Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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Still, the atmosphere wasn’t as awkward as I had thought.
We were already close friends, and from the start, the reason we came to this agreement was that we didn’t want our friendship to be damaged.
The rest of the party flowed relatively smoothly.
Looking back, I don’t know how fortunate it was that Nam Da-un waved and left first.
It’s embarrassing to kiss in front of others, but in Nam Da-un’s case, the level of embarrassment would have been on a completely different scale.
It’s hard to express in words, but I really didn’t want to show him that.
No, more than that, I was already regretting bringing Son A-reum here in the first place.
“Oh, by the way.”
As I was thinking about Son A-reum, she spoke to me, startling me.
Fortunately, Son A-reum, who was cutting into her cake with a fork, didn’t seem to notice my reaction.
“Aren’t you going to open the present?”
“Oh.”
Right. The gift.
Earlier, Son A-reum had given me a present.
The other three had each given me one while we were kissing during the party, but I had set aside Son A-reum’s gift without opening it.
Having finished my slice of cake, I gently placed the plate down and picked up her unopened gift.
I had been so distracted that I had completely forgotten.
It was a thin, long box.
Somehow, I had a feeling I knew what was inside.
Carefully unwrapping it, I found a rather luxurious box inside.
When I opened it, there was a fountain pen.
I had been expecting either a pen, a mechanical pencil, or a fountain pen, so I wasn’t too surprised to find exactly what I’d imagined.
It was a gift that felt very much like Son A-reum.
Of course, that didn’t mean I would start studying with a fountain pen.
“Well… I wasn’t sure what to give you. It seemed like you already had most things. So I wanted to get you something that would stand out among the gifts you received, but I couldn’t really think of anything.”
“No, thank you. I’ll use it well.”
I spoke sincerely.
After all, I was the one who said she could give me anything.
Naturally, I should be happy with whatever I got.
“Oh, uh… okay…”
At my words, Son A-reum blushed and nodded.
*
And so, the eventful birthday party finally ended.
It had turned into something far bigger than I had anticipated, with various incidents piling on top of one another, and I had been worried about how to handle it all…
…But then again…
…Now that I think about it, nothing has really been resolved yet.
The situation within the Eugene Group hasn’t even started.
I’ve met many relatives, and while I don’t remember most of their faces clearly, they’re certainly there.
Choi Na-kyung still hasn’t been caught.
And I haven’t responded to the confessions I received.
In other words, despite everything that happened, not a single issue has been fully resolved.
But still, I’ve at least been able to set some guidelines.
Even if nothing’s been perfectly solved, there’s been enough to give me a sense of direction.
For one, a group has formed around Ye Sara at school.
Although I’m not sure how I’ll use it yet, these kids could become allies later, whether at university or in the professional world.
I should make sure to manage my relationships carefully to avoid any betrayal.
As for my relatives, I’m not sure if they care about the inheritance I’ll receive, but they definitely seem very interested in keeping the Eugene Group running smoothly.
Even now, what sticks in my mind from talking with them is mostly their chatter about the group.
Most importantly, Ye In-hyuk, who is currently acting as the actual head in the absence of Choi Na-kyung, has a deep interest in the Eugene Group.
So, as long as I don’t disrupt things too much, I should be able to keep the group strong while taking what I can, remaining relatively safe.
And finally, the most pressing matter for me right now—
“Guys, hold on a minute.”
I raised my hand to stop Ha-neul, Soo-ah, and So-hee, who were naturally climbing onto my bed.
Today, we had all bathed separately.
While some had occasionally bathed with me before, Soo-ah and So-hee hadn’t bathed together with anyone else, and given that, I had firmly rejected the idea of sharing a bath with ulterior motives today.
The girls were disappointed, but they understood well enough.
The problem was that now it was bedtime, and they were all naturally climbing onto my bed.
No, wait, originally it was me, Ha-neul, and Soo-ah who slept here.
This bed is too small for four people.
…Ah, right.
So-hee likes me.
Of course, she wouldn’t be happy with me sharing a bed with the others.
That must be why she kept sneaking into bed at night.
And then made some excuse about confusing it with the bathroom.
Now it all made sense why we were always sleeping in the same bed.
“No matter what, isn’t it a bit much to share a bed with someone you like? I mean, I know you’d be happy to do it, but still.”
I quickly added a follow-up after seeing the kids’ faces change in real-time at my words.
“…So, you’re saying it wasn’t because we’re ‘friends’ that you all wanted to sleep together, right?”
“Uh…”
“Uh…”
“Uh…”
Exactly.
They had obviously wanted to sleep together for very impure reasons.
We would’ve all been stuck together if we slept like this.
Even though I knew they weren’t the type to do anything weird while I was asleep, their intentions were still too impure.
“This is the same as the kissing situation. Let’s sleep separately. Otherwise, it’s too unfair for one person.”
“Sara…”
So-hee’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
Since she hadn’t started off in the same bed every night and had always sneaked in later, it was only natural that she’d feel a little dissatisfied.
Though that wasn’t my reason for bringing it up.
I gave So-hee a sharp look, and she quickly covered her mouth.
“…We need to maintain boundaries when necessary. If we start breaking them, our friendships will fall apart. I don’t want that.”
I knew how selfish this sounded.
But I couldn’t just ignore it.
These friends I made after coming to this world were too close to break away from now.
If our relationships fell apart, I would be deeply hurt.
I think the others would feel the same way.
“…But there’s not enough space.”
Ha-neul mumbled, trying to justify herself.
Honestly, two of them had homes to return to, and the other didn’t have to stay here.
But I didn’t point that out, because I would feel too empty without them in this big room now.
“So-hee brought a sleeping bag, right? Let’s use that for tonight. We can order extra beds later.”
So-hee’s bed had arrived in just one day, so if I told Yang Hye-in to order more, they’d be here by the time we got back from school.
“I’ll just sleep on the floor, then.”
Ha-neul offered, but—
“If you do that, someone will still end up next to me.”
I firmly rejected the idea.
“But, still, you’re the owner of this place. It doesn’t make sense for you to sleep on the floor—”
I looked intently at Ha-neul, who was making a passionate argument.
“…We’re just guests here…”
Intently.
“…But it’s your room, so it only makes sense for you to sleep on the bed…”
Intently.
“….”
In the end, Ha-neul seemed to give up under my gaze.
“Alright, you get it now?”
I smiled brightly at the three of them.
“Once we’ve set the rules, let’s stick to them.”
The three of them nodded with somewhat complicated expressions.
*
As she left the mansion, Son A-reum let out a deep sigh.
Everything that had happened inside had been a series of surprises.
From the sheer size of the mansion, to the efficiency of having uniforms made in a single day, to the scale of the party itself—it was all so different from the birthday parties she had imagined.
And most of all, the relationship between Sara and the other three.
She had heard about it, but seeing it in person was a completely different shock.
“Besides…”
Son A-reum placed her hand on her pounding chest as she spoke.
She hadn’t been able to calm down for a while.
When they shared the cake earlier, she had been sure she would get caught.
“Why… why am I like this…”
In fact, these feelings had started to grow ever since Sara accepted Son A-reum’s apology.
After that, she had constantly wanted to do something nice for Sara… but it wasn’t easy.
So, after much thought, she had finally come today and managed to hand over the gift with a smile.
But seeing Sara kiss the other girls—
“No.”
Son A-reum stopped walking.
“This is just… it’s just feelings between friends.”
She let out a long breath.
Her racing heart had calmed down a little.
‘A little’ calmer.
Just as she was starting to settle down, a memory flashed through her mind.
…She had been too overwhelmed earlier to point it out, but…
What were they talking about with Sara’s personality…?