SWNOVELXO Chapter 199
I hid for a long time until the party reached its final stages.
The problem was that I had chosen red as my theme. This intense primary colored dress caught everyone’s eye, and no matter where I hid, I was easy to spot.
Just because I was hiding among the people didn’t mean they couldn’t find me.
But should I be thankful, Ha Neul and Sua didn’t approach me after that. Did they understand that I was in a state of confusion?
I could see where they were. In fact, it was because the eyes of both were constantly tracking me that I felt I had to escape.
In such a vast place, it was ironic that I couldn’t find anywhere to hide.
That said, I couldn’t leave the party either. It was fine to go into a room for a moment like before, but the main character of the party—me—couldn’t just vanish.
“Ah, it’s Sara.”
So, I was the one who was annoyed at the person who approached me to greet me.
“You’ve grown so much. I came a bit late, so I couldn’t chat earlier… do you remember who I am?”
She was a middle-aged woman with a bit of plumpness. She must have been a beauty in her youth. If she wiped off her thick makeup, she might look much older.
Actually, I had no idea who she was.
But at least I knew she was someone helping me escape my current situation.
To be honest, I couldn’t remember much of our conversation. She introduced herself and our relationship… but she was a distant relative, and my focus was entirely on the opposite direction from her, towards Ha Neul and Sua, who were still tracking me with their eyes.
Still, I thought we talked for quite a while. Half of it felt like I was just a responding machine.
“Oh dear, it seems I’ve taken up too much of your time. Enjoy the party.”
“Yeah, see you next time.”
After wrapping up our lengthy conversation, I wandered aimlessly around the party venue again.
While wandering around—
thud,
I buried my face into something incredibly soft.
At first, I thought it was a pillow, but reconsidering, pillows aren’t that fluffy. Maybe I was confused because of the outer fabric.
…And that fabric was red.
A luxurious material that could make a dress.
No, obviously, it wasn’t just the fabric; it was the dress itself.
A dress encasing something fluffy.
Slowly forcing my stiff neck to look up, I saw Sohee gazing down at me with a worried expression.
“Sara, is something wrong? Your face is red.”
“Um, ah, uh…”
Right, among the three who were close to me, she was the only one who hadn’t confessed to me yet.
Or maybe I should say, ‘not yet.’
Wondering about it, I had avoided her so diligently that I didn’t realize I couldn’t dodge Sohee in my overwhelming focus on Ha Neul and Sua.
“This won’t do.”
As I let out a strange groan, Sohee seemed to interpret it as a warning signal and grabbed my shoulder.
Then, she propped me up slightly.
“Here, let’s go rest a bit.”
But I was definitely resting just a moment ago.
Of course, it didn’t feel like I had rested at all.
Sohee gently pushed me. It was a strong force, but it wasn’t as if she was disregarding my will.
Leaning on Sohee, I carefully shifted my feet.
The eyes around us were all fixed on me.
Naturally. The main character of the party—me—couldn’t walk properly and was leaning on someone.
“Is Sara feeling ill?”
“Uncle” came over to ask. By the way Sohee was questioned, it seemed he knew she was my maid.
I was completely depending on Sohee.
Oh, perhaps I looked really sick since my face was beet red from the blood rushing to my head.
“Yes, it seems so.”
Sohee, dressed in a dress, spoke in a maid mode that she rarely showed.
“I see. Then rest easy. I’ll be here, so there’s no need to force yourself to stay.”
“Uncle” spoke gently.
…To be honest, he was still quite suspicious, so it would’ve been right for me to be the one to keep an eye on this situation…
But it couldn’t be helped. There was no use staying here anyway.
I quietly nodded.
*
Sohee led me to a room on the first floor.
I wish I had found this room from the start.
“This is one of the servant’s quarters. The students stayed here yesterday. Since the luggage is stored separately, no one will say anything if you lay down on the bed for a while. Well… thinking about it as your home, I wonder if anyone would even dare to say anything.”
Sohee carefully laid me down on the bed. Then she placed her hand on my forehead.
“You don’t seem to have a high fever. Still, maybe I should go find a fever reducer?”
“No… no, that’s not necessary.”
Lying down did make me feel a lot better. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t need a fever reducer. I wasn’t sick; I was just dealing with a headache from thinking too much.
“Is that so? Still, I’ll stay here just in case.”
Sohee pulled up a chair nearby and sat down next to the bed.
“……”
“……”
For a moment, both of us were silent.
“Ahem.”
Sohee cleared her throat, possibly finding the atmosphere slightly awkward.
…Thinking about it, I hardly had any moments alone with Sohee. I had memories of being alone with Sua and Ha Neul, but strangely, I didn’t have that kind of memory with Sohee.
Perhaps that was natural. From the moment I first met Sohee, I was always with Sua and Ha Neul.
“……”
“……”
After a brief silence, Sohee broke it as if she wanted to change the subject.
“Have you received gifts from Ha Neul and Sua yet?”
She probably said that after noticing the one around my hand and neck.
“……Yeah.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had kissed the other two.
Still, it felt wise to have moved the ring to a different finger. If I had been wearing it on my ring finger, others would’ve probably noticed my situation too.
“Actually, I learned how to notice these things from my senior. They say to notice any changes in the master immediately.”
…That meant Yang Hye-in knew about it too.
Perhaps Yang Hye-in had noticed even more changes than that.
As I trembled at that thought, Sohee hung her head down.
“Um, did I… scare you a bit?”
“Ah, no, no.”
Seeing Sohee looking at me cautiously as she slightly raised her eyes, I waved my hands vigorously.
Then I propped myself up a little.
Since I had a legitimate reason to rest on the bed, I felt much more at ease. My dizzy head was calming down a bit.
“It’s alright. It means you studied that for me, right?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Hearing my compliment, Sohee’s face flushed slightly.
Then she cleared her throat and said, “Um, speaking of that, I have something I want to give you.”
“A birthday present?”
“Yeah.”
Sohee nodded and then lifted her arm.
On Sohee’s left arm were two thin golden bracelets. They suited her slightly tanned skin perfectly.
She took one off.
“I bought two on purpose, but I had no place to keep them, so I wore one. Sorry.”
“Ah, no.”
I quickly said that and extended one of my arms toward Sohee.
With a shy smile, Sohee placed the bracelet on my arm.
The golden bracelet sparkled as it caught the light.
“It’s pretty.”
To be honest, I didn’t have a keen eye for these things. I could only tell, “Oh, it’s a bracelet, a ring, a necklace,” at best.
Still, I could tell how much care they had put into choosing these gifts. They were all very simple, and the design suited my taste.
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
“Is that so?”
Sohee murmured as she laughed.
I don’t know; it seemed like a pure laugh that had no worries. Should I say it was like capturing the word ‘laughter’ in a person’s expression… or is that a weird description? Since someone must’ve laughed for the first time, that phrase might’ve come into being.
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.
“……”
“……”
Then silence fell again, but it wasn’t awkward at all. It was a pleasant, warm silence.
“……Huh.”
Sohee placed her hand on her chest and let out a slight sigh. It seemed she was relieved that her feelings were conveyed properly.
…However, it appeared that Sohee had another reason for that deep sigh.
Right after that, Sohee took a deep breath and said:
“Actually, I’m a lesbian.”
“……Huh?”
“I like women, not men.”
“……Huh-huh?”
Wait a minute.
Why is she telling me this?
There could only be one reason for that.
With my mind racing again, my face flushed slightly.
“……Do you think that’s… weird?”
Sohee asked cautiously.
Her eyes trembled with anxiety.