NOVEL NEXT Chapter 213
Sara looks extremely upset.
And this is a state of emergency for Yoo Ha-neul, Shin So-hee, and Lee Soo-ah.
How many times had Sara seemed this drained and annoyed while hanging out with her so far?
Even then, she usually started the conversation first and never refused any form of affection. Though Sara had previously asked her to hold back a bit, she usually would at least say something.
However, advancing the conversation felt scary. Sara was definitely weaker than normal and her personality was such that she would comply if pushed, but still, I didn’t want to be on her bad side.
It didn’t matter if I didn’t get hugs, conversations, or kisses from Sara… What mattered was that I didn’t want her to hate me.
Thinking about Choi Na-kyung made it even scarier. Knowing how much Sara had tried to win her over, I couldn’t help but wonder how Sara, who had formed a bond of sorts with me… no, with “Sara,” was currently being treated.
If Sara was to be remembered for life with an image similar to Choi Na-kyung, I’d rather give up on being her boyfriend and settle for an awkward friendship.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I wanted to just remain as awkward friends forever.
Sara’s mood seemed to have worsened even more after talking with Son Ah-reum. Not just the three of us, but even the students sharing the same classroom and the teachers walking in were visibly puzzled by Sara’s heavy negative vibe.
For this reason, when Sara made the three of us sit in front of her after school, it was genuinely frightening.
“…….”
“…….”
A moment of silence.
I couldn’t bear to look at Sara’s face, but I could hear her trying to catch her breath.
“Um….”
Sara opened her mouth but quickly closed it again.
“Cough.”
After a brief cough, she continued.
“…You did well today.”
The three of us raised our heads in unison.
Sara turned red as she looked around shyly. The fear I felt just a moment ago now seemed silly; Sara’s expression was adorable.
“I wanted to say thank you for keeping all of my requests.”
“…….”
This time, it was our turn to avoid her gaze.
It felt strangely awkward.
The fear that lingered moments earlier had vanished, but hearing Sara say such things while looking like that made it feel really, really embarrassing.
“Well, it’s what a friend asked for.”
After a long pause, Yoo Ha-neul spoke first.
“Yeah… it’s just that.”
Sohee chimed in.
“No, I’m really grateful.”
Sua said that, only to realize that her words were way more embarrassing than Sara’s, making her blush even more.
An oddly not-so-awkward but extremely ticklish and embarrassing moment passed between the three friends and Sara.
“Ah, anyway!”
In an effort to break the atmosphere, Sara shouted loudly.
“Then as promised! I will hug all three of you!”
Saying that, she suddenly collapsed.
Burrowing her face into the bed and making grrr~~~~ sounds while pounding on the mattress, Sara then abruptly shot up, looking determined.
“Alright!”
Then, with both arms outstretched while sitting on the bed, she asked, “Who wants to go first?”
“…….”
Yoo Ha-neul, Shin So-hee, and Lee Soo-ah shared a blank stare for a moment.
Who would hug Sara first?
This was a pretty important issue.
Statistically, the first person to hug Sara would be likely to be embraced for the shortest time. The ones behind would gain an advantage by holding on a little longer after the first one finished.
However, given the slightly intimidating sentiment Sara had towards the three of us, that could change the situation a bit.
Even if someone wanted to hold on longer than the person in front, if Sara resisted and cut them off, it would be a total loss. In that case, the last person would end up with the shortest hug. Naturally, none of the three wanted that.
“…….”
A moment of silence.
“…Are you not going to do it…?”
In the end, Sara looked up at the three of us, cheeks red and eyes glistening, asking.
“……”
Naturally, at the moment they saw Sara’s expression, the three of us felt that their own thoughts didn’t matter anymore.
“Ah, eek…!”
Sara, who never expected all three of us to jump at once, ended up falling backward while making such a sound.
*
The scent wafting in was sweet.
The shampoo and body wash the three of them used were the same as mine. Eventually, that meant I smelled like them, but when I actually smelled it, it didn’t come off as my own scent.
It seemed that the impact of “Are you not going to do it?” was incredibly strong.
Sitting in the middle, Ha Neul suddenly lunged at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.
Of course, I fell backward under her weight. I quickly pulled my legs apart, but it was already too late as Ha Neul’s legs slipped between mine.
No words were spoken. The only sounds that reached my ears were breaths; only breaths. Ha Neul held me close as if talking would waste time.
Honestly, my chest was a little crushed, making it hard to breathe. Perhaps, Ha Neul was pouring all her urges into this embrace while adhering to the bare minimum rule of ‘no kissing.’
“Ha…”
Ha Neul, who had been breathing harshly through her nose, suddenly exhaled through her mouth. As her nose was near my neck, her breath naturally traveled down my neck, splitting in half, one side flowing between my neck and hair, the other sliding down my collarbone towards my chest.
…Thank goodness we were fully dressed. If we were both adults and naked, I would totally have lost my composure.
But even if I lost my composure here, it didn’t mean I could lead the situation.
“Ah…”
“Ugh…”
Of course, since Ha Neul was holding onto my body so tightly, the other two had no choice but to wait for their turn. Although all three dove in at the same moment, Ha Neul totally engulfed me, claiming me as her own like a rugby player tackling a rugby ball.
“……”
Somehow, I ended up sprawled out on the bed with my arms wide open. I raised one arm around Ha Neul’s back and the other near her head.
Ha Neul was still tied up in her hair, making it a bit uncomfortable to stroke her hair, but I did my best.
“Sara…”
Ha Neul’s whisper tickled my ear, making me involuntarily shrink my neck.
I could feel her cheek moving against me. After it passed, I could feel her ear brush against my skin, followed by her hair blocking my view.
Through the strands of my own hair, Ha Neul’s nose burrowed in.
Watching her take deep breaths was honestly a bit overwhelming.
…It was overwhelming, but.
I still liked it.
I hadn’t been held by anyone today.
Maybe, just maybe, as much as these kids liked to hug, I had come to enjoy being embraced too?
I feel a bit bad making such a comparison, but I felt like a completely excited puppy.
“……”
That aside.
It was oddly quiet around, so I looked around and saw Sohee and Sua staring at me intently.
“Uh, um…”
After some hesitation, I let out a slight sigh.
“Um, Ha Neul. We have to hug the others too…”
“Just a little bit longer.”
Her tone sounded a bit like a child throwing a tantrum; it was kind of cute, but still, having it go on like this—
—But even when I attempted to push Ha Neul away, she didn’t budge an inch.
“…Huh?”
Well, I suppose it was true that Ha Neul was much stronger than me.
But this is…
“Wait, Ha Neul, why are you squeezing me—”
“Just a little bit more, just a little bit longer…”
Saying that, Ha Neul moved her face. I could feel her nose and lips right against me. They stuck to my neck, going down, down…
No, wait wait wait!
If her lips are pressed that close, that’s practically a kiss! I distinctly said that was off-limits!
But it seemed like Ha Neul, who had already lost her composure, wasn’t thinking of such distinctions.
“Hey, Yoo Ha Neul! Move aside! That’s enough!”
Sohee shouted, grabbing Ha Neul by the shoulder.
And in the meantime, Ha Neul’s shoulder turned, and Sohee and I locked eyes.
My face turned bright red.
No, it wasn’t just red. It felt like… um…
How can I put this? This expression could resemble a cat caught in front of a dogwood tree?
…And I’m the dogwood.
“……”
At that point, I think I finally stopped resisting.