Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Taming the Outsider
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The large sedan we were riding in didn't feel cramped at all, even with three people squeezed into the back seat.
Of course, the vehicle's sheer size played a part in that...
But no matter how wide a car gets, it can't exceed the width of the road it's driving on. So the size alone couldn't fully explain this spacious interior.
Digging deeper, the real reason for all this room was that Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi were more petite than you'd expect.
That said, neither Han Si-a nor Yoo So-mi were particularly short for girls.
Han Si-a stood around 160cm tall—sometimes even tall enough to get comments about her height depending on who she was next to.
And Yoo So-mi was pushing 170cm, firmly in the tall category.
But body size isn't the same standing as it is sitting. With their small heads and long legs, girls like them take up way less space when they're seated—their upper bodies just don't dominate like they do on guys.
So, honestly, if we all just sat straight in our spots, the car's interior had plenty of room. There'd be almost no chance of any physical contact between us.
Yeah. As long as the girls on either side of me didn't deliberately plaster themselves against me like this.
.
.
.
I was buckled into the middle seat of the back row, completely fixed in place by the seatbelt. And right now, I couldn't hide my real-time bewilderment.
One cause was Han Si-a, who'd claimed my right arm, draped it over her shoulder, and was now fiddling with my palm.
Her posture had her leaning half her body against my side.
Oh, and she wasn't wearing her seatbelt, by the way.
No, seriously—buckle up. It's dangerous. You made me put mine on, but you're skipping yours?
Anyway, with my arm around her shoulder, I could feel how perfectly her body fit into one arm.
It really drove home how girls' shoulders don't spread out as wide as guys'.
And the silky strands of her hair naturally cascading toward me smelled smooth and fragrant.
...
Whew... I shouldn't keep zoning in on stuff like this.
Being hyper-aware of a high school girl's figure and scent in this situation felt a little unsettling, so I forced my gaze out the front windshield toward the road ahead.
Just then, Han Si-a glanced at the back of my hand and spoke up.
"You've got a lot of bruises on your hand... Your nails are all beat up too. And I can see some fresh scars. Did you get these catching that creep the other day?"
Sure enough, my right hand was a mess of wounds right now.
Hitting the guy hard meant my knuckles bruised up too, and as he fought back to dodge blows, I'd gotten scraped here and there, drawing blood.
My hands used to be spotless without a single mark, so these new ones stood out even more.
Still, I'd beaten that stalker photographer black and blue without holding back, so no regrets there.
With Han Si-a half-leaning against my side, I couldn't see her expression as she examined the back of my hand.
That made me wonder if she felt guilty about these scrapes on my skin.
But she was just the pure victim here—there was no reason for her to feel sorry or responsible toward me.
Plus, hadn't she helped with the cleanup after the incident?
So, hoping she wouldn't worry over mere hand scars, I decided to throw in a bit of bravado.
"This? These scratches don't even qualify as wounds. For you guys? I'd take worse in a heartbeat. We're friends, right?"
And her response to my playful line was...
"Hmm... You'd get hurt for my sake and not care? Are you hitting on me right now?"
"...What're you talking about?"
I had no idea how she'd arrived at that, but our conversation had clearly gone off the rails.
To gauge her intent, I asked again, but Han Si-a just rubbed the back of my hand lightly against her cheek and said,
"Don't worry. As long as we're friends, Jeong Yi-an, you won't end up with any scars. Maybe a little mark here or there."
"...So, you'll protect me from getting hurt?"
"Well... yeah, you could say that."
I couldn't see her face, but the way Han Si-a nuzzled my hand against her cheek felt wolfish—like she was licking raw meat...
It sent a chill down my spine.
.
.
.
After my chat with Han Si-a trailed off, I shifted my gaze left. Yoo So-mi was clinging tightly to my arm.
Come to think of it, I'd been sweating bullets all the way to the school gate earlier, so having her stuck to me like this was a tad embarrassing.
Sure, I'd showered clean before leaving home, so I doubted I stank... but you never know.
"So-mi. I was just sweating a ton. If you stick that close, your clothes'll get sweaty?"
I tried to wiggle the arm she was hugging to put a little distance between us.
"Heehee... Where do you think you're escaping to!!"
But Yoo So-mi caught on quick, trapping my hand between her thighs to lock it down. Now my left arm was immobilized too.
To make matters worse, she'd worn short shorts today, so my hand felt the soft, bare skin of her thighs in stark detail.
She'd already been hugging my arm before, so every bump in the road had me feeling that plush sensation and cringing inwardly. Now with my hand buried in her smooth, plump thighs on top of that...
Bliss and guilt tangled up—I felt like I might die.
And amid all this, she buried her nose in my shoulder, sniffed a few times, then grinned and said,
"Yi-an must've showered right before heading out? I can still smell body wash on your arm."
"No, So-mi... I just sweated buckets. It's embarrassing. And let go of my hand..."
But Yoo So-mi showed no sign of releasing my hand or arm.
If anything, she pouted a little dissatisfied and replied,
"Yi-an got all sweaty massaging me last time too! You kneaded my thighs plenty back then—what's with the embarrassment now? Nope. Rejected!"
"That was a massage. And if you cling like that, your clothes'll get sweaty?"
"So what if they do? Besides, your scent's pretty faint anyway. I actually think this wild vibe is kinda hot."
That's basically saying I smell like sweat!!!
I couldn't hold back the embarrassment and tried yanking my left hand out from between her thighs.
But with her hugging my whole arm, all I could manage was flexing my forearm back and forth.
Her resistance was fierce too—my hand just slid in and out between her thighs without escaping.
After two or three tries, Yoo So-mi suddenly squeaked and said,
"Eek!? H-Hey, Yi-an? Even for besties, that last one was a bit too risky to call innocent skinship. Tone it down a little..."
"Huh? Oh... sorry."
A quick glance showed Yoo So-mi's face flushed bright red.
But even then, she wouldn't let go of my hand, so I gave up trying to pull it free.
.
.
.
Yoo So-mi stayed quiet for a bit after that, only speaking up again as our car started descending into the department store's underground parking lot.
Looking oddly satisfied, she finally released my hand from her thigh and said,
"See? Thighs don't faze you anymore, right? We're besties~ I figured getting used to stuff like this quick would keep awkwardness from drifting us apart!"
My left hand, freed at last from her thigh, now cooled in the AC breeze. I could tell I'd sweated from the tension.
I got the gist of what she meant, but getting used to this? Yeah, never gonna happen...
I eyed Yoo So-mi's face with a subtle look, and she opened her mouth again.
"Oh, but smacking my butt out of nowhere last time? That was a teensy bit too bold, maybe? Even for besties, you gotta properly ask permission before doing that again!"
...Yeah, I'm reflecting on that one.
And stop calling it 'that kind of act'... The phrasing's weird.
"W-Well, I'd forgive you if you did it again..."
"...?"
Hold up. Why are you talking like I'm gonna do it again? This convo's weird.
"No, So-mi. Telling me to ask permission before smacking butts—what language is that? Don't talk like I'm gonna do it again."
"Hmph. Whatever! Yi-an's an idiot. Si-a~ Doesn't Yi-an seem too indifferent to his bestie?"
"Jeong Yi-an. Don't be so heartless to So-mi. You're besties—act like it and take responsibility."
I never expected Han Si-a to side with Yoo So-mi.
What the hell is this situation...?
I wanted to protest to them.
But right then, the driver pulled up to the elevator in the department store basement,
"Whoa... Department stores really start huge from the underground lot!"
"So-mi. Before the swimsuit shop, wanna hit a cafe first?"
And my chance to speak vanished naturally.