TATMFL - 6

Unlike Raon, who roughly wiped her face to just dry off the moisture, Hyesung’s movements were delicate, carefully wiping her face as if dotting it in precise spots.

It seemed like he had grabbed a wet tissue from the table. The sensation on her skin was cold yet moist.

A sigh gently settled on her forehead.

“I guess I should go wash up right away...”

Just after she mumbled to herself, Jian’s voice followed.

“How could you pull the cork out and have the contents spill all over someone’s face?”

Jian, having quickly torn a tissue, pressed it hard against the moisture on Raon’s clothes.

“Who could have known it would pop out like that... Sorry, Raon, I’ll send you money for the dry cleaning.”

The culprit’s dejected voice made Jian click her tongue.

“I could tell from the way you were shaking it so recklessly.”

Their bickering sounds were getting louder.

But despite the commotion above her head, Raon remained silent, her eyes squeezed shut, holding her breath.

The fist resting on her lap was clenched so tightly that her white knuckles were clearly visible.

“......”

Her throat, which had been filled only with the sharp scent of champagne, was now completely saturated with Hyesung’s unique scent. Every breath she took was drowned in his presence, making her mouth feel dry.

Fearing her breath might turn too ragged, Raon forced herself to exhale quietly, keeping it as thin as possible.

The soft touch of his hand brushing through her damp bangs as it grazed her forehead was almost unbearable.

It wasn’t her forehead that was itchy.

It was deep in her throat—or rather, somewhere near her chest—that a deep, trembling feeling had settled.

She couldn’t hide the shuddering of her eyelids.

It seemed that Hyesung noticed it, as she heard a small chuckle right in front of her.

Through the wet tissue gently tapping her eyelids, she could feel his slender fingers.

“There’s no need to be so tense, Raon. I’m being careful not to poke your eyes while I wipe.”

“......Okay.”

It was maddening.

Even the breath that swept over the bridge of her nose felt sweet.

How could her breath be so heavy?

Raon, who had become so dazed she didn’t even know what she was thinking, ran her tongue across the roof of her mouth.

Her heartbeat was so loud, she worried it might even be heard by Hyesung.

“......”

Following the hand that moved away from her eyes, Raon slowly opened her eyes, almost hypnotized, and immediately saw his small, bobbing Adam’s apple right in front of her.

His collarbone, briefly exposed and disappearing again, made her turn her head suddenly, as if something was wrong.

Hyesung’s hand followed the curve of her lowered chin, and his concerned voice came along with it.

“Did it hurt?”

As he carefully wiped near her earlobe, Raon shook her head.

“Not at all.”

Her voice was buried in the noisy surroundings, thankful it wasn’t loud enough to be heard.

Finally, after wiping near her lips, Hyesung let out a sigh.

“It’s done.”

With her view only filled by his neck, Hyesung’s face suddenly filled her vision.

Unlike her, who roughly wiped her face just to dry off the moisture, Hyesung moved delicately, wiping her face with precision, as if dotting it in specific spots.

It seemed like he had grabbed a wet tissue from the table. The sensation against her skin was cold yet moist.

A sigh settled lightly over her forehead.

“I guess I should go wash up right away...”

Just after she mumbled this, Jian’s voice followed.

“How could you pull the cork out and have the contents spill all over someone’s face?”

Jian, quickly tearing a tissue, pressed it against the moisture on Raon’s clothes.

“Who could have known it would pop out like that? Sorry, Raon, I’ll send you money for the dry cleaning.”

The culprit’s downcast voice made Jian click her tongue.

“I could tell from the way you were shaking it so recklessly.”

Their bickering continued loudly, but Raon just stayed silent, keeping her eyes tightly shut and holding her breath.

The fist on her lap was clenched so tightly that her white knuckles stood out clearly.

“......”

Her throat, which had only been filled with the sharp scent of champagne, was now completely suffused with Hyesung’s scent. Every breath she took was overwhelmed by his presence, making her mouth feel dry.

Fearing that her breath might become too heavy, Raon exhaled as quietly and thinly as she could.

The soft touch of his hand brushing through her damp bangs as it grazed her forehead was almost unbearable.

It wasn’t her forehead that itched.

Deep inside her throat—or rather, somewhere near her chest—there was a deep, unsettling sensation.

She couldn’t hide the trembling of her eyelids.

It seemed that Hyesung noticed, as she heard a soft laugh from right in front of her.

Through the tissue gently tapping her eyelids, she could feel his slender fingers.

“You don’t need to be so tense, Raon. I’m being careful not to poke your eyes while I wipe.”

“......Okay.”

It was maddening.

Even the breath that swept over the bridge of her nose seemed sweet.

How could her breath be so ragged?

Raon, dazed to the point that she didn’t even know what she was thinking, ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth.

Her heartbeat was so loud she worried Hyesung might hear it.

“......”

Following his hand, Raon slowly opened her eyes, almost in a trance, and immediately saw his small, moving Adam’s apple right in front of her.

His collarbone, briefly exposed and disappearing again, made her suddenly turn her head, as if something was wrong.

Hyesung’s hand followed her lowered chin, and his concerned voice came along with it.

“Did it hurt?”

As he carefully wiped near her earlobe, Raon shook her head.

“Not at all.”

Her voice was buried in the noise around them, thankful it wasn’t loud enough to be heard.

Finally, after wiping near her lips, Hyesung let out a sigh.

“It’s done.”

With her view now filled with his neck, Hyesung’s face suddenly filled her vision.

Raon’s chest, which had been constricted by the scent of Hyesung, grew faint as he walked away. Trying to hide her regret, she spoke up.

“I could’ve done it myself.”

“You would’ve just wiped it roughly, right? It’s better to wipe it thoroughly and carefully, or it won’t come off when you wash it later.”

“......Okay.”

Raon smiled faintly, leaning back against her chair, as if telling him to do it his way. Her back, which had been stiff from tension, now ached.

After scanning her face one last time, Hyesung nodded in satisfaction, saying he’d go wash his hands and left.

“Ha...”

Raon, staring at his back, rubbed the back of her neck with a sigh.

At that moment, someone in the front seat spoke up.

“How come nothing’s changed between you two?”

Raon smiled quietly without answering and took another sip of her drink. As if waiting for this, voices from all around started chiming in.

“How many years has it been, between them?”

“I think they’ve been friends since elementary school.”

“So... 15 years?”

“That long? They’re like family then, huh?”

“I don’t think even family would be this devoted to each other though.”

“What’s this wiping business, they probably told her to lick it all off because it’d be a waste.”

Raon listened to the drunken chatter, letting it pass by. It wasn’t unusual for the three of them—herself, Hyesung, and Jian—to be the subject of such conversations.

But the mention of 15 years suddenly made her reflect on the past.

The first time she saw Hyesung was on the day of their elementary school entrance ceremony when they were assigned to the same class.

He was an eye-catching child. Despite his noticeably small size compared to the others, his pretty face and the gloomy,沉 static air he carried—something no child should possess—drew attention.

She only learned later in high school that this was due to his father’s frequent gambling debts and issues with loans and guarantees, but before that, she was simply curious as to why an eight-year-old acted as if he had already seen the world’s harshness. So she lingered around him, even though his actions were awkward and immature, which made her instinctively want to help.

It was a mix of curiosity and youthful justice, a need to help a weaker child.

And then...

‘Hyesung saved me when I nearly had an accident.’

At 14, during a time when she was lost in the turmoil of her parents’ divorce, she had a near-miss accident when she slipped on the stairs.

It happened so quickly, and it was a serious enough incident that an ambulance came to school.

She only suffered a minor bruise, but Hyesung, who had shielded her and fallen headfirst, was seriously injured.

He had a severe concussion, and though the surgery went well, the doctors warned of possible aftereffects. His state couldn’t be called “good” in any sense. He had exposed himself to danger to protect her.

He woke up after a week. At that time, she had poured out all her resentments.

She yelled at him for being reckless. Didn’t he know he almost died?

She was terrified. The thought that Hyesung might die because of her drove her to the edge emotionally.

Then, he held her hand tightly and said words that she still remembers vividly.

[In that moment, I couldn’t think of anything except saving you.]

[It was you, Raon. I’m fine, see? I woke up safely.]

After hearing that, she understood what it was like to feel like she couldn’t breathe.

She had treated him with a sense of superiority before, but now, everything was different.

Hyesung, with pure goodwill, reached out first to her, determined to save his friend without hesitation.

At that time, there were no feelings of love. She was merely overwhelmed by guilt, self-blame, and apologies, and took it upon herself to care for Hyesung.

But shortly after entering high school, she realized something. She had started to see Hyesung as more than just a friend. At the same time, she realized that Hyesung had feelings for Jian.

In short, as soon as she became aware of her feelings, she had already been rejected.

‘Even without that, I wasn’t planning to confess anyway.’

Raon scoffed lightly and tilted her chin.

To her, love felt like a dairy product with an expiration date. Once it passed, it spoiled and started to emit an unpleasant, disgusting smell.

That’s why Raon chose to stay by Hyesung’s side as a friend rather than pursue a love that would eventually expire. After all, if they were just friends, she wouldn’t have to worry about breaking up.

“Raon.”

“......Yeah.”

Raon responded with a faint smile when Hyesung, who had returned to his seat, called her.

She felt his hand gently brushing through her damp bangs and slowly lowered her gaze.

Yes, this distance between them was just right.

“I’m going to grab lunch now, how about you?”

Raon, who had been staring blankly at an empty canvas, looked up at the voice coming from above her. Hyun-a, who had been painting at the desk across from her, was now looking down at her.

When Raon checked the time, it was already 12 o’clock, lunchtime, even though she hadn’t done anything.

She put down the pencil she had been holding without any purpose and shook her head.

“I have plans. Go ahead and eat.”

“Okay, then.”

Hyun-a waved her hand coolly at Raon’s refusal and walked away. Only then did Raon snap out of her daze and rub the back of her neck.

The lunch meeting with Hyesung and Jian was scheduled for 1 o’clock. Since they had agreed to meet at the main entrance, there was plenty of time.

“Should I go for a walk...”

Raon thought it might be better to get some fresh air outside rather than stay stuck in the art room with her mind feeling sluggish. Arriving a little early at the meeting spot didn’t sound like a bad idea either.

As she stepped outside, the cold January wind hit her face. The gloomy weather made her instinctively pull her neck in.

For a moment, she regretted leaving early, but soon the fresh air brushing against her nose made a smile form on her lips. It was definitely better than staying in the cramped art room.

‘It’s cold…’

Raon absentmindedly stared at her visible breath in the air before suddenly having a thought. She took out her phone.

“It feels colder than yesterday...”

Raon muttered as her fingertips quickly froze after only a short time with her hands out of her pockets. She unlocked her phone and continued,

“I should tell them to dress warmly.”

Muttering about how a cold could make her suffer later when she returns to the military, she brought up the keypad on her screen.

Her hand naturally pressed speed dial number 3 without a second thought.

Beep, beep, beep— The basic ringtone sounded.

However, the voice she had been waiting for did not come through.

Instead, only a mechanical voice telling her that the call could not be answered echoed in her ears.

“Hmm...?”

Raon stared at the disconnected call with a puzzled expression. It was rare for Hyesung not to pick up the phone.

“Is he still sleeping?”

Raon checked the time and tilted her head in confusion.

Given how diligent Hyesung was, there was no way he’d still be asleep at this hour.

As Raon thought this, she was about to try calling him again when—

“Hello.”

“...?!”

A light, bouncy voice with a deep tone suddenly reached her ear.

At the same time, a large hand suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her vision. Raon froze, startled, as she looked up at the hand that completely covered her sight.

Her head snapped upward, and then she met his gaze.

A bright, beaming smile greeted her.

...It was him.