episode_0271

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“Is this all the trash?”

“Yeah.”

“Ugh…Tch. Sigh Well, we’re heading out then. Don’t call me at dawn saying you’re lonely, okay?”

“Like I would…Idiot.”

…This is weird. Really weird.

No matter how much I think about it, it’s just too suspicious.

Not that I’m talking about her suddenly telling me and Sua-chan to leave.

It was already getting late, and she might’ve just gotten sick of me after I deliberately kept talking about sex partners in front of Seoyeon.

But that’s not the weird part…

Why was she hiding the fact that she sprained her ankle?

The way her leg, which pushed me away, had way less strength than usual.

Or how she kept subtly testing her foot against the ground.

I get that she was trying to hide it, but it was way too obvious.

What exactly does she gain by hiding this from me?

If she’s hurt, all she has to say is, “Oh, I got hurt. Let’s get treated by Seojin.” What else is there to say?

It’s not like she’s hiding her relationship with Seojin from me either—I already heard about her going into heat and trying to get involved with him…

Hmm…

“Ah, Sua-chan, take care~”

“Yeah. You too, Yozora…Yawn…See you tomorrow…”

“…”

…Weird.

Why would she go out of her way to hide an injury…?

271

The only immediate treatment I could think of was icing it.

But unfortunately, the freezer was completely empty, and I didn’t have the habit of keeping ice stocked…

For now, I pressed a cold water bottle against my left ankle.

At first, the coolness numbed the pain, making me think it was working, but of course, it was just a temporary fix—and a low-quality one at that. The relief only lasted a moment.

About three minutes in, as I got used to the cold, the same sharp, stinging pain started digging into my ankle again.

“……”

Is this really worth going to Seojin for?

In the now-empty living room, I sat on the couch with my legs stretched out and let out a heavy sigh.

I really, really didn’t want to go to him if I could help it.

And thankfully, it wasn’t a severe sprain.

Based on past experience, the pain should fade in about three days.

If I only thought about myself and ignored everything else, this injury wouldn’t even warrant seeing Seojin’s face…

But the problem was “other people.”

Especially Yozora, who kept grinning and needling me even as she kicked me out,

…and that bastard, who’d cling to me the second he found out I was hurt.

“Sigh…”

It’s only a matter of time before they find out. Yozora, and Yushio too.

Yozora would probably figure it out within half a day.

Unless something unusual happened, she’d make sure the three of us—me, her, and Hansua—had lunch together again.

And as for Yushio…

Sure, I could avoid showing him me walking, but realistically, that’s impossible.

I could just say I got bored and refuse to help with the midterm practice session the day after tomorrow.

But even if I tried hiding it with such a flimsy excuse, someone else might notice my condition and say something like, “I think the student council president sprained her ankle.”

…In the end, that trash’s face flickered in my mind again.

When I had no choice but to be honest and say, “I’m in heat, help me,”

He took my virginity. And my first kiss.

That lust-driven piece of trash.

“…If only he weren’t a man.”

If he weren’t, I wouldn’t be tangled up in this messed-up relationship with him.

Muttering to myself in frustration, I carefully made my way to the bathroom.

Thankfully, standing in the shower or sitting still in the bathtub wasn’t a problem. Brushing my teeth and washing my face were hand-based tasks anyway, so no issue there.

But after finishing everything and stepping out to dry my wet body…

That was a bit harder.

Like most sprains, the pain seemed to worsen over time.

“…”

Option one: Get treated by Seojin and pretend nothing happened while walking around.

The cost? Enduring… some of his weird antics.

Option two: Get caught by Yozora, endure her teasing until I lose my mind, and have Yushio—who I wish would just disappear—play nurse.

I hate both.

The worst and the lesser evil. That’s what it boils down to.

But between the two…

If I had to pick the slightly, slightly better one…

Obviously.

“……”

Lost in thought under the warm blow dryer, I swept my slightly damp bangs back and headed to the living room.

…My phone.

It’s there.

The message came in the middle of the night.

It didn’t wake me—I was already lying in bed, eyes closed, debating whether I should talk to Yozora tomorrow—when the notification buzzed.

A short vibration. Barely more than a message alert. I reached out and grabbed my phone from the charger.

…It’s already past midnight.

The only person who’d message me at this hour…

Maybe Lee Jiyoon?

[Baek Seoyeon]

– Are you asleep?

My guess was completely off.

The name on the screen belonged to the last person I’d expect to contact me.

…Huh.

We only mixed bodies lightly once before—she doesn’t seem like the type to reach out again for that.

If anything, she’d sooner threaten to kill me than suggest doing it again.

So why is she messaging me now?

I adjusted my position to see the screen better and tapped a reply.

[Seo Jin]

– What’s up?

– At this hour?

Ah, now that I think about it, maybe they ran into each other earlier? I saw Yozora, Hansua, and her hanging out together…

Maybe my name came up in conversation.

Or maybe she got hurt somewhere and is looking for me.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, another message from Baek Seoyeon popped up.

[Baek Seoyeon]

– I sprained my leg, so I was checking if you were awake.

– No, my ankle.

[Seo Jin]

– How’d that happen?

[Baek Seoyeon]

– Just stepped wrong while walking…

“Stepped wrong,” huh?

When I saw them in Hongdae earlier, the three of them were pretty rowdy—maybe she was drunk and missed a step on the stairs.

Running a hand through my hair to check for any messy spots, I pushed the covers aside and sat on the edge of the bed.

Whatever the reason, it’s a good one.

…Baek Seoyeon needs treatment from me, and I don’t exactly dislike her.

Just the two of us. Late at night. No reason to refuse.

If anything…

I might be the one welcoming it more.

[Seo Jin]

– So, you want me to come now?

[Baek Seoyeon]

– I told you before. If I keep touching a guy, weird things happen.

– But if I wait until tomorrow to go to the infirmary, just in case…

If she meets me in the infirmary tomorrow, she might go into heat again and end up in a really awkward situation.

Honestly… I’m kind of curious to see her flustered, ears red, struggling in that scenario.

But if I keep ruining my image, who knows what’ll happen, so I held back.

Thinking back to how she reacted last time—even though it was her first time, she seemed to enjoy it more than expected—she might actually start liking sex pretty quickly.

So eventually, she might come to the infirmary for no real reason anyway.

Ah, right. With some flimsy excuse like last time—”I got a paper cut.”

Well, back then, touching me didn’t seem to trigger anything.

[Seo Jin]

– I’ll head over now, then?

As a final confirmation, Baek Seoyeon sent back a single, incredibly ugly nodding emoji.

Nothing like Yozora’s ever-changing emojis or Lee Hayoon’s carefully selected ones. The kind that makes you wonder why anyone would pay for this.

…Wait, now that I look at it, it might just be a default emoji.

She’s probably loaded, but she’s stingy with this stuff?

Now that I think about it, her casual clothes were pretty cheap-looking too.

Earlier, she was wearing the same windbreaker she wears for workouts.

And then there’s her empty apartment from last time…

Guess she’s frugal by nature—I concluded as I got out of bed, threw on whatever clothes were in the closet, and headed for the front door.

For an ordinary person to walk into a wealthy neighborhood without even a decent car requires more guts than you’d think.

At least it’s a little better late at night like this, but when the sun’s out… Definitely.

To put it bluntly, it feels like being “buried alive.”

To borrow a metaphor from a childhood manga, it’s like being crushed by spiritual pressure.

Everything looks posh. Elegant.

It’s the kind of place where people describe things in ways that sound nice but are hard to visualize—abstract, yet this is the only way to describe it.

So in one part of town, there’s Hansua.

And in another, Baek Seoyeon.

But the girl standing before me now didn’t quite fit that description.

“Hiya!”

“…”

“If I greet you first, the least you could do is respond, no? Should I say こんばんは instead?”

If I remember right, this is the last corner before Baek Seoyeon’s place.

But instead of Seoyeon waiting for me, it was Yozora.

And not just any Yozora—one with her hands stuffed deep into the sleeves of an oversized coat.

I stopped in my tracks and stared at her, baffled, as she grinned up at me.

…It’s gotten chilly at night, so I can kinda see why she’s bundled up like a ghost, but…

“Why are you here?”

As for why she’s here specifically, I have no idea.

Did she come back with Seoyeon from Hongdae?

But Yozora’s place is pretty far from here…

“Just taking a walk!”

“Your house isn’t around here. …And you reek of alcohol.”

“Duh. I was just drinking! And what, I can’t take a long walk?!”

“It’d take at least 15 minutes to run here from your place. And your outfit…”

“Ah, the outfit! How do I look? Pretty, right?”

“…”

After knowing her for so long, I’ve realized—she doesn’t have ADHD, so why does she jump topics so erratically?

Is it just her personality?

I was about to say what I’ve been saying for ten years—”That’s not what I asked”—but then the thoughts I had earlier in bed resurfaced.

Swallowing my usual retort, I let my gaze drop slightly.

A dark, oversized hoodie that reached her hips.

Under it, a white T-shirt that clung unnecessarily tight for some reason.

Regular, well-fitting jeans.

…And slightly worn-out white sneakers.

Not exactly “pretty” by normal standards—just the kind of outfit you’d see everywhere, especially around college areas.

Normally, I’d ignore it and move on.

But today,

just this once,

“…Yeah. You look nice.”

“…Huh?”

After tossing her that casual compliment, I got back on track.

“Anyway, were you really just walking?”

“…Huh? Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Just getting some fresh air before bed…”

“Then I’ll get going. I’m busy.”

“Wait, hold on…!”

“What.”

“I-I just thought, since we’re near Seoyeon’s place…”

“Yeah. I’m here to see Baek Seoyeon.”

“……Huh?!”

I only said I was visiting her—not that I was here to “bang her” or anything.

But even that much made Yozora’s expression twist in disbelief, like she couldn’t believe I’d admit it so casually.

Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, I gave her a vague explanation before she could pester me further.

What happens after the treatment isn’t something I’d discuss even with Seoyeon’s best friend…

But up to that point, it’s nothing major.

“She sprained her ankle. Just gonna check on her and leave.”

“Oh, really?”

“…? Yeah. Really.”

“…Pfft. So it’s true~ Hmm…”

But I don’t see why that’s so funny.

It’s not like her friend getting hurt is a good thing.

As I frowned at her odd reaction, Yozora dug into her hoodie pocket, pulled out her phone, and started tapping away.

“What’re you doing? We were in the middle of talking.”

“Ah, I think I need to message someone ASAP.”

“Who?”

“Ehh? You can’t just ask a girl about her privacy like that. Some women might dream of being assaulted their whole lives—gotta be careful. Oh, and… Say cheese!”

“…Hey, what the—Why the flash?!”

“Stay still. Stay still. Don’t you know Instagram aesthetics?”

Click.

Who knows where she’ll use it—

A photo where my hand probably covered half the frame.