There was too much light, and it was unbearably irritating. She covered her eyes with her hands, her head pounding like it might explode. Why was she in such a terrible state? Her stomach churned with nausea as she struggled to sit up.
"I'm never drinking again," she muttered to herself.
She had obviously drunk a lot the night before, but couldn't remember a single thing. The more she tried to recall the night's events, the sharper her headache grew.
"Why did I drink so much? Why did Jackie let me drink that much? It's strange." She mumbled as she stepped out of her room, only to be startled by Jackie waiting right outside the door.
"What are you doing here? You scared me!"
He stared at her with an unreadable expression. The pain in her head worsened.
"If you're going to lecture me, you'll have to wait," she snapped, brushing past him toward the kitchen. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and collapsed onto the couch, pressing it to her eyes. The relief was minimal, but it was something. She considered taking a painkiller, but traces of alcohol still lingered in her system—the last thing she needed was poisoning.
Jackie sat down in the armchair beside the couch and placed a bowl on the coffee table. "Eat some haejangguk. It helps with hangovers. You'll feel better soon."
She set aside the ice pack and started eating. "You're a hero," she mumbled.
Jackie stared at her intently as she ate. Unease bubbled up. Had something happened last night? Slowly, she set the bowl down.
"Did something happen last night?" Wait... hadn't she asked that already?
Jackie sighed, crossed his legs, and leaned back. "So you don't remember."
She felt like a guilty child, shaking her head silently.
"You made things difficult for me. If I hadn't carried you to your room, the police might have shown up because of all the noise."
She relaxed a little. At least she had just made noise. That wasn't so bad.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she said sincerely.
"If only it were just noise. There's more, but I don't want to embarrass you."
Her heart dropped. "Did I say something I shouldn't have? Please, tell me."
Jackie opened his mouth, but she quickly interrupted. "No! Don't. I don't want to know. Why didn't you stop me?"
Jackie chuckled. "So now it's my fault? What happened to the brave girl who tried to give me a private dance?"
What?
"NO WAY. That did not happen! You're messing with me! You're really good at it too! I'm so mad at you right now. Say you're joking. Say it!"
She flailed in disbelief, wishing she could bury her head in the sand like an ostrich. Jackie ignored her protests and pushed her toward the bathroom.
"You reek of alcohol. Go take a shower, then let's go to the movies."
She tried to verify if he was joking, but he offered no clarity.
After her shower, she felt completely sober and her headache had finally subsided. She changed and walked out to meet Jackie.
"Let's go."
Jackie scanned her outfit. "You're going like that?"
She looked in the mirror. Jeans and a T-shirt. Seemed fine.
"I don't see the problem."
"This counts as a date. Is this how you dress for dates?"
"I've never been on one. And we're just going to the movies, right?"
"There's a first time for everything. And we're not just going to the movies. I have bigger plans."
She returned to her room, flustered. She had a few dresses she'd never worn. After some hesitation, she picked a light-colored floral dress. Jackie had called it a date. Her reflection showed pale skin and dark circles. She applied just enough makeup to bring back some color.
When she returned, Jackie stood and held out his hand.
"You look stunning. Let's go."
Their first stop was the cinema. After ruling out horror and action films, only an animation and a rom-com remained.
"Which one?" she asked.
"I like animation."
"Alright, I'll grab the tickets."
The animation was sold out, so she bought two tickets for the rom-com. She also got popcorn and soda.
As they sat down, two high schoolers placed their bags on Jackie's seat.
"Excuse me, that seat's taken. Please move your stuff."
The girls ignored her. Jackie whispered that it wasn't a big deal, but she wasn't backing down.
"I didn't pay for this seat so your bags could sit there. Move them or I'll toss them."
One of the girls stood and walked toward her. She stood too, realizing with dismay that she was the short one.
"Why don't you toss me along with my stuff, then?"
She braced herself. No way she was backing down. Jackie tried to defuse the situation, but the crowd made it difficult.
"I paid for both seats. I took your name from your school ID. I'll report you."
"Just try. I won't let you off easily."
Things escalated, and security escorted them out. She sat outside the mall, sulking with her popcorn and soda.
"This wasn't how I planned today. Ugh, if I get my hands on that girl—!"
"Don't worry," Jackie said gently. "The day isn't ruined. Just delayed."
He was right. She threw her trash away and stood. "Let's go to karaoke."
"Sounds fun. I know a great place."
They walked there hand in hand. After renting a room and ordering snacks, the owner asked if she wanted a drink.
"No alcohol. Just lemonade."
She queued Jackie's favorite song.
"We have to sing this together. I always imagined us singing it."
"Isn't this my debut song? Been a while."
They sang together. Though she knew the lyrics by heart, she stared at the screen to avoid his gaze.
When the song ended, Girl's Day's "Something" began to play automatically. The music triggered a flashback from last night: she had pushed Jackie onto a chair and danced foolishly in front of him. Her face burned with embarrassment.
Panicking, she grabbed the remote to change the song—but it didn't work.
"What are you doing? That's the AC remote."
She couldn't admit the truth.
"Oh? I didn't notice. I was just trying to play a meaningful song."
"Tell me which one. I can help."
She snatched the remote. "No need. I got it."
She grabbed the mic and stood up just as "Baby Shark" began to play.
Dead.
"That's your meaningful song?" Jackie raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh. Let's sing it together."
She couldn't look at him. Her face flushed again. Maybe that's why she felt so hot.
"Are you okay? You look pale. Should we go?"
"No, no. I'm fine. It's just warm."
The heat grew unbearable. She walked toward the door to order something cold. But her legs went numb, vision darkened, and she collapsed. The last thing she saw was Jackie hitting the emergency button.
...
She woke up in a hospital bed, curtains surrounding her, IV in her arm. Jackie sat nearby.
"What happened?"
"You're awake. Don't get up yet. Just rest."
"Why are we at a hospital?"
"You nearly had a heat stroke."
"It wasn't that hot."
"You maxed the heater with the AC remote. I can't feel temperature, but how did you not notice?"
She couldn't admit the truth. She thought it was her embarrassment making her sweat.
A young doctor entered.
"Great, you're awake. How are you feeling?" He checked the IV.
"Better."
"You're lucky. No serious harm. You can leave once the drip finishes."
She thanked him and looked at Jackie.
"I'm sorry. I ruined today."
He took her hand. "Don't be. Your health matters more. We have more days ahead."
Still, guilt gnawed at her. Once discharged, they left the hospital. She was moody; Jackie tried to cheer her up.
"Let's go to Han River. It's beautiful this time of day."
"Not in the mood."
He tugged her arm. "Come on."
The view stunned her. Fireworks lit up the sky in a dazzling display. She couldn't look away.
She noticed street musicians nearby. Couples were dancing.
"Would you like to dance with me?" Jackie asked.
She smiled sadly. "I'd love to, but not here. It's too crowded."
"Then come with me."
He led her to an empty park. He extended his hand again.
"Dance with me?"
"Gladly," she replied, taking his hand. "But... there's no music."
"There is. Just follow me."
As they danced, Jackie sang softly.
She had wanted to cry herself to sleep earlier. But in this moment, she wished time would freeze.
If there was such a thing as heaven, this was her version.
"Thank you for everything," she whispered.