Ch.145145. Quiet in the Theater

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

I was about to say “Is that even possible…?” but held it in. Honestly, just what she’s confessed so far is shocking enough, but judging by her tone, this doesn’t seem to be the end of it.

Considering her mention of underwear elastic, it’s confirmed she touched below my pants, and the question is just how far she went.

Swallowing my urge to lecture her, I finally managed to open my reluctant mouth.

“Ah… well. I guess it’s natural to be curious about those things during puberty. It happens.”

Pretending to be nonchalant to investigate further, I dismissed it as childish mischief. Watching me carefully, Hwa Nabi’s eyes widened in surprise, seemingly taken aback that I let it slide without making a fuss.

One step back for two steps forward. I was about to flick her forehead—she’s been bold since her school days—but instead, I moved closer and kissed her forehead.

Then, to convey that she shouldn’t worry about such trivial things, I gently stroked her back and cast my bait again.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Well, I thought you’d scold me. You can be quite strict sometimes.”

[Do you think I would dislike you because of something so trivial?]

That male voice wasn’t mine. It was a line delivered by an actor on screen. Glancing over, I saw the male lead embracing the female lead while reciting romantic lines.

[Things like that don’t matter as much as you do. You know that, right?]

Cringe-worthy dialogue typical of romance films flows from the actor’s mouth. Even if women are the target audience for romance movies, isn’t that too detached from reality? The actor must have a hard time earning his paycheck.

While I was thinking this, I suddenly felt an intense gaze from in front of me. Looking in that direction, I found Hwa Nabi staring at me intently.

With eyes that wanted something.

“……”

In that moment, I realized what she was expecting. If I said the same lines as the actor right now, her guard would completely crumble. It would also make it easier to ask what she did that night behind my back.

I understood this intellectually, but actually saying it out loud felt incredibly resistant. How can anyone say such things with a straight face? After intense internal conflict, I gulped.

Alright, I’m already in this deep. Let’s satisfy her and then ask about everything she did. With that resolve, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Things like that don’t matter… because you’re more important.”

I couldn’t bring myself to use the exact same lines as the actor, so I modified them slightly and mumbled. I worried she might be disappointed, but fortunately, Hwa Nabi seemed satisfied. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she had a pretty eye-smile.

“Yes, me too.”

Hwa Nabi nuzzled her head against my chest with the happiest face in the world. It feels a bit wrong to bring up unpleasant topics when she’s smiling, but I still need to ask what I need to ask.

While embracing her and gently stroking the back of her head, I spoke in a completely casual voice, as if I truly didn’t care about such trivial matters.

“By the way. How did you hold back?”

“Huh? Hold back what?”

“You know, Nabi, you like touching my body without me knowing. How did you hold back then?”

I threw out a probing question and waited for her reaction. Given her personality, I expected her to either jump up in denial or pretend not to know. But her response was neither of those.

She seemed to hold her breath for a moment, then carefully raised her head. Meeting my gaze with upturned eyes, she opened her mouth and said:

“I didn’t hold back…”

“…What?”

What does that mean? This unexpected response took me a moment to understand.

She didn’t hold back… does that mean she took off my underwear and touched me? When I silently questioned with my eyes, Hwa Nabi smiled broadly.

“I told you I checked, didn’t I?”

“How did you check?”

“When you were sleeping, I secretly touched it…?”

Checking by touching doesn’t just mean a light tap, right? Does she mean she grabbed and fondled it?

Unable to imagine what she did while I was asleep, I was just staring blankly with my mouth open when Hwa Nabi smiled at me.

Her slightly downturned eyes gave her a subtly seductive look.

“What do you mean, how did you touch it…”

Surprised, my true thoughts slipped out. But Hwa Nabi didn’t seem bothered.

Still with her eyes upturned, she grabbed the hem of my shirt and murmured in a deliberately coquettish voice.

“Hmm… are you curious?”

“Well, I am curious.”

“Then, should I show you?”

There was no need to wonder what she meant by “showing” me. Her eyes were already answering that question.

Her pupils were larger than usual, indicating that some kind of switch had been flipped. In other words, our conversation had excited her… at that moment, I felt Hwa Nabi’s warm breath on my collarbone.

“Mmm…”

Hwa Nabi, who had somehow moved very close, closed her eyes while still looking up at me. And coincidentally, a similar scene was unfolding on the screen.

The male and female protagonists were also about to kiss in a sensual atmosphere. The setting was also a bed like ours, and without background music, the actors’ breathing could be clearly heard.

Now I understand why she said this movie was perfect for skinship. The quiet scene with almost no sound effects, and the long sequence of deepening emotional exchange.

It’s as if the movie is setting the mood, saying “This is where you should get intimate,” making it natural for things to progress in that direction.

In that perfectly set atmosphere, I silently looked at Hwa Nabi and then…

-Flick!

I flicked her forehead.

“…Ow!”

Hwa Nabi, suddenly hit on the forehead, opened her eyelids wide. Her mouth gaped open and closed, showing how surprised she really was.

Still with a dazed expression, I said to the bewildered Hwa Nabi:

“What do you mean, show me? You’re really getting bold. Who told you to touch people like that?”

First during our Japan trip, and now this—what is she doing while people are asleep? After getting flicked, Hwa Nabi rubbed her forehead and protested.

“Hey, why not! I should be able to touch what’s mine. If you buy a product, you need to check if it’s defective!”

“Hey, why is that part of me yours?”

“We use it together, so it’s mine too!”

While Hwa Nabi was making such absurd claims, the scene changed. On the screen, the love scene that started with a kiss had ended, and the male and female protagonists were embracing each other in bed in the morning, whispering affectionate words.

[Are you awake?]

“Even so, does it make sense to just touch someone while they’re sleeping?”

[Yeah, you’re up early too.]

“You said you don’t care about such trivial things. Was that a lie?”

[Are you hungry? Should we get something to eat?]

“I was going to let it go at first. But would you not care if you were in my position?”

[Before that, let’s stay like this a little longer.]

“No. I wouldn’t care.”

Hwa Nabi’s immediate answer momentarily left me speechless. The fact that she could say with such a straight face that she wouldn’t mind being touched.

I stared at her in disbelief at her shamelessness, and Hwa Nabi narrowed her eyes.

“What, you think I’m lying?”

“No, it’s not that you’re lying…”

“Besides, you’ve secretly touched me while I was sleeping too.”

“…When did I ever.”

A chill ran down my spine and I averted my gaze. Hwa Nabi didn’t miss the opportunity and answered smoothly.

“Not long ago. When I fell asleep first, you were touching and fondling my breasts over my pajamas.”

“What are you… What do you mean I was fondling? I just lightly touched with my finger, that’s all.”

Only after speaking impulsively did I realize my mistake. Hwa Nabi smiled crookedly as if she knew this would happen and clicked her tongue.

“See? You secretly fondled my breasts too! How can you so shamelessly pretend you didn’t?”

“Fondling” isn’t the right expression. Her breasts looked so firm under her pajamas that I unconsciously, as if entranced, just pressed them with my finger, that’s all.

I could swear this to God, but what’s the point in saying that? While I was internally choosing my words, Hwa Nabi added:

“Pervert.”

Who’s calling whom a pervert? Haven’t we both just confessed to secretly touching each other? We’re both at fault, so we’re even.

“If I’m a pervert, then you’re one too, right?”

“Why am I a pervert?”

“You touched me too, so if we did the same thing, you’re just as much a pervert.”

We’re not children anymore, yet we continued this childish argument about “who’s better” for a while, until Hwa Nabi said something I couldn’t just let slide.

“You’re an idiot who can’t eat even when the meal is served right in front of you.”

“It’s not that I can’t eat, I choose not to eat.”

Because I don’t want to get sick afterward. I swallowed the last part, and Hwa Nabi narrowed her eyes.

“Why won’t you eat? Am I that unattractive?”

“……”

I know it’s a metaphor, but expressing it as “eating” sounds really strange. An odd thought crossed my mind, and I couldn’t answer immediately, which she seemed to misinterpret as her voice grew louder.

“What, why aren’t you answering? Do you really think of me that way?”

“No, of course not.”

“You couldn’t answer right away. I don’t believe you.”

Before I could ask what I needed to do to make her believe me, she preempted me.

“Prove it to me.”