Chapter 382: A Doubtful Heart

*Tap* *Tap*

I sat near the shoe rack in the hall, scrolling through my phone while waiting for Aeri. The house was quiet except for the soft ticking of the wall clock. I had already put on my shoes and was ready to go, but she was still upstairs.

"She asked me to go down and said she was right behind me, but now what is taking her this long?" I asked myself, frowning a little. I turned off my phone and slipped it into my pocket.

"Aeri!!" I called out loudly, hoping she would hear me from her room.

No answer came. I waited for a few seconds, then called again.

"Aeri... how much time? You are not ready yet?" I asked, looking toward the end of the hall where the stairs led up to her room.

"What is she doing? She seemed almost ready there," I muttered to myself, staring into the darker part of the hallway, hoping she would appear any second. But there was only silence.

"Aeri!!" I called her name once more, louder this time. Still no response. I took a deep breath and decided to go check on her. I stood up from the shoe rack.

"Sighhh..." I sighed. "What is she even doi—"

But the words caught in my throat. Suddenly, a memory flashed in my mind — the day a few days ago when Aeri had suddenly fallen on the ground and gone into a coma. The fear from that moment came rushing back. My heart started beating faster.

"AERI!" I screamed and ran toward the stairs. *Thud* *Thud* My footsteps hit the tiles loudly as I rushed up, my mind filled with worry. What if something had happened again? What if she had fainted?

Just as I reached the top of the stairs, Aeri came out from the turn in the hall, looking perfectly fine. She was adjusting her small purse, wearing her white crop top and mini skirt, looking beautiful and ready.

"What are you yelling at? I am coming, I said," she said casually with a low smile, as if nothing was wrong.

"Aeri..." I muttered her name, stopping in my tracks. I looked at her beautiful face, her calm expression, and felt my racing heart finally start to calm down. The fear slowly melted away.

"What happened? You okay?" she asked, stepping forward and gently placing her hand on my cheek. Her touch was soft and caring.

"Yeah... I am okay," I said, blinking and looking at her face. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the sudden panic.

I let out a small laugh, the tension finally leaving my shoulders. "You look beautiful, by the way. Really beautiful."

Aeri blushed a little and took my hand.

"Thank you. Now stop worrying and let’s go. The evening is waiting for us."

I nodded, squeezing her hand gently.

We walked down the stairs together, side by side. Even though the fear from a moment ago still lingered a little in my chest, having her beside me made everything feel better. The house felt warm and alive again with her laughter and presence.

"Good then, shall we go?" Aeri asked, crossing in front of me and walking toward the front door. Her white mini skirt swayed gently with each step, and her long black boots made soft clicking sounds on the floor.

"But why weren’t you answering?" I asked, turning toward the door. Her back was facing me as she walked ahead.

She paused in the middle of the hallway for a few seconds, standing completely still. Then she slowly turned around to face me.

"What do you mean? What are you saying?" she asked casually, blinking like nothing unusual had happened. Her smile looked normal, but there was something slightly off in her eyes.

"I was calling your name so loudly," I said, shrugging my shoulders curiously. "You didn’t even bother to answer?"

"Ahh... you were calling me. I couldn’t hear it. I am sorry," Aeri said with an awkward, twisted smile. There was a little sweat on her forehead. "I was applying a liner again, that’s why it took time. I am sorry, hehe..."

"I see..." I said, nodding and agreeing with her words. But inside my mind, a small question kept growing. In all these years, whenever I called her from downstairs, she always replied back clearly. This time, it was like she hadn’t heard me at all. Maybe she was just lost in her thoughts or something. I tried to brush the feeling away.

"What happened?" she asked, tilting her head and looking at me curiously. Her eyes searched my face, as if she was trying to read what I was thinking.

"Sighh... Nothing. Let’s go!" I said, letting out a long breath. I walked toward the door, pushing the uneasy feeling to the back of my mind. *I mean, she was just up in her room. What could even be wrong?* I thought to myself.

"Yee, let’s go..." she said cheerfully, stepping out of the house with me. She took my hand as we walked outside, swinging it lightly like everything was perfectly fine.

The evening air felt cool and fresh as we stepped out onto the street. Aeri looked beautiful in her white crop top and mini skirt, her hair moving gently in the light breeze. She smiled at me, holding my hand a little tighter than usual. I smiled back, but a small part of me still wondered why she hadn’t answered earlier. I decided not to bring it up again. Tonight was supposed to be fun, just the two of us enjoying time together after the stressful hospital days.

We walked side by side toward the main road, talking about small things — where we should eat, what movie we might watch later, and how nice it felt to be out of the house. Aeri laughed at my silly jokes, and for a while, everything felt normal again. But every now and then, I noticed her smile falter for a split second, like something was still bothering her in the back of her mind.