Chapter 58: Unspoken Boundaries

The twin sisters returned with coffee, stopping abruptly at the sight of Jinhyang soaked from head to toe.

Yoon Bora, intrigued by Jinhyang’s drenched state, stared at her in disbelief.

“Unnie, looks like you and Harang had a lot of fun?”

“Yeah, well…”

Jinhyang, busy brushing off the water from her clothes, seemed too preoccupied to respond.

Realizing that someone needed to explain, I stepped in.

“Yoon Bora! We really did have so much fun!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I even made waves! Want to see?”

“Uh, sorry. I can’t. If I get wet, it’ll be a disaster. I need to drive.”

Yoon Bora chuckled nervously as she handed me a cup of coffee.

“Aww.”

It was a little disappointing that she couldn’t join in, but I understood.

‘Oh well, she has an important role.’

Accepting the reality, I sipped my coffee.

“Bleh!”

The bitterness hit me hard, and I spat it out instantly.

‘Yikes.’

The sour expression on my face mirrored the taste. Drops of coffee trickled from my tongue.

‘Why does it taste this bitter?’

Though I didn’t drink coffee often, it had never been this bad before. Perhaps my taste buds had changed after all, I’d recently found cat treats surprisingly delicious.

“Harang, is it too bitter? Should I get you something else?”

Raxy Bora’s voice was full of concern, which I appreciated, but my pride took a hit.

How could I admit that I couldn’t handle milk-based coffee, of all things?

I forced out a reply. “It’s not bitter at all! It’s just… hot!”

“Hot? But I bought iced coffee?”

“Uh… right. I meant cold! I misspoke!”

That was close. It was iced coffee, after all. Perhaps my mind had wandered.

Focusing back on the drink, I grabbed the straw and braced myself.

“Phew…”

Taking a deep breath, I took a large sip through the straw, puffing my cheeks with the liquid.

“…!”

The bitterness flooded my mouth again, and despite my best efforts, the coffee leaked from my pursed lips.

Drip.

Coffee streamed down my chin like a burst hose.

“Urgh.”

Drip-drip.

Before it could stain my clothes, Jinhyang swiftly grabbed a tissue and dabbed at my face.

“Why is a kid trying to drink coffee they clearly can’t handle?”

“I-I thought I could drink it…”

I stared at the cup in my hands, feeling a deep sense of injustice.

“Do you want this instead?”

Jinhyang offered her drink a vibrant yellow lemonade.

Sweet, tangy, and undeniably refreshing.

The refreshing taste of lemonade tempted me, but I couldn’t easily accept it.

I didn’t want to give up the sense of maturity that coffee brought me, especially not in a situation like this, where I was being treated like a child.

“C-Coffee…”

Hesitating, I kept glancing between the coffee and the lemonade, but then Jinhyang bent down to meet my eyes.

“What’s the matter? Don’t want to give up the coffee?”

“Give it up…?”

“Yeah.”

The word “give up” struck a chord with me.

Only those with the luxury of time and space can offer something up. Like an adult.

“Boss, do you want my coffee?”

“Yeah.”

Well then, I couldn’t refuse.

As an adult, I had to pass the coffee to Jinhyang.

“But Boss, why did you order lemonade? You like coffee.”

I handed her the coffee and asked. Normally, there would be no reason for her to choose lemonade.

“I don’t know…”

However, Jinhyang avoided my gaze, likely embarrassed by the mistake in her order.

Deciding not to press her further, I smiled and said, “Well, I like lemonade too, so it’s fine.”

Taking a sip, the refreshing sweetness of the lemonade filled my mouth, quickly clearing away the bitterness from the coffee.

As I smiled in satisfaction, Raxy Bora giggled behind her hand.

“So that’s why you suddenly ordered lemonade…”

“Shut up.”

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I decided to just focus on the lemonade.

On the way back from the zoo, holding the souvenirs I’d bought, I couldn’t help but grin.

“Hehe.”

The little penguin bag was surprisingly spacious, holding everything I’d bought: treats, a tiger hat, and a water bottle with a cat design.

Everything had been bought with Raxy Bora’s own money.

Nothing felt out of place or unwanted.

“Raxy, thanks for buying all this.”

“No need to thank me.”

Raxy Bora chuckled at my gratitude.

Wanting to return her kindness, I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved closer to her.

“Raxy.”

“Hmm?”

I whispered into her ear so Jinhyang wouldn’t overhear.

“I’ll share something tasty with you. Let’s eat it together.”

“Tasty?”

“Yeah.”

I had secretly brought along tiger food chicken wings that I planned to share with Raxy Bora.

The best part about tasty things is sharing them.

I carefully reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of chicken.

“What do you think, Raxy? Doesn’t it look good?”

“…”

Raxy Bora didn’t respond, staring at the chicken in silence. She seemed to be lost in thought, perhaps imagining its taste.

“Raxy, go ahead and take the first bite. I’ll eat the rest.”

“…”

When I held the chicken close to her mouth, Raxy Bora tilted her head back, lips tightly pressed together.

She squinted her eyes so thinly that it almost seemed like they were about to close, staring at my chicken as if something was wrong.

“Raxy Bora, why aren’t you eating it?”

“Harang, it’s dangerous to eat raw chicken.”

“Dangerous?”

“Yeah, because of salmonella.”

Salmonella.

I knew about that bacteria. It was quite dangerous if infected.

“So Raxy can’t eat it then?”

“Yeah. And you shouldn’t either.”

“Why can’t I eat it?”

Salmonella had nothing to do with me. Tigers were carnivores, and eating raw chicken wouldn’t harm me.

“…”

“Look, Harang! I’ll buy you something better, so let’s not eat the chicken, okay?”

“Something better?”

Well, my main goal in offering the chicken to Raxy Bora was to share it with her anyway.

“Okay. I understand.”

I nodded in agreement.

Just as I was about to tuck the chicken back into my pocket,

“Harang, I’ll hold onto that for you!”

Raxy Bora reached out and snatched the chicken from my hands, faster than I could react.

I couldn’t even make a move before she took it.

“Ah! Raxy, give it back! I was going to eat that as a snack!”

“Well, um… I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep now!”

Raxy Bora, still holding my chicken tightly, closed her eyes and began to breathe softly, already drifting off to sleep.

“Ah!”

I grabbed her arm and shook it in an attempt to get the chicken back, but Raxy Bora didn’t budge.

It seemed like she was too tired and had fallen asleep quickly.

Sigh

Well, considering how much fun we’d had, it was strange that she wasn’t tired.

Raxy Bora’s sleep schedule was unlike anyone else’s.

‘I guess I’ll just let her sleep for now.’

It wasn’t worth waking someone up over a piece of meat.

“Good night.”

I gently patted Raxy Bora’s thigh, who was now sound asleep, and noticed Jinhyang in the passenger seat handing me some tissues.

“Wipe your hands.”

“Okay…”

I thought I had hidden it well, but Jinhyang seemed to know everything.

Next time, I’d have to hide it more carefully, even so Jinhyang couldn’t spot it.

After taking the tissue from her, I wiped my hands, scanning my surroundings.

Then, I noticed Yoon Bora, who was driving.

‘Q…’

Yoon Bora looked so mature behind the wheel.

She skillfully turned the steering wheel and shifted the gear with ease.

‘I want to drive too.’

Imagining myself driving with the three women made me feel pretty cool.

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

“Bora.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to drive too.”

Yoon Bora glanced back briefly before focusing back on the road.

“Harang, do you have a driver’s license…?”

“No, I don’t have a license.”

“Hmm… well, then you can’t drive.”

“O||0|…”

I felt a little down for a second but then realized one thing.

Getting a license was simple.

“I’ve set a goal.”

“A goal?”

“Yeah. I’m going to get my driver’s license.”

My statement was met with silence.

The sound of Raxy Bora’s breathing as she slept and the sound of Yoon Bora’s hands brushing against the steering wheel seemed to disappear, almost as if I was in a quiet, isolated space.

Jinhyang, as always, didn’t make a sound.

“Isn’t it a bit too early for Harang to drive?”

Yoon Bora spoke with a slightly trembling voice.

“Why is driving too early for me?”

“Hmm…”

Yoon Bora seemed to be pondering for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.

“Harang is too fast.”

“Too fast?” I asked.

“Yeah. You’re so agile, Harang. What would happen if someone like you drove? You’d become a reckless driver!”

“…”

Her words made sense.

Since I was so fast, I might end up speeding without realizing it.

“You almost flew off and got hurt when you were speeding last time.”

“Yeah. That was dangerous.”

I didn’t know my limits and was pushing myself to the max speed.

If I hadn’t had the physical abilities of a beast, I might have gotten seriously hurt.

“It would be tough for you to get a license until you adjust to your body, right?”

That made sense. Being too fast was an issue.

“Yeah…”

“Well…”

If I was too fast, there was nothing I could do.

It was unfortunate, but I decided to give up on the license for now.

“Harang, if there’s anywhere you want to go, just let me know. I’ll take you anywhere.”

“Thanks, Bora. Then, while we’re at it, could we stop by my old house? I want to see something.”

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s possible, Harang.”

“Oh…”

I didn’t know why, but if Yoon Bora said it was impossible, it must be.

I sighed in disappointment and gave Raxy Bora’s thigh a gentle tap.