Lady Spring

“Don’t you remember? I think it was when our class was supposed to clean and decorate the classroom at the beginning of the year. All the heads of the groups were supposed to stay after school, but they all made excuses and left, so you did everything by yourself.”

Oh, did that happen? Saeun couldn’t remember. Wooyoung’s lips moved along her neck as he spoke softly.

“When I returned to the classroom because I forgot my CD player, you were there making some kind of blackboard decoration by yourself. You didn’t even hear me come inside because you were working so hard. When I called your name, you began to nag me immediately.”

Wooyoung giggled. Saeun frowned and tried to escape his lips, but like a pervert you would see in the movies, he kept licking her neck in long strokes. She should’ve found him vulgar and creepy, yet her body screamed of excitement. Saeun couldn’t understand her own reaction.

“Nag queen. But I thought you were cute even when you nagged me.”
“You obviously needed glasses then. I’m no beauty now, but you know I looked much worse in high school. I was a monster with volcanic zits and thick glasses.”
“Well, I remember you very differently. I thought you were cute.”
“Oh, is that why you left school without a word to me and even changed school? Then, when we met after 10 years, you molested me. So I’m supposed to believe you found me cute back in high school?”

She didn’t mean to complain, but Saeun couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. She regretted her words immediately, but it was too late. His arms slowly left her side and Saeun was finally freed. Feeling embarrassed, Saeun covered her face with her hair and quickly headed towards the bathroom.

“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Saeun.”

His quiet voice stopped her mid step. Still standing behind Saeun, Wooyoung continued softly,

“I was young. You must know that teenage boys have no brains at all.”
“I know. That’s why you shouldn’t lie to me. I know very well I wasn’t cute in high school. I also know I’m not much of a catch now either, so…”

She bit her lips. She could feel Wooyoung was now standing right behind her. His warmth made her close her eyes slowly before opening. Saeun was standing right in front of the bathroom door, and she noticed a few areas where the paint was wearing off. She was certain Wooyoung had never seen such an old apartment before. He wouldn’t have come here if he had any other options.

He was only going to stay just for a few days.

The next few days were going to be the only heaven she ever gets to experience in life. So why was she trying to ruin it for herself?

All just because of her complex.

“Never mind. I don’t know why I said that. I just had a very stressful day at work yesterday, I’m sorry. I’m just gonna wash my face.”

Without looking back at him, she quickly hid in the bathroom. Wooyoung didn’t say a word. For a long time, Saeun sat down on the toilet and buried her face on her knees.

***

Thankfully, the clothes she got for Wooyoung fit him well. With a decent shirt and a pair of jeans, he looked much better. In fact, even with the cuts and bruises on his face, there was no doubt he wasn’t going to be recognized on the street as THE Min Wooyoung of the Strawberry Fields.

The famous kpop star.

“Hey, don’t you have to call your manager or something?”

Handing him a donut she bought on her way home, Saeun asked cautiously. Wooyoung, who was watching TV, glanced at her. A rerun of an old show was playing, and Saeun couldn’t understand why he found it entertaining, but he seemed engrossed by it.

“No. I’m sure they are all fine.”
“Oh, okay.”

So he wasn’t going to tell her about the phone call from earlier. Was he planning on just saying goodbye suddenly and leaving without an explanation?

No, Saeun, stop thinking about this. Just enjoy having someone by your side for once, even if it wasn’t going to last. She continued to peel an orange and hid her frown.

“Don’t your parents worry about you living alone like this?”

Suddenly, he hugged the pillow he was holding and turned to face her as he asked. Saeun tried her best not to frown. She gave him a nonchalant shrug and replied,

“It has been a long time since I left, so it’s all fine. Besides, I work in Seoul and they live in Daejun, so it’s not like I can commute.”1
“Don’t you have any siblings?”
“Why are you asking me so many questions suddenly? What about you? Oh, wait, you’re an only child, right?”

Saeun frowned because she remembered the answer immediately after she asked the question. Wooyoung stared at her.

“How did you know that?”
“You told me in high school that your parents were disappointed their only child wanted to become a singer… Do they still disapprove of your choice?”
“You have a really good memory.”

He turned towards the TV again. Saeun was glad he wasn’t looking at her anymore. If he did, he would’ve noticed how she blushed for remembering even the smallest things about him like an idiot. Looking down to hide her face, she focused on peeling her orange neatly.

“They’re fine with my career now. They even display my awards and brag to their friends when they visit. Typical parents.”

He took a bite out of his donut and watched the TV. When the show finally ended, he turned towards her again and asked,

“So do you have a sibling or not?”

He was being persistent. Saeun really didn’t want to get into this, but it seemed that she had no other choice. It was just a simple question, so it couldn’t hurt to answer him.

With a sigh, she replied,

“I have an older brother.”
“How old is he?”
“Three years older than me.”
“You don’t live with him? Does he live with your parents?”
“He lives somewhere else.”

Saeun did her best not to cringe. What she said wasn’t exactly a lie. She didn’t know where her brother lived, but he had to be living somewhere, right?

“In high school, I thought your family was rich.”

She blinked and looked at him. Wooyoung was leaning against the pillow and watching her without a smile.

“Why?”
“Because you got good grades and you seemed to do everything well. You were quiet and well behaved, so that’s what I thought.”

She found this funny, but it also made her a little happy. After all, wasn’t it better for him to think her family was rich than poor? Saeun kept quiet, and after a long silence, Wooyoung asked,

“You know… If I quit being a singer and work as something else… Like a wedding singer or something… Can I keep living here with you?”

***

Hey! Translator of “Spring Lady” here! If you like this story and want to support me so I can put more time into this novel, please buy me a coffee by clicking below! Thanks!
 

The distance between the cities of Seoul and Daejun is 140 km.