Because It's You - Hwang Inyeop

Eight

"I don't want to forget," In-youp said and captured her lips fully.

Hee-soon gasp as she jolted up from her sleep. She blankly looked in front of her, remembering the dream she had.

"That dream felt real," she said as she rubbed the temple of her head. She drank too much last night and now her head throbs. She reached for her bottled water which she always places on her bedside table but as she extended her hand, she was not able to grab anything. She looked to her side and saw that her apartment's bedside table is replaced with her bedside table in her parents' house. She looks around and that is when she realized that she is in fact in her parents' house.

"What the hell? Why am I here?" She asked herself as she looked at herself. She's already wearing her pajamas which she left in her parents' house and her sling bag is placed on the chair near her bed.

"What the hell happened?" She said in panic as she grabs a handful of her hair and tries to recall what happened last night.

"Please forget what I am about to do," she closed her eyes and tiptoed to give In-youp a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I don't want to forget," In-youp said and captured her lips fully. He cupped her neck with his other hand as he deepens the kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that a long time ago," In-youp declared as he catches his breath. She giggled and wrapped him in an embrace.

"The hell! It was not a dream?!" She gasped. Her mouth is now agape, still trying to remember everything that happened last night.

"I like you, In-youp," she whispered while her head is rested on his chest.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" She screamed after remembering everything. "You crazy, woman! Why? Why the hell did you say that?!" She shouted at herself. She was in the middle of shouting at herself when her father came rushing into her room.

"What? Why? What happened?" He asked in panic upon hearing her daughter's scream. He is holding one of his slippers when he came in.

"Dad! Why am I here?" She asked as she is still processing everything that's happening.

"What do you mean why you are here? This is your house," her father said as he dropped the slippers he is holding and wore them again.

"That's not what I mean! How did I get here?" She asked as she turned to face her father with her eyes wide open. Before her father could answer her question, In-youp appeared crossing his arms over his chest and leaning on the door frame. He is giving her this look like he wants her to know that he remembers everything that happened last night.

"Why are you here?!" She shouted at him. Her mother came rushing into her room and threw a block of cabbage at her. Her mother has this habit of throwing things at her whenever she is annoyed. Good thing her mother was not holding anything solid and hard at that time.

"How dare you ask a person who drove your drunken ass home even though he is completely tired from his schedule?!" She scolded poor Hee-soon. Her mother always sides with In-youp and no matter how hard she tried defending herself, In-youp always wins when it comes to her mother. Hee-soon did not speak anymore because she knew her mother was right.

"Eiii, that's enough," her father tried to pacify her mother's rage. "Wash up so that we could have our breakfast," he said and dragged her mother out of her room. If Hee-soon's mother always sides In-youp, it's the opposite when it comes to her father. Her father always makes sure to give her the best in this world.

In-youp was left in her room. She feels awkward staring at him upon remembering everything that happened last night. She cleared her throat and slowly stood up. In-youp just kept staring at her which made her ears so red from embarrassment. And without saying anything, he left her room and helped her parents set up the table. She closed her door to take a shower in the bathroom inside her room. Before completely closing the door, she saw In-youp having fun talking with her parents and that made her smile.