Chapter 81: Birthday Date (4)
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Here
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I turned off the alarm.
I woke up from a deep sleep, the first in a long time.
Rubbing my bleary eyes, I checked the sunlight coming in through the window.
The morning had passed, and it was soon to be noon.
I sat up and looked around.
".....?"
I lightly brushed around my parched lips and noticed the bed had changed.
"....What?"
There was no blanket, no quilt.
Song Soo-yeon was also gone.
As if evaporated, there wasn't a single trace of her left.
Even the doll I had picked out for her was gone, and looking at the entrance, her shoes were gone too.
"If you were going to do this, why did you ask to sleep together?"
I scratched my head.
No, maybe I just woke up too late.
I got up from my spot and checked the bed again.
Only the faint scent of Song Soo-yeon, like that of a flower, let me know she had slept here.
But where did my blanket and quilt go?
Why take them?
After laying out Song Soo-yeon's quilt, which was spread on the floor, onto my bed, I sat on the bed blankly for a while to wake up.
-Ding-dong.
Soon, the doorbell rang.
And Song Soo-yeon entered, dressed differently from yesterday.
"......"
She burst into laughter seeing my half-awake, disheveled appearance.
I couldn't react at all to her sudden laughter.
While she laughed for a long while, I just wet my lips.
Finally, after calming her laughter, Song Soo-yeon asked.
"Hey, mister. Why are you sitting there like a fool?"
"...Where did you go?"
"Home. I took the blanket and quilt."
"Why?"
"Too much sweat."
"Oh."
It seemed she was too embarrassed to return them after sweating.
I was going to say I didn't mind... but it might sound a little wrong from her perspective.
So, instead, I asked.
"...Then what should I use to cover myself from now on..."
"-Use that quilt, mister."
I looked at Song Soo-yeon's quilt, neatly folded on my bed.
"...This one?"
"Yes. It's still clean. I haven't used it much."
I nodded, not minding.
I need to wash my face to wake up.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes wide.
Time to take a shower.
"...."
As I was about to stand up, I locked eyes with Song Soo-yeon.
Before I knew it, she was standing still, staring at me.
Her gaze was different than usual.
...A bit drowsy.
A bit cold.
And in a way, a bit hot.
She swallowed her saliva and slightly bit her lip.
It was too different from her usual self.
"......Why?"
"...What?"
"...No, is there... something you want to say?"
"...No?"
"Is that so?"
Eventually, I averted my eyes first.
And then, I entered the bathroom to wash up.
---
---
Solace, having recovered, headed to the association for work.
She received enthusiastic greetings from the staff and fellow heroes.
"Solace, congratulations on becoming rank 1."
"Thank you!"
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes! I'm completely fine!"
Solace responded sincerely to all the greetings.
It wasn't difficult, as she was in a good mood.
She had managed to secure a date with Jung-gyeom, and she had become the number 1 hero.
Of course, she knew she hadn't become number 1 purely based on skill.
There was some media play involved in the decision.
But that was okay.
She was number 1, wasn't she?
It was the top position she had been aiming for. All she had to do was maintain this spot.
Normally, she would have enjoyed this sense of achievement alone in her room... but this time, unusually, she had a different thought.
She didn't want to enjoy it alone.
She missed Jung-gyeom.
How would he congratulate her?
Would he like her more now that she was number 1?
Would he praise her, saying she was amazing?
She wanted to relax by his side, share her happiness, sense of achievement, as well as her anxiety and pressure.
But she restrained herself a bit. They were going to have a date soon, after all.
There was no need to rush and use up topics for conversation, especially since she was thinking of making it a somewhat special date.
Instead of going to her room, Solace headed to the information room.
There was something she needed to check.
After completing the iris recognition, the door opened.
-Ziiing.
Numerous employees were working on computers under the blue light.
Solace approached a familiar employee.
-Tap. Tap.
Tapping her on the shoulder, the employee looking intently at the computer looked up at Solace.
"Oh? Solace!"
"Hana, have you been well?"
"Yes, of course! And you, Solace...?"
They exchanged formalities.
The brief conversation brought smiles to their faces.
Solace's smile was fake but it was easy for her, given her goal.
Smiling like this made civilians act as if they would give their all, another advantage of her social status.
"Solace. So, what brings you here..."
They moved on to the main topic.
Solace clapped her hands together with a bright smile.
"Ah, right. I wanted to look up some information."
The employee turned towards the computer, ready to find anything.
"Yes, yes. Tell me."
"Do you remember? A few months ago, a man caused a commotion at the association."
"Oh, that's why you were dispatched to the school."
"That's right. I'd like to review the information on that man, is that okay?"
"Yes. I'll find it for you. The viewing permission is..."
Viewing permission is an official document required when trying to obtain a civilian's personal information.
Even for a hero, it was a necessary document.
When Jung-gyeom had caused a commotion at the Hero Association, the document had naturally been issued, but it wasn't something she had now.
Solace leaned in.
She gently grabbed the employee's shoulder and whispered quietly.
"...Hana, can we skip that part?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'm just looking to recheck something I had confirmed before. It would take time to get the permission... I'm asking for a favor."
"........"
The employee pondered for a moment then nodded.
"...Yes! I'll do it for you. Since it's you, Solace."
Solace straightened her back and smiled slightly beneath her mask.
This indeed was the taste of social status.
Solace said,
"His name is Jung-gyeom."
"Just a moment, please."
The information room employee sifted through numerous people with the same name and found the information Solace wanted.
"Is this the person?"
Jung-gyeom's identification photo appeared on the computer monitor.
Solace smiled.
"Yes."
She then took in all of his information one by one.
She looked a bit more carefully at the details she had only glanced over the first time.
There wasn't much.
Still, she it was enough.
Indeed. Her memory was correct.
His birthday was not far off.
---
---
Solace returned to her private room and pulled out a cigarette.
After lighting one up, she called Jung-gyeom.
Her heart thumped slightly as the call connected.
"Yeah, Bom?"
Then Jung-gyeom answered the phone casually and with her nickname.
Solace smiled, cleared her throat, and spoke.
"Oppa. What were you doing?"
"Getting ready to eat. You?"
"Me too."
She secretly took a puff of her cigarette and quietly exhaled the smoke.
...She shouldn't have been doing this, but smoking like this also gave her a bit of a thrill.
She hopes he never catches her in such a state.
Solace brought up the main point.
"Ah, oppa. We're going to have a date, right?"
"...Right."
"I checked the time, how about April 20th?"
"April 20th?"
Solace suggested as if she knew nothing.
"It happens to be my birthday."
Jung-gyeom said.
Solace raised her voice in pretend surprise.
"Oh, really? It's your birthday that day?"
"Yeah."
"Really a coincidence...? You don't have other plans, do you?"
Of course, there couldn't be.
He was a loner, after all.
She was the only person who could look after him.
Even though there was Song Soo-yeon, a fly sticking around him, Solace was confident she could handle her.
"None. Shall we meet that day?"
When Jung-gyeom suggested, Solace smiled.
"Yeah! Let's see each other then. I'll make it a birthday you'll remember."
Jung-gyeom burst into laughter.
Solace started to feel happy at the sound of his laughter.
But she didn't let her guard down.
Clearing her throat again, she began to meticulously plan it through.
"Oppa, you know it's a date."
"Yeah, of course."
"...Just saying... Soo-yeon can't come."
"...I know."
Her smile widened at his acknowledgment.
She also felt a sense of victory for having beaten Song Soo-yeon.
At that moment, Jung-gyeom also asked.
"Ah, Bom. You didn't forget, did you?"
"Huh? Forget what?"
"The promise you made to me."
"..."
Solace rolled her eyes and pondered for a moment.
"...Ah, the story about that villain?"
"Yeah. You said you'd tell me their name."
"Oppa, were you really curious about that? I thought it was just small talk."
"..."
"Yeah, of course, I'll tell you."
Solace inhaled the cigarette smoke again.
At that moment, she inhaled wrongly and started coughing.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Bom?"
"Cough! Ah, sorry...! Cough... I drank water the wrong way."
Solace was startled and quickly extinguished the cigarette. The thought of smoking anymore vanished immediately after the burst of coughing.
After calming her breathing, Solace spoke.
This part was most important.
"So, oppa. I've been thinking about the place for our date..."
"Yeah, tell me."
"...How about at my place?"
Solace was planning to confess to him.
And for the confession, there was no place better than her own home.
It would allow her to confess comfortably in her own space.
The atmosphere could be set exactly how she wanted.
Her home was more beautiful than most hotel views, a place where she could subtly flaunt her status to Jung-gyeom.
She could also show him the kind of future that awaited him if he were with her.
"Oppa, you've always been the one cooking for us. It's your birthday, so I thought maybe I could make something delicious for once..."
Furthermore, if the confession went well...they might even progress to a deeper relationship using the mood.
There's a soft, spacious bed at home.
Even if embarrassing sounds were made, they wouldn't leak outside.
It was the best place for a first experience, assuming things went well.
"...At your place?"
Jung-gyeom asked back.
Solace said nothing. She couldn't.
Even though she thought he wouldn't refuse her proposal, it was her after all... the nervousness was inevitable.
In fact, this was the biggest obstacle in her plan.
If she could just get past this moment, everything else would flow naturally afterward.
Soon, his answer came.
"Sure. Let's do that."
With the plan set, Solace's heart pounded.
"...I'm looking forward to it."
She said.
Various thoughts filled her head.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦