At first, swept away by lust, Yeon Haneul and I soon regained our senses and began to care for each other.
Rather than our own pleasure, we wanted the other to feel even better.
We wanted today to remain as a happy memory we could never forget for the rest of our lives.
With that mindset.
We spent the entire night entwined.
“Does it feel good?”
“Yeah… What about you?”
“Me too.”
“Then… let’s feel even better together.”
The more we expressed our affection.
Our clumsy touches and movements gradually learned to assail each other’s bodies.
*‘So soft.’*
The smile Yeon Haneul gave me, the sobs of joy she let out, the warmth transmitted through her skin.
Everything about her filled me completely.
It was a feeling of something being fulfilled.
She likely felt the same.
She refused to let me go, as if she couldn’t live without me.
Truly…
Yeon Haneul was a bewitching creature.
One who drove me mad with excitement.
“Gyeonu, baby, more, more….”
“Okay, as much as you want.”
“Hnn… Haneul… only has me, right?”
“Haneul only has you. To me, Haneul is the only one.”
“Then… tell me you love me….”
“I love you, Haneul.”
And so….
Without separating for even a moment, we rubbed against each other, shared our body heat, and whispered sweet words.
We poured our affection into each other fervently.
So much so that we couldn’t fall asleep until dawn, only barely managing to doze off at all….
*‘Ah.’*
When I opened my eyes, it was morning.
Woken by the chirping of birds, I lay sprawled out in bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
Then I turned my gaze to Yeon Haneul, who was sound asleep using my arm as a pillow.
*‘So beautiful….’*
Recalling the passion of the night before, my heart pounded even as I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She felt nothing short of sacred to me.
Indeed, sleeping naked with only a thin blanket draped over her, she looked just like a goddess….
*‘Maybe I should start a religion.’*
That such a girl was my girlfriend.
That we had spent the night together.
I could hardly believe any of it was real.
It was while I was inwardly marveling like this that Yeon Haneul, perhaps sensing my gaze, opened her eyes.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. How’s your body? Are you okay?”
“Hmm… It aches a little… But it’s bearable.”
Yeon Haneul smiled bashfully.
She and I simply looked at each other in silence for a while.
Just seeing her was enough to make me happy.
“Gyeonu. My phone’s over there, right? Pass me my phone. What time is it now?”
“Here. And the time is… oh no, morning classes must have started already? It’s 10:37….”
“Ah, right… Instructor Noeul and Eunsol called too….”
“Instructor Noeul called you too? I missed calls from her as well. And from Hanbyeol… Eunsol too.”
Being late was a certainty.
Even if we prepared to leave for school now, we’d only arrive near the end.
After checking the time on our smartphones, we smiled bitterly.
So since things had already come to this….
*‘Let’s just skip morning classes and head back in time for the afternoon ones. We can rest until then.’*
It seemed Yeon Haneul was thinking the same thing.
Her hand, which had been gently stroking my arm, slowly slid downward.
I moved my hand as well.
We pressed our bodies tightly together.
“Can we… do it a little more? If you’re tired, we won’t.”
“I’m okay. I want to do more too. Do lots to me. No… I’ll be the one to do it.”
“It’s nice that the sun is up. I can see you… so clearly like this.”
“No, don’t embarrass me like this… I haven’t even washed….”
“You’ve got sleep in your eyes.”
“…Huh? Really?”
“It’s a lie.”
“Tch… are you serious?”
“There isn’t. But even if you did have sleep in your eyes, you’d still be really beautiful.”
“You really are something… Don’t say things like that outside. You should only say them when you’re with me. Got it?”
“If you tell me not to, I won’t. Except for last night.”
“Pervert. This won’t do. You just lie still, baby.”
Yeon Haneul climbed on top of me.
She stole a kiss from my lips.
And then….
“Your noona will take care of everything.”
“You’re my noona?”
“Yeah, right now I’m your noona. Since I’m on top.”
“Then if I’m on top?”
“Oppa?”
“…Not bad.”
“You like it? Then stay still. Just hold my hand.”
Truly….
Yeon Haneul was undoubtedly a bewitching creature.
Seductive.
From today on, I should call her Yahaneul.
* * *
I wanted to go wash up with Yeon Haneul in the bathroom, but if our eyes met there, we might get swept up in another bout of passion and waste time. We couldn’t afford that.
Barely maintaining our reason, we left the hotel so as not to be late for afternoon classes.
“Look here, there’s a mark on my neck. You said you’d be gentle… Liar. What are we going to do about this?”
“I was being gentle in my own way… Sorry. Let’s stop by a convenience store on the way and buy a bandage or something.”
“That was mean, seriously. If you do it again next time, I’ll scold you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Afraid someone else might see, Yeon Haneul awkwardly hid the red marks on the nape of her neck.
She also paid attention to her gait so as not to show any signs.
I couldn’t help but laugh at her behavior.
Soon we entered a convenience store and picked out a bandage.
And then….
“Gyeonu, this too. We’re out of it now.”
“Ah… right.”
Yeon Haneul grabbed some vitamin C that happened to be nearby.
I inwardly flinched.
*‘I sometimes wonder… I really don’t know where Haneul draws the line on embarrassment.’*
Of course, did it really matter?
I paid for the items right there.
It was when we exited the convenience store that Yeon Haneul, holding my arm, suddenly spoke.
“Let’s do it again next time.”
“…Sure.”
I wondered if my desire was stronger, or if Yeon Haneul’s was stronger.
We wouldn’t know until we saw it through.
Anyway, our eyes met, and instead of restraining ourselves, we shared a light kiss.
After that, we returned to the Academy without drawing attention.
“I’m going to class. See you later.”
“Text me when you get to the classroom. See you later.”
With lingering feelings.
We, who had been attached at the hip since yesterday, had to part ways to attend our respective classes.
It was then that I ran into Yu Gaeul.
“My goodness, sunbae. You’re only coming now? Did you know? The rumor that you and Haneul-sunbae spent the night out has spread all across the Academy. Skipping this morning’s classes together was the decisive blow. Congratulations, Gyeonu-sunbae. You finally did it with Haneul-sunbae, didn’t you?”
“…What are you talking about? Don’t say weird things.”
Yu Gaeul giggled with a mischievous face, clearly filled with the intent to tease me.
Not wanting to fall for it, I deliberately played dumb.
At that, she covered her mouth with her hand and let out a snicker.
“Come on, hiding it is useless. You did spend the night out, didn’t you? If I set my mind to it, I could find out where you stayed, you know?”
“We just stayed out drinking late, so it was awkward to return to the dormitory. That’s all.”
“Drunkenness? You could’ve sobered up with mana. That’s an excuse that won’t fly with us aspiring Hunters, but as your junior, I’ll pretend not to notice. So how was yesterday? Or rather, today? Was it good?”
“You said you’d pretend not to notice.”
“Come on, when did I say that?”
Even though we were likely headed in different directions, Yu Gaeul deliberately matched my pace, mischievously playing around.
At this rate, I’d get caught up in her pace.
The fourth period was about to start.
To shake her off, I decided to unilaterally end the conversation.
“Stop bothering me and go. You have classes too, don’t you?”
“I have a free period, though?”
“I have class.”
“Then I’ll escort you. Let’s go together.”
“No. I said go, didn’t I?”
“Sunbae… aren’t you being too cold to me just because you did it with Haneul-sunbae? Am I not needed anymore? Hnng… I was just another fish in your pond, wasn’t I?”
“What is this girl saying now? Don’t spout things that will make passersby misunderstand. Do you want me to really get angry?”
“Hnng… are you going to get angry? The truth is… I had some information I wanted to tell you, so I’ve been waiting just for you since last night….”
“Information?”
“Wow, you showed no interest in me at all. Sunbae, you’re a terrible opportunist.”
“Are you going to keep acting like this?”
“Okay, I was playing too much. Please don’t be mad, sunbaee~.”
“Hah….”
She was a sharp-witted ghost, as always.
She knew exactly when to back down.
I sighed as I looked at Yu Gaeul, who was grabbing my collar and shaking me as if nothing had happened.
“So what’s this information?”
“I’m not sure if it’s related to this incident, but I found something in a photo taken during the Grand Ranking Battle a while ago. Look here.”
“….”
Yu Gaeul held out her smartphone.
Then she zoomed in on one side of the screen.
“It’s blurry, but… this person behind us, doesn’t she somehow look like Haneul-sunbae? Of course, unlike Haneul-sunbae, this person has black rabbit ears and black hair… but still, it’s uncanny, right? I couldn’t just ignore it and move on. You could say I had a hunch.”
“…So? Do you know who it is?”
“Yes, I put some effort into finding out. But while I was working hard, sunbae was busy exhausting himself with Haneul-sunbae….”
“Huu… What do you want from me? Should I buy you a meal or something?”
“If possible, drinks too? Ah, I’ll pay for the second round.”
“Alright, alright. So tell me who it is now.”
“After investigating, I found out she’s a student at Cheongun Academy, an academy three ranks below ours. She’s a second-year, in the magic department… She’s fairly well-known as a promising prospect. She even has an alias. Her alias is… Heukmyo (Black Rabbit).”
“Heukmyo… using the character Heuk (black) for black and Myo (rabbit) for rabbit, meaning black rabbit?”
“Yes, just like her appearance, right? So her name is….”
The woman in the screen with black rabbit ears resembling Yeon Haneul.
Yu Gaeul mentioned her name.
In the end….
I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
And I understood the general outline of events.
*‘So she really was Haneul’s doppelganger… She survived back then without dying.’*
* * *
*‘I hope you become truly miserable.’*
Humming a tune.
Today as well, she was wandering around the Academy impersonating Yeon Haneul.
Then she suddenly halted her steps.
*‘Ah… it’s Gyeonu.’*
Though she desired Yeon Haneul’s social annihilation, she paradoxically and comically wished to become Yeon Haneul.
To her… no, to Yeon Haneul, Do Gyeonu was an existence as precious as the world itself.
It was almost directly tied to her reason for existence.
Yet today, for some reason, that same boy was walking alone on the grounds.
There didn’t appear to be any of the people he usually hung around with nearby.
It was a chance to approach him.
*‘Gyeonu, I missed you. Really, so very much…’*
It could be a trap.
Even so, she moved toward Do Gyeonu, braving the danger.
That was how desperate she was.
“Gyeonu.”
“Ah, Haneul. Are you on your way to the student council?”
“Huh? Yeah… I was heading there after class ended. What about you?”
“I’m going to train with the guys. They said everyone already went ahead.”
“Hm… I see.”
“Let’s go. I’ll walk you to the student council.”
“Is that okay? You said the guys are waiting.”
“They’ll do fine without me. I don’t really need to worry about it.”
“Keke….”
Through her time acting as Yeon Haneul.
She had roughly grasped all the necessary information: Yeon Haneul’s class schedule, daily routine, relationships, and so on.
She conversed with Do Gyeonu while acting as much like Yeon Haneul as possible.
Should I call it fortunate….
He didn’t seem to notice.
*‘He doesn’t recognize me…’*
She felt relieved on one hand, yet somewhat sorrowful on the other.
Yet on another hand, confidence surged within her.
Because it felt as though Do Gyeonu had acknowledged her as Yeon Haneul.
Her mood fluctuated wildly because of it.
Then, at that moment.
“Let’s go.”
“…Ah, okay!”
Do Gyeonu reached out his hand.
Her face lit up.
She quickly took his hand.
Emboldened, she hooked her arm through his.
“It feels so nice like this….”
“Really?”
“Yeah!”
They chatted about trivial things.
It felt like returning to the old days.
No, even better than the old days….
Walking while leaning against Do Gyeonu’s body, she couldn’t help but be happy.
It was fun. It was blissful.
So, wanting to make up for the time spent apart from him, she desired more.
“Gyeonu.”
“Yeah?”
“Kiss me.”
“….”
“I want to kiss you.”
She trembled with nervousness.
She waited for Do Gyeonu’s answer, trying her best not to show it.
Soon, he opened his mouth.
“…Do you need my permission? You can do it anytime you want. I’m yours now, aren’t I?”
“Ah… t-that’s right… But still… I wanted you to do it….”
“Okay. Actually, I wanted to as well. Close your eyes.”
“…Okay.”
A smile curved at the corner of Do Gyeonu’s mouth.
Smiling along with him, she quietly swallowed dryly.
Then she closed her eyes.
In the darkness, she felt his touch on her cheek.
The touch slowly moved downward, lifting her long hair and caressing the nape of her neck.
She struggled to suppress her trembling.
Soon now, soon….
It was in that moment as she held her breath.
“As I thought.”
Do Gyeonu’s voice suddenly rang out.
The resonance, as if containing a multitude of emotions, made it impossible for her to keep her eyes closed.
And she despaired.
Do Gyeonu.
“You are not Haneul.”
was making a bitter expression.
* * *
If the being impersonating Yeon Haneul truly was her doppelganger.
She might come to meet me.
*—If it were me… I would definitely do that. Because I would miss you.*
Yeon Haneul had judged as much.
Her judgment wasn’t wrong.
The girl had appeared, taking the opportunity while I was alone.
“As expected.”
I didn’t know about others.
But the moment our faces met, I could tell she wasn’t Yeon Haneul.
The three years since then had been enough for me to distinguish between Yeon Haneul and her.
Moreover.
“You are not Haneul.”
On her neck.
there was neither a bandage hiding the mark I’d left on Yeon Haneul, nor the necklace I’d gifted to commemorate my confession.
Above all.
“Your name….”
Unlike three years ago.
the status window defined her and Yeon Haneul as separate existences.
It meant changes had occurred to her soul and identity, among other things.
I called out her name.
“It’s Bada. Yeon Bada.”
Her face distorted all at once.
Her white and blue hair turned black, her skin took on a dark hue.
I Became the Mid-Boss's Childhood Friend