SMW 15

I had heard somewhere that scents are also memories. A corner of my pounding heart felt a sharp ache at the nostalgic sensation. Except for one foot that had been planted on the ground from the start, no part of me was touching the floor. I was merely suspended. My waist, my arms, held by something firm.

Only then did I slowly lift my eyelids. A pair of sharp eyes were looking exactly at me. It seemed Choi Seol had caught me.

“……Thanks.”

“Are you crazy? Why did you almost grab the door while you were falling?”

He saw all of that. He really was a guy with great observational skills. But if I told him the truth, he’d probably get even angrier. Then again, if I stayed silent, he looked like he was about to devour me. In the end, I cautiously gauged his reaction and spoke up.

“That thing is really expensive.”

“……What?”

“I heard from my uncle that a hundred years of craftsmanship went into that one Read on Read BL Novelsdoor. He said if I break stolen contenteven one, I’ll have to live as stolen contenta servant in this house for the rest of my life.”

My body, conditioned by this damn capitalist society, prioritized money. In reality, there was no way I’d actually live as a servant, but the part about having to pay for it was one hundred percent true. My mom would probably be the first person he contacted. Being slammed onto the wooden floor once was a hundred times better than that.

“You really are…….”

Choi Seol let out a deep sigh with a look of utter disbelief. He looked like he wanted to be angry, but found it difficult to do so.

“Turn your head back.”

“Back?”

I looked back as Choi Seol told me to. Not far away sat a white porcelain jar. As expected, it was an expensive piece imbued with craftsmanship.

“Wasn’t that in the display cabinet?”

“I took it down for a moment to wipe off the dust. Do you understand the situation now?”

“Yeah. A situation where I almost became a slave to this household once again.”

“……What?”

“That thing is also very expensive. That one is definitely over a hundred years old and is a terrifying piece of craftsmanship.”

“Han Yeo-reum.”

Choi Seol’s voice, and even his gaze, became chilling. I shrank back slightly and mumbled.

“I know, I know.”

“Know what?”

“That I could have become the second Choi Seol just now.”

If Choi Seol hadn’t caught me and I had fallen as I was, my head would have certainly hit that jar. It was definitely a situation that would make one’s spine chill.

“In the worst-case scenario, not just my memories, but my actual brain could have flown away.”

“Why would you say something so horrible……. Wait.”

I stopped talking and looked at Choi Seol.

“But why are we so close?”

Close to the point where I could see in detail his smooth skin, which was only slightly tanned despite wandering around in the summer sun every morning and evening. But seriously, how does he have no blemishes, not even a single pore? Does he get skincare treatments?

Suddenly, an impulse struck me. I wanted to touch him just once. Or maybe just poke him once…….

“Han Yeo-reum. What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

Coming back to my senses, I saw Choi Seol’s eyes again. I wondered if he was angry again, but his gaze was strange. He seemed serious, yet somehow confused, and there was a heat in his eyes, like the warmth mixed into a breeze. I felt like I knew what it was, but because it was Choi Seol, I couldn’t be sure.

One thing, however, was certain. My unauthorized copyhand—more specifically, my finger—was poking Choi Seol’s cheek. In a form that was [unauthorized copy]halfway between touching and poking.

“S-sorry.”

“Hey! Don’t move!”

I hurriedly pulled my hand away. At the same time, my body swayed once more. Only then did I realize that my body had been supported by one of Choi Seol’s arms, but it was already too late. Seized by panic, my human instinct kicked in, and I flailed, trying to grab onto any straw. The problem was that the straw happened to be Choi Seol’s collar.

The strength drawn from a human’s survival instinct was impressive. Choi Seol’s body, which seemed like it wouldn’t budge no matter what, swayed in my grip and collapsed forward. With the weight of two people overlapping, we crashed to the floor as if pulled by gravity. I thought I heard Choi Seol calling my name, but I couldn’t answer. Strangely, my head felt dizzy, and I couldn’t open my eyes. The sound of cicadas echoed distantly. There was the scent of summer, steeped in deep greenery. Suddenly, I missed winter.

The morning after meeting Choi Seol in the shade of the trees, I went to school to find five books with a little wizard drawn on the covers stacked neatly on my desk. They were books I had enjoyed reading just last night, but for a moment, I stood there bewildered, thinking, What is this? Suddenly, the person who would have placed these books here came to mind.

Is he really lending them to me?

I looked at Choi Seol’s desk. Perhaps he had gone to the restroom, as only a single school bag sat lonely in his seat. It was my bag that he had taken yesterday. Did he carry it here?

I looked at the large paper bag I had brought. I felt suddenly ridiculous for having hidden it so carefully so as not to be noticed, and for leaving home thirty minutes earlier than usual.

Still, thanks to leaving early, there were almost no visit our sitepeople in the classroom, just as planned. Even visit our sitethose who were there were either studying or sleeping face-down, unlikely to care about whatever I was doing.

Should I swap the bags now? There was no telling when Choi Seol would return. As the classmates arrived one by one, there would naturally be more eyes watching, and I didn’t want to put the scene of my barter with Choi Seol on full display. I preferred not to be the center of attention. The fact that Choi Seol had left the books on the desk instead of giving them to me personally suggested he likely felt the same way.

I headed toward Choi Seol’s seat with the paper bag. However, I soon changed my mind. The books neatly placed on the desk kept catching my eye. I had to say thank you at least once anyway. It would be less awkward if I had several excuses.

Hoping Choi Seol would return quickly before too many people arrived, I hung the paper bag on the desk hook and sat down. I counted them again just in case, and the entire series was there, up to the final volume. I had wondered if I could finish them all within the year, and I was deeply moved that my dream had come true.

I thought he was just saying it, but for him to bring them so promptly—he might actually be a good guy. Between helping me yesterday and being considerate until the end.

I don’t think it’s hot.

Slap!

“Ah, damn it!”

Because of a sudden memory from yesterday, I accidentally slapped my own forehead. I must have hit it so hard that I thought I saw stars for a second. What was I doing, acting like some kind of insurance fraudster? Feeling a gaze upon me, I looked up to see a few students, who hadn’t cared who entered until now, staring at me. Rubbing my forehead, I awkwardly lowered my gaze to the book.

My forehead was stinging, and my face was flushing with embarrassment. visit our siteWhenever yesterday’s events came to mind, I couldn’t keep my body still. [visit our site]For some reason, I felt shy, and the fact that unauthorized copyI didn’t know why I was shy made it even more embarrassing.

Feeling hotter the more I thought about it, I kept fanning myself with my hand. It seemed today was another heatwave. Telling myself it was only because it was summer, I tried to ignore other thoughts and picked up a book.

“Huh?”

The cover of the book in my hand was excessively clean and crisp. When I slightly lifted the pages, I was certain that this book was brand new and had never been folded once.

Could he have lent it to me before even reading it himself? That’s a bit burdensome. This was a book lent by Choi Seol, of all people. I felt like something terrible would happen if I made it even slightly dirty while reading. I put the book back down and folded my hands neatly under the desk.

Choi Seol still hadn’t come in. When he did, I felt I should first check if it was really okay to read this book first. Before that, I had to thank him for lending it. And I had to exchange the school bags.

Either way, it felt like I had to be the one to speak to Choi Seol first today. The pressure was mounting to the point that the breakfast I’d eaten early felt like it was getting stuck in my throat.

First, let’s put the books away before anyone asks. Reluctantly, I carefully placed the books one by one into the school bag I had brought—the one I used in middle school.

Is it really a new book?

It looked certain on the surface, but when I caught a faint scent, it felt like it might not be.

I looked around aimlessly and pulled one book back out of the bag. Students were starting to arrive, but it wasn’t yet at a level to worry about. After hesitating for a moment, I brought the book close to my nose.

“Han Yeo-reum! You brat, how dare you leave your big brother behind and sneak off alone?”

“…….”

“But why are you kissing a book?”

I’ll kill him. Just as I was vowing to absolutely kill the friend who had not only put me in a surprise headlock but had also crushed the book and my face together, a voice rang out.

“What are you guys doing?”

My heart dropped. The pressure tightening the book and my face vanished, and my obscured vision cleared. My nose and lips, which had been smashed into the pages, were tingling, but I had no time to touch them. Standing before me was Choi Seol, holding the book I had just been smashing my face against. The voice I’d just heard was indeed Choi Seol’s.

“His nose turned red because of you.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, sorry.”

Gyeong-ho seemed quite surprised as well. While apologizing reflexively, he sent me desperate glances, asking what on earth was happening. I was the one who was flustered. Why was Choi Seol standing here, and why was he staring at me so intently?

In this confusing situation, the only thing I could do was vow to absolutely kill that friend for creating such a killer timing. As I sat there looking stupid, Choi Seol, who had been observing me persistently, clicked his tongue shortly and leaned over.

“This is red too.”

His finger, diving through my bangs, touched my forehead, and then my lips. It happened so quickly that neither I nor Gyeong-ho could even react. In that interval, Choi Seol placed the book back into my empty hand.

“Keep the jokes to a reasonable level.”

Choi Seol threw words that were essentially a warning to Gyeong-ho and returned to his seat. The area around him buzzed.

“What happened?”

“Why is Han Yeo-reum’s face so red?”

“Mind your own business.”

With the words Choi Seol threw at the curious students, my mind finally half-returned. The classroom was now full of students who had arrived. The reason I hadn’t noticed earlier was that everyone had been holding their breath until Choi Seol moved. By the time I realized that, the situation had already ended.

Fortunately, the teacher walked in as soon as Choi Seol sat down. The gazes immediately scattered. Gyeong-ho also returned to his seat with a look that said he had a lot to say. However, my mind never quite found its way back. Today, without fail, instead of the air conditioner’s breeze, the sound of cicadas beyond the wide-open window brought in a scorching heat.