Chapter 21

“What’s this in your pocket?”

An intuition that removing the cast wouldn’t increase the distance between them.

On the contrary, it might even bring them closer.

Hyun Woo’s prediction became reality.

“Can we sleep separately now?”

“I’m still scared to sleep alone….”

“How old are you? Still scared because of horror movies?”

“No. I’m scared because you’re not by my side….”

Just as Chae Ah was about to start using a separate room,

she muttered with all the gloominess in the world.

“Still, there’s nothing we can do about it…. Haven’t I been too much trouble? Sorry.”

“No, you haven’t been troublesome.”

Embarrassed, Hyun Woo scratched the back of his head and then—

Click.

He walked over confidently and turned off the light.

In the pitch-black room where nothing could be seen:

“…Are you asking me to leave?”

“Just stay still.”

Hyun Woo approached the sound of her melancholic voice and lay down beside her,

just like he had been doing since the accident.

As he pulled the blanket over them,

“Are you staying by my side?”

“Why? Don’t you want me to?”

“No, I don’t mind at all!”

Fearing that Hyun Woo’s feelings might change,

Slap.

Chae Ah clung to him like a cicada, wrapping not only her arms but also her legs around him.

“Can you let go of this part?”

Hyun Woo said quietly, feeling awkward.

Her soft skin covered his entire body,

and a pleasant scent filled his nostrils, one that suited the term “soft” perfectly.

In this position, any healthy teenage boy would inevitably awaken another self.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Yeah. It’s too hot like this; how am I supposed to sleep?”

“Alright….”

No matter how deflated Chae Ah seemed, she couldn’t fall asleep like this.

She reluctantly loosened her grip but tightly hugged Hyun Woo’s arm instead.

“Is this okay?”

“This much is… fine.”

This wasn’t any different from before the cast came off.

Sleeping on the same bed,

offering one arm as a makeshift body pillow—

the only difference now was that there was no longer a reason for them to be like this.

Before, he could’ve used the excuse of helping her in the mornings,

but now the only reason left was simply “because we want to sleep together.”

“Hyun Woo.”

“What?”

“Thanks for humoring me.”

“It’s lucky you know it’s a hassle.”

He deliberately spoke curtly,

Pfft.

A sudden soft touch brushed against his cheek.

Without giving him time to ask what it was,

“Because I’m thankful… Hehe….”

Chae Ah whispered with a smile close to his ear.

Hyun Woo closed his eyes tightly.

‘You really need to regain your memory.’

There was no way she kissed him out of gratitude while being completely unaware of what it meant.

While vowing to repay her tenfold if she ever regained her memory,

Hyun Woo abruptly sat up.

“Go to sleep first.”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“Bathroom.”

There was no way he’d be able to fall asleep like this.

Hyun Woo escaped the room like he was fleeing and took care of his rising libido.

* * *

Their physical proximity wasn’t the only thing malfunctioning in their relationship.

Even though Chae Ah needed less help with daily tasks now,

she continued to make things difficult for Hyun Woo.

For example, there was no longer a need for him to dress her,

“Hyun Woo, can you fasten this for me?”

“Your hands work perfectly fine, so why come to me?”

“It doesn’t reach well. Maybe my chest has grown bigger because I’ve been eating and sitting around?”

“People usually don’t just gain weight in one spot….”

She often ran to Hyun Woo claiming she couldn’t hook her bra properly.

Indeed,

Hyun Woo still found himself in the predicament of seeing Chae Ah’s enormous assets every morning,

even when she was in her underwear.

“Even if that’s true, I’m still a guy. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Nope, you’re fine.”

Unknowingly biting his lip,

Hyun Woo thought,

‘What does she mean by “fine”? Does she not see me as a guy? Is it because we’re childhood friends?’

Before he could sort through his confused thoughts,

“I really can’t reach it, so please help me, alright? I’m begging you.”

Chae Ah shook his body and threw a tantrum.

With her heavy assets swaying along, it felt like a visual assault.

“Alright, alright, turn around.”

Blushing, Hyun Woo quickly spun her around.

Chae Ah obediently revealed her pale back and waited quietly.

Click.

Hyun Woo effortlessly fastened the hook.

‘Is it normal for childhood friends to get used to things like this?’

He repeated a thought he’d probably pondered countless times already.

“Do you want to go shopping for lingerie together sometime?”

“What the hell… No, why would I go with you?”

He almost blurted out something harsh.

“If you don’t want to go alone, you can always go with Eun Bi.”

“Umm… I’m still too embarrassed to show her yet.”

“Then what about me?”

After hesitating for a beat due to the absurdity of the situation,

“You’re fine. We see each other every day anyway.”

Chae Ah shrugged nonchalantly.

“Besides, I’ll only be showing you anyway, so it’s fine if you pick them out….”

“Quiet. Be quiet. Hurry up and get dressed and let’s go. We’ll be late if we keep this up.”

“But we still have some time before our appointment?”

“Tch. Just hurry up and get dressed.”

Interrupting her abruptly, Hyun Woo stormed out of the room.

“I’ll wait outside, so hurry up…!”

Click.

As Chae Ah hastily changed clothes, he closed the door behind her,

then slid down to the floor while hearing the fabric brush against the door.

‘How is picking out lingerie even considered normal among childhood friends…?’

Hyun Woo sighed deeply, unsure where everything had gone wrong.

His sense of rationality felt like it was about to snap under the weight of their everyday life.

* * *

After many twists and turns, Hyun Woo and Chae Ah finally stepped outside.

Today was exactly three weeks before the midterm exams, a weekend.

“Eun Bi, Jin Hyuk!”

“Are you here?”

“Yo.”

After studying at the library,

they were planning to go cherry blossom viewing.

With fully healed legs, Chae Ah dashed toward them cheerfully.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“No, we just got here too.”

“We were a little late because Hyun Woo didn’t help me with my bra….”

“Is that my fault?”

Hyun Woo, who arrived later, grabbed Chae Ah’s cheeks and stretched them.

‘And whose fault do you think this madness is?!’

Chae Ah screamed in pain.

“Aaaah… Stop it, seriously stop it…!”

“Say that again… or say something like that outside, and I’ll send you back home.”

“I’m sorry….”

Despite apologizing repeatedly,

Hyun Woo kept stretching her cheeks longer and longer.

Partly because it annoyed him that she unconsciously tempted him,

but mostly because the sensation of her cheeks stretching like cheese was addictive.

‘I should use this as a countermeasure more often.’

He decided to adopt the cheek-stretching technique moving forward.

“Are we done? Let’s go inside.”

“Since we’re not just here to study, we should start soon.”

Only after Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk interjected did

Chae Ah manage to escape Hyun Woo’s grasp.

“Oww… That really hurt….”

“Of course it hurt; that’s why I pulled it.”

Holding her red cheeks, Chae Ah entered the library,

while Hyun Woo pretended to be indifferent,

only to eventually stroke her cheeks gently and ask if they still hurt.

Whoosh.

The automatic doors opened,

and as the two entered,

Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk watched from behind,

“Are you guys insane?!”

Eun Bi’s cheeks turned bright red.

Coming late because Hyun Woo didn’t help her with her bra,

and then saying it so casually in public!

“Isn’t it obvious we don’t need to help them anymore? At this rate, they’ll probably have kids before graduation.”

“That… shouldn’t happen unless they’re dating!”

Though momentarily swayed by Jin Hyuk’s words,

Eun Bi quickly regained her composure.

“It’s fortunate if it happens after graduation. At this rate, they’ll probably cause an accident soon….”

“Hyun Woo seems to have genuine feelings for her.”

“Exactly. Let’s hurry and set them up. For the sake of your friend.”

“Got it, got it.”

Recalling the purpose of today’s gathering, Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk followed into the library.

* * *

Hyun Woo and Chae Ah,

as well as Jin Hyuk and Eun Bi, gathered at 9 AM.

By 10 AM, exactly an hour after starting their study session:

“Ghh….”

“Hmm?”

“…When did I fall asleep?”

Eun Bi lifted her head from the desk.

“You fell asleep five minutes after opening your book.”

“Ugh….”

Hyun Woo and Chae Ah nodded in agreement with Jin Hyuk’s statement.

‘This is why I wanted to skip studying and just go to the cherry blossom festival.’

Eun Bi stretched her arms wide,

thinking that studying clearly wasn’t her forte.

While loosening her stiff body,

she nudged Jin Hyuk’s shin with her foot as he played with a gacha machine.

“Why aren’t you studying?”

“I’ll take a break after finishing these.”

Jin Hyuk flipped open his covered workbook to show her.

Whether it suited his appearance or not,

it was filled with mostly red circles, indicating excellent results.

“Tch. Looks like I’m the only one who can’t study here.”

“Not just here. You’re at the bottom of the class too, huh….”

Jin Hyuk barely managed to hold back his laughter,

as Eun Bi firmly stepped on his foot.

“Hey, so you’re not planning to study now, right? Then let’s go grab some fresh air.”

“Impossible. I’m in the middle of a stage.”

“You can do it outside too. I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Let’s go.”

“You little….”

Jin Hyuk immediately sprang up,

ready to dash out at any moment.

‘We just wanted to have a quick meeting, but this guy has no tact.’

Eun Bi glared at Jin Hyuk briefly before turning her gaze to Chae Ah.

“We’re going to grab some fresh air and buy drinks. What would you like?”

“Hmm, Pocari Sweat?”

“How about you, Do Hyun Woo?”

“Same for me.”

Chae Ah and Hyun Woo answered without pausing their problem-solving.

Impressed by their focus, Eun Bi shook her head and stood up.

“Alright, nerds. I’ll be right back.”

Whoosh.

With that, Eun Bi and Jin Hyuk passed through the automatic doors and exited the library.

“Phew! Hyun Woo, I got them all right.”

After finishing all the problems and grading herself,

Chae Ah whispered to Hyun Woo.

Even if she had done this before losing her memory, it was still an impressive achievement.

“That’s great.”

Hyun Woo replied absentmindedly, still engrossed in solving his own problems.

He thought it was natural for Chae Ah to excel in studies,

so he didn’t pay much attention.

Lacking the ability to read Hyun Woo’s inner thoughts,

Chae Ah puffed her cheeks slightly.

“How about we go grab some fresh air?”

“Are you feeling suffocated?”

“Yeah, now that the cast is off, I feel like walking a bit.”

“Let me finish this problem set, and we’ll go.”

“How many are left?”

“100.”

…

If they finished all of those, they’d have to move on to cherry blossom viewing instead of taking a walk.

Eager to leave, Chae Ah slipped off her shoes and nudged Hyun Woo’s leg.

“You won’t finish 100 problems anytime soon. Let’s take a break, alright?”

“If you’re bored, you can do some other studying.”

“Woo-hoo. Do Hyun Woo, guarantee Chae Ah her right to rest!”

When Chae Ah booed lightly,

Hyun Woo chuckled.

“When have I ever stopped you from resting?”

“I want to go out with you, but you refuse.”

“Let’s go after I finish 100 problems.”

“Pfft. Go ahead and try. I’ll bother you.”

Tsk.

Chae Ah placed her foot on Hyun Woo’s thigh.

Although Hyun Woo flinched for a moment,

compared to what had happened at home, this was nothing.

“Do whatever you want.”

Ignoring her blatantly, he moved his pen again.

“Tch, tch.”

Chae Ah began wiggling her foot more vigorously.

The warm foot moving on his thigh was tolerable,

but as it gradually moved toward the center, it became impossible to ignore.

“…Hold on.”

Sensing the impending danger, Hyun Woo reached down and grabbed Chae Ah’s foot.

“What? Did you decide to play with me?”

“No, it’s not that….”

“If it’s not that, I’ll keep bothering you. Tch.”

However, Chae Ah failed to notice the discomfort reflected on Hyun Woo’s face,

and ended up slipping her foot directly between his legs.

Had she kicked forcefully, Hyun Woo might’ve pushed her foot away earlier,

but since she was teasing him with gentle pressure,

he was caught off guard in his moment of relaxation.

“Huh? What’s this in your pocket?”

As Chae Ah innocently tilted her head upon noticing something obstructive,

Hyun Woo leaned back as far as possible while muttering,

“It’s… not a pocket.”

“Huh?”

“Does a pocket belong in the middle?”

Unconsciously pressing harder to figure out what it was,

Chae Ah finally realized what it was.

“…Ah.”

Her face lit up like it was on fire.