ALL NOVEL Chapter 144
“Is that so?”
Lee Hyun responded with a look of disbelief, almost reflexively questioning back.
“I heard it correctly.”
Since the mask was off, Yeon Minha could clearly see the doubt written on his face.
However, Yeon Minha spoke in a tone that still felt calm, even somewhat cold.
“If you find your room uncomfortable, you can join me in my bedroom. It’s a bit small, though.”
She glanced over Lee Hyun’s shoulder.
Once, this place only had a small desk, but now various furniture made it look quite like a charming little home.
And her gaze lingered on the bed unusually long.
“…You want to sleep in the same room as me?”
No matter how close they were, it was impossible for Yeon Minha to throw around such a silly joke. She was no ditz.
Lee Hyun desperately organized his complicated thoughts and cautiously opened his mouth.
“That’s accurate.”
“May I ask why?”
“You were planning to sleep in your dormitory again today, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think it’s time for our experiment to take a little break.”
Yeon Minha continued to speak in her serene voice.
“If we’re not careful, the symptoms of mental contamination might flare up again during the commission. And you won’t be next to me then. Don’t you think we should consider rebooting it at least once?”
It was a pretty convincing argument.
“That’s true, but… is it really necessary to sleep in the same room?”
“You never know. If we close the distance, we might recover faster.”
“…What?”
“To make up for days with just one night, we’ll have to put in some effort, right?”
Lee Hyun, speechless, stared wide-eyed at Yeon Minha.
Compared to her earlier propositions, it was a stubborn statement without the slightest basis.
Yet, he could distinctly feel the desire etched in her eyes. Perhaps even the source of that feeling.
After pondering the response for quite some time, Lee Hyun finally gave a slight nod.
“Let’s do that.”
“Uh, huh?”
For the first time, a puzzled expression appeared on Yeon Minha’s usually calm face.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Who, me? I’m not surprised at all…”
Lee Hyun began to tidy up the letters and books spread across the desk, leaving her behind.
His gaze seemed to pierce right through her. And he treated her like a same-sex friend.
“…”
A slightly pouting Yeon Minha shot him an irritated glare, but then took a deep breath, calming herself down.
Meow… meow…
The sound of the exhausted Peanut scratching the door echoed with a sorrowful whimper.
Yeon Minha hurriedly blocked Lee Hyun, who seemed to want to open the door again.
“…What? Can’t we let Peanut back in now…?”
“No way. I can’t sleep with someone next to me.”
Then as if realizing something, she quickly added,
“Having one person is fine, but more than that is just too much.”
“…”
“I’ll soothe Peanut later. I’ll give him snacks and pet him…”
“Alright. Then I’ll just sleep on the floor, and you can…”
“That would mean I’d be kicking you out. I’d feel uncomfortable and probably wouldn’t sleep well.”
“Then you’re saying you’ll sleep on the floor?”
“I can’t sleep if my back is on a hard surface.”
“…”
With absurd excuses popping out like they were pre-prepared, Lee Hyun gazed at Yeon Minha with a complicated expression.
Yeon Minha, while shrinking back a little, still maintained her confidence.
“There’s only one way out of this.”
*
Peanut’s pitiful whining had changed to exhausted sighs of different pitches by now.
Yeon Minha, lying without even a blanket, turned her head slightly.
Almost an hour had passed since she lay on the bed, yet sleep had eluded her.
In truth, she hadn’t intended to sleep at all.
The not-so-large bed had no room for a pillow between them, so she could clearly see the broad back of someone.
“…”
His back turned away casually, as if indifferent.
Upon seeing this, Yeon Minha pouted her lips.
She didn’t want to end the night like this.
It was an opportunity to completely dispel the anxiety within her.
Once more, resolved, Yeon Minha opened her mouth.
“Are you asleep?”
“…Not yet.”
The answer came, albeit after a slight pause.
“What’s the matter?”
“Um… didn’t you say you had a question earlier?”
“I was planning to ask you before you left tomorrow.”
“Why not just ask me now?”
Yeon Minha desperately struggled to keep the conversation going.
“The orphanage? Well, I’m not too invested in that either… but I do know the name and address. It’s somewhere near…”
Though the question seemed strange to her, she didn’t find it particularly unsettling.
What mattered most was to keep the dialogue between them alive.
“It’s not too far from the cradle… Thank you.”
“Forget it. We shouldn’t thank each other for something so trivial in ‘our relationship.’”
Yeon Minha emphasized one of those words suspensively.
“By the way… could you look over here for a moment?”
“Why?”
“…Your back is so broad.”
“What?”
“You’re blocking my view… it’s a bit suffocating, I guess… so I can’t get to sleep.”
“Ha…”
Lee Hyun let out a heavy sigh at her continuation.
But ultimately, unable to resist her earnest plea, he turned his body.
Shortly after, two eyes resembling a gloomy sky blue fixated on her.
So close that she could feel a strand of his short hair and his lukewarm breath.
“…Eep.”
Yeon Minha unknowingly wiggled her toes.
Well, it was enough to thoroughly heat up her body.
“…Shouldn’t you go to sleep?”
Lee Hyun opened his mouth, seemingly feeling embarrassed to stare silently.
“Then why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Because someone keeps staring at me from beside.”
“…Is it that hard to sleep because of the change of bedding?”
“Couldn’t you just go back to your room to sleep?”
“…Hmph.”
Yeon Minha glared at him with a resentful heart.
He didn’t spare a glance at the sumptuous bait that had just rolled in.
Somehow, it didn’t sit right with her that he could take such a situation so nonchalantly.
“Seems like you’re not new to this kind of thing with girls, huh? You look so experienced.”
It was an impulsive statement that slipped out unconsciously.
However, Yeon Minha immediately regretted her words.
“…”
He avoided her gaze, showing a complicated expression in response.
Lee Hyun was someone who had never been good at lying.
Perhaps she hoped he would instantly deny her assumption.
Yet, upon opening a Pandora’s box that should remain shut, her excitement plummeted like a soaked paper.
“…I have stayed by someone’s side all night, holding their hand.”
“R-really?”
But upon hearing his follow-up response, excitement sparked back in Yeon Minha’s voice.
It was all too clear who that person was.
She didn’t particularly feel good about it, but at least it meant he had never crossed the line beyond that.
“…So when are you planning on giving me my gift?”
Lee Hyun asked as if he were avoiding an awkward topic.
“…What?”
And then Yeon Minha’s heart sank.
Unconsciously, she curled her toes and slightly twisted her thighs together.
She lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.
Truth was… she had actually prepared a gift for him.
“…Curious?”
Yeon Minha asked, her voice somewhat subdued, in contrast to her earlier confidence.
“Of course I’m curious. You said you’d give me a present if I won in the ranking match a few days ago.”
Lee Hyun continued with an extra push in his voice, wanting to change the topic.
“Don’t tell me you still haven’t gotten it ready? Or did you never plan on giving me anything at all?”
“No…”
Yeon Minha’s eyes spun around.
She had completed the preparations ages ago.
She just needed a bit of courage.
“…Should I give it to you now?”
Taking a deep breath and calming her excitement, she barely managed to speak.
“Now? At this hour…?”
“Yeah. You said you wanted it. I can give it to you right now.”
“Well then…”
He looked puzzled for a moment but nodded soon after.
With his approval, Yeon Minha bit her lip tentatively as she steeled herself.
“Alright.”
Her voice was short yet laced with a hint of warmth and stickiness.
Lee Hyun still couldn’t guess what Yeon Minha’s gift might be.
Was she planning to go to her room to get it?
Yet, Yeon Minha showed no signs of movement.
Instead, she lightly closed her eyes and buried herself deeper into the bed, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders and thighs.
An alluring gesture that nearly took his breath away.
And she brought one hand up around her shoulder area.
Five delicate fingers hesitated over something as if they were about to cross a forbidden boundary.
Eventually, after a brief hesitation, her resolute fingers quickly unhooked the strap of her dress and let it fall.
“Senior!”
Taken aback by Yeon Minha’s sudden action, Lee Hyun sat up and grabbed her wrist.
But the deed was done.
The untied knots fell limply away, revealing the vulnerability she had been guarding.
Her skin, pale enough to see the veins, glimmered under the moonlight.
And that very part, only partially covered was in gray, with a slightly rough texture.
Lee Hyun immediately recognized that it was something he had chosen.
As well as what Yeon Minha meant by her gift.
“What kind of present is this?”
“Why? You chose it yourself. It’s what you said you liked the most.”
“I thought you meant to make me a dress.”
“This or that, there’s not much difference. It’s the same clothing.”
“Do you think I would be happy receiving this kind of present?”
“Really? I thought you’d enjoy it. I thought you were about to pounce on me just now with joy.”
“Forget it. Let’s pretend this gift doesn’t exist. Let’s just sleep.”
Yeon Minha glared at him with a sulky expression.
“…After all this, do you still not understand what I mean?”
“I do. And I never asked for this.”
“You promised to hug me. You said those words yourself. You wouldn’t dare to mean anything else, would you?”
He had no way to say he didn’t understand that.
Sa Jaehyeok had made sure to instill all the basic knowledge involved.
Although it had been an unpleasant, awkward education.
He had been forced to complete his special training under the threat of being denied more significant opportunities.
“You’re a disaster waiting to happen. A walking disaster.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The point is, be careful. Don’t start undressing whenever you please. Especially not in front of girls.”
“…I don’t understand.”
“Gah, you’re frustrating! There’s no need to comprehend. Just take it as it is. And remember what I said again and again. Got it?”
He’d even tried to introduce him to local girls near the base at one point.
But given his strong rejection and being caught by his sisters, that plan fell apart.
“So, I think I mentioned that once you find some charm, I’d hug you. But that time isn’t now.”
“Hmm. I think right now is more than enough charm.”
“Well, it seems that way, but isn’t Jeokhwa’s purity a bit too hard to achieve?”
“…Eep.”
Lee Hyun remembered Yeon Minha’s pleas in the South.
Her earlobes flushed red as she recalled her previous regrets.
Still, she pressed on, unwavering in her argument.
“I have no choice. My body and heart have already fallen into your hands. I’ve just decided to give up.”
“Where did you learn something like this? Aren’t you a noblewoman of a prestigious family?”
“‘The ten greatest seductions that can captivate even demons’.”
“…”
There was no hint of shyness in her nonchalant demeanor at exposing her upper body.
Her attitude was so brazen it made him doubt if she was ever like this.
Lee Hyun had no skill in extricating himself from such situations.
Choosing the path of avoidance, he declared,
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m going to sleep first.”
He turned away, trying to escape from the distracting scenery.
“Coward.”
“…”
“Scaredy-cat.”
“…”
However, Yeon Minha was far from finished.
She approached Lee Hyun, who had turned away, and pressed herself even closer.
The warm sensation of her soft body tingled along his nerves. She leaned in closer, whispering sweet breaths against his ear.
“Dummy.”
“…”
“A real fool who doesn’t know a girl’s heart.”
“…”
“The biggest coward in the world… Eek!”
Before Yeon Minha could escalate her insults further,
Lee Hyun couldn’t contain himself any longer and abruptly turned around.
Yeon Minha couldn’t resist and was pushed down onto the bed.
He grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and lifted them above her head.
The hem of her dress, barely covering the lower half of her body, slipped down into the chaos.
Shortly after, her pale thighs, showcasing veins, and the dark gray of her underwear were laid bare before him.
“Eh… uhh… eek…”
He was now fully on top of her.
In this reversed situation, Yeon Minha gulped.
With less than a hand’s breadth between them, he glared at her with fierce eyes, just like a predator.
Yeon Minha lost the calmness she had maintained.
An impending pain lurked, and the brutal chaos was set to unravel her.
She was about to experience something completely new.
Her legs curled up instinctively, and tears swelled at the corners of her eyes.
With her emotions at this moment, fear took hold of her face.
“…Eep.”
As if evaluating a commodity, he gently lifted Yeon Minha’s chin with his empty hand.
A high-pitched sound escaped her lips without her realizing it.
But in the following moment,
The ferocity that held the intention to devour her completely vanished, and Lee Hyun wore a clear smirk on one side of his mouth.
“Who’s the coward here?”
“Uh, um…?”
With a thud, he flopped back onto the bed.
The bonds tightening around her arms and the pressure on her abdomen faded like snow.
“Enough. Hugging? What a joke. Not prepared yet.”
In a daze, it took Yeon Minha a while to grasp the meaning of his words, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment.
“You! How dare you mock me…!!”
“Go to sleep already. You’ll really stay up all night at this rate.”
“Wait…!”
Yeon Minha grabbed Lee Hyun’s shoulder as he tried to turn away again.
With a face still stained with embarrassment, she begrudgingly made a surrender declaration.
“Well then… can you at least give me a shoulder to lean on.”
*
Huhhh… sniff…
Morning.
With the sound of sniffles buzzing in his ears, Lee Hyun quietly opened his eyes.
The source of the sound was evidently his bedroom. And even closer than that.
Feeling a gentle weight on one arm, he tilted his head slightly.
There was Yeon Minha, who had somehow burrowed into his embrace like a hibernating squirrel.
And small teardrops rolling down from her tightly closed eyes.
“Sniff… Father… Mother… sniff…”
That once-cold and proud Yeon Minha now desperately called out for someone, sounding like a lost child.
“…”
Having listened to the echoes from the next room all night, it was quite an uncomfortable experience.
This was an issue he couldn’t resolve.
It was a bitter scar born not from mental contamination but from an experience he could never forget.
“…No, don’t… Mother…”
Her non-blood-related mother.
The father who had tried to use Yeon Minha as ingredients for a magical spell after being possessed by a non-existent ghost.
Yet, she still sought after them, yearning.
Perhaps more than the affection for her parents, it was her tragic experiences and the sorrow stemming from the scars left by life that projected itself onto their deaths.
“…”
Yeon Minha still lay in an unassuming state, clad only in gray underwear that left her defenseless.
It was the result of a stubborn lie claiming she also slept that way.
Her body was as beautiful as a divine creation, and it inherently stirred lust.
If she wished, she could easily have him that night.
He could mar her noble form and permanently leave his mark on her.
He could claim her body, sealing her fully into his possession.
Before someone like her decides to flee again.
But…
“Sniff… sob…”
Lee Hyun continued to gaze at Yeon Minha, who remained lost in her sorrowful dream.
He gently brushed her hair flowing down from her cheeks aside, letting his finger glide along her face.
“…Hug me? What nonsense.”
He wrapped her in his arms as carefully as if she were a treasured possession.