In the end, it was a mistake. The idea itself might not have been bad, but it was a huge mistake to negotiate and have only Heena involved.
As if she had been waiting, Heena started pouring out her words.
"If I can stay, I will, but if I have to go out, make sure to tell me if you're going anywhere. Actually, I'll definitely come with you."
"Okay."
"And I'll help you with meals like earlier. If I step away for a moment, you can't eat alone."
"I can eat by myself. I can at least handle meals."
"Yeonho, listen carefully."
There was a sense of déjà vu in her "listen carefully." It sounded like something I had said just a minute ago.
"Of course, you can eat with your left hand. But you're not ambidextrous, right?"
"Yeah."
"What if you spill? It's okay to spill on the tray or the makeshift table, but what if it gets on your clothes?"
"I'll just change."
"It might stain your body too if it's thin. Then you'll have to wash, right?"
"I guess so..."
"You can't get the cast wet, so I'll have to help you. Are you going to take a bath with me? I wouldn't mind."
Wait, is this really happening?
"They say you can shower with a plastic cover over the cast."
"You can't do that every time you eat."
"That's true."
"Then wouldn't it be better if I just fed you from the start?"
"If I don't spill..."
"You already spilled once when you tried to hold the spoon earlier. Are you confident you won't?"
I wasn't confident. Eating with my left hand was difficult. I had planned on dealing with a little spillage, but as Heena said, if it spilled on my clothes, it would be bothersome in many ways.
But, isn't it strange to conclude that I have to wash every time I spill?
I couldn't respond immediately to Heena's rapid-fire words, and she ended the conversation with "then, let's end this topic," and moved on to the next item.
"Call me when you change clothes too. I'll help."
"I can really do that by myself."
"Yeah, I know. You can put on your pants alone. But the top has buttons and might be difficult, right? I'll help with that."
"That might be..."
Ah, but I'm not wearing anything underneath this. I've shown my upper body at the beach before, so maybe it's not a big deal.
"And do you wash your hair first thing in the morning?"
"Yeah. I start showering leisurely but always wash my hair right away. If I don't, it bothers me."
Right after waking up, my hair tends to be a bit greasy, so I have to wash it. If I don't, it's not just bothersome, it actually annoys me.
"Then, take your time bathing after I leave, and I'll help you wash your hair."
"Um..."
I was going to reflexively refuse, but I just agreed. Washing my hair with one hand seemed really difficult. It's not impossible, but it looked like it would take a long time.
The problem was, one thing led to another, and it all ended up completely different from what I had initially intended.
My initial thought was to limit Heena's help to a level that wouldn't be too burdensome for me, but that concern was no longer in the picture.
It was just Heena's desires unleashed. She spoke so firmly and definitively that I couldn't bring myself to argue, wondering, 'Is this right...?'
For a while, we discussed the code of conduct inside the hospital room, and naturally, the conversation shifted to how we would manage when we lived together in the future.
After all, there was hardly any reason to go outside the hospital room.
"Of course, you know about 'I'm leaving' and 'I'm back,' right?"
"You mean to greet properly?"
"You have to give me a kiss."
"I see."
It was a given.
I thought that was reasonable. It's a situation I've seen often in comics. I wonder if I'm still borrowing comic books from Yoonjung noona.
"And before going to bed?"
"Good night?"
"Wrong. You have to kiss me while saying good night. And when waking up in the morning?"
"Hello?"
"Do you want to be scolded?"
"Sorry."
-With a quick peck on her pouting lips as an apology, she immediately burst into giggles.
Anyway, I was in favor of kissing in the morning and evening. I had no reason to refuse. Especially after waking up, a disheveled Heena deserved a thousand kisses. She was really cute.
"And when we're feeling down or have a hard day."
"Should I kiss you?"
"Hug me and then kiss."
These parts seemed half-joking from Heena. She liked physical affection and seemed to be asking for it often.
"You can play games or do other things, but you have to be near me. And if you don't pay attention to me, I'll feel lonely, so say 'I love you' every 30 minutes."
"It's not hard, but what if I forget?"
"You'll be punished. Even while gaming, I'll sit on your lap."
"Like we did at my house before?"
"Yeah."
If Heena isn't bored, I don't mind playing games like that. Ah, but maybe it would be hard to play games that inadvertently make me say harsh words.
"When I'm cooking, wait quietly. Or you can hug me from behind."
Ah, that.
"Can't I cook instead?"
I immediately objected to that. I'm not particularly good at cooking, but I had some tips about Heena's cooking skills.
It seemed like Heena caught on to why I was volunteering to cook.
"Did oppa say something?"
"No? I didn't hear anything."
I quickly denied it, recalling a past incident when I had betrayed her trust. However, she didn't believe me and narrowed her eyes.
"Don't talk nonsense..."
"It's not. I want to feed you what I've cooked."
"Really?"
"That's right. I want you to gain strength from the food I cook when you return home."
The words came out without much thought, but fortunately, Heena's face relaxed. Her face softened, and she let out a silly laugh.
"Hehe... That sounds nice..."
Even though I felt like I was digging myself into a deeper hole that I couldn't escape from, it was still a relief to see Heena's mood brightening up.
Just a moment ago, her face, though smiling, had carried a shadow of concern.
I understood her worry about each and every little thing because she liked me so much.
But I still wanted Heena to smile.
Her face, always looking at me with a gentle smile, was the most beautiful and pleasant thing in the world.
After that.
The next few days in the hospital were uneventful. I just stayed in my room, went for check-ups and physical therapy. In between, I contacted my friends with the new smartphone my dad had brought.
Despite our serious discussion, nothing much changed compared to before. Except when Heena went to school, we spent the entire weekend together. Now that I think about it, spending days on end together like this was a first for us.
Even when we went on trips, they lasted only a day or two at most. Spending mornings, afternoons, and evenings with Heena felt genuinely good.
Above all, it was like a rehearsal for when we would eventually live together.
"Good night~"
"Yeah!"
A peck with a 'good night,' and in the morning, 'did you sleep well?' accompanied by a kiss, made it feel like we were really living together, despite being in the hospital room.
Of course.
"Sigh..."
"Heena? It's cold, can you button me up quickly?"
"Uh, okay..."
There were times when Heena's eyes, zipping up my shirt, were quite scary.
Heena didn't stay every night; she alternated with my mom. It was hard to bathe properly here, and the makeshift bed was uncomfortable, so my mom forced her to go home halfway through.
I couldn't forget the sad look on her face when she left after visiting hours on the days she decided to sleep at her own home.
During this time, Yoonsung and other friends came to visit me.
"Typical Han Yeonho."
"Seriously."
My friends displayed a neutral attitude, neither teasing nor openly praising. The fact that I missed the college entrance exam due to my injury was a serious issue for us, and it would have been embarrassing for them to praise me too openly.
I was glad that they didn't create a gloomy atmosphere.
"Hey, to get into the same college as Heena, I would have needed to retake the exam anyway. Even if I had taken it, I wouldn't have made it, so missing it because I was saving someone is an honorable defeat..."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Right.
Anyway, during my short hospital stay, I got the feeling of cohabiting with Heena and managed to gather my thoughts. On the day I returned home, Heena was quite sad, but we couldn't live there forever.
Of course, after I was discharged, Heena came to my house every day after school. Now, she entered and left as if it was her own home, and no one made a fuss about it.
Heena naturally came to my room and stayed close by my side until evening, when she would return home. This routine continued day after day.
About a month later, I was able to completely remove the cast.
My recovery was speedy, probably due to my youth, and the condition wasn't severe. There was a bit of stiffness remaining, so rehabilitation was necessary, but it was manageable enough to do at home.
Now that my arm was back to normal, it was time to assess the current situation.
Firstly, retaking next year was certain. I couldn't take the college entrance exam, so it was inevitable. Moreover, my grades before meeting Heena were disastrous, so relying on them was out of the question.
Unlike me, Heena had secured a free pass to college. She only got three questions wrong in all the subjects. The mistakes weren't on hard questions either; she said she started laughing thinking of my face and got distracted.
After much consideration, Heena decided on...
"Seoyeon University?"
"Yeah. My grades are good enough, and it's not too far, plus the tuition is affordable."
It's one of the best universities, universally speaking, and being a national university, the tuition is relatively low.
Heena's grades were perfect, so that wasn't an issue. Before meeting me, she apparently just studied quietly, which was hard to imagine considering her lively personality during our dates.
I supported and congratulated her decision, but inwardly, I was sweating bullets. Could I get into that university after a year of retaking exams? Seemed impossible.
Anyway, as the year was ending, there was a regrettable incident, but at least I was healthy and had done a good deed. With that mindset, I welcomed the second end-of-year and new year with Heena.
In the end, it was a mistake. The idea itself might not have been bad, but it was a huge mistake to negotiate and have only Heena involved.
As if she had been waiting, Heena started pouring out her words.
"If I can stay, I will, but if I have to go out, make sure to tell me if you're going anywhere. Actually, I'll definitely come with you."
"Okay."
"And I'll help you with meals like earlier. If I step away for a moment, you can't eat alone."
"I can eat by myself. I can at least handle meals."
"Yeonho, listen carefully."
There was a sense of déjà vu in her "listen carefully." It sounded like something I had said just a minute ago.
"Of course, you can eat with your left hand. But you're not ambidextrous, right?"
"Yeah."
"What if you spill? It's okay to spill on the tray or the makeshift table, but what if it gets on your clothes?"
"I'll just change."
"It might stain your body too if it's thin. Then you'll have to wash, right?"
"I guess so..."
"You can't get the cast wet, so I'll have to help you. Are you going to take a bath with me? I wouldn't mind."
Wait, is this really happening?
"They say you can shower with a plastic cover over the cast."
"You can't do that every time you eat."
"That's true."
"Then wouldn't it be better if I just fed you from the start?"
"If I don't spill..."
"You already spilled once when you tried to hold the spoon earlier. Are you confident you won't?"
I wasn't confident. Eating with my left hand was difficult. I had planned on dealing with a little spillage, but as Heena said, if it spilled on my clothes, it would be bothersome in many ways.
But, isn't it strange to conclude that I have to wash every time I spill?
I couldn't respond immediately to Heena's rapid-fire words, and she ended the conversation with "then, let's end this topic," and moved on to the next item.
"Call me when you change clothes too. I'll help."
"I can really do that by myself."
"Yeah, I know. You can put on your pants alone. But the top has buttons and might be difficult, right? I'll help with that."
"That might be..."
Ah, but I'm not wearing anything underneath this. I've shown my upper body at the beach before, so maybe it's not a big deal.
"And do you wash your hair first thing in the morning?"
"Yeah. I start showering leisurely but always wash my hair right away. If I don't, it bothers me."
Right after waking up, my hair tends to be a bit greasy, so I have to wash it. If I don't, it's not just bothersome, it actually annoys me.
"Then, take your time bathing after I leave, and I'll help you wash your hair."
"Um..."
I was going to reflexively refuse, but I just agreed. Washing my hair with one hand seemed really difficult. It's not impossible, but it looked like it would take a long time.
The problem was, one thing led to another, and it all ended up completely different from what I had initially intended.
My initial thought was to limit Heena's help to a level that wouldn't be too burdensome for me, but that concern was no longer in the picture.
It was just Heena's desires unleashed. She spoke so firmly and definitively that I couldn't bring myself to argue, wondering, 'Is this right...?'
For a while, we discussed the code of conduct inside the hospital room, and naturally, the conversation shifted to how we would manage when we lived together in the future.
After all, there was hardly any reason to go outside the hospital room.
"Of course, you know about 'I'm leaving' and 'I'm back,' right?"
"You mean to greet properly?"
"You have to give me a kiss."
"I see."
It was a given.
I thought that was reasonable. It's a situation I've seen often in comics. I wonder if I'm still borrowing comic books from Yoonjung noona.
"And before going to bed?"
"Good night?"
"Wrong. You have to kiss me while saying good night. And when waking up in the morning?"
"Hello?"
"Do you want to be scolded?"
"Sorry."
-With a quick peck on her pouting lips as an apology, she immediately burst into giggles.
Anyway, I was in favor of kissing in the morning and evening. I had no reason to refuse. Especially after waking up, a disheveled Heena deserved a thousand kisses. She was really cute.
"And when we're feeling down or have a hard day."
"Should I kiss you?"
"Hug me and then kiss."
These parts seemed half-joking from Heena. She liked physical affection and seemed to be asking for it often.
"You can play games or do other things, but you have to be near me. And if you don't pay attention to me, I'll feel lonely, so say 'I love you' every 30 minutes."
"It's not hard, but what if I forget?"
"You'll be punished. Even while gaming, I'll sit on your lap."
"Like we did at my house before?"
"Yeah."
If Heena isn't bored, I don't mind playing games like that. Ah, but maybe it would be hard to play games that inadvertently make me say harsh words.
"When I'm cooking, wait quietly. Or you can hug me from behind."
Ah, that.
"Can't I cook instead?"
I immediately objected to that. I'm not particularly good at cooking, but I had some tips about Heena's cooking skills.
It seemed like Heena caught on to why I was volunteering to cook.
"Did oppa say something?"
"No? I didn't hear anything."
I quickly denied it, recalling a past incident when I had betrayed her trust. However, she didn't believe me and narrowed her eyes.
"Don't talk nonsense..."
"It's not. I want to feed you what I've cooked."
"Really?"
"That's right. I want you to gain strength from the food I cook when you return home."
The words came out without much thought, but fortunately, Heena's face relaxed. Her face softened, and she let out a silly laugh.
"Hehe... That sounds nice..."
Even though I felt like I was digging myself into a deeper hole that I couldn't escape from, it was still a relief to see Heena's mood brightening up.
Just a moment ago, her face, though smiling, had carried a shadow of concern.
I understood her worry about each and every little thing because she liked me so much.
But I still wanted Heena to smile.
Her face, always looking at me with a gentle smile, was the most beautiful and pleasant thing in the world.
After that.
The next few days in the hospital were uneventful. I just stayed in my room, went for check-ups and physical therapy. In between, I contacted my friends with the new smartphone my dad had brought.
Despite our serious discussion, nothing much changed compared to before. Except when Heena went to school, we spent the entire weekend together. Now that I think about it, spending days on end together like this was a first for us.
Even when we went on trips, they lasted only a day or two at most. Spending mornings, afternoons, and evenings with Heena felt genuinely good.
Above all, it was like a rehearsal for when we would eventually live together.
"Good night~"
"Yeah!"
A peck with a 'good night,' and in the morning, 'did you sleep well?' accompanied by a kiss, made it feel like we were really living together, despite being in the hospital room.
Of course.
"Sigh..."
"Heena? It's cold, can you button me up quickly?"
"Uh, okay..."
There were times when Heena's eyes, zipping up my shirt, were quite scary.
Heena didn't stay every night; she alternated with my mom. It was hard to bathe properly here, and the makeshift bed was uncomfortable, so my mom forced her to go home halfway through.
I couldn't forget the sad look on her face when she left after visiting hours on the days she decided to sleep at her own home.
During this time, Yoonsung and other friends came to visit me.
"Typical Han Yeonho."
"Seriously."
My friends displayed a neutral attitude, neither teasing nor openly praising. The fact that I missed the college entrance exam due to my injury was a serious issue for us, and it would have been embarrassing for them to praise me too openly.
I was glad that they didn't create a gloomy atmosphere.
"Hey, to get into the same college as Heena, I would have needed to retake the exam anyway. Even if I had taken it, I wouldn't have made it, so missing it because I was saving someone is an honorable defeat..."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Right.
Anyway, during my short hospital stay, I got the feeling of cohabiting with Heena and managed to gather my thoughts. On the day I returned home, Heena was quite sad, but we couldn't live there forever.
Of course, after I was discharged, Heena came to my house every day after school. Now, she entered and left as if it was her own home, and no one made a fuss about it.
Heena naturally came to my room and stayed close by my side until evening, when she would return home. This routine continued day after day.
About a month later, I was able to completely remove the cast.
My recovery was speedy, probably due to my youth, and the condition wasn't severe. There was a bit of stiffness remaining, so rehabilitation was necessary, but it was manageable enough to do at home.
Now that my arm was back to normal, it was time to assess the current situation.
Firstly, retaking next year was certain. I couldn't take the college entrance exam, so it was inevitable. Moreover, my grades before meeting Heena were disastrous, so relying on them was out of the question.
Unlike me, Heena had secured a free pass to college. She only got three questions wrong in all the subjects. The mistakes weren't on hard questions either; she said she started laughing thinking of my face and got distracted.
After much consideration, Heena decided on...
"Seoyeon University?"
"Yeah. My grades are good enough, and it's not too far, plus the tuition is affordable."
It's one of the best universities, universally speaking, and being a national university, the tuition is relatively low.
Heena's grades were perfect, so that wasn't an issue. Before meeting me, she apparently just studied quietly, which was hard to imagine considering her lively personality during our dates.
I supported and congratulated her decision, but inwardly, I was sweating bullets. Could I get into that university after a year of retaking exams? Seemed impossible.
Anyway, as the year was ending, there was a regrettable incident, but at least I was healthy and had done a good deed. With that mindset, I welcomed the second end-of-year and new year with Heena.
