"Ugh~ Jungkook, you have to wake up now."
The heroine woke up Jeong-guk, who was still in a deep sleep, while hugging her and tossing and turning with a sleepy voice.
" Um...hun,,let's sleep a little longer... "
(Um...honey, let's sleep a little more...)
Jungkook whispered in Yeoju's ear in a low voice, perhaps because he was half asleep, and dug deeper into the blanket without letting go of Yeoju, even though he still had his shirt off.
What is this...
After that day, Jeongguk would whine inappropriately every night, saying he couldn't sleep without Yeoju's lullaby, so they ended up sleeping together in the same room.
At first, the female protagonist was terrified when Jeong-guk told her to take off her shirt and lie down next to him, saying that it was uncomfortable and bothersome every time she slept, and she even hit him on the back. But after sleeping like that for a few days, as they say, humans are creatures of adaptation... she soon got used to it.
Rather, it seemed like Jungkook's words weren't entirely a lie, because whenever Yeoju sang a lullaby, Jungkook would quickly fall asleep with a very comfortable expression. Seeing that, Yeoju completely gave up on the idea of sleeping alone.
Aside from hugging him or using his arm as a pillow, Jungkook slept well while listening to lullabies, and Yeoju was also able to sleep warmly when she heard the body temperature and regular breathing of the person next to her while she slept.
So, just when sleeping together had become somewhat of a routine, the morning of the last, seventh day arrived.
The female protagonist chuckled as she watched Jeongguk mumble in English without realizing it because he was half-asleep. Then, as if trying to soothe a sleeping child, she pushed the blanket down and muttered softly.
" But didn't you say we'd have a party today? Are you just going to send me to Korea like this..? "
(But didn't you say you were having a party today? Are you just going to send me to Korea like this..?)
As soon as the female protagonist finished speaking, Jeongguk opened his eyes wide and said, 'Ah, that's right..! ' and then slowly got up from his seat while gently brushing his lips against the female protagonist's forehead.
"It's already the last day..."
"That's right... time seems to have passed quickly."
"Sister, sister... did you have fun..?"
"Huh..? Me? Me... It was fun."
"It's all thanks to you, Jungkook," the female protagonist said, patting her head as if praising her. Jungkook sighed and hugged her again, rubbing her cheek before whispering, "I hope you had fun..."
But even after that, he didn't let go of the female lead who was holding him for a while as if he still had something he wanted to say, and only when the female lead called out, "Jeong-guk..?" in discomfort, did he open his mouth in a small, crawling voice.
"Can't you stay a little longer...a few days longer...and then go?"
At Jeongguk's words, Yeoju let out a short sigh, "Ah..." and fell into deep thought. Honestly, it wasn't that I hadn't thought about it. There was a lot to do when I returned to Korea. It wasn't a pre-planned trip, so I'd fled, leaving everything behind, leaving behind everything, so there was even more to deal with once I got there. But...
'2~3 days...wouldn't it be okay..?'
You can always get a new plane ticket... No, actually, Yeoju had already made up her mind as the final seven days began to approach. But even so, the reason she didn't hastily contact her mother to ask if she could stay longer or cancel her plane ticket was...
'Maybe I wanted to hear the words from this child's own mouth...'
The female protagonist looked at Jeong-guk, who was still hugging her and had a dead puppy-like expression on his face, and then burst out laughing and picked up the cell phone that was on the bed.
Then, she escaped from Jeongguk's embrace, left the room, and signaled him to be quiet as he followed her carefully, before calling her mother.
Dooroo—dooroo—
How many beeps did it take to get through the tense situation?Click, a familiar voice came over the phone.
" mom..! "
"Oh, yeah, heroine, how have you been?"
"Yeah, I've been doing well. But you're not like Mom..."
Just as the female protagonist was about to say that she would stay a little longer, her mother's next words startled her so much that she almost dropped the phone she was holding.
"Good call. You have to come down early tonight to meet your new fiancée. I'll send you a new ticket on an earlier flight."
Fiancé...? Yeo-ju glanced in Jeong-guk's direction for a moment. He was waiting for her, quietly standing in the living room, in front of the door. Unable to bear to look at him any longer, Yeo-ju turned away and whispered softly into her phone.
"Mom, suddenly you're getting engaged? What do you mean?"
"You were in America, so I guess the news didn't reach you well. After you left America, speculative articles started to run wild. I was short-sighted."
There are rumors going around that you ran away to America because you missed Jimin so much that you couldn't forget him, and even rumors that you're pregnant. But as a mother, how can I just sit by and watch those articles spread and tear you apart? You shouldn't rush things and make an announcement about finding a new fiancé. But since you're still fiancé, wouldn't it be better to meet him a few times before the articles come out..?
The female protagonist, whose lips were trembling at her mother's shocking words, could not continue speaking and just said "I understand" and hung up the phone. Pregnancy...what the...she really is so determined to kill someone if they bite her. The female protagonist suddenly felt her head throbbing.
"What happened..?"
"I think I should go in right now... I won't be able to attend the party. I'm sorry..."
Perhaps he had been secretly expecting this, but Jeongguk clenched his jaw at Yeoju's words. But that was all. There was an unspoken rule between Yeoju and Jeongguk.
Don't ask about each other's personal affairs.
Since Yeoju was from a family of a well-known conglomerate in Korea, she was reluctant to reveal her identity, so she didn't ask about her job or what her family did, or about her wealth, position, or social status, for fear that they would ask her about it too. This was the same for Jeongguk, so it was a natural rule between the two.
And it was the same now. One might have wondered why he had left so early... but Jungkook simply stared at Yeoju, remaining silent.
"...Goodbye...I'll see you off to the airport."
After a long, awkward silence, their eyes locked on each other without a word, Jeongguk finally spoke. Yeoju could only nod slightly.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, her mother, who had finished talking to the female lead without knowing this, smiled at the man standing in front of her with a satisfied expression.
"I'll come down now. Maybe we can have dinner together tonight.
"Yes, Mother, thank you."
"No, we know the situation better than you. Thank you for understanding and immediately accepting the sudden engagement proposal. It must have been a difficult choice."
Well then... please take good care of our heroine, Taehyung.
The man accepted the woman's greeting with a bright smile and a matching bright expression.
"No. I'm the one...please take care of me."