Chapter 28: Bridging the Distance

Jinhyang’s idea of a “joke” made me wonder—how far did her definition extend?

There were many types of jokes. Regular pranks between friends were usually to build camaraderie. Jokes meant to bother someone were solely for self-satisfaction.

Whether it was to foster friendship or just to torment me… Our relationship would inevitably change depending on the kind of pranks Jinhyang decided to play.

There was only one way to find out: a direct experiment.

“Boss.”

I grasped Jinhyang’s hand and swung it up and down lightly.

“What?”

“From now on, feel free to joke around with me as much as you like.”

I was prepared to accept anything. I looked up at her with that resolve.

“…Why the sudden change?”

“I think I might have been too sensitive before.”

“…”

Jinhyang seemed to ponder for a moment, then reached into her pocket.

What she pulled out was the same choker from earlier in the morning.

Seeing it, my eyes widened in shock.

“What?”

Not that!

I was talking about normal jokes!

I reached out to stop her, but Jinhyang’s movements were faster than my reactions.

As expected of a hunter—she could move faster than the human eye could track.

Click.

With the sound of a button, I felt the collar tighten around my neck.

At the same time, my body collapsed.

“Ah.”

I’m falling face-first.

This is going to hurt, isn’t it?

Bracing myself for the pain, I squeezed my eyes shut. But before I hit the ground, Jinhyang caught me.

“So, as long as you’re not left alone, right?”

“Th-that’s…”

It’s true, but… Couldn’t she prank me in a different way?

I wanted to say that, but something felt strange.

Because right now, I felt much more at ease than I did when I was left alone this morning.

‘What’s the difference?’

I thought about it as I recalled the behavior of cats.

What does it mean when a cat’s scruff is grabbed?

Cats bite the nape of their young to move them to a ‘safe’ place.

‘Safe…?’

Lying there with my scruff caught and cradled in Jinhyang’s arms, I realized I felt… safe.

Was it because of a cat’s instincts?

In contrast, this morning, when I was left alone, I must’ve felt anxious.

‘So then…’

Maybe my rebellious attitude toward Jinhyang was really because of my feline instincts.

After all, it’s not exactly pleasant to be abandoned by your guardian.

“Heh.”

I felt conflicted between the shame of realizing I had animal instincts and the comfort of thinking it might not be so bad.

Preserving human dignity versus living a happy life even if it meant giving in to instincts.

While I struggled to decide which was more important—

Jinhyang was the first to speak.

“I brought the choker because I figured you hated it, so I was going to throw it away. But at least I got one last laugh out of it.”

…Throw it away?

This wonderful thing?

Her last comment stirred something deep within me.

“Uh, excuse me.”

“What?”

“Please don’t throw it away.”

“…What are you talking about?”

She wouldn’t understand.

How good this feeling of security really was.

“Promise me you won’t throw it away, okay?”

“…”

Maybe living in tune with my instincts wasn’t so bad after all.

It’s not like I’d done anything criminal.

I lay on the floor of Jinhyang’s office, unable to move with the choker still fastened around my neck.

Jinhyang hadn’t released me yet.

‘This time, I guess it’s my fault.’

I had complained about hating the choker, only to ask her not to throw it away. No wonder Jinhyang was baffled.

But at least this time, she hadn’t left me alone.

She was right above me, busy with her work at her desk.

“What are you doing, Harang?”

Yoon Bora came over to me and asked.

“I can’t move,” I answered, my voice mechanical like a broken-down machine.

“Huh?”

“Bora, it seems like when my neck is grabbed, I just can’t move.”

Upon hearing my words, Yoon Bora shifted her gaze toward the choker around my neck.

“Want me to take it off?”

“Uh… sure…”

Honestly, I didn’t mind keeping it on. But if I said that, I’d probably sound like a weirdo.

Click.

The moment Yoon Bora’s hand unfastened the choker, a wave of freedom washed over me.

I stretched out across the couch.

Stretch—

“Huh? Harang, you stretch just like a cat.”

“Yeah, I tried it once, and it feels the most refreshing. It feels like my tail and spine stretch out in a straight line.”

“Is that so? I wouldn’t know, since I don’t have a tail.”

Ah, right.

People probably don’t know how good this feels.

It’s unbelievably refreshing.

Smack.

I clicked my tongue in disappointment when I realized there was no shared understanding.

Then Yoon Bora handed me the choker and said,

“Harang.”

“Huh?”

“If you put this on, you can’t move?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded toward Yoon Bora.

“Really? You mean you can’t move at all…”

“Y-yeah.”

For some reason, Yoon Bora’s expression looked strange.

She was smiling mischievously, the kind of smile people have when they find something fun or good.

‘What’s going on?’

It didn’t seem like the kind of expression Yoon Bora would make, so I brushed it off as a misunderstanding.

Trying to rationalize it, I opened my mouth to speak to her.

“Bora.”

“Yeah?”

“Could you maybe play a prank on me?”

“…?”

Yoon Bora looked down at the choker in her hand.

“Not with that, though.”

I liked the choker, but Jinhyang had already used it.

What I wanted to know was the difference between Jinhyang and Yoon Bora—how much a prank could vary from person to person.

My goal was to understand Jinhyang better.

“Hmm…”

Yoon Bora put the choker down and stuffed it into her pocket.

‘Why is Bora keeping that?’

I was curious but figured she was just holding onto my stuff for me.

I didn’t give it much thought and kept watching her, ready for whatever prank she might play.

“Harang.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like Jinhyang unnie more, or me?”

“Huh?”

I could only stand there, stunned by her question.

Wasn’t this the kind of joke parents make with their kids?

Like when they ask, “Do you like Mom more or Dad?” A childish prank.

It felt like she wasn’t taking me seriously at all.

‘This is way too easy for a prank.’

It might be a difficult question for a kid, but for an adult like me, it was almost laughably simple.

“Well…”

“What’s your answer?”

Suddenly, Jinhyang’s voice came from beside me.

I turned to see her staring right at me.

“Well…”

For some reason, the intensity of her gaze made me clam up.

I just kept muttering, “Well…” over and over again.

‘Oh, right.’

I suddenly remembered how strong Jinhyang’s pride was.

I glanced at her, feeling flustered.

“Harang, who do you like more? Huh?”

Yoon Bora shook my shoulder playfully.

Caught between these two women, I felt an inexplicable pressure.

“I like both of you…”

“No way! Just one!”

Of course.

That’s exactly the kind of question this was meant to be.

‘Ugh.’

It was a much deeper question than I had realized.

I had no choice but to respect children everywhere.

“Well, usually Bora is kinder, so I guess, just a little bit, I like her more.”

“Hah.”

At my words, Jinhyang let out a breath, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

The room suddenly felt cold, like the atmosphere had frozen over.

I could feel the chill crawling up my spine.

“But, but, depending on the situation, I sometimes like you better, boss.”

I glanced at Jinhyang as I spoke, trying to gauge her reaction.

But it didn’t seem like her mood was improving at all.

I guess it made sense.

I had mentioned Yoon Bora first before even saying Jinhyang’s name.

‘What do I do now?’

Jinhyang was probably feeling upset, thinking she had lost to Yoon Bora.

Even though she usually didn’t care if I liked her or not, her competitive side had been triggered.

‘Sigh.’

I sighed internally and reached out to Jinhyang, trying to make things right.

“H-Hey…”

Smack-!

But Jinhyang slapped my hand away.

“Get out.”

She spat out the words coldly, and I immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

I had messed up. Big time.

I glanced at Yoon Bora for help, but she just chuckled softly, finding the whole thing amusing.

Even though it was definitely not a laughing matter.

“B-Bora…”

“Harang, how about we head out for now?”

“But, but…”

“It’s okay, let’s go outside for a bit.”

It definitely didn’t seem okay.

I hesitated, not wanting to leave, but Yoon Bora took matters into her own hands and scooped me up.

In the end, I had no choice but to move, led by her.

“Sigh…”

Why did I even ask for a prank that I couldn’t handle?

With my head hanging low, I stared at the floor as we left.

“Harang, are you alright? Did I go too far?”

Yoon Bora massaged my shoulders gently.

“No, it’s my fault.”

None of this was her fault.

It was all because of me.

I had only wanted to understand Jinhyang better…

But instead, I had ended up making her angry.

I felt pathetic and small, overwhelmed by my own sense of failure.

“Harang, do you still feel awkward around Jinhyang?”

“Og…”

Honestly, yes, I did feel awkward.

She was a prodigy who had accomplished everything at an age younger than me.

A person living in a completely different world compared to a commoner like me.

It wasn’t easy to feel a sense of familiarity with someone like that, rather than just respect.

“It’s not just awkwardness… It’s more that she’s in a position so far above me that it’s hard to get close.”

“Oh, I totally get that…”

Yoon Bora nodded in understanding and then spoke again.

“But I think it’s not just because of that.”

“Huh? There’s more?”

I asked, curious, and Yoon Bora grinned mischievously as she answered.

“You keep calling Jinhyang ‘boss.’ If you keep calling her something so formal, it’s hard to get close! I would have a hard time too.”

“Well… that’s…”

She wasn’t wrong.

But the thing was, Jinhyang had told me not to drop the formalities, so I kept calling her ‘boss.’

“Doesn’t she hate it when people call her by name?”

“Yeah, she hates it when people just use her name.”

“Then…?”

“You have to add ‘unnie’ after it!”

I could only stand there dumbfounded at Yoon Bora’s bright smile.

The word ‘unnie’ felt like some kind of forbidden word to me.

‘Wait, but I’m actually older than her…’

But if that was the only way to get closer to Jinhyang…

‘Hmm.’

Maybe I could at least consider it.