Chapter 52: Breaking the Formalities

Thwack—!

Once again, the ball struck the screen with a satisfying impact.

I don’t know much about golf, but I could tell her form was incredibly smooth.

A flexible waist and firm, toned hips.

Was it because she was wearing a thin one-piece dress?

Her figure was clearly defined, making it even more noticeable.

How could a woman’s body be so beautiful? It was fascinating.

My eyes completely forgot their original purpose and stayed fixed on Moonhwa.

“Yuseong, do you want to give it a try?”

“Huh? Oh, sure. I’ll give it a shot.”

I stood up and grabbed the golf club.

Before hitting the ball, I practiced my swing in the air, but something about my stance felt awkward.

Did I make a mistake? I glanced at Moonhwa, silently asking for help.

“You didn’t pay attention at all, did you? I hit the ball so you could watch and learn, but you’re even holding the grip wrong.”

“No, I really was paying close attention.”

“Liar.”

Moonhwa stepped closer and took my hand.

Since she had just been swinging, the back of her hand resting on my palm felt warm.

I could even feel the slight dampness of sweat.

Then, our eyes met.

“…Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay. It’s natural to touch hands while teaching.”

Moonhwa quickly pulled her hand away, startled, and took a few steps back.

She let out an awkward cough before standing properly and explaining.

“The hand that applies force should go on top. Yes, like that.”

I thought it would be easier if she just held my hands to guide me, but she seemed determined to keep her distance.

A bit disappointing, but whatever—I might as well focus on learning.

I wanted to land a clean shot like Moonhwa. And hey, I’m a man.

If I get it right, I should be able to hit the ball even farther than her, right?

“How far is 170 yards in meters?”

The game screen displayed the distance of Moonhwa’s last shot—168 yards.

The unit felt unfamiliar. How many meters was that? It looked pretty far on the screen.

“A little over 150 meters.”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

“You’re not being sarcastic, are you? That’s actually pretty short for someone with experience.”

“No, really! I don’t know much about golf, so I was genuinely impressed.”

Moonhwa narrowed her eyes at me.

She must not be very confident in her golf skills.

I wasn’t lying, but maybe I should be careful about giving unconditional praise in the future.

I don’t want to accidentally make her feel bad.

Although, even when she’s sulking, she looks kind of cute.

“Just give it a try. Don’t overdo it since it’s your first time.”

“Okay.”

Thwack!

Nice, I hit it cleanly. The ball soared across the game screen.

I had been worried I might miss, but thankfully, I hit it perfectly.

105 yards. Not bad for a first shot.

If I make my movements bigger, maybe I can get close to Moonhwa’s record.

I never thought golf would be a sport for me, but hitting the ball felt surprisingly satisfying.

This is fun—I want to keep going.

“Uh… Can we stop playing golf now?”

“I just hit one shot. I want to try a few more.”

Suddenly, Moonhwa grabbed her club and stood in my way.

Her expression looked uneasy. She seemed flustered.

What’s with her? It’s not like she’s worried about the electricity bill, right? I couldn’t figure out why she was acting this way.

“…Then just a little more, okay?”

“Alright.”

I barely managed to get her approval.

Now that I had a feel for it, I went for a full swing.

“Oh? That one was off.”

“You’re still a beginner, so now’s not the time to get greedy. You should focus on light, controlled swings to get the hang of it.”

I completely missed the ball. Feeling embarrassed, I glanced at Moonhwa, who was grinning ear to ear.

Really? My mistake is that funny? Anyone watching would think we were celebrating some kind of special occasion.

“…Alright, just one more time.”

So that’s how she wants to play it? My competitive side kicked in. Fine, I’ll get a better record just to prove a point.

I positioned the club behind the ball, measured the distance, and twisted my waist back as far as I could.

Thwack!

This time, I nailed it. The ball cut through the field on the game screen.

100 yards… 110 yards… 120 yards… The distance kept increasing.

Thud—!

With a crisp sound, the ball landed on the virtual grass, rolling forward before finally coming to a stop.

“Moonhwa! Did you see that?! I hit 135 yards! How many meters is that? I need to check my phone.”

“Yeah, good for you. I’ll just drink instead.”

Moonhwa turned her head sharply and walked into the kitchen, clearly annoyed.

Now I get it.

She felt embarrassed because I, a first-time golfer, hit the ball farther than she did.

In this world, I’m considered the weaker gender, a man.

She probably wanted to show off a cool side of herself, but when things didn’t go as planned, she got flustered.

“I’ll never be as good as you, Moonhwa. That last shot was just luck.”

I intentionally missed a few swings and then put down the club.

Sitting next to Moonhwa, I patted my lower back, pretending to be sore.

Hopefully, this would lift her mood.

“See? I told you not to overdo it.”

“I should’ve listened to you. I was too stubborn… Ugh, my lower back feels tight.”

“Are you okay?”

Any trace of her earlier frustration vanished.

She looked at me with genuine concern, her hand hovering hesitantly before finally resting on my back.

“It’s not serious. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

“Should I get you a pain relief patch?”

“No, it’s not that bad.”

“Wait here.”

Moonhwa suddenly stood up and hurriedly ran upstairs.

…This was getting out of hand. I just wanted to cheer her up, but now I’d made her worry.

I didn’t expect her to take it this seriously.

Thud-thud-thud!

Soon, Moonhwa came running down the stairs, her footsteps loud and frantic.

She held a pain relief patch tightly against her chest like it was some kind of treasure.

I felt a pang of guilt.

But what could I do? The lie had already gone too far.

I had no choice but to keep up the act.

If she found out I was faking, the consequences might be too much to handle.

“Lie down for a moment.”

“…Alright. Ugh…”

Moonhwa quickly knelt beside me, supporting my body as I leaned back.

For a brief moment, our bodies were pressed together.

Her slender arms wrapped around my waist—but they were ridiculously weak.

It didn’t feel like she was supporting me at all.

She was just holding on.

Moonhwa might seem like a perfectly put-together person on the outside, but the more I get to know her, the more I realize just how many gaps there are in that facade.

“Oh no. I shouldn’t have insisted on teaching you golf… Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“I’m really fine. Don’t worry.”

“For now, take off your coat.”

I took off my coat and lay face down on the living room floor.

Before long, I felt a touch on my back.

It hesitated and withdrew—timid movements that made me smile.

“Sorry. I’m going to lift your shirt a bit.”

“Okay.”

Moonhwa pulled up my shirt and grabbed the adhesive patch.

As she brought it to my back, I could feel her hands trembling.

Was she nervous? It felt like watching a skilled surgeon preparing for an operation.

“It’s on. How does it feel?”

“It’s definitely cooling. I think my muscles were just a little shocked. I can get up now.”

“Your muscles? Should I give you a massage?”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

A massage would be too much.

I quickly shook my head. I just needed to lie down for a bit before getting up.

Maybe ten minutes? I started counting in my head.

“Has the food arrived?”

“Yes, Hyesung confirmed it.”

The delivery had arrived.

One by one, the dishes were spread out on the living room floor, soon forming a feast.

It seemed like the original plan was to drink at the bar, but seeing my condition, they must have changed their minds.

“Sorry, it’s just delivery food… I’m not good at cooking.”

“What are you talking about? This is a feast. Thanks for the meal.”

Besides, even at the housewarming party, I wasn’t the one who cooked.

My dad was sweating in the kitchen while I just sat on the sofa watching TV.

He really didn’t need to apologize.

Time to get up now. I couldn’t just stay sprawled out in someone else’s house. Placing my hands on the floor, I pushed myself up to sit.

“You’re really okay?”

“How many times are you going to ask? That’s at least the tenth time.”

“If you’re not in pain, that’s good.”

With that awkward exchange behind us, we finally started drinking.

Last time, we didn’t really get to drink properly.

Moonhwa had passed out first while we were gaming.

I wanted to take it slow this time.

The whole reason I planned this drinking session with Moonhwa was to talk.

She was the only friend I could personally contact in this world.

I wanted to laugh and chat, to forget about the loneliness for a while.

“Wait.”

Just as we were about to clink glasses,

Moonhwa pulled her glass back instead of toasting.

Did she have something to say? She seemed hesitant, glancing at me nervously.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Yes.”

“Then go ahead. You’re dragging this out too much.”

“Alright.”

Moonhwa lifted her glass and downed the soju in one gulp.

Her body shivered.

Then she refilled her glass and drank again. And again.

Three shots in a row.

This was making me uneasy.

Was she trying to get drunk before speaking? What was she about to say?

“Let’s drop formal speech!”

“Huh?”

“We’re drinking, so let’s speak casually. We’re close enough now—how long are we going to keep using honorifics?”

“Well… that’s true…”

“Do you not want to?”

It wasn’t as serious as I had feared.

But I was still a little surprised.

I hadn’t expected Moonhwa to suggest dropping honorifics first.

Something must have changed. she had never been this forward before.

I didn’t mind at all.

The only reason I had kept my distance was because of his status as a broadcasting head. But if we were really going to be friends, speaking casually made sense.

Besides, we had already started mixing formal and informal speech without realizing it. It was about time.

“No, I like the idea. Let’s do it.”

“So, from now on, I’ll speak casually?”

Moonhwa immediately switched to informal speech.

It felt natural. We really did seem closer now.

And it was… cute. Just dropping the ‘yo’ at the end of her sentences made her sound so much fresher.

The stiff, formal tone never suited her anyway.

“Yeah. Go ahead.”

“Alright. Y-Yuseong, let’s drink.”

“Should I pour?”

“Yes.”

she sounded like a robot.

The conversation was still a bit awkward since she wasn’t used to it.

But this was just the beginning.

It would feel natural soon enough.