We arrived at the cable car.
“Hehek..heh hey..get down..!”
“...Is your back okay..?”
“Haha..this much is nothing..I'm totally fine!”
“Heh...but, princess..? Hurry and get off..?”
“Ah..!! Sorry~“
”Haha, let’s go~“
After getting on the cable car
“Wow... the ocean is seriously pretty..”
“Right..”
“Th...then, Doa...!”
“Uh..?”
“This..heh is your birthday present!”
”Huh..? A birthday present?“
A birthday present... it had been a really long time since I’d heard those words.
The last time I got a proper one was
when I got a picture book at daycare...
I never went around
telling the others it was my birthday,
and I’m the type who doesn’t really give birthday presents either,
so a birthday present felt way too long overdue.
...Maybe, in fact, I had been missing it.
My parents were always out working or fighting,
and now, with time gone by, my older brother was always out working too..
Why would I ever ask for a birthday present?
Maybe I matured a little early.
I wanted to ask my parents to buy me this or that for my birthday, too,
and to act spoiled and throw a little tantrum.
But every birthday I was either alone at home,
or all I could hear outside was the sound of fighting,
and now I already knew there were a lot of things that needed money besides my birthday present, so it wasn’t easy to get the words out.
“....”
So many thoughts flashed through my mind
and, before I knew it, tears came to my eyes.
“...? Doa..!! Why are you crying..”
Sanghyuk pulled me into a hug and said.
“...Sanghyuk, thank you so much..really..heh”
Without saying a word, Sanghyuk patted my back.
”....”
And so I cried for a long time.
Then Sanghyuk wiped my tears away andsaid.
”Doa..heh I want you to be happy.
Of course, you can’t be happy every single day..I’m not either.
But when you’re with me, I want you to be happier than anyone else, Doa.
Doa..when things are hard, it’s okay to cry..don’t hold back your tears.
Even if you can’t cry out there, cry when you’re with me at least..
I want us to be able to lean on each other.
So Doa..heh if it’s hard, it’s okay to cry.
We’re still young... cry a lot, laugh a lot..heh
You know I love you a lot and rely on you, right?
When things are hard, I don’t even need to know why,
I’ll just stay here with you like this..heh“
How badly I needed those words from Sanghyuk
It’s okay to cry when things are hard
“Heh..Sanghyuk..thanks for saying that.“
”Heh..how embarrassing...go on, tear open the present!”
Inside the gift box was a necklace.
“Gasp...! What is it..why get something so expensive..”
“Heh..it’s not that expensive...
I saw it around Dongdaemun
and thought it’d look good on you..“
“Still..heh thank you!”
“Don’t mention it..heh give me the necklace!
I’ll put it on you...!”
“Oh my..! Then thank you!“
While Sanghyuk was putting the necklace on me,
the cable car shook.
And then Sanghyuk’s lips and mine met.
“....!”
Sanghyuk naturally looked at me and said.
“Heh..isn’t this still a little early..? heh”( Episode 18 End )
