108) Chapter 17. What Should I Do? (3)

My hospitalization didn’t last very long.

In my previous world, a broken bone took months to heal, and sometimes required surgeries that left big scars. But this world was different.

It wasn’t that medical technology was overwhelmingly advanced—there were simply many people with healing abilities. Not a huge percentage, but enough that treatment didn’t take long, and enough people could benefit from it.

“Hmm…”

When the counselor heard that I had encountered a villain again and been hospitalized, she immediately contacted me to come in.

I already had trauma that wouldn’t heal easily, and if it got worse, that would be a problem.

“You ran toward the villain even though you knew she was a villain.”

“…Yes.”

When I nodded weakly, the counselor fell into serious thought.

“You’re not… no longer afraid of villains, right?”

“N‑no. I’m still scared…”

“That means there’s something you fear even more than villains. Something so frightening that it made you forget your fear for a moment.”

“……”

“Are you afraid of someone else getting hurt or killed by that villain? More than you’re afraid of Rua getting hurt?”

“……”

I had no answer.

Because it was true.

“Is it because you’re conscious of the fact that you’re… related by blood to that villain?”

“……”

“You think of Yujin and Dohyun as your parents, right?”

“…Yes.”

I fidgeted with my fingertips.

I couldn’t say it openly in front of them. It felt… shameless, like I didn’t deserve to accept them fully.

Calling Auntie Yujin “Mom,” calling Uncle Dohyun “Dad.” It wasn’t easy.

“I know it’s very difficult. But you and that person… can’t be close. You never wanted to go with her, right?”

“…No.”

“No matter what she does, none of it is your fault. I know that’s not an easy thought. Once a relationship forms, it’s not easy to cut it off.”

“……”

“Then from now on, let’s focus a little more on the home you live in. So you can accept those two fully as your parents. If Yujin and Dohyun are your mom and dad, calling them that will make your heart feel lighter too.”

I nodded silently.

Unfortunately, there was something I didn’t tell her.

My trauma wasn’t lingering just because of the witch.

I felt guilty not because she was my mother. In my previous life, I was an adult—I knew relationships could be severed.

I felt guilty because my existence had changed too much.

Maybe something that could have ended easily, without anyone getting hurt, had become huge because I existed.

If I had been clearer, if I had told people everything I knew—even if they doubted me—maybe we could have stopped it earlier.

“……”

By not saying anything, wasn’t I making things harder for the teachers and everyone around me?

But again, I couldn’t say it.

Because if I did… what if the people around me started doubting me too?

That terrified me.

*

I like Soi and Chae‑yi.

There are so many reasons.

We’ve been friends since childhood, and—though it sounds shallow—they’re both very pretty, and they care about me deeply.

Sometimes it feels overwhelming, but they’re both incredibly perceptive. They stop before I get genuinely uncomfortable.

And honestly, being held in someone’s arms feels good.

In my previous life, after becoming an adult, I never had anyone to hug like that. I didn’t date, and I was too old to cling to my parents.

In this world, I still have trouble being fully held…

But thanks to the two of them sleeping right next to me every morning, I could at least feel that warmth.

Though lately, it was honestly too warm.

The weather was getting hotter.

It was too cold to sleep with the air conditioner on at night, but once the sun rose, the room got hot. So I’d fall asleep in pleasant warmth and wake up drenched in sweat.

“……”

Hyeonji, who woke up earlier than us and showered first, looked colder every day.

Yeah… no matter how you look at it, three girls tangled together in sweaty pajamas on one bed looked… questionable.

Like some bonus illustration from a harem manga magazine, with heroines clinging to each other.

“This is just weird.”

One morning, Hyeonji finally exploded.

“It’s weird! There are four beds, and you only use two!”

“But two is enough, so it’s fine?”

“No, it’s not fine at all.”

Soi’s shameless answer made Hyeonji look like she was about to burst.

“Those beds are meant for one person each. Three people piling onto one is weird.”

“You saw it at my house too. I always sleep with Rua. Now I can’t sleep without her next to me. When Rua was hospitalized, I tossed and turned all night.”

Did she? She brought a sleeping bag and slept on the floor.

She fell asleep instantly, just like always.

“If you want to complain, complain to her. She’s the one who lived somewhere else before. Isn’t it weird that she suddenly can’t sleep unless she’s next to Rua?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I used to sleep next to my mom. So of course I sleep like that here too.”

She did?

Their relationship seemed better now, but still a bit formal.

Even if she wasn’t hurt as badly as me, Chae‑yi had been checked at the hospital. Her mother had come to see her.

She looked worried, but I didn’t remember Chae‑yi clinging to her or whining.

It was hard to imagine, given her usual image.

“Oh, then you two can sleep together. I have to sleep with Rua, but you’re fine with anyone, right? How about sleeping with Hyeonji?”

“What?”

Fire lit in Chae‑yi’s eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“Why not? Hyeonji’s soft and warm too. Even she won’t be cold while sleeping.”

“Who said I’m cold!?”

“Your ability is cold, and you’re trying to break us apart right now, so you’re cold.”

“No, I’m saying there should be some boundaries between people of the same sex. We’re all sharing a dorm, you know…”

“Wow, so you’re saying people of the same sex shouldn’t be close? That’s discrimination. You’re on the public morals committee — basically the student council — and you think you can say that?”

“That’s not what I meant! And obviously it’s worse if it’s a boy and girl sleeping together!”

True. Much worse.

In the original story, she was even more aggressive when Jinwoo got close to other girls.

“I don’t care. I’ve always slept like this, and I’ll keep doing it. There’s no rule against it in the dorm. Complain to Chae‑yi.”

“I’m sleeping with Rua too. Because Rua’s chest feels way more like a mom’s.”

“You haven’t even tried hugging Hyeonji, how would you know?”

“I already proved it in middle school. When I buried my face in Rua’s chest, I knew. Rua’s embrace is full of motherly warmth.”

“…Wait, what?”

Hyeonji froze.

“In middle school, what?”

“Heh.”

Chae‑yi smirked proudly.

“Want me to show you?”

“No, you don’t have to—”

Before Hyeonji could finish, Chae‑yi buried her face in my chest.

She didn’t hug me—her hands stayed behind her back so she wouldn’t trigger my trauma.

“……”

The room fell silent.

I glanced around awkwardly, then gently wrapped my arms around her head.

And stroked her hair.

…Okay.

Let me be honest.

This felt good.

Her hair was soft, thick, and fluffy…

And the way she kept burrowing into my arms made her feel like a big puppy…

“Hey!”

Soi immediately lunged to pull her off—

And Hyeonji sighed deeply and pressed her fingers to her forehead.

Uh… um.

“S‑sorry?”

“No, it’s not your fault…”

Hyeonji answered with a bitter expression, like she didn’t even know where to begin explaining.

I didn’t know what she wanted to explain either.

Edit

Pub: 06 May 2026 10:29 UTC

Views: 32