Chapter 107: Clumsy Kim Si-woo (1)
Kim Si-woo entered a Japanese restaurant with Lee Hae-soo and naturally ordered set menus.
“How have you been all this time?”
“Me? Just… work…”
“Ah…”
For a moment, Kim Si-woo thought he was an idiot for asking that question.
He knew full well that Lee Hae-soo worked every day without a single day off, yet he’d asked without thinking.
“Hey, let’s go have some fun after we eat.”
“Huh?”
After finishing their meal, Kim Si-woo put Lee Hae-soo in his car and drove somewhere.
The place they arrived at was the seaside in Incheon.
“Wow… the ocean.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve seen the sea, right?”
“Yes… This is the first time since I was 10, when I went on a family trip.”
“…”
Feeling sorry for her circumstances, Kim Si-woo quickly led her to the beach.
“Since we’re here, let’s at least dip our feet in the water.”
“Ah… I didn’t bring any shoes for that…”
“I’ll buy you some slippers.”
“Ah!”
She hadn’t even thought of simply buying slippers; Lee Hae-soo looked surprised as she hurriedly took off her shoes.
Sometimes when he looked at her, Kim Si-woo wondered how she ever became a lawyer.
After that, Lee Hae-soo and Kim Si-woo walked along the beach, occasionally dipping their feet in the seawater, enjoying their time together.
They stopped at a café for some food, went for a drive, and before they knew it, it was time for dinner.
“How about grilled shellfish?”
“Sounds great!”
Lee Hae-soo really didn’t know the meaning of the word “no.”
She simply went along with whatever he suggested.
Well, except for when he offered to pick her up at home.
While eating grilled shellfish at a restaurant with an ocean view, Kim Si-woo began asking the questions he’d been curious about.
“Hae-soo-ssi, have you been home recently?”
“No. If I go, the house just gets more chaotic…”
“Still, maybe you should visit once? Your younger siblings must miss you a lot.”
“Do you think so?”
Deep down, Lee Hae-soo wanted to go home when she thought about her family welcoming her, but it had been years since she’d seen their faces, and the thought of it being awkward made it hard for her to take that step.
“If you’re that hesitant, should I go with you?”
“Ah… no! It’s just going home, nothing big…”
He had offered to accompany her seeing her hesitate, but Kim Si-woo ended up being turned down.
“Still, if you ever really need it later, just let me know. I’ll go with you.”
“Yes… thank you.”
“Eat quickly. These are fully cooked now.”
“But how do you even do things like this so well, Si-woo-ssi? I only ever studied… You’re good at grilling meat too…”
“I just do it by feel. If you seriously grilled meat, you’d probably do it much better than me.”
“No way.”
Three hours after they started eating the grilled shellfish…
Kim Si-woo was now dealing with a very happy-looking Lee Hae-soo right in front of him.
“She’s completely drunk…”
“Hehe… Writer-nim! Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever had this much fun with someone. Can I drink more?”
“No. That’s enough now.”
“Ehhh… Just one more glass. Please? Just one glass? Anyway, tomorrow’s a day off.”
“Fine, then. Just one more glass, and we’ll head out.”
In the end, Kim Si-woo carried the drunk woman on his back and laid her in the car.
Lee Hae-soo, now asleep, was breathing softly.
“At least she’s not causing a scene. But the bigger problem is I don’t really know where she lives…”
Kim Si-woo considered several options.
First: book a nearby motel or hotel room.
Second: check her ID and take her home.
Third: let her sleep in the car.
“All three kinda suck…”
Bzzz.
Just as he was deep in thought, his phone vibrated.
“Who could it be at this hour?”
There were surprisingly many people who might call at 10 p.m.
“Soo-yeon?”
Among them, the caller was Hong Soo-yeon.
“Hello?”
—Oppa! Where are you?
“Right now? Incheon.”
—Huh? Why?
“Uh…”
For a moment, Kim Si-woo was about to say he’d eaten grilled shellfish with Lee Hae-soo, but when he glanced at her sleeping drunkenly beside him, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Just had a few drinks with a friend.”
Of course, Kim Si-woo hadn’t drunk anything.
He’d only watched Lee Hae-soo drink.
—Really? Then can I come over now?
“Huh? No… wouldn’t that make you uncomfortable?”
—No, it’s fine. As long as your friend is okay with it, I don’t mind.
“But my friend is pretty drunk right now.”
—Ah… got it. Then tomorrow, eat with me instead. Grandma and my little sibling said they want to have a meal with you too.
“Alright, let’s meet tomorrow evening then.”
—Okay, oppa. Drink just a little.
After ending the call with Hong Soo-yeon, Kim Si-woo looked at the sleeping Lee Hae-soo and had to make a decision.
“Sigh… Is there a hotel nearby?”
He searched for nearby hotels on his smartphone, made a reservation, and stepped on the accelerator toward it.
Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Kim Si-woo carried Lee Hae-soo on his back and entered the building. The hotel staff eyed him suspiciously.
“Um… I’m not some weird guy or anything. Hae-soo-ssi, wake up for a second.”
“Yesh! We’re not in a weird relationship. Hic…”
At Lee Hae-soo’s slurred response, the staff handed over the room key card with an even less trusting look.
“Thank you.”
Key card in hand, Kim Si-woo hurried to the room.
“Phew… we’re here.”
“Ugh…”
“W-wait… just a moment.”
“Bleeeaaargh.”
The moment they arrived in the room, Lee Hae-soo, still on his back, vomited everything in her stomach.
“Ah…”
Fortunately, Kim Si-woo had made it into the bathroom, but the vomit still ran down his shoulder.
“Damn it… couldn’t you hold it just a little longer…”
Soon the sour smell hit him, and Kim Si-woo quickly set her down and started cleaning up.
Thankfully, Lee Hae-soo’s clothes, which had been resting against his shoulder, remained clean.
“Writer-nim… my stomach feels bad…”
“Just a second.”
Kim Si-woo handed her a hangover cure he’d bought at a convenience store before checking in, then finished cleaning the bathroom.
“I’ll need to change clothes too…”
After wiping the vomit off the affected area, he looked at Lee Hae-soo—who had finished the hangover drink and was now lying down—and shook his head.
“Whew…”
He wet some tissues and wiped around her mouth, then laid her properly on the bed.
While Lee Hae-soo slept soundly, Kim Si-woo went out to buy new clothes. He purchased a short-sleeved T-shirt from a convenience store and returned.
The next morning, Lee Hae-soo woke up clutching her aching head.
Three seconds later.
“Kyaaaa!”
Her scream echoed through the room.
“You’re awake?”
“W-writer-nim. I’m really sorry. I must have been out of my mind.”
She clearly remembered everything that had happened yesterday; Lee Hae-soo couldn’t even lift her head.
“It happens when you drink. How’s your stomach?”
“Yes… aside from a slight headache, I’m fine. No, that’s not the issue… I threw up on your clothes…”
“Then let’s have lawyer-nim buy breakfast this morning.”
“Yes! I’ll pay.”
After a quick wash-up, the two headed outside to a gukbap restaurant.
“Are you really okay with gukbap? You can have something expensive…”
“No, I’m adding meat to the gukbap.”
“Yes…”
Kim Si-woo added meat twice, turning it into a meat-heavy gukbap (half meat, half broth), while Lee Hae-soo ate sundae gukbap.
“Um… I’m sorry about yesterday…”
“It’s fine. That kind of thing happens when you drink. It wasn’t that bad.”
“Still…”
“Hurry and cure your hangover. Just think of it as a good experience.”
Kim Si-woo genuinely wasn’t upset or bothered.
Vomiting after drinking was completely ordinary, and in the first place, throwing up or falling asleep wasn’t something that particularly annoyed him.
Having dealt with all sorts of drunken behavior from many people over the years, Lee Hae-soo’s level was mild by comparison.
“Anyway, let’s stop with the apologies now. If you really feel bad, just buy me some new clothes next time.”
“Yes!”
Only when he mentioned buying clothes did Lee Hae-soo’s expression finally brighten.
After finishing the meal, Kim Si-woo dropped her off at home and then returned to his own place.
“Phew… I’ve got another appointment soon. Why am I so tired…?”
Kim Si-woo lay down on his bed and fell asleep.
His smartphone kept ringing.
The time he had promised Hong Soo-yeon had already passed.
“Oppa! Wake up!!!”
In the end, it was Hong Soo-yeon who woke him.
When he didn’t answer his phone, she had called his mother instead. Upon hearing that he was out playing, Hong Soo-yeon headed straight to Kim Si-woo’s house herself.
“Ah! Right!”
“You promised to have dinner with me today—how can you just be sleeping?!”
“S-sorry. I dozed off without realizing. I’ll get ready quickly.”
Kim Si-woo stumbled to the bathroom, washed his hair, finished washing up in a flash, and came out.
“Let’s go.”
“You’re done already?”
“Yeah.”
Hong Soo-yeon was surprised at how fast he’d gotten ready.
“Men and women really are different…”
Following Hong Soo-yeon, they arrived at her house. The table was laden with food, and waiting for them were her grandmother—who had recovered enough to go on walks now—and her little sibling, whose face was even more full of mischief than before.
“Hyung! Why are you so late!”
“Sorry, kid. Next time I’ll bring you a present.”
“Yes! Then please get me a baseball glove, writer-nim.”
“Writer Kim, come sit down quickly. The meat is delicious.”
“Thank you.”
Kim Si-woo sat down and, seeing Hong Soo-yeon’s grandmother pick up her spoon first, began tasting the food.
“It’s delicious.”
“Our Soo-yeon made all of this. Writer-nim, she’s ready to get married now.”
“Oh, Grandma… what are you saying about marriage?”
“Goodness. In my day, I’d already had a child by your age.”
Kim Si-woo silently continued eating while listening to the conversation between Hong Soo-yeon and her grandmother.
“By the way, oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you preparing your next project?”
“Why?”
“Why? Because if possible, I want to be in your next work.”
At the question about his next project, Kim Si-woo began to think.
His YouTube channel had nearly doubled in size, his current drama was airing on CBS, and a film he’d written was currently being shot in Japan.
Adding one more felt like he was spreading himself too thin.
“I’m still thinking about it. How about trying someone else’s project this time? If you only work with me, your perspective might get narrow. I think gaining a variety of experiences wouldn’t be bad.”
“Is that so? Then can’t you choose one for me?”
“Let’s go to the office tomorrow and look together.”
“Okay!”
After finishing the meal and eating fruit for dessert, Hong Soo-yeon’s strategy began.
Namely, getting help from her grandmother.
“Writer Kim, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Huh? Ah… no. I don’t.”
Startled mid-bite of fruit, Kim Si-woo put the piece back down just as an even more direct question flew at him.
“What do you think of my granddaughter?”
At the straight pitch from Hong Soo-yeon’s grandmother, Kim Si-woo looked at Hong Soo-yeon in panic, but she avoided his gaze.
Unable to outright refuse, he smiled and answered indirectly.
He interpreted the question differently from what was intended.
“Soo-yeon? She’s kind. Pretty. And today I saw she’s good at cooking too.”
“Right? And she’s young, so she’d make a perfect bride.”
Of course, Hong Soo-yeon’s grandmother showed no sign of letting go.
The spear-and-shield battle continued.
“Hehe. This old lady would have no regrets even if I died once Soo-yeon gets married—no, even if she just brings home a boyfriend.”
Now that she was even staking her life on it, the pressure on Kim Si-woo was no joke.
Fortunately, Hong Soo-yeon jumped in at the critical moments, stopping her grandmother’s attacks, but for some reason, Hong Soo-yeon and her grandmother exchanged satisfied glances.
When the grandmother finally quieted down, Hong Soo-yeon now looked at Kim Si-woo with subtle, expectant eyes.
Either way, it was burdensome for Kim Si-woo, so he quickly finished his fruit and stood up.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll be going now.”
“Oppa, get home safely. And call me tomorrow when you head to work.”
“Yeah. You rest well too.”
Leaving Hong Soo-yeon’s house and heading home, Kim Si-woo felt uneasy.
‘Why do I have this feeling that something’s going to happen tomorrow too?’
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176.
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining 69 chapters (108–176) are available on my Patreon Premium tier, along with extra chapters from my other 5 ongoing translated novels.
There’s also a Plus tier with 41 advance chapters, updated at 7 chapters per week.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls?utm_source=search
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
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