Chapter 48
Chapter 48
"Uh, um, but, I only have my own underwear......."
That was the first thing that came out of my mouth, my brain having completely short-circuited. The words were so absurd that even the bodyguard listening in looked horrified, and the instant I said them I wanted nothing more than to dig a hole straight down into the earth and disappear.
"I bought some earlier at the convenience store."
Shin So-hee rummaged through her bag and pulled out a box. A picture of a woman's lower half modeling a black pair of panties was boldly printed on it.
That's why you stopped by there?!
The large bodyguard took a step back. He was visibly flustered. Those panties were obviously from a convenience store, and honestly, anyone who's been to a convenience store shouldn't be shocked by seeing a box of underwear like that...... but she was holding it up like she meant "I'm planning to change into these tonight." Getting caught up in the wrong implication was a recipe for serious awkwardness.
......So she'd been planning on staying over from the start.
I had no idea what reasoning had led her to that conclusion.
"And I only have my own toothbrush......."
"Do you seriously think a mansion this big would only have one toothbrush? Yours? Still, I did buy one just in case."
Shin So-hee tapped the shoulder bag hanging at her side.
She turned out to be far more thorough in her preparations than I'd expected.
"Clothes......."
"Eh, I'll just borrow something of yours."
The sizes were definitely not going to match.
Well, pajamas are usually a bit loose anyway, so maybe they'd work.
No, no, that's not the issue.
"Ah...... do your parents know?"
I'd almost asked if her father knew, then hurriedly corrected myself. I knew Shin So-hee's family situation because I knew the game's setting, but Shin So-hee herself hadn't told me about it yet. So naturally, I had to speak as if I didn't know.
That was close. I'm glad I still had enough presence of mind for that.
"I've always done the whole 'hang out at a friend's place and crash' thing. I just need to call and tell them."
Sure, but on a weekday?
We have school tomorrow, you know?
Admittedly, Shin So-hee didn't seem remotely concerned about any of that.
......In the original, wasn't she the type who went to school pretty diligently right up until she made up her mind to run away with Ha-neul?
......Ah, but come to think of it, I guess she always had the kind of personality where her drive to act was so strong that ditching school to go have fun felt completely natural to her. She really was the type of character who, once she decided she was going to do something, simply did it.
"So, is it not okay?"
Shin So-hee tilted her head and looked at me. It was the same expressionless face I'd seen back at the café, without any particular emotion showing.
But the vibe was subtly different from before. Back then, it had felt like she was a little angry or irritated. Now, it felt more like she was trying to hide her anxiety.
......This wasn't because I was especially empathetic or good at reading people's expressions. It was because Shin So-hee had been bouncing one of her legs this whole time, as if she was feeling impatient.
"......Uh...... no, it's not like...... it's not okay?"
When I answered haltingly like that, Shin So-hee's face finally brightened. Well, it was a face that practically radiated light to begin with.
Still, was this connected to the plan I'd mentioned?
She was just staying the night.
"Great, then."
As she said that, Shin So-hee shot the bodyguard a sharp glare, then slipped right past him and dashed over to my side.
The bodyguard's expression said he had a whole lot he wanted to say, but the moment our eyes met, he shut his mouth. His whole attitude suggested he had no idea how he was supposed to talk me out of acting like this.
"Alright, now that that's settled."
Once she was beside me, Shin So-hee wrapped herself around my right arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was the spot Ha-neul had been clinging to until just recently. Something incredibly heavy, large, and soft touched my arm and squished against it. Even though she was clearly wearing a bra under her shirt, I could feel its shape vividly. Uh, maybe this was even bigger than Lee Su-a's......?
"Aah!"
And Ha-neul, who had been staring blankly at me and Shin So-hee talking until that very moment—finally let out a cry.
"Me too!"
Ha-neul raised one hand high and yelled, like a grade-schooler begging the teacher to let them present.
"I want to stay over too!"
"You, do you even have underwear to change into?"
For some reason, Shin So-hee asked this with an extremely smug expression.
"I can just borrow Sara's!"
"......Huh?"
"......Huh?"
The sound escaped my mouth and Shin So-hee's at the same time.
......What? Do girls borrow each other's underwear sometimes? I mean, is it like the same mentality as those guys in the military who steal someone else's underwear when they run out of their own? You just don't feel any particular way about it?
No, even if that's how it is. For the current me, this triggered an overwhelming sense of refusal. The problem wasn't lending my underwear to a girl. The problem was me ending up wearing underwear a girl had worn.
That, well. No matter what, inside this body is an adult male. Even if skin contact is something I have to put up with because we're same-sex friends now, the thought of a man wearing a high school girl's underwear; it felt like I'd abandoned something fundamental as a human being.
As I just stood there frozen with a horrified look on my face, Ha-neul's arm drooped weakly back down. With her hands clasped limply behind her back, she ducked her head slightly and looked up at me, tapping the ground with the toe of one foot. The overflowing energy from just moments before was nowhere to be found, and only a single forlorn girl remained.
Like a cat caught in the rain.
I swallowed that assessment privately, no telling what she'd think if she heard it, and let out a small sigh.
Fine. Ushering only Shin So-hee inside would look strange from an outside perspective.
......There might even be another reporter staked out nearby. Wasn't that likely?
Had the reporter who took my photo over the weekend really just spotted me by chance? It was more logical to assume they'd been waiting for me from the start. Though even then, if someone was waiting outside my house for me when they had no idea when I'd show up, that was some truly impressive patience.
Actually, even for a paparazzo, setting up camp around actual celebrities would be more helpful for making a living.
"Okay, that's fine."
The moment I nodded, Ha-neul's face lit up. And she was just about to dash over to me,
when she glanced back at Lee Su-a, who was still standing there as if rooted to the spot, with a flicker of concern.
As expected of a main character.
In Shin So-hee's or Ha-neul's case, they might get permission just by calling home. The fact that it was a weekday was a pretty big sticking point, but if their households had a sufficiently liberal atmosphere, it wasn't impossible.
But Lee Su-a was different.
Lee Su-a was a young lady from a wealthy family.
The chances were high that she wasn't allowed to just casually stay over somewhere else. On top of that, the someone in question was none other than the notoriously infamous Ye Sa-ra. I didn't know exactly what the Student Council President was doing behind the scenes, but she was doing her utmost to block Lee Su-a's path. It was highly likely that during middle school, Lee Su-a, like the other kids, hadn't dared to speak to Ye Sa-ra. Which meant that whatever threats the President was making probably still applied to Lee Su-a.
Would her parents give her permission to stay overnight at such a person's house?
"......Maybe—"
But still.
The thought of sending one of the friends I'd only just made home alone also sat extremely poorly with me.
After all, wasn't I in the middle of getting payback for how much Ye Sa-ra had been ignored? I had no desire to do the same thing, to come up with a bunch of reasons and exclude someone within this group.
Even if she ended up saying it couldn't be helped and going home, I had to show her the bare minimum of consideration. I couldn't even begin to guess how much courage Lee Su-a must have mustered the moment she first spoke to Ye Sa-ra.
So, I opened my mouth, intending to at least extend the invitation, but,
"Me too."
Before I'd even finished, Lee Su-a was already speaking.
Both her fists were clenched tight, and her shoulders trembled slightly, but her eyes were fixed directly on me. Her expression was stiff, but for that very reason, I could feel a clear, solid resolve in it.
"Can I...... stay with you too?"
Lee Su-a asked me, just like that.
"Will it be okay?"
When I asked, genuinely worried, Lee Su-a nodded without a word.
"......."
Seeing this, Ha-neul looked back and forth between me and Lee Su-a with a worried expression.
Shin So-hee's expression had also turned somewhat complicated. Both of them had just heard me explain my situation back at the café. They must've easily guessed that Lee Su-a was tangled up in it somehow, too.
"Alright, then. You're welcome here. This is my house, after all."
As I said that, I looked the bodyguard straight in the eye. The bodyguard, meeting my gaze head-on, flinched. Yes, it might be a weak body, but Ye Sa-ra's face was definitely specialized for fierce, baleful expressions. Plus, I held every authority regarding this mansion, and if I truly set my mind to it, meaning, if I decided to openly clash with the Chairwoman, I could fire him.
Of course, if I did that I'd end up in a bloody fight with the Chairwoman, and my own position would become tremendously difficult, but honestly, for an employee like him, the threat of getting fired would feel far more terrifying than all of that.
And this job paid an insane amount compared to the work involved. Even Yang Hye-in was pulling in a whopping 500 million won. He'd definitely want to keep working here as long as possible.
Yep, when it comes to stuff like this, money really is the best.
At my answer, Lee Su-a nodded, her expression still rigid. Then, one step at a time, she slowly walked toward me.
She hesitated for a moment right in front of the entrance, and then, as if hopping over a line, she stepped onto the mansion grounds.
As if she'd just crossed an enormous wall, Lee Su-a's stiff expression softly melted away. She looked at me, broke into a bright smile, and—
came pat-pat-pattering over and snatched up my left arm.
"Aah!"
And Ha-neul, who had been watching the scene with a mixture of nervousness and a slightly pleased look until that very moment, finally cried out.
Looking somewhat indignant for some reason, Ha-neul broke into a full-speed run toward me and launched herself straight into my arms.
"Eep,"
The sensation of Ha-neul's hands burrowing between my side and my arm made an odd noise escape my lips before I could stop it.
!!!
Invisible exclamation marks popped up over Shin So-hee's and Lee Su-a's heads.
Ah, no, what's gotten into you two.
As I was stiffening up from the tension of being physically pressed in on all sides by pretty girls,
"Hehe."
With a mischievous laugh, Ha-neul plopped her chin right onto my shoulder.
"......Ah."
And in the next instant, she let out that small sound and hurriedly peeled herself away from me.
"......."
Why?
Having pulled away, Ha-neul's face was dyed a deep red.
"......?"
What on earth did she see back there?
Shin So-hee and Lee Su-a were apparently just as curious. The three of us shifted a little to turn around and look behind us.
......In the direction Ha-neul would have been looking with her chin on my shoulder, Yang Hye-in was standing there, I had no idea when she'd arrived. Expressionless, as always. With a somewhat businesslike air.
"......."
Just how long had she been standing there.
A wave of acute embarrassment crashed over me.
How should I put it. It's rich coming from us after we pulled that stunt right in front of the bodyguard, but seeing Yang Hye-in standing there totally expressionless gave me the distinct feeling that, yeah, this really wasn't it.
So...... like, when you crack what you think is a killer joke and the other person doesn't so much as smile. That's probably the best way to describe it.
If the kids at school had refused to give me even a bare-minimum reaction, I might've felt exactly the same way I did now.
"......."
"......."
Shin So-hee and Lee Su-a, who had been clinging to my sides right up to that point, also peeled themselves away with awkward expressions.
"You've returned, miss."
Yang Hye-in bowed politely as she asked.
"Ah, yes......."
My face was burning.
"I shall prepare the meal for four."
"Yes......."
I kept my head deeply bowed as I answered.
Yang Hye-in dipped her head once more without a word.
When I started walking with my head still hanging low, the three of them hurriedly fell in behind me.
......For some reason, I had a strong feeling this meal was going to be incredibly quiet, just like the last one.
Though the reason would be completely different.