Read Just Twilight Novel Translation Chapter 6

(Just Dawn | 그저 여명일 뿐 )

Romance, Drama, Slice-of-life, Josei, Mature

Original: Woo Jihye | Translation: Genie

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“Your body.”

“Huh?”

Junyoung blinked in confusion at the sudden remark. Beomjin repeated bluntly, “Did you take any medicine in the infirmary?”

“Oh, I was asleep the whole time… but after sleeping here too, I feel a bit better.”

It felt like the sharp thorns between them were slowly softening. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, the silhouette of Beomjin’s hunched back became clearer. He was sitting slightly slouched, with his elbows resting on his knees.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

“Just a bit of fatigue and body aches. I haven’t been sleeping well, and I think I still have a bit of a fever.”

Junyoung murmured as she pressed her palm to her forehead. Half-turning to glance at her, Beomjin said, “Wait,” and got up swiftly. He strode down the stairs with confidence as if he could see perfectly in the dark.

Suddenly, a bright light flooded the room, and Junyoung raised her hand to shield her face. He must have turned on the light downstairs. Watching him from above, she muttered, “You should start turning the lights on when you go up and down the stairs. One wrong step, and you could die.”

Beomjin, who had been filling a cup with water, paused and glanced up at her, his lips curling into a crooked smirk.

“Who’s the one wobbling around? And you’re worried about me breaking my neck?”

“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about being the first one to find your body.”

“How thoughtful of you.”

His quick comeback made him chuckle softly. From above, Junyoung saw him pull something out of his back pocket with one hand while holding the cup in the other. She remembered him taking some medicine from the infirmary earlier.

“I’ll come down,” she said.

Seeing him about to climb back up, she moved to get up, but he frowned and shook his head.

“Stay put. You’re still dizzy.”

There was a commanding weight to his voice. Now that the light illuminated his piercing gaze, she obeyed more out of instinct than agreement.

Bounding up the steep stairs, Beomjin leaned forward and handed her the water and medicine. Junyoung accepted them with a sheepish expression.

“Do you have a headache, too? You brought this from the infirmary, didn’t you?”

“I have menstrual cramps,” he replied flatly, sitting a little distance away with a sullen look.

The unexpected response made Junyoung glance around as if she had felt a sudden chill. After a moment, she cautiously asked, “…Was that supposed to be a joke?”

“Shut up and take your medicine,” Beomjin growled, his jaw tightening. Instead of intimidating her, it had the opposite effect. Junyoung burst into uncontrollable laughter, struggling to keep the cup from spilling.

“Kwon Beomjin has menstrual cramps? If I had even one close friend at school, I’d run straight to them and tell them! Hahaha!”

She laughed so hard that she had to lean on the bed for support, her body shaking. Beomjin glared at her, his teeth clenched and eyes lowered.

“Not having friends is nothing to brag about.”

“I swear, I’ve never regretted not having a friend as much as I do right now. I should’ve made at least one!”

Her laughter refused to subside, and Beomjin eventually gave up, leaning back with his hands propped behind him. It took Junyoung a long time to calm down enough to take the medicine and drink the water.

“Your house must be in chaos right now,” he said abruptly as she set the cup down and caught her breath.

“My house? Why?”

Junyoung turned to him, puzzled by his unexpected comment.

“You haven’t gone home this late.”

Beomjin’s sidelong glance lingered on her. Junyoung quickly turned her head away, sure he had noticed her wavering eyes. She chewed her lip, then let out a short laugh.

“Maybe I should just sleep here.”

“What?”

“It’s probably better that way.”

An awkward silence settled between them. Both knew what the other wasn’t saying. Finally, Beomjin tilted his chin toward the stairs.

“Go downstairs. The bed’s mine.”

“Stop sleeping so much. You sleep all the time at school, too.”

“And you, who’s been sleeping until now, have room to talk?”

“I’m talking about a normal situation. Today’s different.”

Junyoung’s quick retort made it sound like she was reading from a script. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Beomjin waved his hand dismissively.

“Cut the nonsense and get up. Go home. I’ll walk you.”

“No, I’m staying here. You go.”

She made a motion to lie down, and Beomjin’s thick eyebrows shot up sharply.

“Yoon Junyoung. Is this really the hill you want to die on? Staying here alone at this hour?”

“Who else would show up besides you?”

Junyoung shrugged, and Beomjin let out a deep sigh, his lips slightly parted. She was starting to recognise the tone he used when he was restraining his temper.

“Someone used to live here, remember? Someone else could come back. It could even be tonight.”

“Then you stay here too.”

For a brief moment, Beomjin’s piercing gaze faltered like a bird startled mid-flight. Seeing that, Junyoung felt oddly awkward and looked away. She bit her lip before adding nonchalantly, “Not saying we should share the bed or anything.”

“Just shut your mouth…”

“We agreed, didn’t we? This house is something we both need.”

Junyoung muttered the words as if testing them out. Beomjin, about to grumble, paused instead. He stared at her profile as she gazed vaguely into the distance. In a quiet voice, he replied, “For you, it’s a place to study.”

“This is the only place where I can rest.”

She hadn’t expected to say such a thing aloud. It felt inevitable that she could only share this thought with him.

Without ever discussing it, they had become the only two who shared this space and what it meant to them.

Junyoung met Beomjin’s eyes. Then, as if driving the point home, she added, “I can’t go home.”

She figured he would understand. Maybe his reason for being here at this hour wasn’t all that different.

Beomjin stared at her with calm eyes before standing up abruptly. As he trudged down the stairs, Junyoung impulsively called out.

“Thanks.”

For a moment, Beomjin stumbled so noticeably that it seemed her words had physically shoved him. Startled, Junyoung yelled, “Hey! I told you you’ll die if you fall. Be careful!”

“Shut up and just sleep.”

He brushed off her concern with a careless retort, collapsing into the chair she often occupied. Watching him from above, Junyoung couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Why does he always look like he’s sleep-deprived? Does he stay up all night and sleep all day? But then, he always left with me when I went home…

…Not that he’d answer if I asked.

“Kwon Beomjin.”

“What.”

“Turn off the light.”

Another sigh—this one heavy with reluctant patience. But soon, the light went out, and Junyoung chuckled as she lay down on the bed.

Though it was an unfamiliar place, it felt comfortable. The pitch-black darkness of the early morning might have been intimidating, but it wasn’t scary—not with Beomjin downstairs.

When had his presence gone from being a threat to a reassurance?

As she turned over, her nose crinkled. Earlier, she’d fallen asleep so abruptly that she hadn’t noticed, but now the mattress’s scent was familiar.

A mix of faint dust, sun-dried laundry, and the layered scent of Beomjin. Dry, yet somehow soft and pleasant.

Junyoung pulled the thin blanket up, burying her face in it.

There’s no way someone like him wears cologne, but still, this scent… it’s pretty nice.

Seriously, he’s nothing like his appearance.

“Menstrual cramps,” she muttered, stifling a giggle. “Menstrual cramps… heh….”

“Go to sleep before I kick you out,” came his low growl. The exasperation in his voice was more comical than threatening, and Junyoung bit her lip to suppress her laughter.

Though she wondered if she could fall asleep again after so much rest, her limbs sank into the mattress as if drawn by gravity. She felt like an especially deep sleep was waiting for her.

As her breaths grew steady and even, a faint smile curved her lips.

< 3 >

The blue sky and the warm breeze—it was a beautiful day. Junyoung shook the still-damp strands of her hair and looked at the broad back, walking a few steps ahead. She had to bite down on her lips to keep from smiling.

She had woken up because of the smell. Ramen. That irritatingly familiar smell that, despite its monotony, reminded her of how hungry she was.

The sun had risen, and the faint light of dawn seeped into the house. She silently pushed the blanket aside and got up, glancing down below. She saw the top of Beomjin’s head.

He was stirring the boiling ramen with chopsticks, yawning widely. Junyoung stifled a laugh and whispered under her breath, *Sleep, demon.* She ended up yawning, too, just as widely.

Her body felt much lighter compared to the day before. It had been so long since she’d slept deeply and so vulnerably. Her fever had subsided, and the aches that had weighed her down were completely gone. Other than her clothes feeling a bit sticky from sweating through the night, everything felt perfect.

“I’ve been curious for a while,” she said, her voice still half-asleep.

Beomjin flinched and turned his head, startled. He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly having strained it from the sudden movement. Junyoung stifled her laughter and pointed toward the pot with her finger.

“Does your family own a ramen factory?”

Beomjin looked at her with an expression that suggested her question wasn’t worth a response, then turned back and resumed stirring.

*How rude,* she muttered inwardly. But as she took a step down the stairs, the light suddenly turned on.

“Turn off the light. I can see just fine.”

“I don’t want to be the first one to find your body,” Beomjin quipped, using her own words against her. Junyoung burst out laughing.

“True. If something goes wrong, I wouldn’t just be the first to find you—I could even be suspected as the culprit.”

“You? Why would I kill you? What would my motive be?”

Beomjin smirked as he moved the pot to the desk. Junyoung shrugged as she descended the stairs.

“Because you couldn’t stand watching me hog your beloved bed all day.”