Life, Once Again!

Chapter 829. Sequence 10

"So, I win the bet, right?"

Gaeul declared her victory as she took her eyes off the monitor. The number on the screen announced her victory. Doctor's Office had a viewing rate of 18%, while Doctors had 13%. Just like the Wednesday viewing rates, Doctor's Office was ahead of Doctors on Thursday as well.

"This is why forerunners are scary."

"I think it'll be like this next week too."

"You don't know that. It'll only take an instant for the viewing rates to flip once rumors spread around."

"I don't think it'll happen though."

Gaeul smiled and embraced her victory. The way she pondered over what wish to make while resting her chin on her hands was quite cute, but on the other hand, he was also slightly worried that she might make an absurd request. Although the viewing rate bet was started as a joke before they fell asleep, Gaeul didn't look like she was going to end it as just a joke.

"Anyway, I won. I wonder what wish I should make."

"Please go easy on me. How about making some coffee?"

"It's a wish, so I can't waste it on something like that. Can I increase my wish to three?"

"I don't think even the Genie of the Lamp would allow that."

"Then I wonder what I should wish for. Now that I actually won, nothing really comes to mind."

"If you don't know, then you can always skip it."

"No. Can you make me some coffee now? Who knows? If you make me some coffee now, I might make an easy wish."

"In movies, people who say that usually never keep their promises."

"If you don't want to, then fine. Oh, suddenly I want some of that fish cake that is sold in Busan. You know, the famous shop that only sells there."

Maru immediately said that he would bring coffee before going to the kitchen. While he was putting the coffee capsule into the machine, Gaeul approached him. She sat at the table and kept tilting her head from side to side while wondering what wish she should make.

"Hey, are you going to keep that hanging up there?"

Gaeul pointed at the mirror ball. Although he had taken down all the other decorations after the film festival, he did not take down the mirror ball.

"It's quite fun if you turn it on with the lights off. Woofie likes it too."

"It must be fun to dance with that on, isn't it?"

"Try it later. I'll watch you."

"If I'm dancing, you're dancing with me."

Having accepted the coffee mug, she turned on the power for the mirror ball. When the shiny lights scattered, Woofie, who was crouching under the table, hopped out and started jumping around. Gaeul walked around the living room with the cup alongside the dog. Maru started playing some music with his phone. She glanced at him before putting the cup down on the table next to the sofa and walking around. She was just nodding her head repeatedly with a smile in embarrassment but then she started moving her upper body. Her hair waved around, brushing her neck and shoulders. As for her shoulders, they swayed up and down and sometimes from side to side according to the rhythm. The monotone living room, the fancy lights, the fast music, and a woman dancing to the music. Oh, and a dog jumping around. It was a rather funny combination. Maru secretly shot a video of her since she was dancing with her eyes closed. The music was cut off for a brief moment when he pressed the record button, but she didn't seem to mind and kept dancing. Only after dancing across two songs did Gaeul blink and walk over.

"Why are you just grinning? You should dance with me at a time like this."

"If that's your wish, then sure."

"You are so petty. If you keep doing that, I might as well actually send you to Busan. No wait, I heard that Japanese chocolates are really good."

"Have a look at this before you send me to Japan."

Maru showed her the video he took. The moment she saw her own figure raising her hands above her head and swinging her body, she immediately reached out for the phone. As Maru was expecting her to do that, he quickly hid it behind him.

"Give it to me."

"Is that your wish?"

"That's how you want to play this?"

"If I show Chaerim-noona this, she'll talk about it for at least two months, won't she?"

Gaeul said that it was her wish for him to hand over the phone. Maru obediently offered her his phone. She resumed the video and turned around. At the chorus of the song, she flinched before tapping on the video several times.

"I danced like that?"

"If I were to give you serious advice as your boyfriend, you should cover up your face when you dance in a place with a lot of people. If you just swing your shoulders a little, it looks cute, but once you raise your hand and start dancing properly…."

Maru recreated her dance. He opened his hand wide like a kindergarten learning how to dance to nursery rhymes, and he moved his waist and upper body like an unoiled machine. Although Gaeul would not lose out to gymnasts in terms of flexibility thanks to looking after her body from a young age, being able to dance well was a separate matter. She had an easy time digesting still movements, but adding rhythm on top of it would turn her actions into something that could be described as 'spectacular.' Maru danced awkwardly and covered his face with his palm.

"If you cover up your face like this, you'll feel less embarrassed."

"Why did no one ever tell me that I dance like this?"

"Because it's in human nature to keep watching what piques their interest."

She started throwing punches. He got hit on the arm, and it hurt quite a lot. An enraged punch flew at him again. He thought that he would actually get bruised if he got hit anymore, so he started dodging her for the time being. The mirror ball was sparkling above their heads as Gaeul chased him with both of her hands clenched into fists with Woofie chasing after them with her short legs. They went from the kitchen to the living room, then to the bedroom, then back to the kitchen.

Maru declared forfeit and raised his hands into the air. Then, his prankster nature kicked in, and he imitated her dance once again before getting hit properly this time. Maru approached her when she was gasping for breath before holding her.

"Let go of me."

"If I do, I think I'll get beaten up to death, so no."

"I'll bite you."

"If you do, then please do it on the neck."

With glaring eyes, she buried her face in his neck and bit hard enough for there to be marks left.

"This is pretty lewd. Can you do that one more time?"

"You are so hopeless, geez. You must be the weirdest pervert in the world."

"I wonder who it was that clung onto that pervert the whole night last night."

"Well, I wonder who."

"If you don't know, do you want to go check again?"

"Are you okay with that? You seemed to be having a hard time last night."

"Me? What are you talking about? I eat eels often so that I can save up stamina."

"That's strange. I don't think I saw such a man."

"This won't do. I was going to let you rest because I was worried that you'd feel exhausted."

He slowly put his face closer to her, who was staring at him from below. Gaeul's eyes slowly closed. Maru looked at her, who was waiting with her eyes closed, before lowering his head a little more and biting her neck, where a few strands of her hair could be seen. He could feel her twitch. Not to mention her face, he found every part of her adorable, whether it was her neck or the length that led to her shoulders. She was a piece of art that he wouldn't get fed up with even after staring at her for days in a row. A small art gallery that only he could appreciate.

"Wait a sec."

Maru loosened his hand. Her phone was ringing. As though to tell a dog to wait in front of food, Gaeul tapped on Maru's nose before picking up her phone on the sofa.

"Hello?"

While she made her call, Maru drank the cooled coffee. He wasn't bored for a single second when he was with Gaeul. No matter how splendid a movie is, it was bound to become boring after watching it hundreds of times, yet she felt new every single time. He even wished that he could live in this moment for eternity. She finished her call. Before he could even ask what that was about, the phone on the table started ringing. It was his this time.

"Pick it up."

Gaeul seemed to be aware of the caller. He picked up his phone and checked the caller ID. It was not a name he welcomed.

"Yo, Kang Giwoo is calling me of all people. What's up?"

-I was wondering if you had time today.

"Time? Well, I'll have to listen to what it's about."

-Let's eat out together.

"You and me?"

-The two of us will make it boring. I invited Han Gaeul as well. I told her that we should eat together later. I know of a really good stew restaurant. Let's have a talk, the three of us, over a meal.

"Did Gaeul give the okay?"

-She said she'd call me back, but she'd probably be okay with it. She's someone who's good at keeping her promises. Do you have time?

"Wait a sec, I'll be right back with you."

-Alright. We should really eat together. We'll talk about various things face to face. Honestly, we haven't even talked properly at the gym because both of us were busy working out. It's been years since we got to know each other, but we've never eaten together in private either. If you aren't busy, you should come and hang out.

"Alright. I'll get right back to you."

He hung up before looking at Gaeul.

"That call was Giwoo just now?"

"Yeah. I did promise him that we'd eat together, but I kept delaying it because I was busy. I was supposed to be treating him, yet I completely forgot."

"So, are you going to go?"

"I'd feel sorry if I delay it even more. Giwoo, that guy, he's pretty kind, so he won't show it, but I'm sure he must feel disappointed. Maru, how about you go with us? The restaurants Giwoo says are good are really good, so you won't regret it."

"I don't really care, but won't you be tired?"

"It's fine since it's in Seoul. I wanted to go outside with you, so this is a good opportunity. While I do like rolling around at home, we should definitely get some outside air with the weather like this."

"If you're okay, then I don't mind either."

"Alright then. We'll go. I'll text him."

"Then I should be calling him I guess."

Maru called Giwoo and told him that they should meet in the evening. Regardless of what his true nature was like, Giwoo was very meticulous when it came to maintaining his public image. The man known as Kang Giwoo was probably a 'guy with manners who smiles a lot' in Gaeul's mind. Not only that, she would glare at him if he told her to be wary of Kang Giwoo because she didn't know what that guy might be thinking. He didn't want to tell her that either.

If he was so worried then he could just watch over her from the side. The reason Kang Giwoo invited Gaeul was also a procedure to maintain a good public relationship and should not mean anything special. If he had other intentions, Gaeul would have noticed it first, and he wasn't stupid enough to try weird things at an occasion where the three of them were together, so it should be fine to just enjoy dinner in relief. While he wanted to spend the night just with her, she must have her personal social life too.

"So then, how should we continue that awkward cutoff there?"

"I wonder how."

She made a sneaky smile. Maru put his hand around Gaeul's waist. Before his hand even touched her waist, Gaeul's lips touched his first. The kiss tasted like coffee.