episode_0057

“The gown you wear before bathing is this.”

I stared at the white gown in my hand. It was more akin to traditional attire than a Western-style gown.

Now, we are planning to eat after washing up. Han Do-ah mentioned that we will be dining with Mr. Kim Nam-soo.

Upon hearing this, Kim No-eul and Na Yu-na couldn’t hide their joyful expressions.

“I heard he’s a cooking expert. Can we expect something good?”

“I wonder what kind of food will be served…”

Seeing the two girls getting excited, Han Do-ah let out a sigh.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s just regular home-cooked food.”

“I’ve decided not to believe unnie’s words anymore. If this is from an ordinary household, then what’s an extraordinary one?”

“…Girls, follow me. Maru juniors can go to the men’s changing room.”

And so, the three girls headed to the women’s bath, while I went to the men’s bath. After roughly putting on the gown in the changing room, I entered the bathroom.

“Oh….”

An involuntary gasp escaped my lips as I looked around the bathroom.

One side was made of glass, offering a view of the surrounding forest and pond at a glance. The moon reflecting on the surface of the bath added to the charm.

After quickly showering, I stepped into the hot tub. The temperature was just right, and I soon felt at ease.

Various herbs floated on the water’s surface.

“Is this an herbal bath?”

It might be Master Wonhyo’s skeleton water, but inexplicably, I felt like my energy was being restored.

“Wow! Is that an herbal bath?”

“Unnie Yu-na, don’t jump.”

“Wash up first before entering.”

The voices of the three girls were heard from the wall; the women’s bath was right next to us.

“And No-eul, tie your hair with a towel.”

“Do I have to do it too, Do-ah?”

“You… It doesn’t seem necessary for you. Your hair isn’t that long.”

As they finished their conversation, the sound of the shower running could be heard. Even while showering, the girls’ chatter continued.

“No-eul… What have you been eating to maintain such a figure?”

“Unnie, that’s not something you should say. Looking at your fair skin, are you receiving modeling treatments these days?”

“Eek!? D-don’t touch me!”

“Why are you reacting like that? It’s normal for girls to touch each other.”

“You’re so sensitive!”

“Wow, you’re really tall. There are hardly any people taller than me.”

“There’s no quiet moment…”

“Do-ah, why are you looking at me with such a mischievous expression? Don’t really poke me!”

“What kind of texture is this… I thought it was just fat…”

“Stop it… I feel weird…”

“Haha! You should be grateful even with this! You’re blessed!”

“Do-ah senior, please stop poking me now. Unnie Yu-na doesn’t look well.”

Even if I tried not to listen, the voices echoed, making it impossible to ignore. I struggled to resist imagining what was being said.

After the shower, the three girls changed the topic.

“Do-ah senior recommended it. Where should we start? Hot tub? Cold tub?”

“I mainly use the hot tub. I occasionally go into the cold tub during breakfast, and the hot tub is used for intense training purposes.”

“You have a systematic way of using them.”

“Then let’s go to the hot tub…”

The three girls seemed to melt into the warmth of the hot tub and remained silent thereafter, quietly enjoying their bath like me.

“Oh, since the three of us are here, let’s talk freely.”

Suddenly, Kim No-eul spoke with a serious tone.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, um… What kind of conversations do high school girls have when they gather?”

When Han Do-ah bluntly responded, Kim No-eul subtly tried to lead the conversation.

“…Boys?”

When Na Yu-na cautiously answered, a strange silence fell among the three girls. Han Do-ah was the first to speak.

“How shameless. I have nothing to say.”

“Then seniors, please excuse yourselves. Unnie Yu-na, have you ever received attention since starting modeling?”

“W-what are you talking about…”

Kim Noeul interrogated Na Yuna, but Na Yuna evaded the question with vague responses.

“I guess there’s a reaction. It’s strange not to receive a dash.”

“…I will focus on my modeling career. It’s for my future.”

As Na Yuna expressed her determination, Kim Noeul remained silent, seemingly having nothing more to say.

In reality, as Na Yuna built her modeling career, she garnered a lot of attention from the opposite sex.

“Running forward to defy the odds, but being young, it’s okay to enjoy life a little.”

Unknowingly, I found myself looking at Na Yuna with the eyes of someone with over 40 years of life experience. It felt similar to a father looking at his daughter without direction.

“Why are you being so uptight? Just pick a male model who approaches you appropriately. Don’t search in close proximity for no reason.”

“What…?”

At Kim Noeul’s suggestive words, Na Yuna responded uncomfortably.

The atmosphere soured instantly. Despite being in a warm bath, a chill seemed to creep in.

“Not a bad suggestion. I hope you find happiness, Yuna.”

Even Han Do-ah, who had been silent during the conversation, chimed in agreement with Kim Noeul.

Following this agreement, suddenly a splashing sound was heard.

“Splutter!? Y-Yuna! What are you doing!”

“It’s more annoying when you’re being nosy.”

It seemed like Na Yuna had splashed water on Han Do-ah’s face. She seemed quite irritated.

“If we’re going to be nitpicky, Noeul, you also have many boyfriends at school!”

“…You should choose your words carefully. They are men, people, friends.”

“That’s what I meant! You’ve moved on faster than me!”

“I’ve already blocked their contacts! Now I can only communicate with Maru. Yes, just Maru and me….”

“Noeul, instead of seeking hopeless love, grab anyone around you!”

“…What did you just say?”

“I said it’s hopeless! It’s not entirely wrong!”

After Na Yuna finished speaking, another splashing sound was heard. However, this time, it wasn’t the cute splash from before; it sounded more like a flood overflowing.

“Gurgle….”

“Yuna! Snap out of it, Yuna! Noeul, if you shoot a water gun at a junior, what will happen!”

“She provoked it first.”

“You started the argument first….”

“It’s not over yet. Yuna fainted, so let’s talk openly between us.”

“What do you mean?”

“…Do you like me?”

“I know what I’m talking about.”

Listening quietly to their conversation, I felt dizzy. I had been in the water for too long.

However, the tense atmosphere between the two women made it impossible for me to leave the bathhouse.

“Do you like me…? Like what?”

Kim Noeul omitted the object, making it difficult to grasp the exact meaning. Contextually, it seemed romantic….

“I….”

Han Do-ah trailed off, ultimately choosing not to respond. Kim Noeul sighed as if disappointed.

The sound of water rising could be heard as she got up from the bath.

“I don’t understand the inner workings of my senior. Sometimes showing affection, sometimes withdrawing….”

“….”

“…The atmosphere has become heavy. I didn’t intend to bring up such a topic.”

“I understand. It must be unsettling from your perspective.”

“Unsettling? Me? I’m not unsettled at all. I’m confident.”

“Even if you worry…!”

As the mood lightened again, Kim Noeul hummed a tune while speaking.

“I’ll take care of Yuna. Leaving her here might make her dizzy.”

“Ehh….”

After the sound of Na Yuna slumping, the door opened. Kim Noeul and Na Yuna left.

Han Do-ah remained in silence even after they were gone. I, too, organized my thoughts in this peculiar silence and left the bathhouse.

Drying off with a towel, I put on a robe. Gathering my clothes, as I stepped into the corridor, I saw Kim Noeul kneeling next to Na Yuna on the couch, providing her with a pillow for her head.

Both women were wearing robes, their faces flushed with lingering moisture. Seeing the two women, who still had a dewy glow, evoked different emotions compared to when I usually saw them.

“Oh, you both came out at a similar time.”

Kim Noeul gestured towards me. My gaze shifted from Kim Noeul’s knee to Nayuna, who was sitting beside her, looking dazed.

“Nayuna, what’s wrong? Have you been here for too long?”

“It seems so. They said I looked frail.”

Ignoring my feigned ignorance, Kim Noeul lied as if to show off.

“Not because of your hydro pump, right?”

Sending me a sharp, cold glance, Kim Noeul ignored my eyes and whispered to Nayuna.

“Sister, we should go eat now.”

“…Food, food.”

Muttering quietly, Nayuna slowly opened her eyes.

“Why… why am I here? I’m sure I was in the bathhouse just a moment ago.”

“I carried you out after you fainted.”

“Fainted? Oh! Noeul, did you splash water on me…! Ugh!”

Covering Nayuna’s mouth and gesturing, Kim Noeul made Nayuna shudder. It was akin to the movements of prey standing before a predator.

“You fainted from staying too long in the bathhouse, right? Isn’t that so?”

“…Uh, yes. That’s right.”

Nayuna, who quickly quieted down, avoided Kim Noeul’s stern gaze and looked at me. Her previously gloomy expression brightened again.

“The robe suits you well, Maru.”

“Thank you… You also look good in yours, senior.”

“Is everyone ready?”

We heard Handoa’s voice from behind. Instead of a ponytail, her hair was let down long, reaching almost to her hips.

Just like Kim Noeul and Nayuna, light reflected off her hair, giving it a glossy sheen.

“Wow, Doa… You really look like a lady.”

“It’s not that I look like one, I am one, considering this household.”

Correcting Nayuna’s admiration, Kim Noeul looked at me, surprised.

“Your chest area is too revealing! We can see your collarbones! Cover up!”

“…There are no buttons on this.”

Blushing, she shook her head vigorously and led the way.

“Let’s go to the dining room… Father must be waiting by now.”

Entering the living room on the first floor attached to the annex, a fragrant smell of food tickled our noses. The rest of the three women seemed to have caught the scent as well.

“A pleasant smell already…”

With her mouth agape in anticipation, Nayuna hurriedly followed Handoa. Inside the dining room, we saw Kim Namsu and the servants setting the table with dishes.

“Oh, you’re all here. Please, have a seat wherever you like.”

“I’ll help.”

Kim Noeul assisted Kim Namsu in moving the dishes, displaying the behavior of a dutiful daughter. We joined her in helping Kim Namsu.

Bibimbap, japchae, fish pancakes, braised short ribs, ox bone soup, acorn jelly, grilled pork belly, yakgwa, sikhye…

Nearly a feast for ten people filled the table. As we transferred the dishes, our admiration never ceased.

After moving all the dishes, we sat down. Kim Namsu took the main seat, while Handoa and I faced Kim Noeul and Nayuna.

“We didn’t prepare much, but… I won’t say ‘this is nothing.’ My friends are coming, so the servants and I put in some effort.”

“These are all my favorite dishes…”

As Nayuna eyed the table hungrily, Kim Namsu smiled.

“It feels worthwhile seeing your reactions.”

Kim Namsu took a spoonful of ox bone soup before anyone else.

“…It tastes fine to me.”

Only after he had eaten did we start our meal. Kim Noeul took a bite of bibimbap and widened her eyes.

“This is incomparable to what you get outside.”

“So this is home-cooked food… What have I been eating all this time?”

Kim Noeul and Nayuna focused on eating. Both being big eaters, they always received extra servings during meals.

“You two should eat quickly too.”

Kim Nam-soo advised both me and Han Do-a. Upon hearing Kim Nam-soo’s words, Han Do-a picked up the bandit with chopsticks and placed it on top of my rice.

“Eat a lot.”

“…Yes, I will eat well.”

Han Do-a avoided meeting my eyes properly, blushing as she stirred her food.

“Hmm…?”

Kim Nam-soo looked at both of us, smiling meaningfully…

“……”

“……”

Kim No-eul and Na Yuna glared at Han Do-a with suspicion in their eyes.