episode_0085

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I was somewhat fond of rain.

To be precise, it wasn’t the dampness or the muggy air that came with it—I just liked rain itself.

Not for any grand reason, really. It was just because, back in my school days, staring out the window during lunch break helped me more than calculating spatial vectors ever did.

What, you’d rather blankly stare at a boringly clear sky than count the raindrops pattering down?

Not that it mattered—my head was already filled with thoughts like, Which hero would be the hottest to watch getting dragged into an alley and violated on a rainy day? But at least having something to focus my eyes on was nice.

…Or so I thought.

That was just the kind of thing you’d expect from someone in the throes of adolescence, when pride and bravado swam through your veins.

Anyway, that was the extent of my fondness for rain and dark clouds.

At least, it had been closer to liking it—until this morning.

“…What time is it?”

The sound of rain gently tapping against the window roused me from my light sleep.

The rhythmic thump-thump of raindrops bouncing off the air conditioner’s outdoor unit wasn’t exactly unpleasant—but that didn’t mean it was a nice sound either.

Just a noisy one that woke me up.

A few days ago, it was snow. Today, rain.

Guess March’s indecisive weather was to blame.

Come to think of it, the forecast had said the chance of precipitation was less than 30%.

Luckily, the sky outside didn’t look too gloomy, so maybe it was just a passing shower.

Not a heavy downpour, either. Shouldn’t interfere with my plans.

I stretched lazily and rolled over.

Squinting at my phone charging on the nightstand, the clock read 8:57.

Miraculously, that was only three minutes before my alarm was set to go off.

…And yet, waking up just three minutes earlier than usual left me feeling way more exhausted.

My fondness for rain took a slight hit.

If this were a game, a little heart with a minus sign would’ve popped up above my head.

But that was as far as my drowsy, half-asleep thoughts went.

Ugh. I ran a hand through my bird’s nest of bedhead and sat up.

Just as I settled on the edge of the bed, pressing my palms against my tired eyelids—

My phone buzzed lightly.

Must be the alarm, I figured. It had been about three minutes since I woke up.

Crack. My stiff neck popped as I turned to look at the screen.

An emoji stared back at me.

A ridiculously plain-looking white puppy, waving its paw enthusiastically. (Wait, not a hand—a paw.)

…Who sent this? Oh. Lee Hayoon.

The fluffy white dog looked so much like her that I let out an involuntary snort.

Guess she figured I’d be up by now.

Should I call her psychic, or just say she’s got a nose like a dog’s…?

Instead of heading to the bathroom, I flopped back onto the bed.

Then, I opened KakaoTalk and cleared the unread “1” notification on the emoji.

A moment later.

[Lee Hayoon] —Let’s go! —Clothes shopping! —I just woke Jiyoon up too!

More like a big dog than a puppy.

The rapid-fire messages, like a large breed wagging its tail thump-thump, made me smile on reflex.

I wish Lee Jiyoon would learn some of this cuteness from her sister.

[Seo Woojin] —Already? It’s raining outside, noona.

[Lee Hayoon] —Not now. Later, like 11? 12? —And so what if it’s raining? Just use an umbrella. —Let’s grab lunch too.

[Seo Woojin] —Lunch… Now that you mention it, it’s been a while since we ate together.

[Lee Hayoon] —…W-well… …There were adult reasons…

“Adult reasons,” my ass.

She just can’t bring herself to tell her friends yet because she’s still embarrassed.

Whatever. Doesn’t matter.

Like I’ve said before, whether you’re dating someone or not, you just adjust your behavior accordingly.

Is it really that hard to admit you’re dating?

I sent the message, and Hayoon immediately spammed back with a bunch of emojis—a white dog holding a pillow with “YES” written on it.

Grinning, I left one last reply before heading to the bathroom.

[Seo Woojin] —See you later. I’ll be at your place around 11.

85

Now I know for sure.

Buying clothes online is definitely the way to go.

Especially for someone like me, who doesn’t care much about fashion.

This is just torture.

“The design and price aren’t bad, but the fabric here is terrible. Even for a knockoff.”

“……”

“……”

“Even knockoffs are decent these days. Hmm… Since it’s springwear, you won’t wear it long anyway, so maybe just cheap and cute is fine…”

This was the seventh time I’d thought: So the whole “Let’s look around a bit more” she told the clerk was a complete lie, huh?

I’d realized by the third store that things were going weirdly, but I never expected it to drag on this long.

…Sigh. I didn’t come here with you two just to shop for clothes.

I let out a quiet sigh, careful not to let Hayoon hear—just as an audibly exhausted sigh sounded beside me.

Lee Jiyoon’s sigh.

To be precise, it was the sigh of a Lee Jiyoon whose precious weekend gaming time had been violated, leaving her in a low-pressure state.

“…Just buy it here. Unnie. Aren’t you tired of looking around?”

“Should we try a boutique this time instead of knockoffs?”

“…Fine. Let’s go.”

But maybe because she was used to Jiyoon’s whining—

Hayoon ignored her sister completely, flashing me a bright smile before heading down the stairs.

And as if that reaction was nothing new, Jiyoon—who had been leaning against the wall, bending and straightening her knees—let out a few more heavy sighs before trudging after her.

She had managed to say, Fine, let’s go, but…

I agreed with Jiyoon.

I’d been hoping for a cute, heart-fluttering date vibe with the three of us,

but why is she taking shopping this seriously?

Since when does buying a few outfits require this much back-and-forth?

Snap!

Under the light rain that showed no sign of stopping—

I unfurled my umbrella, glancing up at the hazy, cloud-covered sky.

Hayoon, wearing an adorable beige short coat, led the way with her cheap convenience-store umbrella.

Lee Jiyoon, a magic-system gamer with abysmal stamina.

And me, just lacking the willpower to keep up.

No—more accurately, we were too slow, and Hayoon left us behind.

That’s the right way to put it.

By the time Hayoon had unintentionally put about three paces between us—

Jiyoon, who had been sulking silently, suddenly spoke up.

(Unlike Hayoon, she was still in her usual khaki jacket and snapback.)

“…Your legs don’t hurt?”

“Not really. Just tired.”

“…Hmm…”

Jiyoon gave me a weird look before quickly turning forward again, making sure Hayoon didn’t notice.

Ah. Was I supposed to agree and say mine hurt too?

Regretting my thoughtless answer, I hesitated—just as Jiyoon tilted her umbrella slightly to keep the rain from splashing onto me.

Then, hesitantly, she continued.

“…Does unnie always drag you around like this on dates?”

“Dunno. Haven’t been on enough to say.”

“How many times?”

“Counting today? Two? Three?”

“…That’s fewer than I thought.”

“Obviously. It hasn’t been that long since we started practicing with you… Honestly, I’ve probably had more practice dates with you.”

“……”

At the mention of something that happened about a month ago, Jiyoon pressed her lips together and fiddled with her snapback.

Too bad her bright-red ears were still visible. Dummy.

It’s funny how this subtly cute side of her reminds me of Hayoon.

…Maybe I should sneak a pinch at her ears while Hayoon isn’t looking.

Bet her reaction would be hilarious.

Just as I pulled my hand out of my pocket to try—

Hayoon, who had already reached the crosswalk ahead, turned and waved at us.

“Ah, noona’s waving.”

“……”

“Think she’s telling us to quit lagging and hurry up?”

“…I-I know…! Idiot…”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“…L-let’s go…”

“Should I lower the heating?”

“Nggh……”

In the drowsy afternoon.

Han Soo-ah, barely managing to open her eyes, propped herself up in bed and stared at the housekeeper in front of her.

What?

Did I just close my eyes for a second?

Why is the housekeeper here?

Her bleary gaze drifted sluggishly to the clock on the wall.

2:00 PM.

A full six hours past her usual waking time.

“……”

I’m screwed.

“You seemed to be sweating a lot in your sleep.”

“…S-sweating…?”

“Yes. Your hair, your clothes, and… well…”

“……”

“Also, you slept much later than usual today, so I came to check…”

“……”

Her sleep-fogged brain kicked into gear, and a mental checklist popped up.

1. Did I shower?

> I passed out after going absolutely feral. Thankfully, I think I managed to cover myself with the blanket, but the stench of sweat is assaulting my nose.

2. Did I gather the towels I used last night and hide them in the laundry corner this morning?

> No. I haven’t even showered yet…

3. Did I open the window properly to air out the room?

> I, uh, cracked it open just in case before bed, but I forgot to close it. So there’s still a chilly breeze drifting in.

In other words:

Han Soo-ah currently reeked of sweat because she hadn’t showered.

Her suspiciously discarded pajama pants were draped over the foot of the bed.

A pile of cum-stained towels sat beside it.

And now, she was face-to-face with the housekeeper.

“……”

Bite my tongue.

No—no, wait.

It’s too early to bite my tongue and give up on life.

The one saving grace was that the towels were placed where the housekeeper couldn’t see them.

Plus, her question about lowering the heat suggested she assumed the sweating was just from being too warm.

Meaning—I can still salvage this!

Having reached this conclusion, Han Soo-ah forced a smile.

“Y-yeah. Could you lower it a bit, please?”

“Of course.”

The housekeeper bowed politely and left the room.

Han Soo-ah collapsed back onto the bed with a sigh of relief.

The fact that she hadn’t been woken up until well past lunchtime meant the housekeeper had probably already pieced together what happened last night.

But thinking that far was way beyond Han Soo-ah’s current capacity.