The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 64

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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64.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. It just grazed my head a little. Though it does feel kind of sore.”
Cha Kyung set down his cup and peered at Seong Do-ah’s hair.
Bewilderment flickered across his serious expression.
A fluffy little cactus, its spines soft as down, was wedged between Seong Do-ah’s strands of hair.
The pot had shattered and scattered dirt everywhere, but the cactus alone had caught in her hair and sat there without so much as a tremor.
It had moved in uninvited yet somehow managed to settle in quite stably.
Cha Kyung clamped his teeth shut, forcing down the smile that threatened to break across his face.
“Stay still.”
“Why? What is it?”
“I said stay still.”
Cha Kyung brought both hands up over Seong Do-ah’s crown.
He carefully worked his fingers between the strands to grasp the cactus, but it wouldn’t come free as easily as he’d expected.
“Ow! Why are you pulling?”
“I’m not pulling. Don’t move.”
“What is it, anyway?”
What is it? Could it be an insect? An earthworm? A spider? Oh no! I hate bugs, I really do!
As Seong Do-ah thrashed about, Cha Kyung pressed down on her shoulders.
“Please stay still.”
“Ugh, an insect.”
“If you don’t hold still, I’ll leave it where it is.”
Seong Do-ah shook her head vigorously. The thought alone was horrible.
Her fists clenched tight with dread, while Cha Kyung bit his lip, clearly fighting back laughter.
‘If you just get the bug out, I’ll forgive you.’
Then, after a struggle, Cha Kyung finally extracted something from Seong Do-ah’s hair.
“There. All done.”
“…Oh? Huh?”
Cha Kyung held up the cactus before Seong Do-ah’s eyes. Her hair was wound between the fuzzy spines.
“…It’s not an insect?”
Cha Kyung smiled as he spoke.
“When did I say it was?”
“Then this was in my hair?”
Cha Kyung nodded, and a wave of betrayal washed over Seong Do-ah.
“I can’t believe I thought it was really an insect!”
“And here I was, helping you get the cactus out, and you’re angry?”
“I was just trying to move your phone because it was about to fall, and I bumped the pot!”
“…Is that so?”
Cha Kyung looked up, glancing at where the pot had fallen. It was directly above where he’d been sitting.
“Then it’s my fault.”
His hand gently ruffled Seong Do-ah’s hair, his fingers moving slowly across her crown to check for any scratches.
“Exactly! If it wasn’t for your phone, I’d have been fine.”
As Seong Do-ah puffed out her cheeks in protest, that angry hamster expression made Cha Kyung break into laughter.
Embarrassed, Seong Do-ah stuck a straw into her latte and took a sip.
The rich, nutty taste of red bean cake spread across her tongue.
Hit by a cactus on a date. She’d never forget this as long as she lived.
* * *
Kyung-jun was at the grilled pork belly restaurant in the alley behind the busy street.
Min Hyuk and Jae Hwan, classmates he’d shared drinks with at a Mountain Club Alumni Association retreat a month earlier, had both come out at his request to catch up.
“Tonight’s on me, so eat your fill.”
Min Hyuk said this with a smirk.
“What’s the occasion? You’re the guy who wouldn’t spend a dime on anything but yourself.”
“When did I not spend money? Not tonight, anyway, so don’t worry.”
As the pork belly sizzled and popped with oil on the grill, Kyung-jun busied himself flipping the meat and pouring soju.
Once he felt the alcohol warming him, he broached the real topic.
“So, look. I’ve got something urgent. Can I borrow some money? I’ll pay it back quick.”
Jae Hwan blew out a sharp breath through his nose.
“So that’s why you bought the meat?”
“Hey, that’s not fair. I wanted to see you guys too, so I killed two birds with one stone.”
“So how much?”
“Ten million won each.”
Min Hyuk and Jae Hwan’s chopsticks stopped in unison.
“Ten million each? You’re asking to borrow twenty million won total?”
“I’ve got a three-year fixed deposit that matures in two months. It’s a shame to break it early, so I’m asking for now. Once it matures, I’ll pay you back with interest included.”
In truth, the deposit had been liquidated long ago.
He’d taken a short-term loan from the Third Financial Sector to cover gambling losses, dumped it all into cryptocurrency, watched it drop by half in two days, and lost the rest the next day.
Less than ten days remained until the repayment deadline.
Jae Hwan spoke through a mouthful of wrap.
“Show me your deposit. Pull up the bank app.”
“I deleted it.”
“Reinstall it.”
Kyung-jun’s temples twitched.
“Are you seriously doubting me right now?”
“You were the one who said you had the deposit. Just show me. What’s so hard about that?”
Oil sputtered on the grill and smoke rose between them.
Min Hyuk set down his tongs and cut in.
“Stop it. I’m stretched thin right now too. I’ll cover the bill—let’s just drink.”
“So you won’t lend me either? I said I’d pay you back right away!”
“Just drink. Why should I trust you with money? You spent all your savings on wedding preparations anyway.”
Kyung-jun pushed back his chair and stood.
“Fine. I won’t ask you guys!”
“Hey, at least finish your drink before you go.”
“You think I’m a beggar?”
Kyung-jun pulled a bill from his wallet, laid it on the table, and left the restaurant. The door shut, and Min Hyuk stared down at the note.
A single ten-thousand-won bill.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone throw down ten grand and walk out after ordering five servings of pork belly and two bottles of soju.”
Out in the alley, Kyung-jun pulled out his phone. Loan repayment reminders crowded his message queue.
Ten days. His thumb scrolled through his contacts. There was nowhere left to borrow from.
* * *
The songpyeon dough folded into a crescent moon in Seong Do-ah’s palm.
Saturday, five days before Chuseok. Cha Kyung’s house kitchen was filled with the scent of rice flour and pine needles.
Jung Hye kneaded the dough, Seong Do-ah filled and folded the songpyeon, and Cha Kyung sat beside her doing the same.
Every Chuseok, it was the family’s tradition to make songpyeon without borrowing anyone else’s hands.
Seong Do-ah thought the family was quite modest for a chaebol household.
“My goodness, look at how prettily our Do-ah made them.”
Even she had to admit they looked well-made.
Each seam was neat, the sizes uniform, and the gently curved edges were flawless enough for a jesa table.
All the years she’d spent living alone were written in the tips of her fingers.
Quietly pleased with herself, Seong Do-ah glanced to the side and gasped. Cha Kyung’s songpyeon were impossibly beautiful.
Not a single sesame seed bulged out anywhere, and the seams were invisible even if you looked hard.
His songpyeon, lined up neatly on the pine needles, were uniform as if stamped from a mold. They were good enough to display in a bakery case.
“How is this possible? The man who couldn’t even open a plastic bag?”
“It’s just that I don’t usually do it. When I do, I’m good at it.”
Jung Hye chuckled and kneaded more dough.
“Cha Kyung’s always been a natural with songpyeon since he was little. His grandmother used to brag about it at every holiday.”
Seong Do-ah looked down at her own songpyeon. They were still lovely—until they were placed beside his.
Seeing Seong Do-ah’s downcast expression, Jung Hye spoke gently.
“But I think yours would taste better, don’t you?”
“Pretty rice cakes taste good too.”
Cha Kyung, must you compete with Do-ah like that?”
At Jung Hye’s reproof, Cha Kyung laughed without concern.
“Her reactions are just so entertaining.”
This is too much. Am I a toy to you?
As Seong Do-ah shot him a glare, Seong Taek, watching from the side, remarked.
“You’re going to get dumped if you keep that up.”
“That much? Do-ah seems too kindhearted for that.”
“No. My heart’s only the size of a soy sauce dish!”
Everyone erupted in laughter at her words. Gyu-sun squeezed Seong Do-ah’s hand and said.
“You’re so cute, Do-ah. I want to bring you home quickly.”
“Grandmother says she wants to bring you home soon. What do you think, Do-ah?”
Cha Kyung asked mischievously. Seong Do-ah’s cheeks flushed. She busied herself arranging the pine needles beside the songpyeon.
“Do-ah, let’s spend Chuseok at our house this year. We’ll do the jesa together.”
Before Seong Do-ah could respond, Cha Kyung spoke up.
“No. Not until we’re married. Even after we marry, if you’re tired on holidays, you don’t have to come.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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