Chapter 81: Even Ha-chan Can Take a Hint
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: Even Ha-chan Can Take a Hint
“...So, what were you two doing in here?”
At that moment, the corners of Ahyu’s lips curled into a slight smile.
Her expression was like that of a demon straight out of hell, and for a second, I felt every hair on my body stand on end.
My life is in danger.
That was the only thought that crossed my mind.
“Ahyu, it’s just—!”
“I know. That piece of trash, Park Tae-yeon, showed up unexpectedly, so you had to hide. I get it, but.”
Thankfully, Ahyu seemed to have grasped the situation.
She must have acted that way toward the reporter in the first place because she’d noticed we were hiding.
“How long are you going to hold her? Planning on holding her for the rest of your life?”
“Ah.”
I quickly stepped out of the closet with Kkotbi.
As I released her from my arms, my eyes met her dazed, unfocused ones.
She was just staring at me, and I had no idea what she was thinking.
“Kkotbi?”
“Ah, oh, um, well, the situation right now is…”
When I asked with concern, Kkotbi finally snapped back to reality and looked around.
Her gaze met Ahyu’s, and she flinched, lowering her head.
“Ah, Ahyu, I… it’s not like that. I didn’t mean for it to happen. Really.”
What was this conversation suddenly about?
As I stood there with a clueless expression, Ahyu glanced back and forth between me and Kkotbi before letting out a deep sigh.
“Yeah, I know. It was an accident.”
With that, Ahyu slowly started walking toward me.
Then, without warning, she rammed her head into my chest like a human cannonball.
“Ack! Hey, what do you think you’re—?”
“I don’t know. Seriously. Anyway, this is all Domi-oppa’s fault.”
After saying that, Ahyu rubbed her head against me for a moment before looking up, her face full of dissatisfaction.
“...Yua is off-limits.”
Just as I was about to open my mouth, we heard a commotion from outside.
“Yua~ We’re back! Oh, huh?”
It was the other members of Blackstar.
They seemed to have returned after grabbing a meal, and they wore strange expressions as they took in the scene.
“Is this… a lovers’ quarrel?” one of the members, Chae-eun, asked cautiously. Kkotbi’s head shot up.
“No, it’s not!”
I think that was the loudest I’d heard Kkotbi’s voice all day.
*
4
After Ha-chan and Ahyu left, Yua sat in her manager’s car, staring blankly out the window.
One particular memory kept replaying in her mind.
It was the moment she was in Ha-chan’s arms, looking up at his face.
The way he smiled as if to say it was okay, even though he’d gotten dragged into her mess.
The heat she felt in the enclosed space of the closet.
And his breath, so close, and the embrace of a man so much larger than her.
Every time she recalled it, Yua’s mind descended into chaos.
Me…
Her face began to flush again, and Yua covered her cheeks with her hands.
Was it because the emotions that had been dulled by her self-hypnosis were slowly starting to return?
Am I that easy?
Ha-chan had always been a good person.
He was always a kind older brother in the game, always gentle.
And the person she met in real life was even warmer.
Even considering they’d known each other for a long time in the game and that he’d recently helped her in reality…
How many people would listen to her calls every day and talk with her, knowing she was dealing with mental anguish from the effects of self-hypnosis?
Most people would get tired of it after two or three times.
But if she didn’t call, Ha-chan would send a text asking, “How was your day!”
The warmth that filled her chest whenever she saw that text was no illusion.
It was a completely different feeling from when she’d pretended to like Ahyu under self-hypnosis in the past.
As such feelings kept surfacing, Yua bit her lip.
No matter how much she tried to ignore her emotions, the events of the day kept coming back to her.
His embrace had been warm, and she had been so greedy for it, wishing she could stay in his arms just a little longer.
“Ughhh.”
Yua leaned her head against the window and let out a pained groan.
This was definitely a form of dependence.
Instead of using self-hypnosis, she was subconsciously leaning on Ha-chan for emotional support.
The problem was, she had never met anyone as easy to lean on as him.
Yua let out a frustrated sigh as her feelings continued to drift.
At some point, she found herself clutching her phone, wanting to call him again just to hear his voice.
I’m so easy. Way too easy.
She was embarrassed.
And she felt sorry.
Because Yua had noticed Ahyu’s feelings.
Ahyu liked Ha-chan.
And she probably had for a very long time.
To a returnee, a person like Ha-chan was incredibly easy to lean on.
All returnees were starved for human affection.
And Ha-chan filled that void as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He did it with no ulterior motives, no malice, only pure goodwill.
Once a returnee realized that, they couldn’t help but fall for him.
What should I do?
The next time she met Ha-chan in person, would she be able to control these feelings?
She thought she had overcome her self-hypnosis, but now it seemed she had just shifted her dependency onto Ha-chan. Yua sighed once more.
How pathetic of me.
To fall for the person my friend likes.
Just then, her phone chimed with a text message.
Yua turned on her phone and saw a single message.
[ You went through a lot today. I’ll come see you again sometime. ]
It was from none other than Ha-chan.
Covering her mouth to hide the smile that was spreading across her face against her will, Yua hugged her phone tightly.
For now, this is enough.
I’ll be satisfied with this.
But if these feelings ever grow so large that I can’t control them…
I don’t know what will happen to me then.
But at the very least, Yua thought quietly, she didn’t want to cause Ha-chan any trouble.
*
5
After answering a barrage of questions from the Blackstar members, Ahyu and I left the concert hall, seeing that Kkotbi couldn’t take any more of the interrogation.
Kkotbi wanted to see us off, but with so many fans still lingering around the venue, it was impossible.
Many were waiting just to catch another glimpse of the idols as they left after the concert.
In fact, as we walked out, quite a few people turned their heads sharply toward us, only to look away in disappointment.
Of course, some of them recognized Ahyu and their eyes widened, but their attention soon scattered, their priority being Blackstar.
“You that happy?”
“Of course! How could I not be?”
Ahyu was clutching autographs from all the Blackstar members as if they were a precious treasure.
She looked so bright and happy as she smiled, saying she was going to frame them as soon as she got home.
I quite like Ahyu’s smile.
It’s the kind of smile that makes others feel good.
“And more than anything…”
Ahyu gave me a slight eye-smile.
“It’s because I came with you, oppa.”
“With me?”
I tilted my head.
“I came to do my favorite thing with my favor…ite person. How could I not be happy?”
Ahyu smiled shyly.
As she started to get embarrassed by her own words, she fidgeted for a moment before exclaiming.
“Ugh, hey, hey! I’m gonna go play the game when I get home, so you have to play ranked with me, Domi-oppa. I need to defend my rank before I get demoted!”
“Looks like you’ll be Platinum Ahyu by the end of the day.”
“No, I won’t!”
Watching her, now at peak excitement, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Lately, I’d been worrying about all sorts of things because of Ji-eun, Si-ho, and Seol-hyang.
If I asked Ahyu, who was also a girl, for advice, maybe she’d have a good solution.
“Ahyu.”
“Yeah!”
When I called her name, she turned around with an excited expression, her black hair fluttering.
Bathed in the neon lights of the night street, Ahyu’s face was incredibly lovely.
But as our eyes met, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
It felt as if I absolutely should not say those words to Ahyu.
It was pure instinct.
A gut feeling born from the slow awakening of my awareness, built upon all my accumulated experiences.
“Even someone as hopelessly dense as you is starting to catch on, huh.”
I heard Baeksan’s voice from behind me.
Hearing him, I closed the mouth I had been about to open and said to a puzzled Ahyu:
“No, it’s nothing.”
“What? That’s all?”
After saying that, Ahyu started walking again, and I quietly ran a hand over my forehead.
“...Baeksan, about what you said before.”
Back then, Baeksan had spoken as if Ahyu liked me.
With Ji-eun, Si-ho, and even Seol-hyang in the picture, the trauma from my past with Kwak Sa-yeon was slowly beginning to heal.
They say that being loved raises your self-esteem.
Perhaps because of that, my rising self-esteem was gradually helping me understand my surroundings.
Only now were things starting to come into focus.
The way Ahyu always smiled and got excited when she saw me, yet acted hostile toward Seol-hyang or Si-ho.
The way she always joked around but would end up getting shy and flustered, unable to hide her embarrassment. The meaning behind all the kindness she’d shown me.
“Figure it out yourself.”
As Baeksan tossed out the words, I stared quietly at Ahyu’s back.
I think Ahyu likes me.
Romantically.
The moment I realized it, Ahyu turned back to look at me.
“Domi-oppa, what are you doing back there? Aren’t you coming?”
Seeing her smiling face, I found it hard to meet her eyes and looked away, starting to walk again.
Damn it, how am I supposed to face her now?
Ahyu was the friend I was closest to, like a younger sister.
The one I contacted the most, the one I could comfortably call whenever I wanted.
In a way, she was the one person for whom I didn’t need to question the reason she might like me.
We’ve always played together, and we get along the best.
Anyone would develop feelings for a friend of the opposite sex like that.
Even me.
“Domi-oppa, you’re acting weird today. Ah, is it because I was too cute today?”
“Yeah, you are pretty cute.”
“I know!”
What do you mean, you know?
I raised my hand to give her a flick on the forehead but stopped myself, ruffling her hair instead.
Ahyu, who had squeezed her eyes shut expecting the flick, opened them wide at the gentle touch, then giggled.
“...Just give me a little more time to think.”
“Huh? About what?”
“Nothing, just talking to myself.”
With that, I took my hand off Ahyu’s head.
It seemed today would be another day filled with too many things to think about.