Chapter 58: I want more than just a hug

Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun entered and sat down on the floor.

I quickly grabbed a cushion, but then I realized there was only one.

I was confused about who to give the single cushion to, but Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun shook their heads and told me to use it.

With a bit of regret, I sat on the cushion.

Both of them had sad expressions on their faces.

I anxiously lowered my head, watching them, before slowly raising my head to look at them and spoke.

“It’s been a while… hehe…”

I forced a smile. My hands fidgeted together. My cheeks stung slightly from the tear stains.

But then, suddenly, the faces of Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun stiffened.

“I-hyun…”

“I-hyun, you…”

They were staring at me with distorted faces.

“Y-Yes…?”

The more I spoke, the more their expressions became stiffer as they looked at my face.

And, as they looked at my arms…

Their expressions grew even more hardened.

Ah.

I had forgotten.

“Wait, I’ll go wash my face quickly.”

I said, and hurriedly grabbed a long-sleeve t-shirt and went to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror.

Ah…

I immediately understood their reaction.

From my eyes down to my cheeks, they were covered in tear stains, and my eyes, as well as the area around them, were bright red and bloodshot.

My arms were even more scarred than before.

My pale skin made these features even more prominent.

I had been cooped up in bed and hadn’t noticed until now.

I quickly washed my face, changed into the t-shirt, and softened my stiff expression.

I opened the door again.

“I’m sorry. Hehe… I just… cried a little…”

I forced a smile to break the tense atmosphere and sat back on the cushion.

As for the self-harm scars… there was no excuse, so I remained silent.

But they still didn’t speak, their faces still stiff.

I looked at them nervously.

Then, Yoo Ji-eun’s face began to twist.

“I-hyun…”

A tear fell from Yoo Ji-eun’s eye.

And with a trembling voice, she continued.

“I’m sorry. I should have checked on you, even just once…”

“Uh, uh…?”

I was startled by her sudden tears and looked at Song Chae-hyun.

But… Song Chae-hyun also had tears in her eyes.

“No…! It was my fault, I refused… you don’t have to say that…”

I quickly shook my head and said.

I was feeling very awkward. I never imagined seeing them cry.

I nervously looked back and forth between them, unsure of what to say.

Their tears… seemed to soak into me.

And soon… I felt incredibly sad.

Finally, my nose started to feel tight.

“Don’t cry… Ji-eun unnie, Chae-hyun unnie…”

I opened my arms to them.

Song Chae-hyun and Yoo Ji-eun warmly hugged me.

We stayed like that for a while. I continued to sob.

“I’m sorry… I won’t do it again…”

I tried not to cry too much as I said.

I really felt sorry, like I had caused a huge inconvenience.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you… I never thought it would turn out like this…”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

“You don’t have to apologize at all. You’re the victim, I-hyun.”

Song Chae-hyun and Yoo Ji-eun patted me and hugged me.

Their warm words made my tears flow again.

They stayed like that for a few minutes.

Saying kind words, hugging me, patting me.

“Mm…”

Their warm words, their soft embrace, and gentle touch melted me.

My strength slowly left my body.

I didn’t want to think anymore.

I wished this moment would last forever.

My eyes slowly, gradually closed.

“I-hyun, are you sleepy?”

“…Yes…”

I answered weakly to Song Chae-hyun’s words.

Then, arms lifted me up from my back and knees.

“Uh?”

In that moment, I was overwhelmed by a sense of floating.

Startled, I opened my eyes to find Song Chae-hyun holding me.

I was being lifted so easily.

It seemed like no effort was being made at all.

It was a completely unfamiliar sensation.

“Uh, uh?”

I mumbled, gazing up at Song Chae-hyun.

She smiled once and then carried me to the mattress.

I could hear Yoo Ji-eun following behind.

Song Chae-hyun gently laid me on the mattress, then lay down beside me.

“What, what is this?”

I said, a little flustered, as I looked at Song Chae-hyun’s face.

My face began to heat up the longer I stared at her.

Song Chae-hyun looked at me and spoke.

“Now, now, I-hyun. You look really tired.”

She whispered in my left ear. It felt a little ticklish.

…I had slept a lot. But somehow, I was still sleepy. Could it be because I was mentally exhausted too?

“That’s right. Forget everything and just sleep. Relax, relax…”

“Mm…”

Yoo Ji-eun, who had lain down beside me on my right, whispered in my ear.

Their voices were so soft and soothing… my eyes kept closing.

I could hear Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun’s voices in both ears. It felt like something inside me was tickling.

I began to fall into a daze and whispered.

“Chae-hyun unnie, Ji-eun unnie…”

“Mm?”

“Yes?”

“You’re not going to leave, right?”

“…No?”

“…I’m so scared”

“I’m afraid that when I open my eyes, you’ll both be gone…”

After my words, they fell silent for a long moment.

Then, with a slightly hushed voice, they spoke.

“That will never, never happen.”

“So, just sleep comfortably.”

With their whispers and gentle touches, I felt my eyes getting heavier…

When I opened my eyes, the whole room was bathed in a soft yellow light.

The peaceful sunset was casting through the window onto the mattress.

I stared at it blankly before suddenly realizing and looking around.

The left side felt emptier than before.

But on the right, Yoo Ji-eun was still there.

“Did you wake up?”

Yoo Ji-eun, who seemed to have been watching my face the whole time, immediately noticed I was awake and spoke.

Her voice was so sweet and warm. My ear felt ticklish.

“Yes… hehe… how long have I slept?”

“Not long. About two hours? …But.”

Yoo Ji-eun spoke while wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

“When I-hyun wakes up… you’re so warm.”

“It’s like a little puppy…”

She said as she stroked my cheek.

“It tickles, hehe…”

I enjoyed her touch as I said that.

“But… what’s that smell?”

“Hehe, what do you think it is?”

“Mm…”

There was a scent.

A smell that triggered my salivary glands.

It reminded me of the past… something very, very nostalgic.

Then, I heard a voice from a little farther away.

“Oh, I-hyun. You’re awake?”

I turned my head and saw Song Chae-hyun holding a ladle.

“…Did you cook?”

“Ah, yes. Sorry, I bought the ingredients, but I used some of the dishes from the house. I made it because I wanted you to feel better.”

“Mm, it’s really fine.”

I shook my head.

I was just so grateful that she made food. Waking up and finding this surprise felt exciting.

I gently grabbed Yoo Ji-eun and got up, sitting on the bed.

Yoo Ji-eun sat beside me.

“So, what did you make?”

Song Chae-hyun seemed to think for a moment before looking away, then smiling and saying.

“Mm, I think I-hyun will definitely like it.”

In front of me was a home-cooked meal.

There was miso soup and rice in front of each of us, with potato pancakes, bulgogi, and rolled omelette in the middle.

I stared at it blankly as Song Chae-hyun’s voice came from across the table, where she was sitting slightly to the side of me.

“We didn’t have a table, so we got a small one. This is something Ji-eun bought for us.”

I looked at Yoo Ji-eun, and she smiled at me.

“From now on, let’s eat together like this, just the three of us.”

Song Chae-hyun had prepared a cozy home-cooked meal.

It was similar to the food I had eaten at her house before.

And like the dishes my mother used to make for me.

I stared at it blankly and murmured as I fixed my gaze on the food.

“I’ll eat well.”

With that, when Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun picked up their spoons, I followed suit.

I took a spoonful of miso soup, with tofu and zucchini in it, and took a bite.

Hiccup…

Tears welled up in my eyes.

It was delicious.

Once again, I felt overwhelming happiness. The fear of falling was almost overwhelming.

Startled, I squeezed out a voice as Song Chae-hyun and Yoo Ji-eun asked, worried.

“Thank you… really…”

“I don’t know how to express how grateful I am… Chae-hyun unnie, Ji-eun unnie…”

When I said that, Yoo Ji-eun and Song Chae-hyun gave me a slightly sad smile.

I ate two bowls of rice soaked in tears.

“Oh my, I don’t think you’ve been this cute before, have you?”

Yoo Ji-eun said, looking at me as I was nestled into her arms.

I was sitting beside Yoo Ji-eun, wrapping my arms around her waist tightly.

I loved them more, more. I wanted to release this feeling somehow.

“…That’s true…”

Song Chae-hyun said, her voice a little gruff.

I quickly turned to hug Song Chae-hyun.

Then, her grumpy expression softened.

“Hehe…”

I was happy. Every time I hugged them, and every time they hugged me, it felt like dopamine was being released.

I wished this moment would last forever.

But it’s a bit lacking. I wanted a little more of them.

I want to do more than just hug… But how should I say this?

“I-hyun?”

For a moment, I stopped hugging them, and they asked, seemingly puzzled.

“Mm…”

I groaned, unable to think of a way to say it.

Do I want more from them?

D-do I want to go further?

Do I want to do something on a higher level?

No matter how I phrased it, it all sounded like s*x*ual harassment.

I glanced at them….Then…I don’t know. I just… blurted it out.

“K-kiss… please kiss me.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“L-lip kiss.”

I quickly corrected myself in embarrassment.

“Like… like you did before…”

In my embarrassment, my legs tangled up.

They fell silent for a moment.

“Did Chae-hyun do it too…?”

“Th-that’s… I-hyun… this isn’t right—”

As Song Chae-hyun tried to say something with a gloomy expression,

Yoo Ji-eun’s lips touched my cheek.

“Ah…”

A slight euphoria spread from my cheek to my whole body.

“Wh-what!?”

I could hear Song Chae-hyun’s flustered voice. There was a lot of confusion in her voice for a while, then—

“Ugh…!”

Her lips touched the other cheek.

“Ahh…”

The warm lips met my cheek. Their slightly roughened breaths tickled my skin.

“Ah, ah…!?”

Neither of them showed any sign of stopping.

It was as if they were competing, as if they were trying to devour my cheek with their kisses.

Song Chae-hyun wrapped her arms around my side, and Yoo Ji-eun gripped my ribs. With their remaining hands, they held my thighs.

In that position, they continued to stroke the areas they held with both hands. Whether intentional or not…

It tickled. It was ticklish, and… it felt like something else too.

“Ugh… ahh…”

Strange sounds escaped me. My breath grew increasingly erratic.

I gripped the bedspread tightly with both hands.

The sensation on my cheeks was too intoxicating.

Then, my vision went completely white.

“Ugh…”