Handstand Apology and Lost Friends
"Sorry! Why on earth did I do that? I'm usually the type who loses all sense of proportion when I get mad.... Anyway, is your back okay now?"
It definitely hurt like hell.
The pain from Bellis's smack on my back earlier still hadn't faded. If I lifted my shirt to check, there was probably a bright red handprint there. Bellis must have realized her mistake right after hitting me, because her rationality kicked back in, and she started apologizing immediately. Meanwhile, Nairak was fidgeting beside her, just glancing nervously between us.
Maybe that anxious look of his rubbed Bellis the wrong way?
"Hey, what are you doing? You need to apologize too."
"Me? Right now?"
Bellis nudged his leg with her foot, urging him to hurry up and say sorry. Nairak, who had been standing there awkwardly, finally gave in to the atmosphere and bowed his head toward me.
"Sorry about that. It was just a joke—I didn't think it'd turn out like this."
"Ugh... you're getting an extra scolding when we get back to the village."
Bellis shot him a sharp glare, clearly unimpressed by his half-hearted apology. Then she turned back to me.
"This is embarrassing to ask, but as a token of my apology, is there anything I can do for you?"
What could I ask for? Sure, something like the nice ring Ivelin gave me would be ideal. But Bellis was just a dark elf girl barely taller than me. Expecting any real material reward from her was pointless. Instead, how about this?
"Do you know what a granjeol is?"
"Granjeol? Never heard of it."
"A granjeol is a unique human cultural tradition. You bow to the other person while doing a full handstand, pouring out your sincere feelings."
"Got it. If that's what it takes for you to forgive me, I can do it as many times as you want."
Without a moment's hesitation, Bellis went straight into the granjeol. She bowed to me, then lifted her legs straight up toward the sky. That smack on my back earlier had some real power behind it—was she athletic from a young age? She nailed the pose perfectly on the first try, no problem.
"Whoa... seeing a real-life granjeol in person for the first time."
I'd only ever seen certification photos of them on community sites before. But now that I'd actually made her do one, I realized an unexpected flaw in the pose.
This is surprisingly embarrassing... and kinda lewd.
In a handstand, gravity flips everything—legs up, head down. And gravity doesn't spare clothes, either. Hers happened to be a short-sleeved T-shirt and a skirt that barely reached her knees. The handstand pulled the T-shirt down to her shoulder blades, fully exposing her back. The skirt, unable to fight gravity, flipped toward the ground, losing all purpose as clothing.
Thank goodness she was wearing underwear.
In my view: her flawless, smooth back without a single blemish, toned thighs full of healthy vigor, and glimpses of her panties. Surprisingly, Bellis wore white underwear. I'd assumed dark elves went for black—speciesist thinking, maybe?
As I spaced out admiring the view, Bellis spoke up in a strained voice.
"Can I stop now? This is way harder than it looks. Every muscle in my body is screaming."
"Sorry, I forgot. You can come down."
She dropped back to normal at my words. Her face was pretty flushed—was she embarrassed about showing me that pose?
"Does this settle your anger? By the way, this pose is surprisingly good for activating all your muscles. Might practice it more often."
No trace of shame; she chatted casually as if nothing happened. The redness must've been from blood rushing to her head, not embarrassment.
And honestly, she wasn't the only one blushing.
"... "
Nairak had turned his head away, staring blankly at nothing. His face was tomato-red, lips pressed tight in silence. It was kinda hilarious.
Heh heh, so that's how it is. Crystal clear now.
Bellis had this lively, common-sense-lacking country girl vibe—no shame about exposure at all. Meanwhile, Nairak, who usually teased her, seemed to have realized his feelings upon seeing her like that.
No way I'd sit out such an intriguing situation. Time to play matchmaker and nudge their awkward elf relationship forward. But first, priority: my own issue.
Played around all day, and time's flown by already.
The sun had passed midday and was starting to set. Reunion with the search team was at 5 p.m., right? Plenty of time to gather info on the forest outskirts and dark elves.
Perfect timing—Bellis spoke up.
"We've been through a lot, but we're pretty friendly now, right? We never got your name, though. Can you tell us?"
"Oh yeah, I never introduced myself. I'm Jeong Seha. Just call me Seha without the family name."
"Seha? Human names are so unique. We're heading to wash the wolves now—wanna come along?"
I had questions for them anyway, and seeing how they wash wolves sounded fun. No harm in tagging along.
"We usually do it at that big river over there. Nairak packed all the soap and stuff, so just follow us."
Nairak twisted slightly to show me the bag on his back, then added,
"We call it 'washing the wolves,' but think of it more like playing in the river together."
"That's just you slacking off!"
Bellis grumbled at Nairak again. If I let this go, it'd turn into another commotion like before.
"I wanna see the wolf washing ASAP, so no fighting—let's head to the river."
"Yeah, this is more important right now."
Nairak pulled a bell from his pocket and gave it a light shake. The wolves, who had been pretending not to notice us, swarmed over like they'd been waiting.
We followed him—the wolf whisperer—toward the riverbank, Bellis at my side.
Should be safe to ask about dark elves now?
The river was a good distance, enough time to chat away the boredom. We were getting friendly, so light questions shouldn't be an issue. I'd come to scout the forest outskirts—might as well get some basic intel.
"Mind if I ask something?"
"Ask away—I'm always welcome to it. I was worried you wouldn't be interested in us. About our race, right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"You know we're not your typical elves."
Bellis's expression as she said it was hard to read. Inferiority from not being a 'proper' elf? But the meaningful smile tugging at her lips didn't feel purely negative. Maybe a thrill from spilling tribal secrets to an outsider?
"You might not know this, but there's an elf village deeper in the forest. Their elves have normal skin tones, unlike us."
Oh, I knew that all too well—I'd started from there. But I'd deliberately kept it from Bellis and Nairak. Her next words confirmed my judgment was spot-on.
"A few years ago, we fled from that village. Small group—just over a dozen, really."
"Fled?"
Ivelin's training talk flashed back: recent life force decline in elder elves causing rifts, leading to a splinter group exodus.
"Complicated reasons—hard to explain. But after leaving, our skin gradually darkened."
"Any other changes besides skin color? Like losing rationality or turning feral?"
Elves outside the World Tree's blessing supposedly warped like that. But Bellis took my question sideways and fired back.
"You teasing me about being violent now?"
"No, no—not you personally. The whole race."
Luckily, Nairak answered for her.
"We were scared to leave at first. Tales of elves turning monstrous outside the forest. Plus, worry about friends left behind."
Hold up. Friends left in the village?
A key phrase jumped out amid his words. How had I missed it till now? Bellis said they'd left years ago. Ivelin mentioned Silleia lost a close friend around then.
"That friend—was their name..."
Before I finished, Bellis cut in. My suspicion hardened into certainty.
"Come to think of it, is Silleia still doing well in the village?"