Chapter 46: The Thunder and the Soft Touch

1. Bubble Training

It was so much fun that my excitement was rising.

“Bora, let’s do the bubbles again!”

“Harang, I’m sorry, but can we do it later?”

“Why?”

I fidgeted my hands in disappointment.

“Well, it’s not that your breath smells, but… it’s just a little embarrassing.”

“Anyway, there are a lot of different smells, not just yours, so it’s fine.”

There were plenty of other smells in the world besides Bora’s.

Good, bad, and strange ones.

“Harang, what other smells are there?”

Raxy, who was standing beside me, asked.

“There’s the smell of sweat, bubble solution, metal from the gym equipment, and so many others that I can’t even list them all.”

“Can you really tell them apart…?”

“Yeah. I can tell them all apart.”

Smells were like what you see with your eyes.

When you get closer, the scent gets stronger, and when you move further, it fades. Just like identifying things with sight, I could distinguish them through smell.

‘My sense of smell has really improved.’

I was catching things that even a hunter’s senses couldn’t.

‘I’m really great, except for the strength…’

If I were strong as well, that would be cheating.

Limits were a given.

“Heh heh!”

My confidence surged, and I spread my arms wide, laughing heartily.

Raxy chuckled at my behavior.

After laughing for a while, a sound came from Yoon Bora, who was shaking a plastic bottle.

“Bora, what are you doing?”

“Ah, well, since Harang wants to do more, I was thinking about it, but… we’re out of bubble solution.”

“Huh?”

I grabbed the bottle from Yoon Bora’s hand.

As I tilted the bottle, the remaining bubble solution sloshed at the bottom.

“Isn’t there a way to make at least one more round?”

“Sorry, but I don’t think it’ll work. That was really the best I could do earlier.”

“O||0|……”

I looked at the bottle in disappointment and then stretched my hand toward Yoon Bora.

“Bora, pass me the stick.”

“Here.”

She handed me the stick, and I tried to dip it into the solution, but I couldn’t make a soap film form at the last second.

‘I think I can do it if I try harder.’

I kept turning the bottle and stirring the stick around.

Tick-tick-

“Like this?”

When I held the bottle upside down and stirred the stick at the opening, the remaining bubble solution slowly dripped down my face.

“Ah!”

It was only a small amount, but the soap water flowed down my face, and although I avoided getting it in my eyes, it dripped onto my nose and lips, which felt uncomfortable.

“Oh no!”

“Harang, are you okay?”

Yoon Bora and Raxy rushed toward me in surprise.

One of them grabbed my face tightly, but since my face was scrunched up in discomfort, I couldn’t tell who it was.

Their voices sounded so similar.

“Harang, it didn’t get in your eyes, right?”

Whoever it was, they pressed my cheek hard, making my lips stick out.

“Mm. It didn’t get in.”

I could hardly speak properly.

“That’s a relief.”

When they let go of my face, I realized that both of them had been holding my cheeks at the same time.

“Harang, you should wash your face.”

“Yeah, but just washing my face will be fine.”

It wasn’t enough for me to want to take a full shower just because of the soap water on my face.

“Shall we go upstairs then?”

“Yeah.”

Naturally, I found myself in the middle, holding hands with the two sisters.

It made sense since I was the shortest, and the balance would be better with me in the middle.

‘My bubble training…’

I looked back at the situation in regret, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Even now, the bubble solution was dripping from my cheek.

“Bora, I’ll come back later and wipe this off.”

“No, I’ll wipe it when I get the chance.”

“But this was my mistake.”

I made the mistake, but she was going to clean it up. That felt too selfish on my part.

“Anyway, I’m going to come back down and work out again. Cleaning twice would be a waste of time. There are people who do the cleaning too.”

If Yoon Bora insisted like this, then what could I say?

It was a bit embarrassing, but I couldn’t argue with her.

“Okay, I understand. Sorry for spilling the bubble solution.”

I looked up at Yoon Bora’s face through the hand I was holding.

“Sorry? Really?”

She also chuckled as she looked down at me.

After washing off the soap water from my face, I spent some time normally.

I lay on the sofa, feeling the comfort of rest, and closed my eyes.

Bang!

“Yah!”

A sudden loud noise startled me, making me jump up.

It sounded like the world was collapsing.

I looked toward the window, and there was a flash of light followed by another loud sound.

Boom!

“Ahh.”

The noise was so loud it felt like it might hurt my eardrums. I wondered if my eardrums were going to burst.

“Harang, what’s wrong?”

Raxy, who had been sitting next to me playing a game, asked.

“The thunder is too loud.”

I said, covering my ears.

“Harang.”

“Hmm?”

“Your ears are on top, you know. You should cover the top.”

“Oh, right.”

I moved my hands to cover my ears at the top, but before I could, Raxy pulled my body, and I ended up sitting on her lap like a doll.

“I’ll do it for you.”

Raxy placed her hands on top of my head and covered my ears.

‘I could have done it myself.’

As I was thinking this, Boom!

The thunder roared again, but this time, the sound didn’t hurt my ears.

“How’s that? Better?”

“Yeah. It’s better now.”

I was surprised that covering my ears lightly with her hands was enough to block out the sound.

I could still clearly hear Raxy’s voice.

‘What’s the principle behind this?’

I found it fascinating, and while I was looking up at the ears on my forehead, I heard Raxy’s voice from behind.

“When I was younger, I used to be afraid of thunder too.”

“Yeah, but Raxy, I’m not a child, and I’m not afraid of thunder.”

It was just that the sound was so loud it felt like my ears might tear apart.

It would be so unfair if it seemed like I was scared of thunder.

“Huh?”

At my words, Raxy lowered her hand.

“Why, Raxy?”

She reached her hand toward my face.

“Raxy, what is it?”

“Your skin… it’s so smooth…?”

Raxy started rubbing my face, and I was a bit confused.

Our skin didn’t seem that different.

‘Is there a difference?’

I raised my hand and began to rub Raxy’s face, but I didn’t feel any significant difference.

“Raxy, your skin is smooth too.”

“Aw, thank you.”

I listened to Raxy’s laugh, when suddenly, Boom!

“Ah!”

Raxy’s hand was no longer covering my ears, and I felt a sharp pain.

“Ah, sorry!”

She quickly placed her hand back over my ears, and I felt her warm hand against them, which made me feel better.

‘What should I do?’

It wasn’t like Raxy could keep holding my ears until the thunder ended.

‘Isn’t there anything else I can do?’

I tried to think of a way to block the sound without using my hands, but couldn’t come up with anything useful.

Regular earplugs wouldn’t fit my ears either.

“Hmm…”

As I was contemplating by myself, at some point, Jinhyang opened the door and appeared.

“Are you guys freaking out because of the thunder?”

Jinhyang approached and asked.

“Yes, my sister.”

Raxy answered her question.

“I figured. You’re so scared of everything.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not scared at all.”

Both Raxy and Jinhyang thought I was a coward. It was ridiculous, so I gave Jinhyang a scary expression. Like a wild tiger ready to pounce.

“Then, do you not need this?”

“What’s that…?”

Jinhyang held out a simple headband.

Given the nature of my ears, if I wore that, they would get pressed. Naturally, the sound would be blocked as well.

“Are you leaving?”

As Jinhyang turned to walk away, I quickly grabbed the hem of her clothes.

“No, wait. Please give it to me.”

I grabbed her clothes tightly, but she ignored me and kept walking slowly.

Because of that, my arm, still holding onto the hem, stretched out. My waist bent in half.

Luckily, I was flexible, so it didn’t strain my back.

“Is your waist okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

I answered with my face buried between her legs while sitting on Raxy’s thigh, so I could see her thigh too.

“Flexible, huh?”

Jinhyang remarked, stepping back. I slowly started to rise as well.

“Here.”

Jinhyang handed me the headband.

“Thank you.”

I took the headband and poked Raxy’s thigh.

“Can you take your hand off my ear now, Raxy?”

“Oh, right.”

When Raxy removed her hand, my ear returned to its natural position, and though I couldn’t see it, I could feel it.

‘Where…’

I wore the headband, pressing my ears down. Unlike her warm hand, I could feel my ears being compressed, but it was enough to block out the thunder.

“Raxy, I think I won’t need to press my ears anymore.”

The fact that I wouldn’t have to trouble her with my hands made me feel good. I couldn’t keep relying on her forever.

“Yeah, that’s great. But Harang, could you not wear the headband right now?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because it’s too hard for me.”

What did my wearing the headband have to do with Raxy being in pain?

I turned to look at her, confused, and saw Raxy starting to tremble.

“Raxy, what’s wrong?”

Her body was shaking, making everything ripple. My ears twitched too.

“Harang, actually, I have a rare condition.”

“What… kind of condition?”

“It’s a condition where if I don’t touch something soft for a while, I start shaking uncontrollably.”

“Re… really?”

I had never heard of such a condition. But then again, my medical knowledge was almost nonexistent.

There were probably more diseases out there that I had never heard of.

‘What… what could be soft?’

I looked around the room to help her, but couldn’t find anything soft except for the cushion on the sofa.

“Raxy, there’s nothing soft here. What should we do?”

“What do you mean? You have something soft, Harang.”

“What… do I have?”

I looked back at Raxy, who was smiling innocently.

“Everything.”