Picked Up In Winter Chapter 18

Translator: Ranka

TLC/Editor: Barb

Picked Up in Winter <18>

Even after the Christmas pa.s.sed, it was still busy at the end of the year. Of course, depending on the people, there are differences and exceptions, but generally, it's the same. And more so for people who are constantly going around somewhere, at least that's how it should be.

But I have always been one of the 'exceptions', and that hasn't changed this year too. December 31st. Today was the last day of the year, yet I still got up quite late and sat down in front of the sofa. It was quiet in the house. Since it was the end of the year, everyone has been out of the house already. It goes without saying for this house's office worker, his father, but it seemed even his mother had agreed to have a year-end party with her fellow teacher colleagues. Seon Hyung-nuna, of course, left early, faithful to her college life and Dae Hyung also left, saying he had made an appointment with his friends. Though Min Hyung and Jun Hyung were left at home, for some reason it was still quiet in the house. From the bathroom came the sounds of running water, it seemed like Jun Hyung was taking a bath. Min Hyung was probably taking a nap in his room.

I turned on the TV to soothe my boredom. On the TV, last night's cable drama was being broadcasted.

I put my attention on the TV, concentrating more on the visual and auditory aspects than the storyline. On the screen, one man and a woman were looking sadly at each other and crying, in the background a sentimental music was being played. I was looking at the screen blankly when suddenly I heard the sound of the door rattling open.

My eyes were still glued to the screen while I focused on the sounds coming from behind. Finally, after a few rustles of hair being rubbed by a towel, I heard footsteps coming towards me. Ah, he's right behind me─when I thought so, he put his arm over my shoulder.

As if I didn't hear him before, I turned towards him. When he leaned his face towards me, the smell of shampoo wafted from his wet hair. And when our eyes met, he grinned.

"Did you sleep well?"

I stared at him silently and nodded in a.s.sent. Contrary to the unusually composed behaviour, the temperature of my body was faithful to the feelings. Feeling the temperature rising rapidly, I turned awkwardly and watched the TV again. Unbearable… I mumbled inside my head numerous times.

"What are you watching?"

Probably thinking I was into the TV program, Jun Hyung muttered that, crossed the sofa and flopped down next to me. I guess it was a ha.s.sle to come around it. The sofa swayed for a moment under the weight of Jun Hyung, and similarly, a small wave rose inside my heart.

"Hmm, what……? Drama?"

I couldn't find stability due to his unperturbed voice. The moment he sat down next to me, my heartbeat became even faster. I was pretending to watch the TV with the same calm face as he, but in fact, there was a turmoil raging inside my heart.

"Yes."

My voice was still calm. No different from the usual. But inside I kept shouting 'What to do', unable to calm down, thoughts tangled into a mess.

"Is this fun?"

He asked as if he couldn't understand. But in truth, I didn't really care about the drama that was on then, so I had nothing to answer. Of course, I didn't mean to be honest, but answering 'yup' was a little… I couldn't help but choose to answer ambiguously.

"Just……."

"Hmmm."

He turned back to the TV without any particular comment on my vague answer. But my heart had to once again tremble at that little noise.
─That low and deep, yet somehow tender voice.

Especially, when he talked with me, with that really affectionate tone of voice, I really loved it. I wish he would keep on mumbling forever. Though I did think so, Jun Hyung after 'Hmm' didn't say anything more, and just had his eyes fixed at the TV with his mouth closed. His profile at a glance seems to say 'how is this worth seeing…', a frown between his eyebrows. It looked as if he was carefully observing the program and trying to find the fun in it.

Suddenly, a phrase I read in a book hit me. It said that as the human beings grow they ripen(mature)……. The line I had read mechanically without thinking about it, was suddenly in my head. I see, I understood that line now.

At some point I felt 'Oh, I like this guy', but that didn't mean that I started liking him from that point onward. The beginning was ambiguous. I couldn't set it a certain point in time. It suddenly struck me that I had already started liking him. I simply just realized it at that time. Maybe, from the first time I have seen him─I could conclude, but there was something missing to say so…….

It gradually acc.u.mulated, and as soon as I realized it…… It seemed as if it broke down the sh.e.l.l which contained it, and flowed out. After hearing Jun Hyung's story of when he was little, I had no intention of realizing it, but the force of the emotions that started to flow was already so strong that after that kiss on Christmas I couldn't stop it anymore. I had no idea what to do with those overflowing feelings and had a tough time hiding it.

My heart ached.
I also felt like I then understood the saying of liking someone so much to the point that it became painful. Suddenly falling into the sweet delusion of, maybe this guy likes me too… then calling me 'Happy' in that voice and returning me to reality. Falling from heaven to h.e.l.l dozens of times a day. No, Happy meant something special to him. I must certainly be a special existence to him… I consoled myself like that, but when I thought about the time I first met him, I fell into despair again. Why did he name me 'Happy' when he saw me? Without any special meaning, didn't he know that he had just picked up a human? So after naming me Happy, aren't I just an afterimage of that dog….

The name that I started to care about had managed to keep me captive. I started to doubt him, who was kind to me…… And, if this were affection towards 'Kang Hagil' rather than 'Happy', how great it would be… I had started to dream.

Don't call me Happy. That's not my name. Call . My real name.

The emotions that were hard to conceal only came near to surface when he came near. I was at a loss of what to do but pretended to look unruffled. And behaving like that was all I could do at that moment.

"Shall we eat soon……?"

Suddenly he muttered again. That voice made me, who was absorbed in his thoughts, return to reality.

"Okay."

It was a real relief. My voice was still composed. At that fact, I glanced at him once again relieved. Jun Hyung at some point had turned his gaze away from the TV and was looking at me.

Without saying anything he kept looking at me. My heart sank again while strange thoughts kept pouring in. Could he have noticed…? Was there a subtle tremble in my voice? As I was falling into a great confusion with such thoughts, he slowly reached out with his right hand. The gaze he looked at me with was so profound that it made my heart pound. What… what are you doing? Don't tell me…? He slowly reached for my cheek and continued to come closer, the moment he touched my hair, I trembled. And at the same time, his lips slowly opened.

"Haha, Happy. You've a hair stuck out of your head."

…… I blanked.

"Let's go to eat, then."

Mumbling that, he slowly raised himself. After being stared at for a long time, his earlobe seemed redder than usual, I thought. But for me who was feeling down, I couldn't afford to think about it deeply. It was no different from when I was watching the TV screen earlier. It was just another scene in my eyes.

I slowly got up and entered the bathroom. As soon as I closed the door carefully, my knees had lost their strength and I flopped down to the floor. I buried my face in my legs and tried my best to cool down.

…… Did I just mistake what he was going to do?

I got up again quickly and went to the sink. My face became numb as I kept was.h.i.+ng my face in cold water to get my senses back. I looked into the mirror before me and stood there as cold water droplets ran down through my fl.u.s.tered expression.

…… Oh?

Then I suddenly realized that there wasn't any place with any noticeable dishevelled hair. For a moment I checked the part where he had touched, but I thought… 'Where it was so bad enough to laugh at?' I tilted my face, a little in doubt, then stopped that thought and to prevent catching a cold, I turned on the hot water to wash my hair.

When I came out after was.h.i.+ng my hair, Jun Hyung had already set the table. However, it wasn't as if Jun Hyung made it all himself, he only took out a food that others' prepared before leaving. The high-school student, Jun Hyung, had yet to prepare his own meals.

"Min Hyung?"

"Sleeping."

"I'll wake him up."

He looked at me with disapproval for a moment, but I didn't care and turned around then entered the bedroom. Min Hyung was on one side of the room covered in blankets, sleeping while hugging Patrasche tightly.

"Min Hyung. Wake up."

When I gently shook Min Hyung from his sleep, his eyes struggled to open. Min Hyung rubbed his dopey eyes with his small hands, widening his eyes in surprise at the sudden sound of a sneeze. It appeared that Patrasche sneezed.

"This little……."

Min Hyung looked at the Patrasche in his hands, smiled and lightly patted her head. Then followed me into the living room.

At night, each channel was airing a program for the end of the year. Gayo Daesang1, Drama Awards……. I was on the sofa while Jun Hyung sat on the floor, the two of us were watching the TV together, with no special conversation between us. However, just sitting together in the same place can help your feelings to grow. Since nothing new had happened when we've been together.

I always felt relaxed and excited at the same time whenever he was next to me.

"We've been broadcasting this year……."

The sounds of the TV pa.s.sed through my ears. The image on the screen was quite blurred. It just irritated my eyes……I slyly glanced at the wall clock. In a while, it'd be 12 o'clock. We were impatiently waiting for the year to end and for the midnight bell2 to ring.

Jun Hyung opened the food brought from the convenience store and was drinking a can of beer from the refrigerator. It seemed that his family brought it to celebrate the end of the year. But drinking while being a minor…… In fact, it wasn't as if I had no experience at all in this regard. However, I didn't feel like drinking then, so the beverage I bought from the convenience store satisfied me. Next to me sat Min Hyung with his legs outstretched and was drinking a gla.s.s of banana milk with a straw. Sometimes, the sound of eating snacks got mixed with the sounds coming from the TV.

"And, only 5 minutes left till 20xx."

At 5 minutes before 12, the screen showed the midnight bell. Along with the reporter's explanation, the camera caught the people gathered on the street. They were all waiting with excited faces for the new year. 10, 9, 8, 7…… When it finally came to the countdown, I felt nervous unknowingly and straightened my body.

"2, 1… 0!!! Viewers, a new year has begun. I wish everyone happiness this year too……"

…… Ah. It was a new year.

Deng-Deng! The sounds of the midnight bell echoed as I was thinking about it. I a.s.sumed that there would be some conversation after the ring of the bell, but Jun Hyung still remained silent. Should I try to say, Happy New Year? Yes, let's do it first this time. I tried to call him. But then,

"Eschwi!"

…… Came again the sound of a cough.

Turning around in doubt, this time it was Patrasche again. What, Patrasche……Did you catch a cold? Feeling it was weird too, Min Hyung put down the gla.s.s of milk he had in his hand and held Patrasche. And soon after he loudly laughed.

"Patrasche, you have a runny nose. Puahahaha!"

"Eschwi!"

When Patrasche sneezed again, Jun Hyung, who was sitting whilst leaning on the sofa next to me, abruptly turned his head. The momentum was so strong that I felt surprised without realizing. Jun Hyung, as if someone threw cold water on his face, looked at Patrasche with a shocked expression.

What's this……?

That shocked look on his face suddenly turned anxious.

What…?

I followed his gaze back to Patrasche.

"Eschwi!"

Sneezing violently, a snot flew out from Patrasche's nose.

The entertainers on TV were exchanging New Year's greetings, saying 'Happy New Year', but there was a scarily tense atmosphere in our living room. Jun Hyung was watching Patrasche with a blank expression as if he had received a great shock and Min Hyung's smiling face was also slowly turning into a frowning one when he noticed the severity of the situation.

"Eschwi!"

Patrasche sneezed yet again.

TN:

Translator/Editor Note:

1) Gayo Daesang – There is an award ceremony organised by Seoul Music Awards, Gayo Daejeon, it is a major end-of-the-year music award ceremony. And Daesang awards are aired by KBS.

2) Midnight Bell – It is formally known as Bosingak, originally constructed in 1396, termed Bosingak in 1895. Now, this bell is rung only at midnight on New Year's Eve. It is rung 33 times. Below are few pics:

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