Chapter 32: Hyunwoo Stats Are Depleted

Wobble, wobble.

Yoo Chaerin’s room, where she entered in an amusing state.

If Chaea’s room was filled with traces of memories built up since childhood,

Chaerin’s room was the complete opposite.

I was sure that in the past, it only had things like manga she’d diligently saved up her allowance to buy.

‘She’s something else, too.’

A bishoujo figure proudly displayed on the desk.

A VTuber paper model, painstakingly crafted by hand.

A cringey goods desk mat occupying the desk.

Even a super-high-performance computer that looked like it could transform.

The number of goods was small, but the room reeked of ‘Jinhyuk.’

‘Is there anything here that could stimulate Yoo Chaea’s memories?’

Thinking that, I looked at Chaea.

“I… I think I’m okay?”

As expected, she didn’t seem to remember anything.

She didn’t show any signs of suffering like before.

“It really works?!”

Chaerin, who was regretting not taking a picture, was startled.

I thought it was some kind of novel salt-rubbing,

but her sister was perfectly fine.

“So, can I put her down?”

“Ah, no. Wait a minute.”

Hyunwoo tried to put Chaea down after confirming she was okay,

but Chaea held onto the arms wrapped around her stomach tightly.

“As soon as I get out of your arms, my head might start hurting again.”

“I don’t think so.”

Based on past experience,

it wasn’t like she got better as soon as Hyunwoo hugged her.

He had to pat her for a while afterward,

but she seemed perfectly fine now.

‘It’s probably not related to the back hug.’

A reasonable suspicion arose, but

“That’s how it feels.”

“Okay, just don’t push me.”

She kept pushing her body backward, almost causing a reaction.

Inevitably, Hyunwoo sat on the edge of Chaerin’s bed,

and placed Chaea on his lap.

Chaerin, who was watching them from a chair, furrowed her brow.

“What’s with that expression?”

“I wasn’t going to say this, but…”

“If you weren’t going to say it, then don’t say it at all?”

“Isn’t unnie acting a little… childish?”

I told you not to.

Chaerin lightly dismissed Hyunwoo’s words.

“Am I acting childish?”

“Uh-huh… Ever since high school, you’ve always been the cool, chic, easygoing, expressionless, ultra-beautiful girl…”

“…What? Can you say that again?”

I think the modifiers just now were amazing.

Chaerin didn’t pay much attention and continued.

“You keep acting spoiled with oppa now. And oppa is accepting it all.”

“…”

“To regain her memories quickly, shouldn’t we treat her like a high school student…?”

It was a very sharp point for Chaerin.

‘Come to think of it, were there any high school memories among the memories she’s recalled so far?’

The memories she recalled were mostly from before middle school,

and high school memories were only a small part.

So, Chaea only remembers Hyunwoo and has become like her middle school self?

If the hypothesis is correct,

the broken sense of distance she showed after losing her memory is somewhat understandable.

“What exactly does it mean to treat Yoo Chaea like a high school student?”

“Huh? Well, um…”

Chaerin was flustered by the reverse question.

She said it, but she couldn’t think of anything specific.

In fact, Hyunwoo had treated Chaea the same since middle school,

but Chaea gradually changed.

Still, one thing was certain.

“Shouldn’t you put her down from your lap first?”

Hyunwoo may know why he’s fulfilling all of Chaea’s requests,

but if he accepts every bit of her childishness, the speed of her memory recovery will be slower.

“I guess so.”

Hyunwoo, convinced, lifted Chaea up and put her down next to him.

“Huh…?”

Chaea, suddenly kicked off Hyunwoo’s lap, looked around.

She wanted to stay in his arms,

but what Chaerin said just now made too much sense.

“Keung…”

Still, she was hesitating to go back on Hyunwoo’s lap,

“Are you a dog? Why are you whining?”

Hyunwoo reached out his hand and firmly stopped her.

Chaea drooped her ears.

Hyunwoo felt a strange feeling.

‘…Is this right?’

Being like this, it really felt like he was handling a dog.

“No. I’ll try to endure it…”

Chaea muttered gloomily and hung her head.

Hyunwoo, who was about to reach out his hand without thinking, paused.

‘Right. Yoo Chaea isn’t a child. I need to endure it too.’

He had become too accustomed to taking care of her under the pretext of her being a patient.

She already had her cast off.

“But Yoo Chaerin. Is there anything here that can bring back high school memories?”

“Uh… wait a minute?”

Chaerin tilted her head and rummaged through her desk.

Actually, the things she was going to show Chaea today were board games they played together when they were very young.

But since she suggested that they focus on finding high school memories,

“I don’t have anything in my room. Should I go to unnie’s room?”

She had to completely revise her plan.

“Yeah, let’s try anything.”

Hyunwoo nodded.

He had resolved to help her regain her memories as quickly as possible.

Since he came all the way here, he wanted to do something.

“Bringing her diary or something would be good.”

“Did I write a diary?”

“I think so. I don’t know if you wrote it recently, but I’ll go and get it!”

Click.

After Chaerin headed to Chaea’s room,

only the two of them were left in the room.

Chaea slowly scooted her butt towards Hyunwoo.

“Hyunwoo-ya.”

“Every time you call me that, nothing good ever happens.”

“Before Chaerin comes, can you hug me just once?”

As expected, Chaea was making a difficult request.

“It’s not like your head hurts right now.”

“It doesn’t, but my Hyunwoo stats are depleted.”

“What’s that… No, I was holding you the whole time.”

“I’m not fully charged.”

I don’t know exactly what Hyunwoo stats mean,

but I could roughly guess.

-Aren’t you going to get up now?

-Uhh… Just a little more charging.

Sometimes when she overslept in the morning, she would burrow into my arms, saying her Hyunwoo stats were depleted.

“I’ll try to endure it when Chaerin comes. So, huh?”

Chaea waited with her arms open.

Hyunwoo resisted the urge to hug her habitually and suggested.

“Then don’t even think about hugging me to sleep tonight.”

“…Huh?”

“Choose. Do you want a hug now? Or do you want to hug me to sleep at night?”

Two choices were presented.

Chaea struggled to decide with wavering eyes.

Should she charge her depleted Hyunwoo stats right away?

Or should she endure it and charge them all at once at night?

Thinking rationally, the latter was correct, but

“Hug me now.”

Chaea chose immediate happiness.

Hyunwoo’s cozy embrace was essential to endure the tense environment (even though it was her own house).

“You promised? If I wake up tomorrow and you’re in my arms, I’m kicking you out.”

“Okay…”

Hyunwoo hugged Chaea again, reminding her one more time.

An embrace that exchanged their now familiar warmth.

Hyunwoo internally mocked himself at the absurd situation.

‘I’m really shady, too.’

He had been acting like hugging her was entirely for Chaea’s sake,

but it was also an act that fulfilled Hyunwoo’s personal desires.

There was no way he would dislike hugging his childhood friend whom he liked.

“Sniff, sniff.”

But it was embarrassing when Chaea buried her nose in his chest and smelled him.

She definitely didn’t have this habit before losing her memory.

“I’m really curious. Why do you keep smelling me?”

“Because it makes me feel at ease.”

“Tell me honestly. Were you a dog in your past life?”

“Maybe…?”

In fact, Chaea herself didn’t understand why she was doing it.

After recalling the ‘sweat-soaked Hyunwoo’s shirt incident’ that Chaerin mentioned last time,

she wanted to smell Hyunwoo’s scent whenever she had the chance.

“Do you… dislike it?”

“I don’t dislike it, I’m just curious.”

It’s not like she’s biting me.

There was no particular reason to dislike her sniffing.

It was just a little embarrassing.

Hyunwoo stroked Chaea’s head like that,

and Chaea buried her face in Hyunwoo’s arms,

waiting for Chaerin to return.

“Euchacha…”

“Why did you bring so much?”

“There were more things with memories than I thought.”

I thought she would only bring a few things,

but Chaerin brought a basket full of items.

Thanks to that, Hyunwoo hugged Chaea for quite a long time.

“…”

Chaea still had a regretful expression, but

“What did you bring?”

Hyunwoo pretended not to see it and looked into the basket.

Chaerin took out a notebook first.

“First, this. It seems like unnie took oppa’s notes.”

“What? You had this?”

I wondered where the social studies notes I diligently organized in the first grade went.

It seemed like I lent it to Yoo Chaea and didn’t get it back.

“Umm, I don’t remember.”

Even showing her the contents of the notes,

Chaea shook her head, saying she didn’t know at all.

“Then next is this. The hoodie oppa left behind on a rainy day.”

“Ah, right. It was here.”

I remembered when Chaerin showed it to me.

One day when it was raining too much,

I washed my soaked hoodie at Chaea’s house, changed into other clothes, and went home.

I had completely forgotten about it since then.

“But why is this in Yoo Chaea’s room?”

“Don’t you know? I brought it because it was in unnie’s closet.”

“…I don’t know either.”

Hyunwoo forgot,

Chaerin didn’t know,

and since Chaea couldn’t recall her memories,

the reason why Hyunwoo’s hoodie was in Chaea’s closet naturally became a mystery.

“Uuuuum… Next is…”

After that, Chaerin took out various items from Chaea’s room.

Lotion, diffuser, even clothes she wore often.

They were almost all items she used after entering high school, but

“Sorry. I don’t know any of it.”

In the end, Chaea didn’t regain any memories.

At this point, a conclusion was slowly emerging.

First, Chaea strangely couldn’t recall high school memories.

Second, it wasn’t the items, but the room itself that caused headaches.

“Are you okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

She had seen enough of Chaea’s belongings to have a headache,

It was clear that something in the room was unconsciously rejecting the memories she was trying to recall.

“Okay, let’s stop here for today. It’s already been two hours.”

Although they didn’t get the desired results,

it wasn’t a meaningless time.

“Stay at our house together for the time being.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

“What else are you going to do? You can’t even go into your room.”

It was enough to realize that they needed to focus on finding high school memories.

At least it meant they could set a direction for the future.

“Instead, let’s try to go around a bit. Let’s come to your house every weekend too.”

“Okay. I’ll try my best.”

Promising to actively search for memories instead of lazing around at home from now on,

and promising to visit Chaea’s house every weekend,

“…So, I really can’t hug you to sleep?”

“No.”

“Okay…”

The weekend after the exam ended.