Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: A Sweet, Sweet Time
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***
“So that's why I... acted that way toward you.”
Seeing Glacia express her disappointment right in front of me, I found myself at a loss for words for the first time in a while.
I thought I'd gotten used to Glacia, that I wouldn't be easily flustered by her anymore. How wrong I was...
Come to think of it, my own actions were contradictory.
I had tried to correct her behavior by teaching her the concept of friendship, but everything she did was clearly deliberate.
'Because I said it was okay.'
Because I told her I could accept it...
That's why Glacia had been acting that way all this time.
She thought I could accept her actions.
“I understand now. Han Cheon-seong, you want me to stop acting like that from now on, don't you?”
As Glacia spoke calmly, I couldn't begin to describe the feeling that washed over me.
Her words were exactly what I wanted to hear.
After all, I didn't want to be put in any more awkward situations because of her.
But hearing her say it like that, my heart was in turmoil.
“...Glacia.”
“What?”
Seeing her cold response, my body moved before I could think.
I reached out my hand toward her face as she looked at me.
“What... are you doing right now?”
Glacia asked, surprised, but she didn't pull away, even though she could have.
And so, my hand touched her cheek.
Gently.
Looking at my hand resting on her pale skin... I let out a small sigh of relief.
“I'm sorry. You can... act that way.”
“A moment ago, you told me not to. You wanted me to act like Karite, didn't you? Didn't you hate it when I acted that way?”
Glacia replied in a sharp tone, her eyes still fixed on mine.
As I looked down at her looking up at me, my hand still on her cheek, a laugh escaped me, even though it wasn't the time for it.
“Why... are you laughing?”
Glacia's cold question didn't stop my strange laughter, even though I knew I shouldn't be laughing.
It was as if she were sulking at me.
Forcing the smile from my face, I slowly nodded.
“I just... I don't know either.”
Even as I said something I knew sounded foolish, I felt my chaotic thoughts begin to settle.
If Glacia had rejected my touch, I would have definitely thought differently.
But she was showing her disappointment, yet she didn't refuse my hand.
Her contradictory behavior just seemed cute to me.
Gently, I...
I gently caressed her cheek and slowly began to speak.
“I'm truly sorry, Glacia.”
More than anything else, I wanted to apologize first.
“Han Cheon-seong. I'm not saying this because I want an apology. I just... understand now that's what you were thinking.”
“I know my actions were contradictory. I told you it was okay to act that way, but just now I told you not to. If my actions hurt your feelings, I'm truly sorry.”
As I calmly replied, my mind felt strangely clear.
There was no more hesitation, no more faltering.
I felt like I was only now realizing that her attitude was a result of a problem with my own.
Her peculiar personality, her actions that seemed to stem from innocence—I had influenced them all from the very beginning.
Because... I had told her I would accept it.
“......”
I gently stroked the silent Glacia's cheek before slowly pulling my hand away.
It was my first time seeing her pout like this, but strangely, I found it cute.
She was like a very innocent child. She revealed her feelings so directly that it made me feel at ease with her.
-If she dislikes something, she says so.
-If she feels hurt, she says so.
Glacia didn't hide her feelings at all.
She just showed me her true self. And I... I didn't dislike that side of her.
No, I actually found it cute.
“Glacia. You're upset with me right now, aren't you?”
So, when I stated her feelings so plainly,
“...!”
Glacia's eyes widened in surprise, but I smiled again and continued.
“I understand that my contradictory actions were enough to make you feel hurt. I'm truly sorry for that, and I hope you can let go of your disappointment. I don't want you to feel that way.”
I spoke calmly, conveying my honest feelings.
I had done something to hurt her, and I had apologized for it cleanly.
So, I wanted her to let go of that feeling.
“...You're right. To be honest, I was a little hurt that you'd completely forgotten.”
Seeing her admit it so coolly, the smile on my lips deepened.
“Then, Glacia, what can I do to make you feel better?”
So I didn't try to decide on my own course of action.
I asked her directly what would resolve her feelings.
“If you... understand why I was hurt, then that's enough for me. Since you apologized so sincerely, I'm not upset anymore.”
Seeing the coldness in her voice fade, I shook my head.
“Then there's still some hurt left in your heart, isn't there?”
“...I guess so.”
“Then, Glacia, what would you like me to do to erase even that last bit of hurt? That's what I want to know.”
I didn't offer any more apologies.
Just something that would erase the hurt she felt. I wanted her to ask me for it directly.
If it had been anyone else, I would have thought about it a bit more and tried to find a solution myself, but with Glacia, I found myself speaking honestly.
Watching her hesitate, her lips parted, I met her gaze calmly.
“......”
Her clear, transparent blue eyes, so different from mine, did not avoid my gaze.
So I waited.
If there was something she wanted from me, something she wished for.
Right now, I just wanted to grant her anything.
“The same...”
“The same?”
“Han Cheon-seong. You do the same to me.”
Glacia's next words... I couldn't immediately grasp their meaning.
“What do you want me to do the same?”
When I asked her to be more specific, Glacia momentarily averted her gaze.
...Surprised by her sudden reaction.
“What... I did to you today.”
As she spoke in a small whisper, I finally understood what she meant.
And once I understood, I froze.
'She's asking me to... hug her.'
Even as I realized the answer, I hesitated.
“...Han Cheon-seong. You don't want to?”
As Glacia asked hesitantly, I responded unconsciously.
“It's not that I don't want to.”
Then... I inadvertently looked around.
The hallway in front of the nurse's office was empty. Besides us, there was no one moving about.
And the nurse's office was treated with one-way glass, so no one could see inside from the outside.
That meant the two inside couldn't see us either. As I continued this line of thought, I swallowed hard.
'I'm already...'
I was already scanning my surroundings with the intention of hugging her.
Under Glacia's persistent gaze, I slowly raised my arms.
“...You won't get upset or anything, right?”
“Why would I get upset?”
“And... just to be clear, I'm hugging you as a friend.”
“I know.”
Glacia, replying nonchalantly, seemed to have completely returned to her usual self.
Seeing her like that, I bit my lip and... put my thoughts into action.
I pulled her close.
As I pulled Glacia into my arms... the feeling was indescribably strange.
The softness of a woman's body was vividly transmitted through my hands, through her body held in my embrace.
“...”
Glacia, held in my arms without a hint of resistance, didn't reject me at all.
...A strange heat rose in my body for a moment, but I recalled what Glacia had done to me and slowly moved my hand.
Gently.
I carefully, so very carefully, stroked her blue hair, so different from my own.
Her blue hair was like the finest silk, and I couldn't help but be cautious as I ran my fingers through it.
Even I realized it now. How strange my actions and this situation were.
'How in the world...'
Could this be called a friendship?
Is this even something friends do?
Hugging a friend of the opposite sex, stroking their hair.
Me, for doing it, and Glacia, for accepting it so casually—it all felt strange.
And yet... even though everything felt so strange, I was still doing it.
“Not bad... at all.”
I paused at the sound of Glacia's voice, her head resting against me.
“Not bad?”
“It's nothing compared to my sister, but your touch... it's not so bad, I guess.”
She spoke as if critiquing my touch, and that somehow calmed the strange feelings that had filled my heart.
“Well, that's a relief. At least it means you don't dislike my touch.”
As I stroked her hair a little more naturally, I could feel her face, nestled against me, move slightly.
*Ssk. Ssk...*
The strange sensation was unfamiliar, yet... it felt comforting.
Come to think of it, everything about Glacia and me was unusual.
The way we first met, the way we talked, even the reason we continued our relationship—it was all far from ordinary.
She had said she wanted to meet me to understand me, and I had accepted it with a different meaning in mind.
Now, more than a month has passed.
She and I were in a situation I could have never imagined.
“...”
Every single thing felt novel, but it wasn't a bad feeling.
Honestly, hugging Glacia felt good, in a different way.
But I knew I had to stop soon.
The strange heat rising in my body was one thing, but if I held her any longer, I felt like I would lose control.
The feeling that I might cross a line... it kept welling up inside me.
Gently.
I slowly pulled away from her.
I saw her face, a small smile playing on her lips.
...It wasn't the first time I'd seen her smile, but seeing it in this situation felt strange.
“I'll stop here...”
I said cautiously, and Glacia nodded as if satisfied.
“Yeah. As I thought, everything my sister did was right.”
"These actions, like hugging... you said your sister did them for you.”
I said, a bit dazedly, and Glacia answered without hesitation.
“Yes. Everything my sister said or did was always the right answer.”
Her voice was filled with firm belief, and as I collected myself, curiosity sparked within me.
“Come to think of it, what's your sister like, Glacia?”
“My sister is... a perfect person.”
“...A perfect person?”
“In other words, flawless, I suppose. My sister is perfect in every way. She's pretty, beautiful, incredibly strong... In fact, the compliments for my sister are endless.”
Her voice held a rare warmth, and my curiosity grew even more.
'For Glacia to speak of her like this...'
Her sister must be no ordinary person.
But in the original story, *Groa*, there was no mention of who Glacia's sister was.
Glacia herself barely had a role, so there was no way to know about her family.
“Glacia. Could you tell me your sister's name?”
I asked, thinking she might have been a significant character in the story,
"......"
Glacia, who had been gazing at me intently, slowly opened her mouth.
“Anastasia.”
The moment I heard that calm voice...
I was more shocked than I had ever been since falling into this world.
"Anastasia... you said?"
"Yes. Anastasia. Why? Do you know my sister?"
Seeing Glacia ask so nonchalantly, my mind felt like it was floating away.
—Shock.
More than any shocking action or word Glacia had ever delivered...
The shock of this single name was far, far greater.