Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Outsider Giving a Massage to His Best Friend
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Massaging Han Si-a's feet was pure torture.
At first, I thought it would just be kneading her feet, but with her position and outfit...
My eyes kept getting drawn to forbidden places, forcing me to play it cool while breaking out in a cold sweat.
And yet, just two hours ago, I'd been caught staring at her during dance practice in an inappropriate spot and apologized. Here I was, repeating the same mistake. I had no face left to show.
Of course, when I apologized two hours ago, Han Si-a had said something like, "It doesn't bother me if you look, so it's fine,"
but logically speaking, that was just politeness. No one should take it at face value...
With Han Si-a and Yoo So-ha stepping away to wipe off their sweat, Yoo So-mi approached me. She'd just been massaging her little sister.
The other two looked utterly exhausted from dancing, but she didn't seem that tired at all.
Did she have better stamina than I thought?
Yoo So-mi sidled up next to me and sat down naturally.
"Yi-an. Give me a massage too."
"You must be worn out from practice. You look better off than the others, so I didn't notice. Where do you want it?"
"Hmm..."
At my question about where she needed it, she pondered for a moment, then smiled.
"Calves and thighs first? What's your preferred position? Sitting on a chair? Or lying face-down on the floor?"
"From my side, it'd be easier if you lay face-down on the floor."
A chair was out. I'd just learned from Han Si-a's foot massage how tricky it was to manage my gaze.
Yoo So-mi laughed, said okay, and lay face-down on the gym floor.
It would've been nice if there were cushions or a yoga mat, but the bare wooden floor made me worry her stomach might get cold.
Anyway, I started kneading her calves with my hands...
"Yi-an. Could you maybe press a little harder?"
"Got it. Like this?"
"No, a bit harder."
I'd started the same way as with Yoo So-ha and Han Si-a today, but it felt too light for Yoo So-mi.
So I added some strength to my hands, kneading like I was working dough.
"Ngh... Yeah. That's perfect. Keep it like that for my thighs too."
I continued from calves to thighs, and at her request, moved on to her shoulders.
.
.
.
"Ngh, ngh, ugh... Hoo..."
Her occasional grunts made me flinch inwardly,
but overreacting might just make her uncomfortable.
So I tried to keep my mind calm and kept my hands moving.
"Yi-an, now from my shoulders, press down along my spine."
Right... down along the spine...
I leaned in a bit with my fingers, pressing down her back.
I ignored the faint feel of her bra strap and the glimpse of her rounded chest from the side...
My fingers slid past her waist to just above her hips.
"A bit... a bit lower, up to the tailbone."
But Yoo So-mi asked for even lower.
...
Is this really okay?
For reference, the tailbone is definitely part of the butt by my standards.
Anxious, I asked if it was fine to continue,
but she replied in a bored tone.
"Come on, between best friends, don't sweat something like that, Yi-an. It's just a massage. So-ha does this for me sometimes. Besides, you don't need to feel guilty for touching my body a little."
No, "touching" sounds weird...
Her word choice threw me off, and I paused my hands midway through the back rub.
But she sounded a bit sulky, like she didn't like my hesitation.
"You gave Si-a and So-ha massages no problem, so why keep your distance with me? Come to think of it, you deliberately avoided looking at me during dance practice earlier!"
...It was true I hadn't looked at Yoo So-mi on purpose during practice.
The way Yoo So-ha corrected her sister's poses felt too risqué, so I'd turned away.
Though where I looked instead had Han Si-a in a similarly provocative pose, so in hindsight, it was pointless.
"W-Well, I know it sounds weird, but the way So-ha corrected your moves felt a bit different from how she did Si-a's? I got a little embarrassed and looked away."
"Hmmm... Really?"
"Yeah. I've never seen other sisters interact, so I wouldn't know, but is that normal for siblings?"
This touched on family matters, so I chose my words carefully.
Thankfully, Yoo So-mi seemed to understand and replied with a bright laugh.
"Pfft...! Oh, so that's why you avoided me? I thought you were pushing me away on purpose... I don't know much about other sisters either, but So-ha does have a bit of a siscon vibe. Still, I don't think it's that unusual."
Oh. She gets it?
"But I don't think you need to avert your eyes over something like that. It's natural for a guy to be interested in the opposite sex's body. I wouldn't mind if it was some other girl, but between best friends, I can totally understand..."
...I'm grateful for the understanding, but I think you should be more cautious with close friends.
I tried to share my thoughts,
but she pouted slightly and cut me off.
"Yi-an. I don't feel the slightest discomfort if you look at my body with a lecherous gaze. It hurts my feelings that you'd avoid looking for such a silly reason. There are tons of guys who leer at me every day just walking down the street! You think being best friends makes it different...?"
After hearing that, I was at a loss for words.
There's that saying: if you're handsome, it's temptation; if not, it's harassment.
Including my past life, I'd lived my whole time as the latter, so I never imagined a girl wouldn't mind my leering.
As I fell silent, Yoo So-mi grinned mischievously and spoke again.
"If anything you do ever bothers me, I'll say so. So relax and act like a man—go for it! It hurts more when you pull away out of worry~"
"So... you're saying anything goes until you tell me to stop?"
"No? That's not what I—"
Hmm. Yeah, no. Her wording is too easy to misinterpret; she should use softer terms.
"...Even if I say stop, you should force it if you want to."
"...?"
"W-Well... you're stronger than me, so it'd be easy to overpower me even if I refuse..."
"No no no no!!! That's not right, is it???"
Her words made my head spin.
Doing something like that would land me straight in prison, no mercy.
No matter how I looked at it, her idea of "best friends" was seriously warped.
But she pouted like my reaction was weird.
"Hmph. Best friends forgive a little unreasonable request. Even if you inconvenience me a bit, apologize later and I'll forgive you. You're not the type to cut ties over something minor, right?"
"Huh? No, that's not it... Isn't that different?"
"It's exactly that. No more grumbling!"
.
.
.
After that exchange, I ultimately refused the "up to the tailbone" massage she'd requested.
She puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction and asked for something else instead,
so now I was gently tapping the upper thigh area of Yoo So-mi, who was lying on her side with her back to me, using my fisted hand.
This muscle isn't used much normally, so the dance practice must have overworked it. I work out steadily, so I know the feeling when it knots up.
It hurts to walk, so your stride gets weird...
I massaged her sincerely, and she seemed satisfied, relaxing with a languid expression.
"Ah, Yi-an. Now that I think about it, I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
Her apologizing to me...
Did she sneak money from my wallet?
If so, best friend or not, I'd demand every last won back.
As I steeled myself, she hesitated, then spoke.
"Remember that day in Sinchon when you met me and So-ha? She asked for your number."
"Yeah. But she never contacted me after, so it must've been empty words."
"I promised to give it to her that day... but I haven't until today."
"...Did So-ha keep asking after that?"
"Yeah. I dodged every time."
"..."
So the reason Yoo So-ha never messaged me was because she never gave her my number???
Why? Because of that, I'd pegged her as "pretty, talented, kind to everyone, but cold to me..."
Shocked by the revelation, Yoo So-mi gave an awkward smile.
"Haha... Like I said earlier, best friends can inconvenience each other a little, apologize, and it's fine. Right? Hehe.."
"..."
This girl. Too cheeky to let slide.
Conveniently, I was massaging her while she lay on her side,
so I spread my right hand wide...
put a little power into my arm...
...
and swung toward one cheek of her butt.
-Smack!
"Kyaa-gh!? Ugh...! Ugh...!"
But... her thin shorts and the sweat from practice synergized, making my hand stick to her skin upon impact.
And from Yoo So-mi's mouth came a moan that could be easily misunderstood.
Obviously from pain, but with her waist trembling and sprawled on the floor, even I started imagining things.
I'd just swung half-jokingly caught up in the moment, but it hurt more than expected.
...
Wait, on second thought, suddenly smacking a same-school girl's butt hard? That's insanely out of line.
Afterward, I knelt and apologized to So-mi, and she forgave me saying no need,
but our relationship stayed awkward for a while.