Chapter 1: Her Before Confessing to a Highschool Boy

    TL/Editor: looloo

    Schedule: 4/Week Wed-Sat

    Illustrations: Here

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    Lee Heena, twenty years old.

    My life has always been comfortable. No, easy.

    My family was not particularly wealthy, but we were harmonious, and I never had any significant arguments with my parents or older brother.

    What could have caused any fights?

    Kind parents and a brother who sometimes teases, but always took care of me.

    What could we have possibly argued about?

    Whenever I heard friends talking about their bad relationships with their siblings, I realized just how unusually peaceful my family was.

    Aside from a harmonious family, the other thing that made my life so easy was my appearance. I didn''t need any other charming features.

    Simply put, I was pretty.

    Large eyes, delicate facial features, hair as smooth as silk - all these combined to create my appearance. From a young age, I was used to hearing nothing but compliments about how I looked.

    Everyone was attracted to me, and this was my normal life. Of course, it did bring me some inconvenience, and not everyone had pure intentions, but even considering all that, I cannot deny that I have benefitted greatly from my appearance.

    After living like this for 20 years, I graduated from elementary, middle, and high school.

    Through all the countless people that came into my life, various interactions allowed me to mature faster than my peers. I didn''t want to be immature, so I devoted myself to studying as much as possible until high school.

    My grades could have easily landed me a spot in a top university, but I didn''t see the need.

    While the reputation of a university is important, I believed that it wasn''t everything. I wanted to lessen the financial burden on my parents, so I chose to enter a university a tier lower, with a scholarship.

    Even though I matured early, I was still excited about my first campus life. There were people of all types from all over the country.

    There were fun people, friends I got along with, pretentious people, and those who didn''t know their place.

    I got to see all sorts of people. Maybe because I had been seeing various people since my childhood due to my looks, I found it surprisingly fun to observe these different types of people.

    Among these many people, there was him.

    Han Yeonho.

    We were in the same department, and since both of us were sociable, we had quite a bit of interaction from the very beginning.

    My first impression of him was, well, he seemed nice. With his round, large glasses and a face that was always smiling as if something delighted him.

    In terms of a woman''s standard for evaluating men, he wasn''t particularly high scoring. But then again, I never really had an interest in dating.

    So, I think it''s not a bad evaluation for someone with whom I was regularly interacting with.

    And just as I first perceived, he was kind.

    Of course, this doesn''t mean he was a naive person who liked everyone. However, despite the selfishness inherent in human nature, anyone who interacted with him, even a little, would have felt that way.

    Moreover, it was pretty fun to talk to him, and if he made plans for a group project or something similar, he was never late. He didn''t blatantly stare or bother me, which made him an easy person to deal with personally.

    I assumed he had some degree of affection for me. It may sound unfortunate, but over 90% of the men I''ve encountered in my life showed an interest in me.

    However, the way they demonstrated their affection varied wildly.

    There were those who were irritatingly clingy, those who subtly crept closer, those who disgustingly gave gifts, and those who publicly confessed their feelings, making things awkward.

    Among them, Han Yeonho...

    It seemed as though he had given up in his heart, occasionally casting a subtle glance my way, but his interactions were clear-cut.

    He did not hesitate to contact me when necessary, and promptly wrapped up trivial chitchats or tasks at hand.

    For me, who tried to minimize contact with men to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, he was a genuinely comfortable friend. At times, even more than my same-sex friends.

    That''s why I got along better with him than others, and I let my guard down.

    "To be honest, I like you too. Do you want to go out with me?"

    "Sorry..."

    I also helped out when he was struggling with his studies.

    "You''re better than I thought, aren''t you?"

    "Can you please close your eyes?"

    "Sorry, it''s just that your desperate face is funny."

    "Wow... I''m really happy! I can make my girlfriend laugh with just my face!"

    "Keep up the good work."

    The first kiss... was not as romantic as I had imagined. Mostly because of me.

    This foolish romance, to be honest, was really fun.

    Yeonho was fundamentally a person who knew how to always consider others, and I found his natural consideration very comforting.

    It might not have been the kind of love where just seeing him would make my heart race madly. But I felt it was enough to proudly say that I''m in a relationship wherever I went.

    Apart from that, due to the fact that I had a boyfriend, most of the unwanted attention indirectly went away. It was comforting to know that someone would be there by my side no matter what happened.

    However, that happiness ended in an instant.

    It was a day like any other. I ate breakfast prepared by my mother, had a light quarrel with my brother who had woken up unusually early. I left a message for my boyfriend who went to bed late playing games, ''If you''re late today, you''re dead''.

    When the vacation starts, what should I do, should I get a part-time job, or where should I go on a date with Yeonho. I was thinking about these things while lightly stepping out of the house towards the university.

    -Screeeeech-!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    -Bang!!

    I couldn''t understand what happened in that moment.

    What was going on.

    Feeling nothing, there was a momentary sensation of floating.

    -Thud!!

    ---

    Raei Translations

    ---

    The moment my body hit the ground, I lost consciousness, feeling an intense pain that rendered me incapable of even screaming.

    When I next opened my eyes, I was in a starkly white hospital room.

    Around me were the tear-streaked faces of my parents and the contorted face of my brother, whom I was seeing for the first time.

    Only half was visible.

    I realized my vision had become narrower than usual.

    Despite the confusion, I thought I should sit up and try to move.

    But there was no sensation, as though it had disappeared.

    Ironically, I was sensing my leg, which was devoid of even pain.

    Simultaneously, tears streamed down my face without me realizing.

    I just wanted to see Yeonho.

    Author''s Note:

    As you can see in this episode, Heena''s story is going to be wrapped up quickly in the next episode. Even if it unexpectedly becomes longer, it will be finished by the episode after the next one.

    The reason I am starting with Heena''s story right after the prologue is...

    This novel is neither for enjoying long and detailed psychological descriptions, nor for a carefully constructed story, nor even aiming for a surprising twist in the story.

    It''s just an everyday love story, so we''ll move on quickly and return to the male lead.

    But writing like this after a long time is not easy.