Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Stay With Me Tonight
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#138
"Junu-ya, can you come over to my house today?"
Seo-ah had been wearing a slightly gloomy expression ever since we met that morning on the way to school.
She was trying to act like everything was normal, as if she didn't want to show it, putting on her usual facade.
Unfortunately, I could spot those subtle changes.
The words 'What's wrong?' rose to the tip of my tongue, but since Seo-ah had been sharing even the most trivial details with me ever since we started dating, I figured there must be a reason she wasn't saying anything yet. So I decided to wait.
Still, I stuck right by her side, just in case she wanted to lean on me whenever she felt ready to talk.
Even after classes ended and we were heading home, her expression hadn't brightened.
If anything, it was growing darker as time passed, and just as worry started to creep in, Seo-ah asked if I could come to her house today.
'Can you come?'...
Her tone carried a hint of desperation, unlike her usual self, which puzzled me. I was about to say sure—after all, she always came over to my room anyway—when
"Yeah... no, stay over at my house tonight. In my room, Junu-ya."
WHAT?
"......In your room?"
"Yeah, in my bed. With me."
Not just come over, but stay the night?
And share the same bed?
Our first night together again?
Was that why she'd looked so down?
The items sealed away in my wallet seemed to cry out 'Kyaaah—!' from my pocket.
But tomorrow wasn't the weekend, and today was Wednesday?
"Today, Aun... ow, got it. Are your mom and dad not home?"
The moment I slipped back into calling her "Auntie," she noticed like a ghost and pinched my side hard, so I gave up and switched back.
"Yeah... no, both of them are home."
Guess it wasn't for that kind of thing I'd been imagining.
The stuff in my wallet seemed to deflate again.
It would've been nice if it was something that lighthearted.
Then why?
Did it have to do with why your face has been dark since morning?
Why suddenly ask me to come over and sleep together when tomorrow's not even the weekend?
Sentences starting with worry about you and ending in question marks chained together endlessly in my mind, but saying them all out loud would just drag on forever.
So I summed up my feelings and told Seo-ah.
"...Is something wrong?"
I held her hand and had her sit for a moment.
Then I crouched down in front of her to meet her eyes.
"Eek..."
I could see raw fear swirling in her eyes as she pinched my side playfully.
I felt the desperation for me in the way she spoke to me.
The small hand I held trembled faintly.
There was no way I wouldn't notice the tiny dark cloud over your face, always shining like sunlight.
What the hell is it?
What could be making you this anxious?
Your words seemed to climb up your slender neck only to catch in your throat.
Your trembling lips parted and closed repeatedly, as if you wanted to say something but couldn't.
For a moment, I wondered if I wasn't enough to reassure you.
But if that were true, you wouldn't be clinging to me like this.
It felt like you weren't just uneasy without me—you were scared of something even with me here.
"Seo-ah-ya."
"Yeah..."
Do you know?
That this guy named Lee Jun-woo is a real selfish bastard.
"Come here."
You're not a doll or anything.
I only want to see that dazzling, always-bright smile of yours.
Seeing you look at me with eyes full of anxiety, your small shoulders hunched up—it hurts so much that I just want to hide you in my arms.
I don't know what made you this scared.
Even without knowing why.
If you need me.
"Let's sleep together tonight."
I'll just stay by your side.
That's all it was.
#139
Sitting on the bed, I stared at the date marked as important on my phone calendar and let out a deep sigh.
May 8th.
A day so unforgettable it still haunted my dreams sometimes.
The day before I regressed that turned my life upside down...
Thanks to it, I realized my feelings for Junu, but... well.
Even without that, would I have never figured out my feelings for him?
I thought it was just a matter of time.
The fire just sped it up.
Pointless speculation now, but I was sure I'd have fallen for him eventually.
I was already there; I just hadn't noticed out of fear our relationship would fall apart.
Fortunately, I remembered exactly why the fire started that day.
Even a month after regressing, it was etched in my mind like someone carved it there—crystal clear.
It was an electrical short in the fridge, so the first thing I did after coming back was prevent it.
I even called experts for a full safety check, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about now.
But my body didn't agree.
As the day approached, closing my eyes brought back those memories relentlessly.
The inferno that turned the whole house into hell, blazing red—I couldn't forget it if I tried.
As the calendar ticked 5, 6, 7 toward 8, waves of anxiety crashed over me.
Like the smoke that blinded me that day, it filled my head, tormenting me endlessly.
—I can't breathe.
May 8th.
The feeling the moment I opened my eyes that morning.
"Hah...!"
The room was bathed in perfect morning sunlight pouring through the window, clear as could be.
Yet I struggled to breathe, like I was right back there.
—Junu-ya.
I'm scared.
I wanted Junu.
I wanted him to wrap me in those sturdy arms that could protect me from anything.
I forced myself up, staggering to the door,
Whoosh—
The image of flames engulfing everything when I opened the door to escape flashed before me again, and my legs buckled.
I'm still
not fully out of that hell.
#140
Finally ready, I stepped out for school and saw Junu waiting for me like always.
Maybe because of the scene that just flashed in my mind.
The relief hit me so hard tears nearly welled up the second I saw him.
But that would just freak him out.
—I'm such a mess, Junu-ya.
I wished he never saw me like this.
I wanted him to always look at me with those loving eyes, protecting me.
But could I hide it?
Am I that bad at masking emotions?
Or do you just know me too well?
Maybe both?
It didn't take long for your welcoming face to shift to worry for me.
You looked like you wanted to ask what was wrong right then, but since I wasn't saying, you were waiting.
Seeing your steady self felt like the first ray of sun breaking through a cloudy, rainy day in my heart.
If I asked for help, you'd open your arms anytime, but saying it out loud...
Felt like it would make that nightmare real again.
Like it would drag me back into reality once more. I was terrified.
Still,
"Junu-ya, can you come over to my house today?"
With Junu by my side, I felt like I could overcome this nightmare.
Hypnotized by those earnest eyes urging me to rely on you, I pushed down the fear surging from deep inside and reached for your hand again.
You must be frustrated that I couldn't voice it or explain why.
But you acted like it was fine.
Like you'd been waiting for me to ask for help, creating a sanctuary just for me.
In the end,
right there, I buried my face in your chest and sobbed, shoulders shaking for a long time.
#141
"Hello~"
As I greeted and entered the house, the warm, fragrant aroma and delicious smells hit me like always.
"Oh, Junu, you're here?"
Seo-ah's mom came out from the kitchen where she'd been cooking, responding to my voice.
"Yes... I'm staying over tonight."
Quick and decisive. Strike first.
Might as well get it out before Dad got home...
"What?"
Oh.
Dad was in the living room...
"Junu-ya, I must be hearing things with age. What did you just say?"
—Seo-ah-ya, can I go home now?
As if reading my mind, Seo-ah moved my arm from her linked arm and hugged it, burying it between her soft parts.
—Hmm, looks like I don't need to go home.
Courage 100% charged. Reliable as ever.
".........Seo-ah-ya, Junu's arm looks uncomfortable. Why don't you let go?"
Whoops.
Lost in the soft squeeze from my right arm, I forgot Dad was watching.
As I opened my mouth, I saw Dad's eyes bloodshot, trembling as he held back the urge to kill me.
I shut my mouth quietly.
Side is chest—no, Seo-ah.
Front is oni.
As I pondered how to handle this,
"Dad, Junu's sleeping in my room tonight."
".........What?"
To Dad, who asked again in disbelief,
"Junu's sleeping in my bed."
Seo-ah, the fire-attribute dutiful daughter, dug even deeper.
And in the end,
Thud—
I saw Dad collapse again, just like that one time before.