116) Chapter 18. No? (2)
“But, but.”
As soon as we all got our food and sat down together, Chae‑yi spoke with a bright smile.
“Then, do we get to be embraced by Rua every morning and evening?”
Having scooped up a spoonful of rice and bringing it to my mouth, I froze right in the middle of the motion.
No, of course Chae‑yi didn’t mean anything weird. Because hugging is just hugging.
The word “포옹” (hug) is originally Hanja, right? It literally includes the meaning of “to embrace.”
But the everyday word “안는다” (hold/embrace) obviously doesn’t include anything like “sexual activity.”
A mother "embracing" her daughter doesn’t have any weird meaning mixed in, right?
So the reason I ended up thinking of something weird was definitely because of what that girl called me earlier.
Seriously, Casanova? How ancient is that?
Ah, I already said that.
“Uh…… but, Chae-yi, you used to be hugged by me normally too.”
It was true. Whenever she felt like it, Chae‑yi would bury her face deep into my chest like she was being affectionate.
If I just left her like that, the scene would look even stranger, so I always hugged her back.
Honestly, considering everything we’ve gotten up to so far, hugging like that isn’t even that high on the scale.
……No, saying “gotten up to” makes it sound weird. Using that phrasing makes everything sound strange again.
“But you never held me first. I had to say I wanted to be held by you before you embraced me.”
Th‑that’s…
Can we please just use the word “hug”?
I know I said earlier that the meanings are the same, but hearing words like “embrace” and “to be held” over and over is making me feel weird.
No, I’m the only one being weird, right?
The way the boys at the next table suddenly got quiet is definitely just my imagination.
They’re boys anyway, so they wouldn’t care about girls’ conversations.
“A‑anyway, w‑well, that’s true.”
“I want Rua to hold me first.”
“R‑really?”
You're talking about hugging, right? I mean, you're just talking about being held in my arms, right? Could you please not say it with a flushed face and a slightly excited expression? It feels really weird.
But saying anything about that would be even weirder, so I held it in.
“Then, we should take turns being embraced every morning?”
Soi, who had been silently chewing her meat side dish, finally spoke.
But her phrasing was weird too.
Well, technically she wasn’t wrong.
Whatever the case may be, Soi and Chae‑yi are both very jealous.
I don’t know why that jealousy ended up being directed at me, but…
I can’t do anything about their feelings, and they’re both friends I love dearly, so honestly, it makes me feel a little dark inside.
They’re jealous over me.
It’s… kind of nice.
But that also means I have to be careful about their relationship with each other. They’re both precious to me, and I don’t want to lose either of them.
So fairness is important.
“Yeah, well, I guess……”
“In the same order as this morning?”
“Um……”
“I don’t like that.”
Soi cut in firmly, surprising me.
“Huh, really?”
“Yeah. Because Rua's body smelled like Chae‑yi.”
Clatter.
A loud noise startled me.
I turned to the side—one of the boys had dropped his spoon.
And for some reason, they were all bent over with their backs hunched. Were they reaching under the table to pick it up?
“……I‑it fell over there.”
When I pointed it out—
“Ah, uh, thanks.”
One of the boys awkwardly twisted his body, sweating nervously as he retrieved the spoon.
Why that uncomfortable posture?
“We use the same shampoo anyway. And the same body wash.”
Chae‑yi argued back.
Soi glared sharply at her.
“That’s because I can tell what Rua’s scent is.”
Oh, so that’s what she meant?
Does Soi have some kind of enhanced sense of smell? If anything, I’d expect that from Chae‑yi. Whenever she buried her face in my chest, she always sniffed around while making hissing sounds
“……Do you really have to talk about this while we’re eating?”
Hyeonji protested.
But her face was bright red.
“Y‑yeah, guys. While we’re eating……”
I tried to support her, but Soi and Chae‑yi just kept glaring at each other.
“Hyeonji, you say something too. Isn’t it unfair? You must’ve smelled it this morning.”
“Uh, no, I—”
Hyeonji, who almost never looked flustered, shut her mouth.
Then she lowered her head and suddenly started shoveling food into her mouth with her chopsticks, as if to show she was too busy chewing to answer.
Why though?
“Anyway, it’s unfair. After doing it with Chae‑yi, Rua’s body gets all warm and damp. Not to mention that lingering body heat.”
“You think you’re any different? It's the same for you, Soi. You're like a leech.”
“That’s why doing it in turns is fair. You always taking the first time is a bit much. It’s clingy.”
We are talking about hugging, right?
I mean, obviously we are.
But could they please stop leaving out the word "hug"? If you just say "doing it", it makes everything sound suggestive. And “taking the first time”?? Where did they even learn to talk like that?
I wish Hyeonji would yell at them, but her mouth was full, so she couldn’t say anything.
“Then if we find something else to do besides embracing, can I go first for that?”
What else is there besides embracing?
Whether you do it from the front or from behind, isn't it embracing either way?
No, that phrasing sounds weird too.
“…….”
Chae‑yi fell silent.
Judging by how she was glaring at Soi, she was calculating something intensely. Whether she should give up the “first” of whatever Soi might come up with, or keep the “first” of burying her face in my chest every morning.
……This is weird to describe.
What exactly are they planning to “find”? Should I ask? If I do, they’ll probably say something weird again and the boys’ spines will fold in half.
“……Fine.”
After thinking for a long time, Chae‑yi reluctantly agreed.
“Let’s do that. We’ll rotate who goes first in the morning.”
Rotate who goes first? What kind of phrasing is that? Are they doing this on purpose? Their faces are way too serious for it to be a joke.
Maybe even more serious than when facing the witch.
“To be fair, we change the order. Today you were first, so tomorrow I’m first, and the day after that is Hyeonji. Okay?”
Hyeonji finally coughed.
Of course, she always maintained a minimum level of dignity, so she didn’t spit food everywhere.
I handed her my water cup, and she gulped it down before—
“What are you even talking about!?”
She practically screamed.
She even shot up from her seat.
Naturally, every student in the cafeteria turned to stare at her. The chatter died instantly.
Her face, already red like a tomato, now looked like a blood vessel might burst. She sat back down quickly.
The moment of confusion faded, but her face didn’t return to normal.
“You don’t like it? Well, that’s fine for us. Then you’ll always be third, and the two of us—”
“N‑no.”
Hyeonji finally managed to speak.
“……We’ll rotate. That’s fair.”
“……Right. Then tomorrow I’m first, and the day after that is you. That’s fair, right? Because you were first yesterday.”
From the boys’ table came a collective gasp.
When we turned, they all looked away, pretending to be busy.
Well.
I get it. I’ve had to suppress laughter listening to aunties gossip on the bus too.
But seriously—
If you’re done eating, shouldn’t you get up?
Do they have something important to discuss? Why are they still sitting there?
“Um……”
During our brief silence, a very cautious voice spoke up.
It wasn’t from the boys who were bent over plotting something. It came from our group.
The one whose face was flushed—almost as red as Hyeonji’s—was Nam Jinwoo.
She had been silent ever since we ran into that girl earlier, but now she finally gathered her courage.
“S‑so, it’s… just hugging between friends, right……?”
“Of course it is.”
Nice.
I immediately answered.
Nam Jinwoo looked relieved, though still conflicted.
“Um, then……”
“Why, do you want to join too?”
Four metallic clatters rang out at once. The boys’ spoons hit the floor again. Are they throwing them on purpose? Their trays were almost empty, but they were scraping them like they were still eating.
“No. Absolutely not.”
Soi said firmly.
“He’s a boy.”
“Right.”
“Exactly.”
Chae‑yi I expected, but even Hyeonji was that sharp.
Well, from the outside, that’s true.
Knowing what I know about her, I felt a little bad.
She’s still my friend, after all.
Anyway, that’s how the “agreement” among my roommates was made.
My opinion wasn’t really included, but I like Soi, Chae‑yi, and Hyeonji, so it’s fine. Hugging them feels nice anyway—warm and ticklish and all that.
But still—
Even after we finished eating and stood up to leave, the boys at the next table—who had finished long before us—still couldn’t get up.
They just stared into their trays like they were saying their final goodbyes.
……What’s wrong with them?
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A word from the author (A/N):
Thank you for reading again today!
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Thank you, 라뽁이님, for the support!
Thank you always for reading my writing! Honestly, not long after I first started posting, I wondered if it would go unnoticed again. It was my first time properly writing a long novel, so I thought maybe not many people would read it. But before long, more and more people started reading, and people began waiting for my updates. From then on, I learned how fun it is to write, how enjoyable it is to complete each chapter. The only reason I’ve been able to keep writing and pursue my dream is because of all of you. Thank you so much for the support! I’ll continue doing my best so I can write stories that live up to your expectations!