To the Seonyudo Settlement (3)
While Hyeonseok prepared dinner, I decided to wash up first. I had been walking all day and worked up quite a sweat.
I peeled off my clothes one by one. When I reached my underwear, I shot Yeonseo a sidelong glance.
It was not that I felt particularly shy about being naked in front of someone. Over the past week Ara and Yeonseo had bathed with me every day, and the memory of those times simply rose unbidden.
Ever since she had noticed how my body had grown, I sometimes caught her eyes flicking up and down over me. When I was still a man I never registered that kind of look; once I became a woman, it became impossible to miss.
Wondering if she was doing it again today, I glanced over—only to find Yeonseo already stripping with brisk efficiency and heading into the bathroom ahead of me.
I finished undressing just as quickly and followed. Inside, Yeonseo was filling the tub.
"Is the water ready yet?"
"Hardly. I only just started filling it."
While we waited, I eyed the shampoo and body wash sitting on the shelf and wondered whether we were even supposed to use them.
In a world like this, everyday toiletries were anything but easy to come by; if someone offered them, you bowed in gratitude and accepted. Still, this entire tent had been a Tower reward, so I could not help doubting whether these bottles were the ordinary products we knew.
"Think it's okay to use these…?"
"Why? Something wrong?"
"Well, they came from the Tower, right? Makes me wonder if they're really the same stuff we used to buy."
Yeonseo swirled the bathwater with one hand and only turned her head to look at me.
"Why overthink something like that? Things this hard to find these days—you should just be thankful and use them, don't you think?"
She had a point. Even after returning to Earth I had used everything Partruna prepared without a second thought. Fretting over it now was pointless.
"Yeah, you're right. Mind if I go first, then?"
"Be my guest."
Leaving Yeonseo still trailing her fingers through the water, I squeezed out shampoo, worked it into my hair, and began building a lather.
When I was a man my hair had always stuck up no matter what I did, so I kept it short and washing it never took long. Now that I was a woman it took twice as much time—longer still compared to right after I first returned to Earth, thanks to the growth.
I was midway through rinsing when the sound of water being stirred stopped and I felt a presence behind me.
"What are you doing back there…?"
"No matter how many times I see it, that hair of yours is gorgeous. Shame the mood's already gone."
She whispered the words right against my ear. Then came a loud scooping splash, and a cascade of water crashed down over my head.
"Gah—pffah! What the hell was that for…!"
"Sorry, my hand slipped~ Since I feel bad, I'll wash your back for you~"
"What?! W-wait a second! Hey!"
The sudden deluge had driven soap into my eyes; while I was still rubbing at the sting, Yeonseo's hands settled on my back.
"Hiiik—I can do it myself…!"
"No need to refuse~ Your skin really is amazing every time I see it. And so sensitive on top of that—I'm a little jealous."
She said she was jealous, but from where I stood this hypersensitive body was more burden than blessing.
Even when I washed alone the slightest touch could send strange shivers through me; having someone else's hands on me made it far worse. I had learned that the first time the three of us—Ara, Yeonseo, and I—bathed together. Back then I had barely managed to hold on.
I forced my breathing steady, then snatched up the plastic washbasin beside me and brought it down on Yeonseo's head with a solid thwack.
"Hah… hnn… I already told you to stop before…!"
"Ow, that hurts~ What if you give me a lump?"
"Hmph!"
I hugged my knees, whipped my head sharply to the left, and dunked my face in the bathwater right up to my mouth.
"I said I was sorry~ Don't pout~"
Water sloshed over the rim as Yeonseo crawled toward me through the tub. She started pinching and kneading my cheeks while she kept apologizing.
"Don't puff them up like that—you'll ruin those pretty cheeks. Hmm? I'm really sorry."
"Tha'… tickles… stop… it… a bit…"
Only then did she let go of my face and settle back on the opposite side, sinking into the water with a contented sigh.
"By the way, why the sudden idea to head for the Seonyudo Settlement? Running low on clothes and underwear?"
"Hmm? Well, that too. I've only heard secondhand, but apparently they're selling newly made clothes and underwear there."
"Really? But if that's all, do we actually need to go? We could just wait and trade with other settlements later."
At that, Yeonseo buried her face in the water the same way I had a moment ago and mumbled something.
"…need… special… under…"
Bubbles rose around her as she muttered. Looking closer, I saw her face had gone pink from the heat of the bath.
"What was that? Speak properly."
I kept pressing. Yeonseo avoided my eyes, then finally turned her head away.
"I… needed… sexy underwear…"
"Wh-what…?!"
The unexpected answer hit me like a solid blow to the skull; the world spun for a second.
Why on earth would she bring up that kind of underwear here? And more importantly—who was she planning to show it to once she got it? Don't tell me…
"You…! You said you weren't interested in Hyeonseok…!"
"Hmm? Why is Hyeonseok suddenly in this? Heh~ Did you think I'd buy it just to show him?"
"Th-that's…"
"Getting all jealous like this and still refusing to admit it? Hmm?"
"F-fine, whatever…! So why do you need it, then?"
Yeonseo lowered her head again and spoke in a tiny voice.
"Why…? Because… when I meet my boyfriend later… th-that sort of thing…!"
"Is that so?"
We both sat there with flushed faces, lazily trailing our hands through the water and making little ripples. Then a certain word finally registered.
"Wait—what did you just say?! Boyfriend?!"
I shot upright so fast that bathwater sloshed over the sides again in a noisy wave.
"Wh-what! I can have a boyfriend too, you know! That's why I said I wasn't interested in Hyeonseok!"
"How was I supposed to know if you never told me? Still… heh~ So you do have one. I see~"
"Ugh, I never should have said anything."
And so, right there in the tub, I got to hear a little about Yeonseo's boyfriend.
I had never imagined she even had one, so the news surprised me—but the way her face lit up while she talked about her lover showed me exactly what a girl in love looked like.
She seemed thoroughly delighted; every word carried a chocolate-sweet fondness, and I could almost feel her heart racing through the praise she heaped on him.
"Since I told you all this… you have to tell me too if you ever confess to someone, okay…? Promise…!"
"Huh? Uh, yeah. Sure, let's do that."
"Ha! Fine, play it that way. Just wait till then…!"
Sorry, Yeonseo, but that day will never come.
Me, falling for a guy? Even if the sky splits in two it will never happen.
Yeah. Definitely not.
After the bath I stepped out into the living area and a rich, sweet aroma immediately teased my nose. My stomach started clamoring for the source of that smell before I even sat down.
"Oh! What are we having tonight?"
I dragged out a chair with a scrape and sat. The dishes Hyeonseok was setting on the table were ones I had not seen in a long while.
"Wow—is that sweet-and-spicy fried chicken? The real thing?"
"Yep. Uncle Hancheol and the aunties gave me a bunch of ingredients this time, and since it's our first real meal in this tent I put in a little extra effort."
"That's great, but are you sure? Aren't ingredients like these hard to come by these days?"
"Ah—Charlotte, you've only been back a little over a month, right? The Towers make gathering materials tough, but not impossible. Once you clear a Tower the wasteland around it recovers, and somehow the animals that vanished start showing up again. After that you can even farm."
"Really? Hmm, so that's how it works."
One more reason to keep clearing Towers just got added to the list.
Right—how is anyone supposed to live on preserved food alone? You need proper home cooking!
True to his claim of putting in effort, Hyeonseok had laid out not only the fried chicken but steamed egg, seaweed soup, and a whole spread of side dishes. My mouth watered instantly. Beside me Yeonseo's eyes sparkled as she stared at the food.
We started picking up dishes one after another and ate in near silence. Only when the meal was nearly finished did a thought slip out of me.
"Hyeonseok, you're really good at cooking. Did you live alone for a while or something? Ah…!"
I had meant to keep it to myself, but the words tumbled out before I could stop them.
"Curious?"
"Huh? Ah… no, well… yeah."
"Haha, it's nothing special. My little sister would stay up all night playing and forget to eat properly if I didn't cook for her. So I put in a little effort to feed her something tasty. All good memories."
"Ah… s-sorry…"
The story he had told me during our earlier argument came rushing back. Realizing I had dragged up a painful memory made guilt stab through my chest like a thorn.
"Don't be. No need to apologize. If anything, I should thank you. After I returned to Earth, every time I thought of my family only sad things came to mind. Thanks to you I remembered the happy ones I'd forgotten.
Thank you, Charlotte. Ever since I met you, the joyful and happy memories have started outweighing the sad ones."
"Uh… r-really…? I'll… take the thanks, then."
"Honestly, you look so much like my little sister that every time I see you it feels like I have another one. That might be part of it."
"Ah. Right. Hmm, I see."
The moment he thanked me, the rapid rhythm of my heart suddenly turned cold.
I did not know why, but I decided it must be because being treated like a little sister annoyed me, so I glared at him.
"Uh… Charlotte? Your eyes are scary—did I do something wrong?"
"No. I'm full, so I'm going to bed first."
I set my dishes in the sink, spread out the bedding in the living area, and lay down at once.
Hmph! Only one year older and he still treats me like a kid. Today I finally understood how that felt.
"Yeonseo, did I do something wrong?"
"Beats me. Not really? They say a woman's heart is like a reed—just let it go. I ate well too."
"Oh? Okay. I'll handle the dishes, so just leave them."
"Sure~"
"Honestly… getting that jealous and still pretending it's nothing?
Sigh. Stuck between two people who don't even understand their own feelings… what a life.
Ah~ I miss Oppa Seojin…!"