Friends
I sent a whisper to Suboma, who was still logged into the game.
If she didn't come find me within ten minutes, I was going to go find her myself.
A reply came back.
The fact that she was asking me to wait suggested she'd already decided that trying to wriggle out of this was pointless.
Okay, but why does she need a whole thirty minutes?
We lived on the same floor. Not right next door, but only a few seconds down the hallway. It couldn't take half an hour just to steel her nerves…
Ah. Don't tell me she's trying to clean herself up first?
That seemed like the most likely explanation. When I'd run into her earlier, she'd been wearing her hat pulled down low—like she hadn't washed up yet today. And it was still morning, so that wasn't exactly strange.
Well, then I should wait for her.
Nobody wants someone of the opposite sex to see them looking like a mess. I could understand that well enough. I wouldn't want to meet a girl without washing up either.
I'll just knock out some of my daily quests while I wait.
I decided to kill time in the game until Suboma finished getting ready.
Before I knew it, forty minutes had passed.
I'd gotten so absorbed in the game that the time had flown by. Suboma still hadn't shown up at my door—even after I'd silently given her an extra ten minutes on top of what she'd asked for.
No helping it, then…
I'd just have to go to room 303 myself. I shoved my chair back and stood up. I was halfway to the front door when—
Knock, knock.
A knock came from the entrance.
"Um…"
The door, which I'd left unlocked, cracked open a little, and a girl peeked her face through the gap.
It was Suboma.
So she had come after all. That saved me the trouble of going over there myself. I'd been half-worried she might go completely dark, refuse to open up even if I knocked, or sneak off and move out under cover of night—so this was a relief.
"What took you so long?"
"Sorry…"
"Just take your shoes off and come in for now."
"Yes, sir…"
"Don't use formal speech."
"Uh… 'kay…"
Suboma glanced around as she stepped into my place, then gently shut the front door behind her.
"S-so, what do I do with this…?"
In one hand she was holding an umbrella—the one I'd lent her earlier.
"Put it in the umbrella stand on the left."
"Umbrella stand…? Oh, this thing? But it kind of looks like a trash can…"
"It's an umbrella stand, so just stick it in and come sit over here."
I sat down on the bed the rabbits had gifted me and patted the mattress with my hand. Suboma gave a tiny nod, set the umbrella in the stand, kicked off her shoes, and hurried over on quick little steps to sit down right next to me.
"……"
"……"
An awkward silence settled over us.
Right. I'd called her over, but… what was I supposed to say? I was still wrestling with how to break the ice when she spoke first.
"S-so, when did you figure it out…?"
She kept her head bowed low, not meeting my eyes.
"I started suspecting it from the moment you started digging into me as Suboma and defending the girl in 303. And when we said hello for real, I heard your voice and that sealed it. Your voice isn't exactly common. It's pretty distinctive."
"Ah."
Suboma let out a quiet little sigh. Had she really thought I wouldn't notice? Anyone who'd ever heard her voice would have put it together. It was that unique—in a good way, not a bad one. Kind of like the way a voice actress sounds when she's performing? Even her tone had that acted, theatrical quality to it.
"So. Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
"Ah, well… I wasn't trying to deceive you, it just kind of… ended up that way… I'm sorry…"
She started to apologize—then abruptly took it back.
"Ah, wait. Maybe I don't need to be sorry? You lied to me too, so we're even, aren't we…"
What the hell was this girl's problem?
I stared at her, dumbfounded.
"When did I ever lie to you? You were the one who hid your identity first. I just kept quiet because I figured it might make things awkward if I let on that I knew."
"Not that. You said you had a fear of women… but you don't seem like that at all…"
Ah. So that's what she meant. I'd completely misread her.
I set the record straight right away.
"I told you last time we talked on voice chat, remember? That my condition's improved a lot compared to before. I might look fine right now, but I'm forcing myself through it. The trauma hasn't completely gone away, so honestly… it's hard."
"For real…?"
It wasn't a lie. I might have looked perfectly functional on the outside, but the trauma was still there. If I'd been fully cured, I wouldn't have been visiting a psychiatric hospital. I still couldn't even smile properly in front of a girl. I could force a smile if I tried, but it came out so awkward I just looked like an idiot—which meant that no matter how hard I tried, I was stuck with either a blank face or a scowl. It was bad enough that last time someone had actually asked me why I was angry.
"Why would I lie about something like this? It's only because I'm talking to you that this is even manageable. If it'd been anyone else, this whole situation would've been pure hell. I wouldn't have invited them over in the first place."
Hearing that, Suboma fidgeted with her fingers, the corners of her mouth twitching. She seemed pleased by the idea that she was someone special.
"Oh, right. And saying you were ugly was also a l—"
"I never said I was ugly. That was just you jumping to conclusions on your own."
"Ah. Yeah, that's true… So I was the only one who lied… I'm really sorry…"
"Forget the apology. Just tell me why you didn't say anything."
"That's…"
Suboma's lips moved soundlessly for a moment. Then she snuck a glance at me and went on.
"I was scared it'd make things weird between us… Like, if my game friend who I always voice-chatted with turned out to be my neighbor, it might creep you out… You might think I was some stalker who'd moved into the same building because I was obsessed with a guy, and also… you weren't just some ordinary neighbor. You were the neighbor who thought I was a weird girl…"
It was one of the many reasons I'd guessed at in my head. Hearing it put me at ease. I'd been quietly worried she might just not want anything to do with the real me.
"And guys don't like shut-in nerd girls like me. So I was scared to reveal who I was…"
"…What are you being so dramatic about? You've always called yourself a nerd out loud."
"Even so, I'm on a whole different level. I figured if you actually saw me, you'd be completely disgusted… Honestly, I'm a way more serious shut-in nerd than you probably imagined…"
"Yeah, you kind of are."
I nodded in agreement—and Suboma's face crumpled like she'd just been hit with a truck.
Ah. Wrong move. That was not the right thing to agree with.
She shot me a sidelong look, looking thoroughly dejected. I hurriedly added more.
"But I don't care at all that you're a nerd. If anything, it makes me feel closer to you, since I'm one too. You already know I'm a pretty serious nerd myself."
"Honestly you seem more like a popular guy… Don't gaslight me… You're talking to a girl so smoothly right now…"
"I can't talk to other girls like this, okay? You're the only one I can talk to this way."
"Only me…?"
"Yeah. Weirdly enough, you feel more comfortable than other girls. Maybe because we've been on voice almost every day, so I'm used to your voice."
This was a world full of nothing but beautiful girls. Suboma was obviously a beautiful girl too. And yet she didn't make me uncomfortable the way the others did—even more so than Seo I-eung or Isabella. The reason was simple. We'd barely met face-to-face, but we'd been building our connection through voice chat every single day. Being with her felt like hanging out with an old friend. Physical contact was still off the table, of course—but still.
Suboma was someone special to me. She was the most comfortable, closest person I had in this world. I didn't want to lose a friend like that just by muddling along. If we kept pretending not to know each other, that awkward setup might eventually destroy what we had. That was why I'd decided to set things straight today.
"Hehe…"
Suboma grinned from ear to ear. Being reminded once again that she was special to me seemed to make her ridiculously happy.
"Anyway, from now on, let's stop pretending we don't know each other and just hang out like normal friends."
"Okay…!"
"And if you're bored, you can come over to my place sometimes."
"F-for real? Thank you…!"
"You don't have to thank me that much… Between friends, it's only natur—"
I was still talking when—
Creeeak—!
The front door swung open without warning. Suboma and I both looked toward the entrance at the same time.
"Kang Hahwi! We brought you side dishes! Carrot!"
"Today's kimchi we just made! Lotus root!"
Santoto and Suptoto came dancing in, side-dish containers balanced on their heads. Come to think of it, they had said they were bringing me food today. I'd completely forgotten.
"Carrot?"
"Lotus root?"
The rabbits froze mid-step as they spotted Suboma sitting next to me. Santoto blinked and stared hard at Ha Nabi, while Suptoto started trembling all over like she'd just taken a critical hit.
"Lotus rooooooot! Wee-woo wee-woo!!! Adultery scene in progress! Kang Hahwi is cheating on us!!!"
Suptoto started shrieking at the top of her lungs. I was just about to jump up and clamp a hand over that insane rabbit's mouth when—
Whack—!
Santoto brought a carrot down hard on Suptoto's head.
"Lotus rooooot…"
Suptoto toppled forward and passed out cold.
Nice.
"Stop making a scene. Carrot."
Compared to Suptoto, Santoto was at least halfway normal. Thank god for that.
"More importantly… I never imagined I'd run into the student who dropped out and ran away in a place like this."
Santoto set the side-dish container on top of Suptoto's head, folded her arms, and put on a solemn face.
"Long time no see, Ha Nabi. So what are you doing here, carrot?"