“It’s really hitting me again that you’re actually rich.”
“Lee Daeju said the same thing earlier. I guess birds of a feather really do flock together?”
“You dare lump me together with Lee Daeju?”
Dodging Kwon Jisoo as she tried to land a flying side kick on me, I ran off to my room. I left a KakaoTalk message telling them to wash up and gather in the second-floor living room afterward.
Sitting on the living room sofa while waiting for them, my heart started pounding with anticipation.
A pajama party at home.
Maybe it was a little ridiculous to be doing something like this when we were basically adults—but honestly, as long as I was having fun, wasn’t that all that mattered? I felt lucky that I’d ended up making such good friends.
While I was happily lost in thought, Lee Daeju shuffled into the living room with a towel draped over his head.
He was wearing my clothes.
“Hey. These are kind of big.”
Lee Daeju was in the low 170s cm. Because of that, my T-shirt and sweatpants hung ridiculously long on him. Looking at him made me feel strangely proud. A mocking smile crept onto my lips.
“Pfft. Lee Daeju, you little dwarf turd, huh?”
“Want to die?”
“I always see Do Jihoon, so seeing someone shorter than me feels ridiculously satisfying.”
“You little shit. If you weren’t lending me your house, I’d have smacked you already.”
Lee Daeju rolled up the long pant legs and plopped down on the sofa.
After chatting with him for a few minutes, Shin Gi-hyeok and Kwon Jisoo came out into the living room after finishing their showers.
Shin Gi-hyeok was wearing my clothes, and Kwon Jisoo had borrowed my sister’s clothes—with permission, of course. Unlike Lee Daeju, Shin Gi-hyeok actually looked a little cramped in my clothes. He was taller than me and had a better build. Yeon Yuri’s body had great proportions in clothes, but underneath it was actually on the leaner side.
Kwon Jisoo, on the other hand, pulled off my sister’s clothes perfectly.
“Hey. What are your heights?”
“Probably around 183.”
“I’m 171.”
“…….”
“Okay, Lee Daeju’s right to remain silent acknowledged.”
“I’m a sad beast cursed with short height. Touch me and see what happens.”
Lee Daeju ground his teeth as he spoke. With a solemn smile, I patted his shoulder to comfort him.
“It’s okay, Daeju-ya. Sometimes people are just a little small. Everyone has their own charm, right?”
“Say one more word. I’m fully prepared to wreck this place.”
His eyes were dead serious.
I wisely backed down and apologized. But Lee Daeju didn’t accept it. He suddenly wrapped an arm around my neck in a headlock.
“Yeon Yuri. Your mouth really is a problem.”
“Ghk—ugh—help…! Lee Daeju, you bastard… attempted murder…”
“Nice house. Right?”
“Yeah. The interior design’s good.”
“You bastards… ngh.”
If I died, I was absolutely going to become a ghost and charge those two with negligent homicide.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Lee Daeju actually intended to kill me. I managed to escape his arm just before passing out.
They say small peppers are spicy. I should watch myself around him from now on.
Sniffling, I spoke.
“I just went to see my late grandmother for a moment…”
“Did you pass along our regards?”
“Yeah…”
Shaking my head to clear it, I tried to regain my senses. A few minutes later, once I’d fully recovered, I asked them:
“So. What should we do?”
“You’re asking us that now?”
“It’s obvious. This guy didn’t think of anything. He just wanted to invite us over.”
“Caught me?”
That kicked off a round of chatting. We exchanged the usual “how have you been” type of small talk.
But since we chatted almost every day on KakaoTalk, we quickly ran out of topics.
Before long, silence filled the second-floor living room.
With a bitter smile, I spoke up.
“…Guys. For the first time since meeting you, things feel awkward.”
“Agreed. Isn’t there anything to do?”
We were in the middle of seriously debating what to do when—
“Ah!”
Lee Daeju suddenly shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.
“What? Did you think of something?”
“Yeah. If you’re okay with it, give us a tour of your house.”
“That’s not bad.”
“I don’t really mind, but… you want to do that?”
I looked at them in disbelief.
Surprisingly, they were staring at me with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.
Shrugging, I stood up and led them out of the second-floor living room.
“Alright. If you want to see it, I’ll give you a tour of a chaebol house.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Why is Yeon Yuri especially annoying today?”
Ignoring their grumbling voices behind me, I led them around the house.
After wandering around aimlessly for a while, the last place we reached was the yard outside.
It was still very hot, but I dutifully carried out my responsibilities as the tour guide. Thankfully, the sun had started to set, so it was cooler than when they first arrived.
“This is the garden. My mom really treasures all these plants, so if you step on them, you’re dead. Be careful.”
“Your mother must like gardening. It’s really pretty.”
Kwon Jisoo admired the colorful flowers blooming everywhere.
I couldn’t relate at all. Plants were just plants—what was so amazing about them?
I watched my classmates looking around with complete indifference.
“That table over there is probably for tea time or something. It’s used when guests come over. Though I haven’t seen guests at our house lately.”
“We came. Guests.”
“You’re uninvited ones.”
“You little—”
I took a step sideways to dodge Lee Daeju trying to smack my back.
Looking around, it seemed like I’d shown them everything worth showing.
“Last stop—let’s go over there. The barbecue area.”
“Barbecue?”
“Yeah. My dad likes grilling meat over charcoal, so we used it sometimes. Though I haven’t seen it used lately.”
Walking around the house, we soon reached a large outdoor table with barbecue grill equipment beside it.
I suggested we have barbecue for dinner.
“Holy shit.”
A curse slipped out of Lee Daeju.
“Why? You don’t like it?”
“No. I love it.”
They happily accepted my suggestion, looking at me with almost reverent eyes.
“…What? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s weird.”
“It’s nothing. Just… let’s stay friends for life.”
“Agreed. Yeon Yuri, you’re my mega best friend.”
“You materialistic bastards.”
Looking at them with deadpan eyes, I continued.
“Well, people should know how to seize opportunities. I like that attitude. Opportunists, the lot of you.”
“Birds of a feather?”
“Science.”
Lee Daeju and Kwon Jisoo traded the line back and forth, snickering.
The only normal one here was Shin Gi-hyeok.
I nudged him with my elbow and asked:
“Hey. Why are you friends with those idiots?”
“Want to die? We can hear you.”
“Seriously, it’s the mystery of the century. Please answer.”
Ignoring Kwon Jisoo’s scolding, I asked Shin Gi-hyeok.
He recoiled and moved away from me like he’d just seen a pig covered in shit. I immediately frowned and glared at him.
“Hey. Your look is way worse than theirs.”
“I don’t want to stand close to you.”
“What? Suddenly?”
“Your alpha isn’t normal. Please understand.”
“…Have you met Do Jihoon separately before?”
“No? I only saw him once at the café.”
Then how did he know Do Jihoon’s personality was completely wrecked?
Do Jihoon’s craziness worked like an on/off switch—and most of the time, it stayed off.
Maybe Shin Gi-hyeok was just that perceptive.
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.
With a sigh, Shin Gi-hyeok finally spoke.
“Do you remember that day at the café? When your husband greeted me?”
“Of course I remember.”
“I got hit full-on by Do Jihoon’s pheromones that day.”
“…What?”
I shouted instinctively.
My shriek echoed through the yard like a pig being slaughtered.
“That day, I truly understood how a chicken must feel inside an oven.”
“You’re kidding me…”
“He was basically blasting fire everywhere. That’s when I realized your alpha’s possessiveness isn’t normal.”
“….”
I didn’t know where to put myself from embarrassment. My face burned hot.
Meanwhile, Lee Daeju and Kwon Jisoo listened to Shin Gi-hyeok and wiggled their fingers mockingly at me.
“Well, well. Aren’t you two lovey-dovey?”
“Seriously. He was yelling at me for being ridiculous before, but he’s even worse.”
“Shut up, you bastards…”
I snapped at them to shut up since they didn’t even have partners.
Immediately, the garden fell silent.
Because I was the only one among us who was dating.
With a pitying look, I glanced at each of them.
“I feel sorry for people who don’t know the beauty of love….”
“Hey. Everyone help. Let’s drown him.”
“Okay.”
“Roger!”
They tied me down and sentenced me to tickling.
My crime: showing off my relationship in front of single people.
I laughed so hard I could barely breathe.
Fortunately, the housekeeper—who was just leaving work—saw me and rescued me from their clutches.
Otherwise, I might’ve ended up with a humiliating epitaph like:
‘Yeon Yuri lies here, slain by his own loose mouth.’
Sniffling, I wiped my tears and bowed in gratitude to thank her.
