Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Once Again, Counseling
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The day after the trip with Haneul's family ended, I gathered my friends.
Actually, I was planning to head over to Seung-ah and Ye-eun's side, but the two of them stopped me.
They insisted I should just stay put since it made more sense for them to come to me.
It felt like they were treating me like a little kid, which left me a bit miffed, but I ended up convinced by what they said next.
"We might run into Haneul Kang, so let's meet in your neighborhood." It was the kind of argument I couldn't possibly refuse.
Anyway, that's how I ended up meeting the two of them today at a café in my neighborhood.
"Hi~"
"Hey, Seol~"
"Hi...! Have you been well?"
The moment I spotted them, I jumped to my feet and waved. They hurried over to my table and plopped down into their seats.
And just like that, they dove straight into the main topic.
"So, Seol, how was the trip?"
"Yeah! It was super fun!"
"Did anything happen with Haneul Kang?"
"Uh... y-yeah... kinda?"
"What happened? Spill it! Quick!"
Unable to resist their prodding, I tried to buy some time by steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Um... before that, shouldn't we... order some coffee or something...?"
"Already did~"
"I ordered on my phone. Oh, it's ready now."
Unfortunately, their impeccable preparation left me no time to steel myself.
Ye-eun dashed off to grab the two coffees, and once they had them in hand, they fixed me with unwavering stares.
I couldn't hold out against those eyes and ended up confessing my utterly shameless deed.
"S-so... um..."
"So...?"
"To Haneul..."
"To Haneul Kang...?"
"......I asked him to put sunscreen on me."
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh."
"Seol...! You did it...!"
They made a huge fuss, staring at me wide-eyed, while I flushed crimson and hung my head.
Out of sheer embarrassment and shame.
But my friends operated on a whole other level.
"And then?"
"Huh...?"
"What happened next?"
"Right. If you let him touch your body, there had to be more, yeah?"
"N-no... th-that's not..."
Like a criminal on trial, I bowed my head, and in that moment, a hush fell over the café.
The place hadn't actually gone silent, of course. But it felt that way to me—like the air had turned icy cold.
The atmosphere in the café felt that chilly, that heavy.
After a stretch of silence, Ye-eun scolded Seung-ah.
"Yoo Seung-ah, what did I tell you? Seol could never pull off something that bold."
"True... Haneul Kang's one issue, but Seol doesn't even know how to flirt properly."
"I did something bold..."
It was incredibly bold. I let him touch my body, after all. Even if it was just my back.
Haneul had hesitated at first, sure, but after that, he'd groped me without a second thought.
Wasn't that insanely bold?
That's what I thought—until Ye-eun's story made me clap a hand over my mouth.
Just recalling it was embarrassing, vulgar, mortifying. It was the first time hearing something made me feel utterly exposed.
Even though she'd spoken in a voice only the three of us could hear, I was terrified others might catch it.
Some parts I didn't even fully grasp. Grown-up stuff I was clueless about, probably.
Anyway, once Ye-eun finished spinning her wildly boundary-crossing tale, Seung-ah reined her in.
"...Ji Ye-eun, do you want to get arrested for public indecency?"
"What? I spoke super quietly so only you two could hear."
Ye-eun flashed a sly smile, but that sealed it for me. I'd never ask these two for love advice again.
That was my resolve—though deep down, I knew no one else would listen to my romance woes like they did, leaving me helplessly reliant on them anyway.
"So, nothing happened after that?"
"Uh... y-yeah..."
"Why didn't you just sneak into his bedroom while he was asleep?"
It sounded like Seung-ah was speaking off the cuff, maybe out of frustration.
But...
-Twitch!
...I'd already done exactly that.
Okay, he wasn't asleep. The thunder had woken him up, so it wasn't like I'd crept in while he was out cold.
But it was close enough. He was a little drowsy from sleep.
Still, I had a defense. I was terrified from the thunder. In legal terms, diminished capacity.
In that state, I was blameless. Totally blameless.
Clinging to that conviction, I chatted casually with them until...
...the real topic finally came up.
"So, you failed to make a move on Haneul Kang. Right?"
"Yeah..."
"And now you want a more surefire approach."
"Y-yeah......"
"Alright, our turn to advise."
"Please..."
The second I finished speaking, Ye-eun said coolly—and terrifyingly—
"...Just jump him already. Nothing else'll work."
"Ye-eun...!?"
"Hey, Ji Ye-eun."
"What? We've done all we can at this point."
Ye-eun shrugged, but honestly, it felt like I'd tried everything I could. What more was there?
"Sh-should I... j-jump him...? H-Haneul...?"
"Ji Ye-eun..."
"Okay, okay. Seol, kidding. Total joke."
"A joke...?"
"Yeah, joke. Just testing. Forget it."
"Okay..."
I'd been seriously pondering it, but thankfully, it was just a joke.
Of course they'd have fresh ideas. I had to believe that.
As if rewarding my faith, they exchanged glances and shared one.
"Okay then... Seol, how about this."
"What?"
"Wanna try getting a fake confession?"
"Fake... confession...?"
They suggested staging a fake confession.
The plan was simple.
One of them would spread a rumor that I'd gotten confessed to.
Then make sure Haneul overheard it and gauge his reaction.
Got it. I got it completely.
If I dated someone else, I could see how he'd react and maybe shift how he sees me.
But...
"...No."
"No?"
"Yeah, no. A confession from someone who's not Haneul... I hate that."
I hated it.
I hated the idea.
A confession from anyone but Haneul? No way. I didn't even want to imagine it. I never wanted it to happen, even hypothetically.
I like Haneul. I've only ever liked Haneul, and I'll only ever like Haneul.
Even if I were reborn a thousand times, it'd still be Haneul.
Even as a hypothetical, it creeped me out and made my skin crawl.
When I shot them that heartfelt glare, they read my eyes and bowed their heads.
"Sorry, Seol. Dumb idea, huh?"
"Really sorry."
Their apologies instantly cooled my rising anger.
I nodded, accepting them.
They hadn't done anything wrong. They'd just been trying to help. No reason to stay mad.
"So... um... what should I do...?"
To my mumble, Seung-ah replied softly.
"Just act freely now, Seol. I think it's fine."
"Freely?"
"Yeah, freely."
Nodding, Seung-ah explained her thinking.
"Haneul's probably come around to liking you bit by bit. This trip must've really driven it home."
"Really?"
"Totally. So now you can just do whatever you want. Hugs are fine, going out together is fine—everything will be flirting."
"Really...? You think so?"
"Absolutely!"
With their ongoing encouragement, I came away with a conviction that wasn't quite conviction—but close enough.
If I kept seducing him slowly like this, eventually he'd give in.
Eventually—someday—we'd get even closer.
After the innocent Hyeon Seol left the café, Yoo Seung-ah and Ji Ye-eun exchanged looks and talked.
"You serious?"
"About what?"
"That she can just act however she wants."
Seung-ah took a sip of coffee and nodded at Ye-eun's question.
"Yeah, 200% serious."
"For real?"
"Dead serious."
"Why?"
To that, Seung-ah grinned slyly.
"You saw it too. Seol in that bikini. If even Haneul Kang doesn't budge when she asks for sunscreen like that?"
"With that guy, it's possible..."
"Even if he's a eunuch, bikini Seol's charm would've shaken him at least. And once he shakes..."
"It's different after that?"
"Bingo."
Smirking and nodding, Seung-ah stood up.
"Alright, wanna go have some fun?"
"Fun? Where?"
"Where else? My family's snack bar."
"Just marry that snack bar kid already."
"If someone's better at snacks than Dad, maybe~"
As the two girls rose from their seats, they quietly wished from the bottom of their hearts.
That their small, precious friend would reap the fruits of her love.