"Sigh... This is crazy."
The morning after spending the night at a motel. I let out a deep sigh, covering my face with both hands.
Am I losing it? Have I actually gone mad?
No, I must've gone a bit crazy. I wasn’t in my right mind.
But even so... Spending the night with my favorite heroine and, to top it off, showing such an embarrassing side of myself during the process.
Did I always have this side to ? Is this the kind of person I’ve been?
Regret, surprise, and embarrassnt mixed together, leaving feeling extrely uneasy.
"...Ms. Hye-Rim, I’m really sorry."
Ha-Yeon, who had woken up around the sa ti as , apologized while bowing her head.
"I think I must’ve lost my mind for a mont. I might’ve been a bit too forward."
"...No, it’s fine. I wasn’t exactly normal either."
We needed to clear our heads. Since it was too late for regrets, I decided to just accept the situation.
"Let’s just think of it as a temporary lapse. Yeah, this is all Silfin’s fault. That damned woman is to bla."
Blaming everything on Silfin is the way to go. People naturally feel better when they shift the bla.
Spending a night with the main heroine wasn’t my fault!
"But still... I was being serious."
As I was thinking that, Ha-Yeon gently hugged from behind.
"It’s true that I like you, Ms. Hye-Rim. None of what I said last night was a lie."
"Ha-Yeon?"
"So, what do you think about , Ms. Hye-Rim?"
I knew exactly what she ant by that.
"How about we date?"
It was a formal confession. Ha-Yeon sincerely wanted to be in a relationship with .
Of course, this is the kind of situation I’ve dread about. Dating the heroine I love and adore most in the world? How could I say no to this? There’s no way I could refuse.
That is if it were the old .
"I’m sorry, Ha-Yeon."
"...!"
Ha-Yeon’s body trembled at my apology. Not wanting her to misunderstand, I quickly added, "I’m saying this because I don’t want you to think I’m rejecting you. It’s not because I dislike you. In fact, I like you too."
"What? Then why..."
"It’s a personal reason. I just can’t bring myself to date anyone right now."
I don’t feel ready to give my heart to soone or rely on anyone.
Ever since I beca like this, I can’t even imagine being in a relationship. The desire just isn’t there.
"So, let sort out my feelings first. Then I’ll give you an answer. Would that be okay?"
"Yes. Of course."
Ha-Yeon nodded with a bright smile.
"I’m just happy to know you don’t dislike , Hye-Rim. Since you didn’t reject my feelings outright, I’m okay with this."
She hugged again, seemingly content despite the situation. I felt a bit sorry for her.
It’s usually best to give a clear yes or no to soone who confesses. But because of my stubbornness, I was making Ha-Yeon wait in this one-sided situation.
Was I always such a selfish person?
After leaving the motel, we headed straight ho. While I wanted to grab a al with Ha-Yeon first, my phone convinced otherwise.
[Hye-Rim, when are you coming back?]
[Hey. I’m eating first if you’re late!]
[A bit slow, aren’t you? Are you planning to co back tomorrow?]
[...Is sothing wrong?]
Countless texts from Yoo Seo-Eun had piled up since last night, at least several dozen from the evening through this morning.
Just as Ha-Yeon and I returned ho and were about to go inside.
Clunk.
"...Huh?"
We ran into Yoo Seo-Eun, who was just stepping out of the house.
"What the heck? Hye-Rim, where were you all night? You didn’t even reply! And Ha-Yeon, why are you with her?"
Yoo Seo-Eun bombarded with questions, looking genuinely worried. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I lied on the spot.
"Oh, about that. Seo-Eun, you heard about what happened yesterday, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. That a non-Awakened person suddenly beca an Awakened?"
"Exactly. I was checking sothing related to that with Ha-Yeon, so we got delayed."
"Hmm, okay."
Yoo Seo-Eun nodded as if she understood.
"But still, you should’ve texted if you were going to be late. I was worried because you didn’t respond at all."
"Sorry. I’ll be more careful next ti."
I sincerely apologized and sent Ha-Yeon off before heading inside. It seed Yoo Seo-Eun had just stepped out to take out the trash.
For now, it looked like her worries were eased.
After throwing away the trash, Yoo Seo-Eun leaned against the wall with a suspicious look on her face.
"Sothing’s off. I feel like Hye-Rim is lying to ."
She had already heard from Lee So-Young about what happened yesterday. The investigation into Choi Young-Hee supposedly wrapped up last evening.
But nothing about Ha-Yeon had co up in that story.
Plus, sothing else nagged at her.
"...I need to tell Team Leader 1 about this."
Yoo Seo-Eun quickly pulled out her phone. She allied with Team Leader 1 to share any information regarding this.
When Yoo Seo-Eun called, Yu Mi-Young picked up after a mont.
"Hello? Seo-Eun, what’s up?"
"Sothing’s fishy about Hye-Rim and Ha-Yeon."
"What? What do you an?"
Yoo Seo-Eun briefly explained what had happened.
"Isn’t it strange? There’s no real reason for them to have stayed out together until the next morning."
"Hmm... That’s true. But Hye-Rim isn’t the type to lie about work, so it could still be plausible."
"Maybe. But that’s not my main point."
What really concerned Yoo Seo-Eun was sothing else entirely.
"I think Hye-Rim and Ha-Yeon might’ve stayed together at a motel."
"What?!"
Yu Mi-Young’s voice rose sharply, understandably shocked.
"When I saw them earlier, they slled like the sa shampoo."
"...That’s pretty telling."
"Right? And the fact that they stayed at a motel instead of sowhere nearby makes it even more suspicious."
"It is strange."
Yoo Seo-Eun also noted sothing subtle in how Ha-Yeon looked at Hye-Rim.
It was different now—a gaze filled with affection and happiness.
It reminded her of sothing. A drama where a heroine just started dating the male lead.
"This is bad. I don’t know what happened, but they’re way too close now."
"...We can’t just ask them, can we?"
"No. If my guess is right, they wouldn’t tell us."
If nothing had happened, Hye-Rim would’ve explained everything honestly. But Yoo Seo-Eun could sense that Hye-Rim was hiding sothing.
And her intuition was spot on.
"Team Leader 1."
"Yeah?"
"We can’t just sit back anymore."
"You’re right. Even if we’re wrong about their relationship, we can’t just keep watching from the sidelines."
They decided to take more proactive asures.
***
Back at ho, I cracked open a can of beer.
I desperately needed a drink. After last night’s chaos, there was no way I could deal with this sober.
"Hye-Rim, I’m back."
While I was sipping on my beer, Yoo Seo-Eun returned from taking out the trash.
"What’s with the beer this early?"
"I just really wanted one."
"Even so. Couldn’t you wait until dinner?"
Yoo Seo-Eun scolded , hands on her hips.
"What if you end up relying on alcohol?"
"Sorry. But I really wanted it. Just let have this one can."
I gave her a bitter smile and kept drinking. As I scrolled through YouTube, Yoo Seo-Eun sat beside .
"Hye-Rim, can I ask you sothing?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you not interested in dating?"
"...Cough! Cough, cough!"
Her sudden question about relationships almost made spit out my beer.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But after Ha-Yeon’s confession, the mory resurfaced imdiately.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Well, you know I love romance dramas, right? I want to experience that kind of amazing love. So I was wondering if you felt the sa way."
"No, not really. Not right now."
"'Not right now' ans maybe later? Like, your thoughts could change?"
"I don’t know. Didn’t I already tell you? I’m just not interested in dating."
Hearing my answer, Yoo Seo-Eun folded her arms and seed to relax a little.
"Hmm... Was I worrying too much, then?"
What’s with her now?
Feeling puzzled, I kept sipping my beer.
Ah, I just want to get drunk already.
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