At those words, my brain momentarily froze.
What?
What did you say?
Runaway?
Lee Soo-ah?
Why?
Well, um… right.
I can somewhat understand why Shin So-hee came all the way here.
Even in the original work, Shin So-hee had a tendency to act according to her whims to the point where you’d wonder what she was thinking.
Like barging into school to drag Yoo Ha-neul out by the wrist, or ditching school and running away with her.
No matter what anyone said, she was a character who would respond, “I did it because I liked it, so what?”
Yoo Ha-neul, who felt deeply disillusioned with Hwayoung High School after being ostracized, was drawn to Shin So-hee, and naturally, at the end of that route, they ended up together.
So, I could somewhat understand So-hee’s current behavior, dressed neatly in a maid outfit.
If she judged her friend was in danger and rushed over, it fit her character to some extent.
Though it felt a bit excessive.
But Lee Soo-ah…
At least the Lee Soo-ah I knew wasn’t that kind of character…?
It’s not like I ever played Lee Soo-ah’s route.
But even if I hadn’t, Lee Soo-ah was a character intertwined with Yoo Ha-neul in almost every route.
She was the typical friend character in visual novels, the one with a wide network of friends who gathers information to help the protagonist capture other characters.
In both Yoon Da-ho’s route and Shin So-hee’s route, though the focus varied, Lee Soo-ah consistently made appearances.
Bright, kind, unable to leave anyone alone, always laughing—
…Oh.
So, the current Lee Soo-ah is a little different from the one I know.
…Hmm.
Uh.
Ah.
This.
“I just ran out of the house without thinking and kept running. I could hear voices calling me from behind.”
No way.
“If I hadn’t taken a detour, I would’ve been caught on the way here.”
Looking at Lee Soo-ah, who gazed at me with tear-filled eyes, I was shocked.
Right. Even if this were Lee Soo-ah’s route, in the original work, the cheerful Lee Soo-ah never showed such an expression.
Her personality never faltered, remaining an impeccably bright character.
The idea of her running away from home was so far from her usual calm and cheerful nature, like a proper young lady.
But the Lee Soo-ah sitting in front of me now… somehow, her image seemed quite different.
Is it because of me?
Did I change Lee Soo-ah’s personality?
Yeah, come to think of it, in the original, Lee Soo-ah didn’t really have any connection with Ye Sara.
If Lee Soo-ah had approached Ye Sara at some point before the story began, Ye Sara would have likely rejected her, or her bodyguards would have cut her off.
So, Lee Soo-ah probably gave up on approaching Ye Sara, had no reason to get closer to her, and naturally kept her relationships with her other friends intact, without losing her bright personality.
But here…
I accepted her request.
As a result, she became a character who suffered all sorts of disadvantages at school.
Not to mention, because of her association with me, she was even labeled as being involved in a love triangle or a harem.
No matter how bright her personality was, it was only natural she would become darker.
Lee Soo-ah looked up at me with her blue eyes.
In her tattered clothes, with band-aids here and there, she looked up at me, resembling a stray kitten staring at me.
Why did it feel that way?
She wasn’t a stray kitten, she was a person.
Yet, somehow, I felt like I had been chosen as her caretaker.
“Um, I’m really sorry to ask this…”
Lee Soo-ah spoke in a trembling voice.
“Could I stay here for a while? I’ll definitely repay you…!”
…
A brief silence.
I glanced at Yang Hye-in, but she just stood there without saying anything.
Well, she had been called back by me, after all.
The same went for Shin So-hee.
In other words, whether I accepted Lee Soo-ah’s request or not was entirely up to me.
Moreover, right now, Lee Soo-ah had no one else to rely on.
All her former school friends distanced themselves from her as soon as she got close to me.
Maybe she had relatives, but even if she went to them, they’d likely send her back to her still unresolved family situation.
Staying at a motel would be difficult for a minor, and at this age, kids use their parents’ money, not their own.
So her location would be quickly discovered.
“…Alright.”
I quietly answered.
Lee Soo-ah’s face lit up.
As if she had never been sad at all.
No, it was more like she had never been sad in the first place.
But I decided to add a condition.
“But, you can’t stay here forever. It’s still running away from home. I don’t know the situation, but your parents will worry.”
Ye Sara’s stepmother was an utterly unreasonable person, but Lee Soo-ah’s family wouldn’t be that bad.
Considering Lee Soo-ah’s bright personality, it was likely she came from a more harmonious family than Ye Sara.
Or at least, she might have been raised with her parents’ love during her childhood.
I didn’t want my choices to destroy Lee Soo-ah’s family relationships.
…Besides, my decision was purely for myself.
It wasn’t just for Lee Soo-ah, but for Ha-neul and So-hee, too.
I had chosen to befriend those who, from the aura they exuded, seemed like they could help me avoid disaster.
Because of my choices, Lee Soo-ah’s school life fell apart, and even her family relations became strained.
It was something I hadn’t even considered properly until now.
So, the words I added were probably irresponsible.
“…Okay, I understand.”
It seemed like my words had come across as scolding, as Soo-ah lowered her head, looking dejected again.
“…If.”
Seeing her like that, I felt like I should at least say something more.
But what should I say?
I couldn’t apologize at this point.
Even if I did, she wouldn’t understand why, and knowing her personality, she probably wouldn’t accept an apology either.
No, apologizing for dragging her into this mess with just one word would be ridiculous.
If I’d caused some damage, I should at least try to fix it.
Not just pretend to, but actually restore things to how they were.
That’s the basic courtesy when forming relationships.
So, I said it.
Not as a lie, but with genuine sincerity.
“If your parents don’t forgive you easily, I’ll go with you. I don’t know if I’ll be of any help, though.”
And if I could help, I’d assist as much as I could.
Until now, I’d only thought of blocking Choi Na-kyung’s attacks.
But I could handle that.
That was something money could solve.
I had plenty of it.
I could spend billions and still live a life of luxury without ever working.
But broken relationships, especially those not my own, couldn’t be fixed with money alone.
Even if I personally explained and sincerely apologized, there was no guarantee the wounds would heal.
If that’s the case, it’d be better for me to go with her and explain the situation, asking for forgiveness.
Even if her parents couldn’t forgive me, they could forgive their own daughter, Soo-ah.
Hearing my words, Soo-ah’s head snapped up.
Her eyes, regaining their brightness, sparkled.
Did my words seem that reassuring?
Well, going with someone is always more comforting than going alone to face a scolding.
Even if it wasn’t a perfect solution.
“Okay!”
Soo-ah answered with a bright smile.
The image of a rain-soaked kitten was nowhere to be seen in her expression.
*
After finishing basic first aid, Soo-ah went to shower.
We could apply new band-aids later.
Honestly, the proper order should’ve been to wash, disinfect, and then apply band-aids, but in the heat of the moment, and not expecting her to stay here overnight, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
To be honest, until I heard the word ‘runaway’, my heart had been racing, worried she might have been assaulted or something.
Of course, hearing that she had just fallen was no great comfort, but at least it wasn’t the worst-case scenario I had imagined.
“…”
The faint sound of running water came from the shower, and So-hee was staring intently in its direction.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Huh? Oh, no.”
So-hee shrugged her shoulders once.
“No, it’s nothing.”
That answer made me even more suspicious.
Surely she wasn’t thinking, “A guest has arrived, so…,” like a real maid would, right?
So-hee pulled a chair to the center table and plopped down.
Then, as if feeling stuffy, she unbuttoned three buttons of her black shirt in order.
…And there it was: the perfect picture of a maid in a suggestive outfit.
Well, since she’s bigger than me now, maybe I shouldn’t call her a ‘girl’ anymore?
“Ah, much better.”
Come to think of it, no one in real life behaves like that.
Even if they’re a delinquent, they don’t go around with their shirt unbuttoned like that.
Well, maybe if they’re wearing a T-shirt underneath and leave the buttons open…
“Hm.”
Noticing that I was staring at her, So-hee gave me a playful smile and shifted her body.
I could see the fabric of her loosened shirt move slightly.
…I hate to say this, but I could imagine what that felt like.
After all, I’d buried my face there before.
Though not by choice.
Come to think of it, I didn’t just bury my face there, did I?
“What? Want to touch it?”
“…”
…Is that something a girl should say to another girl?
Ah, right. So-hee wasn’t your average girl.
And I wasn’t exactly just a girl either.
Well, not a kid anymore, at least.
Was she always this playful?
I searched my memory.
…She might have been.
There was a scene where she teased Yoo Ha-neul while they were out on a date in the game.
It was an all-ages game, so nothing too serious happened, though.
“Should a maid be saying that?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I asked back.
“Isn’t that what a maid’s job is?”
She replied with a mischievous grin.
…I kind of wanted to wait until Yang Hye-in came back after buying Soo-ah’s underwear and make her say that again.
What is this, some kind of adult game maid?
Well, it’s still a visual novel, though.
Just as I opened my mouth to counter her, the shower door opened.
And, emerging through the white steam was Lee Soo-ah.
With her wet, straight hair and wrapped only in a towel.
!!!!!
I could practically see an exclamation mark pop up over So-hee’s head as she turned to look at her.
And probably over mine if I glanced at the ceiling.