My Girlfriend Is Very Good to Me

Heena’s presence, blushing and fidgeting in front of me, was incredibly refreshing. I couldn’t help but want to keep watching her like this.

However, we had been standing for quite a while, so we couldn’t stay there forever. I took Heena’s hand and we moved to a new spot.

It was too late to go to a café, so we headed to a nearby convenience store instead.

The plan was to sit on the outdoor chairs and chat, but I felt bad just sitting down, so we each bought a drink.

Even in the midst of this, I was amazed at Heena’s consistency as she tried to take out her wallet insisting she would pay.

But I couldn’t let her pay, especially since my bank account was finally looking good thanks to a hellish part-time job. I quickly paid and we sat down at the outdoor table.

Wondering what to say first, I looked at her for a moment before Heena spoke up.

"Um, Yeonho? I didn’t mean to... I mean, I just came here today!"

"Just today?"

"...Sorry. Actually, I’ve been coming every day."

I asked back, thinking she really only came today, but she confessed in just a second.

Every day?

"Did a friend tell you...?"

"They didn’t exactly tell me, but they mentioned you might be around here. But how did you know?"

"...I saw you yesterday and ran into that guy..."

"Does he know your face? Ah, he must have seen your profile picture."

"You promised you would keep it a secret..."

Heena is not a common type of person. My profile picture is visible every time we chat, so that guy probably figured it out quickly.

Anyway, I had unknowingly been clocking into work.

"Why didn’t you just tell me?"

"I was worried... I even thought about going inside, but it looked incredibly busy."

"Yeah, even if you did come, I wouldn’t have been able to pay you any attention. But still, wasn’t it tough standing there every day?"

"Nope~ I did come every day, but I didn’t stay the whole time. I would come out around the time we usually meet after studying, and stay for an hour or two?"

That still seems like a long time.

"But was there anything to see? I was just non-stop working."

"Yes! It was so interesting!"

"Interesting?"

"Yeah!"

"What was so interesting about it?"

Watching someone work and finding it fun is beyond me. Maybe she likes games like Stardew Valley?

"I just liked seeing you work hard, and also, that apron!"

"The orange one?"

"Yes, yes! You looked so cute in it~ I wanted to take a close-up photo!"

"...I see?"

I just wore it because it was the uniform, without giving it much thought. I definitely wouldn’t spend my own money on that color and design.

"Anyway, did you just come to watch?"

"Yeah... I just wanted to see you so badly."

I realized then, bringing up how tiring it must have been to stand for hours every day, or suggesting we could just meet on the weekends, was pointless. She wanted to be there, regardless.

Over the past ten days, including today, I’ve come to realize something.

No matter what I say, I think she will surely come back to this point if a similar situation occurs.

So rather than speaking unnecessary words,

“I thought about you all the time while I was working.”

"Really? Really really?"

"Yes. As you can see, it was so hard, I thought I was going to die."

"Were there a lot of customers? It must have been so good; I was a bit curious."

"How about we go together next time? It seems like there will be fewer people on Fridays or weekends."

"Really? Promise?"

"Promise."

Every time something happens, making pinky promises like this might seem childish, but it felt like our own special signal, and I liked that.

"Anyway, I wanted to quit because it was so tough, but I really gained strength just thinking about you."

"Like what, for example?"

"Well, I was happy about the messages you sent in between, and the last time we met, what you did for me...ah."

"Hehe, that?"

"...Yes, that. I gained strength I didn't know I had just thinking about it."

I'm not a middle schooler, and it might not be a big deal just being kissed on the cheek, but it was a bit embarrassing to say out loud.

On the other hand, Heena looked at me with a smile as if she found my reaction cute.

"I'll do it anytime you want."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then... how about now?"

I couldn’t control my desire when she said she would do it anytime.

But did I rush into it too quickly after she said that? As I awkwardly smiled at my own hastiness, Heena silently stood up and came to my side.

-Smooch.

And just like that time before, she gave me a light kiss on my cheek.

"That aside, Yeonho."

"Uh, yes?"

It was a very short moment, but I could feel the softness and slight moistness lingering, and it was making my head spin.

As I stood there dazed, she softly whispered in my ear.

"Do you want to come to my house tomorrow?"

---

Raei  Translations

---

Today, as always, I am helping my mom at home like a slave, I, Jung Yoonsung.

While I was processing various ingredients and being held hostage by my allowance, I found myself lost in thought.

Thinking about my friend, Han Yeonho.

Yeonho, who I sometimes casually call ‘Yeonie’ when things are urgent, has been consistently the same since we first met in the first year of middle school.

He was a bit smaller than others his age and tended to be shy, which made him a classic loner; not completely isolated but not someone people actively tried to befriend. To someone like me, who is also a typical loner due to my physique and personality.

Yeonho was a fascinating person.

He wasn’t incredibly handsome, nor was he top of the class in grades at the time, though they were quite good.

Despite his looks, he had a sharp tongue, and he wasn’t the type to proactively approach others.

But he always had friends around him, and laughter never stopped.

I didn’t want to be a loner myself; I just had a hard time making friends because of my size and personality.

So, I envied Yeonho, who easily closed the distance with others.

And at the same time, I was grateful to him.

Once I opened up, I could get along fairly easily, but taking that first step was always hard for me.

After we ended up in the same class, our seats were close by chance, and he started talking to me. Responding to him, I eventually became quite close with him.

And getting close to Yeonho meant building a bridge to relationships with all the other kids in class.

Thus, the connections that started in first year of middle school through him also connected to me, allowing me to befriend many others.

This continued even after we entered high school.

"Damn, your family's shop is really busy."

Moreover, I had gotten so close to Yeonho that I could personally ask him for help.

I was so worried about what I would do in high school without him that I even experienced stress-induced alopecia.

Vomiting in the bathroom from the stress on the morning the school assignments were announced is a secret I plan to keep for the rest of my life.

However, there is something, or rather a characteristic of Yeonho, that could be considered a downside.

"Do you still talk to Kang Juhyun?"

"Huh? No? It’s been a while since we lost touch."

"She was complaining about you not replying to her messages back then."

"Ah~ I probably just couldn’t be bothered."

He quickly becomes friends with anyone in front of him and gets along well, but as soon as there's a bit of 'physical distance', his emotional distance grows just as quickly. He says it's because he’s lazy, but...

Seeing him not feeling the slightest bit of regret about those faded connections was a bit scary to me.

Because 'Kang Juhyun' was someone I considered to be one of Yeonho’s closest friends during middle school, watching from the sidelines.

Despite their close relationship, as soon as they became distant, his feelings cooled down in an instant.

It seemed she wasn’t even aware that she felt that way; we just grew apart, and that was that.

I believe if we hadn’t been assigned to the same high school, we probably would’ve lost touch by now. Even if I were the one constantly reaching out, I'm sure she’d ignore my messages a few times because it'd be bothersome, and eventually, I would get tired and stop trying.

Now that we’re in the same school, it doesn’t really matter anymore, but I couldn’t help thinking that unless he goes to college, this guy probably won’t even think about dating.

Even my close friend who went to a high school just a few stops away from ours ended up losing touch. There’s no way he could maintain a relationship and stay in touch with a girl from a different school, right? That’s what I thought.

"Hey, is your girlfriend doing okay?"

Honestly, I thought they’d date ambiguously for a bit and then quickly break up. Why? Because unless he's seeing her face every single day, he’s going to lose interest fast.

But then he said, “Actually, she’s been really good to me.”

“We haven’t been dating long, but I feel it every day.”

From what I’ve heard, they meet up and go on little dates every day. In my opinion, that’s the right move. I realized he was more proactive than I thought, and although I felt a bit bad about asking him to help out at the store, I genuinely needed the help.

Lately, he’s been spending significantly less time with our group because of his girlfriend, which made me a bit jealous. But I guess romantic feelings and friendships are different. I figured not seeing each other for a few days would be fine.

So, on the fourth day of her helping out at the snack bar, I was taking out the trash while Yeonho was cleaning up inside. After I put out the trash, I decided to take a leisurely stroll back and get some fresh air. That's when I noticed a girl staring intently at our shop from a distance.

“Who is she?” I thought as I passed by, trying to get a better look at her face.

“Oh.”

“Oh.”

Our eyes met, and we instantly recognized each other.

"...Are you Yeonho’s girlfriend?"

"Are you Yeonho’s friend?"

I recognized her from his profile picture, but how she recognized me was a mystery. Maybe she’d seen a picture of us together.

But as someone who finds it extremely hard to interact with strangers, I didn’t know whether to leave or say something more, and I hesitated.

She spoke up first.

“I’m sorry, but could you please keep this a secret from Yeonho?”

“Uh... Well, I think... he'd be happy to know...?”

I responded politely since she was using formal language.

“He worries a lot when I'm out late. Please, I’m asking you.”

"Sure... I mean..."

Her urgent demeanor actually made me feel a bit more relaxed, and I found the confidence to speak up.

“Have you been coming here every day?”

"Yes..."

As I looked at the girl of slender build shyly answering my question, a sudden surge of murderous intent towards Han Yeonho filled me. Jealousy and all aside, I realized that this is why he could date someone like her.

I'm jealous. Damn you, Han Yeonho.

"I won’t tell Yeonho about this. Take care."

"Thank you!"

With that, she bowed her head and left, and I headed back to the shop, lost in thought. If she puts in this much effort, if she maintains this attitude, perhaps Han Yeonho might change a bit? In the past five years, no matter who he befriended, Han Yeonho remained unchanged. He'd quickly get close to someone, and just as quickly grow distant. His indifferent attitude ironically made it easy for others to approach him. However, if Han Yeonho started to cherish someone, or rather this girl, more...

Simply liking her wouldn't be enough. He must be feeling that way even towards his close friends, albeit the feeling might be slightly different. It had to be something much bigger.

Yes, something like 'love'.

I couldn’t easily imagine what Han Yeonho would be like if he learned to love, but it certainly couldn’t be worse than he is now. He is my annoying yet dear friend, and I hoped this girl would be the catalyst for his change, for his growth.

Sigh, speaking of which, she is really pretty.

Damn you, Han Yeonho.