The Gimbap Project

Chapter 15 The boy who sends me Gimbaps

This chapter is dedicated to radishfrance! You asked for it ;)

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With Hae-in safe, the adrenaline that had fueled Hyun Woo's search began to wane as they trudged towards his house. Finally, when they were a street away, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.

"Baek Hyun Woo sunbaenim!" Hae-in's panicked voice pulled him from the brink of unconsciousness. He tried to stand, but his body refused to cooperate.

Hae-in's attempts to help were futile against his taller frame. Panic set in when she realised she could never move him on her own.

"Ya, Baek Hyun Woo sunbaenim, you can't sleep here. Work with me." Hae-in tried again, but the boy remained sprawled awkwardly on the pavement.

Placing a hand on his cheek, Hae-in's worry only intensified.

He was burning up.

"Baek Hyun Woo sunbaenim, jebal." Hae-in pleaded pitifully. "Don't die on me."

The commotion drew the attention of his family. His mother was the first to reach them, her face etched with worry. His siblings followed closely behind, their eyes wide with concern.

"Aigoo, I told him not to go out when he's sick." The mother shook her head disapprovingly at her youngest. "Hyeon Tae-ah, get your brother back to the house, would you?"

And that was how Hong Hae-in met his family for the first time.

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In the warmth of Hyun Woo's home, Bong Ae fussed over her sick son in what could only be described as a flurry of maternal concern. His siblings scurried around, dutifully handing their mother all the supplies she needed.

That left Hae-in to watch from the sidelines – after his mother had ushered her to the bathroom to change out of her drenched clothes, feeling a mix of relief and awkwardness as the Baek family dynamic unfolded around her.

The first thing Hae-in noticed was how loud they were but in the best way possible. Their boisterous energy, which would have felt out of place in the quiet, almost sterile atmosphere of her home, was one that brought warmth into her heart. Their voices, while loud, carried an undercurrent of warmth and affection.

Another thing was how homely it felt. Hyun Woo's home was filled with a homely charm that was entirely absent from the cold grandeur of the Queens Mansion. The way his family doted on him, their concern palpable in every interaction, filled Hae-in with a pang of longing. This would never be her family. The only one who fussed over her whenever she was sick was their family doctor.

Indeed, their families were as different as day and night. Hae-in found herself wishing that her family had a fraction of the warmth Hyun Woo's family shared.

Amid the busyness, Bong Ae's attention soon turned to Hae-in, snapping her out of her trance.

"Aigoo, Aga," she exclaimed, noticing the wound on Hae-in's knee. "You're bleeding."

Turning to her daughter, she hollered, "Mi Seon-ah, fetch the first aid kit!"

Moments later, Bong Ae was tending to Hae-in's wound with gentle hands. The familiar sting of disinfectant was soothed by the warmth of the mother's touch. When she finished, she placed a plaster on the wound – the same kind Hyun Woo had given her on his first day.

He definitely got his kindness from his mother.

Hae-in felt a surge of warmth towards the kind woman. "Gamsahamnida, Mrs Jeon," she said shyly.