Chapter 34 : Chapter 34

Sigh, yeah.

Why am I being so suspicious?

In the first place, she was the one who brought me out, saying she'd help me.

If I start doubting her here, I'd just be the bad guy.

She just wanted me to experience different things, and that's how it ended up like this.

I had no reason to blame Yoo Ha-neul.

Moreover, honestly, there wasn't anything bad about this for me.

It wasn't like I was hanging out with a guy; it was with a girl—Yoo Ha-neul, who was undoubtedly beautiful enough that no one would think it strange to call her a stunning girl.

It wasn't unpleasant walking around with her, and to be honest, it was actually quite enjoyable.

In my previous life, I hardly ever walked around with a girl.

"Of course, I had fun."

Yoo Ha-neul smiled bashfully at my words.

"This is going to melt. Let's eat."

When I picked up my spoon and said that, Yoo Ha-neul nodded her head.

Well… when you think about it, if you're dating, it's called a date, and if not, it's just hanging out together.

Even when I met with friends, we didn't always meet in large groups.

Sometimes it was just the two of us drinking and eating things like army stew and potato soup.

If you ask if a parfait and army stew are the same, I don't have much to say.

As I spooned the sweet parfait into my mouth, I rationalized the current situation in my head.

*

I intended to pay, but Yoo Ha-neul adamantly refused.

Since she ate more than half of the parfait, she said she should either pay or at least split the bill.

Thinking we might never leave the café if I insisted on paying, we eventually agreed to split the bill.

Anyway, I could see why she's the main heroine.

She was incredibly stubborn.

Well, it's probably because she's so stubborn that she and the male lead clash and eventually end up together.

"Ah, um, that…"

As soon as we stepped out of the café, Yoo Ha-neul, who had been clinging to me just moments before, mumbled, standing about half a step away.

She must have been mortified, thinking I'd caught her looking up dating spots earlier.

…Judging by the way she kept glancing at my arm, it seemed like she wanted to link arms.

Didn't she say earlier that it was something close friends could do?

If I reject her now, would it be like declaring, "We're not close"?

I didn't want that.

Beyond just thinking she was the heroine, I personally didn't want to push Yoo Ha-neul away.

Even without the title of "heroine", wasn't she a beautiful and kind girl?

Honestly, as a friend, I felt she was too good for me.

With my hand in my pocket, I lifted my arm slightly.

"You were the one looking up places to go earlier. I'd appreciate it if you could lead the way properly."

As I said that, Yoo Ha-neul's face immediately lit up.

Well, her face was already bright, but her expression made it feel even more so.

"That's right~!"

Yoo Ha-neul said that as she linked her arm with mine, lightly leaning against me.

…Is this really how friends act?

The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head.

If I couldn't trust Yoo Ha-neul in this world, who could I trust?

Well, there are two other people I could trust, but they weren't here right now.

"This way!"

Just like earlier, Yoo Ha-neul took the lead.

My arm was gently pulled, and I matched her pace.

It seemed like she still had many places she wanted to visit with me.

It looked like I'd be spending the whole day with Yoo Ha-neul.

Well, it wasn't a bad way to spend a day off.

*

In the end, I spent time with Yoo Ha-neul well past lunchtime.

By the time I snapped back to reality, the blue sky had turned red.

We hadn't done anything particularly special.

We walked for a while and had pork cutlet for lunch at a nearby place.

Since I had been eating a lot since morning, I couldn't finish half of mine, and the rest went into Yoo Ha-neul's stomach.

We came out to the streets again, wandering through the city.

We walked along a riverside trail and crossed stepping stones.

We browsed through a secondhand bookstore and sat on a bench when our legs got tired, only to quickly find a nearby café because it was too cold.

As the sun began to set, we found ourselves in front of the mansion where we had started.

I suspected that at some point, Yoo Ha-neul had intentionally started leading us back here.

She must have been considerate of the fact that I needed to return eventually.

The main gate was already open.

Did someone following me discreetly inform them?

Or maybe they knew no one else would be returning besides me, so they left it open?

Neither option was particularly appealing.

The pleasant mood I had been in just moments ago quickly sank as I gazed at the mansion in the distance.

Once I returned there, the noise and excitement of today would feel like a distant memory, and I'd be thrown back into an overwhelmingly quiet place, all alone.

I could somewhat sympathize with Ye Sara, who had tried to escape this place, even in death.

For me, it had only been about two months, but for Ye Sara, it had been years of living like this since she was nine.

And it wasn't like she had any hope.

There was no Yoo Ha-neul or Lee Soo-ah to talk to, no friends like Shin So-hee waiting for her outside of school.

None of the staff inside the mansion spoke to Ye Sara.

"…"

The security guard standing next to the gate stared at me intently.

Unlike the guard from the morning, his face was expressionless.

Could it be a different person?

Or maybe he had steeled himself after this morning's surprise and vowed not to let it catch him off guard again.

He mumbled something into the microphone attached to his collar, probably calling Yang Hye-in.

Right, unlike yesterday, I had been outside since morning.

If he had been waiting here, he would have been standing all day.

"…See you tomorrow."

As I said that, the grip on my arm loosened, and Yoo Ha-neul hesitated, stepping slightly aside.

"I had a great time."

At my words, Yoo Ha-neul lowered her head slightly, looking a bit shy.

To be honest, it was a little embarrassing for me to say as well.

But it felt like I should say it.

"Can I come again sometime?"

"Yeah."

Although, it might not be possible.

If things went as Yang Hye-in predicted, today's unusual event would surely be reported to the chairman.

And if it was reported, the chairwoman would find a way to tighten her grip on me.

If I wasn't careful, Yoo Ha-neul might also get caught up in some kind of trouble.

…I really needed to find the person who was helping me from the outside as soon as possible.

"Then, see you at school."

At my words, Yoo Ha-neul nodded.

"Yeah!"

And once again, she gave me a bright smile.

*

"Welcome back, Miss."

Yang Hye-in greeted me politely, bowing as I passed her on my way to the mansion.

I gave her a slight nod and walked past.

For a while, the only sound was the echo of my footsteps and the soft steps of Yang Hye-in following behind.

Although I knew there were cars and people passing outside the gate, it felt strangely quiet here.

The mansion's atmosphere was heavy and stifling.

The prison that trapped Ye Sara.

Ironically, the doors of the mansion opened without me having to touch them.

As if in sync with my movements, they would open wherever I intended to go.

But Ye Sara never stepped out through those wide-open doors.

There had been no one to take her hand and lead her out.

"I'll take your coat."

Yang Hye-in said as she reached out to me.

I handed her the jacket I had bought today, along with the shopping bag holding the tracksuit.

She'd take care of the rest.

Normally, once she received my things, she would bow again and return to her duties.

Then, I'd go up to my room and lounge around until dinner.

Of course, I expected today to be the same.

However, after taking my belongings, Yang Hye-in didn't leave.

Standing there for a moment, she hesitated before cautiously asking in a quiet voice.

"Did you have fun today…?"

Her tone was as if she were afraid of what I might say.

"…"

I stared blankly at her for a moment.

Yang Hye-in remained in place, as if waiting for my answer, like she had made a big decision.

"…Yes, I had fun."

"I see."

Yang Hye-in seemed to ponder my words for a moment before responding.

"I understand. Then…"

She bowed politely once more and turned to leave, resuming her duties.

"…"

What just happened?

I could only stare blankly at the back of Yang Hye-in as she walked away.

*

"Ha-neul… you've finally lost it."

Back home, Yoo Ha-neul threw herself onto her bed, burying her face in it.

While she hadn't been conscious of it while hanging out with Sara, on the way home, she replayed everything she had done in her mind, each action clear and in order.

She had done almost everything people do on a "date" with Sara, who knew nothing about friendships—clinging to her arm, feeding her, sharing the same food…

Of course, she had done some of these things with middle school friends.

Linking arms, feeding each other, sharing bingsu…

She had done all of these things before.

But for some reason, perhaps because Sara didn't seem to mind, she felt like she had gone a bit overboard today.

"Sara won't think it was weird, right…?"

She almost did.

She managed to explain it away when Sara asked, but it was a close call.

Since Sara accepted her explanation, that's probably why she went along with all the other things Yoo Ha-neul did afterward.

"Kyaaah!"

Yoo Ha-neul flailed her legs while burying her face into the bed.

The hem of the dress Sara had gifted her fluttered.

It was so embarrassing.

She wasn't sure if she'd be able to look Sara in the face on Monday.

But she didn't hate that strange, ticklish feeling in her chest.

Somehow, she wanted to walk together with her again.

"…Ah."

Suddenly, a critical thought passed through Yoo Ha-neul's mind.

Sara still didn't know the exact boundaries of friendship.

So, perhaps today, Sara would take everything she learned as the truth.

And if she believed it all as fact…

"…Ah…"

Yoo Ha-neul's face turned pale.

This was bad.

If she wasn't careful, Sara might do what Yoo Ha-neul had taught her today with other "friends"!

Perhaps even flashing those gentle eye smiles she often showed Yoo Ha-neul.

Yoo Ha-neul clutched her head with both hands.

"No!"

She wasn't exactly sure what couldn't happen or why, since she and Sara were still just friends.

It wasn't like Yoo Ha-neul could selfishly stop Sara from doing something she enjoyed.

But still—

For some reason, she really didn't like it.

"…"

When they met again on Monday, Yoo Ha-neul resolved to explain her actions to Sara once more.