Chapter 175: Choi Arin was depressed

Choi Arin made a bewildered sound.

“Ugh? Uh…”

The situation undeniably pointed to her having assaulted Hayoon.

What was she supposed to do?

Vague memories surfaced of Hayoon telling her to stop drinking, but beyond that, it was a complete blank.

Of course, it was.

She had just slept.

And in a dazed state, she had brushed her teeth.

That was it.

It would be stranger if she remembered anything more.

But…

“Th-this… crazy…”

Even Choi Arin herself couldn’t maintain such a nonchalant attitude.

Still in her underwear, having not even changed clothes properly, she leaped out of bed and slumped onto the vanity chair in the corner of the motel room.

“Wh-what have I done… you…”

Did she… violate her younger friend, who had paid for a motel room out of her own pocket to ensure she had a decent place to sleep off her drunkenness? Forcibly…?

“Are you even human after that? Huh? Choi Arin…?”

A deep sense of self-loathing washed over Choi Arin.

She clutched her naturally brown hair and let out a pained groan.

This was… this was truly insane.

Hayoon was her junior, her younger sister figure, her boss, and to forcibly…

“No, well, we’ve kissed, and, like, um, like… done everything…”

But still, forcing herself on someone who was drunk would surely extinguish any remaining affection.

She dreaded Hayoon’s expression when she woke up.

She considered running away, but that would mean severing ties completely… She didn’t want to lose Hayoon over one mistake.

But then, she had to apologize…

“What do I even apologize for…?”

She couldn’t remember exactly what she had forcibly done.

Did she forcibly undress her? Or force her legs open? Or, did she forcibly leave hickeys on her resisting friend’s chest?

“What on earth… are you… Choi Arin…”

What exactly had she done wrong last night?

As she berated herself, her mind raced, desperately trying to piece together the memories…

“Ugh, damn it…!”

No memories came.

Of course not.

Choi Arin hadn’t done anything.

If non-existent memories surfaced, that would be a problem in itself.

But, it wasn’t as simple as that.

“Crazy, crazy…”

Choi Arin, at a loss, agonized over the memories that wouldn’t surface.

And as Choi Arin’s groans filled the motel room, Hayoon, who had fallen asleep a little later, rubbed her eyes and woke up.

“Ugh…”

“Ah…”

As Hayoon sat up, her two large, teardrop-shaped breasts swayed powerfully. For a moment, Choi Arin was captivated by the alluring sight, speechless.

“Hooo…”

Hayoon, still groggy from sleep, squinted and rubbed her arms.

Pranking Choi Arin had been fun, but sleeping naked probably wasn’t good for her. A sudden chill ran through her.

“Clothes…”

As she turned her head, looking for her discarded underwear…

“Uh, H-Hayoon…”

“Ah…”

She sighed briefly at the sight of Choi Arin, who was fidgeting, unsure what to do, then flashed a mischievous, impish grin.

The sight of Choi Arin’s dumbfounded face instantly woke her up.

Choi Arin’s reactions when teased were always priceless.

“Ahhh…”

“Th-that…”

Playing the part of a tragic heroine, she showcased her cosplay model acting skills, clutching the motel bed’s blanket.

She couldn’t cry on cue, but burying her face in the blanket with a somber expression had a dramatic effect on Choi Arin.

“H-Hayoon… I’m sorry… I’m so…”

“Sorry for what? What are you sorry for…!”

“W-well…”

Perhaps because it was amusing, her acting was quite good.

She barely suppressed the smile tugging at her lips as she berated Choi Arin.

“You say you’re sorry, but you can’t even say what you’re sorry for? Hmph, hmph…?”

Was this a bit too much?

She worried for a moment that her whimpering might have been overkill…

‘…?’

Suddenly, she felt something heavy rest on the back of her head.

Choi Arin had hugged Hayoon from behind, and her C-cup breasts naturally settled on top of Hayoon’s head.

Hayoon was momentarily speechless, wondering what was happening…

“I’ll… take full responsibility…!”

Choi Arin declared in a solemn voice.

“Wh-what are you taking responsibility for?”

Hayoon asked, bewildered.

“I… I don’t really remember much, you see…? I was so drunk?”

“Then maybe you should have drunk less.”

“I’m sorry. But, I know just saying sorry isn’t enough…”

A… a strange dynamic had formed.

Hayoon felt a sense of unease, wondering if things were about to escalate.

This was just supposed to be a prank to make Choi Arin drink less, but Choi Arin was taking it so seriously.

If things continued like this…

“I… I’ll…”

“You’ll what…”

“T-take responsibility… and…”

“And?”

“Marry you, Hayoon…!”

“Uh, um, oooh…”

This wasn’t just playful banter anymore; it was turning into a full-blown drama.

She had just planned some light teasing, maybe a few jokes about Choi Arin’s drunken behavior, but Choi Arin had taken it completely to heart.

“S-surprise…! J-just kidding…!”

Even if she confessed it was a prank now…

“No, it’s okay, Hayoon. I’ll take responsibility. You don’t have to try to make me feel better.”

“N-no…”

Choi Arin was in full-on drama mode; it wouldn’t work.

“Unnie, can you step back for a second? There’s something I need to show you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, this chest. The hickey. I actually made it myself, see? My breasts are big, right? So if I hold them like this and bring them to my mouth and go, mwah, I can give myself a hickey. And, if we really did something, there would be marks on my body, but look at me. There’s nothing. I’m clean.”

“My nails are short, Hayoon… I know I messed up, you don’t have to try to cover for me like that. Okay? I’m sorry, really…”

No matter how much Hayoon tried to play the clown and explain what had happened last night, Choi Arin was beyond reason.

When a person’s guilt surpasses a certain threshold, even if you tell them it wasn’t that serious, they assume you’re just trying to console them.

“I think my feelings for you were so strong that I made a mistake while drunk. So, I’ll take full responsibility, Hayoon.”

“No, that…”

“Shhh.”

At this point, it felt like Hayoon was the one being manipulated, the situation escalating so rapidly.

However…

“You… you said… you’d take… re-responsibility… so… you’re… taking responsibility…”

Seeing Choi Arin, who had initially seemed clear-headed, completely unravel, it was clear she wasn’t being manipulated.

“Wh-what do I do? My mom… she wants to see her grandchild… B-but, women… they can’t have children. Ah, that’s not right… But, Hayoon’s first time… I, forcibly, but, this, how do I get our parents’ permission? No, wait, if we can’t get their permission, does that mean we can’t get married? But, then Hayoon would be, so pitiful…”

It was one thing when she was alone, but now, face-to-face with a fully awake Hayoon, the more they talked, the more her mind seemed to be overloading.

“Umm…”

It seemed she needed some time to compose herself.

‘Was I too harsh?’

It was partly harshness, and partly Choi Arin’s mental breakdown.

A cacophony of chaos was unfolding. Ultimately, time was the only remedy.

“Sob, sniff…”

In the end, Hayoon had to spend until checkout time trying to convince Choi Arin.

She even resorted to a semi-threatening remark, asking if Choi Arin would only believe her if she let her check for her virginity.

Only then did Choi Arin finally accept that nothing had happened and backed down.

“I hate you,… You evil, you…”

Then, she started cursing Hayoon.

It was understandable.

Those few short minutes when Hayoon was still asleep and Choi Arin was awake.

And those few minutes when Hayoon woke up and started teasing Choi Arin.

In that brief period, less than 30 minutes, Choi Arin had experienced what felt like years in her mind.

In her imagination, Choi Arin had taken Hayoon to meet her mother first.

She had been thoroughly berated.

Her mother had yelled at her for bringing home a woman, not a man, at the age of twenty.

Next, she went to Hayoon’s house.

She was slapped.

She was accused of forcibly taking her precious daughter’s first time and told to get lost because a woman couldn’t take responsibility for another woman.

But Choi Arin persisted.

Knowing it was her mistake, she repeatedly tried to persuade her parents and went to Hayoon’s parents to beg for forgiveness.

And after countless persuasions and apologies, she finally received permission to marry, an opportunity to take responsibility for Hayoon and atone for her sin.

And then she faced the next problem.

Women couldn’t have children together…

Choi Arin’s mother, who had wanted a grandchild, stopped mentioning it. Hayoon’s parents seemed displeased about something.

She had imagined this entire scenario, and then Hayoon had suddenly dropped the “surprise.”

She hadn’t believed it.

She hadn’t believed it, but when Hayoon offered to let her check, she had no choice but to believe.

And the bewilderment she had felt until now transformed into resentment.

So, to summarize Choi Arin’s current feelings in one word…

“Die, die… you… I’m not playing with you, I’m not playing with you anymore…”

That was it.