Aera squinted, her curiosity piqued.
“Suspicious? How so?”
“Yesterday, Ji Ho was blatantly taking care of only you. I wasn’t wrong all this time. Right? I was right?”
In fact, Aera’s intuition had been pretty much on point.
But she couldn’t admit it right then and there.
She would tell her someday, but not today.
Lee Soo was still in a flustered state herself.
Lee Soo laughed ambiguously, neither denying nor confirming.
“After you left yesterday, Ju Hee was saying, Ju Hee wanted to go out for some fresh air with Ji Ho. But he didn’t go out with her, he took you instead. She was really upset. She drank a lot last night, got drunk, and created a scene.”
“Oh. I see. I didn’t know that……”
Lee Soo remembered what she had said to Ju Hee last night.
“Why? Did you want to go out too?”
She had been rather harsh, because Ju Hee often behaved immaturely. But considering the circumstances, it made sense that Ju Hee was upset.
“Ju Hee has been blatantly flirting with Ji Ho since the start of the semester. You noticed it too, right?”
“A bit, I guess.”
“Ju Hee thinks she’s a goddess. But she must’ve been hurt seeing Ji Ho taking care of you instead of her… Tsk tsk.”
Aera clicked her tongue.
“You have to measure your bed before stretching your legs. How could Ju Hee even think of doing something with a guy like Seo Ji Ho? Her confidence is really something.”
Lee Soo swallowed hard, her chest feeling hot as she listened to Aera’s words.
She felt like she would spill everything if the conversation continued.
“Aera, let’s go down now.”
“Hey, come down and eat ramen.”
Just then, they heard someone calling them from downstairs to come and eat breakfast.
Aera and Lee Soo finished tidying up the bedding and went down to the first floor.
((()))((()))
After finishing breakfast, Lee Soo went back upstairs to prepare for the last event of the MT, a hike.
Suddenly, Aera, who was following her up, groaned in pain.
“Lee Soo.”
Aera bent over, clutching her lower abdomen.
Just looking at her pained expression, you could tell the intensity of her discomfort.
“Is your stomach hurting?”
“Yes. My stomach suddenly hurts a lot. I think I have food poisoning.”
“Ah! What should we do? I brought some medicine, wait a moment.”
In a rush, Lee Soo opened her bag and pulled out a pouch of various emergency medicines she had brought headache pills, indigestion tablets, painkillers, and even ointment.
“As expected of Jeong Lee Soo. Your preparedness is commendable. But, let me first go to the bathroom……”
With a pained smile, Aera, who couldn’t even finish her sentence, hurriedly ran off to the restroom.
Lee Soo took out some medicine for Aera, and also took out a headache pill for herself.
‘Why didn’t I think of a hangover remedy? That’s what I need the most……’
She regretfully swallowed a headache pill.
“Are you okay?”
She asked worriedly, standing in front of the restroom door.
“Lee Soo, you go on ahead. I think I won’t be able to hike today. If I suddenly need to use the restroom while climbing, it would be a disaster.”
“Okay. I understand. I’ll leave the medicine on the dining table, so take it as soon as you come out.”
She was already not looking forward to the hike, and without Aera, it would be even less enjoyable.
She felt guilty about pretending to be sick.
Lee Soo reluctantly put on her shoes with a gloomy face and slowly headed out the front door.
“What are you doing?”
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Ji Ho, who was leaning against a pillar at the entrance of the yard.
“Oh, Aera said her stomach hurts, so I was getting some medicine for her.”
“Are you okay? You look tired.”
“It’s a bit tough, but I have to go. I can’t just bail out on my own when we all decided to go together.”
“Are you going out of duty even though it’s hard?”
“Yeah. I’ll just take it easy.”
Lee Soo deliberately sat apart from Ji ho even during breakfast.
Every time she thought about what happened yesterday, her face would flush.
Especially in front of Ji ho, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to manage her expression, so she wanted to avoid him if she could.
“Lee Soo, are you feeling feverish? Your complexion is…”
Ji ho was worriedly looking at Lee Soo’s complexion.
“Huh? No, I’m fine. I couldn’t sleep last night.”
Just as she expected, her body reacted instantly at the sight of Ji ho.
Lee Soo pressed her hot cheeks with her cold hands.
As the day changed and her mind cleared, a wave of unbearable embarrassment rushed over her.
The reason she was able to be calm in front of Ji ho yesterday was all due to the alcohol.
Lee Soo had difficulty looking directly into Ji ho’s face.
“Tell me if you’re having a hard time.”
“…….”
She only had a bottle of water in her hand, there was nothing she could help with, and there was no particular way to help even if she was struggling.
“I’ll carry you.”
When Lee Soo chuckled in disbelief, Ji ho also gave a small laugh.
“Why? You think I can’t?”
Hearing Ji ho’s words, Lee Soo became worried about something else.
‘It’ll be trouble if Ji ho acts noticeably in front of others.’
“Um, Ji ho.”
She felt like she had to request something in advance while she had the chance.
Because there might not be a time when they could be alone like this in the future.
“I’m really uncomfortable getting attention from people. I prefer to live as if I’m there but not there. So, I’m asking just in case… I hope no one finds out about us.”
“Us? What?”
Ji ho quietly laughed while looking at Lee Soo’s neck turning red.
“Phew.”
Lee Soo, who bit her lower lip slightly, sighed.
Lee Soo glanced at Ji ho, who was feigning ignorance to tease her.
“Don’t behave in a way that would make others misunderstand. Like holding hands. They must have thought it was weird yesterday.”
There was no guarantee that Ji ho, who didn’t care about others’ eyes, wouldn’t do so during the remaining MT schedule.
“Um… okay.”
Ji ho nodded as if he had made a concession.
“So you’re saying I should only hold hands when we’re alone?”
Ji ho asked with a smile on his face.
“No. When did I say?”
“I have to let you do one of the two. Which one is it?”
“…….”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll do as I please?”
Before Lee Soo could say anything, Ji ho intertwined his long fingers between hers.
“Like this!”
When Lee Soo was startled and looked up, Ji ho’s large hand was gripping Lee Soo’s hand firmly.
It was just holding hands, but Lee Soo felt a thrilling jolt through her entire body, her heart fluttered.
It felt like all her nerves were standing on end at the palm of her hand touching Ji ho’s.
lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
