NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 34
“……What?”
Right now,
Kim Dohyun
has hidden himself under the blanket.
He pretends to be asleep with great effort.
I still can’t fully grasp the situation.
“Why is he sleeping in my house?”
I looked at my sister.
However, she didn’t seem surprised at all and replied with an indifferent expression.
“Mom told him to sleep over.”
“……What?”
“It’s dangerous to go out at that time. Also, it happened while I was driving him home.”
“But it was daytime, right?”
“After waiting for you to wake up, it turned out this way.”
I couldn’t help but keep my mouth open in disbelief.
“No, seriously, how could this happen…”
Meanwhile, Kim Dohyun didn’t move an inch.
My sister crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“Anyway, something good happened because of you.”
…That’s true, but no, it’s not like that! What are you even talking about?!
I ruffled my hair in frustration.
What is this? What is this?!
The scene from earlier came back to me.
I fell on the sofa,
Kim Dohyun pulled me,
and then…
Bang.
On the sofa, our breaths were almost mingling.
“”…
That moment is vividly imprinted in my mind.
Warmth.
Breathing.
And those eyes that were too close.
I unconsciously touched my lips with my fingertips.
Was I that close?
No, I was close.
Really, it was that close.
Bang.
Bang bang.
The heartbeat that was heard so clearly.
I took a deep breath,
but my chest wouldn’t calm down.
Even now, I realize it,
why is—
why is my chest so full?
I clenched and unclenched my hand,
still feeling the sensation lingering on my fingertips.
This trembling sensation,
Somehow, it felt precious.
I wish this feeling would never fade.
I, really…
…like him so much,
beyond the point of no return.
As my thoughts got more and more complicated, my sister glanced at the clock and said,
“Mom went out for a bit on some errand.”
“…And you? Where are you going?”
I asked in a hurry.
But she smiled strangely and shrugged lightly.
“I have my own sense, you know. I’ll leave you two alone.”
As soon as she said that, I instinctively shouted,
“Don’t you know the rule of no co-habitation at this age?”
She froze at the door, then gave a meaningful glance.
“Speaking of which, the sweat smell of gym uniforms…”
“Ahhh!”
“And how you two…”
“St-stop!”
I quickly covered her mouth.
She glanced behind me, past my shoulder, and there I saw the blanket on the sofa.
“And if I stay here any longer, he might not wake up.”
“He’s not a princess sleeping in the woods.”
“Then how do you plan to wake him up?”
Sister suddenly gave me a knowing smile as she looked at me.
…What, that look.
I really dislike it.
It’s the same expression she always uses when teasing me.
And then—
“Then shall the prince wake him up?”
“…What?”
For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
Then,
That scene automatically played in my head.
The soft light of morning streaming in.
A man deeply asleep on the sofa.
I cautiously bent my head down,
and gently…
“…”
Pfft.
My face immediately turned red.
I tightly bit my lips.
My ears were burning all the way to the tip.
The blanket seemed to flinch slightly, but it was probably just my imagination—right? Yeah, it must be.
My sister casually threw a final word at me.
“Know how to play push-pull, right? Don’t only pull; you need to push too sometimes?”
With that, she closed the door and disappeared.
I stood there in a daze.
And then…
I muttered quietly.
“…No way.”
Pushing might make me fall completely.
I might disappear into the abyss.
I lowered my head.
My heart felt strangely uneasy.
I was still standing in front of the door with a jumble of emotions.
My mind was a total mess.
I slowly turned my head towards the sofa.
Kim Dohyun was still hiding under the blanket.
Why does
the sound from back then keep coming back to me?
Our heartbeats intertwined,
their rhythm blending together, indistinguishable as to whose it was.
Did Kim Dohyun’s heart race too? Did he feel the same way that the trembling was precious?
“…”
I firmly bit my lips.
Then shook my head firmly.
No,
this isn’t important.
I clenched my fists.
I glared at Kim Dohyun, who was still covered by the blanket.
…But,
when will he come out?
“Hey.”
The blanket twitched.
Ah, really!
I took a short breath.
Then,
I quickly pulled the blanket away.
“Hey! What are you doing—”
“!”
My hand stopped.
And,
my heart,
thumped again.
I quickly averted my eyes.
An awkward silence.
Instead of the previous turbulence of emotions, it was now excessively quiet.
I don’t know how to handle this situation.
I couldn’t say anything.
We just sat there blankly staring at each other.
Being silent like this is even more awkward.
Kim Dohyun pointed at something nearby, trying to change the subject.
“…What’s this?”
On the table,
there was a small round machine.
—Lie detector.
I glanced at Kim Dohyun.
Then casually replied,
“Lie detector.”
Kim Dohyun looked confused as he asked again,
“…Why do you have this?”
“It’s a toy. Your sister came in drunk once and said she wanted to expose all your lies.”
“Ji-hye would never do that.”
“Ji-hye? When did you two become so close?”
“By arguing about you.”
As I glared slightly, he quietly averted his eyes.
Then he quickly changed the subject.
“…They actually make these as toys?”
“You put your hand in, press the button, and it will make a ‘beep’ sound telling you whether it’s the truth or a lie.”
He still looked doubtful.
I added nonchalantly,
“It’s just for fun.”
He glanced at the machine again.
I picked up the lie detector from the table.
“Can it be trusted?” Kim Dohyun asked cautiously.
I smirked and replied,
“50% chance of it being right.”
He said in disbelief,
“…Then it’s useless, isn’t it?”
“Believe it or not.”
I flicked the machine with my finger playfully.
Then Kim Dohyun quietly looked at me.
“What?”
I asked with a smirk.
“Do you want to try?”
A short silence.
Kim Dohyun kept staring at the lie detector.
He’s clearly curious but hesitant to look away.
“Alright.”
I held the lie detector toward him, ready.
He hesitated for a moment before slowly extending his hand.
I didn’t let this chance slip and quickly slipped his hand into the machine.
Kim Dohyun pressed the button, and there was a short beep.
Good, let’s get started.
I sat down on the chair with my arms crossed, smiling slightly.
“First question.”
I deliberately lowered my voice and asked like an interrogating detective.
“Tell the truth. Why were you hiding under the blanket earlier?”
The answer would probably be because of embarrassment or awkwardness.
I wanted to hear him say it aloud himself.
Kim Dohyun glanced at me.
He closed his lips for a moment before slowly replying.
“…Just trying to gather my thoughts.”
Beep—!
The truth.
I flinched and looked at him.
Kim Dohyun seemed unfazed as he looked down at the machine and said,
“This is more fun than I thought.”
…What.
Am I the only one whose heart is racing?
“Kim Dohyun, back when we bumped on the sofa—”
I teased with a mischievous grin.
“Did you by any chance—”
His eyes narrowed.
“…What?”
I playfully shoved his hand into the lie detector.
“Were you trembling?”
A short silence.
Kim Dohyun quietly blinked.
His fingers hesitated on the button.
That moment, I unconsciously held my breath.
And—
“…No.”
Beep—!
Lie.
“…”
“…”
I froze.
Kim Dohyun remained motionless too.
In the short silence,
my heartbeat seemed too loud.
Kim Dohyun quietly extended the lie detector toward me.
“Wh-what?”
“Isn’t it your turn?”
“Why me?”
“Give and take, don’t you know?”
I quietly placed my hand into the lie detector.
“What are you going to ask?”
He thought for a moment, lowering his gaze before speaking.
“Hmm, did you sniff my gym uniform?”
As soon as I tried to pull my hand away, I realized it was too late.
“…No.”
Beep—!
Lie.
“This thing is broken.”
I quickly put down the lie detector.
Kim Dohyun slightly flinched as he looked down at the machine, then smirked slightly.
“Hmm…”
His reaction irritated me for some reason.
“No, why would I sniff it? I was just worried about the smell. It was raining that day, and you were sweating, so I thought the smell could stick.”
“It’s probably not broken?”
He crossed his arms and said slowly,
“Judging by how freely you’re spilling it all out.”
“Ah.”
I momentarily froze then closed my mouth.
…Why does this feel so wrong?
I glanced at Kim Dohyun.
His smirk was annoying.
I had more to say, but it felt like I shouldn’t admit defeat.
So—
On a whim,
I rolled up my gym uniform sleeve and shoved it under his nose.
“Hey, hey, what—are you doing!”
When he flinched back,
I didn’t back down.
“Smell it! See, no smell right? I really didn’t.”
However,
at that moment,
I sensed Kim Dohyun stiffening abruptly.
The playful glint in his eyes,
faded instantly.
His breathing and blinking seemed slower.
I suddenly felt the gym uniform sleeve in my hand grow heavier.
“Hey?”
I blinked and scrutinized his face.
Then,
Kim Dohyun silently bit his bottom lip,
without saying a word.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I tilted my head.
…Is my gym uniform really smelly?
In a flash of panic, I brought the sleeve to my nose and sniffed.
It doesn’t smell bad, right?
At that moment—
“…Alright.”
Kim Dohyun quietly reached out and gently pulled my wrist down.
“Really, that’s enough.”
His voice had deepened slightly.
“…?”
I felt something was off.
Right before my eyes,
Kim Dohyun took a slow breath.
Then,
he blinked a little faster than usual.
I had no idea why he was reacting this way,
However—
“…”
The fingers holding my wrist trembled slightly.
I tilted my head and extended the lie detector to Kim Dohyun again.
“One turn each, right?”
‘Now you’ve got him.’
What question would embarrass Kim Dohyun and leave him tongue-tied?
After a moment of thought, I came up with one.
“Wasn’t that drink buy-one-get-one-free?”
Kim Dohyun calmly replied,
“Yeah.”
Beep—!
Truth.
I stifled the uneasy flutter in my heart and asked,
“Why did you give it to me?”
“That’s for the next turn, right? One turn each.”
Kim Dohyun pulled his hand out of the machine while saying this.
I bit my lips.
He hesitated for a moment before quietly asking,
“Was that a joke back then?”
“What?”
“That first thing you said to me.”
I didn’t understand at first but quickly realized.
Back then.
When we were tossing a ball around.
I took a deep breath and answered,
“Doesn’t it sound like a joke?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry, it wasn’t.”
Beep—!
Truth.
Kim Dohyun flinched.
Watching his reaction, I bit my lips tightly.
For some reason, my heart seemed to beat even louder.
“So that’s why you also mentioned seeing fireworks together. You said it was the first time, right?”
Beep—!
Truth.
He quickly turned away. But the red on his earlobes couldn’t be hidden.
Now, my turn again. I asked a question.
“Why did you give me the drink?”
Kim Dohyun hesitated briefly before answering,
“Because you looked like you weren’t in a good mood.”
Beep—!
Truth.
“Speaking was embarrassing, so I gave it to you.”
Beep—!
Truth.
I averted my gaze.
However, Kim Dohyun looked calm after saying that.
Somehow, it annoyed me.
The beep sound.
At first, I could laugh it off,
But as the beeps kept coming, the atmosphere felt strangely strange.
I laughed playfully while asking,
“Did you still keep that video of me singing?”
At that moment, Kim Dohyun laughed.
“Really asking that question? You’ll regret it.”
“Answer it anyway!”
He said with a teasing tone,
“Yeah. It has good effects.”
Beep—!
Truth.
“Ah. Why is this even true?”
I covered my face.
Now it was my turn to blush.
But Kim Dohyun suddenly showed an unusual expression.
A bit more serious.
“Can you come watch my competition this time?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the overly serious tone of such a question.
“Of course, I can. I’d prefer if you’d watch too.”
Beep—!
Truth.
For a moment, he lost his words.
“Ah, this question is too obvious. Do over. Boring.”
Then I immediately regretted giving him the chance.
“On the day you first called me.”
I flinched.
“Didn’t you immediately hang up?”
For a moment, I lost my words.
And—
“…Yeah.”
Beep—!
The moment the light atmosphere twisted.
Kim Dohyun’s gaze wavered, and I could feel my dry throat.
I felt tense unknowingly.
Something felt off.
The question he asked kept echoing in my mind.
Could he have heard what I said that day?
“…Why? Just checking if you snore.”
He returned to his usual indifferent expression. The reaction made me feel foolish.
I put the machine down and thought.
Is that answer true? Or a lie?
I didn’t say anything as I looked at his reaction.
Then quietly asked another question.
“Do you like Na Yeol-sunbae?”
Beep—!
The machine made a sound.
The air felt like it stopped.
Even though I intended it as a lighthearted question, I was holding my breath.
I was more tense than I realized, even though I was the one who asked.
Kim Dohyun slowly looked at me.
I unconsciously tightened my grip on the machine.
Then he answered.
“No.”
Truth.
It’s just a simple toy. The chance is only 50%.
For some reason, I couldn’t meet his eyes and looked down.
Laughter involuntarily escaped.
Thinking, what if this isn’t unrequited love?
Could I have been part of his first love?
“Ah?! Really? Sorry, maybe I made a mistake.”
My tone was strangely exaggerated.
When I turned my head, I saw a mirror.
In the mirror, he was looking at me and smiling a little.
It was an unfamiliar gaze.
He was looking down at me with an infinitely gentle smile.
Strange.
My heart felt strangely racing.
I buried my face in the gym uniform.
The lingering smell made me blush inexplicably.
I covered my face with the gym uniform. I didn’t want to show the foolish expression I might have on my face.
“Really?”
I peeked out with just my eyes and asked toward Kim Dohyun.
Kim Dohyun looked at me and burst into laughter.
“Really.”
In an instant, the sounds around me gradually faded away.
The sound of cars from outside, the vibration of the fridge in the kitchen, the distant ticking of a clock.
They became dimmer one by one, and finally disappeared completely.
It felt like being in a weightless state, my body floating up.
As the sounds disappeared, the sensations became clearer.
Even the air seemed to ripple calmly.
My gaze was fixed on him.
He was also looking at me.
His gaze was deep.
The usual expression still felt different somehow, as if its temperature had changed.
My heart started racing slowly.
No, I didn’t even realize it was racing.
The area near my heart was just getting warmer and warmer.
I forgot to inhale.
In the silence, it felt like only he and I were left.
When I blinked, I came back to reality.
It felt like I had just visited an unreal space for a moment.
A space where only me and Kim Dohyun existed.