Once Love Begins - Chapter 21. Part 1

Chapter 21. Part 1

It was a perfect spring evening. The air was fresh and my heart felt light as we walked through the neighborhood. The soft breeze brushed against my face and made me feel alive. As I walked next to him, my hand accidentally touched the back of his. We both flinched slightly, but neither of us pulled away.

Each time our hands touched, my heart pounded harder, almost painfully in my chest.

“…The weather’s nice,” he commented, breaking the quiet.

“Yeah, it’s not too cold, just right,”

I replied, a small smile tugging at my lips as the cool breeze played with my hair. I could feel him watching me, but I kept my eyes forward, too nervous to meet his eyes.

My attention, however, was fully focused on the feel of his hand next to mine. His fingers brushed against mine again, and I couldn’t ignore the jolt that went through me. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice, but as his long fingers slowly began to intertwine with mine, my breath caught in my throat.

The warmth of his touch was overwhelming.

My heart pounded so hard, I wondered if it might burst. I wanted to hide my flushed face, but the warmth of his fingers intertwined with mine felt too comforting to let go. His touch made it impossible to move.

“Is your stomach feeling better?” he asked, and I froze, remembering the small lie I had told.

I didn’t answer right away, and he leaned in closer, making my breath catch. Instinctively, I stepped back, but his hand tightened around mine, sending warmth up my arm.

“You look fine to me…although your face is a little red,” he said with a tilt of his head, concern flickering in his eyes. Then, to my surprise, he raised his hand and gently pressed his palm against my forehead.

“Do you have a fever?” he murmured, his face so close now, and the worry in his voice made me look away.

“I don’t have a fever,” I said, staring down at the ground.

“Really?” he asked softly, still looking like he didn’t quite believe me.

I was about to ask him to stop when his phone rang from his pocket. Taking the opportunity, I pulled my hand free from his grip.

“Your phone’s ringing,” I said, stepping away.

He couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face as he watched me walk away.

“Wait,” he called, pulling out his phone and looking at the screen.

I stopped a few steps ahead, watching as his expression turned serious.

*Is something wrong?*

I wondered. Could it be something about work? Or maybe something personal?

“Hello,” he answered, his eyes still on me as if he didn’t want to look away even during the call. My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met again.

“Yes… my mother?” he said, and the mention of his mother made me pause. I took a few steps closer, curious and slightly worried. Something in his tone made me think it wasn’t good news.

As I listened to the conversation, it became clear that his mother had been hospitalized. Just thinking about her made my eyes sting with unshed tears. He must have noticed because he suddenly grabbed my hand as if to calm me down. From what I could hear, it was his sister, Kang-hee, on the other end of the line.

When the call ended, I looked up at him anxiously.

“Is your mother okay? Is she alright?”

I asked, my voice betraying the worry I felt.

“She’s fine,” he replied, though his voice was calm, his grip on my hand was steady, grounding me.

“But she’s in the hospital? What’s wrong with her?” I asked, still feeling uncomfortable.

“She’s been feeling dizzy lately, so she’s getting some tests done. It’s nothing serious,” he explained, his tone gentle, as if trying to soothe my nerves.

The news calmed me a little, but the thought of her being sick still worried me. He must have noticed how pale I looked because his hand reached up and gently stroked my cheek.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered.

“Ah…”

I murmured, feeling my heart tighten at his touch and his comforting words.

I couldn’t easily say that I wanted to go see his mother. I had no face to show her, as I had left Korea a year ago in a hurry.

Stuck, unable to decide what to do, he gently patted my shoulder. 

“I’ll go see her. You go upstairs and rest.” 

He brushed my hair again, as if he understood exactly how I felt, and reassured me not to worry. My eyes began to well up as I looked at him. We decided to take the walk another time. 

When we got back to the house, he took a bouquet out of the car. I shook my head.  

“I’ll go with you.” 

“You don’t have to.” 

“I want to go.” 

Even when I was abroad, I thought a lot about his mother. Since I was young, she had always been by my side, like a second mother. When I thought of her in the hospital, I realized that whether I had the face to see her or not, I had to visit her. What if it was too late, like with my grandfather? I knew I would regret it, so I got in the passenger seat.     

“Let’s go quickly!”

I clutched my bag tightly out of fear. Even though he assured me at the hospital that everything would be fine, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to relax until I saw it with my own eyes. 

Standing in front of the hospital room, unable to open the door, he came over and gently patted my shoulder. 

“Let’s go in.” 

“I’ll go in by myself.” 

“Let’s go in together.” 

“No, I want to go in alone.” 

He slowly nodded in understanding. 

“Don’t cry.” 

“I won’t.” 

I answered bravely enough, but the moment I heard the door close behind me, my eyes quickly filled with tears. 

After opening one more door, I saw my mother-in-law lying in bed. Like someone nailed to the floor, I couldn’t move and bit my lip. 

“…Yeon-woo?” 

“Hng…” 

I tried not to cry, but the tears burst out. 

“Yeon-woo, is that you?” 

My mother-in-law sat up in disbelief, and I hurriedly approached her. 

“Mother… I’m so sorry.” 

My shoulders shook as I cried. 

“Yeon-woo, you did well to come. I’m glad you’re here.” 

As I sat down, head bowed like a guilty person, she held my hand tightly. She gently patted the back of my hand, waiting patiently until I had finished crying. 

“Are you feeling okay?” 

“I just came in for a checkup, but they are overreacted.” 

“What’s wrong with your health?” 

“Oh, just a bit of dizziness.” 

I was sure she had endured it for a long time and only came to the hospital now because she couldn’t take it anymore. My grandfather had been the same way. My eyes grew heavy with worry.

“You should get all the tests done. There must be a reason for the dizziness.” 

“Alright. Since Yeon-woo says so, I’ll do it,” she said, nodding eagerly. 

“I heard you came to the funeral.” 

“I came right away because I thought you’d feel uncomfortable. Your grandfather’s in a good place now.” 

“…Yes.” 

“Where are you staying now?” 

It seemed she hadn’t heard from him. That was just like him. 

“I got a place near the school.” 

“By yourself?” 

“Yes.” 

“…Then move closer to our place. How are you going to eat by yourself? How will you handle being lonely?” 

“I’m not lonely.” 

Seeing my mother-in-law, in her hospital gown, worrying about me warmed my heart.

“Don’t pressure her,” a low voice came from behind. I turned my head to see him standing at the door, though I hadn’t noticed when he arrived. 

“It’s not pressure. What were you thinking, letting Yeon-woo live alone?” 

“Mother, I’m fine. I mean it.” 

He slowly walked over and stood beside me. 

“Let’s go. It’s late.” 

“Yes, Yeon-woo, it’s late. Go home and rest.” 

“…Can I come again?” 

“You’ll come again?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then, I’ll be waiting,” she said, smiling, clearly pleased. I nodded, feeling relieved. 

* * * 

“You’re back?”

After school, I had been going straight to the hospital to spend time with his mother, and it had become routine for him to pick me up after work. As I said goodbye, promising to visit again tomorrow, and stepped outside, he stood close beside me. 

“Have you eaten yet?” 

“No, not yet.” 

“Wanna go see the Kiwi today?” 

“Kiwi?” 

I did want to see them. 

Noticing my hesitation, he gave a playful smile. 

“Shall we?” 

Even though I’d seen that bright smile many times, it still made my heart race every time. 

“Yeah. Let’s head home for dinner first.” 

“Okay.” 

As we got into the car and drove home, I opened the window slightly. The humid air brushed against my skin, filling the car with the warmth of the evening.

“It looks like it’s going to rain.” 

“Yeah, it does.” 

Even though I was just going back to the house where I had grown up, my hands were trembling for some reason. 

“Kiwi!” 

Kiwi ran toward me, wagging his tail furiously, as if he remembered me. When I hugged him and rubbed my cheek against his face, he licked the air excitedly, obviously happy. 

“Dinner is ready.” 

Mrs. Kim had prepared a meal as if to make up for the time that had passed since I had last been home. After dinner, I played with Kiwi in the living room while he went into the study to take a phone call. 

I followed Kiwi as he walked up the stairs, his short legs moving as fast as they could. 

Halfway up the stairs, Kiwi suddenly turned and started walking back down. In my attempt to catch him, I missed a step and lost my footing.

“Uh? Oh! Oh!” 

I tightly closed my eyes, convinced that I was about to fall hard. 

But then… 

I didn’t feel the sharp pain I was expecting. Instead, my body didn’t hurt at all. I carefully opened one eye and saw something right in front of me. Soft, yet firm. 

…What is this? 

“Ugh. Are you okay?” 

When I fully opened my eyes, I saw him lying on the floor. I was nestled against his chest. 

Startled, I quickly got off him. 

“A-Are you okay?” 

It hit me – he had thrown himself to catch me. I stared at him with trembling eyes as he clutched his arm, moaning softly in pain. He had hurt himself trying to save me.

“I’m fine.” 

“You’re not fine! You’re not okay!” 

I grabbed his arm as he broke into a cold sweat. My hands were shaking. When I looked closer, I saw that his watch was broken. 

“Let me see.” 

With shaky hands, I tried to take off his watch. 

“Please, take it off. Okay?” 

The moment I reached for the watch— 

*Smack!* 

He slapped my hand away, firmly and coldly. Startled, I looked up at him. 

“S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”