Chapter 12

“You should pay double the taxes.”

There was no reason to explain there.

Neither time to explain, so it was ambiguous.

Hyun Woo escaped and headed straight for the infirmary.

“Phewh. Really? You were hugging in front of everyone?”

The nurse, having just heard what happened, couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Why don’t you check on Chae Ah?”

“…Alright, alright.”

She didn’t even seem to try to contain her amusement.

“Really, you two are so cute. Chae Ah, are you feeling a little better now?”

“Yes….”

Chae Ah hadn’t received any particular treatment since coming to the infirmary; she had merely lain down on the bed for a while.

“Hmm? I didn’t do anything at all.”

When Hyun Woo turned around, the nurse gave him a sly grin.

“Isn’t it clear that everything healed thanks to the power of love?”

Hyun Woo’s ears turned bright red at the mischievous choice of words.

“Stop joking around and take a proper look.”

Though he tried to frown, the nurse’s words didn’t seem entirely wrong.

‘It got better because I hugged her, right?’

The nurse, who had been letting her lips curl up freely for a while, tapped her desk and adopted a serious tone.

Cough.

“Putting jokes aside, there really isn’t much I can do here.”

“Should we go to a big hospital?”

“Well… Honestly, even going to the hospital wouldn’t make much difference. You said she’s been taking her medicine regularly, right?”

“Yes.”

The nurse shook her head.

“Then there’s really nothing more to be done. The headaches are likely psychological in nature.”

“So this is how it will continue?”

“I think it’ll get better gradually, but for the time being, it might still be tough.”

Hyun Woo clenched his fists tightly.

Without knowing the exact cause of the headaches, prevention was impossible.

Does that mean he really has to keep hugging her tightly every time to calm her down?

What kind of symptom is this in the world…?

“In my opinion, the more Hyun Woo hugs her, the better she’ll get.”

“…”

“Don’t glare at me like that. Psychological issues need psychological treatment.”

The nurse’s logic went as follows:

For some reason, Chae Ah finds deep comfort in Hyun Woo’s embrace.

Hugging her often would help reduce her usual anxiety levels.

Yes.

Hyun Woo wasn’t glaring because he disagreed.

“Even though I’ve already hugged her a lot?”

“What?”

Embarrassed to say it out loud, Hyun Woo whispered,

“…We hug every day without fail, and yet it’s like this.”

“That’s true, Teacher. We hug tightly every day…”

As Chae Ah lying on the bed agreed,

“Oh my goodness.”

The nurse covered her mouth and alternated glances between Hyun Woo and Chae Ah with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Zap—

Hyun Woo glared at her.

Cough.

Though she attempted to regain her composure,

“Maybe the fact that you hug her every day is why it stops here. If you were apart, her headaches would occur much more frequently. In severe cases, she might even collapse.”

“…”

“Hyun Woo, I have no reason to lie about something like this.”

“…Right.”

Perhaps because his own romantic life hadn’t gone well so far, Hyun Woo unconsciously suspected the nurse, who liked pairing students together.

Unaware that Hyun Woo was thinking rudely,

The nurse stood up from her seat.

“Lunch break is almost over. What do you want to do? Can you go back to class? Or do you want to lie down for an hour and then go?”

“Ugh… No, I can get up.”

Chae Ah sat up, clutching her head.

Although her head still throbbed slightly, it wasn’t bad enough to stay in bed, and she didn’t want to be separated from Hyun Woo by attending class alone.

“If you’re okay… Both of you can go. Come back anytime if you want to rest for a bit. Chae Ah, I’ll keep an eye on you specially.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After bowing their heads, they left the infirmary.

Chae Ah squeezed Hyun Woo’s hand tightly.

“Hyun Woo, can you stop by the restroom before going to the classroom?”

“I’ll take you until right outside.”

“Thank you, Hyun Woo. It won’t be trouble, righ—”

Before Chae Ah could finish her sentence,

“Wait a moment, Do Hyun Woo. I’ll take her.”

Eun Bi suddenly appeared from somewhere.

“You startled me!”

Hyun Woo, not expecting a jump scare in real life, grabbed his chest and asked,

“Where did you come from?”

“I was waiting in front of the infirmary.”

Eun Bi’s face was filled with worry.

“Is Chae Ah okay?”

“Uh, she’s fine. She didn’t receive any specific treatment. She just lay down for a bit and came out.”

“Phew… Alright. I’ll take Chae Ah. You go ahead, Do Hyun Woo.”

Hyun Woo looked at Eun Bi for a moment,

“Can you go with Eun Bi? I’ll wait here. Go ahead and come back.”

He handed Chae Ah’s hand over to Eun Bi.

‘What’s with that serious expression?’

It seemed like she had a lot she wanted to say to Chae Ah.

Hyun Woo stepped aside.

* * *

Shhh—

After Chae Ah took care of her business in the restroom,

as she came out to wash her hands,

“Are you really okay?”

“Huh? You startled me.”

Eun Bi approached Chae Ah with a still worried expression.

Though she seemed fine now,

the sight of her at the gymnasium lingered in Eun Bi’s mind.

‘I only heard rumors about the accident. So this is the aftermath.’

Chae Ah clinging to Hyun Woo, her face pale and trembling violently, was a scene that couldn’t help but concern a close friend.

“You really don’t need to worry. Hugging Hyun Woo makes me feel better.”

“O-oh. That’s good, but…”

Eun Bi seized the opportunity to ask directly,

“What exactly is your relationship?”

“…?”

Confused by the question, Chae Ah tilted her head.

It wasn’t as if Eun Bi didn’t know they were childhood friends.

“Sorry, I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“Do childhood friends usually hug each other like that…!”

Eun Bi anxiously thumped her chest.

Chae Ah thought about Eun Bi’s reaction again.

“…Everyone else does too?”

“No one does!”

The strong reaction made Chae Ah raise an eyebrow.

“Do you have childhood friends, Eun Bi?”

“…No? Why are you asking that?”

“So you don’t know, right? Childhood friends do that kind of thing often.”

“…”

Eun Bi was speechless, unable to speak as her common sense shattered.

‘Could it be… Am I trapped in a narrow-minded perspective?’

For a moment, Chae Ah’s confident statement almost convinced her,

-Eun Bi, Eun Bi. What does Hyun Woo like?

-Huh? Why does he like?

-I can’t stand being just childhood friends anymore. Help me, Eun Bi!

Before losing her memory, Chae Ah had definitely consulted Eun Bi about romance.

How could she act like mere childhood friends after that!

How could she uncover the true feelings of the past Chae Ah?

Her contemplation didn’t last long.

“Isn’t it a little strange for childhood friends to live together? Even if cohabitation is possible, changing clothes for each other is really not normal, right?”

Chae Ah herself was creating discomfort.

This was Eun Bi’s strategy.

“Um. It’s an unavoidable situation now. I feel sorry for Hyun Woo.”

However, Chae Ah scratched her cheek and smiled wryly.

‘G-guess. Since I have a cast, that part is understandable. But…!’

She couldn’t retreat here; not when she had promised her best friend before losing her memory.

Eun Bi threw another question.

“Does Do Hyun Woo wake you up in your room every morning? I heard you got scolded for oversleeping earlier.”

“No, I do have my own room, but I just sleep in Hyun Woo’s bed.”

“…What?”

Swish, swish.

Eun Bi glanced around, even though she knew no one was there.

If someone heard, it would surely lead to scandalous rumors.

Squeak-

After thoroughly checking that no one was hiding in the toilet stalls,

“D-d-do you really sleep in the same bed?!”

She exclaimed in shock, grabbing Chae Ah’s arm.

Eun Bi, 19 years old,

knew very well that “sleeping” could mean more than just sleeping.

‘Could it be…? Unless he’s asexual, how could he sleep with Chae Ah and…?’

“Because I can’t sleep without Hyun Woo nearby, I hug his arm while sleeping.”

“He’s normal…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, absolutely nothing!”

Eun Bi waved her arms frantically, having accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud.

At the moment, there was something more important than doubting the sexual function of her best friend’s potential boyfriend.

“Anyway. While living like this, are you both still ‘childhood friends’?”

She didn’t want to ask directly, but

it seemed Chae Ah would never understand unless she spoke plainly.

“If Do Hyun Woo confesses first, would you still want to remain childhood friends?”

“…Huh?”

After a long pause, Chae Ah finally reacted.

Her face grew increasingly red,

Pufff—

Steam seemed to rise from her head.

“Uh, t-that… Hmm…”

As expected, Chae Ah broke down and started babbling aimlessly.

Having confirmed her reaction, Eun Bi patted Chae Ah’s shoulder lightly.

“I said something unnecessary. Just forget it, Chae Ah.”

At the same time, she resigned herself inwardly.

‘Maybe it’s better to have kids while remaining childhood friends.’

Changing perspectives might be faster than changing the situation…

* * *

While Chae Ah and Eun Bi were at the restroom,

Hyun Woo returned to the classroom first.

Though he clearly thought it would be awkward to stick closely beside her,

“…Hmm.”

Just a brief separation made his side feel strangely empty.

Feeling uneasy, he sat down in his seat.

“What’s up? Why did you come alone? Is Yu Chae Ah still in the infirmary?”

Jin Hyuk glanced at Hyun Woo curiously.

“No. She’s going to the restroom with Jung Eun Bi.”

“Is it okay for her to attend class? She looked pretty bad earlier.”

Hyun Woo hesitated for a moment but then lowered his voice and replied,

“Yeah. She got better after I hugged her.”

“…”

“It’s true, so don’t look at me like I’m crazy.”

“Hmm…”

Jin Hyuk simply stared silently, but

his piercing gaze was unbearable.

“It’s true, I tell you.”

“Hyun Woo. I don’t know what you’re hiding―”

“Even my late father is involved.”

“Suddenly bringing up your dad? Alright. I believe you, believe you already, crazy guy.”

Mentioning his father, whom he rarely ever brought up, Jin Hyuk decided that Hyun Woo must be telling the truth.

“But why did you develop such a weird gimmick?”

Jin Hyuk phrased it like a hardcore otaku gamer.

‘Not exactly wrong.’

Of course, it did sound gimmicky that hugging Hyun Woo solved everything. He wasn’t some game saint, after all.

“I don’t know. It started on the day of the accident. Ever since then, our distance has become way too close, driving me insane.”

Taking the opportunity to vent his recent troubles,

Hyun Woo poured out his complaints:

Living together with Chae Ah, she clung too much, making things difficult. Every time she didn’t dress properly, he struggled to suppress his urges. During sleep, she insisted on staying close, making it impossible to leave her alone…

Complaining endlessly, Hyun Woo failed to notice

that Jin Hyuk’s expression was becoming increasingly disturbed.

‘Did this guy cozy up with Chae Ah while I was busy collecting goods?’

During the time Jin Hyuk spent hunting expensive collaboration foods to collect photo cards,

his friend had progressed beyond cohabitation to sharing a bed with the school’s most beautiful childhood friend.

Even if Jin Hyuk was a genuine otaku with little interest in real-life women,

he couldn’t help but feel a peculiar sensation hearing these confessions face-to-face.

“So lately, I can’t even separate myself from her…”

“Do Hyun Woo.”

“Huh?”

Jin Hyuk interrupted Hyun Woo mid-sentence.

As a friend, the only thing he could say was,

“You deceitful bastard. You should pay double the taxes.”

Swallowing his envy, that was all he could muster.