Childhood Friend Edification Theory - CHAPTER 1.6 - Slight R19

01.Childhood friends – Part 6

When he pulled the cup away before it could overflow, she opened her eyes slightly, clearly demanding more. Jaeha, familiar with this routine, handed her the water. His skill of not spilling a single drop, even while holding the cup, was impressively refined. After giving Haea enough water to satisfy her, Jaeha moistened a dry towel and lifted her leg.

“Ugh!“

“It doesn’t need disinfecting, but bear with it anyway.”

The lukewarm towel gently touched her privates. It stung every time it brushed over her swollen cl*toris, but she had to put up with it, as he said.

She couldn’t tell him to mind his own business because it was her own body. But then again, if Jaeha had been injured, Haea would have been even more attentive and wouldn’t have stayed still.

The towel that had been used to clean her inside moved up from her inner thighs to her gr*in. Haea, who had been lying still, jumped and grabbed his wrist.

“I-it’s embarrassing. Just leave it.”

“…..”

Jaeha stared at her intently, waiting for the guilty party to spill their secrets.

“It’s weird.”

“What is?”

“I… I don’t have it… and you’re looking at me there…”

“You agreed. Now that it’s done, are you going to cancel it? Should I stop looking?”

“No…”

“So the problem is that you don’t have any p*bic hair? Even though alopecia isn’t common, it’s not extremely rare either… Uhmmp!“

“Stop talking!”

Her sharp cry made Jaeha’s eyes narrow. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it down.

“Is there anyone else besides you and me who has seen it?”

“What?”

“Anyone else?”

“No!”

Only after he had studied her extremely displeased face did his suspicion dissipate. He laid her down again and pulled the blanket over her.

“Then it’s not something someone else said… What’s the problem?”

“It’s just gross. It’s different from others…”

Haea wrapped herself in the blanket and tried to hide under it. She seemed to think she would be safe if she turned into a cocoon, not knowing what kind of beast was in front of her.

“Should I shave mine too?”

“What?”

“Then someone would be like you. Do you need someone else besides me? Would you be satisfied if I pulled out a few people’s p*bic hairs?”

“…..”

“Don’t think I can’t.”

The world was easy for Jaeha. Even if Haea asked him to pluck someone’s p*bic hair right now, he could do it without forcing anyone or breaking any laws.

“No… I think you can…”

“If you don’t want to see that, never have such thoughts again. Where did such an evil idea come from? Is that little head of yours the source of information?”

Jaeha raised his forefinger and lightly tapped Haea’s forehead. It wasn’t a push or a whack. It was a feather-light touch that grazed her. The surprisingly gentle action of his rough, calloused finger caused Haea’s eyes to relax.

“You’re really strange…”

“I know. That’s why I keep telling you. You have been deceived.”

Yun Haea had been deceived by Ha Jaeha.

From the beginning, there was no younger brother for the girl who believed that Jaeha would become her younger brother when she recovered. It wasn’t just because he was older than her.

Yun Haea had been deceived by Ha Jaeha. That was all.

***

That day was an important match for Ha Jaeha. In his third year of middle school, Ha Jaeha’s final middle school game attracted the interest of high school coaches scouting him, as well as the national basketball coach. His position was point guard. His role was to distribute the ball around the court and create the best shooting opportunities.

The middle school Jaeha and Haea attended was a prestigious private school, but it wasn’t particularly famous for its basketball team. The team had reached the finals because Jaeha had joined the team and taken on the role of point guard. His role was far from easy. He scored more points than anyone else on the team.

Despite the attention and strong defense of the opposing team, he always found a way to get the ball through. Once the ball left his hands, it almost never missed unless someone deliberately interfered. He was a point guard of national level, unrivaled even by high school players.

But it was Haea who shattered that promising future.

When Haea opened her eyes after losing consciousness, the harsh light of the ambulance glared down at her. As soon as she closed her eyes against the bright light, Jaeha whispered.

?Yes, mother. Haea’s valve has burst. She needs surgery immediately.?

His tone was rough and urgent.

?Ten minutes. We’ll be there in ten minutes.?

The middle-schooler, wearing a jersey hastily thrown over his uniform, grabbed the stethoscope he wore on his ear, lowered it and gripped Haea’s hand tightly. After listening for only a few heartbeats, he made a confident diagnosis. Even with the best stethoscope it was difficult to determine such things without extensive experience, but he did.

It wasn’t just that Jaeha had listened to Haea’s heartbeat more than anyone else. It was his precision in immediately interpreting small, complex sounds. He was certainly no ordinary person.

Even the members of the rescue team gave up their positions to a mere middle-schooler who bristled with such confidence. Haea thought this was possible because Jaeha always looked older than his age.

? No, we’ll use a mechanical valve. Haea’s body is too weak to withstand repeated operations. Haea’s parents also agreed. I don’t want to see this happening again. ?

A mechanical valve. It was already decided. Jaeha had suggested it, but Haea had the right to agree.

A tissue valve, which normally lasts between 10 to 15 years, had failed after only seven years. Given Jaeha’s meticulous care, it wasn’t due to negligence. It was an inevitable failure, a planned destruction.

Of course, unlike tissue valves, she would have to take medication for the rest of her life, and she might have to give up pregnancy. But at fifteen, this was her second operation. Although she had survived for seven years this time, the next one might not last as long. The tissue valve surgery, which required constant replacement, was a huge strain on Haea’s body.

But more than that…

‘Why now? Why this moment?’

It was heartbreaking that he was here now. The thought of her poorly maintained body causing him trouble again was unbearable.

‘You are the one who should be shining the brightest right now.’

“Yun Haea. What are you thinking about right now?”

After hanging up, Jaeha leaned close to her.

“What are you thinking about when you should be thinking about your body and your life?”

A low growl, almost like a threat.

‘But…’

Haea repeated to herself, as if making an excuse.

His last game in middle school was ruined. It was a crucial time in his life, when he had to make a decision between basketball and science high school. Haea knew this game would affect his decision.

If it hadn’t happened. If he had been able to play the game properly. He would have had more options. Even if those options were just a few schools with reputable basketball teams, Haea felt devastated. As Haea continued to worry, Jaeha’s face became distorted.

‘I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Jaeha.’

She swallowed the words that rose like a breath and pushed them down her melting throat.

?Thank you… Thank you, Jaeha…?

In her vision, which began to fade again, she saw his face soften for a moment, then twist in anger.

‘Ah. I should have said this earlier. Then I could have seen his face a little longer…’

She desperately regretted it, thinking she might never be able to open her eyes again. But she was glad she hadn’t said she was sorry. If those were her last words, she knew that Jaeha would be really angry.

* * *