Chapter 31 : Maybe It Would Be Better If The World Just Ended Right Now.
As Bada made up her mind, she scanned the room. It was full of Kim Ha-neul’s hidden (and valuable) info.
‘Usually, people take about 30 minutes to an hour to shower. Since Ha-neul is a guy, he might be quicker, so I probably have around 15 minutes to search. About 30 seconds have passed since he left, so I have roughly 14 minutes and 30 seconds left. Actually, given how fast he is, I should trim that by another 5 minutes. I need to check as much as I can in that time.’
Bada’s mind raced, and after quickly calculating, she jumped into action.
‘First, check the sure things!’
Her first target was Kim Ha-neul’s graduation album, sticking out of a drawer. She grabbed it without hesitation.
‘So cuteeeee─!!’
Seeing the photos inside, Bada stifled a silent scream.
Young Kim Ha-neul had a certain aloofness that seemed too mature for his age. His short, sporty haircut made it even more obvious.
‘He didn’t wear glasses back then.’
His current glasses with a strong prescription seemed to make him look gentler. This was his raw, unfiltered look.
The standout feature was his pouty lips, which made it clear he wasn’t thrilled about having his photo taken.
‘…No group photos, though.’
There was only one individual photo. No albums from middle or high school at all.
It must be due to the ‘tough school years’ I heard about. Thinking about it made Bada feel a pang of guilt.
‘I need to make it up to him.’
While she couldn’t rewind time, she could still make a difference in the present and future. Bada promised herself to be even better to Kim Ha-neul.
‘Luckily, there are university photos.’
She remembered that all of Ha-neul’s friends were from university. Even though he had graduated recently, she was curious to see how he looked.
When she opened the album, there were many photos. Along with the usual individual shots, there were group photos with friends.
‘…But why are there so many women?’
In the photos with his peers, there seemed to be an unusually high number of women around Kim Ha-neul.
Wondering if she was being too sensitive, she counted them and confirmed the gender ratio was off.
Kim Ha-neul’s expression was the same in every photo, so he didn’t seem to be particularly aware of the women around him.
‘…Who is this person?’
One woman stood out and was especially annoying. She looked quite glamorous, thanks to Photoshop, and always managed to sit next to Kim Ha-neul.
‘Here too. And there.’
She blocked other peers and always managed to position herself close to Kim Ha-neul in every photo with both genders. It was glaringly obvious.
‘I definitely know this face…’
The problem was that she had a strange sense of déjà vu about the woman. Determined to find out who she was, Bada kept flipping through the pages.
“What are you doing?”
“Yikes!?”
*Tap!*
Bada jumped at the sudden voice right by her ear. She quickly shoved the album back into the drawer and shook her head.
“Oh, I wasn’t doing anything.”
“Bada-ssi, how long have I been here?”
“……”
Bada pouted at Ha-neul’s teasing. If someone arrives, they should announce themselves. What was she supposed to do if they just sneak up on her?
It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since Ha-neul went to the bathroom. His shower was so quick that Bada started to doubt if he even got clean.
If it weren’t for the faint scent of body wash still on him, she might have really questioned it.
“I’m just messing with you. I just walked in. The hot water’s running, so feel free to take your time in the shower.”
“Got it.”
Even though Bada was still bothered by the identity of that woman, she decided to put it aside for now. She told herself she’d made good use of her time. As she picked up the clothes Kim Gureum had given her, she suddenly realized something important she had overlooked.
‘…If I shower, I’ll be completely bare-faced!?’
Oh no, that was absolutely unacceptable.
But she couldn’t avoid showering. While she always carried basic makeup supplies, sleeping with makeup on was also a problem.
She’d been well-prepared for Legoland, but this unexpected overnight stay left her completely unprepared.
‘What if I get Ha-neul to fall asleep first?’
She briefly considered it but quickly dismissed the idea. With his chronic insomnia, that wouldn’t work.
“Do you need anything?”
“…Sleep medication.”
“Sorry?”
“Are you taking your medication properly? I heard you went to the hospital recently. What did the doctor say?”
If Ha-neul took sleep medication, it might make it possible for him to fall asleep. Bada asked urgently, and Ha-neul scratched his cheek.
“I didn’t get any.”
“Pardon?”
“Sleep medication. I got some at first, but I built up a tolerance from using too much during my military service. They said they couldn’t give me anything stronger.”
“So you didn’t get anything at all?”
“I don’t really have depression or anything…”
So the most peaceful solution had vanished. Getting Ha-neul to fall asleep first was off the table.
“Do you need sleep medication yourself?”
“No, I’m fine. I was just wondering if Ha-neul-ssi was getting proper medical care.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve always been a good kid who listens to the doctor’s advice.”
For someone who looked pretty rebellious in his elementary school photos. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
‘What if I sleep with Gureum?’
Unfortunately, that was a no-go.
The reason she was in Ha-neul’s room was that Kim Gureum had firmly said, “My room is too small.”
‘So the only option left is…’
Bada’s gaze turned to Ha-neul, specifically to the glasses he was wearing.
She’d heard that without his glasses, he couldn’t even recognize faces up close.
If she took his glasses off, he might not recognize her bare face. She could hide for a bit, put on makeup tomorrow, and then return them.
‘This is the only way!’
Whoosh!
Bada reached for the glasses. Ha-neul leaned back and dodged, moving quickly.
“…Bada-ssi?”
“Can you just stay still for a sec?”
“Why?”
“Just for a sec.”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-!
Even though Bada asked, Ha-neul didn’t give her any room. He dodged her every move like a pro boxer.
Halfway through, Bada got stubborn and started swinging harder, but she still couldn’t get close to Ha-neul’s glasses.
“Ugh, come on…”
“Are you okay?”
Breathing heavily, Bada saw Ha-neul looking at her with concern.
‘Now’s my chance!’
In a quick move, Bada finally managed to grab Ha-neul’s glasses.
“Got them… Oh no!?”
*Thud!*
Taking advantage of Ha-neul’s distraction, Bada crashed into him, and they both ended up on the floor.
Despite the fall, Ha-neul instinctively pulled Bada close, shielding her. They ended up tightly pressed together.
Both took a moment to figure out what had just happened.
Ha-neul was the first to get his bearings.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine! Are you? Did you get hurt? Did you hit your head?”
“I’m okay. Just a bit shaken.”
“Huh?”
Bada followed Ha-neul’s gaze and saw his glasses broken.
Even though she had achieved her goal, Bada felt bad for causing damage.
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I was going to replace them anyway. I’m even thinking about getting LASIK.”
“Let me handle it!”
“We’ll talk about that later. For now, can you get off me?”
“Huh?”
That’s when Bada realized she was on top of Ha-neul.
“…!?”
She could feel his strong muscles through their contact, confirming the daily two-hour workout rumor.
Blushing furiously, Bada covered her face with her hands, completely lost on how to handle this.
“Sorry, sorry…! Ahh!”
Ignoring the awkward closeness, Bada tried to get up quickly but ended up cramping her leg.
Ha-neul, watching everything, sighed and gently lifted Bada’s waist, rolling her to the side.
“Hold on…!”
“Just a moment.”
“Ugh…”
Ha-neul started massaging her leg, stretching and rubbing her calf with ease.
Despite her embarrassment, Bada couldn’t help but ask due to his skilled touch.
“…How are you so good at this?”
“I got a ‘Lifeguard’ certification through a school program. That led to a part-time job as a lifeguard at a water park.”
What hasn’t this guy done? With that in mind and reassured by Ha-neul’s expertise, Bada felt a bit better.
As time went by, Ha-neul spoke up slowly.
“Feeling better now?”
“…Yes.”
Thanks to Ha-neul, Bada’s cramp was gone, but she still kept her face covered and didn’t move.
‘Maybe it would be better if the world just ended right now.’
Bada was too embarrassed to face Ha-neul. She didn’t understand why this was happening or where things had gone wrong.
“Just go take a shower.”
“……”
“Be careful not to step on the broken glasses.”
Bada slowly opened her eyes.
Ha-neul had turned his head, probably to give her some privacy. Seeing this, Bada quickly grabbed her stuff and left the room.
….
After Bada was in the bathroom, Ha-neul let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
‘That was close.’
He looked at his hand, still feeling the warmth from their earlier contact, and sighed again.
The situation had been hectic, but the feeling on his skin was still fresh.
‘Her skin is so soft.’
He finally understood what Yena had meant when she said that. What started as a simple emergency massage turned awkward when Bada started asking questions.
He had an uncomfortable physical reaction and had to send Bada away quickly, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
– Keep up appearances.
Ha-neul remembered Kang Taeyang’s advice and tried to regain his composure. He quickly cleaned up the broken glasses and sorted out his feelings.
* * *
“I’ve already set up the blankets. Bada-ssi, you can sleep here.”
“Oh, thanks.”
With her hair dried, Bada sat on the bed.
After that, neither of them spoke for a while.
“……”
“……”
The silence was overwhelming.
Even the sound of swallowing seemed like it would be loud. It was hard to believe they were alone in the room together.
‘This house…’
Their home wasn’t very big. Even though there were three rooms, each was quite cramped.
There wasn’t even a bed; they would have to lie down side by side on the floor with just blankets. The distance between them was not far.
‘I shouldn’t have left Bada-ssi alone.’
He hadn’t expected his mom to set everything up while he was out. With everything already arranged, there was no way to change it now.
‘Falling asleep is impossible.’
With Bada in the room, falling asleep would be tough, even without insomnia.
‘Calm down, Ha-neul.’
He reminded himself to stay rational.
He wouldn’t let a moment of desire mess things up. What he needed to do now was…
“Bada-ssi, you were looking at my album earlier, right?”
“Eh!? Well, yes…”
“How much did you see?”
“I only saw the elementary and college photos. I swear!”
Bada stumbled over her words, clearly flustered about being caught. Ha-neul held back a smile and continued.
“Is there anything else you’d like to see?”
“Something I want to see?”
“Yes, since it seems like it’ll be hard to fall asleep right away. If you’re curious, I can show you.”
“Then the diary.”
Bada responded as if she had been waiting for this. Surprised, Ha-neul quickly shook his head.
“I don’t have one of those.”
“But I saw one over there earlier.”
“You said you only looked at the album.”
“I meant the contents. Anyway, this thing here.”
Bada pointed to a thick notebook in the drawer. It looked worn, almost like a diary to someone unfamiliar.
“Oh, that’s not a diary. It’s a writer’s notebook.”
Ha-neul took the notebook from the drawer. Even without his glasses, the texture of the cover felt familiar.
Bada, watching his reaction, tilted her head and asked.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a notebook where I jot down ideas whenever they come to me. It’s part of how I became a writer.”
“Show me too!”
“Hold on. I need to review it first…”
“Ah, that’s no fun!”
Bada rushed at him, and they ended up playfully tussling over the notebook, rolling around and wrestling for a while.
