I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C28
#28
“Hyung, I think you can solve this like this!”
After explaining the concept to I-jun, who was a bit confused about the Korean grammar question, I added words so he wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
“Fortunately, I studied this yesterday.”
I-jun nodded, showing that he fully understood my explanation. Then he asked with a puzzled face,
“You’re good at other subjects too, so why are you attending the academy?”
“Nah. I’m not that good. And I need to work harder to get into Korea University.”
“As expected, your goal is Korea University.”
“Yes! What about you, hyung?”
“Well… As long as it’s not there, anywhere is fine.”
I-jun awkwardly laughed with a face that seemed to have some circumstances, so I didn’t ask any further out of consideration.
“Wanna eat together?”
I-jun asked me, checking the time. It was already well past 12 o’clock.
“Uh… I’m okay not eating.”
I didn’t want to eat and end up retching again for no reason. Although my stomach was a bit sore from not eating much, it was better than feeling bloated all day.
“You’re not eating lunch? You’ll be hungry if you study until dinner, right?”
“Well, my stomach hasn’t been feeling well these days.”
Actually, I just don’t want to eat, but my desk was piled with empty chocolate wrappers and candy. I-jun’s gaze turned towards there, making my cheeks feel hot. I hurriedly cleaned up my desk and made excuses.
“Desserts are an exception….”
“Are you sick? Have you… been to the hospital?”
“I just have an upset stomach. Once you have an upset stomach, you lose your appetite, you know. Don’t worry about me and go quickly, hyung!”
There wasn’t much time left for lunch. I waved both hands at I-jun, who was standing half-heartedly.
“Enjoy your meal and have fun!”
When I-jun left to eat lunch, only a few students, including me, remained in Class A.
‘Everyone is working hard….’
Seeing them staring intently at the textbook, skipping lunch, I felt a sudden burst of enthusiasm for studying. I fiddled with my mechanical pencil and solved a few more problems alone. But maybe because the spark was too small, my body felt lethargic and I couldn’t concentrate.
In the end, I went up to the rooftop of the building to get some fresh air and also to call grandma. When I called grandma first, she didn’t answer, probably because she went to a friend’s house. As I looked at the call log with a disappointed heart, Kwon Taebeom’s name right below grandma’s caught my eye.
“This Ahjussi, isn’t he worried about me?”
It had been several hours since he dropped me off in the morning, but not a single text message had arrived. I was worried that he might run away. I felt unreasonably upset. After debating whether to contact him first or not, I pressed Kwon Taebeom’s name as if by mistake. Not long after the dial tone, the other person answered with a click.
“Hello? Taebeom?”
-Yeah.
Yeah? Yeah yeah~? Really. I felt a little hollow in my heart for being with him every day, but for this Ahjussi, it ended with ‘yeah.’
“Ahjussi.”
So I changed the way I addressed him. Come to think of it, I called him Ahjussi at first. He’s 9 years older than Cha Yuwon, and when Cha Yuwon was in elementary school, Kwon Taebeom was a soldier, so he’s definitely an Ahjussi! When I called him Ahjussi- in a playful tone, drawing out the end of the word, he answered ‘yeah’ again. Sigh. I was about to say ‘grandpa-‘ but then I thought what am I doing and closed my half-open mouth.
“Are you very busy today?”
-A bit.
Why is he talking in such short answers? When I felt a bit hurt by his answers that were cut off with just words, I heard an unfamiliar sound beyond his breathing.
As if…
“Ah, were you working out by any chance?”
I had never seen him work out since he went to work in the morning and came back in the evening. But his physique is still… big. Good, so I wondered if he had any secrets, but it seemed he worked out during lunchtime. For a moment, I was startled to see my face reflected on the screen looking lecherous.
“I’m sorry, I think I disturbed you. I’ll hang up now!”
I tried to end the call, answering at a fast speed like rapping. But Kwon Taebeom spoke faster than that.
-Lunch.
It’s still a short sentence, but it seems he’s taking care of me even during his workout, so the disappointment melted away.
“Uh… I ate.”
-You didn’t use the card though.
“Did you get a text? I was worried that you might have stolen someone else’s because there was no sound at all.”
When I giggled, saying nonsense, Kwon Taebeom’s voice disappeared beyond the receiver.
“Taebeom?”
-Yeah, talk. I’m listening.
Is he working out with someone else? The dull thumping sound seemed to be getting louder and louder. I also heard someone groaning in between.
“Do you do boxing by any chance?”
If it’s boxing, I wanted to learn it too. With the thought of ‘Should I learn along with Kwon Taebeom this time?’ I asked.
-…Yeah.
“I see. No wonder.”
-What did you have for lunch?
“I… well. Actually, I bought it together with ice cream at the convenience store earlier.”
-Ice cream?
“Yes…. It’s a bit expensive…. I’m sorry! I won’t eat it anymore.”
-It doesn’t matter what you eat or how much you spend, but you should eat properly.
Kwon Taebeom’s words reminded me of the empty snack wrappers piled up like a mountain on my desk.
-Eat something proper for at least one meal, Cha Yuwon. You haven’t been eating well these days.
“Yes….”
It’s not that I don’t eat, it’s that I can’t eat. Whenever I try to eat only rice, my stomach churns and it doesn’t go down my throat, what can I do? When I answered in a weak voice, Kwon Taebeom’s voice also became much softer.
-Don’t just eat chocolates and candies. If you keep eating only those.
“……”
Are you taking away my card? When I swallowed my saliva with a tense face, Kwon Taebeom said,
-Your teeth will rot, shorty.
Really, who are you calling shorty? My teeth have been aching a little, a tiny bit these days, so I was worried about it, but I flinched at Kwon Taebeom’s words for no reason.
“Yes, Ahjussi.”
-What?
Even though I called him Ahjussi earlier, it seemed he didn’t hear me then either. Kwon Taebeom’s voice changed for a moment, but I didn’t mind and added the word Ahjussi again.
“I have to study, so I’ll hang up now, Ahjussi!”
Hmph. I hung up first on Kwon Taebeom, who was pouring out nagging, and even set it to do not disturb mode. I was worried that he might come here to find me, but the building Kwon Taebeom entered after dropping me off earlier was not this building. I went to the next building to trick him.
“Hehehe, I’m really smart!”
I imagined Kwon Taebeom’s face looking down at the screen where the call ended with an absurd expression. Then my mood became good again. Humming a tune, I came down from the rooftop.
When I entered the classroom, I-jun hyung, who had come back from lunch, handed me a sandwich, saying it was in return for giving him ice cream in the morning. I hesitated at the cucumber peeking out between the bread, but remembering Kwon Taebeom’s words to eat something proper for at least one meal, I took a bite of the sandwich.
Despite this effort, my stomach churned again, so lunch ended with barely a few bites. I held my sore stomach, which hadn’t been able to eat properly for several days, and studied. After the afternoon classes ended, I picked up my bag with a heavy heart.
“You’re not doing evening self-study?”
“No. I have to go home early….”
There were only a few students who went home early like me, other than the ones who were with me during lunchtime, so I felt a bit embarrassed. When I smiled awkwardly and said I’d go first, I-jun hyung waved his hand and said see you tomorrow. I also wanted to do evening self-study, but I had no choice because of my promise with Kwon Taebeom.
I’ll have to study secretly at home, even if I have to light a candle. Seeing everyone working hard, I clenched my fists and went down to the 1st floor where Kwon Taebeom would be waiting. I could have just taken the bus and gone, but I reluctantly agreed when he insisted on picking me up.
I hurriedly went into the next building as if Kwon Taebeom would see, and came out with a calm face, pretending to have come out of that building. As the distance between us narrowed, the phone call I had hung up on my own earlier came to mind, making my heart thump a little.
“I’m back.”
Kwon Taebeom, who was leaning back in the backseat reading documents on a tablet, turned his head at my appearance.
“You’re here? Dinner.”
“I didn’t eat.”
“Then let’s eat out today before going in.”
Kwon Taebeom told Uncle Junseok to go to H Hotel right away. The atmosphere created by the word ‘hotel’ made my eyes tremble for no reason. However, seeing him calmly reading electronic documents again, I felt pathetic and closed my eyes. As the sun set, Seoul’s city center shone brightly with neon signs. Maybe because I woke up too early for my first academy visit, my eyes closed on their own. With a small smile at the firm shoulder touching the top of my head, I fell completely asleep.
***
“Cha Yuwon.”
“Ah…!”
That startled me. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it. I was surprised like screaming at his face that had come up to my nose. Oh my, my heart. Who, whew… Who told you to be so hands…ome.
The drool that came out of my mouth just now is not because of that face. I-, I drooled while sleeping, absolutely not. After wiping the corner of my mouth with my sleeve, I came to my senses and looked around to see where I was. Seeing the fancy lighting and luxurious design, it was indeed the famous H Hotel.
“Get out.”
“Yes.”
When I got out of the car following Kwon Taebeom, the chairman’s car drove away. Is Uncle Junseok not coming with us? I raised my head and looked at Kwon Taebeom’s neat face. Well, eating together, just the two of us, wasn’t bad either. I followed Kwon Taebeom, who was moving with familiar steps, and entered the hotel.