Chapter 199
Chapter 199
I stayed hidden for a long time—right up until the party was almost over.
The problem was that I'd made red my theme. The vivid primary-color dress stood out wherever I went, and no matter where I hid, it still stood out.
It wasn't as though blending into the crowd would make me impossible to find.
Whether that was fortunate or not, Ha-neul and Su-a didn't approach me after that. Had they realized I was in a confused state?
I could see where they were, though. Honestly, the reason I ran at all was because their eyes kept following me.
It was ironic—a place this spacious, and yet there was nowhere to hide.
I couldn't leave the party, either. Slipping away to a room for a short rest like earlier might have been one thing, but I was the guest of honor; I couldn't just disappear.
"Ah, so it's Sara."
So much so that I was actually grateful to anyone who spoke to me.
"You've grown so much. I arrived a little late and couldn't talk earlier... Do you know who I am?"
It was a middle-aged woman with a bit of flesh on her. She had the sort of face that suggested she'd been a beauty in her younger days. Then again, if she took off the heavy makeup, she might look much older.
Truthfully, I had no idea who she was.
But at least I understood this much: she was the person who, right then, was letting me escape my situation.
Honestly, I don't even remember what we talked about. She did introduce herself and how we were related... but she was a distant relative, and besides, my attention wasn't on her; it was fixed in the exact opposite direction. Toward the spot where Ha-neul and Su-a kept tracking me with their eyes.
Still, I think we talked for quite a while. I spent about half of it on autopilot, answering like a machine.
"Oh dear, I do seem to have taken up too much of your time. Enjoy the party, dear."
"Yes, I'll see you again sometime."
Once I'd ended the long conversation, I wandered the party hall again without any destination in mind.
Wandering like that—
Smush.
—I buried my face straight into something unbelievably soft.
My first thought was a pillow, but thinking back, a pillow doesn't smush that way. If it had been just fluffy, maybe. The outer fabric must've thrown me off.
...And that fabric was red.
High-grade cloth of a quality you could make a dress out of.
No, it went without saying; it wasn't just cloth. It was the dress itself.
A dress enveloping something soft and pillowy.
Slowly, as if forcing my frozen neck to move, I looked up, and there was So-hee gazing down at me with a worried expression.
"Sara, is something wrong? Your face is so red."
"Uh, ah, uhh..."
Right. Of the three I spend time with, she was the only one who hadn't confessed to me.
Or maybe it was only that she hadn't confessed yet.
I'd been dodging so hard just in case, but because I'd been so focused on avoiding Ha-neul and Su-a, I'd failed to avoid So-hee.
"This won't do."
When I only let out weird groans, So-hee took it as a danger signal and grabbed my shoulders.
And she positioned herself as if to support me.
"Come on, let's go rest for a little bit."
But I'd been resting up to just a moment ago.
Though I didn't exactly feel rested.
So-hee gently nudged me along. It was a firm touch, but she didn't ignore my will.
Leaning against So-hee, I carefully moved my feet.
Eyes around the room fixed on me.
Of course they did. I was the guest of honor at this party, and there I was, unable even to walk properly, being supported.
"Is Sara feeling unwell, perhaps?"
'My uncle' approached and asked. From how naturally he was directing the question to So-hee, he apparently knew she was my maid.
I was leaning fully against So-hee.
Ah, maybe it was because I looked genuinely ill, what with all the blood rushing to my head and making my face scarlet.
"Yes, it seems that way."
So-hee, in her dress, spoke in the maid mode she didn't often show.
"I see. Then get some rest. I'll be here—there's no need to force yourself to stay."
'My uncle' spoke gently.
...Truth be told, he was still someone with a lot of questionable aspects, so the right thing would've been for me to hold the floor, but...
Yeah, no help for it. Standing around here wouldn't do any good anyway.
I gave a quiet nod.
*
The place So-hee brought me to was a room on the first floor.
I should've just found this room from the start.
"It's one of the servants' quarters. The students stayed here yesterday. Their luggage is stored separately, so nobody's going to yell at you for lying on the bed for a bit. Though... now that I think about it, considering this is your house, I doubt anyone yelling would mean much."
So-hee carefully laid me down on the bed. Then she placed a hand on my forehead.
"Your fever isn't that bad. But just in case—shall I go find something to bring down your fever?"
"No... don't. No need to go that far."
Still, lying down did make it much better. I doubt I need medicine. I'm not sick; my head just hurts because I'm thinking too much.
"Yeah? Still, you never know, so I'll stay right here."
So-hee pulled over a nearby chair and sat beside the bed.
"......."
"......."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"Ahem."
Seeming to find the situation a bit awkward, So-hee cleared her throat.
...Come to think of it, I've rarely ever been alone with So-hee. I can remember being alone with Su-a and Ha-neul, but strangely, I have no such memory with So-hee.
Maybe that was only natural. From the very moment I first met So-hee, I was already together with Su-a and Ha-neul.
"......."
"......."
Silence stretched for a moment, and then—
"Oh, right."
Maybe wanting to break the silence, So-hee quickly spoke up.
"You already got presents from Ha-neul and Su-a, I guess?"
She'd probably said that after noticing what was on my hand and around my neck.
"......Yeah."
I couldn't bring myself to say I'd kissed them.
Still, moving the ring to a different finger did seem like a smart decision. If I'd kept it on my ring finger, not just So-hee but other people would've noticed something unusual about me.
"I actually learned how to spot this kind of thing from my senior. She said you have to notice any change in your master right away."
...Which meant Yang Hye-in had also noticed.
Maybe Yang Hye-in had picked up on even more changes than that.
The thought made me shiver a little, and So-hee's head drooped.
"Uh, was that a bit creepy?"
"Ah, no, no."
To So-hee, who was peeking at me cautiously with slightly widened eyes, I quickly waved my hands.
Then I carefully pushed myself up, sitting upright.
Resting on the bed with a legitimate reason did put my mind more at ease. The dizziness in my head had settled a bit, too.
"It's fine. It means you studied up for my sake, doesn't it?"
"W-well, yeah."
So-hee's face reddened slightly at the compliment.
And with a few self-conscious ahems, she composed herself again.
"A-anyway, I've got something I want to give you too."
"A birthday present?"
"Yeah."
So-hee nodded, then raised her arm to show me.
On So-hee's left arm were two bracelets. Thin, gold-colored bracelets. They looked very striking against So-hee's skin, which was a slightly darker tan shade.
So-hee slipped one of them off.
"W-well, I bought two on purpose, but I didn't exactly have anywhere to put them while I carried them around, so I was just wearing both. Sorry."
"Oh, no, that's fine."
I said that quickly, holding out one arm toward So-hee.
With a soft smile, So-hee fitted the bracelet onto my arm.
The gold bracelet caught the light and sparkled.
"It's pretty."
Truth be told, I don't really have an eye for these things. My level of assessment stops at oh, a bracelet; oh, a ring; oh, a necklace.
Still, I could sort of tell how carefully these girls had thought them over and chosen them. Because every piece was simple, in a design I'd probably find appealing.
"Thank you."
"Nah. I'm the one who should say thanks."
"Yeah?"
So-hee murmured that, then smiled.
How to put it—it looked like a smile with no worries at all. A pure smile. It was as if the very concept of "smiling" had been rendered directly onto a person's face... No, does that description sound weird? I guess the word laugh must have come about because someone first laughed, before the word existed.
Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
"......."
"......."
Silence came again, but it wasn't awkward. It was a pleasant, warm silence.
"......Hoo."
So-hee placed a hand on her chest and let out a soft breath. The feeling that she was relieved to have delivered it properly radiated from her.
...But it seemed there was another reason behind that exhale of hers.
Right afterward, So-hee drew in a deep breath again, then said:
"Me, to be honest... I'm a lesbian."
"......Huh?"
"I don't like men. I like women."
"......Huh-huh?"
Wait, hold on.
Telling me that...
There could only be one reason, couldn't there.
Blood rushed back into the head that had just settled down moments ago. My face flushed faintly red.
"......Do you think it's weird?"
So-hee asked, carefully.
Her eyes were shaking with unease.