episode_0025

“Seriously, why did you suggest watching this when you can’t even handle horror movies?”

I scoffed at the four of them, who were all slumped in shock.

“This movie is a masterpiece. It’s supposed to scare me.”

Yoon Jiuwoo mumbled in defense.

The rest of them seemed too drained to even respond.

After some time, Seong Yurin regained her composure and checked the time.

“Hmm. How about we rest for an hour and then have a birthday party? What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

I suddenly thought about how if I lose my appetite from eating too much appetizers since noon, what should I do. But I had faith that the party food coming from Seong Yurin’s house would be of great quality.

“Alright. I’ll let them know, and I’ll show each of you to a guest room. Follow me.”

“Guest room?”

“Yeah. Since the house is big, there are plenty of rooms. …Well, if you guys are okay with it, you can even stay the night. It’s the weekend tomorrow anyway…”

Seong Yurin hesitated for a moment before suggesting that they could stay the night.

“I want to stay! The dorms have double rooms, and the mattresses are too hard for me.”

Hong Yeonseo happily jumped at Seong Yurin’s words.

The other kids said they would call home and let them know.

As for me, since I live alone now, it didn’t matter whether I slept here or at home, so I decided to stay the night.

“Well, I might as well stay the night too~”

Suddenly, Yisea changed her mind and decided to stay the night at Seong Yurin’s house.

“I’ll try calling home first.”

“You should call. Hehe.”

Behind Yisea’s somewhat suspicious smile, Seong Yurin gave some instructions to the butler who appeared out of nowhere.

…Where does that butler disappear to and then reappear whenever needed?

I wonder if this is something that can only happen in a romantic comedy world.

I followed Seong Yurin upstairs.

Seong Yurin guided us to a guest room on one side of the mansion and pointed to the other side.

“Don’t go over there; that’s our family’s rooms.”

“Got it.”

The guest room Seong Yurin showed us was of a higher standard than a typical business hotel room.

“Oh. Look at how soft the bed is.”

After each of us was assigned a room, Seong Yurin said she would call us when it was time and then disappeared.

There was still time, and I was tired from the non-stop activities since morning, so I decided to take a short nap on the very comfortable bed.

As I closed my eyes on the bed, a feeling of happiness washed over me.

The softness of the bed, the warmth seeping into the coldness of the blanket where there was no human warmth, all provided a pleasant sensation.

Indeed, I should invest in an expensive bed.

I made up my mind to buy a top-quality bed as soon as I earned money.

They say the quality of sleep determines the quality of life.

As I was about to let my mind drift off into the waves of sleep…

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Please leave me alone.

But the knocking didn’t stop.

In the end, I reluctantly left my beloved bed and got up to open the door.

“Who is it…?”

When I opened the door, Seong Yurin stood before me.

“I’m sorry to disturb your rest. Can I come in for a moment?”

“…It’s your house, of course, come in.”

Seong Yurin entered the room and sat on the chair.

I sat on the bed and looked at Seong Yurin.

“What’s up?”

Seong Yurin’s gaze turned cold.

Her gaze made me straighten up involuntarily.

“Seo Ijin.”

“Why?”

“…Do you have a girl you like?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking that, but… no, I don’t.”

“Then is there someone you’re concerned about?”

“Um, why are you asking me this?”

Seong Yurin stared at me with piercing eyes without answering my question.

“Is something wrong?”

After a moment of hesitation, I replied, “No.”

“…I see. Okay.”

Seong Yurin, who had been serious and firm just a moment ago, suddenly seemed to revert back to her usual nerdy self.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to ask such a sudden question.”

“It’s okay, it happens. Can you at least tell me why you asked?”

“…I don’t have any ulterior motives, I’ll tell you that much.”

“Ulterior motives?”

What does Seong Yurin want to talk about? The question kept growing in my mind.

“Seo Ijin, you… well, you’re an attractive person.”

“…What?”

…What is this?

Could it be… that development?

Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Seong Yurin frantically waved her hands.

“I-I mean. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just… I just wanted to know. Don’t misunderstand.”

…Right, that makes sense. There’s nothing to misunderstand.

After all, Seong Yurin wasn’t going to be the heroine who ends up with Yoon Jiwoo.

I shook my head to dispel the foolish thoughts from my mind.

Seong Yurin closed her eyes for a moment as if organizing her thoughts.

“So, what I wanted to ask was… Phew. I was curious about your thoughts.”

“My thoughts? You mean, about that question earlier?”

“Yes. I was just purely curious, with no ulterior motives. You’re an attractive person, and I was wondering if there’s anyone you have romantic feelings for. I was just curious.”

Seong Yurin blurted out her words somewhat haphazardly and then got up from her seat.

“Sorry for coming out of the blue like this. Just forget about the question I asked earlier. I’ll be going now.”

With that, Seong Yurin left without looking back.

After the storm-like visit from Seong Yurin passed, I lay on the bed, lost in thought.

What was the reason behind her sudden question to me?

Many thoughts crossed my mind, but none of them seemed convincing.

Unknowingly, my eyes closed as I drifted off.

* * *

After some time had passed, I headed to the dining room with everyone who came to wake me up.

Not the kitchen, but the dining room.

There was a dining room inside the house.

And finally, I could see the maid I had been longing to meet!

There was actually a mansion in Korea that employed maids.

Unfortunately, they weren’t dressed in the revealing outfits often seen in fictional works.

The dishes the maids served were exquisite in color.

And when the long-awaited 3-tier cream cake appeared,

Ise-ah hugged Seong Yurin, crying tears of joy.

Seong Yurin looked a bit flustered, patting Ise-ah’s back with a puzzled expression from afar.

Well, Ise-ah is a high school student with rich emotions, so it’s not surprising that she bursts into tears of joy.

…If we were to look at it from an adult’s perspective with a clear mind,

the two of them had only become friends about a month ago.

As an outsider like me, I couldn’t understand their level of friendliness…

Oh, Seong Yurin’s family also congratulated Ise-ah on her birthday.

…Seong Yurin’s mother, who had an incredibly beautiful appearance that was no longer surprising.

And Seong Yurin and Seong Arin.

When the three of them stood together, I couldn’t help but wonder if they were high elves who had appeared in the human world.

I was so lost in the moment that thankfully, it seemed like no one noticed.

Ise-ah, who received applause and cheers from everyone, expressed her gratitude with a wide smile.

As the highlight of the party, the lights in the room dimmed.

With the birthday song and the lit candles, Ise-ah once again burst into tears of joy as she received applause.

By the way, Ise-ah cried like that every year.

She really has a soft and sentimental side.

After blowing out the candles on the cake, the gift-giving ceremony began.

“Here! This is my gift.”

Yoon Ji-woo’s birthday present was a cute fancy set with a design that featured well-known characters that Ise-ah loved.

It was a character product that Ise-ah had liked since a long time ago.

Ise-ah received Yoon Ji-woo’s gift with a happy expression.

“These are the things you wanted last time. Open it.”

As Ise-ah carefully unwrapped the gift box handed to her by Lee So-yoon, she hugged Lee So-yoon tightly when she saw the luxury cosmetics inside.

She expressed her gratitude for remembering her wish while shopping and giving her the gift.

Yes, it was the one we bought together.

“Oh… this, this. I feel a bit embarrassed about what I prepared.”

Next, Hong Yeon-seo hesitated as if overwhelmed by Lee So-yoon’s gift and took out a small box.

Inside was a pair of sneakers.

“I chose a good brand for when I exercise. They’re really comfortable and great to wear at school too!”

Ise-ah also expressed her gratitude to Hong Yeon-seo with a hug.

“I… this is mine.”

Seong Yu-rin took out a box that looked incredibly luxurious.

When Ise-ah opened it, there was a perfume emitting an aura of ‘I am a luxury item.’

“I… I’ve never given a gift to someone who isn’t family before… I’m sorry, it may not be a gift filled with my heart. But I chose it with as much thought as possible.”

To Seong Yu-rin, who blamed herself for just choosing expensive things, Ise-ah comforted her, saying it was not like that at all.

She hugged Seong Yu-rin tightly, feeling the traces of her thoughts and concerns.

And finally, it was my turn.

I hesitated for a moment when I saw Ise-ah’s excited expression.

Wait a minute.

Isn’t my gift too shabby?

…Actually, I thought so, so I prepared a trump card.

I took out the box containing the pin that Lee So-yoon and I had chosen together from my bag.