Painted Love | Hwang Hyunjin

5

I woke up the next morning with a throbbing pain in my head and a mouth as dry as a desert. Groaning, I held my head and turned slightly, only then realizing I was still lying on top of Hyunjin. Memories of our drunken conversations flooded back, and I cringed at how embarrassing I must have been. I had practically told him I wanted to sleep with him.

Hyunjin stirred beneath me, groaning as well. "I feel terrible," he mumbled, not even opening his eyes.

"We shouldn't have opened the second bottle," I muttered against his chest, where I decided to hide my face in my shame.

"But it was fun," Hyunjin replied, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"No. I was embarrassing," I said, my voice muffled by his shirt.

He laughed softly. "No, you were so cute!"

I wiggled out of his grip, unable to bear the dryness in my mouth any longer. "Do you want some water?" I asked, ignoring his compliment and regretting standing up so quickly as the room spun around me.

"I would die for a glass of water," Hyunjin said, looking up at me with bleary eyes.

I quickly headed to the kitchen, hoping he wouldn't see too much of my probably disheveled appearance. Not long after, I heard his footsteps behind me.

"My head is killing me," he said, entering the kitchen and holding his head.

I laughed lightly. "Wait, I have painkillers. And we should probably eat something," I suggested, grabbing a couple of pills from the cabinet and handing him one along with a glass of water.

He swallowed the pill gratefully and took a long drink of water. "Thanks. I don't think I've ever had a hangover this bad."

"Me neither," I admitted, taking my own pill and finishing my glass of water. I leaned against the counter, feeling a bit steadier now. "What do you want for breakfast? I think I have eggs and some toast."

"Anything is fine," Hyunjin said, rubbing his temples. "I just need something in my stomach."

I nodded and began to prepare a simple breakfast, grateful for the mundane task to distract me from my pounding head and the awkwardness of last night. Hyunjin sat at the kitchen table, watching me quietly.

"So, about last night..." he began, his voice tentative.

I froze for a moment, then continued cracking eggs into a bowl. "Yeah, let's not talk about it. I was pretty drunk."

"Me too. But I meant what I said," Hyunjin persisted, his eyes meeting mine. "I do like you, Mui."

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my face flush. "I like you too, Hyunjin," I admitted softly. "But I think we should take things slow. Last night was... a bit much. I mean nothing happened... but only because apparently you can still think rationally while drunk."

He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Agreed. But I'm glad we got to spend time together, even if we were a bit tipsy."

I returned his smile, feeling a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the hangover. "A bit? We were waisted. Now, let's eat and try to recover from this mess."

We ate breakfast together, the food helping to settle our stomachs and clear our heads. As we sat there, the awkwardness began to melt away, replaced by a comfortable companionship. We talked about everything and nothing, laughing about our drunken antics. "It was so funny how you just fell", he laughed. I playfully rolled my eyes. "Hey, don't tease me! I'm not a professional dancer like you!" I defended myself, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

After breakfast, Hyunjin helped me clean up, and we decided to take a walk to get some fresh air. The cool morning breeze was refreshing, and we strolled through the quiet streets, enjoying each other's company.

"Thanks for letting me stay over," Hyunjin said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Thanks for staying," I replied. "I had a great time, despite the hangover."

He chuckled. "Me too. We should do this again sometime. Minus the excessive drinking."

I laughed, nodding. "Definitely."

As we walked back to my place, I felt a sense of contentment. Last night might have been a bit of a mess, but it had brought us closer together. And as we stood outside my door, Hyunjin gave me a shy smile.

"I guess I should head home and let you recover," he said.

I nodded, feeling a pang of disappointment but knowing he was right. "Yeah, you should probably get some rest too."

He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. "See you soon, Mui."

"See you soon, Hyunjin," I replied, watching as he walked away. As I closed the door behind me, I couldn't help but smile.