Chapter 461: For You
When I was little, I believed in Santa.
So, whenever I believed that Santa would bring me a wonderful present, I suddenly remembered Manual looking at me with what seemed like pity.
If I had asked her back then if she didn't believe in Santa,
"It's not that I don't believe..."
Manual would trail off, her words ambiguous.
But now, I think I understand why.
"Chae-yeon..."
"Hurry up."
"No, it's not that... Just a second, Chae-yeon. Please, for the sake of our conversation, don't use your telekinesis."
I busily brushed off the telekinetic force that was tugging at my collar.
How did it even come to this?
The first thing Jang Chae-yeon did after standing in front of me was to sit down on the sofa and just stare at me.
"Sit down."
Then she patted her lap. Tap. Tap.
"Huh?"
"I said sit."
"No, but there are so many people watching?"
I pointed to the audience seats, and as if on cue, four voices shouted in unison.
"Disgusting!"
"Shameless!"
"Bad!"
"Oppressive!"
You're all such great friends at times like this, aren't you?
But since they're a big help to me right now, I had no intention of pointing that out.
However, knowing Jang Chae-yeon as I do...
"Sit."
Sure enough, she's the type who has to get her way no matter what anyone else says.
Without taking her eyes off me, Jang Chae-yeon patted her lap again. Tap. Tap.
"..."
Even so.
"No, Chae-yeon. Even so— Gah!"
And that's how we arrived at the current situation.
Now, Jang Chae-yeon was using her telekinesis to grab my arm and drag me towards her.
"Don't resist. It's easier if you just give up."
"No, what's the big deal about a lap pillow...?!"
"So you won't even do this one little thing for me?"
"..."
Jang Chae-yeon looked at me as if hurt.
"You hug her?"
Then she pointed at Yu Daon as well.
"..."
With her going this far, I really had nothing left to say.
"...Just this once."
I sighed and approached Jang Chae-yeon, and only then did she smile.
"Here."
She patted her lap. Tap. Tap.
"..."
I slowly rested my head on Jang Chae-yeon's lap.
"Don't look over here. I'm wearing a skirt."
"If you knew that, why did you ask me to do it in the first place?"
"Actually, you can look if you want."
"I'll pass."
"..."
I could feel a warm sensation, but even more than that, I could feel the stares of the other people.
At least they'd stopped booing.
"But."
In a calm voice, Jang Chae-yeon stroked my hair and looked down at me.
Or was she looking down? Actually, from this angle, I couldn't see Jang Chae-yeon's face.
"Huh?"
"...Never mind."
She seemed about to say something, but instead, she just silently stroked my head.
And so, Jang Chae-yeon just stroked my hair endlessly.
After some time had passed, around the time I thought, 'Shouldn't Yu Daon be done by now?', Jang Chae-yeon opened her mouth as if to say one last thing.
"How far are you going to accept me?"
"Huh?"
"Let me say it again. I don't want you to feel burdened because of me."
"..."
I didn't bother to answer.
Jang Chae-yeon looked at me quietly,
"Hehe."
She smiled happily and then flicked my forehead.
"See you later."
After saying that and whispering something,
I found myself with Song A-rin.
"..."
Wait, did she just leave me lying on the floor like this?
The soft sensation was gone, leaving only the feeling of the hard floor.
"Lying there spacing out must feel really good, huh?"
Song A-rin muttered in a prickly voice and looked at me.
"Well, it's a softness that can't be compared to A-rin's— Ack! Ow! My head! My head!"
I surrendered to Song A-rin, who was looking at me with a gaze that seemed to say she'd kill me if I said any more.
Somehow, seeing as my headaches are getting stronger, it seems her mental attack ability is improving by leaps and bounds, which is kind of gratifying, but because of that, my headaches are getting worse by the day.
"...Come here."
Song A-rin gestured for me to come.
Why this time?
"Did everyone else get some kind of mission except me?"
Anyone seeing this would think you all got a secret mission or something.
"...How could that be? You're sick, you know that? Sick."
So you're telling me that these people offering me lap pillows and hugging me is all just something that sprang from the bottom of their hearts?
That wouldn't be strange... No, wait, it is strange.
"Anyway."
Song A-rin spoke up, cutting off my thoughts.
"Come here."
"What is it this time?"
I followed Song A-rin.
The place she led me to was on the bed.
"We are not making a second generation."
"You think I'm crazy enough to do that with you where other people can see?"
"So you do it where people can't see!"
"Ooooh! Shameless!"
The moment they heard that, the audience shouted.
Hearing the shouts, Song A-rin's face turned bright red. She glared at the others, then turned her gaze back to me.
"This is your fault."
"My fault?"
"Let's not talk."
She let out a deep sigh, sat down on the bed,
-Tap.
and patted the spot beside her.
What is it this time?
"You're sure there's really no mission, right?"
"Have you just been getting tricked your whole life?"
"I guess I've been getting tricked by Santa every single day, it seems."
"Why are you so talkative? Hurry up and come sit down!"
She huffed and got up, grabbing my hand and pulling me over.
She forced me to sit down, then sat down beside me.
"...So, what is it this time?"
"Lie down."
"Huh?"
As if she wasn't even paying attention to my question, Song A-rin held onto me and lay down.
"Ungh!"
I lay down on the bed with her, and Song A-rin stared intently at me.
"...Is your heart pounding?"
"Well, a person's heart is supposed to beat— Ah! Ah! It hurts! I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"
Song A-rin, who had started tormenting my head again, stared at me intently once more, then snuggled right up against me.
"Is it really pounding?"
"..."
I closed my eyes.
What should I say... If Yu Daon's body is the warmest, and Jang Chae-yeon's is the coldest, then...
"A lukewarm body temperature?"
"Ah, you sound like a pervert."
"No, why?"
I looked at Song A-rin, who was backing away in disgust, and she went 'Ugh!', brushed off her arm, and looked at me again.
"So, did you like it?"
"Well, at least you smell nice."
It smelled like lavender.
-Smack!
Song A-rin slapped my back, her face red as she shouted.
"You really are a pervert!"
What does she even want from me?
*
After Song A-rin left, it was Eileen who came next.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...What is it this time?"
"Why do you assume I'm going to do something?"
"Because everyone else did something."
Eileen glanced at me and held out her hand.
"Huh?"
"Hold my hand."
Well, that's relatively simple.
I held Eileen's hand, and she smiled softly.
"Let's walk."
"...You're sure there's no mission or anything, right?"
"Correct."
She answered confidently.
Well, if that's the case, then fine.
To be honest, Song A-rin might be one thing, but I don't think Eileen would lie.
Walking with Eileen, we talked about this and that.
"Are you getting along well with Ye-eun these days?"
"Well, not bad."
"Similar to before?"
"...I'm not sure what you mean by 'before'."
She muttered, seeming embarrassed.
"It seems better than before."
"That's good. My heart sank whenever I saw you being sharp with Ye-eun."
"Well, back then, um. ...I apologized."
"Given Ye-eun's personality, she must have accepted it well."
"Yeah."
She muttered.
"And, the team members are all treating me well, so that's good."
"..."
"I guess it's a relief; it seems I haven't been living my life accumulating bad karma."
Eileen muttered and smiled.
"If I get the chance, I'll definitely get your memories back for you."
"The chance will come, but you don't have to go out of your way."
To my words, she answered calmly.
"I'm happy even now."
"It's not fun!"
"It's boring!"
"Should I kill him?"
Then, hearing the words from the audience, Eileen's eyes shone sharply as she muttered.
And so, my quiet meeting with Eileen came to an end.
And the last person in front of me was...
"...Branch Chief, why are you here?"
"Oh my, am I not allowed to come?"
"...No, it's not that."
It felt a bit awkward to say, 'Well, at least the others confessed their feelings.'
"Hey, don't tell me you thought I'd act like a foolish ajumma?"
The Branch Chief put her hand to her mouth and laughed.
"Like a grandmother!"
"Grandma's cosmetics smell!"
At the voices from the audience, she glanced in their direction for a moment, then looked back at me.
"No wonder everyone gets so angry when the audience says something; I think I understand now."
"How do you think I feel hearing it for the fifth time?"
"But they're not insulting Kim Jae-heon, are they?"
"If you listen from here, it sure feels like they're insulting me."
Anyway.
"So, what is it?"
"Huh?"
"From what I've seen, it seems like everyone has... something they want to do."
At my words, the Branch Chief smiled softly.
"That's right. I also have something I want to do."
"Please tell me."
I've already done it for everyone else; it's not like I can refuse here.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, let's see."
At my words, the Branch Chief closed her eyes and muttered.
"I..."
Then, she slowly opened her mouth.
"This will do."
Then, she held something out to me.
It was a necktie.
"...What's this?"
"I wanted to try this."
Then she approached me and tied the necktie for me.
"..."
"I always wanted to tie someone's tie, but there was no one to do it for."
"..."
It felt strange. To hear the Branch Chief say such things.
The Branch Chief stared intently at me and smiled.
"Anyway, this is enough for me."
"Really? This is your wish?"
"Of course."
She smiled softly.
"This is my wish."
Saying that, she left,
and the studio lights went out.
What, is it over just like that?
I only had a moment to think that.
<All other participants have completed their missions.>
Missions?
<Yu Daon, Jang Chae-yeon, Song A-rin, Eileen, Lee Ha-neul. All have completed their missions, so we will now proceed to the next round.>
Next round?
<Starting the next round!>
The mechanical voice sounded cheerful,
and the lights came back on.
The five people were all averting their eyes from me.
"You did it because you wanted to?"
No one answered.
Consideration?
Again, no one answered.
This feeling of betrayal is something I'm experiencing for the first time in my life.