The Way I Loved You

Going Home

"According to your test results, you are cleared to go home. Continue taking your medications and come to us immediately if you feel unwell." The doctor said with a smile.

"You hear that? You're gonna be out of jail at last!" Hyunwoo joked. He knew that it had been torturous for Haein to simply sit here and rest. She was always on the move, yet Hyunwoo wouldn't even let her access a laptop because he knew that she would spend the entire night plotting against Eunsung. After she started pacing around the hospital room like a madwoman and doing her weird arm exercises, he had been this close to tying her onto the bed.

"Hooray." Haein rolled her eyes, smacking his arm. "Stop making fun of me. You know I hate sitting ducks and doing nothing."

"Don't worry, you'll get to do whatever you want once we get home, as long as it doesn't compromise your health." He reassured. "First things first, we're going to have a family dinner tonight to celebrate your discharge, then we'll go home and you can rest, okay?"

"Both our families will be there?"

"Mhm."

She didn't know how she felt about having a combined family dinner. If the awkward dinners at Yongduri were anything to go by, their families absolutely did not mix well together and tension was inevitable. Not to mention that she had yet to fully sort out her feelings towards her parents and didn't know how to act around them.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Sensing her worry, he grabbed her hand. "Everyone is going because they care about you, and that's all that matters. We all have something in common now, which is that we love you very much, so just go with the flow and enjoy yourself, hm?"

"Okay. I have been craving meat. The hospital food here is not the finest."

"I promise that you'll eat to your heart's desire. You won't have to lift a finger the entire time, I'll grill the meat perfectly for you and make lettuce wraps. You're gonna be treated just like a princess."

"No way! I'm not just a princess, I'm a queen." She declared, shooting him a look.

"Of course, your highness, and I'm just your lowly butler." Hyunwoo laughed. He was glad to see that her spirits were still high despite her major health scare. Seeing her laugh as if all was alright in the world helped to release him from the talons of anxiety that clawed constantly at his chest.

...

The restaurant was warm and cozy, the welcoming interior serving to soothe Haein's nerves. It all felt a little strange to Haein, that her family was eating at this restaurant which they would normally regard as lowly. If her grandfather was here, he would've thrown a fit at the amount of carcinogenic particles they were consuming with all this grilling.

When they arrived, the rest of the family was already seated, greeting them with the widest smiles that she'd ever seen.

"Haein ah! Hyunwoo ah! The main stars of tonight have arrived." Dugwan exclaimed joyously.

"Abeoji, what are you talking about this time?" Hyuntae groaned.

"Am I wrong? Everyone saw the way Hyunwoo swooped in to catch our Haeinie when she fainted, was that not straight out of a romance novel?"

"It really wasn't that dramatic, I just caught her, that's all." Hyunwoo shook his head in embarrassment.

"Regardless, Haeinie is so lucky to have a husband like you, no? Having a man with such massive biceps hold you in your arms is a dream come true for many." Beomja grinned.

"IMO!" Haein exclaimed, horrified. This was not the first time Beomja had described Hyunwoo so appealingly. She really needed to find a man of her own and stop making questionable comments about her niece's husband.