Chapter 65: Nursing Care (3)

After that, we spent time chatting about meaningless things.

At school we lacked proper places to talk. We always had to be careful since anyone could barge in anytime. We barely had time to talk comfortably, let alone chat freely.

That’s why my house, where no one would care how much we talked, was the perfect space to share our unfinished conversations.

“…Yawn.”

So-yul who’d been talking endlessly covered her mouth and yawned slightly.

Soon she wiped tears from her eyes and shook her head side to side, seemingly trying to shake off the attacking sleepiness.

But perhaps it was futile. After a while, So-yul’s head started nodding. Her eyes looked ready to close completely, clearly showing her drowsiness.

Only then did I look outside to find pitch darkness had fallen. Seems night had deepened while we were engaged in trivial chat.

“Want to sleep if you’re tired?”

When I asked softly, So-yul’s eyes went wide.

“I’m fine. I’m still totally awake. Enough to talk all night.”

“For someone totally awake, your eyes are half closed.”

“…”

Seems she had nothing to say to that.

I understood wanting to talk longer. When you’re with someone you like, you never get tired of talking even for days.

Chances like this rarely came. This time was especially precious to both me and So-yul. If possible, I wanted to keep chatting until she had to leave too.

Still, hadn’t So-yul been cutting sleep for competition practice? She’d even worked herself to collapsing, so I didn’t want her pushing herself staying up all night needlessly.

Plus though I hadn’t noticed while talking, now that I’d come to my senses the cold symptoms were gradually hitting me. My body was shivering so it would be better to get under the blanket.

I met her eyes as I spoke:

“Since break’s starting today, you can call anytime. I’ll wake up right away to answer even at dawn. Well, it’s different from talking face to face but.”

“Mm-hmm.”

So-yul’s answering voice sounded quite gloomy.

Getting this depressed because she wanted to talk longer with her boyfriend. Could there be another girlfriend this cute and lovable in the world?

My heart tingled at her affectionate expression. Finally unable to hold back, I reached out toward So-yul’s head.

When I gently stroked down her flowing soft hair, So-yul’s shoulders trembled slightly. Seeing her squint one eye, the sudden touch must have tickled.

Was her rising smile for the same reason? Or because my stroking hand felt nice? I had no way of knowing.

Soon So-yul’s eyes formed pretty crescent moons.

Her eyes sparkling like moonlight looked up at me.

“Why are you suddenly petting me?”

“Comforting my girlfriend who’s sad because she wants to keep chatting with me.”

“Hmm~”

So-yul made an incomprehensible sound at my response.

For a moment I wondered if I’d presumed too much, but after that So-yul silently accepted my touch.

Not denying she was sad about wanting to chat more. Not questioning how mere head pats could comfort her.

When I finally withdrew my hand, So-yul drooped her eyes as if still wanting more.

Though I wanted to stroke her hair until sunrise if she wished, that would mean staying up all night. It was time to get some sleep.

I took out a spare pillow from the closet and handed it to So-yul.

“Well I’m going to shower and sleep now, and you…”

I trailed off because So-yul’s next words were too obvious.

Sure enough, So-yul glanced at me sideways. The mix of anxiety and expectation in her eyes clearly showed what she wanted to say.

Soon So-yul’s lips moved slightly:

“…We’re sleeping in the same bed, right?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at words that didn’t deviate at all from my expectation.

“No matter what, isn’t sleeping in the same bed a bit much?”

“Why? We slept together even before we were really dating?”

“That was unavoidable. We slept together then to hide in case the dorm supervisor came in while we were sleeping.”

We’d had to sleep together due to various circumstances overlapping. If there had been another option, I wouldn’t have shared a bed with So-yul. A guy and girl sleeping together wasn’t such a light matter.

…That was the official reason.

Actually, it was because I couldn’t trust myself having So-yul beside me.

Just sitting near her made me back away. Her thick scent and delicate breathing already rang endlessly in my head.

In this state, spending a night lying in the same bed. Plus with my girlfriend who liked me so much.

It was an impossible mission for a normal guy. It might even be like torture.

So I hoped So-yul would understand just for today.

But So-yul, who had no way of knowing these feelings, slightly pouted with an upset face.

“…Seems you don’t want to sleep with me.”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to.”

“Then?”

Then So-yul narrowed her eyes and looked up at me intently:

“Just for today, won’t you sleep with me…?”

“…Ugh.”

Really seems I keep getting softer and softer with my girlfriend.

I put down So-yul’s pillow next to mine, letting out a shallow sigh.

◎

A house designed for one person to live alone. That’s what a studio apartment meant by definition.

Even two guys living together would be quite cramped. Naturally issues would arise when a guy and girl tried spending a night together.

If asked what the biggest problem was among them:

“You won’t peek, right?”

This was it.

This house had a bathroom/shower attached to the room. With no lock, you could open the door and enter anytime. Meaning if I wanted to, I could enter even while So-yul was showering…

No, I don’t know what I’m imagining. I shook my head repeatedly as I answered:

“I absolutely won’t peek.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really. Don’t you trust me?”

When I asked this obvious question, So-yul seemed to think for a moment then:

“…A little.”

“…”

Well, I couldn’t trust myself either so we were even.

“Then I’ll wait outside so lock the door and open it after you shower and change. The room door locks from inside so it’ll be fine.”

“Mm-hmm. Okay.”

So-yul gently nodded with a shy expression.

And so we decided to shower with the room door locked. While the other showered, we’d have to wait in the living room playing with our phones.

Following So-yul in the shower spot felt somewhat awkward too. The order was set as me first then So-yul.

When I finished showering and came out shaking off various thoughts, So-yul stood in the living room with her head down.

Her ears flushed bright red showed she was clearly embarrassed about something, unlike earlier.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing.”

So-yul answered in a tiny voice and quickly entered the room. Then just as she was about to lock the door and start showering, she poked just her face out to look at me for some reason.

“Did you forget something?”

When I asked with a chin gesture, So-yul showed an embarrassed expression and:

“…Cover your ears tight until I open the door.”

“Cover my ears?”

“Yeah.”

After answering sulkily, So-yul immediately closed the door and locked it.

What was this sudden strange request?

This question was resolved in less than a few seconds.

Because every sound of her changing clothes could be heard clearly from inside the room.

The sound of cloth rustling. The sound of her exhaling “phew” as if trying to endure embarrassment.

Following the bathroom door opening and closing… even the sound of shower water pouring over her small body.

Really good thing we’d locked the room door.

Feeling like my patience was being tested, I had to bow my head deeply just like So-yul had earlier.

“You can come in.”

Soon I heard the click of the door unlocking from inside the room.

The dryer noise had stopped quite a while ago but there’d been no word, making me wonder if something happened. Come to think of it, girls naturally had more to prepare. Thank goodness I hadn’t misunderstood and broken down the door.

“Coming in.”

I responded briefly and entered the room.

And inside…

For some reason So-yul sat demurely on the bed wearing my dress shirt.

Due to our clearly different body sizes, only her fingertips showed in the outfit.

Through gaps in the falling fabric, her snow-white nape and collarbone were clearly visible.

It hung so long below that it almost felt like an extremely short dress.

At first glance I was startled thinking she had nothing on bottom, but looking closely she wore thin dolphin shorts.

My mind went completely blank at this unexpected sight.

Perhaps noticing my reaction, So-yul lowered her eyes with a shy face and whispered:

“C-can I borrow your dress shirt?”

“No, I don’t really mind you borrowing it but…”

Of course there was nothing wrong with it. I wouldn’t need to wear a dress shirt for days anyway. Lending it to So-yul for a day wouldn’t prevent me from wearing it. Looking at it any way, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Except for one thing – it was an outfit that too precisely tempted a man’s heart.

It felt like the locks I’d placed on my heart were unlocking one by one.

Gritting my molars to maintain self-control, I asked:

“You borrowed my t-shirt last time too. Did you not have clothes to change into today either?”

“…No.”

“No?”

When I asked back not understanding, So-yul hid her blushing cheeks in the dress shirt and:

“…Since my boyfriend’s clothes were here I wanted to try wearing them.”

She gave this nonsensical answer.

Was she really incredibly innocent? Or terribly cunning?

Whichever was right, the result was the same. The impulses boiling up from inside were thoroughly disturbing my reason. Non-existent sirens were already endlessly ringing in my head.

Forcefully averting my gaze, I barely managed to say:

“Alright. Wear it if you want to. I’ll turn off the lights.”

“Mm-hmm.”

A faint answer came from where So-yul sat.

Then I heard the rustle of blankets and dress shirt fabric. Seems So-yul immediately started preparing for bed.

I turned off the light switch and quickly headed to the bedside too.

Compared to my stepping feet, my heart was beating several times faster. The thudding had become loud enough to be noisy now.

Soon I gently lay down at one edge of the bed.

Since my cold might spread, I turned my head away from where So-yul lay.

“Good night.”

“Yeah. Good night to you too.”

A voice strangely tinged with shyness.

Even this made my heart keep pounding so.

I had to tightly close my eyes and just wait for sleep to come.

But there was no way sleep would come easily.

Getting to sleep in the same bed with my beloved girlfriend. Plus that girlfriend wearing my dress shirt.

Hearing soft breathing sounds from behind me, feeling warm temperature probably from her recent shower.

What man could easily fall asleep in such a stimulating situation?

I wanted to hug So-yul right now. I wanted to whisper that I liked her in her ear.

I wanted to hold her weak, delicate body in my arms and feel her warmth and smell her scent all night.

Then I wanted to fall asleep happily sharing our two heartbeats.

At this rate it might really end up like that. I was barely holding onto my reason now, but if I kept dwelling in these worries I felt like I might actually do such things.

But I couldn’t do that.

So-yul’s feelings might be different. Maybe So-yul was just happy being together with me.

As her real boyfriend now, I had to protect So-yul. To avoid carelessly hurting her, I had to take things one step at a time.

For that very reason, I had to endure the desires rising from within until the end.

Around when I was repeating this to myself several times.

Suddenly a very small voice came from behind me.

“…It would be warm if you held me.”

Words as if reading my inner thoughts.

“…Han So-yul.”

“It’s okay.”

Then So-yul whispered clearly yet hazily in a voice tinged with faint heat:

“For me, it’s okay if you come closer…”

Finally I understood clearly though belatedly.

It seemed my girlfriend was… endlessly cunning and infinitely lovable.

Well, I who quickly fell for So-yul’s temptation wasn’t much different.

Holding So-yul’s fragile body tight with all my strength, I had such thoughts.