When Your Pain Becomes Mine

An hour later, in the hospital parking lot.

Sun, with a slightly swollen face, rushed toward the car.

"I'm so sorry if it took so long."

Sun entered the passenger seat. She seemed so apologetic to Eunwoo.

Instead of answering, Eunwoo pulled out a blanket and covered her knees.

She felt comfortable with the heated seats that were already on and the warm heater in the car.

"It's warm in here. It feels so good. "

She felt that her body was a lot more relaxed after the IV, and the warm temperature in the car helped.

"Why don't we eat something? We've got some time before we go. We have to eat enough to get through the day." Eunwoo asked.

'Is he a person who eats breakfast every morning?'

After a moment of contemplation, Sun nodded.

"Sure, sounds great."

Eunwoo smiled and slowly turned the steering wheel.

A short time later, Eunwoo pulled the car over a block away.

"Oh, there it is."

After Eunwoo checked the sign, he left the car. She then followed him out of the vehicle.

She looked up at the sign of the restaurant, and she saw 'XX Seaweed.'

'There's also a specialty store for seaweed soup…'

She looked a little surprised and slowly followed him into the restaurant. As she passed through the entrance, she smelled the seaweed soup.

When the two of them sat down, a generous looking lady approached.

"What can get for you?"

"An abalone seaweed soup, please."

"I'd like the same thing." Eunwoo smiled as she ordered the same meal.

"Two abalone seaweed soups, please." Eunwoo checked the menu once again and finished the order.

"Do you come here often?" She asked, seemingly curious about the place.

This was the first time for Sun to come to a seaweed soup specialty store.

"Yes, once in a while. I'll go wash my hands."

"Sure."

Smiling awkwardly, Eunwoo got up from his seat and headed to the bathroom.

"It's amazing."

'Bzzz.'

Then, a vibration rang on Eunwoo's cell phone.

She moved her gaze naturally to his phone, and she saw a message which indicated that a payment has been successfully delivered.

"What?"

She quickly turned her head at Eunwoo, who was heading to the bathroom after he paid for the food.

"... I have to buy it. I owe him…"

She missed the opportunity and sighed apologetically.

Then, the text message disappeared, and she could see the screen that Eunwoo had seen before.

It was a post about this seaweed soup specialty store.

"Huh?"

She was so curious about it, but she wasn't supposed to look at someone else's cell phone, so she turned her head away.

'Bzzz.'

Then, she got a call from Ari.

"Hi, Ari."

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Sure, but why do you sound so nervous?"

"Um, I called you before, and Dr. Park answered your phone."

"Huh? Oh, I see."

She remembered leaving her phone in the car.

"Where are you now?"

"Me? I'm at a restaurant for breakfast, and there's a specialty restaurant that serves seaweed soup."

"Specialty restaurant for Seaweed soup? That sounds great!"

"Yes! Isn't it so nice? It's the first time I've ever been here."

"No, not the restaurant! I mean, Dr. Park."

"What?"

"I didn't know that Dr. Park was going to answer your phone, so as soon as he answered the phone, I asked if your menstrual cramp pain was okay. After that, Dr. Park took you to the seaweed house. Wow. That's great!"

"I still don't know what you mean."

She asked Ari because she couldn't understand what was happening.

"Dr. Park took you to the seaweed soup restaurant for you, girl."

Upon hearing Ari's words, her eyes widened, astonished.

Then, she remembered the warm air in the car, and the knee blankets, and heated seats.

'So...'

She couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Anyway, enjoy your breakfast. Today could be a very historic day for all of us."

Ari hung up the phone with such an excited voice.

Sun sat motionless for a while even after she hung up the phone.

She always had to hide her worries in front of Gyeonhui. After all, she wasn't supposed to show her pain.

It was her own burden; she had to carry it, but when someone else cared for her, she felt something strange.

She started to feel calm, and a soft feeling shimmered in her heart.

"Your order's here."

At that time, a server placed the seaweed soup in a large bowl on the table.

"Wow, it looks so delicious."

When Eunwoo returned from the restroom, he sat with a smile. She didn't want him to see her facial expression, so she slightly avoided his gaze.

She slowly brought the soup to her mouth. The hot seaweed soup smelled of sesame oil and glided warmly down her throat.

She felt relaxed and calm.

Eunwoo took a spoon and carefully looked at her expression.

"... It's delicious."

At that moment, her nose swelled.

Aware of her sinking voice, Eunwoo looked at her.

She sniffed once and smiled brightly.

"... It's so delicious! It's the best in the world."

The soup and his consideration were so warm.

At her quietly trembling voice, Eunwoo watched her and slowly reached out his hand.

His large hands wrapped around her left cheek.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

He gently wiped her mouth with his thumb.

"... Something was on your face..."

"Oh, okay... Thank you."

She was embarrassed about his hands and wiped her mouth.

Eunwoo was smiling after seeing her getting shy; he picked up the spoon and started eating the soup again.

After wiping her mouth, she slowly glanced at Eunwoo.

Was this because the seaweed soup was hot?

Her lips, which Eunwoo touched, seemed to have been burning for quite a long time.

39. Our Beginnings

"I'll just use the bathroom for a while." She had been locked in thought for a while and suddenly rose from her seat.

Eunwoo might have thought that her sudden change in behavior was strange, but she couldn't care less.

After rushing into the bathroom, she stared into the mirror blankly while holding the sink.

Eunwoo's big hand had covered her cheek. She remembered that feeling of warmth.

His hand gently swept over her mouth. She could still feel it on her cheeks.

That feeling reminded her of one of her old memories.

"How come your face looked so small?"

Gyeonhui said after he turned around to her and covered Sun's whole face with his hand.

He leaned his head forward until it reached Sun's face as he slowly looked at her. His gaze followed along her thin eyebrows and descended to her lips after passing her sharp nose.

His eyes were full of heat.

He stroked her red lips with his thumb and repeatedly spread her lips slightly.

"... It's so amazing that you are…"

His voice felt so hot.

Soon his feelings became unbearable, and he held her in his arms. He embraced her strongly and sincerely, for he wanted to keep her close.

Sun closed her eyes with her arms wrapped around him. She could still feel her touch as he embraced her.

However, she had to shake it off now.

The harder she shook, the more she found her determination crumbling down.

She unbearably wiped her face with cold water while biting her lower lip.

She washed her face several times as if to remove away all of his memory, and she looked up again.

She wiped the water from her chin with the back of her hand and rubbed her c.h.e.s.t.

She hoped that this pain would sink quickly as she rubbed more with strength.