Ch.144144. Secret Confession

“So I checked secretly at night, but that wasn’t the case. You were completely fine.”

“…What?”

I wondered if I’d heard correctly. When I asked in a dumbfounded voice, Hwa Nabi hurriedly covered her mouth.

She seemed to regret what she’d just said, looking at me nervously with a guilty expression, but it was too late—I’d already heard everything.

“Nabi, what exactly did you do while I was asleep?”

“…What do you mean?”

The way she avoided my gaze and couldn’t look me in the eye was exactly how someone with something to hide would act.

My suspicions deepened. She said she “checked secretly at night” because she was worried about “some problem”—I needed to know exactly what she checked and how.

“I’m not letting this slide this time, so stop playing dumb. What did you really do? Be honest. You didn’t do anything weird, did you?”

Based on Hwa Nabi’s past behavior and her current attitude, this was no trivial matter. Dozens of scenarios were running through my head, and even if just one of them was true, I’d be horrified. Seriously.

When I gave her a suspicious look, Hwa Nabi stared at the wall behind me instead of meeting my eyes. When she tried to turn back toward the screen as if nothing had happened, I placed my hand on the back of her head and made her look directly at me.

“Don’t look elsewhere. Look at me.”

I warned her in advance so she wouldn’t look away again. Then I stared intently at her face to see if she was lying.

“…Ah, Siwoo. What you just said was so romantic.”

Since she was avoiding the question and saying something completely irrelevant, I moved my hand to the back of her neck. Then I massaged the muscles around her neck firmly.

“Hyaang! S-Siwoo? Why are you suddenly grabbing my neck… Hiyat!”

She burst into laughter as if the muscles were quite tense, but I had no intention of stopping. I gave her a thorough neck massage to prevent her from thinking about anything else.

While kneading the soft muscles around her neck, I wrapped my other arm around her waist to hold her firmly so she couldn’t escape. As I pressed firmly with dedication, her voice, which had been half-enjoying it at first, gradually became more sensual.

The smile on her face disappeared, and her cheeks turned red. I quickly stopped, sensing the atmosphere might get strange, but Hwa Nabi, having experienced my stimulating massage, regulated her breathing with sweet exhales.

“Haah, haauu… huu, haaa….”

The way she covered her mouth with the back of her hand while her shoulders trembled—anyone watching might think I’d done something inappropriate. And I was the one who had been victimized in the past.

If I pushed any further, conversation would become impossible. I waited until Hwa Nabi calmed down a bit before speaking.

“Now tell me. Did you do something weird while I was sleeping? If you don’t tell me, I’ll do what I just did again.”

My hand was still on the back of her neck. I raised my index finger and tapped her neck as a reminder, which made her twitch as if it tickled.

After that not-quite-threat, Hwa Nabi, still breathing heavily, finally began to speak.

“Well, you see…”

Her pink lips trembled as if she was having trouble speaking, then she glanced at me and added:

“First, I think you need to define what ‘weird’ means.”

“…What are you talking about?”

When I looked at her demanding an explanation, she started rattling off as if she’d been waiting for just that question.

“I mean, what you consider weird and what I consider weird might be different. You might think something is weird while I might consider it perfectly innocent, or vice versa—what I think is weird might be completely normal to you.”

Her explanation was so convoluted I couldn’t quite follow it, but judging by her long-winded response, it was clearly just an excuse. I looked her straight in the eyes and said again:

“Don’t try to change the subject. Just tell me plainly what you did.”

Her emerald eyes shook violently. Judging by her reaction, it seemed like she was about to confess.

As I waited with that expectation, what came out of Hwa Nabi’s mouth was completely different.

“I-I can’t tell you.”

“…What?”

I hadn’t expected this response either. While I was momentarily taken aback by her unexpected answer, Hwa Nabi swallowed hard and said:

“Just kill me instead. …I absolutely cannot tell you.”

Did I mishear her saying she’d rather die than speak? Leaving behind what sounded like last words, she squeezed her eyes shut like a defeated general awaiting execution.

I thought she would confess everything by now, but seeing how tightly she kept her mouth shut, there must really be something.

This only made me more curious, but judging by her saying she’d rather die, it seemed she absolutely wouldn’t talk. Hwa Nabi has a surprisingly strong side to her. Though she seems soft, she’s quite determined and doesn’t easily back down once she’s made up her mind.

“……”

Further physical pressure would be meaningless. If I kept trying to exploit her weakness, she’d probably just become more stubborn about not talking.

It’s like that old Aesop’s fable, isn’t it? The stronger the north wind blows, the more tightly the traveler wraps his coat around himself.

If Hwa Nabi’s secret was the coat, then to remove it, I needed to embrace her warmly like the sun rather than blow like a strong wind.

“What are you saying? Why would I kill you?”

So I gently embraced Hwa Nabi. Additionally, I whispered softly in her ear, and I could see her confusion at my suddenly changed attitude.

“I’m not trying to scold you, I’m just curious.”

I moved my hand from her neck to gently stroke the back of her head. I also loosened my arm that had been holding her tightly and patted her back, making my voice as gentle as possible.

Using every means available, I expressed with my whole body that I had no intention of hurting her. Then Hwa Nabi, who had been keeping her eyelids tightly shut, carefully opened her eyes.

“…Really?”

But there was still a hint of suspicion in Hwa Nabi’s eyes. It was a natural reaction. Of course she wouldn’t immediately believe me after how I’d been interrogating her.

To earn her trust, I needed to be even more affectionate. I kissed her cheek with as much affection as I could muster.

Then I gazed into her eyes intently. A look that implied, “Will you trust me now?”

Whether my feelings were properly conveyed or not, Hwa Nabi shyly nodded. I held her in my arms and let her bury her face against my chest.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

While gently stroking Hwa Nabi’s back, I spoke lightly as if I didn’t care whether she told me or not.

…This was the bait I’d cast. Everything was a setup to catch the big fish named Hwa Nabi, so I waited with the mindset of a fisherman who had cast his line.

“…You really won’t get angry?”

Soon there was a bite. Hwa Nabi, who had said she would keep her mouth shut even if it killed her, was now voluntarily trying to reveal the truth. I almost brightened up but deliberately suppressed my true feelings.

“Mmm, I won’t get angry.”

“Really, really? You won’t get angry if I’m honest?”

Sometimes actions speak louder than words. I hugged Hwa Nabi tightly to convey that she shouldn’t worry.

With her face buried in my chest, she sniffed a few times and then gently raised her head.

“Well, you see…”

“Yes?”

“Actually, in my first year of high school, on the night of the festival… When you and I slept together. When you were asleep.”

“When I was asleep?”

“…I t-touched you.”

“…Touched what?”

Hwa Nabi seemed unable to continue, repeatedly swallowing before muttering in a very small voice:

“Your lower body, a little…”

“Uh, lower body…?”

So she’s saying she touched my pants out of curiosity? That’s within an acceptable range, but judging by how difficult this confession is for her, there must be more to it than just touching my pants.

To probe further, I made up something plausible:

“Ah… Come to think of it, when I woke up the next morning, my underwear felt loose. I thought it was just my imagination. Was that because you touched it?”

“Umm, I don’t think so? The elastic on your underwear was normal when I touched it…”

Hwa Nabi abruptly closed her mouth mid-sentence. Her already large eyes widened like saucers—she seemed shocked by her own words.

I silently stared at Hwa Nabi, implying that if she had any explanation, now was the time. Hwa Nabi carefully studied my reaction before cautiously asking:

“…Can we pretend you didn’t hear that?”