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Saturday morning.
I woke up early, washed, shaved, and headed to Yu-ri Lee's house. The weather was
gradually improving, making for a clear spring day. The sky was a beautiful clear blue,
and just breathing the air made me feel good.
Or maybe it was because I was really looking forward to today.
[Me]: I've arrived. I'm on the bench in front of your house.
[Yu-ri Lee]: Almost done. I'll be right there.
I received a reply from Yu-ri Lee quite quickly. I sat down and waited for a few minutes,
then the front door of the apartment opened and a woman wearing a casual white
shirt and jeans appeared. Although her outfit was simple, Yu-ri Lee had put more effort
into her makeup than usual, and she looked so beautiful that her simple fashion
appeared stunning.
As soon as I saw her, I expressed my honest feelings.
"You're so incredibly pretty."
"Well, what are you saying? You... need to put a little more thought into what you say."
"What's wrong with saying a pretty person is pretty? Don't you like compliments?"
"...I don't hate them."
"Then it's okay."
I said that and held out my hand. Yu-ri looked at it for a moment, blushed, and then
put her hand in mine. As I gently held her hand, her fingers slightly opened to make it
easier for me to hold them, and we clasped hands very naturally.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
I held her hand and we started walking, but Yu-ri Lee was still walking a slight distance
away from me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her toward me.
Although Yu-ri looked at me in surprise, she didn't resist. Only after the distance
became close enough that we could link arms at any time did I hold her hand again,
and we walked on, maintaining the close distance of a couple.
As we passed the apartment complex where Yu-ri Lee lived and continued to the back,
a very old and shabby village of villas appeared. When Yu-ri Lee saw it, her expression
darkened slightly. This neighborhood where I live is famous for its poor environment,
so much so that it is called a "slum" by local residents.
"Is this... where you live, Seongjin?"
When we were alone, she very naturally called me by my name.
"Yeah, because the monthly rent is cheap."
"But this neighborhood..."
"That's why I said the neighborhood I live in is a bit rough. But it's hard for me to afford
a decent place like yours with my income."
"Why don't you just apply for the tuition support system? I can help you with it."
"I told you before. I've done some bad things, so why would a guy like me apply?
Besides, I think I'm being punished, so I just don't care."
"Still..."
When I saw Yu-ri Lee's slightly depressed expression, I couldn't help but lightly kiss
her on the forehead.
"Huh?!"
"Still, it feels nice to have someone care about me. Thank you."
"Well, really, in public..."
"Why? Now you have my mark on you."
"Who, who's yours..."
As she said those words, Yu-ri blushed and twisted her body. In this way, she is a
woman whose words and actions are very different.
We headed to my house, holding hands, and the moment we entered the dilapidated
studio, Yu-ri Lee gaped. She said she organizes things in her own way, but the room
was so messy it seemed impossible to achieve a neatness like Yu-ri Lee's house.
Clothes that had been rolling around on the floor were removed, but there were still
things strewn about on the desk and cabinet, and the mattress and blanket I usually
sleep on were roughly folded.
Yu-ri Lee looked at me with an expression of complete absurdity.
"You... How on earth do you usually live here?"
"Well, I usually come back late at night from my part-time job, so I'm tired and don't
have time to worry about that. But today, since you said you were coming, I worked
hard to clean up..."
"You cleaned up and it looks like this?! What would it be like normally?! I can't stand
it. You're not starving yet, right? Besides, I need to start organizing this house. Is this
someone's home?!"
Yu-ri Lee scolded me and started collecting the scattered items on the cabinet one by
one. And so began an unexpected house cleaning.
Starting from the top of the cabinet and inside the closet, making the bed, cleaning
the sink, and cleaning the floor... Yu-ri Lee's visit to make lunch had suddenly turned
into a house cleaning. Since the room was not that big, the cleaning was completed in
about an hour and a half, but it was not without difficulty. After the rough cleaning, we
leaned against the wall and rested together, sweating.
"Haa... Haa... Ah, it's hard... I don't even clean my room this well..."
"Whew... I should have just left it messy."
"How can you leave the house in that shape?! But it's much better now that we've
cleaned it up."
"Well, that's true, but... Do you have the energy to make food now?"
"Ah."
Yu-ri Lee looked embarrassed, as if she had finally remembered the purpose of
coming to my house. Because I was exhausted from cleaning, it was a bit difficult to
make a meal. I immediately made another suggestion to Yu-ri Lee.
"I lost a lot of energy, and I'd feel bad asking you to cook, and it's a bit awkward to just
clean and then go home, so would you like to order something?"
"...I want to eat a donut."
Perhaps because she was hungry from sweating while cleaning, Yu-ri Lee accepted
my offer without hesitation. In the end, the original purpose of 'making food' was
abandoned again, so we ordered donuts and drinks through a delivery app and sat on
the mattress where I slept, enjoying a moment of relaxation.
Yu-ri Lee briefly looked around my room, then fixed her gaze on an object placed in the
corner of the room. There, an acoustic guitar was propped quietly against the wall.
"Do you play guitar too?"
"Huh? Oh, that. Well, I do."
The guitar was something Han Seongjin used to play when he was bored and alone at
home without a woman. Coincidentally, I also knew how to play the guitar, so I didn't
have much trouble with it. When Yu-ri Lee heard that I knew how to play, her eyes lit
up, and she grabbed my sleeve.
"Can you play it for me? I want to see you play the guitar!"
"Uh... You probably shouldn't expect too much."
"Okay!"
I couldn't refuse anymore due to Yu-ri Lee's unusually curious expression, so I took
the guitar from the wall and sat down on the mattress again. Sitting on a soft mattress,
leaning against the wall with Yu-ri Lee, and holding a guitar—it was quite a strange
feeling.
'I can't even think of a good song to play... Well, a guitar song... of course.'
After tuning it for a moment, I relaxed my hands a few times and began to play.
♪♪ ♩♪-
"Saying I love you..."
As I started singing, I looked straight into Yu-ri's eyes. When the words "I love you"
came out from the first verse, Yu-ri Lee looked at me in surprise. I smiled lightly and
continued singing.
"...Is not the words I want to hear from you."
As the gentle sound of the guitar, mixed with appropriate beats, echoed throughout
the room, Yu-ri Lee listened to the song, lightly swaying her body from side to side as if
she was drunk.
"...What would you do, if my heart was torn in two?"
Singing and playing the guitar at the same time was a lot harder than I thought, but I
didn't want to make a mistake in front of the girl I liked. I had already accumulated
some experience, so I was able to get to the end without a hitch.
"...Just by saying I love you."
After finishing the song, I lightly bowed my head and put the guitar aside. Yu-ri clapped
her hands with an expression of admiration.
"Awesome... Did you even have this kind of talent? It's truly amazing. Why are you so
good at playing the guitar? It would have been much better if you hadn't done anything
strange and had joined the band club or something. If you had just practiced properly
in the band club, you would have become a celebrity at the academy."
"I played well. Look at my hands shaking right now; I'm nervous."
When I showed her my hands covered in sweat, Yu-ri smiled, held my hand, and
spread it out.
"What, are you nervous too?"
"Of course. Isn't it weird if you don't get nervous when the girl you like is watching you
right in front of you?"
"Huh...?"
"Thank you for coming to help me. And I like you, Yu-ri."
In response to the sudden confession, Yu-ri fanned her hand while avoiding my gaze.
She then avoided my gaze again and answered softly. This time, she placed her hand
on mine.
"I... I like you too. Seongjin..."
"Do you remember the song I just sang?"
"Huh?"
I grabbed Yu-ri Lee's hand and pulled her toward me, hugging her slender waist. Yu-ri
Lee, who naturally fell into my arms, looked up at me with fluttering eyes.
"I don't just want to hear that you like me."
"Well, then..."
"I want more than that. Like the song just said."
"You, you... You said you couldn't even speak English, so why are you like that..."
"That's not important. What's your answer?"
Yu-ri Lee rolled her eyes back and forth and then nodded her head very slightly as if
she had made a decision. I had her lie down diagonally, supporting her back with my
hands.
Then I pushed my face closer and closer, and when our noses were close enough to
touch, Yu-ri closed her eyes tightly.
And the moment our lips touched, I laid her completely on the mattress.
===
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