Chapter 23

“Oh, Hye-rim… … .”

Hearing Hye-rim’s voice, Ji-eun felt guilty and heartbroken.

What the hell was she trying to do?

Did you want to bind Yoon-woo’s heart with hardline means and tease Hye-rim, who had been wanting to be with Yoon-woo for 10 years, saying, ‘Look, this man you haven’t had for 10 years likes me?’

Maybe I just wanted to fill in the lack of self-esteem in Yoon-woo?

The fact that it was impossible to assert that there was no such thought at all made Ji-eun’s heart heavier.

But I swear, there wasn’t even a particle of that thought in my mind until recently.

Not long ago, Ji-eun had completely forgotten Hye-rim and was engrossed in her impulses and desires.

She had previously thought that even if Hye-rim had a crush on Yoon-woo, it wouldn’t be as much as hers.

But at that moment, Ji-eun could not think of anyone other than Yoon-woo, and of other times at that moment… … It was so heavy that she couldn’t choose what she would have done if her cell phone hadn’t been ringing, and that she didn’t care what the consequences would be.

A strong desire that Ji-eun never felt before, who lived by prioritizing relationships with people over her own claims, was felt… … .

Is it important what Hye-rim thinks of Yoon-woo?

Is Yoon-woo so important to Hye-rim?

The human mind cannot be understood until one looks into it.

And no one can look into the minds of others.

[I called because no one replied to me on kakaotalk. Have you been drinking?]

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t see because I was out of my mind… … . The drinking party is over.”

[Was it fun? It’s 10 o’clock now, how long have you been drinking?]

“Well… … Until about eight o’clock?”

The time it took to drink 4 bottles from 5 o’clock was shorter than I thought.

It was around 8:20 when I arrived in front of Yoon-woo’s living room, and it was about 9:00 when I brought Yoon-woo into my house.

[But you did not reply for two hours?]

“Uh… … . We both drank quite a bit today… … .”

[How much did you drink?]

“About two bottles per person?”

[Even Yoon-woo?]

“Huh… … . I don’t even remember how much he drank… … . I’m sorry.”

It is not like Hye-rim is Yoon-woo’s girlfriend, but it was her personal responsibility as a senior to make sure he drank alcohol in moderation. Still it was not really necessary to apologize to Hye-rim.

However, the fact that Yoon-woo was sleeping in her own bed was scandalous enough for Ji-eun to automatically apologize.

[Did Yoon-woo eat lamb skewers as well?]

“Yeah, it was delicious. Let’s eat together next time.”

[Yes, but is Unnie at home now? Did you get to your house safely?]

“Yeah, I was a little bored, so I was sipping some vodka… … .”

[Vodka… … . But what about Yoon-woo? He drank a lot. Is he asleep at his apartment?]

“Yes.”

[Did unnie take Yoon-woo to his room? To Yoon-woo’s bedroom?]

“… … Huh, Yes..”

She lied without even realizing it.

She did not feel good about lying to Hye-rim.

It would have been better to just say that Yoon-woo was so drunk that he couldn’t get his mind right and followed Ji-eun, so he slept at her house.

Somehow, if she was questioned by Hye-rim, it seemed like even the things she had just done before, and the thoughts and feelings that were the basis for her actions, would flow out.

However, Hye-rim’s affection, which she thought was like a spider’s web, was much broader and stronger than she thought.

It was not something she could break through with such a simple lie.

[Unnie… … . Why are you lying to me?]

“Uh, huh? what?”

[Yoon-woo, he didn’t go home. You took him. Why are you lying? Could it be that, even you like Yoon-woo… … .]

“uh… … that is… … .”

The fact that Hye-rim knew that Yoon-woo had not returned to his house was also terrifying, and she was also afraid of Hye-rim’s voice, which was low and cold, unlike her usual gentle voice, so Ji-eun was speechless for a moment.

[If you are drinking, what’s wrong with you two? Did you two decide to date secretly? Maybe the two of you already… … . If that’s the case… … .]

“No! No, Hye-rim… … . Yoon-woo is just drunk and sleeping. He didn’t go to his room because he was drunk, so he just slept at my house. Isn’t my house big?”

[Then why did you lie? You could have said that from the beginning!]

“Just… … . I’m afraid you’ll misunderstand if I tell you he’s sleeping at my house… … I did not know… … .”

[ Are you two really fine? Are you two really just sleeping without doing anything? Aren’t you two tired after you’ve done everything you want to do?]

“Nothing is wrong! Really. However… … . How did you know that Yoon-woo didn’t go to his house?”

[Um, just… … . While studying at a cafe, I happened to see a man and a woman who looked just like you two in front of Yoon-woo’s dorm. Even if I couldn’t recognize Yoon-woo’s clearly, I can easily recognize unnie, right? But even after time passed, Yoon-woo didn’t come back.]

“Did you see us from the cafe? You were in the cafe next to the hospital across from his dorm?”

[Yes.]

“… …. Hey, it’s so far from your house.”

[I just wanted to study in a cafe without people.]

“There are many cafes without people… … . When did you go there?”

[At about 6 o’clock?]

“Hey, how long have you been in the cafe? Since you saw me and Yoon-woo?”

[Right now… … I am going home.]

“Are you… … waiting to see when Yoon-woo would come home… … ?”

[…… .]

“Hye-rim, that’s… … . Almost like stalking… … .”

[Anyway!]

She was too far from her house to just say that she simply happened to come to the same cafe that was across Yoon-woo’s dorm while looking for a quiet cafe.

There were many more quiet cafes along the route than you think.

Even if you go to the second floor of the star cafe in the middle building, there are still three weeks left until the midterm exam, and in the evening, it is relatively quiet and there are relatively few people.

Hye-rim must have had other intentions in the cafe across from Yoon-woo’s dorm.

Somehow, she thought that Hye-rim was too docile to accept that Yoon-woo and Ji-eun were drinking together.

Her spine trembled at the thought of Hye-rim sitting in the cafe and watching over the glass wall when the lights in Yoon-woo’s bedroom were turned on.

But on the other hand, she also felt sad when she thought of Hye-rim, who had waited for Yoon-woo for when he reached home.

But there were also some odd things. If that’s the case, she can just say she’ll drink with us.

It was possible enough, so why bother?

[Anyway… … . Hey. Perhaps… … . Does unnie like Yoon-woo too?]

“… … .”

[It’s okay to admit it, unnie. I’m not mad at you. ]

“Huh? Really?”

[Yeah, well, even if you like him, what can I do about it? It’s not like I can control people’s hearts. Yoon-woo is such an attractive person… … . Even if Yoon-woo likes you, I can’t do anything about it… …]

“You… … . Do you really think so?”

[…… Still, unnie. You can’t do a Foul play]

“Foul?”

[For example, making Yoon-woo drink alcohol and taking him home after he is not in his right mind like today, or what did you do while he sleeps?]

“Hey, uh, uh, huh, of course, … … . I didn’t. I didn’t use force to drag him here. Nothing really happened. This situation just happened……somehow…like that … .”

Hye-rim spoke as if she had seen what Ji-eun was about to do, Ji-eun looked around her, thinking that Hye-rim might be hiding in this house.

Seriously, if she knows about this whole situation, there is no way she would have stayed still. Did she install a camera here? No, maybe….

[So, you’re not lying to me now? Like you did before?]

“No, of course not. I’m sorry I lied to you earlier… … .”

[You promise? Can I trust you?]

“Huh. of course… … .”

[Then I will trust you and sleep. I’ll believe you because unnie said that she won’t do anything. You know I always trust you, right?]

“Well, I know… … .”

[Then I’ll come to your place early tomorrow morning. Sleep well, unnie.]

“Okay… … . You too, Hye-rim, sleep well.”

And like this, Ji-eun was finally able to end the phone call with Hye-rim.

‘It’s scary… … .’

The high that Ji-eun was enjoying, all of it seemed to have been drained after dealing with Hye-rim.

Hye-rim also knows her password to her door lock.

You’re coming to my house early in the morning, what time do you want to come? Are you doing this to check if something’s wrong with Yoon-woo?

Are you saying don’t do something silly because she can come over anytime she wants to? She said she believes in me? Really?

Even if Ji-eun is dating Yoon-woo, will she just accept it? The one who waited outside Yoon-woo’s house for 4 hours?

I don’t think so.

It was the first time that Ji-eun had heard Hye-rim speak with such a cold and scary voice.

Ji-eun returned to her room, but Hye-rim’s cold voice saying that she shouldn’t be fouled reverberated, and she couldn’t have the courage to continue what she had been doing before.

Meanwhile, Yoon-woo was asleep in the same position as before.

‘Is this bastard dead?’

When I put my palm on Yoon-woo’s face, I could feel him breathing.

I don’t think he’s dead. How can a person sleep in one position only?

It was Ji-eun who had such a question.

In fact, Yoon-woo’s bed in his bedroom was too small for Yoon-woo’s size, so if he didn’t put his arms and legs together like that, his body would stick out of the bed.

He would fall out of bed if he tossed and turned, so he had a habit of sleeping in such a rigid position as if he were dead.

It was one of the reasons for Yoon-woo’s poor sleep quality.

Ji-eun looked at Yoon-woo for a long time… …. and just lay down next to Yoon-woo.

‘It isn’t foul, right?’

Even if I go to an empty room, men and women use separate rooms whenever possible, but people who drink a lot do not care about such things, so they just lie on the floor and fall asleep.

Usually men do this a lot, but there are also cases where women do it because they are excited to drink.

The distance between a man and a woman sleeping on the floor in an empty room, or between Yoon-woo and Ji-eun on the bed now is the same, isn’t it?

‘Do I really need to give justification to sleep on the same bed? It’s just like sleeping on the floor. Yes, just sleeping at a reasonable distance on a smooth, soft floor. Why do I have to sleep on the sofa when there is such a spacious and nice bed? Both of us can sleep comfortably, and it is also not good for one person to sleep in an uncomfortable place.’

Ji-eun diligently justified her act of trying to sleep in the same bed with Yoon-woo.

In her mind, this was a measure to resolve the confusion caused by the collision of impulse and guilt toward Hye-rim.

The fact that there was a bit of closeness was the effect of drinking two bottles of soju and three glasses of vodka in a row.

‘Of course, the distance may get a little closer because I roll while I’m sleeping… … . That’s something that can happen even if you sleep on the floor… … .’

But as I thought of such excuses in my mind, other desires and impulses began to mix with it.

‘If I’m going to fall asleep next to Yoon-woo… … . Can’t I just do it right now? When Hye-rim comes up in the morning and says something, can I just say that it is my sleeping habit, right?’

Ji-eun usually sleeps hugging a pillow, but Yoon-woo is sleeping on that pillow now.

So… … If she habitually moves in search of a pillow while sleeping, she may end up next to Yoon-woo… … .

That seems like a pretty reasonable excuse.

There was no reason for her to stay still, thinking about it.

Ji-eun slowly moved to the side of Yoon-woo, came to a place where Yun-woo and her skin could touch, and laid down.

She could hear Yoon-woo’s soft breathing sounds as he slept.

When Ji-eun, who is of small stature, lay alone in this spacious bed, the remaining space in her bed would be empty, and her loneliness would come over.

She said that on the day Hye-rim came to her house, she would go to sleep in the same bed, but after she said that, she was afraid that she would look like a child to her, so she couldn’t.

Being alone in this spacious house, sleeping alone in this spacious bed is so lonely.

That’s why Ji-eun always hugged her pillow and curled up.

Maybe that’s why, as she lay in her bed with Yoon-woo and listened to his breathing, she remembered her childhood and her mother, who sang her favorite cartoon theme song by her side until she fell asleep.

‘♪What is this fluttering heart~ I can’t sleep for some reason♬’

If a monster suddenly pops out of the closet, will her mom fight and win? Should she run away together with her?

When she thought about it, she would fall asleep before she knew it.

She felt relieved that she had someone to face her fears with, whether overcoming the monster or dangerous things. … .

But compared to that time, she felt that she was missing something now.

Because her mother was a woman and Yoon-woo is a man? I don’t think that’s it… … .

‘Oh right.’

“Hey, put your arms down.”

Yoon-woo, who fell asleep with his hands neatly placed on his stomach and interlaced, Ji-eun wanted to lower Yoon-woo’s arms on the bed.

Come to think of it, her mother seems to have given her arm pillows to her when she was young.

In Ji-eun’s mind, her memories and the thought that she had to keep the line that could make her excuses to Hye-rim came and went.

When she tried to loosen Yoon-woo’s finger, which was held interlocked, he mumbled incoherently, ‘Ugh… … Huh?’ After making a low moan, he released his fingers on his own, lowered his arms from his stomach, and came to an alert posture.

Fortunately, he didn’t wake up.

Yoon-woo’s arm was rather thin for a man, but his muscles were firm in many places, and Ji-eun’s head was smaller than others, so Yoon-woo’s arm was not uncomfortable for Ji-eun to put her head.

And his upper arm was wide and sturdy, so it was easy to put her head.

Ji-eun, who was relieved by the comfort of a person’s body temperature and body odor, and the regular heartbeat from Yoon-woo’s chest, quickly fell asleep.

Digging into Yoon-woo’s side, she put her head on Yoon-woo’s chest and hugged his arm tightly… … .

Even while Ji-eun was moving around so much, Yoon-woo did not get up. In fact, Yoon-woo was in a state of almost fainting due to excessive drinking.

It would have happened sooner or later.

This is because Yoon-woo has been dependent on drugs to sleep for quite a long time, and even now, without drugs, he cannot sleep deeply.

It was after three or four hours that Yoon-woo woke up.

Even though he was awake, he was so dizzy that he couldn’t open his eyes, and strangely, one of his arms was tingling.

And his throat was very dry from dehydration from drinking.

I think something is holding my arm. What the hell is this?

I wanted to check what it was, so I swung it with my other arm and felt warm body temperature and fluffy hair.

Yoon-woo, who was not awake, remembered a post he had seen on the Internet a while ago.

It was written that an unknown cat had entered the room and took a picture with a person.

It could have been the same in his bedroom. I saw that there was a hole in the corner of the window screen and left it unattended and it may have sneaked in through there.

Yoon-woo, who continued to think like that, had yet to come back to his senses to the extent that he had yet to realize that he was not lying in his own room.

From a young age, Yoon-woo really liked cats.

So, the day he was scolded and kicked out of the house, he would play with the street cats in the nearby alleys.

But when he became an adult, he no longer had that opportunity.

The cats near the school followed people well because the students often gave them snacks, but Yoon-woo couldn’t get close to them because they were so popular with people that there were always several people taking pictures.

So, he thought this was a great opportunity.

I am thirsty, but that’s for later. I want to touch the cat before it runs away.

With that thought in mind, Yoon-woo moved his other hand to pet the cat, touching carefully not to let the cat run away.

The warm body temperature, the smooth feeling, the soft, long hair that slid between his fingers pleasantly… … .

But something felt strange. When I was a kid, after touching a stray cat for a long time, my hands would be very oily and I would have to wash my hands hard with soap, but the fur was so soft and clean.

An ominous thought came into Yoon-woo’s mind.

Come to think of it, all Korean stray cats are short-haired, but this hair is too long. Besides, I think the head is a bit big for a cat… … .

Is the Maine Coon out of the house? I heard that the world’s largest Maine Coon cat is over 120cm tall. Is such a rare cat in my living room? No way… … .

‘No way… … . Could it be? no way… … .’

With a trembling heart, Yoon-woo slowly and carefully moved the hand that had not yet been retrieved from the fur.

The soft touch of Yoon-woo’s hand, and the small, round, swirl-shaped place where the hair begins to be touched… …

It was a shape that exists only on humans.

‘… … Is this human!?’