Chapter 33: I want to smell you

Han Yeoreum didn’t respond. She just stared blankly at the sea, which stretched out endlessly.
However, the deep shadow that had been cast over her face seemed to have disappeared.

“You don’t have to answer right away, so think about it.”

If I say a cool line and make my exit at this timing, it’ll look pretty good.

“Weren’t you going to stop trying to act cool?”

Just as I was trying to ignore the laughter coming from behind me and stepped out onto the terrace,

“Oof.”

I felt a soft sensation on my chest and looked down to see Yu Garyeon, flailing her hands and stumbling backward.

“I-It’s not like I was trying to eavesdrop from the beginning. It was just by chance, coincidentally…”

“I just opened the door without thinking, and I thought I heard voices from this way…”

As Yu Garyeon spoke, her blue eyes darted around nervously.

“R-Really.”

Feeling a slight sense of nostalgia, I spoke to Yu Garyeon.

“I haven’t said anything yet. Or is someone saying something to you?”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Why would I be?”
“Th-That I overheard you talking about something important with that kid…”

Yu Garyeon’s shoulders drooped like a wet puppy’s tail.

“Not really. It’s not like I was having a strange conversation with her.”

If I were going to have a secret conversation, I wouldn’t have done it in such an open place.

“Lies…”
“What is?”
“Why do you keep pretending you’re not angry? I-I’m only doing things that are incredibly annoying, aren’t I?”

Yu Garyeon’s soft voice, tickling my ear, was filled with anxiety.

“Do you want me to be angry?”

No reply came. Her face was similar to what I had seen in the tent last night, but the venom was gone.

“Alright.”

I gathered as much strength as possible into my forefinger and flicked Yu Garyeon’s forehead. With a sharp thwack, she cried out and clutched her forehead. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“There, satisfied?”
“…Not at all. Not one bit.”

I ignored her disgruntled glare. I couldn’t see it without a mirror, but my lips were probably twisted too.

“Alright, alright. Go change your clothes first. Why are you still wearing that?”

The dress Yu Garyeon was wearing was a mess, caked with mud and fake blood from the escape room set.

“It’s not like I’m wearing it because I want to.”
“Then why are you wearing it?”
“I don’t have a change of clothes. The carrier I brought flew away with the tent…”

Her gaze shifted to the bandage wrapped around her left forearm.

“I told you it’s fine. It doesn’t even sting anymore.”
“Who said anything?”

I flicked Yu Garyeon’s forehead again.

“Ouch!”
“Follow me. I’ll lend you some of my clothes.”

Yu Garyeon’s shoulders twitched and trembled.

“N-No. Why would I wear your clothes?”
“Just hurry up. After all this, you should at least take a hint.”

I frowned and pinched my nose with my fingers.

“What?”

Perhaps that one word was incredibly bewildering, as Yu Garyeon started sweating profusely and began sniffing her clothes, pressing her nose against the fabric.

Of course, it was a lie.

“Here, take it.”

I took out a tracksuit set from the carrier and tossed it to Yu Garyeon.

“It’ll be a bit big for you, but it’s better than being too small to fit into at all. Wear it for now.”
“…”

She didn’t answer and just stood there blankly, holding the tracksuit, her face flushed.

“I know you don’t like me, but just wear it. The smell from that dress is worse.”
“Sh-Shut up.”
“Just kidding. Anyway, change and come down. Let’s eat.”

****

“Hey, th-this, mmm, can I have more?”
“Yeah. There’s still a lot left, so can you stop taking mine?”

During mealtime, at the dinner table, Han Yeoreum had reverted to the gluttonous, ditzy kid I knew. Was the image she showed on the terrace earlier truly an illusion?
Still, that kind of expression suited her face better.

“Garyeon, what about you? Tell me if you need anything.”
“…”

Meanwhile, Yu Garyeon, in complete contrast to Han Yeoreum, was barely picking at her food with her chopsticks.

“Does it not suit your taste?”
“Ah, no. That’s not it.”
“Or is there something else you want to eat?”
“No, it’s just, your smell is so strong on these clothes, it’s a bit…”

It can’t be helped. Garyeon was a kid who extremely detested my smell.

“Really? Then should I get you different clothes now—”
“N-No, it’s fine. It’s better than being too small and tight. I’ll just wear it until the dress dries.”

Perhaps quite annoyed, Yu Garyeon’s face was redder than it had ever been.

Do I really smell that bad? I’ve heard it all along, but it feels particularly painful today.

“Hey, do I smell?”

I threw the question to Han Yeoreum for an objective assessment.

“Yeah, like a dog. So get away. I’m gonna puke.”

I started devouring all the side dishes Han Yeoreum was eating.

It wasn’t long before she realized the gravity of the situation and started crying and begging, repeatedly apologizing for her mistake, but I ignored it all.

“Then I’ll go wash up, so please just clean up and do the dishes.”
“Okay. Ah, wait a minute.”

After the meal, as I was about to leave the dining room, Han Yeoreum called out to me.

“Do you know where the water is? I’m thirsty.”
“Ah, sorry. I forgot to bring water. There’s a big fridge in the kitchen, right? It’s at the bottom. There are drinks other than water too, so help yourself.”

I left the kitchen, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom. The enormous bath, which I had been eagerly anticipating since I saw it during the day, heightened the excitement in my chest.
It was a shame I couldn’t soak myself completely in the tub because of the wound on my arm, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Phew…”

The hot water pleasantly washed away the fatigue clinging to my body. It felt as if the cobwebs that had filled my mind until a moment ago had been instantly swept away.
Savoring that incredibly refreshing feeling, I spent a long and happy time in the tub…

…Or so I thought, but that happiness was short-lived.
Now I was sitting on the floor, clutching my pounding heart, gasping for breath.

“What, what is it?”

The reason was a person who had abruptly thrust their face towards me as soon as I opened the bathroom door.
Startled by the sudden situation, I lost my balance and fell backward.

“Garyeon?”

Yu Garyeon stood silently in front of the door, just watching me.

“Uh, did you come to wash up? Sorry, I took too long. You can go in now.”
“No.”
“Ah, ah. Right. I need to clean up.”

Come to think of it, that brat wouldn’t even look at places I had entered or sat in until they were cleaned, saying they smelled. I had forgotten.

“No, but if you want to use it.”
“I told you, no. And I’m not taking baths anymore. I won’t for the rest of my life.”

She rubbed her face with the sleeve of her tracksuit and continued.

“But it’s a waste. If I take a bath, it’ll all wash away.”
“No, then why did you come here?”
“Because I wanted to smell you.”

Have I finally lost it?

“Sorry, I think I misheard.”
“I said I came because I wanted to smell you. Are you deaf?”

Stunned by that bombshell of a statement, I sat there blankly, just blinking my eyes, when Yu Garyeon suddenly rushed at me.

“Hey, what do you think you’re—”
“Stay still.”

Crawling on all fours, Yu Garyeon buried her nose in my thigh, then slowly moved her nose to my stomach, chest, shoulder, and finally my neck, inhaling deeply.

“Ssssp… Hhh… Hhhmmm…”

It felt as if my entire body was being licked.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Hey.”
“Hhh… It stinks. It stinks so bad, you smell… It really is oppa. Oppa came for me.”

Muttering such incomprehensible words, Yu Garyeon soon buried her face in my chest and started nuzzling.

“It’s oppa. It’s oppa. Hehe. It really smells like oppa.”
“Garyeon, what on earth is suddenly… Wait.”

At that moment, a pungent smell wafted up my nose.

“Garyeon, don’t tell me you’ve been drinking?”
“I really hate it. I hate oppa the most in the world. Hehe. Because, you reek like this.”

Our Museum’s company dinner rule was simple and clear: Do not let Yu Garyeon drink alcohol.

The reason was simple.

The moment alcohol entered Garyeon’s system, everything would end.
Yes, a disaster that human hands couldn’t even begin to control would erupt.

“Hehe… Hehehe… Oppaaa…”