Chapter 48. A December 31st Date

“Well…”
Taeseong’s counter-question made Haeyoung bite her lip.

But then she suddenly questioned why she was being so hesitant. Gathering her courage, she shouted boldly:

“I was busy! I’ve been working part-time, and as soon as I open my eyes, I go to work. The moment I close them, I’m already dreaming!”

“Then why did you go as far as skipping school and hiding from me?”

When Taeseong pointed out the real issue, Haeyoung’s sharp tone softened again.
A creeping resentment started to rise within her.

This is your fault…
I’m struggling unnecessarily… because of you…
I just wanted to forget you…!

But the moment she thought that far, Haeyoung’s eyes drooped.

She was scared that if Taeseong kept pressing the matter, he might uncover the feelings she had hidden so carefully.

“I didn’t want to see you. Satisfied?”

“…That attitude of yours.”

“It’s not like I needed your permission to come to my own hometown. You’ve got plenty of friends there, so even without me, you could have fun…”

“It wasn’t fun.”

Taeseong’s quiet interruption cut straight through Haeyoung’s drawn-out excuse.

“What?”

Haeyoung blinked in surprise.

For a moment, silence fell between them.

But Taeseong quickly broke it with a lighthearted, teasing tone:

“It wasn’t fun after the idiot who always acted dumb disappeared.”

“What?”

Haeyoung narrowed her eyes, huffing indignantly, but Taeseong chuckled softly —
as if everything had finally returned to its rightful place.

Not long after, the restaurant owner, Ms. Jang, approached them with a tray.

“My, my. Couples always fight so much.”

Her words made the two fall silent and meet eyes briefly.

“Alright now, eat plenty.”

She placed down bowls of mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and hot rice before heading back to the kitchen.

With the rising steam and a bowl full of fresh fish and vegetables in front of them, both instinctively picked up their spoons at the same time.

The timing was so in-sync, it was as if a mirror stood between them. They laughed.

“Here’s the gochujang.”

Haeyoung slid the red pepper paste jar across the table.

“Mix it in the mulhoe. If you want to thin it out, use some bottled water.”

Opening the jar, Taeseong let out a small gasp.

“Oh—! I’ve never seen this kind before. I’ve only had the one with cold noodle broth.”

“Typical Seoul bumpkin. This is the Pohang style.”

Haeyoung smirked, teasing him as he added the gochujang.

“Ha! Seriously… Hey, did I ever call you a country mouse when you came to Seoul?”

“Alright, alright.”

Haeyoung pacified the indignant Taeseong.

“It’s the last day of the year, let’s not fight, okay?”

Wiping the smile from her face, she grew more serious.

“Since you came all this way, let’s enjoy it. Let’s have fun, Ju Taeseong.”

Taeseong didn’t respond with words. He simply shrugged silently and began mixing his mulhoe with the pepper paste.

“Thank you for the meal!”

“My goodness, didn’t expect you to eat two bowls of rice.”

At the counter, the restaurant owner Ms. Jang glanced back at the table the two had used.
She then looked at Taeseong again and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder.

“Well, I guess to keep that body, you have to eat that much.”

“No, really. It was so delicious that I had to eat two.”

Taeseong’s cheerful reply made Ms. Jang look over at Haeyoung.
Her lips curled into a wide smile as she said:

“Haeyoung’s grandpa really found her a proper husband, I tell you.”

“Ah… ha ha…”

The word husband made Haeyoung laugh awkwardly.
But to Ms. Jang, she was just an adorably young newlywed bride approaching her twenties.

“Aigoo, forget the bill! I never gave you a wedding gift, so let’s call this my treat!”

Back at the wedding, the villagers had been told not to bring gifts, so most came empty-handed and just enjoyed the meal.
Ms. Jang was one of them.

“Oh, no, really, it’s okay!”

“Aigoo, this is my way of congratulating you. Don’t turn it down!”

Watching the back-and-forth, Taeseong gently tugged Haeyoung’s arm and said:

“Then we’ll gratefully accept, ma’am.”

Bowing low, he received her gesture, and Ms. Jang added with a grin:

“Yes, yes. You two live a long and happy life together!”

“Happy New Year to you too!”

As they returned the good wishes and stepped outside, Taeseong leaned into Haeyoung.

“So… where are we going now?”

“Huh? Uh…”

“You’ve gotta show me around.”

“…”

“Your hometown.”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Taeseong’s face was close — smiling mischievously.
Haeyoung’s brain went completely blank.

Then a thought struck her again.

Why did he really come all the way here?

And on such a significant day — the last day of the year…

Was he that frustrated I stopped contacting him? Was he that upset?

She began to second-guess herself.
Maybe cutting him off so abruptly was a bit harsh.
But still, today is the kind of day people usually spend with someone they like.

Was he planning to confess or something…?

Her doubts turned to worry.
Even while struggling with her own heart, she found herself afraid that Taeseong’s one-sided feelings might be rejected.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

His gently curious voice stirred her heart like a pebble dropped into deep water.

“Oh, nothing… just…”

“You’re so vague.”

He flicked her forehead lightly with his index finger.
And strangely, that little touch cleared the fog in her mind, as if she’d been enchanted.

Maybe she didn’t know why he came… but since he did…

Why not enjoy this last goodbye trip together?

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Smiling, Haeyoung nodded as if letting go of her questions for now.

Leaving the restaurant, the two headed into the central market.

As expected on December 31st near a sunrise hotspot, the place was packed.

People wandered with hotteok (sweet syrup-filled pancakes) in hand, faces full of excitement.

“Should we get some hotteok too?”

Just as Haeyoung suggested it, a wave of people pushed from the opposite direction, causing her to stumble.

“Ah—”

“Hey, be careful.”

Taeseong grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side.
Then he shot a sharp glare at the man who had brushed past without even an apology.

Glancing down, he noticed Haeyoung’s head nestled around shoulder-height.

She’s so tiny. If someone swept her away, she’d disappear without even noticing…

Looking at their intertwined hands, he realised it had been a long time since he held someone like this.

Maybe since he was a child, holding his parents’ hands.

But strangely, he didn’t find it awkward — the small, soft feeling of her hand was something he didn’t want to let go of.

“If I lose you, I’m a lost child. So stay right by my side, okay?”

Of course, it was a ridiculous excuse.
A guy over 180cm couldn’t exactly get “lost” like a child.

“Okay…”

But Haeyoung didn’t object.
She didn’t want to let go of his hand either.

With the crowd as an excuse, they continued walking forward — hands tightly held.

After sharing a hotteok and browsing around, they stopped in front of a street-side game booth.

You threw darts to pop balloons and win stuffed animals.
Several couples were already there — the guys sweating to win something for their girls.

Watching them, Taeseong straightened his posture.

“Let’s try that.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll win you a plushie.”

“It’s fine, really.”

“Don’t you want one?”

“…Not really?”

Haeyoung shook her head, but Taeseong gave her a look of mock disappointment.

A look that said:

“Come on. You know the right answer here.”