Chapter 20: The Day the Cast Came Off: No More Distance

Hyunwoo didn’t stop there.

“The cherry blossom festival will be held next year too, but we only get one shot at senior year. Yoo Chaea, if you want to improve your skills, you should study with us.”

“Alright. I get it….”

Enubi, who had been excited just moments ago, slumped her shoulders.

She never paid much attention to exam schedules.

The difference in mindset between her and Hyunwoo, who had always been at the top of his class, felt more pronounced than ever.

Shuffle.

As the dejected Enubi started to trudge back to her seat—

“But I want to go.”

Chaea poked Hyunwoo’s arm.

“Haven’t we gone to see the cherry blossoms before?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then let’s go, Hyunwoo. It might help me get my memory back.”

“Well… that’s true…”

Hyunwoo, who had been so firm with Enubi, wavered slightly at Chaea’s words.

The last time they had gone to see the cherry blossoms was back in middle school.

Since starting high school, he hadn’t gone once.

The cherry blossoms always bloomed inconveniently during exam season and had fallen by the time exams were over.

Even if his high school memories didn’t return, there was still a good chance that his middle school memories might.

“…You’re right! Chaea might regain her memory.”

Swish.

Enubi spun around and marched back to Hyunwoo’s desk.

“So, your grades are more important than Chaea, huh?”

Thinking she had found a weakness, Enubi curled one corner of her mouth into a smirk.

She had planned to tease him further while he was still hesitating.

“Alright. Let’s go to the cherry blossom festival.”

“Huh?”

“What? Didn’t you just say you wanted to go?”

“I mean… yeah. Good decision.”

His sudden and easy surrender caught Enubi off guard.

“But.”

Of course, Hyunwoo hadn’t changed his mind without conditions.

As much as Chaea’s memory was important, so were the midterms.

“Let’s all study together before we go.”

“What?”

“We might as well make the most of it. We’ll study hard in the morning and head to the festival in the afternoon.”

“Well…”

Enubi couldn’t come up with a counterargument.

Technically, Hyunwoo’s plan made sense—they weren’t going to spend the entire day looking at cherry blossoms.

The only real problem was that Enubi simply didn’t want to study.

“Jinhyuk, what do you think?”

Enubi turned her head slightly toward Jinhyuk, hoping for support.

Blink, blink.

She blinked desperately, silently pleading for help.

Nod.

Jinhyuk nodded.

“Sounds like a good idea. Let’s study together and then hit the festival.”

“…Hey!”

“Was that not what you wanted?”

Jinhyuk tilted his head, confused.

He thought she wanted him to accept quickly since this gave them a chance to go together.

“Good thinking. It’s not like your grades don’t matter just because you’re applying to art school.”

“Shall we meet at the library, then?”

Hyunwoo and Chaea, who both consistently ranked near the top, smiled in satisfaction.

“…Sigh. This isn’t what I planned.”

Things weren’t going the way Enubi had hoped.

After they settled on going to the cherry blossom festival, time flew by, and soon it was Friday of the following week.

Once school ended, Hyunwoo and Chaea didn’t head straight home.

“Ugh… I’ve been dying to get this thing off.”

“At least you didn’t get hurt in the summer.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Today was the long-awaited day when Chaea would finally get her cast removed.

‘So, I won’t be walking around like this anymore.’

Hyunwoo glanced down at Chaea, who was practically clinging to his side.

Until now, he had an excuse to walk close to her under the pretense of helping her.

Once the cast was off, though, there would be no reason to stay this close.

The thought of not feeling the soft warmth of her arm against his anymore felt… oddly disappointing.

‘No, it’s getting warmer soon anyway. This is fine.’

He shook his head, trying to push the thought away.

After all, they weren’t even dating—this kind of closeness didn’t really make sense.

“I bet your leg’s going to smell awful when they take it off.”

“…I’m going straight home to shower.”

While they chatted in the waiting room—

“Patient number 81, please come into the examination room~”

“They’re calling us, Hyunwoo.”

At the nurse’s call, they stood and entered the examination room.

“Good afternoon, Miss Chaea.”

The doctor, wearing thick glasses and the same dry expression he had in the emergency room, greeted them.

“Before we remove the cast, I’ll conduct a brief check-up. Have you been taking the prescribed medication?”

He got straight to the point, skipping any small talk.

“Yes. I haven’t had any headaches, except when I try to remember something.”

“Since it seems effective, I’ll prescribe it once more. If your symptoms don’t worsen, you can stop after finishing this round.”

Click-clack.

After typing a note into the computer, the doctor turned to Hyunwoo.

“I asked you to observe and assist her last time. Have you noticed any unusual signs?”

Unusual signs? There were too many to count.

Like how she often snuggled into his chest.

Or how, unlike before, she now smiled brightly, making his heart race.

Or how she kept kissing him on the cheek to say thank you.

‘There’s no way I can mention any of that.’

While her behavior had definitely changed since losing her memory, describing it all felt too embarrassing.

“…There is one thing.”

After some hesitation, Hyunwoo finally spoke.

“Sometimes, when her head hurts from trying to remember, hugging her seems to make it better.”

“Interesting.”

The doctor typed another note and then addressed Chaea again.

“It sounds like you find your friend’s presence very comforting.”

“That’s right.”

“You mentioned the headaches occur when you recall something. Do any memories remain after the pain subsides?”

“No… I forget everything again.”

Chaea shook her head sadly.

Despite how much time had passed since the school year began, she had only regained fragmented memories.

Her family, her friends—everything except Hyunwoo remained a blank slate.

“I see. The headaches suggest that some memories trigger subconscious resistance.”

“Resistance?”

“Yes. It’s a psychological response like anxiety or fear, which medication cannot treat.”

The doctor continued asking routine questions to assess her condition.

But when Hyunwoo mentioned how familiar experiences seemed to help recover memories, the doctor’s expression shifted with interest.

“I understand you’re busy preparing for exams, but try to engage in as many familiar activities as possible. It’s a promising sign that her memories are becoming clearer this way.”

Hyunwoo nodded.

He had already planned to do that, but with the doctor’s encouragement, there was no reason to hold back.

“It was a good idea to say we were going to see the cherry blossoms.”

While secretly feeling grateful for Enubi’s suggestion…

“Let’s move to the side. The nurse will help remove your cast. After that, you’ll receive your prescription and be free to go home today.”

The doctor finished his diagnosis.

“Thank you.”

Hyunwoo and Chaea bowed their heads and moved to the area next to the examination room.

“Are you Yoo Chaea? Please have a seat here and wait~”

The waiting nurse greeted them with a warm smile as she pulled out an electric saw.

Chaea’s ears perked up.

She clung to Hyunwoo and whispered.

“Gasp. Why is she taking that out all of a sudden?”

“Why do you think? To cut your cast.”

“…With that?”

“Yup.”

Hyunwoo chuckled quietly.

‘How is her reaction exactly the same as the first time?’

He remembered when he was in elementary school and had to wear a cast after injuring his ankle.

Back then, when they said they would cut it off with an electric saw, she panicked, worrying about getting hurt.

“What if it cuts into my skin?”

Yeah.

Just like now.

“Hey. The nurse is a professional, and even if it touches your skin, it won’t hurt at all, so relax.”

“…Really?”

“Really. I’ll wait outside, so come out when you’re done.”

“I-I have to go in alone?”

“Guardians should wait outside~ Okay?”

“You heard her. Just get it removed and come out.”

“Ugh…!”

Honestly, he wanted to stay by her side and hold her hand.

But since he had no choice, Hyunwoo left the examination room, leaving the trembling Chaea behind.

Vrrrrrrr—

A chilling sound soon echoed from inside.

In reality, it didn’t hurt at all, but imagining Chaea shivering from fear made Hyunwoo grin.

‘I kinda want to watch.’

He was still chuckling to himself when—

“Hyunwoo! I survived!”

Chaea emerged, breathing a sigh of relief after getting her cast removed.

“It’s not like the hospital was going to kill you.”

“The sound was seriously terrifying.”

Then, as if on cue, she suddenly fell into his arms.

“…What are you doing? People are watching.”

“This is the first thing I wanted to do after getting my cast off.”

“You’ve been hugging me this whole time, though.”

“But I couldn’t wrap both arms around you.”

Chaea laughed softly and hugged him tightly with both arms.

That day, Hyunwoo realized something.

With the cast gone, the physical distance between them had shrunk.

And now that Chaea could use both arms freely, she could cling to him even more closely.

Naturally, since she was hugging him with all her strength—

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

“Hehe. Your heart’s pounding like crazy.”

“So is yours.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Their heartbeats echoed so loudly it felt almost deafening.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

It was as if the world had melted away, leaving just the two of them.

His vision was filled with nothing but Chaea.

Her breath tickled his ears.

Just before his heart was about to explode—

“Hyunwoo. Help me walk.”

Chaea slowly pulled away from his arms.

“Walk? Your leg cast isn’t off yet, right?”

When he glanced down, he saw that her leg looked perfectly fine.

“My foot feels weak since I haven’t used it for so long. The nurse said it’ll get better after a day.”

Now that she mentioned it, he vaguely remembered having a similar experience.

—”Ah…! My ankle feels so weak.”

—”Weird. I thought you’d be running around as soon as the cast came off.”

—”Help me, Yoo Chaea.”

—”Okay, okay. This big sis will help you out.”

He recalled the day his own cast had been removed—how he had leaned on Chaea all the way home.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here first.”

Thinking it was his turn to return the favor, Hyunwoo led Chaea out of the hospital.

As he supported her, watching her hobble slightly, he remarked casually,

“But this doesn’t feel any different.”

Even without the cast, Chaea was still clinging to him as closely as ever.

“Huh? What do you mean it’s not different? Now I can…”

Squeeze.

Using her other arm, Chaea wrapped herself even more tightly around his.

“…Hold on to you with both arms.”

“…Why is hugging the first thing on your mind?”

“Because it makes me feel good?”

Looking at her hanging onto him with her whole body, Hyunwoo thought to himself.

‘This is bad. What am I going to do?’

At least the cast had created some kind of physical barrier.

Now, there was nothing left to keep any distance between them.