Chapter 153

I sneaked out to the terrace, avoiding others.

The heating must be good because it’s warm even here.

The glass-covered terrace is thankfully warm too.

‘The view of the city is clear.’

Looking at the scenery outside, my head cooled down a bit.

‘Everyone’s overreacting.’

It’s not usually like this, but maybe it’s because there are so many people.

Thinking of the three who have become more aggressive than before, I let out a faint sigh.

It was agreed upon by everyone, but it seems it will take more time to adjust.

“Brother Ha-chan?”

At that moment, a pleasant voice called out.

When I turned my head, Ggotbi was standing there.

Wearing a pink bikini, her fair skin was fully exposed.

For a moment, I wondered if it was okay for me to see her like this.

“Ggotbi, I thought you disappeared. You were here?”

“Ah, just a moment, I got a call.”

She smiled at my question, glanced around, and took a step closer.

“Brother Ha-chan, did you come out to rest too?”

“Yeah, playing is fun, but the kids are a bit too much.”

“…Ah, all three of them really like you.”

Ggotbi said that and laughed weakly.

Because of that, I remembered what Ayu had said earlier.

“Hey, Ggotbi.”

When I called her, Ggotbi turned to look at me.

I hesitated for a moment, then carefully opened my mouth.

“How’s the self-suggestion thing lately? Are you okay?”

“I’ve gotten much better. I’m perfectly fine right now.”

Today, Ggotbi seemed to be without her self-suggestion.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

“What did I do?”

All I did was talk to her on the phone a few times.

I’m not a professional counselor, just someone who listens to her daily stories.

“Brother, you shouldn’t say that.”

At that moment, under the starlight, Ggotbi looked at me with clear eyes.

“What you did for me isn’t something just anyone can do.”

Ggotbi’s eyes were filled with sincerity.

“Even the Blackstar members can’t listen to my stories every day like you do. They might be okay the first few times, but eventually, they’ll show signs of dislike.”

“That’s…”

“People who deliberately use their time to help others are rare in this world, brother. And those who do it sincerely are even rarer.”

Saying that, Ggotbi had somehow come closer to me.

Maybe because of the bikini, her white skin was flushed red, clearly visible.

When I quickly looked up, Ggotbi’s pink eyes met mine.

“I’m truly grateful to you, Brother Ha-chan. So please don’t say that.”

“Sorry, I misspoke.”

When I admitted my mistake, Ggotbi smiled faintly.

Then, as if realizing she had come too close, her face turned bright red, and she stepped back in panic.

“Ah!”

At that moment, Ggotbi stumbled as if she had missed her footing.

In panic, I quickly grabbed her waist to prevent her from falling.

I sighed in relief that Ggotbi didn’t fall.

Come to think of it, something like this happened before too.

When I looked down at Ggotbi, I could feel her slim, soft waist and her above-average body temperature.

Startled, I tried to step back, but I met Ggotbi’s hazy eyes.

A quiet silence passed between us.

Her peach-colored hair, faintly glowing under the moonlight, and her eyes were clearly visible to me.

Lately, I’ve been loved by many people.

Even I couldn’t miss this.

“…Brother Ha-chan, I’ve been doing something wrong to Ayu.”

Ggotbi’s eyes filled with tears as if she had reached her limit.

“Ayu, who helped me along with you, is a precious friend to me. I know I shouldn’t do this, but my heart won’t listen.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I think I like you, brother. Even though I know Ayu and you are in that kind of relationship, I still like Brother Ha-chan.”

Ggotbi cried as if she had finally let it out.

“I kept thinking about you the whole time during the performance. No matter how much I worked, I kept waiting for your call.”

“…Ggotbi.”

“I’m a bad person, right? Falling for my friend’s boyfriend.”

Ggotbi blamed herself and felt guilty.

“Despite that, I couldn’t hold back and ended up confessing. Really, I’m such a fool.”

“Ggotbi, you’re not a fool. Don’t say that.”

I couldn’t find the right words to say to the pitifully trembling Ggotbi.

“No. Even now, my heart is racing on its own. I’m scared and afraid that you might distance yourself because of this.”

“Why would I distance myself from you? That will never happen.”

Ggotbi closed her tear-filled eyes, her eyelids trembling.

“…It’s because I still like you even now, listening to you. I don’t even know myself anymore.”

Ggotbi’s confused state seemed worse than when her self-suggestion had just worn off.

Ggotbi had lost everything in the world she was swept into through dimensional movement.

Even after returning, she used self-suggestion to escape into work, repeating it until she was pushed to her limits.

Ayu and I happened to meet her and helped her, but her inner scars might not have fully healed.

And in the midst of that, she found some solace in talking to me, who knew her situation well.

That solace turned into affection.

If I were to reject Ggotbi’s feelings and push her away now, what would happen?

I didn’t need to think long.

Ggotbi would break.

“Ayu, the Association President, and even that Si-ho girl, I know they all have deep relationships with you.”

She said that and let out a long sigh.

“Even if not as much as those three, can’t I be one too?”

When Ggotbi asked me with desperate eyes, I was at a loss for words.

Ggotbi’s tearful eyes and mine met for a while.

At that moment, I realized why Baeksan had told me to date them all if I wanted to.

Because I had seen what would happen to Ggotbi if I rejected her.

Returners are strong yet weak.

Having worn down so much mentally, they cling to any place of solace they find.

To Ggotbi, I had become that person.

“Just a little, could you give me a little more time to think?”

When I asked Ggotbi, she slowly pulled away from me.

“…I’m sorry. I was too greedy.”

Hearing her words, I reached out and stroked Ggotbi’s hair.

“I’m the one who’s sorry for not realizing sooner.”

Ggotbi must have been hiding it, but there were times I noticed.

When I said that, Ggotbi shook her head.

“It’s okay. I was being selfish.”

Saying that, Ggotbi took a step back and turned around.

“Please forget about today.”

And then Ggotbi ran away as if fleeing.

I couldn’t bring myself to stop her, and as I clenched my fist, I felt a presence behind me.

“So it came to this.”

There was Ayu.

Ayu walked over, looked in the direction Ggotbi had gone, and then looked at me.

“Brother Domi.”

“Yeah.”

When I hesitated to answer, Ayu, who was looking at me, let out a small sigh.

“Haa, well, yeah, what could our Brother Domi have done wrong?”

Then Ayu came closer and hugged my arm.

“Being so foolishly kind. You do everything sincerely, so the vulnerable Returners all get attached.”

“I’m not that kind.”

“Kind people never realize they’re kind.”

Saying that, Ayu leaned her head against my arm.

“It’s my fault for falling for you first. Whatever. I’ll allow it. I don’t want to see our Yoo Ah suffering like that anymore.”

Then Ayu looked up at me.

“But still, what matters most is your heart.”

Ayu, who prioritized my feelings, smiled at me.

Seeing Ayu like that, I could only stroke her head.

“And I want to talk to Yoo Ah too.”

That was something I couldn’t intervene in, so I could only nod silently.