Chapter 77: I''m Lonely. I''m Worried. As I Expected, I''m Lonely!

    TL: looloo

    Schedule: 4/Week Mon-Thu

    Illustrations: Here

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    Several days had passed since Heena and I went house hunting. Usually, our meetings were filled with discussions about what to put in the house and what to buy, but today, that topic hadn''t come up.

    "Ah~"

    "Ah."

    Heena skewered a piece of cake with her fork and fed it to me. I accepted it while playing a console game, one borrowed from Heeseong hyung.

    It was a Souls game where I learned the boss patterns while dying repeatedly, almost losing myself in the process.

    I just died to the boss''s stupidly broken special move, a flurry of almost undodgeable slashes, but having died so many times already, I wasn''t particularly phased. I refrained from swearing out of excitement, mindful of Heena sitting beside me.

    "Tastes good, right? I bought it from a new place my friends recommended~"

    She seemed completely uninterested in how many times I was dying in the game, just contentedly cutting the cake into bite-sized pieces and feeding me.

    This peaceful day at my house, with me playing games and Heena attending to me, started with something she said earlier today.

    "You haven''t been able to play games much lately because of studying and dating, right? You can play all you want today!"

    Today, my birthday, we had agreed to forgo a physical gift due to financial reasons and decided to just enjoy a cost-free date. That''s when Heena brought up the idea.

    With that in mind, I came home, thinking it would just be a casual house date.

    And now, I was connected to the console game I had borrowed the last time. Truthfully, to really enjoy gaming, I should play alone or with friends. But I couldn''t say that, not when Heena had planned this day for my birthday.

    It''s not like the game wasn''t fun, so I focused on playing as well as I could. While I was intensely mashing the controller, Heena suddenly pushed a small piece of cake towards my mouth.

    "Be careful, it''ll get all over you~"

    "I haven''t moved an inch."

    I was sincerely immersed in the boss fight, but Heena made a ridiculous comment and then...

    She licked off the cake that had smeared around my mouth. I could feel the slight stickiness of her saliva mixed with the cake residue around my lips.

    As days passed, Heena''s boldness in initiating physical contact only seemed to grow, leaving me in disbelief. I decided to confront her.

    "Tell me honestly. Did you smear that cake on purpose?"

    "No~ You moved, and it got on you."

    "Are you serious?"

    "Yes!"

    "Fine. But if you''re lying, no kisses for a week. Say it again. Did I move, or did you do it on purpose?"

    "......"

    Faced with my question and the threat of kiss confiscation, she clammed up, her smile fading away. Seeing her apathetic reaction, I felt the need for some sort of revenge.

    So, I paused the game and gently grasped Heena''s cheeks with both hands.

    "Whose lips are lying, huh?"

    "No, it''s not like that..."

    "So, no kisses for a week starting today?"

    "No, don''t~~"

    She frowned deeply, flailing her arms as if to say that was the one thing she couldn''t endure, making noises of protest. Her childish gestures just made me laugh.

    Glancing aside, I noticed only a few pieces of cake left, almost gone. It seemed like she hadn''t eaten any herself, just continuously feeding me. I do love chocolate cake, and the one Heena bought was delicious, but...

    I removed one hand from her cheek, took the fork she was holding, and picked up a piece of cake, popping it into my mouth.

    Then, looking at Heena, I made a sound.

    "Ah~"

    "......."

    "......."

    Tense and charged. Though we hadn''t experienced it before, it felt like we both knew what was to follow, as naturally as if it had been predestined.

    The day we had set aside for such intimacy was still two weeks away, but at that moment, those plans seemed irrelevant.

    Slowly, moving my hands from her head and waist down, I was about to place my hand on her hip when...

    -Dring, dring, dring.

    My phone rang.

    ---

    Raei Translations

    ---

    "Where did you hear about that?"

    I heard it when I met with Sunhoo the day before yesterday. So, what do you think?

    "Well, it''s nice, but..."

    I glanced towards Heena, who was glaring at me, her face full of annoyance. Specifically, at my phone.

    The moment the phone''s vibration rang, we both flinched and looked at it. Naturally, the strange and intimate atmosphere enveloping us was shattered, so I decided to just answer the call.

    In truth, we could have continued, but doing so earlier than planned didn''t feel quite right, especially since the mood wasn''t fully set. Moreover, we were unprepared in several ways.

    However, upon hearing that the call was from Heeseong hyung, Heena''s demeanor turned icy with a cold anger enveloping her.

    "He mentioned a cafe, right?"

    Yeah. The place where I used to work part-time. It''s a bit far from your house, but close to where Heena is going to live. Isn''t it perfect?

    "That makes sense. Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 10 PM... Is the schedule fixed?"

    Not exactly, it might change. I heard they''re adjusting the shifts... Just think of it as five hours on Thursdays and Fridays.

    I understood Heena''s feelings, but the opportunity Heeseong hyung mentioned was important to me. He had found a part-time job that suited my schedule perfectly.

    "Does the job start in March?"

    One of the current workers is quitting due to the new semester. But the interview is tomorrow. It''s just a formality since I recommended you, so don''t worry.

    "Uh... but don''t I need a photo for my resume? I have a resume ready, just no photo."

    Don''t worry, I''ve already shown them your photo. Just write up your resume and go.

    "Why would you show them my photo without asking...?"

    Isn''t that a violation of my rights?

    "Thanks anyway. I''m definitely interested, so let them know that. I''ll call you back later."

    Are you with Heena?

    "Yeah."

    Man, don''t you ever get tired of seeing each other all the time? Anyway, got it. Message or call me later. Hanging up.

    -Click.

    After ending the call, I slowly turned to face Heena. But the fierce, angry expression she had just moments before had vanished, replaced by a look of confusion.

    "What''s that about? Are you planning to work part-time?"

    Ah. Had I not told her?

    Author''s Note:

    There will be a 19+ chapter, and the average level of explicit content might increase a bit, but since this is fundamentally an all-ages novel, I''m hesitant to use too many adult scenes too frequently!

    I plan to include adult-rated scenes only within the permitted number of chapters and will subtly gloss over them in the rest of the story! Always grateful for your opinions and support!

    Love you!