Chapter 135: Beginners’ Romance (3)
“What the hell are you doing right now!”
The one who pushed Lee Hae-soo away and shielded Lee Hae-do after he got slapped on the cheek was none other than their mother.
“Ah… Fuck, this is ridiculous? Mom, come here.”
Lee Hae-do, his cheek still stinging, approached Lee Hae-soo as if he was about to charge at her any second.
“Hey, did you just hit me?”
“Hey? Looks like someone was raised way too soft—your true colors are showing, and they’re not just yellow, they’re straight-up jaundiced.”
“Acting like the big sister now, huh? If you didn’t have money, you would’ve been kicked out of the family register ages ago. You know that, right?”
“Says the guy who has zero ability to earn money, so you’ll be the one getting cut off soon?”
“You fucking bitch!”
Lee Hae-soo and Lee Hae-do exchanged words that cut deep into each other’s wounds.
The younger siblings, seemingly used to the scene, quietly retreated to their rooms. In the end, only Kim Mi-yeon—their mother—remained standing between Lee Hae-soo and Lee Hae-do.
She stood with her back to Lee Hae-do, glaring at Lee Hae-soo…
With that, Kim Mi-yeon’s favoritism became painfully clear.
“Hae-soo, stop it. You’re making a mistake right now.”
“Mistake? What mistake? Sending every single penny I earn stupidly back home? Or the fact that I’m still considered your daughter?”
“Are you seriously saying that to your mother?”
“Mom—have you ever, even once, thought of me as your daughter? Wait… am I even your daughter? Is there actually any blood between us?”
Lee Hae-soo poured out her resentment, but Kim Mi-yeon only looked at her with disgust, as if she were something filthy.
Then Lee Hae-do, standing behind, threw another vicious jab at Lee Hae-soo.
“If you’re so dissatisfied, then just get the hell out of this house. You’re the one ruining this family.”
“You shut your mouth.”
“See? I give you an inch and you take a mile, you bitch.”
At that moment, Lee Hae-do raised his hand threateningly toward Lee Hae-soo.
“Kyaa!”
Lee Hae-soo squeezed her eyes shut as his hand came flying toward her face—but the blow never landed.
When she opened her eyes, Lee Hae-do’s wrist was already caught firmly in Kim Si-woo’s grip.
“Little brother. There’s a line you shouldn’t cross.”
“Little brother? Who the hell are you calling—urgh!”
Kim Si-woo lightly yanked his arm while sweeping Lee Hae-do’s leg with his foot, sending him crashing to the floor, completely off balance.
“Let’s end it here. Hae-soo, you stop too.”
“Haa…”
Lee Hae-soo let out a heavy sigh. Meanwhile, Lee Hae-do stared up at Kim Si-woo, completely bewildered about what just happened.
“Hae-do, your big sister is a much scarier person than you think. You just don’t realize it yet.”
After giving that calm warning to the high school boy who clearly had no idea how terrifying the hammer of the law could be, Kim Si-woo took Lee Hae-soo and left the room.
“Hae-soo. Let’s calm down first. You’re way too emotional right now.”
“No! Haa…”
“We’ll talk later. Mother, it doesn’t seem like today is the right day, so we’ll come back another time.”
Kim Si-woo bowed politely, then led Lee Hae-soo out of the house.
As they reached the car, the fifth sibling Lee Hae-ryeong came out to see them off. Kim Si-woo handed her a gift bag and an envelope containing money.
“Take this. It’s only for you, so don’t give it to anyone else. Use it yourself, okay?”
“Yes… Thank you.”
The gift was a luxury backpack, and the envelope contained 1 million won.
“Take care.”
“Hurry back inside.”
“Okay… Unnie, take care too. Hyungbu, you too.”
After Lee Hae-ryeong disappeared back into the house, Lee Hae-soo finally broke down completely. She buried herself in Kim Si-woo’s chest and cried for a long time.
“Look at this. Seems like these days you cry more than you smile.”
“It’s all my fault… It’s because I’m so pathetic.”
“You must have been holding back a lot of hurt for a very long time…”
Only after her crying subsided did they get into the car. Kim Si-woo looked at Lee Hae-soo with pity.
She had lived fiercely for the sake of her family—yet that very family had pushed her away.
They drove to an expensive beef restaurant near Lee Hae-soo’s place. Kim Si-woo naturally ordered alcohol.
“Auntie, one mixed set and one bottle of soju, please. Two glasses too.”
“Oppa… Are we drinking?”
“Yeah. I think we should drink together tonight.”
Soon the beef and soju arrived. Kim Si-woo poured soju into Lee Hae-soo’s glass first, then filled his own.
“Shall we toast?”
“Yeah.”
They clinked their soju glasses and drank.
“Kyaah…”
After downing the shot, Kim Si-woo asked her carefully,
“What are you going to do from now on?”
“…I don’t know.”
“That’s fine. Take your time thinking about it. You’re still young.”
“Oppa is young too, you know?”
“I’m turning 30 next year.”
“It’s been the era of 100-year lifespans for a while now. Thirty is still prime time.”
“Really? Hahaha.”
Seeing Lee Hae-soo’s mood finally lighten up, Kim Si-woo let out a small sigh of relief.
“Here, try this.”
Kim Si-woo placed three pieces of brisket on a piece of lettuce along with a perilla leaf and gently put it into Lee Hae-soo’s mouth.
“Uh… Isn’t this too big?”
For him it would’ve been a perfect single bite, but for Lee Hae-soo it was clearly too much—her cheeks looked like they were about to burst.
“You look like a hamster.”
“Mmmph!”
“What? You said it’s delicious? Yeah, you’re welcome.”
“It’s too big~!”
Lee Hae-soo frowned at Kim Si-woo as he cheerfully interpreted her muffled protest however he pleased.
And so they continued filling their stomachs with beef and soju.
For some reason, the alcohol went down especially smoothly for Lee Hae-soo today.
Normally she would’ve been tipsy by now, but her mind still felt surprisingly clear.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“I feel like the drinks are going down way too easily today. Did my tolerance suddenly go up?”
Kim Si-woo smiled warmly at her words.
“Ooh, Lee Hae-soo. At this rate, you might end up outdrinking me.”
“Just wait and see. One day I’m going to win.”
(She would later learn the truth: when you’re sad or in a bad mood, the alcohol doesn’t hit as hard. But for now, she just wanted to hold onto the good feelings.)
After some time passed, Kim Si-woo called for a substitute driver and waited outside the restaurant. Lee Hae-soo tugged shyly at his sleeve.
“Oppa.”
“Hm?”
“Wanna go eat ramen?”
“Pfft. Ramen? Really? That’s so old-school.”
Kim Si-woo burst out laughing at her suggestion.
“Then what should we do… I don’t really know any other good late-night spots.”
“Well… honestly, most places are pretty similar these days. Ramen might actually feel more refreshing.”
“So! Are we going or not?”
“You’re going to cook it for me?”
“Yeah. I’ll even add a special egg for you.”
Soon the substitute driver arrived, and Kim Si-woo’s car headed toward Lee Hae-soo’s home.
The place she lived was a somewhat remote officetel.
It wasn’t particularly small or large—just an average, comfortable space for one person.
The only real downside was how isolated the location was.
“No matter how I think about it, this place is way too far out.”
“But the rent is cheap…”
While chatting, Lee Hae-soo started boiling water for the ramen. Kim Si-woo sat on the sofa and took off his coat.
“Oppa. After we eat, do you want to shower?”
“Do you have any big clothes here?”
“Yeah, I do. Hold on.”
Lee Hae-soo turned down the flame under the pot, hurried into her room, and came back with pajamas that looked like they could fit Kim Si-woo.
“What’s this?”
“Couple pajamas.”
“Why do you have couple pajamas?”
“Just… I bought them in case something like this ever happened.”
Her answer didn’t sound like a lie at all.
Because the couple pajamas she handed him still had the tags attached.
Soon the ramen was ready. Kim Si-woo and Lee Hae-soo sat facing each other and began eating with chopsticks.
“I’m going to gain weight…”
“It’s fine.”
“What if I end up heavier than you, oppa?”
“Hmm…”
“What if I start rolling around because I’m so fat?”
“Then I guess I’ll have to roll you.”
Lee Hae-soo puffed out her cheeks and glared at Kim Si-woo’s ridiculous response.
“Tch. You won’t even say you’ll still like me if I gain weight?”
“Wouldn’t you lose it before that happens anyway?”
“Well… yeah, probably…”
“And if you really did get heavier than me, the problem wouldn’t be whether I like you—it’d be your health, right? I may not look it, but I’m actually pretty heavy myself.”
“That’s not the point!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll still like you even if you gain weight.”
“Yay!”
After finishing the ramen and taking turns showering, Kim Si-woo and Lee Hae-soo sat together on the sofa.
A moment later, Lee Hae-soo picked up the remote, lay down with her head on Kim Si-woo’s lap, and turned on the TV. She played a video.
The video she chose was the drama Kim Si-woo had written, <Our Teacher>.
She must have watched it before, because she didn’t start from episode 1—she jumped straight to episode 10.
“Oppa.”
While quietly watching the drama for a while, Lee Hae-soo called his name in a soft voice.
“Yeah?”
“If I’d had a teacher like that… would things have been even a little different?”
“Hmm… You’d still be just as pretty and smart, though?”
“What are you even saying!”
At Kim Si-woo’s cheesy remark, Lee Hae-soo poked his thigh with her finger.
“Oppa, what do you think about a woman who abandons her own family?”
“Hmm…”
Kim Si-woo stayed quiet, knowing full well she was talking about herself.
“Then… what about a woman who pushes her own family off a cliff?”
“Hmm…”
“To be honest… I really hate her. I hate her so much I feel like I’m going crazy wanting to cut ties with her right this second… But if I do that, I feel like no one will be left by my side.”
Without saying a word, Kim Si-woo gently stroked the head of the woman crying on his lap.
“I… I really struggled a lot, you know?”
“I know…”
“It was so hard I wanted to die… If it were you, oppa, what would you have done? Tell me honestly.”
After a long pause, Kim Si-woo finally spoke carefully in response to her plea for honesty.
“You really want me to be completely honest?”
“Yeah… If it were you, what would you have done?”
“I would’ve abandoned them.”
“Huh?”
Lee Hae-soo was visibly startled by the unexpected answer.
“Of course the choice is yours, and you’d have to bear the consequences… but honestly, it’s hard to call that kind of relationship a family.”
“…”
Lee Hae-soo flinched at his words.
Still, Kim Si-woo continued.
At the very least, the family he knew didn’t openly discriminate and dump every burden onto one single person.
“They don’t deserve to be called family.”
“Even if we’re related by blood?”
“Even if blood is thicker than water, sometimes a close neighbor is better than a distant relative.”
“Even if we’ve known each other for twenty years?”
“Couples who’ve lived together for fifty years still get divorced—what’s twenty years? And it’s not even like you chose to spend those twenty years with them.”
At his words, Lee Hae-soo looked up at Kim Si-woo with a determined expression.
“Oppa. I’ve decided.”
“Good. You made the right choice.”
“You don’t even know what I decided.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s the right one. You’re smart and you have a good heart.”
Though she didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning behind his words, Lee Hae-soo sat up and stared straight at him.
“No, I’m not. I’m a completely bad person. And I’m definitely not smart.”
“Then 99% of Koreans must be monkeys.”
“Because… right now, the only thing I can think about is how badly I want to kiss you.”
In Lee Hae-soo’s eyes, only Kim Si-woo’s lips were reflected.
And three seconds later—
Lee Hae-soo threw herself at him and began hungrily kissing his lips.
After one long exchange of lips, they pulled apart just enough to look at each other. Kim Si-woo smiled.
“What’s with that smile?”
“Huh? Uh… it’s nothing. I’m definitely not smiling because you’re bad at it.”
“What? Is it… obvious? I swear the internet said this is how you’re supposed to do it…”
At her flustered words, one single term suddenly popped into Kim Si-woo’s mind.
First kiss.
“You… don’t tell me this was your first kiss?”
“Huh…? Yeah…”
Hearing that it was Lee Hae-soo’s first kiss, Kim Si-woo suddenly felt a pang of guilt for some reason.
“What’s wrong with my first kiss! I’m happy it was with you, oppa. Wait—are you saying you don’t like it?”
“No, that’s not what I—”
“If that’s not it, then hurry up and kiss me more!”
“Huh?”
“Ah… seriously!”
Seeing Kim Si-woo flustered by her slightly changed tone and atmosphere, Lee Hae-soo took the initiative again and dove in for the second kiss.
Completely unaware of the unhappiness that would soon come, Lee Hae-soo simply immersed herself in the happiness of this moment.
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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 chapters are available on My Patreon Premium tier and Plus Tier, but if you want to read my other 5 translated novels, join the Premium Tier
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