Chapter 23

Chapter 23. Was my face really not visible like this before?

If Eun Bi heard this, she’d probably grab me by the collar.

Hyun Woo and Chae Ah pride themselves on being quick to pick up on things.

Though they did end up in an accident after almost six years of cautiously observing each other’s feelings.

It wasn’t entirely baseless though.

“Didn’t I say it? Eun Bi liking Jin Hyuk is true, isn’t it?”

“…It does seem that way.”

Pretending to know nothing as they walked ahead,

they were keeping an eye on Jin Hyuk and Eun Bi who were following behind.

“Oh my goodness.”

When Jin Hyuk removed a flower petal from Eun Bi’s hair, an exclamation of surprise escaped their lips.

They had already sensed something unusual about the energy between the two,

but they hadn’t expected such a sweet atmosphere just because they came to see cherry blossoms.

“Surprisingly, Eun Bi is quite timid too. She could just ask for help.”

“Is she timid?”

Hyun Woo looked at her incredulously,

and Chae Ah glanced back slyly with a cute smile.

“She originally wanted to come with Jin Hyuk, but it was obvious she lacked the courage, so subtly suggested we all come, didn’t she?”

“…Now that you mention it, that does sound right.”

Even though it had nothing to do with reality,

Hyun Woo completely fell for her confident assertion.

“So let’s help her. Let’s help Eun Bi get closer to Jin Hyuk!”

“Uh… We can only help if Jin Hyuk feels the same way.”

A sidelong glance.

Hyun Woo briefly turned around to check behind them.

Eun Bi’s flushed face clearly showed interest,

but Jin Hyuk was walking as stoic as ever.

The only difference was that instead of burying his head in his phone,

he was actually looking at the cherry blossoms.

“No matter how I look at it, Jin Hyuk doesn’t seem interested.”

“Heh. If he doesn’t have interest, then we’ll make him have some.”

Chae Ah grinned wickedly, like a villain hatching a sinister plan.

Even though they were far enough away that Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk wouldn’t hear,

she leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially.

“Did you know Eun Bi has been modeling for Jin Hyuk’s art recently?”

“I heard about that before. Is she really doing it?”

“Of course! Honestly, Eun Bi doesn’t seem like someone who’s vain about her looks, but since Jin Hyuk is modeling for her…

Heh-heh-heh.”

Honestly, if you didn’t know Eun Bi’s plans, this was the only conclusion you could draw.

Normally, they bickered, and sometimes even showed contempt for each other,

but suddenly becoming close enough to visit the art room together for private time…

anyone would think they liked each other, wouldn’t they?

“Hyun Woo, do you know Jin Hyuk’s favorite character?”

“Favorite… I’m not sure, but I do know.”

Although Jin Hyuk had gone through more than ten character choices over the years,

Hyun Woo nodded anyway.

“If Eun Bi dresses up as that character, won’t Jin Hyuk notice her again?”

“Hmm. I understand why you’re thinking that…”

Hyun Woo shook his head.

Having been friends with Jin Hyuk for six years now,

he was certain by now.

“He draws a clear line between reality and 2D, so he’s not particularly drawn to those kinds of things.”

“Ah, meaning his ideal type in real life is different?”

“No. He’s not satisfied with cosplay-like things.”

Jin Hyuk really loves that character,

but he doesn’t like when actual people try to mimic that character.

He just acknowledges it with a ‘pretty well done’ and moves on.

“…”

Chae Ah was momentarily speechless,

realizing Jin Hyuk’s dedication to fictional works was deeper than she thought.

Her lips twitched as she thought,

then her mind started racing again.

“What if Eun Bi goes to a game event with him?”

“He’d probably like that.”

“And what if she plays games with him and follows the same characters?”

“He’d go crazy.”

“Then I should tell Eun Bi to try playing some games.”

This was just Hyun Woo’s guess,

but Jin Hyuk seemed to like women who could share his hobbies deeply.

It’s just not easy…

Ding-

“Just in time, Eun Bi contacted me. She said she’s out of the restroom.”

Though no one was fooled by the lie,

Toddle-toddle,

Chae Ah sent a message pretending to be helpful to her friend.

“I told her I’ll wait here, so keep walking straight. You know we need to pretend not to notice them following, right?”

“Of course.”

During the brief silence while waiting for Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk,

“Hyun Woo.”

“What?”

“I just called.”

“All of a sudden?”

Trying to pass it off as casually admiring the cherry blossoms,

she couldn’t bear the awkward silence in the conversation.

Because…

‘Don’t keep dropping your gaze.’

The large incident at the library earlier kept replaying in her mind.

That’s why she exaggerated her reactions while looking at the cherry blossoms

and went on at length about helping Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk.

Every time there was a pause, the sensation she felt with her foot would resurface,

and the memory that flashed back wouldn’t fade.

The memory that surfaced with unusual clarity was from the first year of middle school.

Puberty had arrived, and while their bodies had grown,

their knowledge of sexuality was still nonexistent.

– Hyun Woo, did you see my candy?

– No, I didn’t.

– That’s strange… I definitely put it here. You didn’t hide it, did you?

– Why would I hide it? If I ate it, I would’ve just said so.

– Hmm, still suspicious.

As usual, Chae Ah was playing at their neighbor’s house,

using the excuse of looking for lost candy to rummage through Hyun Woo’s pockets.

– I don’t have it!

– There’s something in here…

It was summer,

and Hyun Woo’s pants happened to be quite thin.

His pockets were loose,

and his behavior made it seem like he was hiding something.

Before they knew it, Chae Ah’s hand had ventured quite deep.

– What’s this?

– Th-that’s not candy! Quickly, take your hand out!

– Hmm? Tell me what you’re hiding, Do Hyun Woo!

Eventually, the embarrassed Hyun Woo chased Chae Ah away, concluding the memory.

‘Why do these specific memories keep popping up?’

After finding out the truth later, she felt extremely apologetic,

so once it came up, it was hard to forget.

If it were just the memory returning,

it could have been excused as part of their naive childhood—

but the problem was that he unconsciously compared it to what he felt at the library.

‘It wasn’t this big back then, was it?’

The issue was that he couldn’t help but compare it to what he felt at the library.

‘Am I crazy? Really crazy, Yu Chae Ah?’

No matter how much he shook his head, the useless thoughts wouldn’t go away.

“Sorry, did you guys wait long?”

Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk had arrived.

Chae Ah immediately embraced Eun Bi as if flying towards her.

“I missed you, Eun Bi!”

“…We’ve been apart for 15 minutes?”

Though Eun Bi might have been confused,

to Chae Ah, she was practically a savior driving away the lewd thoughts.

* * *

In reality, the cherry blossom festival was nothing more than

admiring the fully bloomed cherry blossoms and taking pictures.

Since that didn’t take long,

it was common to lay down a picnic blanket somewhere suitable

and enjoy lunch while chatting.

The four of them did the same.

Each found their spot and took out the lunches they had prepared.

“Ta-da. How is it?”

“What is it? Did you make it?”

Jin Hyuk marveled at the lunchbox Chae Ah had brought.

Quail eggs and fishcake stir-fry, rolled omelet and seasoned bean sprouts,

a lovingly prepared bacon-wrapped rice ball and octopus-shaped Vienna sausage.

The lunch box was so full of care that it practically screamed love among friends.

“I worked hard on it since this morning.”

“I just bought a convenience store lunch box.”

“I brought a single roll of gimbap.”

Compared to theirs, Jin Hyuk and Eun Bi’s meals suddenly felt inadequate.

Glancing at Hyun Woo, wondering if he had also prepared something similar,

“Why aren’t you taking yours out?”

“? Mine’s right there.”

Hyun Woo pointed to the lunchbox Chae Ah had just taken out.

“How could Yu Chae Ah eat all that alone? We’re eating together, obviously.”

“…So, Childhood Friend made such a thoughtful lunchbox?”

“W-why are you asking that?”

Suddenly, the intense gaze made Hyun Woo flinch involuntarily.

“Someone who plays games with me, sleeps beside me every day,

is ranked among the top beauties in the city,

and even prepares lunch boxes for outings…”

Jin Hyuk muttered like someone possessed, clutching his head,

then shot Hyun Woo a death glare.

“This won’t do, Do Hyun Woo. You need to pay six times the tax. No, ten times… twenty times… thirty times? Maybe even more…”

“Stop spouting nonsense and just eat your food.”

Hyun Woo cut off Jin Hyuk’s sudden activation of the “tax meter.”

Honestly, he acknowledged the effort,

but ‘I deserve it.’

Thinking about all the things he did for Chae Ah when she was in a cast,

this heartfelt lunchbox was more than deserved…

“Here, A-ha, Hyun Woo.”

…But still, this might be going a bit too far.

“I have hands, you know?”

“Still. I fed you before, remember? A-a-h~”

Without even giving Hyun Woo chopsticks,

Chae Ah grabbed a piece of bacon-wrapped rice ball and fed it to him directly.

“Seriously… This is ridiculous…”

Eun Bi’s glare expressed her exasperation,

while Jin Hyuk continued muttering endlessly about taxes skyrocketing beyond fifty times,

making the mealtime slightly uncomfortable.

* * *

“Phew… I’m full.”

“You ate well.”

“How was it? Was it tasty?”

“Very. Your skills haven’t declined.”

“Hehe…”

Despite the glaring stares and unwanted comments,

the lunch Chae Ah prepared was truly delicious beyond expectations.

“Why am I enduring all this luxury?”

“I should’ve brought bleach as dessert.”

Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk were still making a fuss nearby.

Unable to understand why they were acting this way,

Hyun Woo shook his head.

“Hyun Woo, do you want to take a nap?”

“…? That’s random.”

Chae Ah chimed in from the side with another incomprehensible suggestion.

“Well, it’s just… I feel like something will come back to me. Didn’t we do something similar before? Like on a field trip, after eating the lunch I packed…”

“Ah.”

Hearing the explanation, Hyun Woo remembered.

Back in middle school, whenever cherry blossoms bloomed,

they used to come together to admire them.

There was a similar experience.

“That’s right. Taking a short nap outside feels good.”

“Didn’t you always sleep on my lap?”

“…I don’t recall that.”

Actually, he does,

and even now, he doesn’t know why,

but Chae Ah enjoyed using her thighs as a pillow for Hyun Woo.

– Your thighs are too fatty; it’s uncomfortable for my neck.

– …I’ll take that as a compliment. Hurry up, Hyun Woo.

– Isn’t this inconvenient for both of us? Why are you insisting…

– Just do it.

Whenever he tried to nap somewhere,

she forcibly made him lie on her thighs.

“Come on, lie down quickly.”

Just like now, she quickly positioned herself and urged him.

“Do we really have to… at our age?”

“Quickly, quickly. Otherwise, the memory might slip away.”

“Alright, alright.”

Though Hyun Woo tried to refuse,

he eventually gave in and rested his head on Chae Ah’s thighs.

If this would really bring back the memory,

he couldn’t turn it down just because it was embarrassing.

Swish-swish.

Chae Ah naturally began stroking his hair.

“That’s right. I remember now. Your hair was so soft, I always wanted to touch it like this.”

“…So that was the reason.”

Several years later, the mystery of her obsession with thigh pillows was finally solved.

However, Hyun Woo had no time to dwell on that now.

When he was younger, lying on Chae Ah’s lap allowed him to see the sky clearly,

“Umm, wasn’t my face usually more visible?”

“Not really.”

Now, her more developed chest obstructed his view completely, touching his nose.

“…Then I’ll sleep. Wake me up later.”

“Huh? Okay. Sleep well, Hyun Woo.”

Knowing that any response below the waist wouldn’t come,

he forced himself to close his eyes and feigned sleep.

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