Chapter 13. Am I Only Like This in Front of You?

After that, nothing special happened at school.

There were plenty of times when teachers would start calling Chaea, only to turn their attention to Hyunwoo instead.

At least, there were no more instances where they had to share a public hug in front of everyone.

— “Wow… you guys are in the best phase right now.”
— “Don’t let your grades slip just because you’re busy dating.”

Thanks to what happened in the gym, even the teachers started treating them like an official couple…

Anyway.

The first week, which he had worried so much about, passed by in a blur.

Before he knew it, the weekend had arrived.

“Mm…”

Hyunwoo woke up late.

He picked up his phone to check the time.

The screen displayed 11 a.m.

He had stayed up late binge-watching anime with Chaea last night.

As a result, he had slept in for the first time in a while.

“…7.”

But the time wasn’t the only thing displayed on the screen.

‘There’s no one who would message me, though.’

Tapping on the speech bubble icon in the notification bar, a yellow chat window popped up.

A message consisting of just consonants.

The sender was Lee Jinhyuk.

‘What’s up with him all of a sudden?’

Hyunwoo was about to reply when—

“00g…”

Chaea was clinging tightly to his right arm, refusing to let go.

He couldn’t wake up someone who was still sleeping just to send a simple reply.

So, using his free hand, he slowly typed out a response.

[What’s up? Suddenly texting me out of nowhere.]

[Took you this long just to type that?]

[Yoo Chaea is clinging to my arm and won’t let go, so I’m typing with one hand.]

[…Where’s the bleach?]

There was no reason to entertain his nonsense when even typing was difficult.

[So, what do you want?]

[I’m stirring the bleach, hold on.]

[You’ve got nothing to say, huh?]

Just as Hyunwoo was about to close the chat—

[Is Yoo Chaea doing okay?]

Jinhyuk stopped joking and sent a serious message.

‘Why is he suddenly asking about Chaea?’

Hyunwoo stared at the message in confusion.

Just like how he wasn’t particularly close with Enubi…

Jinhyuk and Chaea weren’t close either.

They only talked at school.

They didn’t have each other’s contact information.

And neither had ever bothered to reach out to the other.

‘Well, I guess it’s not weird to be concerned, given that she was in a major accident that could’ve caused amnesia.’

Thinking that, he turned his gaze to the side.

Chaea was still fast asleep, breathing softly.

“…What the hell were you doing in your sleep?”

Maybe she had gotten hot overnight.

Her top had ridden up, exposing her pale stomach.

And she was still clinging tightly to Hyunwoo’s arm.

‘It’s softer now. She used to have slight abs before.’

His hand was already in the perfect position to touch her stomach.

Her abs were gone.

But her belly was still smooth and soft, without any excess fat.

Absentmindedly, he started to rub it.

‘Am I out of my mind? Do Hyunwoo, what the hell are you doing while she’s sleeping?’

Snapping back to his senses, he quickly pulled his hand away.

Touching was one thing.

But actually rubbing it—that definitely crossed a line.

Faces flashed through his mind in quick succession.

Chaea’s parents, who had entrusted her to him.

His mother, who had casually approved their cohabitation.

Chaea herself, who had clung to him, saying she was scared to be alone.

They all trusted him.

Yet here he was, absentmindedly admiring his childhood friend’s stomach while she slept.

A deep sense of guilt pricked at his chest.

“Mm…”

“…1.”

To make matters worse, Chaea slowly opened her eyes halfway, still dazed from sleep.

Hyunwoo’s heart nearly stopped.

‘Crap, did I wake her up? I should apologize first… But is apologizing enough when I secretly touched her stomach?’

His mind raced with thoughts.

Meanwhile, Chaea finally let go of his arm.

Then, she wiggled closer, snuggling into his chest.

“…Yoo Chaea?”

“You can touch me more if you want.”

“…What?”

“I always cling to you anyway, so you can do whatever you want…”

She grabbed Hyunwoo’s hand and placed it back on her stomach.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she drifted back to sleep, breathing steadily.

Frozen in place, Hyunwoo thought to himself.

‘…She must be sleep-talking, right?’

No matter how close they were as childhood friends…

Saying something like that so casually was just reckless.

What if he actually took her up on it?

…Might as well die now, Do Hyunwoo.

Suppressing his wicked thoughts, he tugged her top back down to cover her stomach.

[Why aren’t you replying?]

While he had been dealing with all that, Jinhyuk had sent another message.

With his arms free now, Hyunwoo typed properly.

[She’s fine.]

[So her body’s fine, but her brain isn’t?]

[I don’t know, man…]

Hyunwoo sighed aloud before continuing.

[So why are you suddenly asking about Yoo Chaea?]

[Oh. If she’s fine, tell her to hurry up and log in.]

[?]

[We’re short one person for a raid. You’re not skipping this week’s raid, are you?]

Hyunwoo and Jinhyuk were in the same guild.

Whenever their raid group was missing a member, they would frequently call on each other like this.

[If she’s fine, just let her rest while you play. Oh, or you could play on her account for her.]

The fact that he had gone through all that stress just for this made Hyunwoo…

[Get lost.]

He typed those words before he even realized it.

[?? Why are you suddenly swearing at me?]

[I’m busy today. I have a date with Yoo Chaea.]

[(Shocked anime girl emoji) Huh? A date?]

Click.

Hyunwoo turned off the screen.

He had sent that in a fit of frustration, but…

‘What date? It’s not a date.’

Today, they were going out to help Chaea regain her memories.

While he was silently screaming over his own words—

“Haaaam…”

Chaea let out a long yawn, slowly opening her eyes.

“…HLF.”

“Mm… did you sleep well?”

Still not fully awake, she nuzzled her head against his chest.

Hyunwoo nearly had a heart attack on the spot.

“Are you a cat or something?”

He tried to push her away, acting annoyed.

Swoosh, swoosh.

But her hair was so soft that he absentmindedly started stroking it instead.

“If it’s a cat like this… I wouldn’t mind…”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Get up already. We’re going out today, remember?”

“M’still sleepy, meow…”

She let out a playful cat noise and burrowed deeper into his embrace.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

His heart pounded at 240 bpm, on the verge of exploding.

Unfortunately, Chaea’s shameless antics showed no signs of stopping.

“Hmm?”

She let out a puzzled sound and pressed her ear against Hyunwoo’s chest.

“Your heart is beating way too fast. Are you sick or something?”

“…It’s because of you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. So hurry up and get up.”

Hyunwoo pushed Chaea away from his embrace and quickly got out of bed.

If he had hesitated even a little longer, his heart might have exploded on the spot.

The cause of death? Probably happiness or a heart attack from excitement.

“Hnnng…!”

The cold air filled the spot Hyunwoo had just vacated.

Chaea shivered and stretched as she got up.

“What time is it now?”

“11:20.”

“Gasp. Our reservation?”

“Three o’clock. It’s not super urgent, but you should start getting ready.”

“Guess I should.”

Chaea sluggishly got up and headed to the bathroom.

At some point, the bathroom in Hyunwoo’s room had practically become hers.

“Haa… I really thought I was gonna die.”

Clutching his aching heart, Hyunwoo walked to the bathroom in the living room instead.

After taking a quick shower, he changed into fresh clothes and returned to his room.

Bzzzt—

With a now-familiar motion, he dried his hair.

Then he swallowed hard.

Now came the hardest part of his day.

“Your hair’s dry, right? Time to get dressed.”

It was time to help Yoo Chaea get dressed.

And the reason this moment was so difficult…

It was already tough enough trying not to stare at her freshly washed, glowing skin.

Click.

“…Are you done?”

Since Chaea could only use one hand, Hyunwoo also had to help her fasten her bra hooks.

“Yeah, I think so. Phew… This is why having them too big is a hassle. Right?”

People who haven’t experienced it wouldn’t understand.

If he turned his head even slightly, he’d get a full view of her bare skin.

Holding onto his sanity with all his might, he fumbled with the stubborn hooks.

If he ever brought this up to Jinhyuk…

— “You’re out of the guild, Do Hyunwoo. You’re paying quadruple taxes for life.”

He’d probably just get cussed out with a cold glare.

“Hmm… They’re just unnecessarily heavy. Wish I could share some with Enubi.”

Typical childhood friend behavior.

If Enubi ever heard that, she’d sulk for days.

“Hey—no, quit talking nonsense and put on your clothes.”

“Did you bring my clothes?”

“Yeah, they’re over there. Check for yourself.”

After having thoughts that would get him smacked by both Jinhyuk and Enubi, Hyunwoo opened the suitcase he’d brought from next door.

“Let’s see…”

Chaea rummaged through the clothes.

“Did I really wear stuff like this?”

Tilting her head, she pulled out different outfits one by one.

“They’re kind of cute, actually…”

Her taste hadn’t changed.

Nodding in approval, she studied her own clothes.

“What do you think of this one?”

She suddenly tapped Hyunwoo’s shoulder with an outfit.

“Why are you asking me?”

Hyunwoo kept his eyes fixed on the wall.

He had to help her get dressed, but staring at half-dressed Chaea wasn’t an option either.

All he wanted was to get her covered up, fast.

“If you like it, wear it—”

“Really? Then I’ll wear this.”

“Wait, no. Not that one.”

There was no way he could approve of what she was holding.

“Huh? Why not?”

“Do you even know what that is?”

“A cropped hoodie, right?”

A cropped hoodie that exposed her entire stomach.

She had worn it a few times before losing her memory, but…

“It’s way too revealing. No way.”

Hyunwoo firmly shook his head.

After what happened this morning, there was no way he was going out with Chaea dressed like that.

“But you just said I could wear whatever I wanted…”

Pouting, Chaea obediently set the hoodie aside.

“Hmm, then what should I wear?”

She tapped her fingers and looked at Hyunwoo.

Her gaze trailed to his outfit.

“Then I’ll wear this.”

She effortlessly picked out a white shirt dress and a blue denim jacket.

“You…”

Hyunwoo immediately realized why she’d chosen that outfit.

It was because he was wearing a white T-shirt and a denim jacket today.

Was she doing this on purpose?

“Fine. Just raise your arms so I can help.”

They didn’t have time to waste, so he gave in.

Rustle.

After getting her fully dressed, they checked the mirror.

Hyunwoo in a white T-shirt and denim jacket.

Chaea in a white dress and denim jacket.

Looking at them together like this…

“We kind of look like a couple, don’t we?”

Chaea said it out loud before Hyunwoo could stop himself.

With a bright, sunlit smile, no less.

Fwoosh.

His face burned so much he had to cover it with both hands.

It was already a known fact—pretty girls looked even prettier when they smiled.

And Chaea, who was usually expressionless, smiling like this?

It was a lethal attack on his heart.

“…Don’t smile like that in public.”

“I only do it in front of you.”

And yet, her harmless yet deadly attacks didn’t stop.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Hyunwoo had to calm his wildly pounding heart.