Each Person's Worries in the Erotic Game
Should I call it my share of the embarrassment? After finally spitting out all the worries I'd been bottling up inside, I actually felt a lot better. But seeing Ayoung gently patting my back beside me… it made me feel a little ashamed.
“…Ayoung.”
So I rubbed my flushed neck and cautiously began to speak.
“About what I said earlier…”
To be honest, I doubted Ayoung would believe any excuses I made now. Still, if I didn't say something, there was no way I'd be able to move past the mortification from a moment ago.
I was about to open my mouth first, but Ayoung beat me to it by a split second.
“…Yeah, that story about the person who can see the future you heard?”
Even though she already knew the protagonist of that story was me, the way she pretended not to notice was incredibly thoughtful. I nodded with some effort and continued.
“…Yeah, it was something I read in a book.”
Ayoung smiled brightly and accepted my words.
“…I see.”
Once again, a wave of embarrassment made me lower my head, but Ayoung simply watched me for a moment before reaching out to brush my hair aside.
“…Hajun.”
Was it because spring was ending and summer was approaching? From far off in the grass, I could hear the chirping of insects.
“I actually liked that part about you.”
In the park that carried the first hints of summer, Ayoung's soft voice spread through the air.
“I've always been the one pouring out my worries like this and receiving help, haven't I?”
When I heard that, I quickly tried to say it wasn't true, but Ayoung stopped me, asking me to listen just a little longer.
“From the first time we met until recently… I've received so much help from you.”
Recalling the past, Ayoung gently rested her head on my shoulder. I felt the warmth against my shoulder and slowly sank into her story.
“So I thought that maybe, just once, I wanted to be the one to help you too.”
“…Yeah.”
This time, it was Ayoung's turn to share her worries with me.
“But no matter how much I thought about it, nothing really came to mind, you know?”
“Hmm…”
“I don't know what you're afraid of or what makes things hard for you, so it's awkward to try helping with anything…”
Just as much as I observed Ayoung, had she been observing me too?
“So sometimes I had this thought inside… Oh, not in a bad way.”
“I know.”
“Yeah. Just that it would be nice if you leaned on me once when things got tough.”
Then Ayoung looked up at my face and said,
“That's why I was glad… I heard somewhere that if one person in a relationship is too outstanding and stands out too much, it doesn't last long.”
As I quietly listened to her, I couldn't help thinking that from the outside, Ayoung seemed to be the one who stood out more. But knowing her self-esteem was still low because of what happened in the past, I didn't add anything.
“From now on, if something difficult happens, I hope you'll come to me first and tell me…”
Faced with those sincere words, I thought for a moment before nodding.
“…Of course.”
When it came to sharing worries like this, there wasn't really anyone besides Ayoung. For a second, Lee Harin's face flashed through my mind… but somehow, I got the feeling that if I told Harin something like this, she'd just panic and act all flustered with me. She didn't seem like the type who'd comfort me this way.
So I rose from my seat, savoring my gratitude toward Ayoung.
“Then shall we head home now?”
“Yeah.”
Ayoung smiled brightly and took my hand. In the distance, the insects were still chirping in the grass, and the night air carried the scent of early summer. Before I knew it, summer was slowly drawing near.
“Thank you so much for today, Ayoung.”
Ayoung gave a small nod in response.
“…Yeah. I'm glad it helped.”
Hajun smiled softly at her words and wished her a good night. Ayoung replied in kind, hoping he'd have sweet dreams too.
After parting ways with Hajun, Ayoung rode the elevator up to her home. Her expression, unlike the bright smile from moments ago, had turned into a blank, emotionless face. She couldn't show any weakness in front of Hajun when he was struggling, so she'd forced herself to act cheerful. But beneath the surface, something inside her was slowly rotting away.
…In the end, the one who wants to help him is probably Harin, right?
From Hajun's perspective, he might have phrased it indirectly, but Ayoung had noticed every single person mentioned in that story. The one who knew the future and wanted to help someone seemed to refer to Hajun himself, while the one who might face misfortune and whom he wanted to protect was Harin.
That's why the consultation Hajun described felt like a worry about wanting to help Harin, who might be in danger in the future. But throughout the entire conversation, Ayoung's heart had been quietly shaken.
Of course, on the inside she knew helping others was a good thing, and helping her own friend Harin was even better. Yet when she imagined the person doing the helping was Hajun, and the one receiving that help was Harin… somehow the story felt strangely different.
Not to mention, during last gym class when the two of them had come back together, Harin's reaction had been odd. Just thinking about the two of them talking made some inexplicable unease prick at Ayoung's chest.
Logically, she trusted her boyfriend Hajun and believed nothing like that would happen. But was it because Harin was too charming? That bright, cheerful personality any guy would like, combined with her cat-like beauty. What man wouldn't be drawn to someone like Harin?
As those suspicions piled up, unlike Harin—who had been prickly from the very first meeting—Hajun had seemed to feel some level of fondness for Harin right from the start.
…I shouldn't be thinking like this.
Maybe because she'd started thinking negatively, her thoughts kept flowing only in that direction. So even after arriving at her front door with the elevator's ding and shaking her head to push those thoughts away, Ayoung couldn't shake the lingering discomfort.
It can't be, right?
With that thought, Ayoung pressed the passcode on her door.
At the same time, Harin—who had left the Training Center early to meet her friend Sara—had finished her errands and was now chatting with Sara in her own studio apartment.
“…You don't think the seniors were just messing with you on purpose?”
At that, Harin jumped up and shouted.
“No way! Those seniors are seriously weird!”
Sara tilted her head, biting into a piece of grilled chicken.
“Really? Well, just in case, maybe go back once more… or if it's really that bad like you said, just go back to the student council you were originally planning to join.”
Watching Sara speak so casually since it wasn't her problem made Harin feel like she was going to explode. She took a refreshing swig of cola from the small table and muttered.
“Ah… I really don't know anymore.”
Finding the sight adorable, Sara laughed and poked Harin's slightly bloated belly.
“Anyway, enough about that. Tell me more about that guy who keeps walking you home every time.”
Harin swatted away the finger poking her like a cat and shot up again, yelling at Sara.
“Hey! How many times do I have to say it? He's Ayoung's boyfriend!”
“Ah… that scared me.”
Sara, who thought her ears might go deaf for a second, lightly rubbed them and spoke to Harin.
“So what if he's her boyfriend… you can always steal him later when the chance comes.”
“…W-what?”
“What, you think they'll last forever?”
Sara spoke indifferently.
“Everyone says they'll get married at first, but breaking up is totally normal. Why are you so surprised?”
Harin felt her head go blank at words that completely ignored any boundaries.
“Anyway, what are we going to do about our Harin's first love being her friend's boyfriend~.”
“…It's not.”
“What do you mean it's not, you idiot. Have I only known you for a day or two? Every time you talk about him, honey drips from your eyes.”
Startled by those words, Harin quickly checked the mirror. Nothing was dripping. There was only her own cute face reflected in it.
“See? You get startled and overreact whenever his name comes up… and you immediately deny everything the moment anyone says something.”
It was the classic reaction of a girl who'd never dated anyone. Sara, who knew more about this stuff than anyone, let out a small laugh.
“You need to be careful about that.”
She said it casually while eating her grilled chicken, but the words struck Harin deeply.
“If you really don't want to fight with your friend, you should draw a clear line…”
Harin's heart was complicated as she took those words in. On the surface, she was filled with the thought that she absolutely shouldn't do anything with her friend's boyfriend. But when she tried to draw a complete line, it didn't feel right either…
Unable to hold back her frustration any longer, Harin grabbed the cola bottle from the table and started chugging it straight.
“Hey, hey! Stop drinking that.”
Sara panicked and tried to stop her, but Harin's stomach had already been bloated for a while.