Chapter 95 : Intimacy (4) Part-2

No matter how close two guys might be, spooning each other in a tent is something they just don’t do.

But Hayoon did.

Not that Hayoon sees me as a guy—or, obviously, as a romantic partner either.

Ji-hye used to hug me occasionally too, so maybe this is just a display of affection that’s more common between women?

Damn it, I’ve barely interacted with any women outside my family except for the girls from this world, so I have no real basis for comparison.

Statistically speaking, out of the five girls here besides me, Hayoon is the only one who has ever slept while hugging me.

But then again, the other four aren’t exactly close enough to me for that kind of thing, so it’s not a fair comparison.

Maybe Jo-ah’s the only one I’ve gotten a little closer to.

Still, Hayoon’s scream this morning really got to me.

Spoon-hugging is fine, but hugging from the front isn’t? Ji-hye has done it, and I’m pretty sure Hayoon has too, a few times.

Of course, there’s a difference between hugging someone out of emotion and hugging them while half-asleep.

Could she have gotten upset because of that?

I really hope not.

Even if it’s an unattainable feeling, doesn’t it feel completely different when she’s by my side versus when she’s not?

Look, even the circuits are…

Just then—snap.

While I was wandering near the village entrance lost in thought, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

I turned my head to find Hayoon smiling brightly, looping her arm through mine.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

“Oh, nothing, just thinking a little…”

Looking at Hayoon’s smiling face, a few thoughts crossed my mind.

The first was relief.

If what I did had crossed a line, she might have thought I was scary.

Friends can mess around and joke with each other, but if someone suddenly walks up to you in the shower holding a bar of soap, you’d be startled, right?

Well, I wouldn’t be scared if it were Hayoon, but that’s just because I’m me.

I’ve never been a woman deep down, so I can’t fully relate.

But even so, Hayoon is smiling at me like this.

If not relief, what else could I feel?

…Maybe, joy.

Not only is she not mad at me, but she’s also the one approaching me first.

She’s even linking arms with me—how could I not like that?

How could I dislike it when a girl I like does something like this?

Still, the two of us fell silent again.

Hayoon lowered her gaze slightly, her face red.

But she didn’t let go of my arm.

I, too, shifted my gaze to the side.

Of course, I wasn’t about to let go of her arm either.

Should I apologize for what happened this morning?

I could say it was just a joke that went too far—or that I was half-asleep and didn’t realize what I was doing.

That wouldn’t be entirely untrue, right?

As I mulled over excuses, I felt a bit ashamed for even thinking of making them.

But without some kind of justification, I didn’t know how to even broach the subject.

“Hayoon.”

“Jieun.”

Strangely, we spoke at the same time.

Our eyes met, and then we both quickly looked away.

What the heck are we doing?

Even so, Hayoon tightened her grip on my arm, as if she were worried I might run off.

Yesterday, she said she was upset when I wandered off alone.

Maybe I should apologize for that too…

“That.”

“Huh?”

Her sudden voice caught me off guard, and I let out a startled sound.

Hayoon’s hand trembled slightly as well.

Even as I glanced back, not pulling my arm away made me realize just how hopeless I was.

“…That arm-linking thing,” someone said as they approached.

It was none other than Jo-ah.

“Is that something you do with all your friends?” Jo-ah asked with a very serious expression.

We both awkwardly turned our bodies.

From a third-party perspective, it must have been a funny sight, but Jo-ah’s face betrayed no amusement whatsoever.

“Well…” Hayoon shifted her gaze nervously.

Since she was the one who initiated the arm-linking, it seemed unlikely she’d explain it herself.

Realizing this, I decided to speak first.

“It’s something friends might do.”

“Really?” Jo-ah looked straight at me.

As someone who was 100% enjoying the situation and hadn’t moved my arm away, her straightforward gaze pricked at my conscience.

Still, I shamelessly stuck to my answer.

After all, wasn’t it true?

“Ji-hye and I used to do this all the time.”

Hayoon, on the other hand… well, I couldn’t say she had linked arms with her classmates in this way, but she must have done something similar, right?

Of course, she wouldn’t have been the one to initiate it.

“Oh.”

For some reason, Hayoon let out a small sound.

Looking down, I noticed her expression seemed somewhat disappointed.

…Huh?

This arm-linking was no different from what I’d done with Ji-hye before.

It wasn’t like I was holding on tightly or anything.

“Really?” Jo-ah asked again.

Watching her frown and sink into thought, I suddenly remembered something and cautiously asked,

“Have you never done this before?”

“No, I haven’t. Why? Is that bad?”

Her answer had an unnecessary sharpness to it.

“No, it’s not bad or anything…”

Still, it felt kind of sad.

I didn’t know much about Rose, Dahlia, or Delphinium’s friendships, and honestly, I didn’t care to.

Everyone had their circumstances, and it wasn’t my place to meddle.

But Rose seemed like someone who’d be popular at school, and Dahlia didn’t seem like she’d lack friends either.

Delphinium, on the other hand, seemed like the type to actively avoid attention.

As for Jo-ah…

She seemed similar to Delphinium in some ways, but not exactly an “Ice Princess.”

More like a chihuahua brimming with anger.

She was even shorter than Hayoon.

So, for some reason, it felt like she might not have friends—not for any particular reason, but simply because.

It felt like a kindred spirit calling out to me.

“You’ve really never done this before?” I asked again.

Jo-ah’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning.

“Hah,” she let out a short, incredulous laugh.

But judging by the slight redness in her face, it seemed like bravado.

“Well, that’s because I’ve deliberately avoided forming those kinds of relationships.”

If that were true, though, why bother asking us about it?

The sympathetic expression must have shown on my face because Jo-ah’s expression turned furious again as she stormed over to me.

Was she about to hit me?

Instead, she stopped next to me and stared intently at my arm before suddenly pulling it into her embrace.

“Uh…?”

“What?” she said, still wearing an extremely irritated expression.

“You said it’s something friends can do, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment, which only seemed to make Jo-ah’s expression even angrier.

She looked like a chihuahua about to bite.

Her pretty face prevented her from looking too ridiculous, but still.

Why was she doing this?

“Jo-ah?”

Hayoon called out her name in a daze.

Jo-ah turned to look at Hayoon, and as if realizing what she was doing, her face turned pale.

She immediately let go of my arm, then—for reasons unknown—glared at me once more before spinning around and running off.

What was that?

Is she even more skittish than a chihuahua?