Chapter 192 – Cohabitation (2)

“Cheer up.”
“Ch-cheer up!”

As Lee Se-Young’s words were spoken, Byul’s hands trembled.

A magical phrase often used by elementary school teachers when punishing students: stand with your hands raised. Kneeling, Byul became emotional in this incomprehensible situation, her eyes misting over.

“Why did you do that?”
“Se-Young, there’s some kind of misunderstanding… This really isn’t a big deal. If Jung-Sil gets angry over something like this, you know it’s really not important-“
“Don’t lower your hands.”
“Eeek!”

Startled by Se-Young’s stern warning, Byul exerted more force into her raised hands.

It felt as though an old trauma was resurfacing, a time when she was caught reading a novel in a corner of the classroom and forced to read its contents aloud in front of her peers.

“-Thud, thud, thud! With his sword, Weed-“

“-Hahaha! She said ‘thud, thud, thud!'”
“-Pfft, hahaha!”
“-…Enough, stop reading.”

People can read fantasy novels. Why tease me about something like that?

During my middle school days, I had no sense of style and was a modest girl. In such an embarrassing situation, middle school student Byul couldn’t handle it humorously and simply sat down with her face flushed.

Emotionally, Byul pouted her lips.

“Se, Se-young.”

“Why?”

Lee Se-young sat in her chair, crossed her legs, and stared at Byul.

“… I admit, I was wrong.”

“Right?”

“Honestly, I also wanted to have a good time with Si-heon. Huh? You know that, right?”

Why doesn’t she realize that’s the right thing to say in this situation? Lee Se-young sighed and swept her face with both hands.

“Whew… hey.”

“Uh, yes.”

“I’m sorry if I’m sensitive… Honestly, you know how much I like him.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It was as if her feelings were written somewhere. She called suddenly, asking for help. What kind of scheme? I suspect that kind of attack.

If not, the image of Se-Young, who said she would take responsibility, flashed through Byul’s mind.

“You and Si-heon… I’m not saying anything about sleeping or something like that.”
“…Yes.”

They know all there is to know.

Whom they sleep with. Well, being stuck would be a problem, but still.
It wasn’t Lee Se-Young’s discretion to roll around with anyone.
That was to be left to Lee Si-heon’s thoughts and actions. At this retreat, Lee Se-Young realized that.

“Si-heon… You know very well that you’re being targeted by Flower and their group, right?”
“Yes.”
“…And you can also be targeted by the World Tree.”
“…True.”

It’s a heavier issue than anticipated.
Byul, who raised their hand, lowered both hands down with a timid face.

Being targeted by both the World Tree and Flower.
It’s like there’s no place to set foot in this world.
Their lover… will receive similar treatment.

“You know, if we really go later, we could die. That’s why Se-Young said you’d join me to catch the Flower.”

And that was something Lee Si-heon noticed just before.

At the man’s continuous and fervent request, Lee Se-Young had no choice but to abandon the plan.

“…Se-Young, I have a question.”
“Hmm?”
“Given your personality… wouldn’t you ignore Si-heon’s request and proceed anyway?”

He’s impulsive and conducts affairs according to his own thoughts. In a positive light, this could be seen as assertive and proactive; negatively, it could be perceived as rude and inconsiderate.

Byul and Lee Se-Young have been close friends and comrades, transcending ordinary relationships since their academy days. They are two women who are not only excellent business partners but also share the same lover.

Because of this, when Byul first received a call from Lee Se-Young and witnessed Lee Si-heon in a flustered state, she couldn’t help but harbor doubts.

‘Well, back then… I did cry out because I felt wronged.’

There was nothing to be done about it.
Despite all the diligent preparation, it was suddenly cancelled.

Regardless, that was not in Lee Se-Young’s nature.

Well, Lee Se-Young herself did possess a twisted personality.
The very fact that the filthy-tempered girl endured a rape, fell in love, and became gentle…

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Suddenly, Se-Young spoke up.

“Huh?”

In response to Byul’s question, Lee Se-Young let out a genuinely deep sigh.

“Back then… I really don’t know. At the retreat, for a brief moment… The World Tree? Something disappeared because of it, you know?”
“Ah, I heard about that.”
“When I returned from there and met them… Do you know what their expression was like? When someone vanishes right before your eyes… You know what it’s like, right? A person on the verge of breaking down.”

Yes, she knew.
Lee Se-Young knew as well. Their past had not been smooth.
They had faced experiences akin to death multiple times.

“On that day… Pretending to be persuaded. I originally intended to stick to the plan.”
“Did you?”

“…As if afflicted with paranoia. He keeps asking.”
“How?”
“What else? It’s a love confession.”
“…What the hell? Are you teasing?”
“It’s not that. The tone of his voice was different… As if he could barely hold on, it was sticky. Ugh, seriously.”

Did Lee Si-heon really say that?

“Ah, but it was only that night… From the next day on… everything returned to normal.”
“Really?”
“It seemed like something peculiar happened that day…”

The Lee Si-heon that Byul knew wasn’t like that. Is there a difference in the size of love? It was too presumptuous to conclude with such words. Si-heon was… somewhat playful.

Of course, he had been showing a more serious side lately. Was it extreme? No, it was just at the level that a woman would like based on Byul’s standards.

Lee Se-young let out a sigh, her face half-filled with tears.

“…Anyway, after hearing that, how could I proceed with my original plan?”

She seemed to have her share of heartache.

“I see.”

“Yes.”

Seeing the disheartened Lee Se-Young, a sigh escaped Byul.

‘…Sigh.’

Lee Se-Young’s love is something difficult to understand.

Of course, love is like that.

It can begin and end at any moment. There have been countless romances in which people risk their lives for one another. History is filled with such examples.

A nation brought to ruin for the sake of a single woman. Two men who fought to the death in a duel over a woman’s affections.

And among such numerous instances, Lee Se-Young’s experience of suddenly finding a connection and becoming convinced was not unique. Somewhere, there must be love that changes blindly, like hers.

‘It’s because I’m not Lee Se-Young. I can’t empathize with that aspect.’

In one way or another, she must have felt love. It’s a feeling nobody else can truly understand.

As a love that only she possesses, it has a certain special appeal. Regardless of the circumstances, Lee Si-heon is indeed a good person.

Despite having been violated, she managed to see through his true nature. That was indeed remarkable.

“So,”

Lee Se-young circled back to the beginning of the story. As she untwisted her legs and lowered her head, her ample breasts came into view.

They were beautifully shaped, not overly large.

“…A milk cow.”

“What did you say?”

Jealous of her figure, Byul silently stuck out her cat-like tongue.

Without even looking at Byul’s face, Lee Se-young bit her lower lip and let out a heated breath.

“Anyway, I reluctantly listened to him pleading his case. Now, this guy is doing the same thing as me! And without me knowing!”

That was true.

Lee Si-heon had told Lee Se-young not to intervene and decided to step in himself.

“You’re weaker than me… Can you really fight Flower?”

“Si-heon is weaker than you…really?”

“Then?”

Neither Byul nor Lee Se-young had yet been able to fully comprehend Lee Si-heon’s martial prowess. Certainly, his performance in the tournament had been remarkable. However, at the academy, opponents were at most fledgling students. How formidable could they be? Furthermore, Si-heon had limited real combat experience.

In short, Lee Si-heon’s assessed abilities were considered weak within the A-class.

“Let’s see… when the Flower Terror incident occurred in the past… since I captured the Ent with White Peach, at least an upper B-class. That’s where I reached my peak in the tournament… even if generously estimated, a lower A-class. It’s definitely uncertain to challenge Flower, isn’t it?”

“See? I told you.”

At Byul’s words, Lee Se-young nodded her head vigorously.

“But Se-young…”

However, Byul interrupted Lee Se-young’s words and broached the subject seriously. Crossing his arms and pausing for a moment to focus, he spoke softly and kindly.

“There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding here. Isn’t it natural for Si-heon to fight with Flower? Si-heon is hostile towards Flower, and similarly, Flower is targeting Si-heon.”

Assessing one’s skills and abilities shouldn’t be the main focus here. Lee Si-heon didn’t want Lee Se-young to get involved in the fight. Perhaps his reason was the fear that Se-young might get hurt in some way.

“I know… I’m already aware of that.”

Se-young murmured in a lamenting tone at Byul’s words. The true reason behind Se-young’s concern and opposition to Si-heon fighting Flower was her evaluation of Si-heon’s abilities.

And that reason was the same as why Si-heon shared information only with Byul, instructing him not to inform Se-young.

Simply put, they were worried about each other.

For no substantial reason, this man and woman were engaged in a battle of wits.

“Ah… You two are really so alike.”

How could their thoughts and actions align so perfectly?

Byul could hardly bear it, her frustration brimming as she finally erupted in anger.

“No… Se-Young. Must I feel so deprived as my boyfriend’s other girlfriend?”
“What, what? What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”
“Oh, right. You’re his first girlfriend… first girlfriend, indeed. Yes, yes. It must be nice to be so close. The way you support each other, as if to keep one another alive… it’s really quite touching, don’t you think?”

Byul unleashed a torrent of sentences, each laced with her simmering anger. As Lee Se-Young listened to Byul’s words, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Hey, please. Just listen. It’s as if… you two care a bit too much for one another, from what I can see. Can’t Si-heon and you trust both of us together?”
“…”
“Se-Young, you weren’t always like this. It’s strange, whenever Si-heon is involved, you lose your composure.”
“Is that so?”
“See, Shiba! Even now, you should have said, ‘What are you talking about, you idiot?'”
“What are you talking about, you idiot.”
“Exactly!”

Byul forced a cheerful smile, trying to mask the effort. Se-Young, meanwhile, twirled a strand of her hair as she stared blankly at a point outside the window.

“…Am I being too sensitive or something?”

Lately, it seems that way.
It’s not like she’s always on her period, but what’s with this heightened sensitivity?

It’s definitely not out of resentment for being told to raise her hand like an elementary school student earlier. After rationalizing her thoughts, Byul gave Lee Se-Young some fitting advice in her own way.

“Se-Young.”
“Yeah?”
“…Just like before. Both of you should take some time together.”

It might be because they’ve been living apart for a while.
When there’s distance, they each have their own thoughts and judge each other based on their own perspectives.

In a way, Lee Se-Young’s behavior might be a kind of affection deprivation. Self-proclaimed psychiatrist Byul decided to make that judgment.

“The two of you?”
“How did you live when you first started flirting with each other?”
“Just… If we were bored, we’d call each other to drink. We’d listen to each other when we were angry, stuff like that?”
“That’s right! Do that! Do that!”

Why on earth is she struggling all by herself?

In the courtyard where the plan had been canceled, Lee Se-Young found herself with some spare time. As Byul displayed a furious gesture, Se-Young gave a bitter smile.

“Shall we?”
“Sure, let’s.”
“You’re a good friend, talking to me like this.”

Lee Se-Young expressed her gratitude to Byul, who in turn shook her head, feeling a warmth in her heart.

“I don’t know. I had my hand raised earlier, and it put me in a really bad mood.”
“Ah, come on.”
“I just hope your boyfriend gets taken away by someone else!”
“That’s crossing the line.”
“Ah, is it? Sorry.”

After a long time, they decided to have a drink together. At Se-Young’s suggestion, Byul smiled and nodded her head.

“Let’s get up.”

Leaving the vice president’s office, they headed to the pub. As Lee Se-Young watched the excited Byul, something occurred to her and she spoke up.

“Hey, but isn’t it true?”
“What?”
“While we’re doing this… there’s a fox out there trying hard to seduce Si-heon.”

A fox? Was it true?!

As Byul’s face hardened, Lee Se-Young glanced at the time on her phone and chuckled.

“Let’s see. They should be doing it by now.”

* * * * * * * *

“Is this right?”

Regardless of it being the first day living together…

Sharing a bed could be plausible. The size of the bed was indeed large enough for a wedding night, but there was no harm in it.

“But… from the very first day?”

I directed my gaze downward. Azalea’s sticky eyes were fixated on my lower abdomen.

“…You.”

College students. Co-living. A self-contained room… A naked girlfriend.

It was a predictable turn of events for anyone to see.