Chapter 26: Bonds in the Quiet Night

In a dazed state, I realized I was being held by someone.

It must be Yoon Bora.

I burrowed deeper into her embrace, still tired and wanting to sleep more.

‘Hmm?’

But something felt off.

This wasn’t the familiar sensation of Yoon Bora.

While Yoon Bora felt soft and inviting, this felt like a firm support around my neck.

I opened my eyes halfway and looked up.

At that moment, I saw Jinhyang, her expression blank, looking down at me.

“Uh….”

It seemed Jinhyang was the one holding me.

In this awkward situation, I could only stare up at her in a daze.

“……Since Bora was driving, I couldn’t let you carry her too.”

“Oh.”

As I processed that, I heard Yoon Bora’s voice from behind me.

“I’m fine though….”

Fine, really?

She must have had a tough time driving.

But where was this place?

I tried to turn my head to look around, but my body wouldn’t move due to fatigue. I could only conclude from the familiarity of everything that we were near Yoon Bora’s house.

“Ugh.”

As I tried to free myself from Jinhyang’s embrace, the fatigue from just waking up weighed down on me.

I didn’t want to move.

I didn’t realize being carried like this could be so comfortable.

Being small had its few advantages.

“Why don’t you just walk yourself if you’re awake?”

“J-just to the bed!”

“What?”

“Just to the bed…!”

At my words, Jinhyang stopped. Even without making eye contact, I knew she was looking down at me.

‘Ugh, I don’t care.’

I pretended to be asleep and closed my eyes in her arms.

I didn’t want to walk myself.

“Ugh…”

Jinhyang sighed heavily above me, causing my ears to tingle.

I could handle the wind just fine, but I couldn’t understand why I was so sensitive to the breath of a person.

“Please.”

The only thing I could do was plead with Jinhyang.

Maybe my desperation worked; she silently began to move again.

‘Alright.’

I squinted my eyes open and checked her path.

We passed through the parking lot, opened the front gate, and entered the entrance.

What appeared was the shoe rack of the mansion.

‘Ah.’

I realized I needed to take off my shoes.

I reached out with my hands while still hanging onto Jinhyang, but my short legs were too short to reach the ground.

As fatigue and irritation washed over me, I began to shake my legs back and forth.

“Can’t you sit still?”

“I-I was trying to take off my shoes…”

I looked up at Jinhyang in indignation, and just then, Yoon Bora approached my feet.

“I’ll do it for you.”

“Thanks.”

Yoon Bora grabbed my ankles and started to take off my boots.

Feeling liberated, I wiggled my toes, and that’s when Jinhyang began to move again.

‘Let’s go.’

I turned my head toward the destination as if I were controlling Jinhyang.

To my room, where my bed was.

However, she turned her body toward the living room and sat down on the sofa instead.

“Huh?”

This left me in a rather awkward position.

I was sitting on her thigh, cradled in her arms.

‘Ugh…’

It seemed like Jinhyang had no intention of taking me any further.

Well, it was right in front of me.

It was tough, but I would have to walk the rest of the way myself.

As I tried to rise from Jinhyang’s thigh, her arm wrapped tightly around my upper body.

I was trapped and unable to move.

“What’s wrong?”

What now?

I looked up at Jinhyang, my heart racing with anxiety.

“……You asked me to take you to the bed.”

“Yeah, but this is a sofa?”

“I’m resting because I’m tired, so just wait.”

“……”

This was bad.

It was Jinhyang being stubborn.

Why did I have to make such an impolite request to her, asking her to take me to the bed?

I had been oddly sleepy lately.

‘This is trouble.’

Last time, I had spent several hours like this.

How long would it be today?

Looking around with worry, I spotted Raxy Bora approaching from afar.

“Oh? When did you come?”

“Just now.”

Raxy Bora sat next to us, grinning.

“What about Bora?”

“She went for training.”

“Ah… huh?”

While Raxy Bora was talking to Jinhyang, I poked her thigh with my tail.

Since my hands were bound and I couldn’t move.

—Help me.

I intended to convey that meaning, pointing my gaze at Jinhyang.

However, Raxy Bora just shook her head firmly.

Slap!

I tapped Raxy Bora’s thigh with my tail.

Why wasn’t she helping me? I glared at Raxy Bora, feeling dissatisfied.

—I’m in trouble too.

Raxy Bora mouthed those words without speaking.

‘Oh no.’

Raxy Bora was also getting scolded by Jin Hyang.

In that case, I had no choice.

I had to endure being here for several hours.

Giving in to everything, I surrendered my body to Jinhyang.

This was the final state of the powerless.

‘Just because you’re a bit stronger, you treat people like this.’

Out of frustration, I bumped my head against Jinhyang’s chest.

It wouldn’t hurt, but I still hit her.

A sense of satisfaction bloomed within me.

‘…Should I hit her again?’

As I pondered this alone, Yoon Bora suddenly spoke up.

“Sis, so are you going to live here from now on?”

“Yeah.”

…………Is Jinhyang really going to live here?

“Cough.”

I couldn’t help but let my dissatisfaction slip out.

“Why? Is it that you don’t like me living here?”

“…That’s not it. Cough, cough! What is this? Am I going to cough up a hairball?”

That couldn’t be true.

I wouldn’t throw up a furball because I didn’t groom myself like a cat.

But I had to act now.

It was the excuse I had chosen, and I was scared of Jinhyang.

Licking my tail awkwardly, I saw Jinhyang shake her head at me.

She had an expression that seemed to say she couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.

“Don’t do that.”

“Okay.”

I flicked my tail to the side, resting it on Raxy Bora’s thigh.

At that moment, Raxy Bora grabbed my tail and asked, “Harang, should I groom you instead?”

“Don’t.”

“Okay.”

What was she even talking about?

That night.

I suddenly woke up.

‘Did I sleep too much?’

I felt really refreshed without any fatigue.

I got up from my spot and opened the door to step outside.

It seemed better to do something than to just lie there in boredom.

‘No one’s around.’

Well, it was the middle of the night, so everyone must be asleep.

‘…Xt?’

Now that I thought about it, that monstrous Jinhyang would be asleep too.

Feeling oddly curious about her defenseless form, I moved toward the room she had chosen to stay in.

I walked slowly down the hallway of the large house.

Eventually, I reached Jin Hyang’s room.

Creeeak—

I carefully opened the door and peeked inside, only to find Jinhyang lying neatly on the bed.

‘Hehe.’

Just looking at Jinhyang’s defenseless state filled me with satisfaction.

There was also a sense of superiority in knowing that I could do something mischievous to her while she slept, but I didn’t.

Of course, I had no actual intention of doing anything bad.

‘That’s enough.’

It was time to leave.

I was just about to close the door and turn around when—

“Why are you staring at someone’s sleeping face like that?”

“…What?”

Jinhyang’s sudden voice sent chills down my spine.

“I asked why you were staring at someone’s sleeping face.”

“Th-that’s…”

I needed to come up with an excuse—fast.

Any explanation would be better than admitting I was just staring to tease her.

“…You’re acting suspicious.”

“No, no, it’s just that… I thought, since it’s your first night at the house, maybe it’d be nice if we slept together.”

What nonsense was I even spouting?

There was no way Jinhyang would believe such an excuse.

I was doomed.

As I mentally braced myself for the worst, Jinhyang said something unexpected.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes!”

To my surprise, Jinhyang shifted to one side of the bed, making space for me.

As if she was inviting me to join her.

‘Ah.’

I didn’t want to.

I really didn’t want to, but there was no turning back now.

I reluctantly squeezed into the space Jinhyang had made for me and lay down.

“At least this time you had a decent idea, Harang.”

“…Uh.”

I couldn’t believe she actually fell for such a ridiculous excuse.

It was completely unexpected.

‘Sigh.’

It seemed there was no escaping Jinhyang’s antics tonight.

Lying there, I stared blankly up at the ceiling.

I couldn’t sleep at all.

“Haa.”

Jinhyang, who had woken up in the middle of the night, sighed.

Harang’s sleeping habits were awful—so bad they were downright annoying.

Whenever Jinhyang shifted to the side, I would roll right over toward her.

Then, if she moved again, I’d just roll over once more, until she was finally at the edge of the bed with nowhere left to go.

“Ugh, mmm.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Even while sleep-talking, I clung to her, using my arms, legs, and tail, making it impossible for her to get any rest.

For someone like Jinhyang, who had lived alone for years, this was particularly annoying.

‘I can’t wake him up either.’

Once Harang fell asleep, he was the type who wouldn’t wake up no matter how much you shook him. There was no point in trying.

“Tsk.”

There was nothing she could do.

Jinhyang lifted Harang and moved him to the center of the bed.

Since he was so light, she could just treat him like a soft, warm body pillow.

With that thought—

“Hm…”

Jinhyang pulled Harang over herself like a blanket and then gently tugged at his cheek, which was hanging loosely on top of her.

She sighed, thinking about how busy things were about to get.

The moment she had attacked one of Lee Taesung’s subordinates, the fight had already begun.

They would likely target everyone—family and friends alike.

That was the reason Jinhyang had moved into Yoon Bora’s house.

It was also why she had agreed to Harang’s request to sleep together.

Being alone was too dangerous.

Three people were better than two.

Of course, Jinhyang wasn’t weak enough to be easily taken down.

But her concern wasn’t for herself; it was for her younger siblings.

Harang, and the two twin sisters.

‘Though technically, Harang isn’t really a younger sibling…’

Still, Jinhyang just couldn’t bring herself to think of this tiny creature as her elder.

With his childlike behavior and appearance, he was far from the maturity of an adult.

‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.’

After all, a person’s mind is ruled by their body.

In that sense, Harang’s childish behavior and Jinhyang’s tendency to treat him like a kid were entirely justified.

If he wanted to be treated like an adult, he should’ve come with his original body and personality.

Back when he didn’t hesitate to risk his life to save others…

‘…That reckless personality hasn’t changed at all.’

Even now, Harang had dived into a dungeon to save a child.

Though he might seem a bit clumsy now, his core beliefs hadn’t wavered.

Jinhyang was satisfied with that realization and quietly closed her eyes.