Chapter 81

“…So what are you two doing in here?”

At that moment, only the corner of Ayu’s mouth twitched slightly.

Her expression was like a demon that had returned from hell, and for a moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Right now, my life is in danger.

That thought alone flashed through my mind.

“Ayu, it’s not what you think!”

“I know. Park Tae-yeon, that trash, suddenly came looking for you, so you hid, right? I get it.”

Fortunately, Ayu seemed to have grasped the situation.

From the beginning, the way she acted toward Park Ki-ja must have been because she noticed we were hiding.

“How long are you going to hold on? You’ll be holding on for a lifetime, huh?”

“Ah.”

I quickly came out of the closet with Ggotbi.

As I let her go from my arms, I met Ggotbi’s dazed eyes.

She was just staring at me, lost in thought.

“Ggotbi?”

“Ah, uh, um, well, the situation is…”

When I asked worriedly, Ggotbi snapped out of it and looked around.

Soon, her eyes met Ayu’s, and she flinched, lowering her head.

“A-Ayu, it’s not like that, I didn’t mean it. Really.”

What kind of conversation is this?

As I made a confused face, Ayu looked back and forth between me and Ggotbi, then let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, I know. It’s an accident.”

As she said that, Ayu slowly started walking toward me.

Then, out of nowhere, she headbutted me in the chest.

“Ouch, hey, what are you doing?”

“I don’t know. Really. Anyway, it’s all Domi Oppa’s fault.”

After saying that, Ayu rubbed her head against me, then looked up at me with a pouty expression.

“…Yoo Ah is off-limits.”

Just as I was about to speak, a commotion came from outside.

“Yoo Ah~ We’re back! Huh?”

There were the rest of the Blackstar members.

They must have gone out to eat, and upon seeing the situation inside, they made strange faces.

“Ugh, a love triangle?”

When one of the members, Chae-eun, cautiously asked, Ggotbi suddenly raised her head.

“No way!”

That was the loudest I’d heard Ggotbi’s voice all day.

—

After Ha-chan and Ayu left, Yoo Ah, sitting in the manager’s car, quietly stared out the window.

Something kept replaying in her mind.

It was the image of her being held in Ha-chan’s arms, looking up at his face.

The way he smiled as if everything was fine, even though he was caught up in her mess.

The heat in the confined space of the closet.

The sound of his breathing so close, and the embrace of a man much larger than her.

Every time she thought about it, Yoo Ah’s mind was in complete chaos.

‘Me…’

With her face heating up again, Yoo Ah covered her cheeks with her hands.

Was it because the emotions she had dulled with self-hypnosis were slowly returning?

‘Am I an easy girl?’

Ha-chan had always been a good person.

Even in the game, he was always a kind oppa, always friendly.

And meeting him in real life, he was even warmer.

Even though they had known each other for a long time in the game and had recently met in real life, where he even helped her.

How many people would answer her calls every day, talk to her, and even send her messages asking how her day was, despite her mental struggles?

Most people would get tired after two or three times.

But Ha-chan would send her a message if she didn’t contact him, asking how her day was.

Every time she saw that message, her heart would warm up.

It was a completely different feeling from when she had pretended to like Ayu under self-hypnosis.

Because of that, Yoo Ah bit her lip slightly.

No matter how much she tried to ignore her feelings, she kept remembering what had happened today.

His embrace was warm, and she had wanted to stay in his arms a little longer.

“Ugh.”

Yoo Ah, resting her head against the window, let out a groan.

This was definitely her being spoiled.

Instead of using self-hypnosis, she was subconsciously leaning on Ha-chan emotionally.

The problem was that there had never been anyone as reliable as Ha-chan.

Because of her swirling emotions, Yoo Ah let out a sigh mixed with frustration.

Before she knew it, she was holding her phone, wanting to call him and hear his voice.

‘I’m so easy. Too easy.’

She felt ashamed.

And sorry.

Because Yoo Ah had noticed Ayu’s feelings.

Ayu liked Ha-chan.

And that had probably been the case for a long time.

Ha-chan was someone the Returners could rely on.

Returners were all thirsty for human affection.

And Ha-chan filled that thirst as if it were natural.

And he did it with pure goodwill, without any ulterior motives or malice.

Once you realized that, it was easy for Returners to fall for him.

‘What should I do?’

If she met Ha-chan again, would she be able to hold back these feelings?

She thought she had overcome her self-hypnosis, but now she found herself leaning on Ha-chan.

Yoo Ah let out another sigh.

How pathetic. Me.

Falling for someone my friend likes.

Just then, a message notification sounded.

Yoo Ah turned on her phone and saw a message.

[You worked hard today. I’ll come see you again next time.]

It was from Ha-chan.

Yoo Ah, covering her rising smile with her hand, hugged her phone tightly.

For now, this is enough.

Let’s be satisfied with this.

If these feelings ever grow uncontrollably…

‘I don’t know what will happen to me.’

At the very least, Yoo Ah quietly thought, she didn’t want to burden Ha-chan.

—

After answering various questions from the Blackstar members.

Seeing Ggotbi unable to withstand the barrage of questions any longer, Ayu and I left the concert venue.

Ggotbi wanted to see us off, but there were still quite a few fans lingering around the venue, so she couldn’t.

Some were waiting to catch one last glimpse of the idols leaving after the concert.

In fact, when we left the venue, some people turned their heads in disappointment.

Of course, some widened their eyes upon seeing Ayu’s face, but since Blackstar was the main attraction, their gazes soon scattered.

“Is it that good?”

“Of course! How could it not be?”

Ayu was now holding the autographs of all the Blackstar members, treasuring them.

She said she’d package and store them at home, and her bright smile made me happy.

I really like Ayu’s smiling face.

It’s the kind of smile that makes people feel good.

“And most importantly.”

As she said that, Ayu gave me a sly wink.

“Coming with you makes it even better.”

“With me?”

I tilted my head.

“Coming with the person I like the most to do something I love the most. How could it not be good?”

Ayu smiled shyly.

Then, as if embarrassed by what she had said, she started fidgeting and exclaimed.

“Ugh, well, whatever! I’m going to go play games. Domi Oppa, let’s rank up together. I need to defend my rank before I get demoted!”

“Looks like Ayu will be Platinum today.”

“No way!”

Watching her excitement reach its peak, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Lately, I’ve been dealing with a lot of worries because of Ji-eun, Si-ho, and Seolhyang.

Maybe asking Ayu, another girl, for advice would help.

“Ayu.”

“Yeah!”

When I called her, Ayu turned around with an excited expression, her black hair fluttering.

Her face, illuminated by the neon signs in the night, was incredibly lovely.

As our eyes met, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

It felt like I absolutely shouldn’t say this to Ayu.

It was just a gut feeling.

A sense I had developed from all my accumulated experiences.

“Looks like you’re finally catching on, even if you’re slow.”

Baek-san’s voice came from behind.

Hearing that, I hesitated for a moment, then said to Ayu, who was looking puzzled.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“What? That’s boring.”

As Ayu started walking again, I quietly brushed my forehead.

“…Baek-san, about what you said last time.”

Back then, Baek-san had said that Ayu seemed to like me.

With Ji-eun, Si-ho, and Seolhyang all in the mix, I had been dealing with a lot of worries lately.

But thanks to my recent experiences with Gwak Sa-yeon, my trauma was slowly healing.

They say that when people are loved, their self-esteem rises.

And that rising self-esteem was helping me understand my surroundings better.

Now, things were starting to become clear.

Ayu, who always smiled and got excited around me, but was sharp with Seolhyang and Si-ho.

The way she always played pranks but ended up getting embarrassed and shy.

The kindness she showed me—what it all meant.

“Figure it out yourself.”

When Baek-san casually threw that out, I quietly watched Ayu’s back.

It seemed like Ayu liked me.

Romantically.

The moment I realized that, Ayu turned back to look at me.

“Domi Oppa, what are you doing over there? Come on!”

Seeing her smiling face, I found it hard to meet her eyes and started walking.

Damn, how am I supposed to face her now?

Ayu was the little sister I was closest to.

The one I contacted the most, the one I could call whenever I wanted.

In a way, Ayu was the last person I needed to worry about liking me.

‘We’ve always played together, and we get along the best.’

Anyone would develop feelings for a close friend of the opposite sex.

Even I would.

“Domi Oppa, you’re acting weird today. Oh, is it because I’m too cute today?”

“Yeah, you are cute.”

“I know!”

What do you know?

I was about to flick her forehead but stopped and instead patted her head.

Ayu, who had expected a flick, closed her eyes tightly, then opened them wide and giggled.

“…Give me a little more time to think.”

“Okay, about what?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself.”

As I said that, I took my hand off Ayu.

Today was going to be another day full of worries.