Ch.69I Don’t Even Like a Quarter of Someone Like You (6)

The weight of Doha-min on my back was heavier than I expected.

Rather than feeling heavy, it was more like she was sagging downward.

Probably because her legs had gone limp and she couldn’t properly support her own weight, causing it to shift downward.

Just like how you can easily lift a 40kg girl,

but can’t easily lift a 40kg sack of rice.

Thinking about it that way, despite her legs being limp and unable to support herself,

the fact that Doha-min could be carried on Ban Do-young’s back meant she was still in the realm of being a weakling.

“Pfft.”

“Why…? Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing, hehe. Your legs are just so soft.”

“Y-you already mentioned my soft legs earlier….”

It’s not just her legs that are soft.

Ah, no matter what, this is a matter of pride, so I’d better not say anything.

Right now, Ban Do-young’s body was naturally pressed close to Doha-min’s entire body.

Especially the lower back area—even if I was conscious of it, there was no way to avoid contact with that part.

So it was inevitable that it would touch.

The most important part of that kid’s lower body.

From the sensation lightly touching my back,

I could roughly estimate how big Doha-min’s pride was.

The top I’m wearing now is just a single well-ventilated T-shirt,

and Doha-min is wearing thin gym shorts against it.

In other words, a state where no correction or distortion could possibly occur.

The area of sensation transmitted to my back could be considered equivalent to Doha-min’s pride.

‘This is strange… Being carried on the back of someone you just kissed… Shouldn’t your little buddy be throbbing, fluttering, and hardening right now?’

Or if I were to think that this size and firmness is Doha-min’s limit…

I might feel a bit sorry for the future Mrs. Ban Do-young.

“H-hey, it is hard for you after all, right?”

“No, not at all.”

“But you suddenly slowed down.”

I wasn’t particularly tired.

It was just that my expectations about the protagonist Doha-min’s pride had been slightly shattered.

But to Doha-min, who didn’t know the reason,

it must have seemed like I was slowing down because I was exhausted.

Though I hadn’t actually confirmed the real size yet.

For now, I could only estimate the size

based on the predicted value from the sensation against my back.

But considering his fluffy bare legs that made me doubt whether he’d even hit puberty yet,

and the actual sensation I felt, the disappointment compared to my expectations was quite real.

What should I do? Should I sneak a peek when he showers in the morning?

No, that would be a crime.

Dad also walks around normally in the second-floor bathroom.

If I got caught, there was a risk that Doha-min would never be allowed in our house again.

“Sigh… This is difficult, so difficult.”

“S-see? Your face is scrunched up because I’m heavy. Just put me down, I’ll walk on my own.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not because of you. I can easily lift one little shorty.”

“….”

“W-what’s with that face full of complexes?”

On the way home, I looked up at the road mirror,

and Doha-min’s face reflected there looked somewhat full of indignation.

I was trying to reassure him that it was fine,

but it seemed I had unintentionally hurt his other pride.

“A-are you angry?”

“….”

“Are you mad?”

“…What man wouldn’t feel hurt when told he’s outweighed by a girl?”

“Eek.”

Acting all proud despite his size.

After climbing to such a height, he should just enjoy the upper air that he can’t smell otherwise.

“Ban Do-young, you’re thinking that I’m just a small guy with too much pride. That since I’ve climbed high, I should just enjoy the upper air, right?”

“Hiccup.”

It seems Doha-min has become somewhat familiar with my thought patterns.

Judging by how he accurately captured what I was thinking.

“We’re not that different! It’s only about 7-8cm difference! If it’s going to be like this, just let me down…! Let me walk on my own!”

“D-don’t move so violently! Your legs are injured and have no strength! Are you a little kid whining for toys?”

“Don’t call me a little kid either!”

“Alright, I said I was sorry! Why don’t you understand that throwing a tantrum makes you more of a little kid!”

As Doha-min caused a commotion on my back,

my body was surprisingly easily swayed by his antics.

No matter how light he was compared to what I’d thought,

I was still carrying a boy with a similar weight to mine.

If such weight starts thrashing around, naturally I would be affected by it.

“Sigh… Since I’m the one who did wrong, just stay still for now. I know I’m responsible for my mistake, so I can’t just tell you to walk on your own. If you feel awkward, just look at the cherry blossoms over there.”

“…Tell me if it’s really hard. I meant it when I said I want to be equal with you.”

Doha-min’s declaration about becoming equal with me

wasn’t just about escaping from being treated like a toy.

It was also his own aspiration to break free from relationships

where he unilaterally depends on others, like the current situation.

“I know, I’m only doing this because I can’t leave our hardheaded Ban Do-young’s personal tutor, Teacher Do, stranded. So don’t feel burdened and just stay still. Even while you were thrashing around, your legs were still dangling limply.”

“…Then I’ll accept your help for a little while.”

“I’ll carry you with pleasure.”

Only after reaching some compromise with Doha-min,

did he stop his commotion and slightly raise his head to look at the falling cherry blossom petals.

Being at the highest point, perched on Ban Do-young’s height,

the petals falling from the cherry trees landed on Doha-min’s head first.

“…There are more falling than I thought. By the time midterms end, they’ll all be gone.”

“Yeah, when I looked in the mirror earlier, your head was almost completely pink. It looked pretty cute.”

“N-no thanks. I know. It doesn’t suit me.”

Only then did Doha-min realize that cherry blossom petals were stuck all over his head,

and he shook them off.

Because of his semi-curly hair’s strong texture,

he hadn’t noticed the light petals no matter how many fell on him.

“Then how do you think I’d look?”

“Huh…? How you’d look?”

“With pink hair, I mean. Should I try dyeing mine too? Pink?”

“Ugh….”

This time there wasn’t a conveniently placed road mirror like before,

so I couldn’t see what kind of face Doha-min was making.

But just as I had inferred the size of Doha-min’s pride from texture alone,

this time too, I could guess what kind of face he was making just from the reaction I heard.

I could be certain. This bastard Doha-min.

He was making a very disrespectful expression toward me right now.

“What’s with that reaction? Are you saying you don’t want to see the world’s most beautiful girl become even prettier?”

“A-aren’t you too confidently praising your own face…?”

“You can refute if you want. Tell me if you’ve ever seen anyone prettier than the girl right here in your life.”

“Well, I haven’t, but…”

While advocating for the virtue of modesty,

in the end, even Doha-min had to admit that he had never seen a woman more beautiful than Ban Do-young in his life.

“B-but it’s better not to dye your hair.”

“Why not? Are you my boyfriend or something? Why are you dictating my image change rights?”

“N-no. It would violate the school dress code. Pink hair.”

“…Ah.”

Ah, this was a Korean webtoon world.

Come to think of it, despite being in a webtoon world, there wasn’t a single person at school with the spectacular hair colors I had imagined.

“Aren’t there usually one or two kids at school with hair sticking up like flames or wearing dreadlocks and goggles? Like in sports clubs. Good at soccer.”

“N-no matter what, I don’t think there are kids like that….”

So there aren’t any.

That’s a bit disappointing.

I wanted to see such kids showing off their individual skills

in the inter-class soccer match at the sports festival in May.

“Then how about during vacation? They don’t say anything if you dye your hair then. While we’re at it, we could go white like Magical Girl Marina—”

“…I like it now.”

“…Huh?”

“I-I think your hair now is… the prettiest.”

“O-oh… I-I see.”

What was that? I just felt something plop down heavily.

Is it this guy’s weight?

“Well, I guess I have no choice then. I must respond to my fan’s request. I’ll keep this hairstyle for a while.”

“Y-yeah….”

“Hehe….”

“D-don’t laugh.”

“Sorry, but still… kukuku.”

“I-I’m embarrassed too, so don’t laugh… It’s not even funny.”

Right, it’s not funny.

But I can’t help laughing.

Being in the position of the heroine,

I can’t help but smile at the protagonist’s unintentional sincere compliment.

It’s all because of you, Doha-min.

“Oh, there’s a convenience store. Let’s stop by there for a moment.”

As we were walking home,

we reached a convenience store near the house.

Although we could have arrived home with just a bit more walking,

I sat Doha-min down on a bench outside the convenience store to check his condition.

“Is your knee still bleeding?”

“Ah… I think the bleeding has stopped.”

I turned on my phone’s flashlight to check the wound.

Indeed, the bleeding from his knee had stopped, but the scrape from being dragged on the ground was, of course, still there.

“Wait here for a moment.”

I left Doha-min briefly

and entered the convenience store.

“Welcome… Ah, hello! You’re a bit late today!”

“Ah, hello. Part-time oppa.”

The part-timer guarding the night convenience store was looking at his phone, but the moment he saw me,

he was startled and immediately greeted me warmly.

As this convenience store was right in front of my house,

I had used it quite frequently during the month since being possessed by Ban Do-young.

The number of Zero Lime drinks I’ve bought from this store is now impossible to count,

so naturally, I’ve become acquainted enough with the night shift worker to exchange light greetings.

“Are you here to buy Zero Lime today too?”

“No, rather… Do you have bandages and ointment?”

“Ah, bandages are on the shelf in front…”

“Ah, thank you.”

I followed the direction of the night worker’s finger

and moved toward the shelf where first aid supplies were displayed.

“Ah, here it is…. Wow, nowadays even bandages come with scents. What genius came up with lime-scented bandages?”

“Um, excuse me….”

“What is it? I’m busy.”

“I’m just curious why you’re buying bandages and ointment at this hour… Did someone get hurt? Perhaps the manager?”

“No.”

“Then who…”

“My boyfriend.”

“…Oh. I-I see. You have a boyfriend.”

The conversation with the part-timer ended there.