Tell Me You Like Me
Curious about the true nature of those words…
I'd been pretty sedentary lately, that much was true. Just lounging around the room with Eunhyuk, reading books and nothing else. I could feel myself getting sluggish, so it was about time I loosened up a little.
I accepted Hyerim's proposal and took my place at the starting line. On the white line I stretched my arms and legs, reaching high and low, slowly working myself ready to run.
"Um… how many laps?"
"Let's just go to the far end for now."
"Okay."
Beside me, Hyerim finished her own preparations, pressing firmly into her legs. Phil stayed seated where he'd been, simply watching the two of us.
"Do your best~."
"Yeah."
I answered Phil's cheer out loud; Hyerim massaged her neck and gave a small nod. Then, all of a sudden, I noticed the sound of bouncing balls had thinned out around us. When I glanced about, most of the students were staring our way.
"Ugh…"
"Don't mind them. Just relax and give it a fair shot."
With that, Hyerim dropped into a low stance. …Only then did I realize how competitive she looked.
"Mmm."
I shrank a little awkwardly and tapped the floor with the toe of my shoe. The cushioned feel was still unfamiliar, and yet at the same time it had become strangely familiar over the past few days—these sneakers Eunhyuk had bought for me.
"Want me to give the signal?"
"Please."
"Alright. Three, two~—"
At Phil's voice Hyerim sank even lower. Veins stood out along with the hard lines of muscle. A deep silence fell, broken only by the countless stares boring into us. Truly, I thought, this was a sensation I had almost never felt in my life—and I put strength into my legs.
"—One, go!"
I kicked off the floor on the word. My legs nearly tangled at the start, but somehow I kept them under me and ran.
I ran, and ran, and—
…I honestly hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
No.
…Huh…?
"Hah, hahh…"
Hyerim was gasping for breath. Her glossy black hair clung to her body, soaked through with sweat, and the easy sway she'd had before was gone—her whole frame trembled under the weight of exhaustion.
That…
……Wait a second.
"Hyerim, are you okay?"
Phil sidled up and set a hand on her shoulder, voice worried and, at the same time, faintly amused.
"Hahh—…"
"Doesn't look okay."
Phil glanced my way and gave a small nod. Then his expression shifted to something puzzled, and he peered straight at my face.
"…What is it?"
"Nothing. You just don't look like someone who ran the same dozens of laps Hyerim did."
The pure curiosity in Phil's words left me with nothing to do but tilt my head in awkward confusion.
The truth was simple enough. First, I'd won on pure speed. Then, following Hyerim's cries of "One more! One more!", we'd raced back and forth across the gym hall any number of times. At the start I'd only accepted because loosening up felt so good—but somewhere in the middle Hyerim's condition had started to go strange, and…
"Cough, haa…"
…she'd ended up like this.
There wasn't much of a "truth" to speak of, really. It was just unexpected. I was out of breath myself, of course, but nowhere near collapsing. From the way she'd been hitting the ball earlier, I'd been sure Hyerim was far faster than me.
Maybe her stamina just didn't match her strength?
"Haa—…. Otherworlders are something else."
"No way. I couldn't run like that either. That's all Cecilia."
Suddenly glittering eyes poured onto me. A moment later Hyerim and a handful of other students let out admiring "Ooooh…"s as they stared. It was considerably more blatant than before, and there were a lot more of them.
And that was…
…a little, um, overwhelming……
"…Spectators, disperse!"
Out of nowhere Phil barked the order toward the crowd. Only then did the watching students peel away one by one, looking sheepish. The stares thinned; I could breathe again.
"…Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
When I offered my gratitude, the half-elf in front of me simply smiled. Those long elf ears of his gave a quiet little twitch.
"…Ugh. Can't get up. Total defeat. Total defeat."
A bright, open laugh came with the words. Hyerim.
"Is this a species difference? …Or an environmental one?"
"Uh… I don't really know either. I've never had a chance to compare something like this before."
"Fair enough."
After a long breath out, Hyerim stretched a trembling hand toward the two of us. Phil and I each took firm hold and, with a shared grunt of effort, hauled her to her feet.
"Still, losing this clearly feels refreshing. Yeah."
"…Are you okay?"
She didn't look great, so I asked lightly—but…
"In what way? Body? Or confidence?"
The reverse question, delivered with a little smirk, left me with nothing to say. Uh, th-that…?
"I'm kidding."
Hyerim put the smile back on her face and gave my shoulder a couple of pats. Then she started walking, slowly, toward the bag she'd left by the wall.
"I'd hit a bit of a slump lately. More bluntly, I was bored. Even though it's team play."
"Aha…?"
"So, umm. How do I put this."
She stopped mid-ramble, scratched her cheek while looking at me, then flung the words out all at once.
"Simply put—it was a good stimulus!"
"Eek."
Hyerim whipped a towel from her bag and looped it around my neck. Soft fabric, and a faint floral scent that bloomed with it.
"Phil, you too!"
"I didn't even do anything—eek."
A towel went around Phil's neck next. After draping one around her own, Hyerim drew the two of us in close and spoke in a small voice.
"I'm glad I met good friends."
Friends.
I'd heard the word any number of times yesterday and today, and still it left a ticklish little resonance behind.
"Embarrassing."
Phil said it with a soft hehe of a laugh, too. When I snuck a look, Hyerim's cheeks were faintly pink as well. So I hadn't been the only one feeling ticklish.
"So—want anything?"
"Want something? All of a sudden?"
"You won the race. Gotta grant at least one wish."
And with that rather abrupt offer from Hyerim, I fell into a brief spiral of thought. A wish? What was I supposed to ask for?
"…Ah."
Then a scene flashed through my mind. A dark room. Gentle hands cradling my head. The warmth that came with them, the sound of breathing by my ear. And then—that.
…That……
"…"
"Oh?"
"Huh?"
My head went hot all at once, and the heat slowly spread through my whole body. My face burned; my heartbeat went thump, thump…
…Ugh.
"…You're bright red."
"Love troubles?"
"…?!"
At their next words I flinched hard. B-bright red…? Was it that obvious on me…?!
"No dating experience, but counseling's fine."
"I know the theory at least—"
"N-no! It's not—wait, it's not that it's not, it's just not that…"
I rushed to speak, but the words wouldn't come the way I wanted. My voice shook; my hands fluttered uselessly. My face kept getting hotter for reasons that had nothing to do with running.
"It's not like that…"
"Hmm~?"
Hot. My face, and my body. My whole self felt like it was catching fire. My heart wouldn't settle; everything felt restless and strange. What was this feeling?
…Something I was allowed to keep buried?
"L-let's talk just the three of us at lunch…"
In the end all I could do was duck my head and say that. The two of them nodded, and with the short ring of the bell that followed, our PE period came to an end.
I remember the voice that had whispered against my ear. I remember the warmth that had felt like my whole body was melting into something soft and wet. The floating lightness in my head, the pounding of my heart. I remember a happiness that had needed nothing more.
"…Ah."
The rooftop—outdoors, where the wind could reach. Meeting the cool autumn air, I drifted into thought for a moment. That ringing in my head, that tight squeeze low in my belly. Stifling, and yet not unpleasant. There was no way I could have disliked it.
"…Ugh."
Something I'd been covering over. A feeling I'd avoided without even giving it a name. …Something sweet as sugar. And because of that, I couldn't help doubting it.
Had it been real? Or only a delusion my heart had spun up on its own? That one word Eunhyuk had spoken that day. …"I like you." Had that not been a dream?
I wanted to know. If I could know that, only then would I—
I—…
"We're here."
"Ugh, a little cold."
The door sounded then. The heavy iron door creaked open, and two familiar figures stepped outside. Hyerim and Phil.
"Welcome."
"Yeah."
"Yeah. Didn't expect you'd call us up to the rooftop, though. Is it that embarrassing to say out loud?"
Phil asked as he creaked the door shut. The autumn chill must have gotten to him; the tips of his ears were faintly red.
"Umm…. A little?"
"That face is not a 'little,' Cecilia."
I gave a tiny ahaha of a laugh. Then I cleared my throat.
"…I have a favor to ask you two!"
"Yeah."
"What is it?"
At my words the two of them stood straight and looked steadily into my face. I had thought about it as hard as I could. How was I supposed to tell whether that had been a dream or not? How could I bring that hazy memory back into sharp focus?
And the method I'd come up with was this!
I said it with all the spirit I could muster!
"Tell me you like me!"
"…Huh?"
"Wait, um?"
…Wait.
Had that come out a little strange?