112) Chapter 17. What Should I Do? (7)

People are like that, you know.

They often say they don’t like something on the outside while secretly liking it on the inside.

Ah, but of course, misreading that kind of thing too much is dangerous. There are plenty of times when “I don’t like it” really means “I don’t like it.” There’s nothing more embarrassing than someone getting rejected but convincing themselves the other person still likes them.

I’m actually the type who doesn’t pick up on subtle emotions very well.

Thankfully, I read the early parts of the novel pretty diligently.

The most fun part of a harem story is watching the protagonist and heroine grow closer.

“…What?”

Hyeonji looked extremely flustered.

Her personality is usually pretty stiff. She’s in a position where she has to follow school rules properly.

In the original, she even went around pointing out couples and scolding them.

She doesn’t do that here. Mostly because she’s always been with me.

You know how discipline‑committee characters are usually described as pretty and well‑built, but ironically unpopular? Because they stick to rules so rigidly that people drift away.

Nam Jinwoo, at least outwardly, is a boy. Even if she looks a bit feminine, no one would seriously suspect anything. Realistically, “a girl pretending to be a boy at school” is absurd. And the system hiding it would be even stranger.

So in the original, Hyeonji couldn’t stick close to Jinwoo. But she also wasn’t close to the girls, so she was always on the outside.

She was probably like that even before coming to the academy.

Meaning…

She probably never hugged anyone or been hugged by anyone.

“…Do you not want to?”

…That’s what I thought when I said it.

But Hyeonji stiffened so seriously that I felt embarrassed.

Did I mess up?

This world is slightly different from the original.

In the original, she seemed to have been alone for longer.

And in the original, Seo Rua, Soi, and Chae‑yi were delinquents. They would’ve clashed with Hyeonji from the start and had no reason to get close. I don’t think they even shared a room.

So maybe the “degree of loneliness” Hyeonji felt in the original has been softened here.

Which is good.

…but that means I miscalculated and said something stupid.

My face heated up with delayed embarrassment.

  • *

Hyeonji’s mind was a mess.

No—she had a lot of thoughts swirling around, but they all led to one conclusion.

Should she… hug her?

She had gotten angry earlier, but she did think she went too far.

Even if Rua’s leg was healed, it wouldn’t feel completely normal yet, and more importantly, Rua didn’t fall on purpose. If that girl hadn’t bumped her from behind, Rua wouldn’t have fallen into Hyeonji’s chest.

Honestly, it was lucky Hyeonji had been there. Otherwise Rua would’ve hit the ground and gotten hurt again.

If anyone deserved blame, it was that girl. If anyone should’ve been yelled at, it was her.

“……”

But the reason she got mad at Rua was simply because she was embarrassed.

It’s obvious—well, considering her age, it’s completely normal.

No one has ever touched Hyeonji’s chest.

Well, strictly speaking, it's not as if no one’s hands have ever touched her bare skin. Doctors or nurses must’ve touched her when she was born, and when she was very young—so young that she couldn't even remember— her parents must’ve touched her while bathing her.

But not in the meaningful sense.

No one has ever touched her “with intention.” That kind of thing… that kind of thing…

T‑That kind of thing is something you do with someone you like.

When you’re an adult.

But even if it was an accident, Rua’s face had ended up buried there.

Did it feel strange?

It did. It was something she’d never imagined happening, so it felt foreign in every way.

“H‑Hyeonji?”

Rua’s voice pulled her back to reality.

Rua still had her arms open.

And between those arms—

…that uniform that clung too tightly to her body. Even though the buttons were fastened now, if even one came undone, it looked like it would burst open.

Her waist was cinched so tightly that her figure was completely visible. She was wearing clothes, but it was like she was openly showing off her body.

Of course Rua would never think that way.

The culprits were obviously Soi and Chae‑yi.

An innocent face.

A not‑innocent body.

And two people who clearly had not‑innocent intentions dressing her like that.

Ironically, the sensation Hyeonji felt today was completely new to her, but Rua had probably felt it many times already.

…Somehow, that annoyed her.

She didn’t know exactly why.

But she was certain: if Rua kept being this defenseless, something bad would happen someday.

She didn’t know what kind of bad thing, but still.

“Are you serious?”

Hyeonji asked.

“Y‑Yeah? Of course? I’m serious.”

Rua tilted her head like she didn’t understand the problem.

“You…”

Hyeonji tried to say something, then stopped.

Rua wouldn’t understand anyway.

This was the girl who took “come alone” from a villain literally and walked straight into danger to save people she barely knew.

If she told Rua that hugging friends could look strange, Rua would just tilt her head again.

Besides…

T‑To be honest?

She was a little curious.

She hadn’t thought about it much before, but… the three of them always slept in the same bed in this dorm.

Just how good did it feel that they could sleep like that?

Sadly, Hyeonji lost her mother when she was young. Her father was kind but shy, and Hyeonji never asked for hugs, so she didn’t get them often.

After her father was badly injured, years passed without any hugs, and by then she was already in high school.

The last time she’d been held by someone was a very long time ago.

Always mature. Always composed.

She repeated that to herself for years while going to school alone.

“Hyeonji?”

“…Fine.”

In the end, Hyeonji let everything go.

Fine. Rua wouldn’t understand no matter what she said. And she really did look sorry.

Rua was simple enough that “I buried my face in your chest, so you bury your face in mine” made sense to her.

Better this than staying awkward with lingering guilt.

Hyeonji stepped toward Rua.

Standing face‑to‑face, she realized she was slightly taller. It didn’t seem like much when standing side by side, but facing each other, their eye levels were different.

She looked briefly at Rua’s soft‑looking body, then slowly lowered her head.

It had been so long since she hugged anyone that her movements were stiff.

And burying her face in someone’s chest? That posture was even more awkward.

She paused just above Rua’s chest.

Her face hadn’t touched yet, but she could feel the warmth.

Rua looked calm, but the warmth from her body suggested she was a little embarrassed too.

Which made Hyeonji wonder—why was she offering her chest so casually?

“Hyeonji?”

Rua’s voice reached her.

After a moment of hesitation, Hyeonji finally buried her face in Rua’s chest.

Right in the center, where the fabric parted beneath the uniform. The softness she felt against her face was startling.

Hyeonji was also a girl, so she knew exactly what that part of the body was like—but someone else’s body always felt different from your own.

Soft, springy, warm. Even with underwear underneath, the upper part alone—

Arms wrapped around her head.

Rua hugged her tightly.

Hyeonji’s face sank deeper into Rua’s chest.

The softness, the warmth, the gentle give of skin against skin.

And the scent.

Maybe Rua had sweated a little from being between Soi and Chae‑yi all day. Or maybe she’d sweated from being nervous after falling into Hyeonji earlier.

There was a faint, damp scent. It should’ve been unpleasant, but strangely, Hyeonji wanted to smell it more.

That scent made her feel… relieved.

She didn’t know why. Just that the warmth so close to her made her feel safe—

But while she was unknowingly indulging in Rua’s warmth, she missed a sound.

The click of the door opening.

She did hear the metallic clatter that followed.

Startled, Hyeonji jumped away from Rua and turned toward the door, cheeks flushed.

There stood Soi, looking utterly shocked.

The cans she’d brought from the vending machine were rolling across the floor.

“……”

“……”

“Uh… Soi?”

Only Rua, always oblivious, tilted her head in confusion.

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Pub: 10 May 2026 09:02 UTC

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