Chapter Thirty-Three: What a Boyfriend Truly Is

Hwang Tae-kyung left so abruptly that Cha Eun-sang and Jeremy were both startled, but Jeremy quickly followed after him. Just as Hwang Tae-kyung was about to close the car door, Jeremy jumped in. Cha Eun-sang could only watch as the car gradually disappeared from view.

She couldn’t say she had any particular feelings toward Yoo Hye, but she couldn’t understand why Hwang Tae-kyung was in such a rush to see her. Had something happened between them? Or did Hwang Tae-kyung feel differently about Yoo Hye?

Cha Eun-sang felt frustrated, a little lost.

In the car, Jeremy wanted to ask Hwang Tae-kyung what had happened, but the leader’s expression was so grim that he didn’t dare. Instead, he grew even more concerned for Yoo Hye. After Hwang Tae-kyung inquired about the hospital and the ward number, he fell silent.

It was already late at night, the roads were clear, and it took Hwang Tae-kyung less than half an hour to reach the hospital. He and Jeremy went straight to the seventh floor, where they immediately saw Kang Shin-woo sitting by the stairs.

Kang Shin-woo looked exhausted, his head bowed, sitting on a bench. He was probably waiting for them, which was why he hadn’t gone into Yoo Hye’s room.

When he heard footsteps, he looked up. The man who was usually so gentle now had a trace of displeasure on his face. Hwang Tae-kyung thought he probably knew everything.

The moment Kang Shin-woo had rushed to Yoo Hye’s side, Hwang Tae-kyung had realized it: Kang Shin-woo liked Yoo Hye, not with Jeremy’s idol-like admiration, but with a genuine wish to be with her.

Jeremy asked anxiously, “Hyung, what happened? How’s Yoo Hye?”

He didn’t dare speak loudly, only whispered, his eyes drifting toward the closed door of the hospital room, but he could see nothing.

Kang Shin-woo, weary, replied, “She’s asleep.”

Jeremy immediately sensed something was wrong.

The three of them sat there awkwardly. Kang Shin-woo didn’t really have anything to blame Hwang Tae-kyung for—after all, Yoo Hye had threatened Hwang Tae-kyung first, and this was a matter of feelings between them. He didn’t want to interfere.

He just hadn’t expected Hwang Tae-kyung to come in person.

Yoo Hye, half-awake, heard voices outside. She was still hooked up to an IV, listening to the familiar conversation. After a while, the door opened. Though it was late at night, someone still needed to check her IV. She vaguely made out Hwang Tae-kyung’s voice. After what had happened, she felt both ashamed and angry, and had no desire to face him.

Kang Shin-woo watched her carefully, noticing the subtle flutter of her eyelids and her forced expression. He understood and couldn’t help but feel amused and helpless.

He turned off the small lamp by the bed, and Yoo Hye’s expression grew more natural. She was, after all, an actress—feigning sleep was no hardship.

Jeremy, seeing Yoo Hye asleep, dared not make a fuss. He relaxed, reassured that with Shin-woo hyung here, everything would be fine, even though Yoo Hye’s face was still pale.

He could see it clearly—Shin-woo hyung liked Yoo Hye. From the bottom of his heart, he was happy for the two of them; after all, they were his favorite hyung and his goddess. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed—his goddess…

Hwang Tae-kyung hadn’t stopped frowning since he arrived. He was troubled and didn’t notice Yoo Hye was pretending to sleep. Kang Shin-woo, on the other hand, thought if he didn’t send them out soon, Yoo Hye would only get more uncomfortable.

He whispered, “Let’s go out. There are about ten minutes left on her IV. I’ll go tell the nurse.”

Hwang Tae-kyung didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on Yoo Hye’s pale face. To be honest, Yoo Hye had always been lively. He remembered when he’d been punched by Cha Eun-sang’s man—he hated recalling it—Yoo Hye had helped him ice his face, looked at him worriedly, and danced so seriously in front of him, her cheeks flushed, looking utterly adorable.

He felt guilty but another voice reminded him that Yoo Hye had pushed him first.

Jeremy, seeing Hwang Tae-kyung’s odd expression, nudged him. “Let’s go, captain.”

Kang Shin-woo’s expression didn’t improve—after all, the captain’s mood looked a little dangerous.

At last, when the formidable presence had left, Kang Shin-woo breathed a sigh of relief and entered the room with the nurse. The lamp by the bed was turned on again. Yoo Hye lay there, eyes open, lost in thought.

After the nurse changed the IV, she left. Kang Shin-woo sat on the sofa, watching her.

The VIP ward was comfortable, almost homelike. Yoo Hye picked up a magazine, which happened to have a picture of her and Kang Shin-woo: the photo of them running out of the dance studio, holding hands, the city streets and crowds blurred in the background. It looked like a beautiful escape.

Kang Shin-woo saw what she was looking at and smiled warmly, “How are you feeling?”

Yoo Hye smiled back, though she still looked weak. “I’m fine, just a cold, nothing serious.”

He ruffled her hair with a chuckle, “A cold, right? It’s almost pneumonia!”

She pouted slightly, muttering something under her breath. Kang Shin-woo took the magazine from her hand. “Go to sleep, it’s almost one o’clock. You shouldn’t stay up late.”

Yoo Hye nodded and closed her eyes, but soon opened them again to ask, “Are you… going home tonight?”

Kang Shin-woo took a new blanket from the cupboard and lay down on the sofa not far from her. “I’ll stay with you, so sleep easy.”

That wasn’t what she meant at all!

But seeing him curled up so uncomfortably on the sofa, she felt warmth fill her heart.

The room was quiet. Strange birds called tirelessly outside the window. The quieter it got, the harder it was to sleep. Moonlight spilled across the floor. Yoo Hye turned restlessly, feeling nauseous from the IV.

“Are you uncomfortable?” came a gentle voice from the darkness.

She shook her head, but then said softly, “No, not really,” thinking he might have heard her.

She didn’t want to trouble Kang Shin-woo, and felt frustrated that Anna hadn’t come.

Anna had wanted to come, but it was too late by the time she found out. Kang Shin-woo told her not to worry, that he would stay with Yoo Hye. At that, Anna’s anxious heart settled—if Kang Shin-woo was there, Yoo Hye would be well cared for.

At some point, this certainty had lodged itself in her mind. In hindsight, Anna realized Kang Shin-woo was truly remarkable.

At that moment, Yoo Hye and Kang Shin-woo faced each other in the darkness.

He sighed softly, “I hope you can trust me, even just a little.”

Yoo Hye was at a loss for words. “It’s not that…” It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, they just weren’t that close yet. She couldn’t treat him as she did Anna, nor as she treated Lee Bo-na, so she didn’t know what attitude to take with him.

The nation’s fairy had now become the nation’s coward, perhaps.

Her eyes adjusted to the dark. She could make out his outline, and Kang Shin-woo knew they were face to face, separated by two meters. He hoped that one day, not too far off, he could hold her in his arms.

“Do you still like him?” he asked, changing the subject.

He knew it wasn’t the best question, but Hwang Tae-kyung’s behavior tonight had left him worried.

Already at a disadvantage, if he couldn’t win her favor before Hwang Tae-kyung fell for her, he would be utterly defeated. But he knew that affection couldn’t be cultivated on command.

His confidence, once at sixty percent, was now down to thirty. He almost pitied himself.

Yoo Hye said, “I’m so tired. I don’t want to like him anymore.”

The scene from earlier played in her mind like a movie on repeat. It wasn’t just her pride that was hurt, but her love as well. She was like a little turtle retreating into her shell.

“I don’t want to like him anymore. I just want to focus on my work and do well.”

It was a despondent confession. Kang Shin-woo could hear it clearly. Though it was a bit shameless, he pleaded gently, “Yoo Hye…”

“Mm?”

“Give it a try with me.”

“…”

“Just one month—a probation period as your boyfriend. If you’re not satisfied, I offer a full refund or exchange.”

His awkward words, so lightly put, made Yoo Hye laugh. “A refund, I understand. Exchange? For whom? Jeremy?”

Neither mentioned Hwang Tae-kyung again, just joking with each other, light and easy.

Kang Shin-woo replied, “No, exchange for a me who loves you even more.”

―

“Did you know that Yoo Hye and Kang Shin-woo are dating?”

On the campus path, Lee Bo-na whispered gossip.

Rachel Yoo laughed, “See, I told you I’d win.”

“Hmph.” Lee Bo-na sounded disgruntled. “That’s just because you didn’t try hard enough for true love!”

Rachel was unconcerned. “Who knows what true love is? Maybe it’s Kang Shin-woo.”

It was as if neither of them cared that they were wagering on their friend’s love life.

But… Bo-na noticed Rachel seemed a little down.

“What’s wrong? You’ve seemed out of sorts all morning.” Though they’d started as rivals, once they became friends, their relationship quickly deepened. Lee Bo-na gradually realized that Rachel, the ice queen who seemed unapproachable, was just another high school girl like her—nothing so complicated.

Rachel didn’t want to keep secrets from Bo-na; she wanted to learn to trust her friend.

“Won has been acting strange lately.”

Since Rachel’s confession at the party, Bo-na had become Won’s number one fangirl. At the mention of his name, her eyes would light up, much to Chan-young’s dismay.

After a moment, Bo-na caught the key point. “Strange? In what way?”

Rachel hesitated, but continued, “He’s been really busy, hardly calls me, and when I call him, he always hangs up quickly. We’ve only seen each other twice this week.”

That had almost never happened—it was truly odd.

“Maybe the company’s just busy.”

Ever since Kim Tan had obtained half of Chairman Kim’s shares, the succession war had begun. Won had told her that everyone supporting Kim Tan had surfaced, and he was busy cleaning house—a process that would take some time.

“Even Tan hasn’t been to school in ages,” Bo-na comforted her.

Rachel thought that made sense. Maybe she was just being too possessive, giving Won no breathing space.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling insecure. To her, Won was someone she had to look up to.

With Christmas approaching, Rachel was considering what to get Won as a gift when suddenly, their class welcomed a new teacher.

The moment the woman walked in, the boys erupted in excitement. Rachel looked up and froze.

It was… Won’s ex-girlfriend.

Her name, if she recalled, was Jeon Hyun-joo. Rumor had it she was an orphan, sponsored through school by Empire Group.

Now she was here as a teacher, and at the end of the term no less—it was hard not to read into that.

Few had met Jeon Hyun-joo. Lee Bo-na, unaware she was Won’s ex, was admiring the teacher’s graceful figure and beauty along with the rest of the boys.

But Rachel felt deeply uneasy. The woman at the podium seemed calm, but she looked pale, as if recovering from a serious illness.

Jeon Hyun-joo’s gaze lingered briefly on Rachel before moving on.

That afternoon, as Rachel left school, her driver waited outside. As she approached, she saw Jeon Hyun-joo ahead, speaking on the phone.

“Won, how’s my mother? Is she alright? I’ll come over right away.”

Rachel’s heart sank. Jeon Hyun-joo hurriedly hailed a cab, not noticing her behind.

Author’s note: Isn’t Shin-woo oppa simply too handsome?

Hahahaha

And I’m not being cruel, humph

I have a feeling the storyline for “Miss Mermaid” is coming up (←←

Should I write “Miss Mermaid” or “My Lovely Sam Soon” first?