My Girlfriend Is Very Good to Me

I arrived home, feeling drained, washed up, and immediately retreated to my room to lie down. The day was overwhelming, and I found it hard to process everything.

The morning joke about Shincheonji turned out to be a real confession, not about Shincheonji. We met again today, and I received another heartfelt confession.

I got a girlfriend.

To my disbelief, it wasn't a dream. We had been deep in conversation until just a moment ago. I got home later than usual because of our extended chat, and as soon as I walked in, my mom sensed something was different and asked about my day.

"......"

Is it like spinning a top that doesn't stop? Maybe I'm in the middle of Inception.

Such thoughts felt so surreal that I even questioned their reality.

But that was just a moment ago.

"We decided to date, but I feel really bad for only asking this now..."

"Yes?"

"What's your name?"

"...Oh, right."

Seemingly surprised by the question herself, she took out her wallet and showed her student ID. That was pretty cute.

Let's see.

"Lee Heena. Heena... from Seonghwa Girls' High."

"Hehe, yes. That's right. But can you say it again?"

"What?"

"My name."

"...Heena?"

"Yes! Yeonho!"

Oh my goodness. Buddha, Allah, God above.

How can I express this peculiar mix of embarrassment and joy? Seeing Heena put her hands on her cheeks as I called her name made me want to shout in excitement.

Is she really my girlfriend?

I suppressed the overflowing happiness, not wanting to come across as too giddy. We continued our conversation.

"Oh? You don't live that far from me?"

"About three bus stops? It's close."

"I'll walk you home later."

"Can you walk me to the bus stop?"

"Of course. By the way, why were you around here?"

Sometimes she'd make a curious face at my questions.

"Eh, it was nothing. And for the past few days, I just came to see you."

"Ah, I see?"

"Your smile is getting bigger."

"I'm naturally smiley."

"I know that... but is that the only reason?"

"Sorry. Honestly, I was happy."

As the conversation deepened,

"You have two older brothers? I heard siblings fight a lot."

"Well, up until last year, we occasionally fought over games, but not anymore. We hang out well."

"I sometimes bicker with my brother too, but we don’t really fight. Maybe it's like that?"

"Probably?"

"I should say hello to them sometime."

"...Yeah, you should."

As Heena continued,

"There's a direct bus from over there."

"It should be here in about 10 minutes."

"Thanks for today."

"No, I should be thanking you. I misunderstood something earlier."

"No, it's me who's grateful. And... can I ask for a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Can we take a photo together?"

"Shouldn't I be the one on my knees begging you for that?"

"Hehe, it's a limited-time offer! You don't have to kneel!"

"Thank you so much..."

It was a bit embarrassing how direct she was.

Especially when Heena leaned in close to pose for the photo, I could smell her scent, hear her breathing, feel her so close. I just hoped I didn’t look silly in the photo.

Snap!

"I wish we had more time to take more photos."

"...Let's take more next time."

"Okay! The number you gave me earlier... I see it on my chat now. Should I send the photo?"

"Yes."

"It's a shame there's only one, but it turned out great."

"Indeed. You... I mean, it's a really good photo."

"It's because you look great! I'll set this as my profile picture."

"Well, in that case... I will too."

I should also set it as my profile picture...

[ Kim Suhwang: Why hasn't Han Yeonho logged in yet? He lives close by, there should be plenty of time for a game. ]

[ Jung Yoonsung: Lol, turns out he wasn't lying. He's supposedly on a date after receiving a confession? ]

[ Kim Jiyoon: Snap out of it! ]

[ Lee Hyunwoo: You know why that bastard has 4 limbs? So he can be torn apart over 4 days.]

[ Kim Suhwang: Excluding the 10 PM study group, everyone has logged in, right? Just this guy missing? Got caught, didn’t he? ]

[ Jung Yoonsung: Maybe Han Yeonho's elder brother took his computer spot... I'd like to think so, but if his brother took it, he'd still be on his phone. Not on the computer and not on the phone? He must be super confident now. ]

[ Shin Uihyun: Sigh... Guys, let's not be too suspicious of Han Yeonho. He wouldn't just ditch us without saying anything, right? ]

[ Kim Suhwang: ??? : Hey, Han Yeonho.. you don't need to go home? No playing games with your friends?

[ Bastard: Those lonely nerds can play amongst themselves lol. I have a girlfriend to hang out with now. ]

[ Jung Yoonsung: Detective Kim Suhwang, putting his reputation on the line. ]

[ Jung Yoonsung: Huh? The count decreased. You saw this, didn't you, Mr. Han Yeonho? Why aren't you joining? Are you really on a date? You bitch! ]

Upon opening the chat on his phone, the usual group chat greeted him, filled with these sharp-tongued messages.

Such sharp-tongued jerks. What should he do? He could've just said he was running late because of some trivial reason, but changing the profile picture...

While hesitating with his phone, Heena gently approached, grabbing the hem of his shirt.

"Han Yeonho, you'll change your profile too, right?"

"Oh, of course. Just checking the group chat for a sec."

That's right. My girlfriend is this cute and pretty, why would I care about those jerks? Instead, I want to proudly show her off to the world.

Changing his profile picture, and even setting his wallpaper to a photo of him and Heena, he quickly put his phone away.

He turned off the group chat notifications.

It was terrifying.

"The bus is here already."

"Next time, or, I mean, tomorrow, I'll come to your place. It must've been hard for you to keep coming here."

"No, not at all! But if you study late, it gets too late."

"You used to come late too."

"Well, that was before we started dating. I know you're busy with studying, so let's meet this Saturday?"

"Sure.."

If he just hangs out during study hours instead of studying, wouldn't it seem too casual?

"So, want to meet this Saturday?"

"Yes! Anyway, I'll head home first. Thanks for walking me this far."

"You're welcome. Get home safely~"

"You too, Han Yeonho!"

Reflecting on it, those moments still feel so surreal.

Yet, when I turn on my phone, the picture I took with Heena immediately catches my eye.

"Heh heh heh..."

Looking at it, an uncontrollable joy rises, and a strange chuckle escapes endlessly.

How can I hold back this feeling? It's as if I have the world in my hands.

I bet even winning the lottery wouldn't make me happier than this. Who cares about the lottery?

She's my girlfriend!

Ding! Amidst these thoughts, a notification sound prompts me to swiftly open the message.

Expecting it to be from Heena, I looked at the screen.

[ Heena : Yep, just finished showering~ ]

[ Gaming Groupchat: Looking for this SOB guy!! 300+ ]

Hope above, despair below. I can't bear to open that one.

It's a small chat room, but how has it piled up so quickly? They seem like beasts driven by jealousy.

I'll deal with the trivial matters tomorrow, and continue chatting with Heena.

[ Han Yeonho: I just got out too. When do you usually sleep? ]

[ Heena: Around midnight? I usually study for a bit and then sleep~ ]

Wow, she's diligent.

[ Han Yeonho: Woah... you seem studious. ]

[ Heena: Maybe a little? ]

[ Han Yeonho: I should work harder too. ]

[ Heena: Fight on! I'll teach you some stuff next time! ]

[ Han Yeonho: Really? Wow.. Teacher Heena.. ]

[ Heena: ^_^! Where should we go on Saturday? ]

[ Han Yeonho: Let's see... ]

[ Heena: Since we made plans last minute, how about we just wander around without overthinking it? ]

[ Han Yeonho: Sounds good to me! ]

[ Heena: Let's do that then. How about lunchtime, and we can eat outside? ]

[ Han Yeonho: If it's okay with you? ]

[ Heena: Then, let's meet up early! Let's aim for 11ish and finalize the time tomorrow evening? ]

[ Han Yeonho: Sure. ]

While chatting, I realized Heena is very proactive. It's as if she's the type to lead the conversation, leaving no room for me to ponder.

As a guy, I do want to take charge, but honestly, having Heena take the lead feels really nice.

Especially since it makes me feel she's genuinely interested.

We chatted for about an hour. Astonishingly, the conversation flowed naturally thanks to Heena, and I was impressed.

[ Heena: Goodnight! ]

[ Han Yeonho: Night, Heena~ (sleeping cat emoticon) ]

[ Heena: Hehe, so cute~ (smiling dog emoticon) ]

[ Han Yeonho: (cat fainting from heart-throb emoticon) ]

After saying goodnight, we continued exchanging emoticons for another 10 minutes before ending the chat with the promise of tomorrow.

Is this what love feels like?

Is this what having a girlfriend is all about?

How have I only come to realize this wonderful feeling now?

I thought that the phrase "When you're in love, the whole world looks beautiful" was just a line from the movies. How wrong I was.

The world really looked beautiful.

Thinking about messaging Heena again tomorrow, I found myself smiling even with my eyes shut.

Tonight, I feel I'll dream the happiest dreams.

---

Raei  Translations

---

The following day,

The moment I woke up, I was elated to see Heena's messages again. But that blissful morning quickly turned into hell the moment I stepped into the classroom.

"Ha-ha, welcome, Yeonho. We've saved a spot for you."

"Excuse me, teachers? Should we not converse in a civilized manner─"

"Enough, Yeonho. Just come over here, will you?"

With that, the person I believed was my friend pointed to a corner of the classroom.

...Where LEGOs were scattered.

Damn.

I should've arrived just as the teacher was coming in.