ALL NOVEL Chapter 82
In the end, I wasn’t the only one who climbed onto the bed this time.
I have no idea how long I will be staying here, but anyway, Sohee’s bed, where she will be staying for a long time, has already arrived. Luckily, I couldn’t put it right next to mine since there was a desk and a table next to my bed. Instead, it was placed at a reasonably close spot, that is, diagonally to the left from the foot of my bed.
Even though it was right next to the door, I didn’t think it would be a big problem since not many people would be coming in and out of this room anyway. Plus, it was quite a suitable spot for Sohee, one of the few who would be moving in and out through that door. I didn’t exactly arrange it myself, but it was probably Yang Hye-in’s idea.
“That’s unfair.”
However, Sohee, who was sitting cross-legged on that bed, didn’t seem to think much of it.
Sohee’s claim that she only wears a top when sleeping was half true and half false. First, she was wearing an oversized T-shirt. The neck of the shirt—much bigger than her head—dropped to the side, giving off a vibe like she was on the cover of some magazine with a coffee mix name that I often saw in the military.
However, the claim that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath was just a superficial impression; she was actually wearing short dolphin shorts. When she stood still, it looked like she was wearing the oversized shirt as a dress, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.
But thank goodness she wasn’t actually running around without any bottoms. That would have made the maid, who was supposed to make me comfortable, make me feel really uncomfortable instead.
“What do you mean unfair?”
“Why is it just the two of us sleeping here?”
That was exactly right. Sohee had a bed, but of course, there was no bed for Sua.
The interior was arranged without considering that guests would come, and I think they didn’t even expect anyone to stay overnight. Looking at how spacious the bed was, it seemed like the chairwoman had some ill intentions behind it.
I glanced slightly at Sua, who was sitting next to me, hugging her knees.
Yang Hye-in, being competent, had brought not just underwear but also clothes for Sua. They weren’t anything special, just a T-shirt and pajama pants, but judging by the size she chose, she had some eye for size at least.
Still, it seemed like a much less embarrassing outfit compared to last time.
“Well, there isn’t enough space. I can’t just let a guest sleep on the floor, can I?”
Sohee’s sleeping bag was still in the closet. It was unlikely, but if an overwhelming number of visitors came at once to the room to the point where the beds were over-occupied, we might have to pull it out… but that probably wouldn’t happen, right?
“Ugh…”
She had brought the sleeping bag thinking she’d sleep on the floor, but it seemed that she couldn’t bear the thought of having Sua sleep on the floor as it weighed heavily on her conscience.
“I’m fine.”
At that moment, Sua buttied in.
“If it’s uncomfortable, I can go sleep on the floor. After all, it was me who came in without permission.”
When Sua said that, Sohee started to squirm uncomfortably, as if dissatisfied.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
She trailed off.
“As long as you’re here, I’ve allowed it, so you don’t need to worry too much. You can stay until you reconcile with your family.”
Hearing that, Sua smiled at me. Sua, with her hair down, looked vastly different from usual. Though she already had a more refined impression unlike in the game, letting her hair down erased the last bits of her lively image, presenting her as pure as can be.
Truly, just like an otome game heroine.
“…”
Sohee seemed to run out of things to say, pouting. I, too, would find it hard to speak casually to someone with such an atmosphere.
“Well then, you can just sleep in that bed.”
“That bed isn’t exactly wide enough for two, is it?”
My bed was an absurdly large one, while the bed Sohee was to use was just an ordinary single bed. If two people lay down, it would leave slightly more space than when the four of us slept on it last time. It would surely be extremely uncomfortable.
“No, no.”
Sohee shook her head.
“I’m saying the guest will sleep here, and I’ll sleep over there. Since we have a guest, I should give up the bed, right? Isn’t that the duty of a maid?”
Was there such a duty?
Well, I’m not a maid, and if we genuinely ran out of space, the maid could give up her spot, but why would it matter if there was still space?
Besides, if we follow that logic, it would be making me uncomfortable, the master of the maid.
In fact, it would be more spacious to sleep together on my bed rather than to sleep alone on that bed, considering how big it was.
“Is it really necessary to argue about this? After all, it doesn’t matter who is higher or lower here. Just sleep where there’s space.”
Sohee pouted at that.
Seeing Sohee, who was taller than me, make such a face felt slightly cute, just like an otome game heroine.
In the end, the three of us decided to sleep right there that day. It was tiring to shuffle places and discuss it anyway. Plus, it was getting late.
If we were to have that discussion, well, we could just bring it up at school tomorrow. Sohee would be attending the same school as us starting tomorrow.
…Then, when I woke up, for some reason, I found myself sandwiched between Sohee and Sua.
What the heck is going on, really?
*
“So, you’re saying you got confused while going to the bathroom at night and ended up in my bed?”
When I asked Sohee after hearing this story in the car on the way to school, she said, “Yeah… It was dark, and I thought it was my bed. I’m so sorry.”
“……”
I was about to casually answer back, but after glancing at the driver in front and Yang Hye-in beside him, Sohee hurriedly switched to polite speech.
“If I’ve offended you in any way, I will make sure to be more careful from next time.”
It seemed she wanted to put into practice what Yang Hye-in had taught her, as she added that in a polite tone.
“……”
I narrowed my eyes at Sohee, but she quickly lifted her head from her previously drooping position and smiled at me.
…What’s there to say about it?
Honestly, aside from the slight discomfort when I woke up in the morning, it wasn’t a big deal. If I were a guy, I would’ve freaked out and bolted out of there immediately, but… considering it was girls next to me, well, what can I say.
When I turned my head to the other side, I met Sua’s gaze. She smiled brightly at me. Uh… I had no clue what to say here either, so I just smiled back, although it was a forced and awkward smile.
As we engaged in such trivial conversations, the car came to a stop.
Before Yang Hye-in could open the door, Sohee quickly jumped out and didn’t even stumble—impressive.
“Miss, we have arrived.”
She said while still holding on to the door she had opened for herself.
“…”
I turned my gaze and made eye contact with Yang Hye-in. She nodded slightly at me and opened the car door to step out.
Without saying a word, I followed Sohee.
“If you open the door to the left, a car might come, and it could be dangerous. This is a private place where the lines between the road and property are not clearly divided, but please be careful next time.”
Yang Hye-in said this to Sohee, who had been watching.
“Oh, yes, understood.”
Sohee readily replied.
Even though we had only spent a day together, it seemed some kind of senior-junior relationship had been established. Well, I suppose there’s no harm in having a good relationship.
Anyway, after getting out of the car, I looked towards the school gate and caught sight of Ha Neul.
Apparently, she had been waiting for me by the gate as usual.
“…”
Oh, right.
I forgot to mention.
I turned rigidly to look back. There were Sohee wearing Hwayoung High School’s uniform and Sua who was dressed in a hastily mended uniform.
Looking back again, Ha Neul had a slightly stiff expression on her face.
Uh…
What should I even say?
At that moment, I felt as if the temperature around me had dropped several degrees.
*
“So…”
As I tried to recount what happened yesterday in the classroom, Ha Neul rubbed her face.
“Since Sohee is now a maid, we can overlook that. But what about Sua? She has completely left home…?”
I noticed the other students pricking their ears towards us. However, that wasn’t anything we needed to mind. After all, everyone must have seen us getting out of the same car this morning. This was already the second time. People would naturally think that there was something regular going on.
Moreover, with one of us becoming my maid and the other having left home, there couldn’t have been a better gossip than this.
Yeah, for someone who wants to be the center of attention, this level of rumor should spread well.
That way, the people around me would never lose interest in me.
But…
I quickly glanced over at the window. Above the classroom window, the blue antenna-like hairstick was popping out.
…It’s the Lead Committee Member’s hair.
I hadn’t realized it before due to her intense impression last time, but now that even just a bit of her hair was sticking out, I couldn’t ignore it. Wasn’t it called fool’s hair? If she were a character in a game to be pursued, she would definitely be a little dumb but cute character.
It was fine if she hid but… the kids passing by all glanced at the spot where the Lead Committee Member was squatting, amplifying her presence even further.
“…That’s how it is.”
As I finally managed to draw my gaze away from the Lead Committee Member’s intense presence to look at Ha Neul, she pressed her finger against her nose bridge.
“…If a runaway comes, we need to properly talk her back home.”
That was a fair point.
But they should have seen the expression on Sua’s face. I know that even if a cat comes inside, they usually should be let out again, but I can’t just do it, right? It’s the same sentiment. Of course, Sua wasn’t a cat; she was a person. Maybe that’s why it felt even more so.
As I slightly turned my gaze to avoid her eyes, Ha Neul let out a deep sigh.