71) Chapter 12. It’s Nothing (3)

“Wait.”

After a long silence, the first to speak was Soi.

“No, seriously—none of us? Not a single person here has ever liked someone? How is that possible? There are four girls here.”

That has nothing to do with the number of girls present.

But I understood what she meant.

The “first love” hurdle is surprisingly high.

Not in the sense of ending up with your first love, but in the sense that truly liking someone—deeply, seriously—is harder than people think.

Liking someone because they’re pretty? That’s not really a crush. Wanting to date them, imagining a future with them, wanting to marry them someday—that’s a different level.

Most of the time, even if you “like” someone, it’s mixed with admiration, similar to how you feel about celebrities.

So it’s not strange if none of us have a real first love yet.

“But even if someone did have a first love, then what?”

Chae‑yi asked.

“Isn’t it embarrassing to talk about that here? It’s not something you just blurt out.”

True.

And if someone liked a classmate, that would be even more sensitive. It’s like exposing a weakness.

“And honestly, the three of us have been together since elementary school. If one of us liked someone, wouldn’t we have noticed?”

“Y‑yeah. Probably…”

Exactly.

If one of us had been staring at someone constantly or trying to confess, the others would’ve noticed immediately.

At least right now, I’ve never seen Soi or Chae‑yi show interest in any boy.

“And also—”

Chae‑yi suddenly stood up from her chair, walked over, and plopped down beside me.

Then she grabbed my hand tightly.

“Our Rua would never like some boy.”

Her grip wasn’t just holding my hand—she laced her fingers between mine so tightly I couldn’t pull away.

But more importantly—

“Yeah, that’s true.”

…Huh?

Is that how I look?

Well, I guess I don’t like boys. I’ve never once reacted to a boy in that way.

All my mobile games were full of cute girls, and the anime and manga I liked were all about various types of beautiful girls.

I was wary of Nam Jinwoo, but she’s… well…

“Right~?”

Soi and Chae‑yi asked at the same time, which was honestly scary.

Do they think of me as their little sister? Like, “If you want to take our sister, you’ll have to get through us first”?

Maybe there’s a shotgun for older sisters with younger sisters, not just dads with daughters.

Funny thing is, neither of them is actually my sister.

“…You guys.”

Hyeonji, who had been silently watching us, finally spoke.

“I get that you’re close, but don’t you think you’re a bit too close?”

“Too close? Why?”

“No, I mean—”

She paused, as if unsure where to even begin.

“No matter how close you are, three people don’t sleep in the same bed.”

“Why not? Is that not allowed?”

Chae‑yi asked sharply.

“Uh—?”

“Is it not allowed?”

“No, I—”

Hyeonji tried to answer but froze.

Right.

If you counter with “Why not?”, there’s no good answer.

Is it forbidden? No. It’s not a crime. It’s not immoral. No one gets hurt.

But it does look weird. Friends climbing onto a bed to chat is one thing—maybe acceptable between girls.

But sleeping together, squeezed into one bed, sharing body heat, when there are other beds available—that’s…

Yeah. That looks weird.

“S‑someone could misunderstand… maybe?”

Hyeonji said, sounding genuinely distressed.

“Misunderstand? Misunderstand what?”

Soi shot back immediately, as if waiting for that line.

“No, I—”

Again, Hyeonji was speechless.

Right.

Soi openly calls herself my “older sister” in front of me.

Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun don’t deny it. Even Chae‑yi doesn’t deny it.

So if someone “misunderstands,” they’d be misunderstanding a pair of close sisters.

“And it’s just the four of us in the room anyway. Even if Rua and I stick together, who’s going to think it’s weird?”

Chae‑yi added.

They bicker all the time, but moments like this, they’re perfectly in sync.

“Yeah. You’re the only one watching us, Hyeonji. Are you having weird thoughts about us?”

“No—”

Hyeonji opened and closed her mouth like a fish.

Unfortunately, she was the only sensible one in the room.

I’ve tried telling these two before—what if someone misunderstands? What if someone sees us and thinks something strange?

But apparently, between girls, the one who “thinks weirdly first” is the one who loses.

So I gave up back in middle school.

“……”

Hyeonji looked at me as if begging me to say something.

But what could I say?

It’s not like I dislike it… and honestly, when they’re close, I feel calmer.

I can’t be hugged by anyone else. My body freezes up.

But Soi and Chae‑yi know that. So they let me hug them instead.

And when I hold them, I feel peaceful. Their warmth, their breathing—it’s comforting.

If I’ve recovered even a little, it’s thanks to them.

So I didn’t contradict them.

“Hehe.”

Soi suddenly stood up, hopped off the bed, and sat right next to me.

Then—

fwump.

She buried her face in my chest.

“Hmph.”

Seeing that, Chae‑yi did the same.

“Aha…”

It’s embarrassing in front of others, but…

I lifted my arms and hugged their heads.

“No.”

Finally, Hyeonji couldn’t take it anymore and jumped to her feet.

Her face was red.

“T‑this is weird! It’s definitely weird!”

“Why? Friends can hug.”

“Yeah. Totally normal.”

“N‑no, it’s not normal!”

Even as she said it, she didn’t sound confident.

Probably because she doesn’t have many friends either.

“Fine. Since you’re the guest, you can have my and Rua's bed. Rua and I will sleep on the floor.”

“No, calling a one‑person bed ‘my and Rua's bed’ is weird!”

It is weird.

But saying that to these two is pointless.

“Anyway.”

“By the way, Hyeonji, do you have a first love? Or an ex?”

Soi asked while resting her cheek on my chest.

“N‑no!”

Hyeonji finally yelled.

So she can make that face.

Well, in the original story, she had moments like this too—usually when Nam Jinwoo got tangled up with other girls and fell over dramatically.

…Wait.

Isn’t that exactly what’s happening right now?

“Why? It’s not like we’re kissing.”

“Yeah. We haven’t kissed yet.”

“…N‑no, kissing is definitely weird…”

That was too much, so I finally intervened.

Soi and Chae‑yi burst out laughing.

My face burned.

Ah. They were teasing me.

Of course. Soi sees me as a sister. Chae‑yi sees me as a friend.

And Hyeonji’s face was red too—her shoulders trembling with a mix of emotions.

“I‑it’s weird! It’s definitely weird!”

She screamed again.

But Soi and Chae‑yi remained completely confident.

Well…

Confidence is good.

Probably.

*

Anyway.

According to Hyeonji, the bed was a one‑person bed, and logically, three people shouldn’t sleep in it.

So Soi, Chae‑yi, and I laid blankets on the floor, and Hyeonji slept on the bed.

Lately, the two of them cling to me so tightly that I wake up once or twice at night.

It was a bit warm, and honestly, I’d eaten too much of Auntie Yujin’s cooking, so my stomach felt heavy.

I squeezed myself out from between Soi and Chae‑yi and sat up.

Rubbing my eyes, I stood up—and glanced at the bed.

“Oh.”

Hyeonji wasn’t there.

Bathroom?

I tilted my head and opened the door—

“…So, how is your father? Is he doing better?”

“…Yes.”

I quickly shut the door and slipped back inside.

Wait.

Do they… know each other?

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Pub: 12 Apr 2026 08:45 UTC

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