From the moment I opened my eyes, my head pounded like it was about to explode. What is going on?
I replayed the events of yesterday in my mind. Staring at Seo Jaehoon's chest as he slept, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, fragmented memories surfaced, and I involuntarily shuddered.
Last night, exhausted from crying, I must have passed out. This crazy bastard… The curse came out on its own.
I moved my body, which felt weak. Trying to escape Seo Jaehoon's embrace somehow. But the more I moved, the tighter Seo Jaehoon's arms seemed to wrap around me.
"Ha Yeoul."
A low, husky voice, just awakened from sleep, echoed from above. I reflexively flinched. Deciding that pretending to be asleep was no longer an option, I squeezed out a voice.
"Let go, let me go…"
My voice was hoarse. I kept wanting to curse. My face flushed. The memory of sobbing and begging Seo Jaehoon to stop as he held me in his arms all night was vivid.
"Yeoul-ah."
Unlike his usual self, this bastard called my name softly. The arm around my waist loosened. I tried to pull my body backward, but Seo Jaehoon grabbed my chin, lifting my head.
My face instantly grew hot. A ringing sound seemed to fill my ears. And Seo Jaehoon's eyes, already large, widened even more.
"Ha, Ha Yeoul—"
Something sticky and hot flowed from my nose. Shit… Is it a runny nose?
Thinking it might be a runny nose, I wiped under my nose with the back of my hand. At that moment, Seo Jaehoon shot up.
"Shit, you scared the hell out of me. Another nosebleed."
Another nosebleed…? Seo Jaehoon, with a surprised expression, muttered the curse under his breath and moved.
He left the bed, went to the living room, and quickly returned with a box of tissues. Only a pair of pants hung precariously on his waist, his upper body completely exposed.
Even though the exposed body wasn't mine, I felt ashamed and quickly lowered my head. The ringing sound echoed in my ears again. Blood gushed from my nose. How embarrassing…
The curse came out on its own. This crazy bastard pulled out a wad of tissues and wiped my face. The hand that pulled out the tissues was rough, but the hand that wiped the blood was as careful as if handling glass beads.
It was ironic. This crazy bastard, I kept thinking… But the truth was, I didn't know how to react.
Nam Kangwoo and Mo Taehee, do they want to do what Seo Jaehoon tried to do to me last night? I felt a little bleak.
My body still felt weak, and Seo Jaehoon wiped my face with the most careful touch. Nevertheless, my body trembled intermittently. What Seo Jaehoon tried to do to me last night… It wasn't something you could do while maintaining the "friend" frame.
"Don't."
I slapped Seo Jaehoon's hand, which was holding the tissue soaked with my blood, with a thwack. I pulled up the blanket that had slipped down, covering my body, and lowered my head. Blood continued to flow from my nose, dripping down.
"Ha Yeoul."
"I want to be alone… I want to be alone."
"Yeoul-ah."
"…Don't… Don't call me that…"
Funnily enough, I felt a little sad. When I had to choose the lesser of two evils, the first person who came to mind was Seo Jaehoon in front of me.
I felt the most comfortable with Seo Jaehoon out of the three. Even though it was pathetic. Just because he smiled at me more than the other two.
But now… I don't know. I can't tell. If I had to choose the lesser of two evils now, would I still think of Seo Jaehoon first?
Seo Jaehoon from last night, with a lustful face, kissing my body all over, and today's Seo Jaehoon, making a face as if he was more hurt by my reaction, felt unfamiliar.
I was the one who was hurt more than this bastard in front of me.
"I'll wash you."
"…No."
"Yeoul-ah."
"…Get out… go, please…"
Judging by the atmosphere, it felt like I had become the tragic heroine, but unfortunately, my state was ridiculous. My face was flushed, and my nose was covered in blood. My hands and the blanket were all soaked in red blood.
Seo Jaehoon reached out his hand. I reflexively trembled before his hand could even touch me. Seo Jaehoon's hand, stopped in mid-air, couldn't move forward any further. The white hand holding the tissue, even whiter than the tissue, twitched slightly.
Seo Jaehoon looked at me, who was looking down with an unreadable expression, and let out a shallow sigh. He scanned me as if licking me, carefully placed the tissue box on the bed, and slowly got up.
"Ha Yeoul."
"…"
Seo Jaehoon was looking at me with a face that seemed to have a lot to say. I couldn't even make eye contact with Seo Jaehoon and lowered my head even further.
This bastard let out a shallow sigh, picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor. Soon, Seo Jaehoon, who was leaving the bedroom with slow steps, suddenly stopped.
"It's not just me who wants to do that kind of thing to you, Ha Yeoul."
"…"
Son of a bitch.
Only after confirming the sound of the door closing did I let out a long breath that I had been holding in. My head throbbed. The tension was released, and I coughed, shaking my body for a long time.
The cough that had barely subsided left its mark on my body. My chest ached. Every time I exhaled or inhaled.
After chasing Seo Jaehoon out, the first thing I did was wash. I walked towards the bathroom, my legs trembling like a newborn deer. I cursed incessantly while looking at my body in the mirror. My whole body was red and blotchy.
What was unsettling was that my body felt clean. Nevertheless, I washed my body again. I tried to ignore the fragmented memories and focused on washing. I sat down in the bathroom several times, as if trying to calm my trembling body, and when I regained some strength, I got up and rubbed my body repeatedly.
After a long shower, I fell asleep without even drying my wet hair. I had no way to endure the fatigue, the hangover, and… the body exhausted from last night's events.
When I opened my eyes again, it was late afternoon. My whole body was hot. So hot that I wondered if my body was burning.
While I was lost in such absurd thoughts, a cool hand stroked my face. The hand covering my closed eyes felt cool, and I involuntarily reached out and pulled it closer.
"Hot…"
"Ha Yeoul."
I heard a familiar voice.
…It's Nam Kangwoo.
"Does it hurt?"
Does it hurt? Yes, it hurts. I thought he was asking the obvious. I answered yes, in a daze.
My whole body hurt, but if I had to pick the most painful part, it was definitely… my head, which was throbbing from crying all night. And then, it was my private area where Seo Jaehoon's fingers had been.
"Shit… Crazy bastard."
Nam Kangwoo cursed unusually. I lifted my heavy eyelids through the gaps in the hand covering my eyes. Even though I opened my eyes, I couldn't see anything. This clueless roommate 1 didn't even think about removing his hand even though I opened my eyes.
I let out a shallow breath and moved my hand, which had no strength, to remove Nam Kangwoo's hand. The blurry vision gradually became clearer.
Nam Kangwoo's face, which was clearly visible, was somehow full of worry. Looking at that face, I blurted out words that came to mind without any organization.
"…I'm scared. Do you all… want to do this to me… to me?"
"Ha Yeoul."
"I'm a man…"
"…"
"Shit, I'm so scared."
I was feverish. In fact, I didn't even know what I was saying. I kept telling Nam Kangwoo that my head hurt and cried that I was scared. Nam Kangwoo, perhaps feeling sorry for me, frowned and wiped my tears. He didn't get tired, and the hand wiping my tears didn't slow down at all.
"You said your head hurts. Stop crying."
"Sniff… I, this… Shit…"
"Stop cursing so much too."
"Crazy bastards… Why aren't sparks flying with you and Park Min-ah, and why are sparks flying with me… Why are the sparks flying with me…"
In the end, I cried out loud. Squeezing out tears and snot. Then, I had another nosebleed, turning my T-shirt all red. Nam Kangwoo's cold face, seeing the pouring blood, was clearly surprised.
"Sniff… I'm dizzy. You crazy bastards... me... how did I end up like this...?"
I muttered words that didn't make any sense, and my vision went black. This damn body.
After pouring out three nosebleeds in a row, I passed out.
Whether I had slept for a whole day, when I opened my eyes again, it was all dark around me. Or not.
I noticed something covering my eyes and moved my hand. A lukewarm, wet towel was covering half of my face.
What is this…
I threw the wet towel that had unpleasantly soaked my face on the floor and slowly sat up. My back ached as if it would break because I had been lying down all day.
I made a fist and patted my back, looking around. It was dark outside as I thought, and I could hear small voices from outside. Who is it?
I shuddered at the thought of my roommates who came to mind one after another. Then, I concentrated again to hear the voices from outside.
What are they saying? I can't hear anything…
I awkwardly stretched my upper body and leaned my head towards the door. For what, I even held my breath to hear the conversation from outside. How many people are there? Is Park Min-ah there? I habitually put my fingernails in my mouth and chewed on them, but I couldn't hear what they were saying, so I put my feet outside the bed.
"Ah…"
I groaned involuntarily. Even though I had slept for a whole day, my body hadn't recovered at all. What was fortunate was that the fever that had been burning my body had subsided without leaving a trace.