Chapter : 14
Hayun’s struggling movements finally stopped. Only then did Geonhyung realize what she meant—probably because of her recently injured foot. The one whose toenail had been torn when her sister had pushed her.
Geonhyung lifted Hayun and carried her to the car, seating her in the passenger seat.
“No wonder your sneakers caught my eye today…”
“Ah!”
Geonhyung knelt down right there on the floor in front of her, one knee on the ground. Startled, Hayun blurted out, and Geonhyung raised an eyebrow.
“Does it hurt?”
“Ah, n-no. It’s just… if you sit on the bare floor like that… it gets dusty.”
“That’s nothing.”
Geonhyung dismissed it as trivial and now placed Hayun’s foot on his knee. She tried to pull it away, but it was useless.
“It’s dirty…”
“Getting your clothes a little dirty is nothing. Anyway, where’s the injury?”
“Toen… toenail… ah.”
As soon as Hayun answered, Geonhyung began removing her sneaker. Concerned that it might hurt her, he asked carefully,
“Tell me if it hurts. Don’t hold it in.”
“N-no. Surprisingly, it doesn’t hurt at all…?”
“I’m good with my hands, you see.”
Geonhyung said with a small laugh, jokingly, but it was true. Despite his large build, his long fingers were delicate. Finally, the sneaker was off. His gaze immediately fell on the dressing that had been wrapped around her toenail. Examining the wound, he asked,
“It’s torn. It must have hurt. Are you okay?”
“It… it’s been a few days… the bleeding wasn’t too bad, and it’s not as serious as it looks, so I’m fine now.”
“Seems so. No active bleeding then.”
Luckily, apart from the toenail, everything else looked fine. Geonhyung felt a little relieved. He then began checking the rest of her foot for injuries. Hayun’s feet were small and pale. Though he held her foot out of concern, it almost seemed like they might be crushed by his large hands.
“…Your feet are really small.”
Muttering to himself, Geonhyung made Hayun flinch. His hands, warm and large, held her foot gently, like handling a treasure. Watching him, she couldn’t help but blush.
“How did you even walk like this? And get hurt too.”
“That’s why I wore sneakers…”
Hayun muttered as if defending herself. Although she had to wear her usual sneakers, her sister still seemed upset the whole time.
‘…And of course, making her wear high heels with an injured foot would be impossible…’
Hyeyeon, who always argued and fussed but secretly had a soft heart, was unmistakably showing that side.
Still, what was this subtle display really trying to say?
‘Could it be… barefoot? No, that’s unlikely. Though I’ve heard some people are really particular about feet.’
Hayun stole a glance at Geonhyung. She felt a twinge of disappointment. Perhaps it was because of the changed outfit; today, unlike before, he was just inspecting the injury with a calm, neutral expression.
‘…Am I disappointed?’
What on earth was she thinking? Hayun shook her head quietly. Geonhyung, unaware of her thoughts, clicked his tongue in sympathy.
“Even if it’s a little better, it must have hurt walking today. You didn’t have to come out if you were going to get hurt like this…”
“No!”
Hayun hurriedly shouted at his words. Hearing that the wedding preparations were officially going ahead made her feel somewhat relieved. She didn’t have to worry about whether she’d see him again.
Her face still flushed, Hayun fumbled her words.
“Oh… seeing it today, I guess it makes sense to start preparing quickly since the wedding seems to take longer than expected…”
“Ah?”
Geonhyung exaggeratedly shrugged as he re-fixed the dressing on her injury, then curled the corners of his mouth in a teasing frown.
“The person who asked me to refuse the marriage is now saying we should start preparations quickly?”
“Well… the adults seem to want to proceed with the wedding anyway…”
“The adults, huh.”
As he carefully helped her put her sneakers back on, Geonhyung casually asked,
“So, does that mean Na Hayun doesn’t want to?”
“W-well…”
“You seemed fine visiting the wedding hall… but you don’t seem to relate it to your own wedding, right?”
Hayun lowered her head. While she was slowly looking forward to meeting him, she wasn’t yet excited about marrying him.
‘…I’m still scared of marriage. Just seeing mother and father…’
Besides, she genuinely found the extravagant wedding hall fascinating and fun.
“She seemed interested in seeing the hall, which was curious, but when staff asked when she wanted the ceremony, she never answered. Same when I asked.”
Once her sneakers were back on, Geonhyung stood up. Hayun hesitated, explaining,
“…I’ve never actually attended a wedding before, so I didn’t know it could be so fancy.”
“Huh?”
Geonhyung looked down at her, arms crossed, with a puzzled expression, as if demanding an explanation. Hayun continued slowly.
“You might not believe it, but since high school, I haven’t really met anyone outside of school or family. I’ve always stayed home…”
“Even relatives’ weddings?”
“I haven’t really met them either.”
Still standing with his arms crossed, Geonhyung tilted his head at her words, looking as if he couldn’t understand.
‘Not seeing is helping you.’
Her mother’s harsh words passed through Hayun’s mind. How could she explain that? She closed her eyes tightly, and Geonhyung’s voice reached her again.
“So… hobbies?”
He changed the subject. He wasn’t the type to pry unnecessarily. Hayun’s eyes widened.
“Hobbies?”
“Yeah, what hobbies you have.”
Dusting his suit knees, Geonhyung added casually,
“There are so many people around me, I don’t know hobbies people enjoy alone. That’s why I ask.”
“W-why…”
“They say couples with shared hobbies live happily. If you’re marrying someone, shouldn’t you know their hobbies? It’s even better if you can do them together.”
“T-together?”
“My parents… well, they do tea ceremonies together.”
Of course, in their case, her father followed her mother’s hobby group more than truly shared it. Geonhyung casually added. Otherwise, someone as impatient as him wouldn’t touch tea ceremonies.
“Besides, my father has the taste of a child. He prefers instant coffee over green or black tea.”
Geonhyung unwrapped a mint candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. A wedding hall staff member had thoughtfully given him a handful.
Seeing him choose candy over smoking, she thought she might truly be his child after all…
He frowned briefly, remembering his father’s post-quitting-smoking physique, and shook his head.
“Anyway, sharing hobbies is good for couples.”
“What about you, Geonhyung? What’s your hobby?”
Hayun asked. She remembered him saying he used the SUV more often—was it related to that?
As expected, Geonhyung gave a thumbs-up toward the car.
“Fishing… camping? That’s why I drive this more. The sedan is for public appearances. Now that I think about it, maybe even fishing is for public appearances.”
“For public appearances?”
“Not really a personal preference… I’m the only one who can take care of the old man at home, whose hobby is fishing.”
Hayun thought. Did he mean his father? Probably not. Then maybe his grandfather, who used to be a thug?
‘Did he just say fishing is his hobby for no reason…’
Next to her, Geonhyung glanced anxiously at her. Judging by how he observed the carp at the traditional restaurant, he’d probably hate fishing unless it was breeding them.
“Anyway, I might find a new hobby too. So, Na Hayun, what’s your hobby?”
He leaned on the open passenger door, trying to steer the conversation back.
“Surely you have one, right?”
“Maybe… not.”
“You’ve been stuck at home all the time? No hobby means staring at the walls all day? Even sleeping could be a hobby. Though that’s hard to do together, at least I could keep my eyes closed next to you while you sleep.”
Geonhyung ended casually. Hayun didn’t answer immediately. Perhaps saying his hobby was fishing was a mistake. She almost regretted it.
“…Plants.”
“Plants?”
“I like growing grass and potted plants.”
Even her mother, who opposed most things, initially liked seeing Hayun tend to the pots. Sometimes she gifted the overly grown plants to acquaintances. But once it became a real hobby, her mother didn’t approve.
‘Too many plants attract bugs. Reduce them.’
The bugs were just an excuse. Her mother couldn’t tolerate Hayun immersing herself in anything. Or maybe it was gossip about the second daughter due to the gifts. Likely both.
“Impressive.”
“Impressive? Not really… it’s not professional.”
“What do you usually grow?”
Hayun stayed silent. Eventually, her mother gave away the best of her plants.
‘Just stay quiet like a ghost.’
Her mother’s words.
