“Does Big Brother treat you well? Have you received any gifts?”
“Not yet.”
“Big Brother has a lot of money. So, tell him to buy you whatever you want. Like a 5-carat diamond ring or something.”
“Hey, how can I say that?”
Not only did she not like luxury and vanity, but Lola also didn’t have the guts to outright ask for something.
“Why can’t you say it? If he likes you, he should be able to get you the stars from the sky. Hey, a stingy man who is cheap with gifts is just trash!”
“Gia, are you really Dylan Big Brother’s real sister? He would be upset if he heard that.”
Even though she said that, Lola didn’t seem to mind that Gia was on her side, and a smile appeared on her face.
“Lola, I’m on your side. So, if Big Brother treats you poorly or makes you upset, tell me, okay?”
“Gia, what should I do? I really like you.”
Lola stood close to Gia and linked her arm with hers.
“I feel the same way. I really like you, Lola.”
“Gia.”
“Lola.”
The two felt a wave of emotion wash over them as they called each other’s names affectionately and shared a light hug.
They had been together for 14 long years. They cried together when sad, laughed together when happy, and encouraged each other, unknowingly becoming precious to one another.
******
The summer night was thick and humid. Sitting on the outside bench, Lola looked up at the dark night sky. The moon was unusually large and bright, just like the night she shared her first kiss with Dylan. The twinkling stars were scattered across the sky. It was a beautiful night that made one want to exclaim how pretty it was.
Since her home was in the countryside, Lola had practically lived at the hospital even without on-call duties.
Today, it seemed he was busy, as he hadn’t shown his face at the hospital.
The timid Lola, who was often called the Grim Reaper, was dating him.
It still felt like a dream, as if she were in a daze.
From the moment they decided to date, they had done quite a lot in a short time.
They had held hands and walked together, eaten meals, watched movies, and even kissed.
There was no time to catch her breath.
But today, just one day without seeing his face felt strangely off.
Maybe it was because she had seen his face too often in such a short time.
Lola justified her complicated feelings that way.
Should she send him a message since there had been no contact all day?
She had been hesitating, thinking about it since earlier. Finally, she made up her mind, but it took courage to turn her thoughts into action.
Taking her phone out of her gown pocket, Lola typed and deleted several times before finally sending a message.
[Dear, you seem really busy today?]
If she didn’t receive any reply at times like this, she would feel ignored and very embarrassed.
So, the time spent waiting for a reply felt anxious.
If no reply came, she could think of all sorts of things.
Twenty minutes later, a reply came.
[I was a bit busy today. But why? Were you sad that you couldn’t see my face?]
Feeling as if her inner thoughts had been exposed, her face turned red.
Lola regretted sending the message, touching her flushed face with her hand.
Not knowing what kind of reply to send, she hesitated when another message came through.
[I thought about what we should do next time.]
[Please hug me when we meet next time.]
After much deliberation, she sent that message, but upon rereading it, it felt strange.
Lola’s face, which had cooled down for a moment, flushed hot again.
She hoped Dylan Eve wouldn’t misunderstand her words.
The “hug me” she mentioned meant a light embrace.
Since she had never been held in a man’s arms before, she sent that message.
She had left the choice of what to do up to him.
Her father was a very rough and blunt person who didn’t express his feelings well. Growing up, Lola had no memory of being held by her father. If only he had comforted her with a hug when she was upset or sad, it would have been a great solace, but he had never done that even once.
Would this man’s embrace feel reassuring? Would it be warm like the warmth of his palm that felt so comforting?
That was why she sent such a message.
As she blamed herself for her impulsiveness and regretted it, the notification sound of a new message chimed.
-Sure, I’ll do that.
Wondering if he understood her intentions correctly, Lola tilted her head as she stared at the message.
