Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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“Explain yourself.”
So-hee spoke bluntly.
Soo-ah, who had just finished her shower, naturally joined the situation.
Yoo Ha-neul, Shin So-hee, and Lee Soo-ah sat around the table, forming a triangular shape.
Sara, who had fainted, was still lying on the bed.
“Explain what?”
Yoo Ha-neul spoke with a bold face.
Of course, it wasn’t all that bold.
So-hee and Soo-ah were also her friends after all.
And at the same time, they were also Sara’s friends.
Maintaining these relationships was something that Sara desired as well.
It wasn’t a relationship she could just break on a whim.
…Yoo Ha-neul had no intention of doing that, either.
But still, it wasn’t something she could explain here and now.
It was a personal matter for Sara.
It wasn’t something someone else could reveal so carelessly.
Of course, Yoo Ha-neul had caused this situation.
Yes, it was thoughtless.
That was the best way to put it.
Holding Sara felt good.
Being close to her face felt good too.
If their lips could actually touch, that would be even better.
If they could promise to spend the rest of their lives together, Yoo Ha-neul would probably cry from joy.
But even after making up her mind, Yoo Ha-neul hadn’t been able to confess her feelings to Sara.
Because she was scared.
She was afraid that Sara might not accept her feelings.
Moreover, there was another reason she couldn’t do it.
Inside Sara, there was also ‘Sara.’
Of course, Yoo Ha-neul thought of ‘Sara’ as her friend too… but there was a big problem here.
Every time something stimulating happens, Sara and ‘Sara’ switch places.
Yoo Ha-neul thought she had come up with a solution, which was to start when ‘Sara’ was in control and end when Sara returned.
But she wasn’t sure if Sara would like that.
Right now, the most important person to Sara was ‘Sara.’
Sara cared so much about ‘Sara’ that she was even willing to give up her own place for her.
In such a situation, would Sara have the space to accept Yoo Ha-neul’s confession of love?
Whether Sara accepted it or not, it would be like placing a heavy burden on her heart.
So she couldn’t confess carelessly.
But at the same time, she couldn’t bear it any longer.
She loved Sara.
She wanted to spend the rest of her life with her.
She wanted to be closer, more intimate.
And so, cowardly as it may be, she decided to use her own advantage.
Even though there was a constant guilt weighing on her heart, her first thought when her previous attempt failed was, “That’s a shame.”
…But she couldn’t spill all of these thoughts out right now.
So, Yoo Ha-neul had to keep up her bold facade.
“…Explain what happened earlier.”
To be fair, So-hee didn’t really have a reason to demand this explanation, but Yoo Ha-neul felt a mix of rivalry and camaraderie with her. After all, So-hee, Soo-ah, and Yoo Ha-neul were in the same situation.
They all liked Sara, but couldn’t act on it.
“Are you two dating or something?”
“….”
Yoo Ha-neul was at a loss for words.
“…No.”
After hesitating for a brief moment about how to respond, Yoo Ha-neul decided to drop the mask she had been wearing.
She figured that keeping it on wouldn’t help in this situation.
“You’re not dating, yet Sara got on top of you? You didn’t… do something bad to her, did you?”
“No.”
She cut her off firmly.
…Honestly, it wasn’t like she felt no guilt about it.
After all, she had taken advantage of the situation.
From a certain perspective, it could definitely be considered bad.
But it had been necessary.
It seemed that Sara had gotten used to being in Yoo Ha-neul’s arms after several instances.
At the very last moment, right before their lips touched, ‘Sara’ returned.
It was probably because, on top of the stimulating situation, something shocking had happened—like someone walking in on them, catching Yoo Ha-neul and Sara on the bed about to kiss.
The more this happened, the more drastic their actions would likely need to become.
…Maybe she would need these girls’ help when that time came.
Even if Sara might agree to that, Yoo Ha-neul didn’t like the idea.
“We’re not dating, and I didn’t threaten her.”
Though she had tried to force it once.
…Thinking about it now, she realized how reckless she had been.
To be fair, it was ‘Sara’ who provoked her first.
“Then why…?”
Soo-ah asked.
“…It’s because of Sara’s personal issues…”
“…”
Soo-ah’s eyes narrowed.
“Is it about her ‘memories’ again?”
“…”
Yes, she had used that as an excuse when she hugged Sara in front of So-hee last time.
It was true, though.
It had to do with memories.
The two personalities inside Sara each had different memories.
Although they could read each other’s memories to some extent and influence each other’s thoughts.
Yoo Ha-neul nodded.
“…”
With that, So-hee and Soo-ah went quiet.
They seemed a bit relieved.
But the tension wasn’t completely gone.
Their expressions remained serious.
Which was understandable.
If the situation continued like this, Yoo Ha-neul and Sara would have to be physically close every time they needed to retrieve Sara’s past memories.
And… as long as there was mutual attraction, the more they repeated such affectionate acts, the more likely it was that they would develop feelings for each other.
Not between a man and a woman, but between two women.
It wasn’t something they could be sure about.
“How long will this ‘memory’ thing last? Didn’t you retrieve everything last time?”
“Well…”
Yoo Ha-neul hesitated.
How should she explain this?
Soo-ah and So-hee’s gazes focused on the stalling Yoo Ha-neul.
“Well, um…”
“I’ll explain.”
Yoo Ha-neul was about to speak when a voice startled her.
It wasn’t just her, Soo-ah and So-hee also turned toward the bed.
Sara, who had been lying on the bed quietly, was sitting up.
No, it was ‘Sara.’
‘Sara,’ frowning, rubbed her forehead with her palm before fully sitting up at the edge of the bed.
“Well… I figured everything would come out sooner or later.”
‘Sara’ sighed deeply.
And then she spoke.
“What Ha-neul said about ‘memories’ is true. I can recall specific ‘memories’ when I’m confronted with the most shocking or stimulating events from my life.”
“Are you saying that the ‘stimulating event’ is rubbing up against Yoo Ha-neul?”
So-hee asked with a slight frown.
But her expression quickly turned to surprise.
“Yes. Unless the memory is at the level of meeting my mother again, I need something as shocking as that.”
‘Sara’ said with a nonchalant expression.
“Oh… uh, sorry…”
So-hee apologized meekly.
“It’s fine. You’re all doing this because you care about me, right?”
“…Huh?”
So-hee’s head shot up in shock at ‘Sara’s’ bombshell statement.
Her expression was a mix of surprise and embarrassment, the kind of feelings that come when a secret is exposed.
“Sara, you…!”
Yoo Ha-neul, shocked, tried to cut off ‘Sara.’
“Well, to be exact… it’s not me you like, but ‘Ye Sara,’ right?”
—But ‘Sara’ spoke before Yoo Ha-neul could.
“Huh…?”
So-hee made that noise again.
This time, it was the voice of someone who couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“It’s not just So-hee. Soo-ah, you too. And Ha-neul as well. You all like ‘Ye Sara.’”
The three were left speechless, their mouths wide open.
“But you don’t have to worry. I’m the only one who knows. The Sara you’re familiar with doesn’t know yet. She’s extremely oblivious. Even when you hug her, cling to her, and express your feelings with your entire body, she doesn’t catch on. In a way, it’s a relief, right?”
‘Sara’ was trying to act composed, but her face was growing redder with each word she spoke.
Of course, what these three had done was also directed at ‘Sara.’
After all, ‘Sara’ was the personality originally inhabiting this body.
“Uh, um, ah…”
So-hee, her face bright red, stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
It seemed like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t put it into words.
“…”
Soo-ah, on the other hand, had her head lowered—
“Wait.”
—No, she didn’t.
“So you’re saying, you’re not the Sara we know?”
“Exactly.”
‘Sara’ managed to collect herself and answered.
“To be precise, I’m the ‘original owner’ of this body.”