-Vroom
Inside the car. Yena, seated in the passenger seat, blinked her eyes repeatedly, as if tired, yet maintained a poised posture.
“You can sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“It’s okay. I need to adjust to the time zone, too.”
Her soft voice, as if infused with magic, tugged at Jinhee’s heart. She had to suppress the urge to turn her head and look at her immediately.
She briefly thought she might have been more comfortable if they had taken a taxi instead, but—no, if Jinhee had suggested picking her up in a taxi, Yena would have firmly refused. Jinhee was beginning to understand the subtle distance Yena kept from her.
She also knew a bit about how to bridge that gap.
There was no need to rush. Even if it was gradual, she needed to close the distance in their hearts. Bit by bit. Ever so slowly.
No matter how long it took, it was fine. Jinhee’s feelings would never change.
“Ah.”
While reaffirming this within herself, she heard Yena’s voice, as if suddenly realizing something.
“What? Do you need something? We’re almost there… Oh, did you forget something?”
“Um… no, no.”
“Tell me! Should I turn the car around?”
“No. I was just thinking, just in case.”
A red light came on just in time. Jinhee used the opportunity to turn her head towards the passenger seat.
Late evening.
The yellow streetlights lined up along the dark street faintly illuminated the inside of the car. In this somewhat mysterious atmosphere, Yena’s slightly shadowed face turned to face Jinhee.
Gentle eyes. Lips trembling as if hesitating to say something. And, following—
It was not her appearance that made Jinhee’s heart flutter. Truly, it was not.
Yet, despite that, Jinhee could declare without the slightest hesitation that sacrificing her precious evening for driving was worth it.
“Have you had dinner?”
Should she say she had eaten?
Worried she might get caught in rush-hour traffic, she had skipped dinner and headed straight to the airport. But if she were to be honest, Yena would never let her pick her up again, overwhelmed by guilt.
However, for the moment… if she said she hadn’t eaten, wouldn’t Yena invite her for a meal?
“Ah, well. That is…”
Needlessly complicated, but at the same time, trivial thoughts ran endlessly through Jinhee’s mind, as they do for those standing before someone they like.
Fortunately, the time for agonizing was short.
“If you haven’t eaten, let’s grab a meal. I saw you posted an announcement about canceling today’s live broadcast.”
With a small smile and her suggestion, all of Jinhee’s complicated thoughts were washed away.
“Uh… should we? Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Um… I was thinking of asking if you’d like to have ramen.”
With her following words, inappropriate imaginations filled Jinhee’s head.
“What?”
‘Ramen, ramen? No, it’s a bit of an old expression. It can’t be—oh, but Yena sometimes uses strangely old-fashioned words—’
“Bang!”
Only after hearing the honking that signaled the change of the traffic light did Jinhee barely manage to direct her gaze forward again.
“Since it’s a bit troublesome to eat outside, how about chicken? I missed Korean seasoned chicken because American chicken is too greasy.”
“Yeah, I like that. I love it.”
“… Okay.”
Having been unable to erase the thoughts that had already surfaced.
* * * *
“… I was going to invite you home.”
“Considering you must be tired from the flight, it would be exhausting if the house is messy. Take a rest today and go tomorrow. I’ll drive you.”
“It’s okay. I can leave after eating-”
“If you rest today and leave tomorrow, it would make picking up Yena from the airport worthwhile.”
“… Alright.”
At Jinhee’s house, the fried chicken, which had arrived at just the right time, was giving off a savory aroma in the middle of the dining table.
Compared to the excessive airport pickup service, this was such a humble return. Jinhee’s stubbornness had prevented them from being invited to her house originally.
I felt like I might be causing more inconvenience, but- every time I tried to refuse, Jinhee’s shaking voice and downcast eyes were too hard to handle.
It felt like Jinhee knew something, but even if that was the case, I had no intention of addressing it. Still-
“Aren’t you thinking about moving to a slightly bigger place, Yena?”
“Hmm… I’ve grown attached to this place. Living alone, a bigger house feels burdensome.”
“I get it. I kind of signed this contract on a whim, too. Sometimes it feels like too much to live alone here. Sometimes it even feels a bit… lonely. I’ve thought about getting a roommate! The room I practically use as storage feels wasted…”
Crunch.
Jinhee, who had been speaking with a somewhat awkward voice, took a big bite of the chicken and then gulped down some beer.
Roommate… A roommate, huh. I’d heard that in the West, men and women could live together without any touchy issues, but in Korea, it was definitely out of the question.
… And as for myself, hmm. How should I look at this?
I had made up my mind, but it was a little daunting to bring it up in front of Jinhee.
And, yes. There was a little something I had to repay.
“Oh, right. I watched your broadcast.”
“Huh? Which one?”
“This one, here.”
Shifting the subject, she naturally accessed G-Tube on her phone.
《Huaang, huueek. You did well, Yena… really, you did so well…》
“Gyaaa-!”
The speed at which Jinhee leaped up and rushed was pretty fierce, but it wasn’t enough. Her reflexes were no match for the dexterity of the already-anticipated movements.
《Uheeong… hmm. No, everyone, that’s not it… it’s just so heartwarming… to think that Yena went all the way to the U. S., sniff, right? Isn’t it?》
“Wow… the editor was a bit much with that. This should’ve been edited out.”
“Hey, don’t you move!”
Jinhee screamed as she charged at me, preparing to tackle me on the couch but halted at the last minute. Was it the limitation of VR training? It seemed throwing oneself at someone in real life wasn’t easy.
I could have dodged even if she had done it.
I had gone to the sofa in the first place to avoid any chance of Jinhee getting hurt.
However, whatever.
Since I was out of Jinhee’s reach, I moved my fingers to turn up the volume.
“Didn’t you say that as a PowerT you wouldn’t shed a tear even if you watched a sob story?”
“Sniff, sob, no, wait, do you think all Ts are sociopaths? Do you think a forced sob story and the genuinely touching moment of a friend I really, really like are the same? Huh?”
“A friend you really like… Wow. Thank you.”
“Please! I, I’ll really bite my tongue off?! I, I’ll die from shame- Ah.”
Jinhee, who was about to scream and charge at me again with a flushed face, abruptly stopped and froze. Her gaze- Ah.
Her wrist.
– As a current sociopath, I am hurt by Ark’s comment. Please apologize.
– I’m really going crazy.
– Alright, alright! Everyone, focus on Yena instead of me! Isn’t it amazing she won? A Korean amateur conquering the world? That’s my friend. Did you see? She used to say she was my fan, too!
– Question mark, question mark, question mark. Whoever brings me GetDevoured’s address or phone number, I’ll give them a million won on a first-come-first-served basis. I just really want to see her face. What? Fan? If this is fandom-
– Yeah, let’s leave the past in the past, okay? Let’s speak nicely. Look at our Yena on the throne. Wow.
In the now silent living room, Ark’s voice, back to his broadcast tone, echoed along with the donation sound.
Hmm.
This… was my fault. This could go on Wiki as an example of repaying kindness with enmity. It wasn’t my intention… I couldn’t even say it was unfair.
Carefully, I closed the FanTube video and reached towards the dining table.
“…Shall we drink?”
“Yeah. Let’s do that. Hey, Yena.”
“Yes.”
“…I’m really sorry. I mean, truly-”
“It’s okay. I’m not one to accept apologies. I’m sorry.”
It really wasn’t.
But I couldn’t explain it in detail to Jinhee.
* * * *
‘I’ve lost my mind. Completely lost it, Kim Jinhee. How could you say that to Yena-’
The drinking session continued for a long time. We drank until the chicken was gone and emptied several bottles we had prepared in the fridge with some fruit.
But no matter how much time passed, Jinhee couldn’t stop blaming herself. Even though Yena never mentioned her mistake nor showed any signs of being upset.
Naturally, it was a rightful reaction. Just because one doesn’t show signs doesn’t mean the incident didn’t happen.
Jinhee was already well aware of the scars hidden beneath Yena’s arm sleeve. Yena, who seemed a bit less guarded around her, had acted as if she wasn’t bothered when they were alone together for some time.
Seeing Yena comfortable around her was indeed heartwarming. But because of this, Jinhee found it harder to forgive herself for the recent mistake.
‘Please, just forget. If only she could forget the hurt.’
The drinking session carried on with that desperate wish- but it was impossible. No amount of alcohol could erase the memory of what had just happened.
Of course, if you poured until the end, a broader range of memories might fly away. At least, they could become hazy.
However, it was an impossible thing.
Jinhee wouldn’t have known –
but Yena, for some reason, drank just enough not to get drunk.
.
.
.
So, from the point where Yena was given pajamas and blankets while looking exhausted and Jinhee entered her room, an hour had passed.
Even after downing half of the wine bottle she had brought, sleep wouldn’t come.
At the very least, it would have been better if Yena had slept on the bed. Despite being tired, as if she had already adjusted to the time difference, she adamantly refused the bed and laid herself on the living room sofa, making Jinhee have her guest sleep in the living room.
‘… Is she sleeping well?’
It should be alright to check.
If Yena seemed uncomfortable, Jinhee would send her to the bed this time, even if it meant wrestling her off the sofa.
Determined, Jinhee briefly walked to the living room and found Yena half slumped, leaning on the sofa covered in a blanket.
Yena’s tousled appearance, more so than usual, and her half-open eyes created a strange atmosphere as her gaze met Jinhee’s.
“Having trouble sleeping? Is the time difference hard on you?”
Trying desperately to calm her shamelessly pounding heart, Jinhee asked softly, but her eyes were trembling uncontrollably.
Where on earth should she look? The two neatly protruding legs outside the blanket seemed to be bare.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t she say she took off her clothes while sleeping the other day…?’
No, sensibly speaking, that had to be a joke. There was no way she would be completely naked under the blanket. Jinhee had, after all, lent her some comfortable clothes.
The legs were surely not visible because the borrowed shorts were too short. The top was covered by the blanket held high.
Still –
“Yes. There’s not enough alcohol.”
While Jinhee struggled to suppress her difficult-to-voice thoughts.
“… But you seemed to have drunk quite a bit just now- Kyaa!”
Decisively, Yena threw off the blanket and got to her feet, causing Jinhee to unwittingly let out a high-pitched scream.
“… Jinhee?”
Unsurprisingly, she was wearing clothes.
“No, um, sorry. I thought there was a bug.”
“… Oh, really. Anyway…if you can’t sleep, how about we chat? I’ve sobered up.”
“Oh, oh? Shall we?”
However –
Somehow, that made the atmosphere all the more peculiar.
“Yes. There’s something I wanted to talk about after sobering up.”
Jinhee couldn’t help but gulp.