episode_0071

… … … … …

I was surprised at the words that came out of my own mouth.

To two grown women, come sleep over at my house? My face flushed in an instant as I realized what I had said.

“Oh, no… … I don’t mean anything else. Please don’t misunderstand.”

I continued, stuttering.

“It’s too late… … It, it could be dangerous, right? So… … .”

As I looked around with my blushing face, Seo-ah and Yoo-ryung had their eyes wide open.

They looked at each other and then back at me. Their eyes made my heart ache.

What should I do with this? I wanted to pick up what I had said right away.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn――”

“Autumn Army, you are so kind.”

But my apology didn’t even end properly. Seo-ah gently cut me off.

“I was really touched, Ga-eul.”

The ghosts also smiled pleasantly. In other words, they pretended not to know that I was trying to pick up the words.

And surprisingly, they came through the front door with very happy faces.

“Oh, wait a minute. Are you sure it’s okay――”

I stood in front of them in confusion, but they had already taken off their shoes.

“Thank you so much, Autumn. For being so considerate.”

“That’s right, Mr. Ga-eul. I was really touched.”

Seo-ah said, and Ghost agreed. I looked at them, not knowing what to do.

Even now, I wanted to explain to them in a logical manner, ‘The offer I just made was a mistake, and my house is too shabby for two grown women to stay in,’ but when I saw their happy expressions, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m not the type of person who talks like that in the first place.

“Well, then… …welcome.”

I finally gave in and said, and Seo-ah and Yoo-ri entered the house in a good mood. I sighed secretly as I closed the front door behind me.

… … … … …

“Um… …Would you like something to drink?”

“I’ll have enough Zero Coke in the fridge. The one in the lower right corner of the fridge. You recently ordered a whole box, right?”

At Ms. Ghost’s natural answer, I looked at her in surprise. How could she know that?

“Uh… … Yes, that’s right. But how did I buy a box of Zero Coke… … ?”

Mr. Ghost looked slightly embarrassed and smiled as if trying to cover it up.

“Well, I just took a guess. I think Autumn likes Zero Cola.”

At that moment, Seo-ah’s expression hardened. A sharp light flashed in her eyes, and she cast a cold gaze at Ghost. The murderous intent in Seo-ah’s eyes alone seemed enough to harm Ghost.

But when I looked at Seo-ah in surprise at her expression, her face instantly changed to a gentle one and we met eyes.

Could it be that the face I just saw of Seo-ah was an illusion?

“Autumn Army, I just need water.”

“Ah, yes… …I’ll give it to you right away.”

I headed to the kitchen. I was bothered by the whispers of two people behind me. They were low voices, so I couldn’t hear them clearly, but I could tell the sharpness in them.

(Isn’t that too much?)

(What are you talking about? You are the one……)

When I returned to the living room with water and cola, the two women were sitting peacefully on the sofa as if nothing had happened. But the peace was like the calm before a storm.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you, Autumn.”

As I carefully put my drink down, Seo-ah nodded lightly and spoke. When her hand brushed mine, I felt as if an electric current was flowing through it.

At that moment, Seo Ah’s eyes deepened. They were eyes that seemed like they would swallow me up completely.

“Thank you, Mr. Autumn.”

Ghost also accepted the cola. Her eyes were piercing into mine. There was a secretiveness in her eyes, as if she was hiding something.

I sat between the two of them and smiled awkwardly. I had no idea how this situation would play out. The air in the room was getting heavier and heavier, and it seemed like it was getting harder to breathe.

Eventually, I couldn’t stand the silence and spoke carefully.

“Excuse me… … It’s really late. Should I wash up and go to bed?”

At my suggestion, Seo-ah and Yoo-ryung exchanged glances and nodded at the same time.

“Good idea, Autumn.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Let’s agree on two things,” I said with a sigh of relief.

“Then… …who wants to wash first?”

The moment I said those words, the expressions on both of their faces changed strangely. A playful smile spread across Seo-ah’s lips, and Ghost’s eyes sparkled. I could sense an inexplicable sense of anxiety from the changes in their expressions.

“Autumn Army, all of us… … How about we wash together?”

“Yes?”

I asked back, surprised by the absurd words. My voice seemed to have risen an octave.

“Of course we should wash ‘together’. It saves time, saves water, and most of all, doesn’t Ga-eul want us to get along well?”

Seo-ah also nodded at Ghost-ssi’s words.

“That’s right, Ga-eul. If we wash separately… …we might argue about who will wash with Ga-eul first, who will wash with Ga-eul for longer, etc.

But if we wash together, there won’t be any problems like that, and we might even become closer.”

I was speechless because I was embarrassed. Their logic sounded extremely strange, but at the same time, it was a truly bizarre argument that I couldn’t think of a way to refute.

“Autumn Army. Autumn Army… … You don’t want us to fight over something so small, do you? I’ve been worrying about you since a while ago.”

Seo-ah grabbed my shoulder, which was at a loss. And Ghost-ssi supported her.

“Ma, that’s right. If we don’t wash together, someone will definitely be dissatisfied. That will cause a fight and an argument. Is that what you want, Autumn?”

I looked at them in turn with a confused expression. True to their words, I really hoped they wouldn’t fight.

So, should I wash with them? Is that the only way?

“… … Okay. Then let’s wash together.”

“Good idea, Gaeul-kun.”

“That’s a wise choice, Autumn.”

The three of us went into the bathroom together. As we stood in front of the shower with them, reality suddenly came flooding back to us.

Is this… … okay? Really?

Shame and embarrassment washed over me. Then, suddenly, an incredibly good idea flashed through my mind.

“Hey, let me make a suggestion!”

As I spoke to them with a confident look, Seo-ah and Yoo-ryung looked at me with curious eyes.

“Uh, all of us… … close your eyes and wash! Then we won’t be embarrassed and nothing strange will happen!

… … Right?”

There was silence for a moment. Then, soon, two people began to laugh.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

“That sounds fun.”

As their laughter died down, we went into the shower room. I had already kept my eyes tightly shut when I undressed before entering the room.

“Mo, everyone closed their eyes?!”

““Yes―””

They both answered at the same time, but there was a hint of playfulness in their voices.

Someone turned on the shower, and I could hear the water running. Maybe it was because my eyes were closed, but my other senses seemed more acute.

The rustling sound of clothes being rolled, the sound of water droplets splashing against skin, and… …even the occasional low laughter.

“Autumn, can you pass me some soap?”

When I heard Seo-ah’s voice, I cautiously reached out and looked for the soap. But what I caught in my hand was not a slippery bar of soap… … something soft and large.

“Huh?!”

“What’s wrong, Mr. Autumn? Where did you catch me?”

Although Ghost’s tone seemed like protest, there was a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Oh, no. I was just looking for soap… … .”

“The soap is here.”

Fortunately, my excuse worked, and the ghost didn’t get angry or anything, but just grabbed my hand and gave me some soap.

While the shower was in progress, I was extremely nervous that something might go wrong. However, the two of them seemed strangely happy compared to me, and the sound of their laughter that I could hear occasionally bothered me.

“Autumn Army, shall I push your back?”

“Oh, no! It’s okay.”

“Hehe, why are you so embarrassed? We all have our eyes closed, so there’s nothing to see.”

Even while I was somehow finishing my shower and drying myself with a towel, I kept my eyes closed. The rule was not to open my eyes until I was fully dressed.

But what on earth is this feeling? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t help but feel like someone’s gaze is on me――

“Okay, it’s all over. You can open your eyes now, Ga-eul.”

I cautiously opened my eyes to Seo-ah’s voice, which broke my thoughts. The two people were already wrapped in towels, and there was an inexplicable smile on their faces.

“Hey, was it fun, Mr. Gaeul?”

“Ah, yes… … .”

As I was barely able to answer the slightly blushing Ghost, Seo-ah interrupted as if she couldn’t help it.

“I’m glad you had fun, Autumn, then… …Shall we sleep now, everyone?”