Chapter 64

Thud.

Thud.

Footsteps overlapped.

It was because Ha Yun and Hong Seohyun were walking in the same direction while maintaining a delicate distance between them.

In front of them waited a multi-apartment complex located in the Yongsan district.

The awkward silence was occasionally interrupted by the repetitive sound of engines and distant songs, showing off their urban presence. They seemed aware of each other but were pretending not to be, heading home briefly.

“Do you live here, senior?”

“Hm, why…?”

“Why?”

“Uh…?”

“Ah, my words came out wrong. I was surprised without realizing it… ”

Unable to hold back any longer, Ha Yun began hesitantly but quickly apologized.

To be honest, she was a little shocked.

She had lived in this apartment complex her whole life, but due to her unfortunate luck, she didn’t know a single person from her few friends who lived in the same complex.

Naturally, she assumed that would be the case this time too, but she never expected Hong Seohyun to live in the same apartment complex…

“So, you live here?”

“Why…?”

“I live this way…”

Strangely, their apartments were very close to each other.

No, this was practically the same area.

While Ha Yun lived in the 1-2 line, Hong Seohyun resided in the 3-4 line. Essentially, they lived in the same building.

“Wow, we live super close.”

“So why are things like this?”

Ha Yun exclaimed in surprise, and Hong Seohyun nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the two parted ways effortlessly, agreeing to see each other again and returned to their respective homes.

And once Ha Yun returned home…

“Hoooooo…”

She immediately rushed into her room and collapsed onto the bed on her back.

She felt utterly drained.

From the early morning of the weekend, she had practically gone to a recording studio, focusing on the actors’ performances while offering small bits of advice for hours, not even getting adequate rest as she watched Hong Seohyun’s recording closely.

Even though she tried her best not to show it, once she was home, all her defenses crumbled and she slumped in exhaustion.

“Good night…”

Still lying properly on the neatly arranged bed, Ha Yun began unbuttoning her blouse with a distinct click.

Her pale skin was revealed as the white outer layer disappeared, showing the black bra underneath.

With a soft click, Ha Yun reached behind her and easily unhooked the black bra, tossing it onto the floor under the bed.

This was a piece of wisdom she had gained since becoming a woman – don’t wear a bra while sleeping.

Wearing a bra to sleep would leave her feeling constricted, and since appropriate development could naturally improve the shape of her breasts, it wasn’t a major concern.

Another soft click, and the pleated skirt that fastened with a button was also discarded.

Now clad only in a matching set of panties, Ha Yun slid under the cool summer blanket feeling delighted.

“Hmm, it’s so refreshing…”

Feeling the pleasant sensation as her skin met the blanket, Ha Yun smiled contently, closed her eyes, and slept soundly for 10 hours.

—

Ha Yun’s weekends varied, but her weekdays followed a predictable routine.

Waking up around 6:30 AM to the sound of an alarm, she would prepare and leave by 7:00 AM.

“Amazing…”

Ha Yun, who was almost done getting ready, sat in front of the mirror and lightly tossed her long natural hair.

She had heard that women’s hair was difficult to manage, but for some reason, Ha Yun’s hair was always shiny and didn’t feel dry at all.

And even though she didn’t use any specific products.

“Is this also due to the wonderful development? Hair growth also falls under development, right?”

Or maybe because of the six hours of sleep and the boundless vitality?

While the exact reason was unclear, not having to expend much effort for external appearance management was certainly a positive sign.

Ha Yun could just focus on her job.

“See you.”

“Right, good luck today.”

She set out with a grin, leaving behind Min Jeong-kyun, who was still working from home.

Then, after getting on the elevator down and through the underground parking lot of the apartment complex, and just about heading towards the bus stop…

“Hmm…”

She hesitated in front of the 3-4 line entrance.

Should I wait and go with her?

She thought for a moment as any high school student might…

“Eh, why should I wait?”

She quickly turned away.

Honestly, she’d only known Hong Seohyun for about a month, and they had barely any personal interactions.

It felt like too much bother.

As she was heading to the bus stop with this thought…

“Where are you going?”

Suddenly, Hong Seohyun appeared behind her and casually linked arms with Ha Yun.

Before she realized it, Ha Yun was enveloped by Hong Seohyun’s unexpected action.

“Uh… to school?”

Caught completely off guard by Hong Seohyun’s sudden appearance, Ha Yun gulped. She noticed Hong Seohyun smirking as she rested her cheek on Ha Yun’s shoulder.

Given Hong Seohyun’s smaller stature, the height difference was perfect for her cheek to rest on Ha Yun’s shoulder.

Still, Ha Yun was taken aback.

“What is this?”

Why was this person coming so close?

Could this be the same person who was trembling yesterday?

Ha Yun felt a little confused.

“Why? Don’t all girls do this?”

“All?”

“Yes, girls naturally do this kind of friendly thing. Why are you making such a big deal of it?”

In the hot summer day, Hong Seohyun confidently pressed her skin against Ha Yun’s.

This was quite surprising for Ha Yun, who had just paused momentarily at the entrance of the 3-4 line before setting off immediately. For Hong Seohyun, this was not particularly strange.

Just yesterday, hadn’t Ha Yun expertly guided the nervous Hong Seohyun through her first recording, and then firmly held her shoulder when she was completely overwhelmed and led her all the way to the bus station?

While it wasn’t uncommon for girls to hold each other’s shoulders, the two had virtually no points of contact beyond discussions about creating VTuber Scarlet.

It was on this occasion that Ha Yun had approached first, and it was confirmed that they lived in the same apartment complex. The very next day, Hong Seohyun had noticed Ha Yun hesitating right in front of the entrance.

In Hong Seohyun’s eyes, this was a clear signal.

A sign that she wanted to be closer friends.

Normally, even if someone suggested becoming friends, Hong Seohyun wouldn’t easily agree—it’s not like she befriended just anyone.

However, Hong Seohyun was an ambitious person.

And more importantly, because Hong Seohyun was ambitious, she couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity that Ha Yun was offering.

‘You and I should become very close friends.’

Ha Yun was the mother of VTuber Scarlet, providing illustrations for the channel, and the “mama” who offered the virtual avatar for VTuber Scarlet.

Wouldn’t it be great if her daughter and mother were close?

Even if Hong Seohyun had intentions of sticking around anyway, with the thought that Ha Yun also wanted to be closer friends, she cast away any hesitation and launched a full frontal assault.

“What kind of shampoo do you use? Your hair smells good?”

“I, that’s…”

Ha Yun had very little tolerance for such physical intimacy between girls.

She had become accustomed to casually sharing snacks and chatting with Choi Arin, and had occasionally been touched on the shoulder, but it was rarely reciprocal.

“Is the smell of coffee? It’s very attractive, your hair is really soft.”

“The, that…”

Before Ha Yun could fully comprehend what was happening, Hong Seohyun had already boldly moved closer to take selfies, all while chasing after the illustrations.

As they finally arrived at the classroom and Ha Yun regained her composure, Hong Seohyun had already sent several selfies taken during their journey to school.

“Why is she suddenly acting like this?”

Thoroughly exasperated, Ha Yun plopped her face onto her desk.

Somehow…

Her chest felt tight…

‘Is it growing again…?’

It seemed like her mysterious development was quietly at work.

—

A few days later.

Ha Yun continued going to school with Hong Seohyun.

“Why are you touching there again…?”

“Because it’s soft and nice. Girls do this to each other all the time.”

“Why would you touch someone else’s stomach…?”

Whenever they were alone, Hong Seohyun would sit Ha Yun on her lap and play with her stomach through the gap in her blouse buttons.

“Isn’t girls’ belly soft and good?”

She chuckled, noting that she had been alone so far and never had anyone to cuddle with. But now that she was friends with Ha Yun, she felt like she had a cuddly doll.

‘Boys freak out if their hands even touch someone, screaming ‘Are you gay?!’…’

Skinship among girls seemed completely natural to her.

Or, was she the strange one?

Or was Hong Seohyun trying to narrow the distance for some ulterior motive?

Feeling a bit dizzy, Ha Yun continued to grow closer to Hong Seohyun day by day.

Until…

“I finished the music video yesterday. Want to watch?”

Pulling her hand away from Ha Yun’s stomach, Hong Seohyun showed a music video she had on her phone. In it, the illustration of cover artist Scarlet appeared wearing a clean female suit as various colorful effects highlighted her.

“The vocal is truly at an irreplaceable level. The music video, well, seems to follow a stereotype.”

“Right? Did a decent job, didn’t I? Then, I’ll upload it this way?”

Hong Seohyun smiled lightly as if she wanted Ha Yun’s approval and immediately uploaded the video.

It would take about two weeks for this video to get fully noticed by the algorithm.

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