Childhood best friends! Steamy romance! Does anything else have to be said? In Between follows the story of Eunseo and Sihwa, two old friends who reunite in college, as they face communication hurdles, overcome past trauma, grow closer, and fall in love. Sihwa, who was undeniably talented, incredibly charming, and almost annoyingly handsome, had always been the boy everyone wanted. Although Eunseo had always had a crush on him, it had never been requited. And she thought it never would be… right? Wrong. Previously in In Between, Sihwa confesses his feelings for Eunseo and visits her at camp. Subsequently, she debates the idea of dating him. Later, Eunseo learns that Hyeon had been shunned by the other college students for starting a fight with a senior. Is it true? What happens next? Let’s explore the steamy In Between Chapter 44-53!
In Between Chapter 44: Not a Bad Guy
In Between Chapter 44 begins as Sihwa presses his forehead to Eunseo’s, making her think about the previous night. Even though he’d talked about coming to visit again, she hadn’t really believed him. She lets herself be embraced by Sihwa, as his words echo in her head. “I like you,” he’d said. He’d meant it too. Doubt races across her mind: Should she go for it? Should she tell him she was ready? Was she ready? Suddenly, Sihwa breaks her reverie by expressing his happiness and gently kissing the top of her head. Dazed, Eunseo pushes him away. She tells him, horrified, that she hadn’t washed her hair. As she tries to shove him away, Sihwa playfully inches closer and closer to kiss her again.
The next day, Eunseo slumps on a coffee table at a cafe in existential dread. Fifteen minutes ago, she’d paused with her hand on the bathroom doorknob after realizing that Sihwa was showering inside. Against all rational and moral thought, her mind had wandered: ‘What if I had opened the door…?’ After imagining the corresponding picture, she’d run away in utter embarrassment. Eunseo furiously stirs her drink in an effort to get him out of her mind. In her flustered state, she looks up… only to lock eyes with Hyeon through the glass window. Although she waves a greeting and tries to speak to him, he walks by without a second glance. Eunseo looks down in humiliation.
Chivalry Never Dies
A moment later, the cafe door jingles, and Hyeon walks inside. He sits down next to Eunseo and explains that he couldn’t hear her before. Citing that she was here trying to ‘escape the heat’ (the heat of humiliation), Eunseo asks him what he was doing here. It turns out, Hyeon had a part-time job working at the cinema. When Eunseo falters, he looks over with a tired expression. “You just pictured me there and thought it doesn’t fit me, right?” he asks, perfectly on spot. Watching him, the only thing Eunseo can think is: he’s really not a bad guy.
After lunch, Hyeon insists on paying. He glances at Eunseo, knowing that she was aware of his past, and remembers all the rumours. ‘I guess I can’t be a part of the club anymore,’ he thinks glumly, ‘It will make her uncomfortable.’ But Eunseo shows no signs of cutting him out. In fact, she offers to buy him drinks to compensate for lunch since they were ‘going to keep seeing each other anyway’. He laughs abruptly- a short, single-syllable sound- and immediately turns dead-serious again. Eunseo catches it and, perplexedly, asks why he’d laughed. However, Hyeon plays dumb and starts to walk back.
Hyeon asks Eunseo for her whereabouts, and starts to walk the same way. They ride the subway together, and once they reach her station, he turns around and goes back. He was walking her home. ‘I knew it. He’s not a bad guy,’ she thinks, before calling out to him and waving goodbye. Hyeon turns around and bids her farewell as a faint smile plays on his lips. ‘He was laughing earlier,’ Eunseo suddenly realizes, concluding In Between Chapter 44.
In Between Chapter 45: Choose a Drink
In Between Chapter 45 begins as Haerang fawns over Yu-an after the club meeting, while Eunseo asks Hyeon if he wants a drink. The question makes him stifle a laugh. Eunseo wonders if she’d been too on-the-nose with her request since he’d agreed to letting her buy him a drink the previous day.
Tragedy strikes when Sihwa gets up, saying, “I’m thirsty,” at the same time Hyeon says, “Let’s go get a drink.” Both of them stare straight at each other. Eunseo’s eyes bounce back and forth: Sihwa, Hyeon, Hyeon, Sihwa. An intense, crackling energy starts developing between the two boys. What was happening?!
Finally, the three of them awkwardly head out for drinks, leaving Yu-an and his fangirl alone. At the vending machine, Eunseo turns to Hyeon to ask for his drink. When she turns to Sihwa, he pouts like a five-year-old and refuses to answer. Oblivious to his despair, Eunseo simply turns to Hyeon with his drink. Sihwa watches the two of them enthusiastically chatting with each other. Finally, he pokes his head in between them- literally- and asks Eunseo for her drink. Slinging an arm around Eunseo, he takes a sip out of her soda can with a grin (take notes, this is how you establish dominance).
Lovesick, Plain Sick… or Both?
Later, Haerang asks Eunseo if she’s decided to date Sihwa or not. After recollecting all the intimate moments between the two of them, Eunseo realizes that they were already halfway there. “Okay,” she says abruptly, pounding her fist on the table decisively, “Let’s date!”
A quick cold shower later (the hot water had run out), Eunseo heads out for dinner. But at the restaurant, a wave of unexpected nausea and fatigue binds her from eating anything. Eunseo excuses herself and stumbles out, feeling feverish. Exhausted, dizzy, and confused, she accidentally runs into someone. She mumbles an apology; then she sees who she’d run into. Sihwa gently holds her shoulders and looks into her eyes with worry, concluding In Between Chapter 45.
In Between Chapter 46: Someone to Care for You
In Between Chapter 46 begins as Sihwa fusses over Eunseo and takes her home. While in the car, he calls her mother with concern; Eunseo weakly tells him to stop before drifting off to sleep.
Once when they were kids, Eunseo had run into Sihwa’s room on a snowy day. Although his mother had said he was sick, Sihwa seemed perfectly fine. Back then, she’d been jealous of his overprotective mother. She’d felt his forehead for signs of fever, and Sihwa had done the same for her. After realizing that she was warmer than he (and probably sick in denial), he’d snuggled into his blanket. Before she could leave, he’d grabbed her hand and pulled her into bed beside him.
In the present, Eunseo wakes up in bed with a wet towel on her forehead. She glances around and notices Sihwa dozing in a chair next to her. As if on cue, he blinks, stirs, and wakes up. When he notices Eunseo awake, he immediately checks her forehead for a fever. While Sihwa fetches medicine for her, Eunseo wonders what is happening in a daze. “You have to tell me when you’re sick,” he tells her irritably, “You always say it’s nothing.” Eunseo apologizes, realizing that she’d never seen him so worked up before. Sihwa plops down into a chair, confessing that he was ‘worried and upset’, concluding In Between Chapter 46.
In Between Chapter 47: I Know You Better Than Yourself
In Between Chapter 47 begins with Sihwa’s perspective: he’d been wandering around texting Eunseo. When she hadn’t replied, he’d messaged Haerang and found out that she’d left. Out on the street, he’d spotted her leaning on a pole.
In school, he’d spent recess staring into the distance to pass the time. When Eunseo, with a muddy t-shirt and flushed cheeks, had found Sihwa, she’d towered over him with her hands on her hips. She’d accused him of being lazy. But according to Sihwa, he was a ‘precious commodity’ (he couldn’t afford to damage his piano-playing fingers!). A moment later, he’d turned the conversation on Eunseo. She’d fallen down before- evident from the color of her previously white shirt- and needed help. However, she’d dismissed her injury and limped away, saying, “Don’t say anything weird to my mom, okay? Don’t tell her I got hurt.”
Time for a Change
In the present, Sihwa tells Eunseo to go back to sleep. Looking genuinely upset, he finally speaks his mind: “Every time you get sick, you always say it’s nothing. You pretend to be fine because you don’t want to bother your busy mom.”
You haven’t changed a bit.
Eunseo wonders at the words. He was right about her. But she had no idea if he’d changed or if he was still the same Sihwa she’d always known. Sihwa takes her hands, telling her, “It’s nice seeing you smile, Eunseo. I hope you keep smiling because of me. And only at me.” Eunseo’s heart races faster than a horse in full gallop. She wonders if this was finally her chance to tell him her feelings. When he takes her face in his hands, she realizes, with some irritation, that it was always she who was flustered. She had had enough of that. In Between Chapter 47 concludes as, in one move, she closes the distance between her and Sihwa, kissing him.
In Between Chapter 48: All Good Things Come to an End
In Between Chapter 48 begins as Eunseo pulls away from Sihwa; the kiss was a mistake. However, Sihwa pulls her back in. “For me, it’s not,” he says, kissing her again. Meanwhile, Hyeon texts Eunseo. He opens his door, partially regretting sending her a message. When he walks inside, shock registers on his face as he finds someone on the floor.
Back in Eunseo’s room, the kiss becomes steamy. In the quiet intimacy of the dimly lit room, Sihwa’s heartbeat pounds loud enough for Eunseo to hear it. Suddenly, Sihwa stops and pulls away. He covers her with a blanket, tells her to sleep, and abruptly leaves. Baffled, Eunseo stares. Wait, what? After leaving her room, Sihwa leans over a sink in the dark. He bows his head, furiously blushing all the while, concluding In Between Chapter 48.
In Between Chapter 49: Sihwa’s Story
In Between Chapter 49 begins on a snowy day in the past, before Eunseo burst into Sihwa’s room. He’d been scrolling through social media and had found a picture taken of him on the street. Who had taken the picture? If it wasn’t his aunt or driver, he didn’t want to think of the terrifying implications. When Eunseo had entered his room, ignoring her fever, he’d brightened up. He was safe with her. He could trust her.
From then on, Sihwa’s private life was shared online. He didn’t want to say anything that could ruin his parents’ reputation, so he stayed quiet about it. Plus, every time he saw Eunseo’s face, his anxieties seemed to grow wings and flutter away.
Where It Went Wrong
But the day of Eunseo’s birthday, in the car, he’d seen pictures of his father with a strange woman. They were all over the internet. Who was she? He’d panicked that day. And then he’d done something he regretted his whole life- he’d told his mother. His mother had lost her mind over the affair. Once incredibly beautiful, she reduced herself to a shell of her old self. She began accusing her son, mistreating him, and throwing fits.
When Sihwa- confused and scared- left home in the need to escape, dark times got darker. His mother passed away, and he was blamed for her death. He began to believe it. If he hadn’t left her, if he hadn’t told her, none of it would’ve happened. He descended into a crevice of negative thoughts, a hole he couldn’t climb out of, a dark cave he’d lost himself in… until he ran into Eunseo again.
She hadn’t changed. The optimistic girl Sihwa had once known was as bubbly and enthusiastic as ever. He knew she liked him. He always had. But as he began spending more time with her, he realized that he liked her too. Leaning over the sink after kissing Eunseo, Sihwa thinks, ‘This is dangerous,’ concluding In Between Chapter 49.
In Between Chapter 50: It’s Official, They’re Dating
In Between Chapter 50 begins as Eunseo reads Hyeon’s text. Before she can reply, Sihwa knocks on her door and reminds her that she was late for college. She rushes out, trying to ignore him because of the night before. But Sihwa catches her before she can leave. He blatantly asks her if they were dating, making her flustered and dazed. He leans in, Eunseo expects a kiss, and hugs her tightly. When she fidgets with her shirt, he tells her to hug him properly. ‘I’m so happy,’ is all Eunseo can think.
Sihwa drops Eunseo off at class and tells her that they’ll go on a date after. After he leaves, she watches him with stars in her eyes. Haerang, observant as ever, immediately guesses what had happened. She immediately begins planning club meetings around her new relationship.
That evening, Sihwa picks Eunseo up in a fancy rental. She uneasily glances around; it didn’t seem like him to do this. Suddenly, she notices luggage in the corner- they were going on an overnight trip!? Despite her doubts, she lets Sihwa drive her to their weekend getaway. When the car stops, she steps out into a grassy camp field. Sihwa holds out his hand to her with a knowing smile- I know you like it!– concluding In Between Chapter 50.
In Between Chapter 51: A New Kind of Craving
In Between Chapter 51, Haerang reads the group chat messages of her gym club. No one knew where Hyeon was. She remembers Eunseo’s expression the day before; she was completely love-struck. She wonders if she should tell Hyeon about her and Sihwa. But when she notices Yu-an in the distance, all is forgotten, and she sprints to meet him. Meanwhile, Eunseo and Sihwa go grocery shopping for dinner. Sihwa skips over the alcohol section, unwilling to let Eunseo get drunk again, and explains that he couldn’t hold his liquor either.
As Sihwa grills steak for them, he accidentally burns himself. When Eunseo moves to see, Sihwa starts to lean in. Eunseo misunderstands, thinking he was going to kiss her, but he blows on her forehead. He teasingly smiles at her flustered expression. And mid-sentence, kisses her. Later, they sit by the fire. Sihwa talks about ‘craving contact’ and hugs Eunseo on the ground. Hearts beat faster, cheeks turn pinker, as they lean in closer to each other. Finally, Sihwa asks her to kiss him. But when Eunseo hesitates for too long, he impatiently does it anyway. In Between Chapter 51 concludes as he warns, “Time’s up.’
In Between Chapter 52: In the Trenches of Her Mind
In Between Chapter 52 begins as Eunseo and Sihwa make out in the back of his car on their camping trip. As things begin heating up, Sihwa pushes her away, saying, “The outdoors is not ideal for this.” In her embarrassment, Eunseo accidentally presses against him, humiliating her further.
The next day, she reels from the heat of the camping trip. Still flustered, she realizes that they were going too fast. ‘At this rate, we might go all the way!’ she thinks, turning a deep shade of scarlet. She decides to keep a distance from him. But when he calls her- while living in the same house- and asks to come over to her room, that plan reduces to dust. Eunseo compromises and allows him to meet her in no man’s land- the living room.
Since Eunseo insists on keeping her distance, Sihwa tentatively asks to hold her hand. When he entwines their fingers, he suddenly pulls her towards him (what a sly fox). With a bump, Eunseo lands on his lap. With no fuel left to power an argument, she agrees to watch the television with him. But as a show runs in the background, Eunseo can’t get him out of her mind. She keeps glancing at him. In Between Chapter 52 concludes as Sihwa catches her looking and, in classic Sihwa-style, confronts her about it.
In Between Chapter 53: Sneak Peek at the Inside
In Between Chapter 53 begins as Sihwa tells a defiant Eunseo that she peeked at him around twenty-six times (was he seriously counting?!). He keeps teasing her, while she- red as a tomato- keeps denying all the accusations. Finally, he drops the playful tone and says suggestively, “I can show you.”
Eunseo flusters and tries to make sense of his words. Meanwhile, Sihwa reads her mind perfectly. He leans in and whispers into her ear, “Should we go inside?” Inside Eunseo’s room, Sihwa begins peppering her with kisses. ‘I can’t wait,’ she thinks, as his every touch leaves a trail of hot fire in its wake. They stumble flat onto Eunseo’s bed, still kissing, and Sihwa gently slides the clip out of her hair, concluding In Between Chapter 53.
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