Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━
Until the end of the party, I spent a long time hiding.
The problem was that I had chosen red as my theme.
This bright, bold-colored dress made me stand out wherever I went, and even when I tried to hide, I was still noticeable.
Just because I hid among people didn’t mean they couldn’t find me.
But thankfully, Ha-neul and Soo-ah hadn’t approached me since then.
Did they perhaps understand that I was feeling confused?
I could still see them.
Actually, their eyes kept following me, which was why I ran away.
It was ironic that there was nowhere to hide in such a large space.
Still, I couldn’t leave the party.
While it was fine to take a short break in a room like before, as the main character of the party, I couldn’t disappear entirely.
“Oh, Sara.”
That’s why I was grateful when someone called out to me like that.
“You’ve grown a lot. I arrived a bit late, so I couldn’t talk to you earlier… Do you remember who I am?”
It was a slightly plump, middle-aged woman.
She seemed like she had been beautiful when she was younger.
If she wiped off her thick makeup, she might look even older.
Honestly, I had no idea who she was.
But at the very least, I knew she was someone who was helping me escape my current situation.
Honestly, I don’t really remember what we talked about.
She introduced herself and explained her connection to me… but as a distant relative, my attention was more focused on the direction opposite her, where Ha-neul and Soo-ah were still watching me.
Still, I think we had a fairly long conversation.
Even if I was half responding like a machine, somewhat detached from the conversation.
“Oh dear, I must have taken too much of your time. Enjoy the party.”
“Yes, I’ll see you again next time.”
After finally ending the long conversation, I wandered aimlessly around the party hall again.
As I was wandering—
Thud,
I buried my face into something incredibly soft.
At first, I thought it was a pillow, but in hindsight, pillows aren’t usually this soft.
Maybe squishy, but this was different.
It seemed I was confused by the fabric.
…And the fabric was red.
A luxurious material, good enough to make a dress.
No, not just material—this was the dress itself.
A dress enveloping something soft and squishy.
Slowly, as I forced my stiff neck to move upward, I saw So-hee looking down at me with a worried expression.
“Sara, are you okay? Your face is red.”
“Oh, ah, uh…”
Right, out of the three people I was close with, she was the only one who hadn’t confessed to me yet.
Or maybe… she just hadn’t confessed *yet.*
I had been trying so hard to avoid them, but in focusing too much on Ha-neul and Soo-ah, I had completely missed So-hee.
“This won’t do.”
When I only made strange noises, So-hee, thinking it was a warning signal, grabbed my shoulder.
She gently supported me as if to help.
“Let’s go, you need to rest for a bit.”
But I was just resting a while ago.
Of course, even then, it didn’t feel like I was truly resting.
So-hee gently pushed me along.
Her strength was firm but still respectful of my will.
I cautiously moved my feet, leaning on her.
Eyes from around the room turned toward me.
Well, that was expected.
I was the main character of this party, after all, and here I was, unable to walk properly and needing help.
“Is Sara not feeling well?”
‘Uncle’ approached and asked.
Judging by how he naturally asked So-hee, he seemed to know that So-hee was my maid.
I was completely leaning on So-hee.
Maybe I really did look sick, considering how red my face was from all the blood rushing to my head.
“Yes, it seems so.”
So-hee, in her dress, responded in her usual maid-like manner, which she rarely showed.
“I see. Then take it easy. There’s no need to push yourself to stay here.”
‘Uncle’ spoke softly.
…In truth, he was someone I still had a lot of doubts about, so it would have been better for me to stay and keep an eye on things… but I couldn’t help it.
It wasn’t like standing here would be of any help.
I quietly nodded.
*
So-hee led me to a room on the first floor.
I should have found this room from the start.
“It’s one of the servants’ quarters. Yesterday, the students stayed here. Their belongings are being kept elsewhere, so no one will mind if you lie down for a bit. But then again… considering this is your house, I suppose it wouldn’t matter much even if they did.”
So-hee gently laid me on the bed and placed her hand on my forehead.
“You don’t have much of a fever. But just in case, should I go get some fever medicine?”
“No… no, it’s not that bad.”
Still, lying down made me feel a lot better.
I didn’t think I needed any medicine.
It wasn’t that I was sick; it was just that I had too many thoughts, which gave me a headache.
“Really? Well, just in case, I’ll stay here with you.”
So-hee pulled up a nearby chair and sat next to the bed.
“…”
“…”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
“Ahem.”
So-hee seemed to find the silence a bit awkward and cleared her throat.
…Now that I think about it, I’ve almost never been alone with So-hee.
I had memories of being alone with Soo-ah or Ha-neul, but for some reason, none with So-hee.
Maybe it was natural.
From the moment I first met So-hee, I had been with Soo-ah and Ha-neul.
“…”
“…”
After a brief silence,
“Oh, right.”
So-hee spoke quickly, as if she wanted to break the quiet.
“Did you already get gifts from Ha-neul and Soo-ah?”
She must have noticed the things on my hand and around my neck.
“…Yeah.”
I couldn’t bring myself to mention that I had kissed both of them.
It was a wise decision to switch the ring to another finger.
If I had left it on my ring finger, others besides So-hee might have noticed something was off.
“Actually, I learned how to observe things like this from my senior. She said I should always notice any changes in my master immediately.”
…Which means Yang Hye-in probably already knows, too.
Maybe Yang Hye-in had noticed even more changes than that.
Thinking about this made me shiver, and So-hee lowered her head.
“Did I… creep you out a bit?”
“No, no.”
Seeing So-hee glance at me cautiously, I quickly waved my hand.
I slowly sat up.
Now that I had a legitimate reason to rest in bed, I felt much more at ease.
My dizzy head was also beginning to clear a bit.
“It’s fine. You studied so hard for my sake, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Hearing my praise, So-hee’s face reddened slightly.
Then, she cleared her throat again, twice this time.
“So, I have something I want to give you, too.”
“A birthday present?”
“Yeah.”
So-hee nodded and lifted her arm.
She was wearing two bracelets on her left wrist.
Thin, gold bracelets.
They looked really good on her tanned skin, which had a slight dark hue as if she had been tanning.
So-hee took one of them off.
“I, uh, bought two on purpose, but I didn’t have anywhere else to put the second one, so I’ve been wearing it. Sorry.”
“Oh, no.”
I quickly extended one arm toward her.
So-hee smiled bashfully and carefully put the bracelet on my wrist.
The gold bracelet glittered under the light.
“It’s pretty.”
Honestly, I didn’t have much of an eye for things like this.
I usually just saw bracelets, rings, or necklaces and thought, “Oh, okay.”
Still, I could tell that these kids had put a lot of thought into their choices.
Everything was simple and designed in a way I would likely find acceptable.
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
“Is that so?”
So-hee murmured that and smiled.
It was a pure smile, free of any worries.
A smile that seemed like the embodiment of happiness… or was my description a bit off?
Wasn’t it the case that someone first smiled, and then the word “smile” was created?
Well, it didn’t really matter.
“…”
“…”
The silence returned, but it didn’t feel awkward.
It was a pleasant, warm silence.
“…Phew.”
So-hee placed her hand on her chest and let out a small sigh, as if relieved that everything had gone well.
…But, actually, there seemed to be a deeper reason for that sigh.
Right after, So-hee took a deep breath and then spoke.
“I’m actually a lesbian.”
“…What?”
“I like girls, not guys.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, hold on.
If she’s telling me something like that…
There could only be one reason for it.
The blood that had just settled in my head began to rush again, making my face flush a bit red.
“…Do you think it’s weird?”
So-hee asked cautiously.
Her eyes trembled slightly with anxiety.