Chapter 74: Height Difference

“Now that I think about it, aren’t you the tallest in our class?”

Juho brought up this random topic one day during break time as we were walking in the hallway.

We were on our way back after delivering some printouts at a teacher’s request. We’d been chatting about all sorts of things, but the height topic came out of nowhere. I wondered why he was asking this now after all the time we’d spent together.

“Why suddenly ask about height?”

“No reason, just thought of it.”

“What could possibly make you think of that?”

“Never mind the reason.”

Juho gestured with his chin, urging me to answer.

“So how tall are you? Around 185cm?”

“I don’t even know exactly. Maybe 182cm? Our class just happens to be on the shorter side. It’s not like I’d be the tallest in a normal class.”

“My, my. Bragging about being tall, are we?”

When did I ever brag?

I swallowed the urge to protest and met his eyes, only to find him grinning.

How should I put it? His expression seemed slightly teasing.

A guy smiling like that only irritates me. I shrugged my shoulders casually to end the conversation, and Juho snorted and nodded. It seemed he hadn’t expected much of an answer anyway.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But then Juho added one more comment with an inscrutable laugh.

“Man, with that much height difference between you and your girlfriend, how do you even date?”

“Hey, you…”

How could he say something like that in the middle of the hallway?

I quickly looked around, but fortunately, there wasn’t a soul in sight. We were right in front of our classroom too, so the chances of anyone overhearing were slim.

Well, I suppose he only acted carelessly because no one was around. Still, it was shocking. For a moment, I felt my heart drop to the floor.

“Why are you so surprised?”

Juho burst into laughter as he asked.

I seriously thought I was going to die just now. I shot him a reproachful glare, which finally made him tone down his smile a bit. With his lips still curled upward, he continued:

“What? Afraid someone from another class might overhear?”

“Of course. Even if it’s just teasing inside the classroom, we can’t take it outside. It would be a disaster if false rumors spread when we’re not even really dating.”

“Ah, right. I’m sure.”

He clearly wasn’t listening to a word I was saying.

“Don’t worry. Do you think I’d go around gossiping? I only said it because no one was around to eavesdrop.”

“…I guess I can trust you since it’s you.”

“Really? Thanks for your trust. I’m honored.”

“Honor my foot.”

I glared at him briefly to signal he should stop with the nonsense, and Juho went into the classroom with a snicker.

Was he just trying to tease me with that comment about height difference? I’d wondered why he suddenly brought up such a random topic, and I was right. He really can be insufferable sometimes.

With an annoyed sigh, I followed Juho toward the classroom… or at least I tried to.

Just then, I felt someone firmly tugging at my sleeve.

A touch that was infinitely delicate yet clearly assertive.

With a strange premonition, I turned around and, sure enough, there stood—

“…How do you date with this much height difference between you and your girlfriend?”

So-yul stood there, hands on her chest, looking up at me with concerned eyes.

◎

“Come to think of it, we’ve never talked about our height difference until now.”

During the next break, at our usual spot on the stairs just below the rooftop.

So-yul said this while crossing her arms and looking up at me.

“Yeah, I guess we haven’t, but…”

“But what?”

So-yul tilted her head slightly, as if prompting me to continue.

It was obvious what I was going to say next.

“A height difference doesn’t create any problems for us, right?”

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable statement.

Just looking at the angle of our faces right now, the difference was quite apparent.

So-yul had to crane her neck up to look at me, while I had to look down to meet her eyes.

But I didn’t find it particularly uncomfortable, and while So-yul’s neck might get a bit sore, we usually sat down when we were alone anyway. So even that wasn’t really a concern.

That’s what I was thinking when I said it, but…

“What?”

So-yul shook her head vigorously as if she’d heard something absurd.

“Think about it. What could be more important than height difference in a relationship?”

“Is it that important?”

“Yes. Dummy.”

So-yul answered grumpily, placing her hands on her hips.

I suppose Juho had asked how we could date with such a height difference too. Though he was just teasing, it seemed that by normal standards, the height gap between couples was considered a significant factor.

But I wasn’t sure. Do people in love really need to worry about such things?

“I didn’t fall for you because of your height. Even if you grew as tall as me tomorrow, I’d never think of breaking up. I don’t see any problem with my girlfriend being shorter.”

“…Don’t say ‘shorter.'”

Despite my sincere words, So-yul took offense at a strange point.

“You’re worried about it because you think you’re short yourself.”

“…Hmm.”

Finding it difficult to argue with this, So-yul’s pink lips firmly closed. Though they were protruding slightly in displeasure—well, it was a fact that she was short, so what could I do?

I then looked up and down at So-yul’s small, delicate, slender body.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind how short my girlfriend is. I like you regardless.”

“You’re not implying that other things are small, are you?”

“Of course not. I’m talking about height.”

About 80% height, anyway.

In any case, she seemed somewhat relieved that I didn’t mind her being short. So-yul placed her hand near her chest and let out a faint sigh. But that didn’t last long. When she looked up at me again, her face held a serious expression.

As I stood there looking confused, So-yul began speaking.

“But look. You’re always patting my head whenever you feel like it.”

“That’s because you enjoy it when I do.”

“…Yes, I do like it, but that’s not what I mean.”

Caught off guard by this unexpected counterattack, So-yul’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“Don’t you think the reason you’re always patting my head is because of our height difference?”

She brought up this somewhat mysterious topic.

I wasn’t sure. If she was asking whether I kept patting her head because of our height difference, I couldn’t really say. I had never met a tall So-yul, and I would never become as short as she was.

Let me try to imagine it. What if our heights were reversed? What if I shrank to around 150cm, and So-yul grew to over 180cm?

…

It was impossible to imagine.

But I understood what she was trying to say. So-yul was much shorter than me. When I looked down, I could immediately see the top of her head, which might naturally make me want to pat it.

Additionally, I didn’t even need to raise my arm to pat her head. This lack of effort might make it easier for me to place my hand on her head.

I nodded slightly, and So-yul spoke with a triumphant tone.

“You understand, right? And when we hug, your body is so big that I completely fit inside your embrace.”

“And?”

Was that supposed to be a problem? When I asked with genuine confusion, So-yul hesitated for a moment.

“W-well. I just meant it feels nice that way.”

“I see. Then I’ll hug you often from now on.”

“Y-yeah. Thanks…”

So-yul nodded slightly while touching her chin, then—

“No, no, that’s not it. This is why height difference is important.”

She suddenly came to her senses and confronted me.

“Well, I understand what you mean.”

Essentially, the sensation of physical contact varies depending on the height difference. Both patting her head and holding her in my arms were influenced by this factor.

I could understand that now, but…

“If you enjoy being patted and like being in my arms, doesn’t that mean there’s nothing wrong with our current situation?”

This was my question now.

From what So-yul was saying, it sounded like our current height difference was optimal. If that was the case, there was no need for this conversation. It’s not like we could stop growing just by discussing it anyway.

But So-yul’s conclusion seemed a little different.

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly and poked my side repeatedly.

“…What are we going to do if we ever kiss?”

“…”

That was a good point.

We had talked about kissing while watching the movie we filmed. Well, we didn’t just talk—we almost actually did it before So-yul barely managed to stop it.

If our first kiss were to happen while sitting, like that time, there wouldn’t be any difficulty.

But if we were to kiss while standing straight… wouldn’t that be an awkward position?

“Ah, anyway.”

So-yul pulled me out of my inappropriate thoughts.

“Since there’s such a big difference in our heights, I meant we need to think about these things.”

With this, So-yul seemed to conclude our lengthy conversation.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’re saying you want me to pat your head and hug you more often.”

“…You haven’t understood anything at all.”

So-yul whispered with an incredulous look.

“I’m kidding.”

I chuckled softly.

“I got it. I’ll be more mindful. I’ll take smaller steps when we walk side by side. And whenever we meet, we’ll try to sit down for our conversations.”

We couldn’t make ourselves taller or shorter. There was absolutely no chance we’d break up over something like this. That meant there was nothing we could really change about the situation.

So while there wasn’t any clear solution to this issue, I could at least try to reduce So-yul’s discomfort. Just enough to make things not too awkward or difficult.

In fact, I should start practicing right away.

With that in mind, I bent down to match So-yul’s eye level.

Looking at So-yul’s face straight on like this had its own unique charm.

“Shall we head back to the classroom?”

When I asked briefly, So-yul stared at me directly, then—

With a slightly sulky expression:

“…I don’t like feeling like I’m being treated like a child.”

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her unexpected response.

She was even dissatisfied with me trying to be considerate. I couldn’t figure out how to please her.

But I soon understood the answer to that question.

“…From the beginning, I was worried that you might be uncomfortable.”

So-yul said this with a bright smile.

“Me?”

“Yes. I was afraid you might not like having a girlfriend who’s too short.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way I’d dislike you now because of your height.”

She really does worry about unnecessary things.

I smiled wryly, and So-yul followed with a gentle smile of her own.

“Then it’s fine. You’re already being considerate enough.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

So-yul agreed with a smile so bright it seemed to emit light.

As always, she looked cute and lovable.

Unable to contain my rising affection, I finally pulled So-yul into my arms.

Thanks to her much smaller frame, So-yul’s delicate body fit perfectly inside my embrace.

I didn’t forget to stroke her long, neatly arranged hair as usual.

The strands slipping through my fingertips felt like touching a soft cloth.

“In times like these, it’s nice being short,” So-yul murmured softly, her face pressed against my chest.

Pondering over her words several times, I thought:

Perhaps this height difference between So-yul and me had been just right from the beginning.

Not too much, not too little—it felt just perfect.

“You’re right. At times like these, I’m glad I’m tall too.”

“…What are you saying?”

So-yul grumbled as if I’d made a joke.

But the unmistakably pleased tone in her voice was impossible to hide.