Summer (1)
Summer (1)
~♪
Soft music drifted from the ceiling speakers.
The young professor on the podium shut down the projector and slipped his laser pointer into his pocket.
"You've all worked hard this semester. I hope you have a meaningful break, and with that, I'll conclude the lecture."
He declared the class finished, gathered his materials at a measured pace, and exited the room.
"Break!!"
"God, finally I get to go home."
"Getting those free flight tickets was such a steal."
Students clustered in small groups rose from their seats, chattering among themselves as they filed out.
"Ha-na."
"Yeah, let's go."
Baek Ha-na packed her things and stood up.
Nam Seo-hee, who had naturally claimed the spot beside her, asked, "Is there anything you need?"
"Need?"
"Mm. Anything's fine."
Nam Seo-hee would certainly have taken the top seat regardless, but she'd decided to use the gesture as an excuse to buy her a gift.
"If you tell me what you need while I'm back home, I'll bring it."
"Something I need..."
"You don't have to tell me right now."
"Hmm..."
Nam Seo-hee had said she could take her time, but Baek Ha-na furrowed her brow and gave it some serious thought. She was still mulling it over when they reached the dormitory.
"A swimsuit."
"A swim... suit...?"
Nam Seo-hee tilted her head, a little puzzled. Baek Ha-na cupped her own chest lightly from below.
"The last time I bought one was two years ago. If I try to wear it now, it won't fit here."
"Oh... I see. But for a swimsuit, couldn't you just order it online?"
"No."
Baek Ha-na's expression turned dead serious. She grabbed Nam Seo-hee's shoulders.
"You're supposed to hide those and show them off later."
"......?"
Nam Seo-hee's head tilted at a crooked angle.
"I'll pick out a few good ones later and send you the links. Bring them when you come back. Oh, and I'll send the money too, so just bring all the ones I link."
"Uh. No, I—well, alright. Sure. And don't worry about the money. I got the top seat thanks to you, so just accept it as a gift."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
Squeeze.
"H-Ha-na?"
"Thank you."
"It's, it's nothing... ahem."
Nam Seo-hee carefully moved her hand and began gently fiddling with the strands of Baek Ha-na's hair that swayed behind her like a tail.
Normally, Baek Ha-na wouldn't even allow that much, but after blowing her entire allowance on a mountain of Baek Woo-jin's clothes, her circumstances had changed. Nam Seo-hee was offering to cover the colossal expense of a swimsuit, so Baek Ha-na decided to make an exception.
"...What are you doing blocking the entrance?"
"Ah, sorry."
Baek Ha-na quickly released the embrace and stepped aside.
Nam Seo-hee's eyes narrowed at the happiness that had just been plucked from her grasp.
"There's plenty of room to walk past. What's the problem?"
"...That's not the point, is it?"
Na Ju-hee frowned at the sudden hostility radiating from Nam Seo-hee and approached the two.
"If you're free during the break, do you think you could spar with me a bit?"
"Sorry. I've got a lot going on."
"...Aren't you banned from going out and sleeping over too?"
"Yeah."
"......?"
Baek Ha-na's response flustered Na Ju-hee.
"Could you spare just a little of your training time? Even once a week would be fine."
"I'll think about it."
"Then—"
"Ha-na. Let's go."
Just as Na Ju-hee was about to pull something from her coat, Nam Seo-hee snatched Baek Ha-na's wrist with uncanny timing and vanished into the dormitory.
-Crack!!
"...Nam Seo-hee."
The smartphone in Na Ju-hee's hand crumpled like paper.
**
After parting ways with Nam Seo-hee.
"Na-young, you're not going home?"
"No. They said the practice rooms are available during the break, so..."
"Won't your parents be disappointed?"
"Huh? N-no, it's fine. I talk to them all the time."
"Well, that's good."
Click.
The ceiling lights slowly dimmed.
Hoping for tomorrow to come quickly, Baek Ha-na lay down on her bed.
"Ah."
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she shot upright, spotting a faint glow seeping from the blanket Lee Na-young had pulled over herself. She padded over.
"Na-young."
-Eek?!
The bundled blanket thrashed noisily before Lee Na-young cautiously poked her head out, eyes wide.
"Wh-why...? Was I bothering you?"
"No. That's not it. Move over for a second."
"Uwaaah..."
A light shove from Baek Ha-na sent Lee Na-young rolling helplessly to the side.
She'd cleared a space in an instant. Baek Ha-na climbed onto Lee Na-young's bed and pulled out her smartphone.
"Na-young."
"Mmnn...?"
Lee Na-young's head wobbled, maybe dizzy. Baek Ha-na tugged her close.
"You don't have a swimsuit, right?"
"...A swim, suit?"
"Yeah. To wear when we all go play in the water later."
"Uh, I guess I don't... but I'm fine just watching...? C-crowded places make me uncomfortable anyway..."
"It's fine. We'll be playing at my house."
"......?"
Lee Na-young blinked, not quite following. Baek Ha-na just grinned and shoved her smartphone next to Lee Na-young's face.
"Here. Let's pick one out together."
"No, I—I really..."
"Want me to ban you from the practice room?"
"Uugh..."
Lee Na-young didn't manage to fall asleep until after the sun rose the next morning.
**
"Hmm-hm~"
After spending the late-night hours shopping for swimsuits with Lee Na-young, Baek Ha-na showered and left the dormitory right away.
"I'm back~"
Having skipped breakfast to get there quickly, Baek Ha-na opened the mansion's front door and stepped inside.
"Hm...?"
She glanced down to change into slippers, and blinked when—
"Welcome back."
"Ah, Claire."
Claire approached, wearing an apron and carrying a clean, savory scent. Baek Ha-na finished slipping on her slippers and asked, "Where's Woo-jin?"
"He said he had an engagement and stepped out briefly last evening."
"Oh..."
Baek Ha-na's face fell at the news that Baek Woo-jin wasn't home. At her candid reaction, Claire smiled faintly.
"He said the summer festival planning meeting is his final schedule, so he should return before dinner."
"...Festival!!"
The gloom vanished instantly. Baek Ha-na's energy snapped back the moment she heard "summer festival." For the first time, she'd be able to enjoy the festival herself rather than just watching it from the mansion.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"No. I'm hungry~"
"Ahem."
Baek Ha-na pressed herself against Claire's side, and Claire's lips quivered as she let out a small, stifled cough.
"...Please wait thirty minutes."
"Okay. I'll go change and play with the little one."
"That child is still sleeping. Please don't wake her by force."
"Still? Then I'll just watch her sleep."
Baek Ha-na rubbed her head against Claire's shoulder a couple of times, then headed for her room.
"...I didn't gain weight though?"
She frowned at her shorts, which were oddly tight, and the T-shirt that had somehow become a crop top. If she'd known, she would've brought her clothes from the dormitory.
"Claire."
"What—"
Claire had been watching over the stew. The moment she saw Baek Ha-na walk up beside her, she understood exactly why she'd been sought out.
"It's a bit much, isn't it...?"
"As it's your home, I think it's fine as long as you're comfortable, Miss Ha-na. However... the professor might..."
"...Right?"
Claire nodded.
"Ugh~ I'll have to go back to the dormitory."
"...Miss Ha-na?"
"Hm?"
Baek Ha-na turned. Claire hesitated a moment, then spoke.
"If it's agreeable to you, would you like to borrow something from my dresser in the bedroom?"
"Yours?"
Claire nodded. Baek Ha-na studied her intently—the chest hidden by the apron, and the hips that even the apron couldn't fully cover, peeking out at the sides.
"...I can still grow."
"......?"
"Then I'll borrow something until my new clothes arrive."
"...Yes."
Claire cocked her head slightly, watching Baek Ha-na turn away after giving her body that odd, scrutinizing look.
"Don't you only have a few outfits yourself?"
Thinking of Claire, who always wore the same clothes whenever she came home, Baek Ha-na carefully opened the bedroom door.
-Phee... Pheee...
"Cute."
On the bed.
Inside a basket, covered by a bright-red wrapping cloth and breathing softly in her sleep—the fairy.
"Let's see..."
After watching the fairy for a while, Baek Ha-na opened the wardrobe. She was surprised by the number of clothes inside.
"...Earrings?"
And on one side, a collection of plain yet tastefully accessories that seemed all the more suited to Claire.
"...Bad Woo-jin."
Baek Ha-na grumbled Baek Woo-jin's name—not blaming Claire for changing, but blaming Woo-jin for having changed her—and picked out a few things suitable for wearing around the house.
"No shorts, as expected..."
There were a few tops with side slits that seemed a little excessive, but every pair of bottoms was long, as if determined to never show an inch of bare skin.
From among them, Baek Ha-na pulled out some black spandex with decent stretch and a gray shirt and began changing.
Plop.
"......?"
Right after pulling on the pants, she blinked at the sensation of something landing on the top of her head. She raised a hand.
-Phyouung...
The fairy that had been asleep in the basket moments ago was now resting in her palm.
"Sorry. Was I too loud?"
-Pheehaaa~
The fairy yawned widely on her hand and rubbed its eyes. Baek Ha-na's lips curled upward.
-Pheeang.
"......?"
After rubbing its eyes a few times, the fairy's gaze turned bright and alert. It pointed toward some part of the open wardrobe.
"Here?"
-Pheeang!!
The bottommost drawer.
The fairy smacked Baek Ha-na's palm repeatedly and nodded its head.
Slide.
The closed drawer glided out as Baek Ha-na pulled.
-Pheea~!
The fairy fluttered its wings and landed just below the now-open drawer.
"No."
-Pheea!!
Baek Ha-na stopped the fairy from opening the elegant little box sitting inside the drawer. She didn't know what was in it, but if this tiny creature was this curious, Claire must have deliberately kept it hidden.
-Pheeeeek!!
"...I said no."
The fairy whined, clinging to her finger. Baek Ha-na's eyes crept toward the black box.
"Just a quick—"
"Miss Ha-na?"
"Eek?!"
Claire's voice came from right behind her, without the slightest warning. Baek Ha-na flinched.
"Are the clothes alright?"
"Huh? Uh, y-yeah, they're fine. Yeah."
-Pheeaaang!!
"...Miss Ha-na?"
Hearing the fairy fussing below, Claire walked over. Peering past Baek Ha-na's crouched shoulder, she spotted the drawer that had been pulled open.
"Miss Ha-na."
"N-no. I just—she kept pestering me, so..."
"Breakfast is ready. Go to the kitchen."
"Y-yeah!!"
-Peeek?!
Baek Ha-na scooped up the fairy with both hands—blaming it for making things worse—and bolted for the kitchen.
"......"
Claire waited, extending her energy sense to confirm Baek Ha-na was well out of range. Then she closed the open bedroom door, stood before the wardrobe again, and picked up the black box resting in the drawer.
"Hooo..."
She drew in a deep breath and clutched the box tightly to her chest.
"Someplace deeper..."
Claire didn't emerge from the bedroom until much later.
Her earlobes were still flushed a vivid red.