Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Sleeping Together
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Unless we'd been friends since we were toddlers, Seol-i and I only really started getting close when I was seven.
Which meant opportunities to visit each other's houses were pretty rare, too.
By the time you're in second or third grade, kids start developing a sense of gender differences. That's around when sharing a bed with a boy or girl starts feeling awkward.
With all that in play, Seol-i and I had only ever slept together three times.
Twice in first grade, once in second.
After that, even if we played late into the night, we'd always head back to our own homes to sleep.
That had been the routine...
"...Seol-i, is it okay if Haneul takes the bed?"
"Yes! It's fine...!"
How the heck did things end up like this?
Around 8 p.m., Seol-i showed up at our house and announced she was staying the night.
Even her parents just said, "Sorry to impose, but could you look after her for one night?"
Thankfully, Seol-i was basically treated like family at our place. After six years, that was only natural. So putting her up without objection wasn't an issue...
The problem was me.
Sure, inside I'm a 23-year-old ex-conscript dude, but right now, I'm a 13-year-old boy.
Sharing a room with a 13-year-old girl felt like a huge mental hurdle.
"Haneul, just sleep on the floor for one night, okay?"
"Got it."
Sleeping on the floor was no big deal. If anything, it brought back old memories and felt kinda nostalgic.
The issue was Seol-i sleeping in the same room as me.
Meanwhile, Seol-i seemed to notice my reluctance and kept glancing at me nervously.
"...Um, Haneul."
"Yeah? What?"
"......Is it okay?"
"Uh... yeah, it's fine."
There wasn't really anything not fine about it. Honestly, it wasn't even a matter of fine or not.
"Hey, Seol-i."
"Yeah?"
Seol-i blinked those big eyes at me.
It was an incredibly cute look, but I didn't let it sway me. I needed to ask her straight up.
"Is it okay sleeping here?"
"Sleeping here?"
"Yeah, sleeping in my room. Is that okay?"
-nod nod
Seol-i nodded without a hint of hesitation.
I'd asked a pretty dumb question. She'd insisted on coming over to our house in the first place, so of course it was fine.
I switched up my question.
"Is it okay sleeping in my bed?"
"It's fine...! If anything..."
"If anything?"
Seol-i cut herself off and shook her head vigorously.
"Never mind! It's nothing!"
Her "nothing" act looked suspicious, but it probably wasn't a big deal.
She said she was fine with it.
...This was bad.
I had no excuse to kick Seol-i out of my room now.
Should I just leave and sleep somewhere else?
After some agonizing, I said to her,
"Seol-i."
"Yeah...?"
"......Mind if I sleep out here?"
I asked as gently as possible.
No helping it. That basically meant, "You're making me uncomfortable, so I'll crash somewhere else."
For a sensitive girl like Seol-i, that would've been a huge shock. That's why I was so careful...
"Why?"
Instead, Seol-i asked why I wanted to leave.
There was this weird clingy vibe in her voice that creeped me out for a second.
I glanced at her cautiously and gave up.
"...Nothing."
"What?"
"I'll just sleep in the room."
The moment she heard my answer, a smile spread across her previously blank face.
Cute. Incredibly cute. It was pure, classic Seol-i charm shining through.
The inexplicable chill from earlier vanished completely.
Seol-i started pulling clothes out of her bag.
Then, as she headed to the bathroom, she asked,
"Haneul... I'm gonna change, so absolutely... absolutely don't come in... okay?"
"I won't."
As if I'd risk whatever fate awaited me in there.
I waved her off and watched her go.
Seol-i slipped into the bathroom to change, and while I waited, my eyes drifted to her bag.
Something unexpected was poking out of it.
A brown arm. A super fluffy-looking brown arm.
It was the arm of a stuffed animal I remembered.
Should I pull it out or not? Right then, Seol-i came back out.
"Haneul, I'm done...!"
"All changed, huh."
"Yeah! But... did you see something?"
"Oh, that... You still have that stuffed bear?"
Seol-i beamed at my question and opened her bag.
Out popped the teddy bear.
The one I'd given her as a gift.
"Yeah! Teddy Bear! I still have him!"
I hadn't been in Seol-i's room in ages out of respect for her privacy, so I had no idea it was still around.
Last I remembered was fourth grade, seeing it once. How had it survived this long?
Seol-i hugged Teddy Bear tight like it was the most precious thing and burst into laughter.
Somehow, her smile seemed cuter with every passing year. Objectively, babies are cuter, but I liked this version best.
"Want a hug, Haneul?"
"...Nah, I'm good."
I answered, but Seol-i's face fell limp.
Like a hurt hamster.
That guilt-tripping expression had the power to change my mind.
In the end, I hugged Teddy Bear just like she wanted.
The Teddy Bear she handed me wasn't the fresh-out-of-the-factory fluffy one I'd given her as a kid.
All that handling had worn down its original puffiness.
Still, it was impeccably maintained—no fading fur color, buttons tight on the eyes. Probably reglued some parts.
One thing was certain: it smelled.
Sweet cherry scent. Seol-i's scent.
I had to ask, just in case.
"Do you sleep hugging this every night?"
"Yeah! Is that bad?"
"...No, not bad."
Looked like Teddy Bear had become her comfort toy.
Teddy Bear, I only bought you to bond with Seol-i, but retirement's off the table for you.
I absentmindedly stroked Teddy Bear, and Seol-i suddenly snatched him back.
It happened so fast I was startled, but that wasn't the point.
She was staring at my hand. The one that had petted his head.
Had I gotten something dirty on it? Some grime?
I'd feel awful if so.
While I fretted over her reaction, Seol-i stared at my hand, then abruptly turned away.
"...I'm going to sleep."
"Huh? Oh, uh, okay... Give me a sec to change."
"Okay."
I grabbed some clothes, changed in the bathroom amid her curt reply, then shut the door, turned off the light, and lay down on the futon I'd prepared.
As soon as I settled in, I heard Seol-i climb into bed. She'd probably been waiting for me.
"...Night, Seol-i."
"Night... Haneul."
With that, we drifted off...
"Haneuuuul...!"
Seol-i's voice came trembling through, on the verge of tears.
What time was it? Why was she crying now?
Half-asleep and groggy, it only muddled my head more.
"Wha...?"
"N-no... I... sob...!"
Her sniffling snapped me a bit more awake.
"What's wrong, Seol-i?"
Right then, I learned what had set her off.
-KABOOM!! RUMBLE...!!
"Hic... sob...!"
At 13, kids think they're grown up, but they're still just little ones.
To a girl that age—especially a timid one like Seol-i—that thunder must've been pure terror.
"Haneul... Haneuuul...!"
"Yeah, Seol-i."
"I-I'm... cold... and scared...!"
What? Cold?
I touched the floor and realized I hadn't turned on the boiler.
Waking up cold and then hearing thunder must've broken her completely.
I couldn't just leave her crying, so I got up, sat on her bed, gently laid her down, and tucked her in.
"I'll stay right here, so don't worry."
"R-really...?"
"Yeah, really."
Her stuffy-nosed "really?" nearly made me laugh.
It reminded me of that time at the zoo when she got lost as a little kid.
"I'll stay right here, so sleep tight. Got it?"
"Mmm...!"
Shivering, she nodded and drifted off. Once she was out, I slipped out to turn on the boiler and came back.
After handling that minor crisis, exhaustion hit me hard, and I passed out.
When I woke again, my arm was numb as hell.
Why? Because...
...Seol-i had somehow slid down and was using it as a pillow, sleeping soundly in my arms.
To avoid any misunderstandings, I tried easing her back to the floor, but she wouldn't let go.
She clutched my clothes tight and refused to release.
Luckily, she woke up before Mom and Dad did, saving us from that awkward scene getting caught.
Really dodged a bullet.