Chapter 14 : You really are going to get into big trouble if you keep doing that…

“Hehehe, uhu!”

Walking down the hallway with a pervy smile.

I feel so happy, like I could fly.

Yeah, this is what hypnosis is all about.

The hallway is completely empty—probably because first-period gym class hasn’t ended yet.

Except for one person.

A tiny girl is walking down the hallway, her footsteps echoing.

Huh? Isn’t that Gyeoul?

‘What’s she doing here?’

As soon as she sees me, she speeds up, her footsteps tapping rapidly against the floor as she runs over.

What the—?

“You’re late.”

“Oh, uh, well…”

“Hmm.”

Yeah… I did skip class for a while.

She must’ve come to get me.

Gyeoul stares intently at the hem of my skirt, then circles around me as if inspecting something.

Feeling strangely guilty, I start making excuses.

“I was just… worried, so I stayed longer…? Haha…”

“Hayul, follow me.”

“Uh, Gyeoul? Why…?”

“Hurry up.”

She suddenly grabs my hand and turns around, leading me somewhere.

I thought my excuse was pretty good…

But why is she holding my hand? Where are we going?

‘Eh? What’s going on…?’

We arrive at the bathroom.

She stands me in front of the mirror and just stares at me—

Like she’s waiting for me to notice something.

“Gyeoul…?”

What could she possibly want me to do here?

Hmm… something we could do alone, just the two of us…

Then a thought suddenly crosses my mind.

‘…!’

Well, I am pretty good-looking.

I have a gentle personality, and I’m quite caring too.

I did aggressively pursue Yena, but I’ve spent a lot of time with Gyeoul as well, so…

‘Is this what I think it is?’

Sigh… Gyeoul.

I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your feelings.

I already have a wife, after all.

Besides, confessing in a bathroom? That’s just—

“Did you fall?”

“Huh? Fall? What do you mean?”

Wait… was she not confessing?!

She doesn’t speak shyly or hesitantly. Instead, she frowns at me like I’m an idiot and asks matter-of-factly.

When I just stand there, she shakes her head and points downward.

“Your skirt. In the back.”

“Huh…? Ah— AHHH!”

“You seriously didn’t notice?”

I turn around and look in the mirror—

The back of my school uniform skirt has a damp, oval-shaped stain.

It’s small enough that only someone really observant would notice.

I must’ve fallen into a puddle.

Or… I made a puddle myself.

‘Ugh…’

Luckily, Gyeoul seems to think I just fell.

“Oh my god… T-thanks… I did fall earlier, haha. I had no idea! I could’ve been in serious trouble…”

“Hm. 500 won.”

“Huh? What 500 won?”

“Never mind. Forget it. Wait here.”

After accepting my thanks, Gyeoul suddenly says something weird and then dashes out, telling me to wait.

Well, guess I have no choice.

I’ll wait.

Sigh…

I check my skirt again.

Hmm, it’s not that bad, right?

If I just say I tripped into a puddle, I might be able to get away with it.

…But does this school even have puddles?

It’s only first period, and no one’s done any mopping yet.

Plus, today’s weather is perfectly sunny.

“Whew…“

Still, that was really close.

After a while, Gyeoul returns.

She’s holding my cardigan, which I left on my classroom chair.

Thanks to her, I manage to return to class without incident.

“Did the teacher send you to get me?”

“No. Came on my own.”

“Why…?”

“Because it’s fun.”

She says this while walking beside me, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

After gym class ends, I return to the classroom.

Yena is already sitting at her desk.

“Yena!”

“Oh, hey, Hayul.”

“Why are you back so early?”

“…Good question, hehe. I felt like staying in the nurse’s office any longer would just be embarrassing.”

Huh…? Embarrassing?

I made sure to clean up everything perfectly.

I even woke her up in a setting nearly identical to when I put her under hypnosis.

“Hehe, just kidding. I just realized my leg doesn’t hurt much when I walk, so I came back.”

“Oh, thank—wait, what?! The nurse told you to stay in bed—!”

“Ugh… don’t nag me…”

Jeez, I was seriously worried for a second.

I thought she might’ve figured something out…

But no, she doesn’t seem to suspect a thing about the hypnosis.

I plop into my seat with a thud.

By now, my skirt is almost dry.

Just in case, I keep my cardigan wrapped around my waist.

Then, I start reviewing my plans from yesterday.

‘Hypnosis worked, I had my fun teasing her today…’

“Yawn~.“

Last night’s chaos is still fresh in my memory, but somehow, I’ve already accomplished everything I planned.

As the tension in my neck and shoulders fades, I slowly rest my arms on the desk and lay my head down.

‘It’s break time, so… just five minutes of sleep…’

“Chuuuup… Ugh…“

I wake up, wiping a long string of drool from my mouth.

The blurry world around me slowly comes into focus.

‘What the…?’

I feel oddly refreshed.

My neck and shoulders feel a little stiff, though…

“You’re awake?”

“Gah!“

Oh my god!

That was way too sudden!

I let out a weird scream in surprise.

“Let’s go eat lunch together.”

“Uuung…”

That faint purple I kept seeing—so it was Yena’s hair.

The light floods into my wide-open eyes, tormenting me. I squint to block it out.

Anyway, a wife is the only one who takes care of her husband.

Hehe…

‘Yeah, yeah. She’s pretty, she’s kind…’

Wait a second…

She said let’s go eat lunch, so—

“…Uwaaah?!”

“Pfft.”

“D-Did I just… sleep through all of second period?!”

“Yep. And third and fourth, too.”

What do you mean?!

Did I really sleep that long?

After staying up all night with my eyes wide open—or, well, soaked in tears?

I mean, sure, I pulled an all-nighter, but…

I didn’t think I was that tired.

“Come on, come on, princess. Time to get up.”

“Ugh…! I am not a princess!”

Says the one who looks way more like a princess than I do.

Still, I shake off my sleepiness and follow her to the cafeteria.

I am pretty hungry, after all.

Today’s main dish is chicken steak!

Even at a glance, it looks absolutely delicious.

The slightly charred, golden-brown crust immediately catches my eye.

I press my knife against it—it feels firm, like it’ll crackle crisply in my mouth.

I slice straight down the middle, splitting it open—

The inside pulls apart easily, as if it was slow-cooked for hours.

Perfectly cooked white meat peeks out.

I stab a piece with my fork and pop it into my mouth.

Juices burst out, swirling around my tongue.

Ah, this is happiness.

This time, I dip it into the thick, sticky sauce loaded with crushed black pepper.

The sweetness of the sauce perfectly balances the rich, fatty taste of the meat.

“Mmhhyaa… So good…”

“Pfft. You always react the same way.”

“It’s always delicious! I wanna eat here forever…!”

“Too late. You can’t come back next year.”

“…Is there really no way…?”

We chat about nothing in particular as we eat.

Somehow, it feels like we’ve gotten even closer.

After spending a blissful time with Yena,

I don’t really have anything to do.

So we decide to walk around the halls to digest our food.

“Hey, something’s going on over there.”

“Yeah? Let’s check it out.”

A crowd of students is gathered in front of a huge bulletin board near the stairs.

What’s this about?

As we get closer, I catch snippets of their reactions.

“Uwaaah! What the hell is this?!”

“Shut up, it was about time. You should’ve studied earlier.”

“Save meee…”

Studying? If it’s about studying, then…

Yena and I aren’t that short, so we don’t need to squeeze through the crowd.

I rise onto my tiptoes while Yena just stands there, reading the board.

[Midterm Exam Schedule]

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

“…Yena.”

“Hm?”

“You… Are you good at studying? I-I mean! Not that I’m looking down on you or anything—”

“Last year’s finals. Ranked second in the whole school.”

“Whuh—?!”

As expected of my wife.

She’s got that model student vibe.

Seriously, what the hell?!

She’s got the looks and the brains?!

What doesn’t she have?!

…Actually, now that I think about it, her personality is kinda lacking.

I turn to her with a complicated expression.

Noticing my stare, Yena smirks and asks,

“Do I seem different now? Feeling like you wanna ask me for help?”

“…How did you—?”

“Well… I’ve never seen you pay attention in class.”

“Ghhk…”

It hurts because it’s true.

I mean, come on—

How am I supposed to focus on class when I sit right next to a dopamine-overloaded event-tier beauty?!

Yena slowly leans in closer.

Huh? Wait. There are people here.

‘Y-Yena?’

No way! Not in public…!

And it’s my first time, too…!

Just as I brace myself for a forceful, lip-stealing, dignity-shattering assault—

She moves past my face and whispers into my ear.

“Hmm… Maybe… If you really beg for it, I might help?”

“Y-You little—!”

I seriously almost had a heart attack.

With her usual teasing expression, she just keeps grinning at me.

I glare at her, narrowing my eyes.

…

Three seconds pass.

Her gaze is unwavering.

It’s not intimidating, exactly, but—

It’s overwhelming.

I look away first.

‘Wait. Hold on a second. Commands…’

Right.

Why would I ask her?

I can just order her.

Hypnosis has all the answers.

I feel pretty proud of myself.

Even if I was a little late to the realization—

The fact that I thought of using the hypnosis app like this is what matters.

I clear my throat and speak up.

“Ahem! Alright, I’ll ask. But… let’s go somewhere private first?”

“Private? Why?”

“B-Because it’s embarrassing…?”

“Alone together… What are you planning? Maybe something… naughty?”

She’s still whispering right into my ear.

Then, acting all flustered, she steps back—

Crossing her arms over her chest.

‘You’re gonna get yourself in trouble one day…’

“…!”

“What? Wait… Are you serious? You’re actually gonna do something weird to me?”

Seriously. Stop.

If you stop now, I’ll let you off the hook.

I’ll just tell you we’re studying and move on…

“Stop it…”

“Oh no, you’re mad. So, what now? Should I go? Guess I’ll just study by myself, then.”

Snap.

Something in my brain just broke.

I’m mad.

Really mad.

You’re so dead.