4. Restriction

Normally, Kyunghee wears only pants.

It was because I didn’t know how to dress up, and my father forced me to wear pants.

However, today’s Kyunghee was wearing a gray sweatshirt and a black miniskirt.

I don’t know where I bought it, but it looked good because it was wrinkled.

Kyung-hee’s face was red, probably because it was her first time dressing up like this.

Still, when I complimented him on how well I looked, his ears pierced the sky and he put on a happy expression.

“Rather than that, Kyunghee.”

“yes?”

“I’m curious, won’t your ears hurt if you say that?”

“It doesn’t hurt. If you don’t press hard, it’s a bit cramped. If you press hard, it hurts.”

“aha.”

“It’s not like it’s folded inside because you wear a hat, but it’s moderately released inside.”

“So, Kyung-hee, you always wear less hats? You don’t wear them all the way down?”

“Yes. It often hurts if you press it all the way. Also, Siwoo, don’t listen.”

“Okay.”

Now, more and more tips were being developed.

It was funny thinking about it again. It’s a trick to close your ears.

It seemed that Kyunghee and I were the only people in the world who wore rabbit ears well.

When I told her my thoughts, Kyunghee laughed as she pushed down her hat.

Come to think of it, I had to travel by bus today.

And Kyung-hee had little experience riding a bus.

I was looking at Kyung-hee, worried about that, but as if I guessed, the answer came right away.

“Do you know anyone? I can take a bus, too.”

“yes?”

“…Of course, it was uncomfortable to ride, so I walked around a lot. But since Siu is with you, it’ll be fine.”

“Okay, I get it.”

“It’s true. Even if it’s hell, if you’re there, you’ll gladly go in with a smile.”

Kyunghee smiled as she hugged me tightly.

Originally, he would have hugged me or stroked my hair, but today it was a little like that.

Kyung-hee, too, seemed to realize that she had been a little harsh, and stepped back with a teary face.

Still, as if she couldn’t stand not being able to hug me, Kyung-hee approached me cautiously and gently hugged me.

It was a bonus that I turned my head away in case my expression got weird.

The expression was not strange. It was just a problem because he was laughing like he was having too much fun.

As if taking some kind of drug, Kyunghee was smiling.

But it seemed there was no need to scare Kyung-hee even more by pointing it out.

Since he confessed today anyway, Kyung-hee was given the minimum seat belt.

Since we’re lovers, it doesn’t matter if we’re far apart for a while.

It seemed that if we had that minimum safety belt, we would be able to work together to fix our dependence at any time.

So I put on my shoes and walked to the front door.

All the while, Kyunghee was hugging me from behind. In the mirror of the shoe closet, I could see Kyunghee smiling.

“What are you doing, Kyunghee?”

“Is it a nuisance?”

“You should hold my hand.”

“Oh, yes!”

“By the way, wouldn’t it be cold? It’s on the sea side.”

“It’s okay, Siwoo. I have a lot of heat in my body.”

“Somehow, my hands felt warm.”

“If it’s cold, you say Siu. If I’m holding you, you’ll get warm right away?”

Kyunghee laughed like a child.

It didn’t seem like he cared too much about going out anymore.

Even when passers-by looked at us, Kyung-hee did not feel uneasy at all.

Rather, he clung to me even more, as if he were bragging that I was his boyfriend.

I really felt like I could do anything if I was with you, so I was both happy and scared.

After walking to the bus stop like that, I waited for the town bus.

Fortunately, the town bus arrived quickly.

“The bus is here.”

“Yeah. It would be nice to have a seat inside. Kyung-hee, let me sit down.”

“I wish I had two.”

“yes?”

“Yeah. Then we can sit together.”

There were plenty of seats in the bus.

So after taking a picture of my transportation card, I went to my seat and sat down.

As soon as Kyunghee sat down, she immediately leaned her head on my shoulder.

Then, as if he was really happy right now, he smiled a little.

Then, as if a sudden thought came to mind, Kyunghee opened her mouth.

“How many stops do I have to go?”

“Ten stops.”

“It will take quite a while.”

“yes.”

Kyunghee nodded slowly and continued looking at my face.

I just looked at him with a light smile, but that was a bit of a burden.

That’s what I was looking at all the way through the ten stops.

To be honest, I knew there was nowhere to look.

Even so, it was a little like that if you kept looking at me.

Of course, I don’t think I need to say this, so I just got off the bus.

“Wow…”

Kyung-hee opened her mouth as she looked at the sea in front of her eyes.

Then, as if he had found a trail leading to the island, he ran first like a child.

“Come quickly, Siwoo.”

“I’ll go.”

The promenade was still there.

The two-lane roads made for cars to come and go, as well as the roughly installed benches on the promenade.

It was the same as the last time I came. Of course, it was Kyung-hee’s first visit, so she just kept admiring it.

After coming a few times, the only advantage is that you can walk while enjoying the sea breeze.

It’s just that lovers can watch the night sea or give snacks to seagulls.

So, I wondered what to do if Kyung-hee was disappointed, but when I saw Kyung-hee pointing at a seagull and shining her eyes, I thought it was a good thing.

“It’s Kyunghee.”

“yes?”

“You’re thinking about sweets.”

“Oh, no…”

Kyunghee blushed and turned her head away.

Everyone who comes here for the first time thinks of sweets.

Kyung-hee seemed to be thinking of snacks too. You must have thought you wanted to give the seagulls some snacks.

However, since we were the only ones on the promenade right now, we could be attacked by a flock of seagulls if we made a mistake.

Later, when there were a lot of people around, I asked her to come get some snacks, and Kyunghee nodded.

“Rather than that, this is the sea…”

“Haven’t you seen it?”

“Yeah. Because, I always go to and from the city. Home. School. Academy. Hospital.”

“ah.”

“I’ve never traveled anywhere. I’ve never been to the countryside to hold a memorial service.”

“……………………………”

I knew it instinctively.

Kyung-hee didn’t seem to have been treated well there either.

Because he knew how much of a human being Kyung-hee’s father was.

And soon after, Kyunghee started talking.

She said she was the daughter of a third-generation reader.

The daughter of a third generation reader. It was a word that took my breath away just hearing it.

Since the third generation of readers had only two daughters, I knew how much they would be cursed at.

So, Kyung-hee’s mother said that she always lived like a sinner.

Especially since Kyung-hee’s parents’ family isn’t one of those rare things.

My maternal grandparents always had to bow their heads to their parents’ house, and so did Kyunghee and her younger sister.

“Your sister’s name is Gyeonghye. She’s the same as me.”

“Because there is Kyunghee, is it Kyunghye?”

“Yeah. That’s why my sister said that the first thing you do when you become an adult is to change your name.”

“………………………”

“Maybe he’ll be happy. He won’t even go to the ancestral rites after he’s offended by his father and taken out of the family register.”

“……………..”

“Kyung-hye is much smarter and more determined than I am, so she will be fine without me.”

“If you say you’ll help, won’t you?”

“…………”

Kyunghee stopped walking.

Then he shook his head as if he couldn’t do that, then hugged me while crying.

I knew what it meant. It seemed to mean that he was sorry for continuing to receive help, even though there were still so many things he had received.

“This is my job, Siwoo. You don’t have to interfere. And now I’m making money too.”

“If it’s you, then there’s nothing we can do. Still, I’ll provide you with food, clothing, and shelter, Kyung-hee, until you can take responsibility.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry for always taking it. I told you I was terribly selfish, but I’m horribly selfish.”

“No, Kyunghee. And I came out to have fun today. Don’t cry.”

“Yes. Ah, a handkerchief.”

Kyunghee took out the handkerchief I gave her and wiped her eyes.

Then, as if he had cried at some point, he smiled brightly and crossed his arms.

It was a different subject this time. It was about a novel I was writing.

Kyung-hee, who proudly said that she had recently passed the number of her favorite works, gave an explanation.

“There are dozens of more people every day, and there are 500 people who follow me.”

“That would be nice.”

“Yes. It’s really good. And I’ve been drawing illustrations and putting them in, too, and the response is good.”

“What is the motif?”

“That’s right, you are the brightest person in my life…”

Kyung-hee blurted out.

He seemed to be sorry for copying my face without a word.

But I had no intention of getting upset about it.

After all, no one knew that the main character in Kyunghee’s novel was similar to me anyway.

Also, I often dramatized incidents I heard from Kyunghee, so we owe each other for this.

Of course he didn’t tell the truth. It was because he did not know how far Kyung-hee, who thought he had received permission, would run out of control.

“Ah, are you telling me to be careful from now on?”

“yes.”

“Sorry… Then, shall we re-draw all the illustrations?”

“Leave it as it is for now, next time. Draw it again when your skills improve.”

“Then, will you allow me in the meantime?”

“yes.”

“Thank you, Siwoo!”

Kyunghee smiled brightly.

Then, as always, he rubbed his cheek against my arm.

I laughed at that, then looked back.

I don’t think I’ve walked in a while, but I saw a sign saying I was halfway there already.

“The atmosphere is good when you come at night.”

“Why, Kyunghee. Do you want to come back at night?”

“Yeah. At that time, let’s take a passenger boat. Uh… Do they operate at night…?”

“1.5 times more expensive.”

“Well, then…”

Kyunghee wiggled her fingers.

It didn’t seem like Kyunghee would be able to count tens of thousands of won at most.

It wasn’t a problem, it was like calculating how many times I could ride.

“If you ride 4 times, it’s 600,000 won!”

“Why? Type 4?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult to save money. I want to build memories with you.”

“Let’s go somewhere else with that money.”

“Where?”

“We have to meet each other.”

“……………………………?”

Kyunghee stiffened in a daze.

He seemed unable to comprehend the shocking news he had suddenly heard.

Then, as if he thought it was a joke, he moved his body awkwardly.

But it wasn’t a joke at all. It was half a joke, but half serious.

It might be a little difficult to convince your parents, but they are both very understanding people.

With that thought in mind, I happily walked the remaining half of the promenade.