Love In Convenience

7.CIRCUS

Hanni was still reeling from the words that had escaped Haerin's lips. The shock was evident on her face as she stood there, frozen in place, her mind working overtime trying to make sense of what she had just heard. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape, and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. It took a few seconds for her to regain composure.

"Umm... I-I don't mind, Haerin... but aren't you underage?" Hanni stuttered, unable to look directly at Haerin. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, twisting and turning as she tried to avoid Haerin's gaze. A part of her was relieved, almost embarrassed, that Haerin had asked her to sleep with her, yet another part of her felt oddly excited about the idea. It was a mix of nervousness and anticipation that she couldn't quite control.

Haerin, however, seemed completely unfazed by the awkwardness in the air. She rolled her eyes and huffed.

"I thought of asking you to clean your room first, but I think you definitely need to clean that dirty brain of yours first," Haerin said, making a disgusted face as she glanced at Hanni.

"W-what?" Hanni managed to reply, her face flushed with a mix of confusion and embarrassment. Haerin let out a small laugh.

"I was asking if I can sleep in your room instead of Eunchae's. You have a double bed, right?" Haerin said, still chuckling as she watched the confusion play out on Hanni's face.

It was at that moment that Haerin's words finally processed, and Hanni felt a wave of relief rush over her. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red as she realized that Haerin had just made a simple request to sleep in her room, not anything more than that. The situation felt less awkward now, but the sudden rush of embarrassment left Hanni feeling like she couldn't stand still. A small smile crept onto her face as she thought about Haerin staying with her for the night. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Meanwhile, Hyein was pacing nervously in her room, her phone in hand as she stared at the screen. It was almost midnight, and her mother was snoring loudly from the other room, oblivious to her daughter's late-night escapades. Hyein wasn't exactly tired; in fact, she had a strange urge to go visit Haerin. She had heard about Haerin's shift and knew she would be finished by now, so she decided to make her way over to her cousin's place.

Hyein messaged Haerin, telling her she was on her way, knowing full well that she didn't need directions. After all, she had done her research. The tall girl grabbed her jacket and slipped out of her house quietly, not wanting to wake her mother.

As she walked toward Haerin's house, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the mischievous situations her cousin seemed to find herself in. Hyein wondered what Haerin would be up to at this hour.

Back at Haerin's house, things were less calm. Hanni had just yelled, "WE'RE HOME!" but there was no immediate response. She was hungry and frustrated, so she tossed her shoes and bag aside and sprinted toward the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. Haerin, however, was more methodical—she removed her shoes and placed Hanni's shoes on the shoe rack before following her into the kitchen.

"There's no food in here," Hanni said with a frown, as she rummaged through the fridge.

"Oh, I forgot Eunchae told me earlier that she and Ajumma would be coming home late. They're going to meet someone at the hospital," Haerin said, realizing there was no food in the house. She shrugged. "We should've just eaten out. Neither of us knows how to cook anyway."