MUL - Chapter 5

'We’re all on the edge. It feels like we're about to cross the line with just one more step, but we're holding back with all our might as if we've made a promise.'

'And you need to know that you, of all people, are outside that line.'

Shit... I don't understand what any of this means. If they told me exactly what they're holding back, I could be careful.

This bastard and that bastard are both just spouting nonsense, messing up my head. Have I been too out of the loop with the three of them? No, what can I do when I don't even have the energy to get involved...?

Was Ha Yeoul such a prominent character among the three of them?

I rubbed my still unsettled body and buried my face between my knees.

Crossing the line... Trying with all their might not to cross it...

What changes if they cross the line? Why haven't I heard from Park Min-ah? Park Min-ah used to show up at this house all the time. She was in every episode without fail, so why isn't the female lead even showing her face?

I kept thinking about the questions that led to more questions, then revisited Nam Kangwoo's last words.

'Now it should feel like your name.'

"...Son of a bitch...."

Now I really have to... admit it. I am Ha Yeoul, and damn it, this is a romance novel.

I possessed a minor supporting character as if in passing, but something's seriously wrong. Every time the three male leads look at me, it's like they want to relieve their pent-up desires.

It felt like walking on thin ice.

The three of them were watching my every move with their eyes wide open, as if afraid I might do something strange. Instead of spouting nonsense and dredging up incomprehensible memories, saying all the wrong things, I saved my breath by pretending to be unwell.

I attended every meal at the set times, but I couldn't even finish half of it before leaving the table. At first, Mo Taehee said it was okay, but as it happened more often, he started making a fuss, asking why I couldn't eat. Seo Jaehoon, of course, yelled that I needed to go to the hospital. And Nam Kangwoo just stared at me with eyes that seemed to say, 'Try as much as you want.'

My nerves were so thin that they felt like they were about to snap. Now I vaguely understood why people get nervous breakdowns.

Every time I encountered the three of them unexpectedly, I would jerk back. Like when I went to the kitchen late at night for a drink of water, or when I thought I was alone and came out to the living room, only to have them open the door at the same time.

Lying in bed, basking in the sunlight pouring in, I recalled the past few days.

It was the guys, not me, who were getting anxious when I stopped talking. Hmm, it wasn't a bad method, but I had a feeling someone was going to explode if I kept it up, so I decided to stop.

I want to know about Ha Yeoul's past, but who should I meet to find out? Who would be the best person to ask?

I pondered over the characters in the novel and unconsciously blurted out Park Min-ah's name. If there's going to be a time to meet Park Min-ah, now is the most appropriate time, isn't it?

I struggled to get out of bed. This damn body, probably due to low blood pressure, couldn't muster any strength in the morning. I fully understood why people with weak bodies just lie around.

I stumbled into the bathroom, grabbed the sink, and stood there. Objectively speaking, Ha Yeoul was just average-looking. It would be a bit of an overstatement to call him handsome, but it would also be a stretch to call him ugly.

Um... If I had to say, he just looked... weak...? His face and body were pale, as if he hadn't had a decent meal, and his skin was so thin and transparent that you could see the blue veins.

One of the reasons why Ha Yeoul's appearance wasn't considered ugly was definitely his clear skin. I guess that's a relief.

I looked at myself in the mirror and stroked my chin. There wasn't even stubble on my smooth chin. No wonder there wasn't a razor in the bathroom. There wasn't one because there was no need for it. I was hoping that if I put on some shaving cream and shaved, I might look a bit more manly, but...

I shook my head and carefully scanned the bathroom, taking off the clothes I was wearing one by one. I scrutinized my body, which I had never really looked at properly because it felt like someone else's, in the bathroom mirror.

Hmm... Hmmm... Ugh...

I slowly moved my gaze downwards.

Since he was small, it was natural that his head was small too. The hair that fell below his eyebrows was light brown. His neck was quite slender, and his prominent collarbones were long and straight. His shoulders were just the right size for Ha Yeoul's body, but there were no muscles anywhere on his lean frame.

His waist was too thin for a man, and so were his slender thighs and calves. And... his manhood was also a bit embarrassing. I figured there wouldn't be much body hair, but it was still surprising, awkward, and shameful that there was none where it should be.

I understood a hundred times over why Ha Yeoul's room had a bathroom attached. It wasn't a body to show anyone. Ha Yeoul's body had no hair anywhere except on his face.

"...Am I going to die in the mid-to-late part of the story...?"

I muttered the thought that popped out of my mouth without realizing it. Setting aside his lack of presence, Ha Yeoul was too weak, and with his roughly defined character, it wouldn't be surprising if he died at any moment. It might even be better for Ha Yeoul to die for the sake of a dramatic story development.

Unable to overcome my anxiety, I sat down on the bathroom floor.

How old is Ha Yeoul? Twenty-two, twenty-three...?

I felt sorry for Ha Yeoul, who was about to die young, and for my own fate at the same time. It was even more maddening because I didn't know the story after the middle part. If I at least knew which of the main characters ended up with Park Min-ah, I would do my best to connect them and see the ending.

I bent my knees and banged my head against the bathroom wall. Naked.

After cursing myself as an idiot and a moron for a while, the bathroom door burst open.

I stared blankly at the wide-open bathroom door, then slowly moved my gaze upwards, my mouth hanging open.

"...Seo Jaehoon...?"

"Damn it, I thought you'd gone out! I couldn't hear any water and you weren't in your room!"

Seo Jaehoon was red-faced and panting, but when he noticed my naked body, he started getting even more worked up.

"What are you doing naked when you're so weak! You're going to catch a cold and get pneumonia and end up in the hospital! What the hell are you doing sitting on the floor like that?"

Seo Jaehoon was aghast as he unfolded a towel, wrapped it around my body, and lifted me up. He kept cursing as he did so.

He sat me down on the bed and went into the dressing room, making a racket. After a while, Seo Jaehoon came out with clothes, expressing his anger as much as he could.

"Are you going to put these on yourself, or do you want me to dress you?"

"I, I'll do it..."

"Hurry up. You really know how to piss people off."

Seo Jaehoon muttered as if holding back his anger. His eyes, full of deterMin-ahtion not to miss a single one of my movements, were fixed on me.

"Jaehoon, the truth is... I was going to take a shower..."

I mumbled as if making an excuse.

"I... I felt sweaty... and sticky..."

"Sweaty? Why would you be sweaty? Do you have a fever?"

Seo Jaehoon widened his already large eyes and reached out to touch my forehead, cheeks, and neck. When he didn't find any areas that felt hot, he suddenly lowered his head and buried his nose in my neck.

"Jaehoon...?"

Seo Jaehoon, who had been taking deep breaths, slowly pulled away and met my eyes with a slightly calmer gaze.

"You don't smell sweaty. And you're not sticky anywhere."

"..."

Why is he checking my sweat like this...? Seo Jaehoon's face, less than half a hand's breadth away, was so close that our lips would touch if he moved even a little.

Seriously, why do these guys always get angry when they talk to me?

I moved my body back a little obviously and mumbled like an idiot, "...Really?" Seo Jaehoon also moved back, sensing the situation. I sniffed my nose for no reason, inhaling the scent of Seo Jaehoon that lingered on my nose.

Seo Jae-hoon smelled sweet and pleasant, even in the morning. I flapped my T-shirt and examined Seo Jae-hoon’s face, which was awkwardly following my movements.

Big eyes with double eyelids and black, shiny pupils. A high nose bridge, plump and red lips, white skin, and wavy, curly hair.

He's too handsome. What did Seo Jaehoon do again...?

I struggled to remember Seo Jaehoon's job as I stretched the T-shirt and put my head through the neck. The towel that had been draped over me slipped down, revealing my naked body. In an instant, Seo Jaehoon's face turned bright red.

"Shit."

He spat out a low curse, turned around in an instant, and stormed out of my room with a bang.

Is my... naked body really that unappealing that it makes him curse...? Embarrassed, I scratched the bridge of my nose and put on the rest of my clothes.

I went back to the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and was patting the water off my face when I suddenly remembered what Seo Jaehoon did.

Seo Jaehoon loafed around here and there, occasionally doing modeling work that paid well. None of the three of them were short on money, so they didn't really do anything seriously.

Recalling his handsome face, I thought, 'Yeah, one of the three has to be a celebrity so the female lead has the fun of choosing.'

I shook my wet hair and coughed intermittently. I felt like I could live if I could just get rid of this cough. This damn cough would probably stick with me like a lifelong partner.

I slowly left the bathroom, pressing down on my stuffy chest. Then I grabbed the phone on the table and searched for Park Min-ah's contact information. As expected from Ha Yeoul's unrequited love, Park Min-ah's number was saved as [My Min-ah]. Ugh, you poor thing.

I pressed the call button without hesitation. When Ha Yeoul talked to her, he must have been... just kind.

I roughly guessed Ha Yeoul's tone and hoped to hear her voice instead of the ringing tone coming from the receiver. And a moment later, as I wished.

-Hello?

"Min-ah."

A voice like birdsong flowed from the receiver.

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