Chapter 12
Let's turn back time a little—one hour earlier.
“Gotcha! I got you!”
Juhyeok was playing against Hyunwoo at a PC bang when he took Hyunwoo down in the game and shouted in delight.
“Ah... You got me.”
Hyunwoo, on the other hand, seemed not to care much and let it go with a sullen look.
“Great, that makes it five to one! I only need to catch you four more times to tie!”
“You actually think you can turn this around...?”
There was a reason he hadn't been too concerned.
Just as Hyunwoo had said, that one catch had been a fluke, and instead of scoring any more points, Juhyeok was killed by Hyunwoo three more times before the game ended.
“Kgh...! I thought I could win today...!”
“How many ranks apart are we? How do you expect to beat me...?”
Today's wager ended with Juhyeok losing as well, so Hyunwoo sighed and took off his headset.
“But you weren't focused. Are you okay?”
Juhyeok watched him for a moment before cautiously asking Hyunwoo.
“Huh? What do you mean, I wasn't focused?”
“I mean, your aim was especially shaky today... You even got caught by me. It was obvious you weren't concentrating on the game.”
As Juhyeok said, the usual Hyunwoo would have trampled someone like Juhyeok without mercy, but there had been several unusually close moments today.
Of course, Hyunwoo had still won in the end.
“Ah... It's just that I'm a little worried about Seolhwa.”
“Worried?”
Before coming here, Hyunwoo couldn't stop thinking about Seolhwa, who had said she was going out for a walk.
“If it's about the pervert, she should be fine. She's an adult, so she can at least take care of herself...”
“No... That's not the part I'm worried about.”
Of course, the pervert was somewhat concerning too, but that wasn't what Hyunwoo was worried about.
“Seolhwa went to the mall with Haru once before, you know?”
“Oh, I heard about that. I even saw the picture you took.”
Juhyeok laughed, saying Seolhwa's expression in the picture had been absolutely priceless.
“I heard Seolhwa got exhausted after being exposed to the hot weather that time.”
“I heard that too... But that's because she's a Snow Woman, right?”
“She said it was something like heatstroke. I'm a little worried it might happen again today.”
Last time, Haru had been beside Seolhwa, so there hadn't been much trouble, but today, Seolhwa was out walking alone.
Considering Seolhwa's absentminded personality, something was bound to happen, and Hyunwoo couldn't stop worrying.
“I even brought a fan because of that, so surely nothing will go wrong...”
Even so, Juhyeok naively thought that surely nothing could happen.
Hyunwoo shook his head and disagreed.
“...Then do you trust Seolhwa?”
“...No, I don't. If it's her, she'd be more than capable of getting into an accident halfway there.”
Knowing how absentminded and careless Seolhwa had been even before her transformation, neither of them could imagine her making it through this without a problem.
On top of that, Seolhwa was currently in the form of a small girl.
If she met that pervert while exhausted, it was painfully obvious what would happen.
Once he thought that far, even Juhyeok, who hadn't given it much thought before, began to worry a little.
“Then what should we do? Should we go after her?”
“Hmm...”
Hyunwoo thought deeply for a moment before speaking.
“You keep playing. I'll look for Seolhwa.”
“Alone? Are you sure?”
“With those short legs, how far could she have gone? I'll catch up in no time if I run.”
Saying that, Hyunwoo turned off the computer, said goodbye to Juhyeok, and left the PC bang.
“Sigh... Do I really have to play alone now...?”
Left alone, Juhyeok was just about to start a solo-ranked game when-
“Oh? Juhyeok, there you are?”
Just then, he happened to lock eyes with Haru, who had come to the PC bang,
What happened afterward was a game wager between Haru and Juhyeok, but that's a story for another time...
======
“All right, then….”
When I turned on the phone after charging it, the screen showed that it was charged to 98%.
Wow.... It charged this much while I was away.... Ms. Chaeyeon, you're amazing....
As expected, electricity is the best power to have in modern society.
She's basically a walking power bank.
Compared to that, I have ice powers and no idea what to use them for....
If this had been the Joseon era, I might have been able to make a name for myself as an ice vendor, but in modern society, it wasn't particularly useful.
Well, of course, I'm a weak Snow Woman who can't even make ice and can barely use my breath....
“Anyway.... Now I need to call someone and ask them to help me….”
With the stamina I had left, I couldn't make it home on my own and needed someone's help.
I opened my contacts and checked who could help me in my current situation.
If I called Haru, I had no idea what kind of prank Haru might pull after seeing me in this state, unable even to move....
Juhyeok wouldn't come because it was too far....
Senior Narae.... If I called her, I had no idea what kind of lecture Narae might give me....
“Looks like Hyunwoo is my only option….”
After much deliberation, I called Hyunwoo.
======
The moment Hyunwoo picked up, I explained what had happened, and he said he'd come straight over before hanging up.
He said he'd come right away.... But even so, it would probably take him a little while.
Hyunwoo had definitely gone in the opposite direction from me, saying he was going to the PC bang with Juhyeok.
So it would probably take him over an hour to get here. I might as well play a game in the meantime....
“Seolhwa! Haaah.... I finally found you....”
“Huh?”
But contrary to what I had thought, Hyunwoo arrived where I was in just fifteen minutes.
“You got here earlier than I expected...? Were you nearby?”
“Ah, ah.... Well, I happened to have something to do around here. It worked out, right?”
Oh-ho.... Who would have thought Hyunwoo happened to have business nearby? How lucky.
“So what exactly happened? I only heard that you couldn't move....”
“Just what it sounds like. I failed to manage my stamina, hehe....”
It was such a foolish mistake that even I felt embarrassed, so I said it with an awkward, wry smile.
“Honestly.... I told you to be careful.”
“Sorry....”
“What's done is done. Now get up. We need to go home.”
Hyunwoo sighed and held out his hand, apparently telling me to grab it and stand up, but-
“Um.... Sorry.... I can't move even one step now.”
“Huh?”
“I've been outside too long.... I can't put any strength into my body at all....”
Last time, I had at least had enough strength left to move a little.
This time, I truly didn't have enough strength left to move even one finger.
I was literally at one percent battery.
I had entered the ultimate power-saving mode, where I could barely do anything except speak.
“Ahaha.... Sorry....”
“Hmm....”
After hearing me, Hyunwoo seemed to be deep in thought as well.
He probably didn't know what to do, since he had to move someone with no stamina who was practically a talking corpse....
I felt a little sorry.
“All right. It's a little embarrassing, but let's do this.”
Hyunwoo said that as he turned his back to me and crouched down.
“Get on my back.”
“Huh?”
“I said get on. You can't move, so we don't have a choice. I'll carry you to a place where we can catch a taxi.”
“Ah, no.... I know we don't have a choice, but....”
It would certainly be more efficient in this situation to let Hyunwoo carry me on his back, but....
“Don't worry. I exercise, so I've got pretty good stamina.”
“No, that's not what I mean....”
To be honest, I was embarrassed.
Being carried piggyback through the streets by an old friend at my age....
I was sure I'd melt from the heat of my embarrassment before I even made it home.
“Isn't there any other way?”
“Another way....”
I was sorry to Hyunwoo, but the piggyback plan, which made me feel hot just imagining it, was impossible.
There had to be a more sensible plan....
“Well, the second option would be to carry you in a princess carry....”
“I'm sorry. Piggyback it is.”
In the end, I had no choice but to be carried around on Hyunwoo's back.
“Heave-ho.”
I gently settled onto Hyunwoo's back.
I wrapped my arms around Hyunwoo's neck, and when he tucked my legs comfortably to either side, his hands lifted my thighs.
A perfect piggyback position.
At my age, a piggyback ride.... I was so embarrassed I wanted to melt away....
“All right, I'm moving. Hold on tight.”
“Yeah....”
Whether he knew how I felt or not,
Hyunwoo set off with me on his back, and I buried my face in his back out of embarrassment.
“...What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”
“...No, it's nothing.”
When I suddenly buried my face against it, my friend's back felt incredibly broad.
Was his back always this broad, or did it feel that way because I had become smaller?
I wasn't sure, but for some reason, my friend's back felt especially broad today.
“...By the way, sorry. I dragged you out here for something like this.”
“It's fine. You don't need to apologize between friends.”
Hyunwoo said it was nothing when I apologized.
This guy could be unnecessarily cool sometimes-
“If you feel bad, you can let me touch your cheek later- Ow! Hey! What are you doing!”
Hyunwoo said something unnecessary, so I jabbed him in the side.
Why did every guy, this one and the other one, keep targeting my cheeks....
“Haaah….”
Maybe Hyunwoo's joke had made me relax, because drowsiness came rushing over me.
But falling asleep in a situation like this... would be... rude....
“...Hey, Seolhwa? I feel like something's running down my back....”
“...Yaaawn....”
“Seolhwa? Ms. Seolhwa? You're not drooling in your sleep, are you?”
“Mmm....”
“Hey! Wake up! These are expensive clothes! Hey! Snow Seolhwa!!”
In the end, I fell sound asleep right there.
Hyunwoo's clothes ended up covered in drool.