Chapter 11

Episode 011: I’ll Stay by Your Side

Upon arriving at the locker room, Eun Bi dressed Chae Ah as slowly as possible.

“Eun Bi, don’t we have to go?”

“You’re okay since your leg hurts.”

“No, but you…”

“I’m fine too since I’ll support you.”

While making up a half-hearted excuse, Eun Bi waited until all the girls in their class had left the locker room.

When the last girl was gone,

Tap.

Eun Bi grabbed Chae Ah’s shoulder.

“Chae Ah, be honest with me.”

“About what?”

“Does Do Hyun Woo dress you every day?”

“Yes. Why?”

Eun Bi’s face flushed without even a moment of hesitation from Chae Ah’s answer.

“Why are you so worked up?”

“I just asked you to be honest, but that was too honest.”

“Huh?”

A question mark seemed to hover above Chae Ah’s head.

Eun Bi had thought Chae Ah was a cute and nice friend, but now she looked like someone in pain.

“Still, it’s weird, right? Does Hyun Woo go to your house to help you?”

“No, I live at Hyun Woo’s place.”

Eun Bi stood there dumbfounded, her mouth agape as if turned into a statue for a while, unable to comprehend what she had just heard.

“We’re really going to be late at this rate.”

“Wait, wait, hold on. You live at Hyun Woo’s?”

“Yes, I’m living there thanks to his consideration.”

Chae Ah explained the situation briefly:

After the accident, the only person she remembered was Hyun Woo.

Her parents felt awkward around her.

Since staying at home seemed difficult, both sets of parents agreed that she would stay with him temporarily.

Eun Bi’s eyes wavered after hearing everything.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s not something incomprehensible…’

Eun Bi considered herself open-minded, but…

The idea of an unmarried man and woman cohabiting simply because they were childhood friends awakened her inner Confucian dragon.

“Does Hyun Woo bathe you too, by any chance?”

“No, he absolutely refuses, so it takes forever for me to bathe.”

Chae Ah pouted disappointedly.

“Phew…”

Eun Bi sighed in relief.

Thankfully, it seemed Hyun Woo hadn’t crossed any boundaries.

“Are you two really childhood friends?”

“Yeah…?”

“Alright, I get it. Let’s hurry before we’re really late.”

Though Eun Bi had countless more questions, today wasn’t the only day they had time.

Squeak.

She finally zipped up Chae Ah’s clothes despite the stubborn zipper.

‘So Hyun Woo sees this watermelon-sized chest every day…?’

At least Chae Ah hadn’t mentioned sharing the same bed or blanket daily; otherwise, the newly awakened Confucian Eun Bi would’ve bombarded her with questions.

*

* *

Tap, tap.

Hyn Woo tapped his foot impatiently outside the gymnasium. Changing clothes shouldn’t take this long.

As the break period neared its end, neither Eun Bi nor Chae Ah showed up.

Just as his foot-tapping grew faster,

“Ah! Did you wait for us, Hyun Woo?”

Chae Ah appeared, leaning on Eun Bi.

Hyn Woo naturally took Chae Ah from Eun Bi and asked,

“Why are you so late?”

“Sorry, I was talking with Eun Bi.”

“Talking?”

Hyn Woo glanced at Eun Bi, silently asking what they talked about.

“…You must be happy every day. You pervert.”

“?”

Hyun Woo was suddenly criticized.

Eun Bi walked away briskly, leaving no room to ask why.

“Why is she like that?”

“Dunno…?”

No matter how much they tilted their heads, they couldn’t read Eun Bi’s mind.

“Is it okay to enter the gym?”

Hyn Woo hesitated before entering the gym immediately.

Yesterday, Chae Ah had complained of a headache inside the gym. He was slightly worried about just walking in.

“We won’t know unless we try, right?”

“That’s true. If you feel even a bit off, we’ll rush to the nurse’s office, alright?”

“Okay, I trust you, Hyun Woo.”

Hyun Woo responded a beat late, secretly gripping his racing heart as they entered the gym.

Ding-dong-dang-dong!

The bell signaling fourth period rang.

Glancing at Chae Ah’s face,

“She seems fine.”

“I feel perfectly fine right now.”

There didn’t seem to be any immediate issues.

They quickly joined the cluster of students gathered behind.

The physical education teacher yawned lazily and said,

“Well, you guys are already in third year, so you know the drill. Those who didn’t change into gym uniforms step forward. The rest can grab equipment from the storage and do whatever you want.”

“Woo-hoo!”

The students cheered. Physical education was practically the only free time for third-year students.

“Still, don’t sit around too much. If more than half of you do nothing, I’ll make you practice performance evaluations.”

The teacher waved his hand, signaling dismissal to play freely.

“Let’s sit on the mat.”

“Don’t you want to play with the others?”

“I don’t like sports, and I don’t really have friends.”

“What about Jin Hyuk?”

“He’s already over there.”

Jin Hyuk, whose large build suggested he might enjoy American football, was lying on the mat playing a game.

Hyn Woo was about to sit beside him when,

“Chae Ah, could you come here for a moment? No, let me come to you.”

The PE teacher approached Chae Ah and quickly scanned her casted arm and ankle.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Even so, don’t run around yet, okay? You had memory loss too, so be careful.”

“Oh?”

Chae Ah blinked her big eyes, surprised by the teacher’s tone, which sounded worried about her participating in PE.

Hyun Woo whispered to Chae Ah,

“If the teacher saw you doing PE, he’d have reason to worry.”

“What did I do?”

“You came to PE without applying ointment after rolling down the stairs.”

“…Did I?”

“If I hadn’t dragged you to the nurse’s office, you probably would’ve done PE anyway.”

Chae Ah was an extreme lover of PE.

– How can I give up on PE just because of these minor injuries? You’ll understand, right, Hyun Woo?

– Let’s go to the nurse’s office. Stop being so dramatic and follow me.

To the point where she insisted it was just a minor scrape after rolling down the stairs.

“Make sure you keep a close eye on her, Hyun Woo. Ensure she doesn’t run around.”

“Understood.”

The teacher reiterated his instructions a few more times before letting them go.

“Alright, let’s sit down.”

“Umm.”

With the instruction to closely monitor her, Chae Ah followed Hyun Woo like a little puppy.

She wondered,

‘Did I really love PE that much?’

Hyun Woo wouldn’t lie, but it was hard to believe.

She didn’t feel the urge to run around wildly right now.

Instead, she wanted to stay closer to Hyun Woo…

‘Ah, do I just want to be with Hyun Woo?’

It dawned on her—wouldn’t exercising with Hyun Woo be much more fun?

“Hold on. Stop.”

“Huh?”

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop wiggling your butt.”

Hyun Woo firmly pressed Chae Ah’s shoulder back down.

“The teacher said not to run, remember?”

“…Was I planning to?”

“Look at me while we talk.”

Hyun Woo sighed softly, crossing his arms tightly into his pockets.

As Chae Ah stared blankly at him,

“Do you dislike it? This way, you definitely won’t be able to run off.”

Hyun Woo muttered gruffly while avoiding eye contact.

Of course, Chae Ah didn’t dislike it; instead, she leaned closer.

“No, I like it.”

“Geez, don’t fidget inside either.”

Hyun Woo tensed, worried this might escalate to touching knees.

Chae Ah, unaware of his concern, looked around the gym.

Some played soccer, others badminton in pairs, and some, like Hyun Woo and Chae Ah, sat on mats chatting.

It truly felt like free time, with everyone enjoying themselves differently.

‘This looks fun.’

While watching Eun Bi play badminton, she heard a familiar sound that made her heart race, though she couldn’t recall it.

Her gaze landed on students playing half-court basketball.

Hyun Woo poked her cheek with his finger.

“You used to play basketball with them too.”

“Huh? They’re all boys though?”

“Yeah, you played with them.”

The boys playing basketball glanced enviously at Chae Ah—not because of her chest size but because they missed having her around.

“Yu Chae Ah’s dribbling was insane.”

“Not just dribbling. She was a 3-point shooting machine.”

These were basketball enthusiasts mourning the loss of a talented teammate.

‘Basketball ball-sized… compared to what they’re thinking.’

Hyun Woo felt self-deprecating about the comparison he unconsciously conjured.

Bounce, bounce, bounce.

Meanwhile, Chae Ah watched the students playing basketball again absentmindedly.

“Hmm…?”

She sensed some unusual symptoms.

Bump, bump, bump.

Each time the basketball hit the floor, her heartbeat intensified in sync.

Beep.

Suddenly, surrounding sounds faded away.

Grip.

Her chest tightened as if squeezed, making it hard to breathe.

Simultaneously, a throbbing headache surfaced, accompanied by flashes of memories.

– Hey, what do boys like?

– What? Stop making nonsense and pass the ball, Yu Chae Ah!

She couldn’t recall when exactly it happened, but the sharp pain in her brain prevented important memories from surfacing.

– Do Hyun Woo is too different from us, so asking him might not be a good idea.

– Hmm… Probably. In a few days, I’ll tell Hyun Woo…

Then, the memory shattered like a cracked screen.

“Oof…”

Chae Ah frowned, trembling uncontrollably. Slowly bending over, she struggled to breathe properly.

“Wait, don’t bend over. Look at me.”

“Ugh…”

Hyun Woo immediately realized this pain was different from the headache she experienced in the gym yesterday.

‘What is this? Is a memory trying to surface? Or is it a new symptom?’

Despite his inner confusion,

Hyun Woo pulled Chae Ah into a tight embrace.

“Breathe, Chae Ah. Breathe slowly with me.”

Hyun Woo stroked her back and whispered clearly into her ear,

“First, inhale slowly.”

“Hhmm…?”

“Now exhale slowly.”

“Whoosh…”

Whether it was due to being held by Hyun Woo or the deep breathing, her breathing gradually stabilized.

Her pale complexion returned to normal.

“Hyun Woo… I thought I remembered something… “

Burrowing her head deeper into his shoulder,

“No, it’s okay. Don’t force yourself to remember.”

“Just… Just let me stay like this a little longer.”

“I will. I’ll always stay by your side.”

Hyun Woo patted her back gently to reassure her.

‘I should visit the nurse’s office before lunch…’

As he thought about the next steps, he noticed something odd.

At some point, the sound of bouncing balls disappeared, as did the chatter.

“Ah.”

Lifting his head, Hyun Woo uttered a soft sound.

All the students stared at them with wide eyes.

Clang!

Eun Bi dropped her badminton racket.

“Uh…”

Jin Hyuk looked flustered, having even put down his phone.

Yu Chae Ah and Do Hyun Woo.

The rumor of their intense public hug spread quickly throughout the school.