Seoyeon pressed her palm against Yoona’s forehead.
“Yoona! You have a fever! Let’s go. We need to get moving.”
“Ah, no. I’d feel so bad if I ruined everyone’s mood.”
“It’s worse for the patient to sit there struggling.”
As Seoyeon tried to pull Yoona up, the two boys who had been absent returned. Seeing Yoona being supported, Youngwon’s eyebrows knitted in concern, and he quickly moved to her side.
“Boss, are you feeling unwell?”
“Yoona has a fever. We have to crush this cold at the start. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Even trying to stay put, the fever quickly made Yoona’s whole body tremble. She ultimately decided to go home.
“I feel so bad… It’s the day exams ended…”
“It’s not the end of the world. We can drink next time. Kitae and I will handle cleaning up and the bill, so you two go ahead.”
“I’m really sorry, Seoyeon… make sure to tell me how much it is later…”
Exhausted, Yoona reluctantly left, and Youngwon replaced Seoyeon at the table. Soon after, the two left the bar.
“Wait, no! Boss! The pharmacy first…!”
Kitae, who had been absent-minded, suddenly remembered and tried to follow, but Seoyeon grabbed his hoodie. Surprised, Kitae’s eyes darted toward her.
“Where are you going together?”
“…Huh?”
Her words, clearly intending to have them alone, left Kitae flustered and his gaze wandering. Seoyeon let go of his hoodie, crossed her arms, and scolded him.
“Didn’t you hear everything after going out with Senior Youngwon?”
“…Huh? How… did you know? Youngwon didn’t tell anyone…”
“How would I not know? You can tell just by looking.”
“Are you… some kind of psychic?”
“…Sigh. Let’s just pay and go.”
Shaking her head, Seoyeon grabbed her bag and headed to the counter, with Kitae quietly following.
“I really didn’t know Youngwon could see girls romantically. I thought it was because he liked the boss. Honestly, it feels like the world flipped upside down.”
“So, what’s next? Is he going to confess?”
“I asked, but he didn’t know.”
“….”
“He seemed worried about getting rejected with that face. Only now does Youngwon feel like a human being like me.”
Finally, a slight smile appeared on Kitae’s previously serious face. Seoyeon clicked her tongue with a frown.
“If he confesses, he might not even be friends anymore.”
“Friends enough to watch her date other guys? Seriously?”
“That’s why you don’t get girlfriends. Ever heard of ‘pure love’?”
Pure love with Choi Youngwon? Kitae could only twitch his lips in disbelief as Seoyeon finished paying and they left the bar.
“Boss, do you have any emergency medicine at home?”
Covering Yoona with a blanket on the bed, Youngwon asked with a dark expression. Even after hailing a taxi quickly, Yoona’s condition had worsened dramatically in that short time.
“It’s… in the kitchen drawer…”
“I’ll get it.”
Youngwon rushed to the kitchen, opening all the drawers to search for medicine. Finding the fever medicine in the neatly organized basket went smoothly, but the problem was—there was none left.
Only then did he realize the rustling sounds Yoona made at the cafe were her taking medicine. During the exam period, she had been unwell several times, managing only with medication.
Cold and shivering, Yoona needed to be tucked under a blanket, which was why he had rushed in a taxi without stopping at a pharmacy. There was some emergency medicine at his place, but it had been there so long he didn’t even remember buying it.
As Youngwon prepared to go out and buy new medicine, he suddenly realized something and returned to Yoona. Hesitating slightly, he asked carefully:
“Boss, can I take the door lock card key from your wallet…?”
