Chapter 46 (2/2)
”I—I'll carry her.”
”You think you can?”
”That's how you think of me? I'm a man too!”
Carrying the girl on his back, he confidently headed to his house. But he soon regretted his decision when he felt the girl's curves on his back and heard the sound of her thin breathing in his ear. SoYoon spoke, seeing his neck and ears turning scarlet.
”If it's too much trouble, I'll take over.”
”Ah, please! I said, no!”
Such pride for such a little squirt, SoYoon thought as she looked up at March. It didn't matter how tall March had grown, to her, he was still a child. When their eyes met, March frowned.
”I don't like the way you are looking at me.”
”Just walk. Dor is waiting.”
Dor, who had been at home alone, welcomed SoYoon with an ecstatic hug. March placed the girl on the sofa. Watching her lying there made him feel strange.
”Who is that?” Dor asked in a clear voice.
”Someone who has nowhere to go. Can you stay with her awhile?” SoYoon said sweetly.
”Like Alice?” Dor asked.
Both their voices were loud, but March didn't hear a word. He poked cautiously at the girl's catlike eyes. His insides started to squirm.
”Is she awake?” SoYoon asked.
”Brother!”
”Huh? What? Why?”
March screamed in surprise. Dor, who had been clinging to the back of the sofa, frowned.
”You scared me. Why are you getting so surprised?”
”Huh? What? Why? What happened?”
”Rabbit called you, and you didn't answer.”
”Yeah, that's why I asked what it's for. Why did you call me?”
March turned his reddening face away. Luckily, SoYoon didn't think much about his actions.
”If you don't want Alice to misunderstand, I can explain the situation to her.”
The moment Alice's name was mentioned, Dor's nose crinkled. SoYoon tapped lightly on Dor's nose. Dor playfully tried to bite her finger in response. SoYoon wagged her finger to and fro to avoid getting bit. As Dor jumped up and down, her pigtails bounced like the wings of a butterfly.
”What misunderstanding?”
”You like Alice.”
The statement came in a tone like a person stating the sun rose from the east. As a consequence, March got as far as ”Yes, I do like…” and then shook his head.
”What?”
”Brother, do you like Alice? Yesterday, you told me…”
”Of course not! Why do you keep saying such nonsense?”
”There's nothing to be embarrassed about.”
”Who's embarrassed!”
March glanced at the sofa, where the girl was still deeply asleep. He sighed in relief.
”March?”
”Huh? No...I don't know why you keep trying to tie me with Alice, but I think she's a bit…”
March was in an awkward position, and he chewed his lip. Suddenly, Dor rubbed her face into SoYoon's chest and complained.
”I hate Alice.”
”Hey, Dor!”
”But Alice hated me first.”
March tried to stop Dor knowing that SoYoon cared for Alice a lot, but Dor's mental state was of a seven-year-old. Children are truthful about their feelings. SoYoon tapped the child's pouting lips.
”That's okay, Dor. You can tell me truthfully.”
Still, Dor didn't open her mouth. March scratched his head upon seeing Dor so upset.
”Uh...Uh, hey. Dor.”
”I hate you. Just because you're in front of Rabbit, you lie.”
”That's...ugh, really. So what she means is...”
March remembered the first night that Alice stayed here. She had looked at him in a familiar way. She looked at him as if he was inferior.
He looked at SoYoon. She was the person who brought him here.
”She's from Outhouse. So she's...not? She's hard to become friends with.”
March scratched his head and avoided Dor's gaze. When SoYoon went back home, he had a hard time trying to soothe Dor.