“...Amelia? Long time no see.”

After completing the discharge process, I saw Amelia and greeted her.

She had been so busy lately that I rarely got to see her, but now we had met.

“What a coincidence. How have you b...”

“...Who are you?”

“What?”

I was taken aback by Amelia’s response.

There’s no way Amelia wouldn’t recognize me, right?

What on earth...?

Out of habit, I almost called for the writer but stopped myself.

The writer was no longer there.

I had become so used to relying on the writer whenever something confusing or unexpected happened.

I was at a loss for words, trying to figure out what to say.

Then, Amelia smiled and spoke up.

“Sorry, just a little joke.”

“...”

“Ow, ow, I’m sorry! That hurts!”

Making me worry like that.

I tugged hard on Amelia’s golden hair as punishment for her prank.

After a while, I let go, and she rubbed her head, groaning.

“Ugh, that hurt.”

“Then why pull a prank like that?”

“Well, at first, I really didn’t recognize you...”

“...What?”

“I figured it out quickly, but at first glance, you look different. You did your makeup, right?”

So it was because of the makeup.

I thought I looked pretty, but was the difference that noticeable?

“...Anyway, today’s the day you’re getting discharged, right?”

“Yeah, I just finished the process.”

“Good. What about the scar? You got hurt pretty badly on your chest.”

“Thanks to the skilled medical staff, there’s no scar.”

“That’s a relief. Be careful with Siwoo’s heart.”

“Wh-what...!”

“Am I wrong?”

I closed my mouth as Amelia smirked and pushed her sunglasses up.

She wasn’t like this before.

Since the incident ended, Amelia had been approaching me more freely.

I liked that we were getting closer, but...

The fatigue I thought would disappear with the writer’s absence was coming from an unexpected source.

Sensing that continuing the conversation would only lead to more teasing from Amelia, I decided to change the topic.

“...By the way, did you watch a spy movie or something?”

“Huh?”

“With the sunglasses and coat. ...Aren’t you cold?”

The weather had turned chilly, with a noticeable drop in temperature.

Wearing just a coat was enough during the day, but it would be cold at night.

I looked at her with concern, and Amelia stammered, looking flustered.

“Y-yeah...! Something like that... Ha-ha. Just wanted to get into the mood.”

“...?”

Her unusually intense reaction made me look at her more closely.

Amelia started to sweat nervously.

...Well, alright.

I decided to let it go.

Even if Amelia was up to something, it wouldn’t be as bad as the writer.

“So? What brings you here?”

“Oh, that...! Do you have any plans now?”

“Well, I was planning to see Siwoo.”

I had extended my hospital stay just to be discharged together with Siwoo.

Our discharge dates were the same, after all.

Amelia should know that too, right?

“If you’re suggesting we hang out to celebrate, I’m sorry, but it’ll have to wait. I want to spend time with Siwoo...”

“He left already.”

“Huh? What did you just say...”

“Siwoo left earlier.”

Did I hear that right?

I looked at Amelia, but she seemed confident, unlike her earlier flustered state.

“He left?”

“Yes. He completed his discharge and left.”

“...When?”

“About thirty minutes ago.”

My excitement plummeted.

Siwoo had left first.

Without me.

“...Do you know where he went?”

“Well, he said he was tired and wanted to rest at home...”

“Thanks.”

I thanked Amelia and left the hospital.

Huh, I see.

He left without me?

...Unforgivable.

I had planned everything to leave together, but he went home alone to rest?

I was so excited to spend time with Siwoo.

But it seemed Siwoo didn’t feel the same way.

Was I a burden to him?

Did he want to be alone sometimes and left me behind to go home?

Was the promise to leave together so insignificant to him?

Various thoughts swirled in my mind.

He had said he would always be by my side.

I fiddled with the bracelet Siwoo had given me, trying to calm myself.

Feeling slightly better, I headed to Siwoo’s house.

“...Yeah, she’s on her way to your place. She should be there in about... thirty minutes? I’ll text you when she’s close. Got it.”

“She’s on her way?”

“Yeah. It’s finally happening. It’s been a long time coming.”

Amelia and Dorothy watched Arte walking away, her emotions fluctuating between anger and sadness.

Seeing her emotions swing back and forth made them feel guilty.

“...Is this really okay?”

“Probably... We might need to brace ourselves for a punch later.”

“Sigh... It would’ve been better to do it normally...”

Dorothy sighed, anticipating the backlash they would face later.

“If she finds out Siwoo’s discharge date wasn’t actually today, she might really lose it...”

“We had no choice. We needed time to prepare.”

“She might not just be angry... She might use a lot of threads...”

“Ha-ha... Siwoo will handle it, right?”

Yeah, definitely.

This was all Siwoo’s idea, after all.

They began to rationalize their actions.

The fact that they were more eager than Siwoo to execute the plan because it sounded fun was... well, beside the point.

“Since it’s come to this, we might as well enjoy it!”

“...Right! Let’s go quickly!”

“Alright. Amelia’s express transport...! This time, to Siwoo’s house!”

“...”

I stood in front of Siwoo’s house, staring blankly.

Since I started living with him, I rarely noticed the curtains drawn over the windows.

Peeking through the gap in the curtains, I could see it was getting dark, but there were no lights on inside.

“He must be sleeping...”

According to Amelia, Siwoo had come home earlier.

With the lights off, he must have gone to bed, exhausted.

I quietly entered the house, careful not to wake him.

“I’m home...”

I muttered softly, hoping and not hoping at the same time that Siwoo wouldn’t hear me.

...There was still no response.

Was Siwoo’s house always this cold?

Although it hadn’t been long since I started living here, it felt different.

Thud, thud.

In the quiet space, my footsteps echoed loudly.

Maybe because of that feeling, I couldn’t help but think about how anxious I felt the first time I came to Siwoo’s house.

“...”

...Too much.

He said he would always be with me.

Didn’t he like me?

If we set the discharge dates together, shouldn’t we leave together?

No matter how tired he was...

Walking through Siwoo’s dark and cold house, my mind was filled with various thoughts.

To lift my spirits, I decided to go to bed early tonight. As I passed the living room...

A soft light began to glow from one side of Siwoo’s house.

“...Huh?”

The light seemed to guide me, leading the way.

Without thinking of an enemy attack, I followed the light as if enchanted.

I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but I felt like I had to follow the light now.

Following the gradually brightening blue light, I found myself in the backyard.

And standing in the middle of the light was Siwoo.

So he wasn’t sleeping.

What was happening?

I had a million questions to ask him, but I couldn’t speak.

I was overwhelmed by Siwoo’s presence.

Was he nervous? I could see his hands trembling slightly.

“Um, I’m a bit nervous. Dorothy and Amelia said events like this are important, so I tried to prepare...”

Maybe because I had never done something like this before, it might seem a bit stiff.

Saying that, Siwoo slowly approached me.

My mind was still in chaos, unable to grasp the situation.

Just as I was about to ask what was happening, Siwoo spoke first.

“...Arte.”

“Y-yes?”

“Would you... go out with me?”

Finally, I understood everything.

Ah, Siwoo was confessing to me.

So that’s what this was all about.

Wanting to surprise me, he had secretly come home first to prepare.

Staring at the ring Siwoo offered, I saw his hand trembling slightly.

“...Oh.”

“Arte...?!”

Tears streamed down my face.

They showed no sign of stopping.

I knew Siwoo liked me.

I thought I understood it fully, but...

Maybe I didn’t.

Seeing my tears, Siwoo looked flustered, and I grabbed his head and pulled him close.

“Mm...!”

Our first kiss was clumsy and awkward, just a simple touch of our lips.

But it filled me with a sense of fulfillment and warmth, as if I had the whole world.

How much had he practiced to confess his love?

How nervous must he have been, worrying about being rejected?

It was the first time I saw Siwoo, with his instinct, trembling like that.

After the clumsy first kiss ended, I smiled at Siwoo.

The happiest smile in the world.

“...Yes, I’d love to.”

I hugged Siwoo again and kissed him, this time slowly and lovingly, confirming our love for each other.