Chapter 49 : Chapter 49

There are many rooms in the (old) Matsuda Department Store.

Of course, there are.

It was originally built to be a "department store".

When considered purely as a department store, it might feel rather small.

After all, the building was only two stories tall.

Even though the ceilings were very high and the area was spacious, when compared to modern "department stores," or even to other department stores built in the early 20th century when this building was constructed, it wasn't very large.

I later learned the history of the building and found out that this department store wasn't meant for the general public.

It was a kind of special gallery for luxury goods and art, catering to the Japanese upper class visiting Joseon, as well as to the Joseon nobility and royalty, selling expensive imported items.

Because of this, its design was somewhat different from that of a typical modern department store.

Rather than being located on a corner with four to five stories rising upward to attract a lot of people, this mansion was built in the shape of an upside-down capital Pi (Π) in the middle of a plot with a wide garden.

The interior was luxurious, with a few spacious empty areas, so during its prime, it was even used for weddings and other events.

Now, most of the rooms were empty, and only a few places were properly used.

That's right.

Apart from the areas used by the staff, the only room in this mansion that could truly be called a "room" was the one I used.

After all, this place was originally used to imprison Ye Sara, so there was no reason to furnish the other rooms.

Luckily, there were spare blankets.

The problem was that all these spare blankets were for Ye Sara to "cover herself" with, not for laying on the floor.

Moreover, since the original purpose of this building was a department store, the floors were made of cold marble.

Although they looked beautiful, they weren't very suitable for laying blankets on and sleeping.

At least it wasn't an extreme Western-style house where you wore shoes indoors, but without indoor slippers, walking barefoot on the cold floor wasn't much different from that.

Even though it wasn't too late at night yet, and I could probably still get a blanket quickly if I rushed—

"Why bother?"

Upon hearing my suggestion of fetching a blanket, Shin So-hee replied with a look that said, "Why worry about something like that?"

"The bed is so big, why would you bother sleeping on the floor?"

"…What?"

When I couldn't believe my ears and asked her again, Shin So-hee looked at me squarely and said,

"I'm saying, the bed is so big, why should someone sleep on the floor while someone else sleeps in the bed?"

I looked at the bed Shin So-hee pointed at.

…It was certainly big.

Honestly, it was a bed so huge that it felt absurd for me to use alone.

It wasn't the size of a typical single bed found in most homes or one-room apartments, but more like a massive bed you'd see in a fantasy movie, fit for a princess.

Yeah, honestly, it did seem unnecessarily large for just me.

Maybe it wasn't even a standard bed size.

Perhaps it had been custom-made to fit the proportion of the enormous room.

Given that I was living in a remodeled department store, it wouldn't make sense to be surprised by such things now.

It was silly to be astonished at this point.

…I must not have noticed because the bed matched the proportions of the room so well.

Anyway, yes.

The bed was indeed large.

It seemed possible that the four of us could lie down together.

Among the four of us, besides Shin So-hee, none of us were particularly tall.

However.

"Still, wouldn't it be too cramped for four people?"

No matter how oversized the bed was, it was probably only designed for two people, or maybe three if a couple and a child were taken into account.

What kind of weirdo would design a bed for four high school girls to sleep in?

"I agree with So-hee."

Ha-neul, who had been gawking around the room with her mouth open, rejected my concern.

"We're the ones who decided to sleep here without permission, right? We can't cause any more trouble now. If the four of us sleep in the bed, we won't even need extra blankets."

It wasn't just about the four of us sleeping in one bed—if we all lay side by side, wouldn't the person at the end eventually end up outside the blanket?

"See? That's what I'm saying."

Shin So-hee smiled broadly, agreeing with Ha-neul.

Weren't the two of you just fighting for reasons I couldn't figure out?

Seeing the two of them suddenly acting so friendly, I found it a bit puzzling.

"I-I also think that's a good idea. After all, we showed up without warning…"

No, I'm uncomfortable with this.

Of course, I couldn't say that out loud to their considerate faces.

Yes, to be honest, I had to admit that when they suggested we sleep in the same bed, a small part of me had gotten a little excited.

Not that I was expecting anything inappropriate to happen… but, you know.

There's that kind of fantasy people sometimes have, especially during their teenage years…

Shin So-hee had an amazing figure, even at a glance.

That's not to say Lee Soo-ah's body was bad either.

Though her chest size wasn't quite the same as Shin So-hee's, her height was almost the same as mine, making the difference in proportions stand out even more.

Ha-neul was similar.

She wasn't as obviously curvy as the other two, but her balanced figure made up for it.

Truly a main character appearance worthy of a visual novel heroine.

…And when it came to beauty, I couldn't criticize any of the three.

They were all stunning.

Two of them were, after all, romantic interests, and one was the main character.

They each had different charms, so comparing them was pointless.

And here I was, about to sleep crammed in the same bed with these three.

It was like a scene straight out of some teenage fantasy dream.

But yeah, that's the problem.

If I were to experience this "dreamy" event in real life, would I be able to handle it?

…Well, even if I couldn't, in Ye Sara's body, I'd probably be subdued immediately.

The real issue wasn't moving around in my body—it was whether I could actually get any sleep while lying between these three girls.

Given the positions Ha-neul and I had been in during class earlier today, I knew it would be hard to fall asleep.

"So? Everyone else agrees, right?"

While I was lost in my thoughts, Shin So-hee urged me, as if pressing for a decision.

…Oh, whatever.

Honestly, with them insisting this much, I had no reason to refuse.

If they didn't think it was weird, there was no point in me worrying about it alone and making it weird.

When I think about it, when I used to go on trips with a group of friends, we'd always sleep sprawled out together without a second thought.

Or when visiting a friend's house as a group, we'd just crash wherever there was space…

Here, the only place to lie down was the bed, so naturally, this was their reaction.

Even if I laid out blankets, the marble floor would still be marble.

When I nodded, the three of them, including Shin So-hee, smiled brightly.

…This is the right choice, right?

…Right?

*

"So, what should we do? It feels a little awkward just sitting here without doing anything."

As the one who suggested sleeping over at the mansion, Shin So-hee posed the question.

"It's still early, not even 8 PM yet. Should we order something to eat?"

"Oh, then I'll call the maid—"

"No, we've already been treated to dinner."

Shin So-hee cut off my suggestion cleanly.

"At least we should buy the late-night snack ourselves. Besides, don't you think we're still a bit full right now? Even if they're staff, it doesn't seem right to ask them to do something after 6 PM. That's usually when people get off work, right?"

She was absolutely right.

It would feel a bit wrong to call someone in during their off-hours just because we wanted a snack.

…But were they really thinking about eating a late-night snack?

What time were they planning to sleep?

Clearly, Shin So-hee wasn't just planning to stay over for the night—she intended to have fun while she was here.

Did she really like this group that much?

Or was she just the type to often sleep over at friends' houses?

It was hard to tell, but neither would be surprising given her personality.

"Oh, should we order chicken?"

Ha-neul suggested.

"Sounds good. By the time it arrives, we could take turns showering while we wait."

Lee Soo-ah silently nodded.

Chicken, huh…

Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten fried chicken since I got here.

The last time I had chicken was in the chicken burger I ate while following Shin So-hee on her "commoner food" tour.

Chicken sounds great.

I would've liked to have some cold beer with it, but… it's impossible at my current age.

And who knows what kind of disaster would unfold if I drank alcohol in Ye Sara's body.

I quietly listened as the three of them discussed the menu, talking about what kind of chicken to order and what sides to get.

Well, unless they ordered from a really terrible place, there was little chance of the chicken tasting bad, so I just left the decision to the three of them while sitting there idly.

"Oh, by the way. You can shower first."

Noticing I was sitting there absentmindedly, Ha-neul spoke up.

"Oh, is that alright?"

When I asked, the three of them nodded in unison.

"Yeah. This is your house, after all."

Hearing Lee Soo-ah's words, I got up hesitantly.

"Well, then… I'll go shower first…?"

As I spoke, I felt a strange discomfort.

No, it wasn't something about the three of them…

It was about the fact that a girl had just told me to go shower first.

It was an unusual thing for me to hear.

…

Ha, I'm really hopeless.

What kind of teenage boy reacts like this to such a simple comment?

I let out a long breath, feeling much more at ease.

Yeah, it was probably just a friendly gesture.

Since I was the host, they were just letting me shower first.

Why was I imagining weird things since earlier?

"Alright. I'll go shower first, then."

With a much lighter heart, I stood up completely, and the three of them smiled at me.

Their smiles were bright and innocent, with not a hint of ulterior motive.

*

Click.

The bathroom door connected to the bedroom closed.

For a moment, the three people left in the room held their breath, listening carefully.

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the still, quiet space, making it hard to believe there were three people there.

After a moment, the sound of running water broke the silence.

And the instant that sound was heard, the first person to spring up was Shin So-hee.

She quickly jumped off the bed and walked straight to the wardrobe, throwing the door open.

"What are you doing without asking…!"

Ha-neul, startled by Shin So-hee's sudden action, shouted, and Shin So-hee furrowed her brow slightly as she responded.

"I told you earlier, right? I'm going to borrow some clothes."

Upon hearing that, Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah's mouths fell open in shock.

Shin So-hee, unaffected, began browsing through the clothes hanging in the wardrobe.

"Hmm, there aren't as many types of clothes as I thought."

"…!"

It was then that Ha-neul remembered the shopping trip she had with Ye Sara last Saturday.

That particular outfit must not be touched…!

Ha-neul's internal alarm bells went off.

She quickly sprang up, jumping off the bed just like Shin So-hee had done earlier.

"I'm borrowing clothes too!"

That's right.

Ha-neul had declared she would even borrow underwear when she came into this house.

Shin So-hee narrowed her eyes, but Ha-neul didn't seem fazed at all.

Despite the height difference, there was no sign of intimidation.

Their gazes clashed in mid-air.

Watching the two with a dazed expression, Lee Soo-ah was certain that she saw sparks flying between them.