163) Chapter 23. Because We’re Friends. (2)

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If one were to objectively consider the surface area of Earth, the ocean is overwhelmingly larger than the land. And from the shallowest parts to the deepest depths, it is filled to the brim with living creatures—so much so that most life on Earth could be said to exist within the sea.

Therefore, the sight of the ocean should be far more common than any scenery on land. And therefore, even if someone were to come specifically to see it, it shouldn't feel like anything particularly special.

But the fact that it didn’t feel that way at all left Hyeonji continuously flustered.

She had been like that ever since they arrived at the beach.

No—actually, the ocean wasn’t the problem.

It started when they were choosing swimsuits. No, even before that, when they talked about going to the beach together once summer vacation started. No—if she kept going back, it was even earlier, just that morning when they all went out together.

No, no, no.

Every time she retraced each fluttering moment step by step, she found herself going further and further back.

A teenage girl entering high school was supposed to be the most ordinary thing in the world. Studying there was normal, and since every student was required to live in the dorms, that too was simply the natural course of things.

There was no reason for anything special to be mixed into that. It had been like that at first.

She had only thought that it would be annoying to share a room with someone who would inevitably become bothersome whenever they ran into each other.

But when did it change?

She couldn’t pinpoint a moment. Even that day must have been just another one of those ordinary days that rolled by.

No—maybe there was never a moment she could clearly point to. Like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle, she hadn’t even realized she was getting wet at first, and then one day she was drenched completely.

Her dull, uneventful daily life—at some point, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, began to flutter little by little.

They shared a room.

When she woke up and got out of bed, the three girls who woke up a little later would be tangled together on one bed, sleeping.

Rua would open her eyes groggily, look at Hyeonji, and smile shyly.

It was just an ordinary morning.

They washed up, got dressed, prepared for school, went to class, studied after school if needed, visited the café on campus, ate meals together…

All things she had always done alone until now—so why did each and every one of them feel strangely special, to the point where even the passing time felt precious?

And then, suddenly, she realized it.

Among all those sparkling moments, the one shining the brightest—the one illuminating all of them—was Rua.

“……”

“Hyeonji?”

“……Yeah?”

She had been staring at her face without realizing it, and only when Rua called her name did Hyeonji flinch.

“Is it okay if we talk about it when everyone’s here?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Thankfully, she had been listening enough to remember what the conversation was about.

She couldn’t be sure she heard every word perfectly, but—

Jinwoo had been about to talk about why she crossdressed.

“Uh, um, H-Hyeonji?”

“Yeah?”

“If you stare at me that hard…”

“Ah, sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize that much…”

When Rua said that, Hyeonji quickly turned her gaze toward the ocean. Rua murmured something in a small voice.

When did it start?

When did she start liking being next to Rua this much?

It must have been after she realized something.

After she realized that Rua had pulled her—someone who had lived a dry life going back and forth between home, school, and the hospital—into her world without hesitation, decorating her days with sparkles.

She didn’t know the reason.

But maybe she didn’t need one. Judging from Rua’s behavior, she seemed to do plenty of things without any particular reason.

The night sea sparkled.

That too was probably natural. The night sea wasn’t empty, and a tourist spot wouldn’t suddenly go dark just because it was nighttime.

The street shops were brightly lit, and boats floated on the water, so of course it sparkled.

And yet, the reason every moment felt so bright was probably because she was with her friends.

That thought came to her.

If she gathered all those feelings and thoughts into a single word, it would probably be “memories.”

“Ah! Rua!”

From far away, Soi and Chae-yi’s voices echoed.

They seemed horrified to realize that while they were busy bickering, the spots on either side of Rua had been taken.

Hyeonji was startled to find herself feeling, just a tiny bit, that it served them right.

Of course, she could only shake her head helplessly when the two of them ran over and immediately claimed the spots in front of and behind Rua.

“……”

Chae-yi sat in front of Rua, leaning against her and pressing forward. Soi sat behind Rua, also leaning forward.

And at some point, Jinwoo had naturally leaned her head against Rua’s shoulder.

“……”

Hyeonji had never approached anyone before. If anything, people probably thought she bristled like a hedgehog.

Her father had worked as a hero and been injured as a hero, so Hyeonji had believed she also had to be heroic.

Every rule had to be followed, and even things that weren’t rules had to be fulfilled as a proper student.

But once she got involved with girls who didn’t care about any of that, she no longer knew where to even begin pointing things out.

And so—

The silent Hyeonji leaned her body sideways.

Rua’s arm was soft.

Hyeonji, who was slightly taller, rested her head on Rua’s shoulder. Rua stiffened, not knowing what to do.

But that only made Hyeonji happier.

Even though she knew that this happiness wasn’t a good emotion.

Because Rua always flustered her. And yet always made her want to stay by her side.

Even if she hesitated nearby, Rua would just pull her over and place her beside her, making her expect things every time.

So, well—

Maybe it was okay to say it was Rua’s fault.

Everyone around them would probably think the same anyway.

So with a bit of guilt, Hyeonji leaned on that shoulder and gently closed her eyes.

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The last time I came to the beach was last summer.

Back then, of course, it was only with Soi and Chae-yi. The place we stayed wasn’t even a hotel—it was a house the Principal lent us.

There was a bed, but the three of us just played excitedly in the living room until we all passed out. We only pulled out a few thin blankets and had fun, so… well, that was that.

When I woke up in the morning, I was sandwiched between Soi and Chae-yi, which startled me a bit.

“What’s this, you two. Aren’t you going back to your room?”

This time, we were staying in a hotel.

Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun had a habit of never being frugal when booking places for us, so the room we were staying in was ridiculously large for four people.

Actually… is it even okay to call this a “room”?

If anything, shouldn’t it be called a house?

Of course, it was inside a hotel building, classified as a “suite room,” and it had a room number, so technically it was a room.

But it had a living room, an exercise room, and even multiple bedrooms inside.

“…Weren’t we going to keep playing?”

At Chae-yi’s words, Hyeonji asked,

“It’s late. We should start getting ready for bed.”

“You two are in the living room too.”

Soi and Chae-yi seemed determined to recreate exactly what we did last time, but Jinwoo and Hyeonji stayed firmly in the living room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I was the only one suffering on the sofa.

Soi and Chae-yi were clinging to one of my arms each, so I couldn’t move, and now even my legs and feet were being held—one each.

Legs aren’t as sensitive as arms, but I could still feel everything.

I could feel Jinwoo’s and Hyeonji’s soft bodies clearly.

Hyeonji’s body was a little different from Soi’s and Chae-yi’s. Unlike the purely soft Chae-yi or the firm, springy Soi, she felt a bit sturdier—like someone who exercised diligently.

But even so, her skin was strangely soft, and certain parts of her body had no muscle at all, um—

And Jinwoo was soft in her own way.

Different from Soi, Chae-yi, and Hyeonji, but still—she definitely wasn’t lacking!

Normally she wrapped herself tightly in bandages, so from the outside she felt oddly firm, but once the bandages were off she was soft again—wait, what am I even thinking?

Anyway, if I moved even a little, I would instantly become the world’s worst pervert.

“H-hey, guys.”

I carefully opened my mouth.

“Isn’t this… a little uncomfortable?”

Soi and Chae-yi were sitting on the sofa with me, so fine, but Jinwoo and Hyeonji were on the floor, weren’t they?

Even if Koreans have that habit of sitting on the floor instead of using a perfectly good sofa, wouldn’t they get bumped by Soi’s and Chae-yi’s legs?

“…It’s comfortable like this.”

“Y-yeah, r-right. It’s like hugging a pillow in bed.”

Is that so.

Well, my body is kind of soft.

But… that much?

Still, hmm.

I knew that no matter what I said, they weren’t going to move.

So in the end, I had to stay frozen like that for a long time.

Just like earlier at the beach—why were they suddenly acting like this?

……Not that I, um, disliked it.

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Pub: 07 Jun 2026 05:18 UTC

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