Chapter 55 - I Did, I Think?

Teren sat down on the couch. He would be gravely lying if he said he didn't want to stay there for the night. However, his original problem was still there. What if he attacked Iesa?

That really bothers him. Right now, he had no thoughts of doing it but he doesn't trust himself. He was being cautious.

'But wait, do I have to restraint myself? She's letting me, who's mentally stable to sleep in her apartment. Maybe she actually wants me to attack her?'

To be clear, Teren's definition of attack right now is to do his carnal desires to her.

Falling into deep contemplation, he began to realize it.

'Even though this is the first time I have a friend, I don't think it's normal to be this close, right? She's even purposively closing the distance between us through these days. Also, she always wants me to stay. Is that a clear invitation?'

Teren is not dumb and oblivious to this matter. In fact, he would say that he was overly conscious of it.

But soon, he shook his head with a disappointed smile.

'No, from what I know, I'm her first friend too. Maybe she thinks that this is normal for friends. I mean, it is normal... but not for the opposite sex? Ahh! I have no idea!'

Okay, Teren is only not oblivious to this matter. His smile turned from disappointed to sad one.

'I mean, even if she does, it's not like we can...'

"Teren, do you take your bath night or in the morning?" Iesa suddenly spoke while preparing the dinner. Her head was still lowered and doesn't have the courage to meet Teren in the eyes even for a slight moment.

'Does he thinks I'm too desperate? But it is curfew! Kids like us shouldn't be out in the night!' Iesa defended herself, forgetting about the fact that Teren is a literal mass murderer.

Teren's heart clenched, seeing this. Not of pain, of course. But he didn't let it show on his face as he answered.

"I bathe in the morning..." not to let the conversation die down, he continued, "There are people who bathe at the night?"

Iesa nodded with small movements to keep her head down.

"Yeah... there's the Japanese. Don't you watch anime?"

"I do, sometimes. Don't they know that we sweat while we sleep?"

"I don't know the exact reasoning but the advantage is, they easily avoid tardiness. They're very punctual there... I think. I haven't got there or in any other countries." Iesa then remembered the day before Hanon did not come to classes.

"You went to the north and the south pole, right? What's in there?"

Just like that, her initial embarrassment was covered. They just talked and didn't even open the television. They ate dinner and continued talking, too immersed in the conversation.

"But, how about you? You said you speak six languages but you still haven't used it in other countries?" Teren casually asked.

They sat opposite each other at the dinner table.

"No, I don't even know why I learned those languages... or where." Iesa answered in wonder.

"Really? How did that happen?"

Teren tilted his head in amazement and curiosity.

"I have no idea. Just one day, about last year or so, I watched a movie and some side character spoke Russian then I understood it. I thought it was because I read the subtitles first without me knowing but I tried listening without one and I understood them."

Iesa showed an expression of surprise. She was far from telling a lie, Teren thought. She then continued.

"I tried other languages as well and some, I understood, some I don't. I tried speaking it and I can."

"Ohh..."

Iesa saw Teren's reaction of amazement and chuckled.

"You believe me?"

Teren nodded, "Yeah."

Iesa just smiled and didn't ask the reason why. Somehow, she felt comfortable as if she released some weight on her shoulders. However, there was still bothering her and she knows exactly what it is.

'Should I tell him that I can hear people's thoughts?'

But she greatly hesitated for some reason. Feeling scared of revealing this greatest secret of her, she diverted her attention and remembered something again.

"Also, how did you guess every lie I said that day?"

Teren raised his eyebrows and thought for a while before he remembered as he answered. He raised a finger.

"Ah, I'm not really sure but I just went for the ones that have too much information. I thought that you're smart so you wouldn't give an obvious lie. You will sprinkle some truths in it and you can't do that in a few words."

Iesa clasped her hands.

"Exactly! That's what I did!" she then paused and frown, "But wait, some of my truths have more words though?"

"Heh, your lie of seven languages is too obvious for me. It has a number and numbers are easy to modify. And the Harvard statement has too many details." Teren's eyes then rolled away, "Also, some lucky guesses?"

Seeing Iesa giggle, Teren continued.

"And you guessed mine too, right? I just used the same tactic, actually."

"Oh... huh?" Iesa's eyebrows suddenly dropped.

"What?" Teren asked.

"Then why did you give a full lie on one of your statements?" Iesa asked.

"Which one? I did the tactic on every single statement though."

"The one you said you dated a pop idol for two months..."

Iesa's eyelids dropped as her cheeks burned a little from embarrassment. She felt she was too direct and curious about it.

Teren remembered and answered.

"Yeah, that was a lie too."

Iesa sighed even though she already knew that.

"I've dated her for three months."

Teren's answer made Iesa's pupils contract and swallow what she just sighed earlier. She looked at him with disbelief. No, she wanted to know if she heard it wrong.

"I know, it's unbelievable. Why would you break up with an idol, right?" Teren leaned forward and whispered as if he's about to tell a secret, "I know it's weird coming from me, but that girl is crazy."

He then leaned back and casually said.

"The day I woke up tied in her bedroom, that was when I broke up with her. I really wanted to kill her back then but she's one of the few people I know I can't kill. The death of an idol will be too sensational. Others will use it to gain support from the people and have a reason to publicly search for me which I cannot do."

Teren sighed as if in regret as he explained the story. But Iesa cut him off as if her question was the most important.

"But you didn't really like this idol, right?"

".... I did, I think?"