74. Life Is the Real Deal
74. Life Is the Real Deal
74.
"Hic... hic..."
Ban Ha-na was crying in my arms.
She looked deeply sorrowful, seeing the person she liked share affection with someone else right in front of her.
"Si-jun... *sob*... you're so mean... hic..."
"..."
Whatever I said right now would only make things worse.
I silently held Ban Ha-na.
'...Apologizing with actions is better than words.'
Yu Ha-yeon whispered in my ear.
"Hey, Han Si-jun. What's going on here...?"
What do you think is going on?
You made Ban Ha-na cry.
When I gave Yu Ha-yeon that look, she put on a serious expression.
It looked like she was about to throw a punch at me any second, so I answered in a whisper.
"Ha-na wasn't really trying to steal me from you."
"What...?"
"She was just following her emotions. Pure emotion."
Ban Ha-na follows her emotions.
If she's happy, she's happy.
If she hates something, she hates it.
If she's sad, she's sad.
A simple emotional nature and behavior.
To put it nicely, Ban Ha-na is pure.
'Ha-na is a baby.'
Yu Ha-yeon finally seemed to realize Ban Ha-na's true feelings and muttered.
"I thought she had the same idea as that bitch Lee Seol-ha, so I was going to put her in her place..."
"Sob... what did I do wrong...?"
Lee Seol-ha had gotten on Yu Ha-yeon's nerves by shoving that button in her face.
Seeing Lee Seol-ha do that, Yu Ha-yeon had tried to strike first before Ban Ha-na harbored any ill intentions.
But Ban Ha-na never thought, 'I'll take him from Yu Ha-yeon!'
She never had that thought at all, so it hit her like a bolt from the blue.
"Yu Ha-yeon. You were wrong—"
"Shut up, Han Si-jun. This is all your fault!"
Hm.
That's true.
If I hadn't been unfaithful first, none of this would have happened.
They say I'll die if I don't kiss.
But I still need to live a long life.
I rationalized to myself that I had no choice but to cheat for the sake of my lifespan.
Yu Ha-yeon made eye contact with Ban Ha-na through the gap between her and me.
Then, with an awkward smile, she spoke.
"S-sorry... I guess I misunderstood..."
"Go away..."
Ban Ha-na waved her hand as if she didn't even want to see Yu Ha-yeon's face.
Yu Ha-yeon didn't know what to do and shot me a look asking for help.
"Han Si-jun. How did you calm her down when she got mad?"
"...She's never gotten mad at me."
"Ah..."
Yu Ha-yeon let out a despairing voice.
Ban Ha-na wouldn't talk and refused to accept any apology.
Yu Ha-yeon, maybe feeling guilty, kept trying to apologize somehow.
I asked Yu Ha-yeon, who was holding her head in her hands, with a bold tone.
"Yu Ha-yeon, do you want me to help?"
"..."
Yu Ha-yeon nodded her head repeatedly without a word.
It felt like their relationship would be irreparably damaged if this went on, so I decided to help Yu Ha-yeon.
"Ha-na, you're mad right now, right?"
"Sob... yeah... I'm sad... and mad... and upset... my chest feels tight..."
Because of Yu Ha-yeon, she was sad and angry.
And she was disappointed with me.
I asked, as if coaxing a child.
"Then, what do you want me and Yu Ha-yeon to do for you?"
When you want to soothe a sulky or angry child, it's a good method to ask what they want.
Of course, unless they won't listen.
Ban Ha-na was okay because she was a lifeform with some intelligence.
She spoke while still choked up, as if the tears were still coming.
"Sob... Si-jun... give me a kiss too..."
"Wh-what did you say...!?"
"...Yu Ha-yeon, be quiet."
It was Yu Ha-yeon who had said she felt guilty and wanted to appease Ban Ha-na's anger.
Her hands trembled at the news that Ban Ha-na wanted a kiss.
"Absolutely not...! I'll never allow it!"
Yu Ha-yeon refused desperately.
But unfortunately, the choice wasn't hers.
"I'll do it too... a kiss... sob... I don't need anything else..."
Ban Ha-na demanded a kiss from me.
I didn't mind, but Yu Ha-yeon seemed quite bothered by it.
"..."
Yu Ha-yeon stared intently at Ban Ha-na as she wiped her tears with her hand.
The sight of her crying so sorrowfully seemed to trouble her.
After a moment, Yu Ha-yeon let out a sigh as if she had finished deliberating and said.
"*Sigh*... Fine, just once. Since I did wrong, I'll let it slide just this once."
"What, Yu Ha-yeon, what's gotten into you...?"
Yu Ha-yeon allowing me to kiss Ban Ha-na.
Is this really the Yu Ha-yeon I know?
Maybe she felt guilty seeing Ban Ha-na cry so sorrowfully, and that's why she granted her request.
For all her foul mouth, Yu Ha-yeon had a warm heart.
"R-really...?"
Ban Ha-na stopped crying instantly upon hearing Yu Ha-yeon's words.
It wasn't an act, but it seemed like news good enough to stop her tears.
After saying that, Yu Ha-yeon walked toward the door.
"I'm going outside and coming back in ten seconds. You've got until then. Got it?"
"Ten seconds...? Isn't that too short?"
"W-wait, s-stop!"
Ban Ha-na, dissatisfied with the short time, stopped Yu Ha-yeon from leaving.
Honestly, ten seconds is way too short.
But Ban Ha-na didn't seem to think time was the issue.
Ban Ha-na shouted at Yu Ha-yeon.
"Don't... don't leave! You... you have to suffer too...! You... you witch...!"
"Ha...?"
Yu Ha-yeon gave a hollow laugh.
Ban Ha-na flinched but shouted confidently.
"Th-this is unfair...! I only get a little, and she got so much...! I had to watch, but she doesn't! Unfair!"
"Oh..."
That's... a fair point...?
Yu Ha-yeon's apology price was way too small.
A ten-second kiss in exchange for watching the person you like kiss someone else right in front of you?
And a long kiss at that?
Probably even my Libra ability would say that's not fair.
There was a huge gap between Yu Ha-yeon's offer and Ban Ha-na's demand.
"Huu... little one, so what do you want me to do...?"
"S-sit there and be quiet...! You watch too...! So you can feel what it's like...!"
Ban Ha-na seemed to be going too far just because she had the upper hand.
'What if she makes Yu Ha-yeon mad all over again...?'
That worry flashed through my mind, but something unexpected happened.
"Go ahead and do it in front of me, for once."
"...Yu Ha-yeon, are you serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Just do it."
She's acting cool.
Or so I'd like to say, but her clenched fist was trembling slightly.
She didn't want to watch, but she seemed to be forcing herself to see it.
'What on earth goes through their heads...'
No matter that she's my childhood friend and someone I've kissed, I couldn't understand their behavior at all.
'Would I get it if I'd been born a woman?'
I wondered, but I wasn't sure at all.
And so, the kiss broadcast was arranged.
Yu Ha-yeon sat on the sofa and watched us, while Ban Ha-na and I faced each other.
I carefully asked Ban Ha-na.
"Ha-na. You've thought this through, right? You're not just lashing out on impulse, are you?"
"Si-jun. I've thought about it too! Don't ignore me!"
Ban Ha-na wasn't crying anymore.
She confidently insisted she had thought it through.
"So, what's this thought?"
"Well, that is..."
Ban Ha-na glanced at Yu Ha-yeon, then whispered in my ear.
"It's payback, double...!"
"...Who taught you that, Ha-na?"
"Yu-wol taught me! Hehe...!"
So this is why education matters.
Of all people, Ban Ha-na had learned that from Han Yu-wol.
She hadn't thought about the consequences at all.
When we didn't start, Yu Ha-yeon smiled and spoke.
"What are you waiting for? Wasn't this what you wanted?"
She's smiling, so why does she look so angry?
Yu Ha-yeon had the corners of her mouth lifted, but they were twitching slightly.
Something about it was scary, so I acted quickly.
"...Ha-na. Don't regret this."
"Huh...?"
I gently pressed my lips to Ban Ha-na's.
"Mmm... Si-jun..."
Ban Ha-na let out a ticklish sound and tangled her tongue.
Unlike Yu Ha-yeon's aggressive movements, she moved her tongue passively.
Yu Ha-yeon watched us intently.
She spoke with a smile.
"Han Si-jun. Don't you move."
Nod.
Yu Ha-yeon's hand, resting on the desk, trembled as if an earthquake were hitting.
It probably looked like she was desperately holding back the urge to punch me.
"Si... Si-jun... just a little more..."
Ban Ha-na clung to me tightly, same as always.
Right now, it seemed like Yu Ha-yeon no longer existed in her field of vision.
Ban Ha-na kept whispering "just a little more..." to me.
Yu Ha-yeon, unable to watch any longer, stood up and shouted.
"Stop!!"
Swoosh.
Yu Ha-yeon pried us apart.
'That's a bit of a shame...'
Had it been about fifty seconds?
Even though not much time had passed, Yu Ha-yeon immediately separated us.
"What... what are you doing...! You fraud...! Villain...!"
Ban Ha-na protested against Yu Ha-yeon's tyranny.
"I was enjoying it! Why are you interrupting!"
She shouted at Yu Ha-yeon with a face full of dissatisfaction.
But Yu Ha-yeon, as if protests were meaningless, said to Ban Ha-na.
"I had something I was curious about, and now it's resolved."
"Wh-what...?"
"I know Han Si-jun the best, and he's most compatible with me."
Ban Ha-na turned her head to me at Yu Ha-yeon's words.
Then, with a shocked expression, she asked.
"S-Si-jun...! Is that true...!?"
Tell the truth.
Ban Ha-na's expression said it all.
'Should I really say it...?'
Still, the truth is better than a lie.
I decided to tell Ban Ha-na the truth.
"W-well, people have different preferences... um..."
"...!"
There was no way around it.
Yu Ha-yeon had lived with me from the very beginning and knew me the best.
She knew where I reacted well and where I was weak.
If I had to give her a title, it would be 'Han Si-jun Genius.'
That's how well Yu Ha-yeon kept touching the parts I liked while kissing me.
'I'm sorry, Ha-na...'
Ban Ha-na looked dazed at my reaction.
Yu Ha-yeon was tormenting Ban Ha-na again for being too greedy.
She was ruthless when it came to me.
"You were too greedy, little one. You should have accepted when I gave you the chance."
"..."
"Little one. Life is no practice, you know."
Excessive greed invites trouble.
Ban Ha-na was stopped by the huge wall called "childhood friend."
She would never forget this day,
and it was the day she resolved to act only when Yu Ha-yeon wasn't looking.