𝗦𝗨𝗡 & 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡 | ᴬᶰ ˢᵒᵒᴴᵒ 『English Version』

Chapter 25

Hyeori gently caressed Sooho's face, brushing his hair away and smiling at how long it had gotten. She sat down on the bench beside him, took his hand, and rested her forehead against the blanket covering his torso and legs, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Sieun-ah is outside... He still can't bring himself to come in... Even though I keep asking him... he just won't... And I don't want to push him, but I want you to know he comes to see you a lot, even if he doesn't come inside... He just sits there for hours..." she murmured, her fingers gently stroking his skin. "Uhm... I didn't tell you last time, but Sieun got into a fight a few days ago... he got punished... You probably would've teased him for it... or maybe even gotten in trouble too for backing him up..."

She smiled, remembering the day Sooho convinced the boy to go to the restaurant after saving him from Yeongbin—how he fed him, how he patched up his hands. The moment they adopted the little one.

"Boring. Let's mess with him."

That's what Sooho had said. Which, in his language, meant: let's not leave him alone—he's worth sticking around for.

"These days... we met a few new guys. Three of them," she began. "Humin... but he likes to be called Baku. He's... loud. He has that kind of energy that's a bit annoying, but I can tell he's a good guy. His voice reminds me of..." She paused, pressing her lips together before glancing at her boyfriend's peaceful face. "When we'd take our babies out for walks and you'd do that high-pitched voice Jaxx hated so much."

Hyeori grazed his cheek with her knuckles, tenderly, remembering how Nala used to ignore her owner while Jaxx barked nonstop whenever he heard that tone.

"Hyuntak... Gotak... Weird nicknames, huh?" she laughed softly, realizing their friends almost shared the same nickname, at least in structure. "He's kinda... different. He's really funny though. He took me out for hotteok a few nights ago... And I laughed... like, really laughed. It felt nice. Safe. And honestly, that scared me a little because... you're the only one who's ever made me feel like that..." 

She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes watery. "Laughing like that... it felt like I was betraying you somehow. But... then I thought maybe you'd laugh with him too. You'd probably end up playing something on his phone or goofing around."

Her voice trembled slightly, her breathing uneven. Just imagining hearing his laugh again crushed her. She wanted so badly to hear it again.

"I also... found Sieun's brother," she said, chuckling. "Juntae. That's his name... He's really sweet, totally different from Sieun. He talks so fast and soft, it makes you want to hug him. He would've actually laughed at your jokes, so I bet you'd make him call you hyung or something." Hyeori caressed Sooho's knuckles.

 "I feel like Nala would've stared at him weird if she met him... but maybe Jaxx would've loved him. Just like Nala loved Sieun..."

She rested her head on the edge of the bed, near his torso, inhaling deeply. "I'm... doing the best I can, I swear... I'm trying, and I don't know... I don't know if that would make you proud, but... I want to keep trying because I know you... you wouldn't stop if you were in my place..." She lifted her gaze to his face again. 

"You have no idea how much I wish it was the other way around... It should've been me in this situation, you know? I should've let Wooyoung bash my head in even more that day... maybe then... Bumseok would've backed off and..."

She looked away, the bitterness rising in her throat. Her eyes landed on the reflection in the mirror near Sooho's bed—it faced the door. And when she saw a figure standing there, watching, she flinched and turned around quickly. Her brows furrowed at the sight of Seongje's smug smile as he waved at her before walking away.