episode_0021

21

Having long hair comes with a few inconveniences.

One.

If you don’t tie it up loosely before bed, it sometimes tickles your cheeks or even wraps around your neck.

Two.

When eating, if you just tilt your head forward, strands keep trying to slip into your mouth.

Three.

When drying wet hair under a hairdryer, you have to stand there for ages under the hot air.

“…….”

11 a.m.

Yozora stood blankly under the roaring hairdryer for a long time.

The reason was simple—the memories from the previous night were replaying calmly, one by one, in her mind.

Buying a few bottles of soju late at night and repeatedly pressing the buzzer at Seo Woo-jin’s apartment.

Throwing herself into his sweaty arms (he seemed to have just returned from working out) and trying to seduce him with her body.

Going to a bar together.

And then.

…And then.

“…….”

…Well, drinking like there was no tomorrow.

As usual, getting so drunk that she passed out with her forehead on the table.

Being carried piggyback by Seo Woo-jin, half-asleep, while mumbling directions to her place.

Seo Woo-jin, who oddly understood her slurred instructions perfectly, leaving without laying a single finger on her.

All of it.

Honestly, taken one by one, none of it was a big deal.

She drank, passed out, and Seo Woo-jin—who was relatively sober—carried her home. The end.

Besides, as the saying goes, third time’s the charm. This was only the first attempt, wasn’t it?

Yesterday’s events had brought them a little closer. All she had to do now was gradually coax him into joining the company.

A transcendent healer was an incredibly rare asset—once she secured him, her future operations would go much smoother, and she’d get to enjoy plenty of fun times too.

Despite the lack of immediate results, Yozora chose to stay optimistic.

“…….”

However, unrelated to all that.

There was one problem.

“…….”

Pausing mid-dry, Yozora set down the scorching hairdryer and shuffled over to her desk.

She rummaged around for a pen or an eraser—anything to measure with—but shockingly, the only thing on her desk was a cheap ballpoint pen.

Well, ever since dropping out of high school to remain an eternal high school girl and moving to Korea, she’d had little use for stationery.

So, of course, there’d be no ruler lying around.

Giving up on precise measurements, she sat on the bed and crossed one leg over the opposite thigh.

Thanks to her naturally flexible body, it didn’t take long for her foot to reach her face.

She spread her fingers over her foot, then gradually reduced the distance between them.

Despite appearances, she’d always aced health and P.E.

She was well-versed not just in female reproductive anatomy, but male anatomy too.

Normally soft and flaccid.

But when aroused, engorged and stiff.

Corpus cavernosum? Anyway, once blood filled it and hardened, it could slide in and out of a woman’s body, right?

Meaning what had brushed against her foot yesterday must’ve been the flaccid, unaroused version.

“…….”

…So, was this about the size?

Pressing her fingers between the soft arch and heel of her foot, Yozora tilted her head.

No, that didn’t seem right.

This felt way too long.

Even at a rough estimate, it’d be around 12–13 cm.

And she’d heard it could more than double when erect…

Ah, right.

One thing she’d forgotten in her daze.

Yesterday, when she’d teased him, it wasn’t just the shaft—the testicles had touched her foot too.

So if she adjusted a little… this should be about right.

“…….”

If this was the flaccid size…

Then… then…

This position…

That position…

…Taking it all the way in…

Squelch, squelch…

Lost in her fantasies, Yozora wriggled slightly on the bed.

She grabbed her charging phone and tapped the screen.

Beep… beep… The dial tone echoed softly in the quiet room.

After a moment—

“What. At this hour?”

A voice, dripping with annoyance, cut through the line.

She was used to it. If she called at night, he wouldn’t even pick up.

This was already an improvement—at least he answered during the day when she wasn’t drunk.

“Uh, well… what was it again…?”

“Get to the point. Make it quick.”

“The red string of fate…? Oh, right. The red string. Isn’t that…?”

“Sigh…”

“I told you, I don’t just go for looks…”

“Busy. Hanging up.”

A short sigh, then the call ended unilaterally.

Jerk. He probably thought she was drunk and rambling again.

Weird. She was completely sober now, just hungover.

Whatever. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t see each other again. Next time, she’d corner him and make him listen.

Right now, he was probably playing the model student—no alcohol, no cigarettes, no men—just training diligently.

But the whiter and more upright the model student, the blacker the hidden depths beneath.

Thanks to the disciplinary committee president in high school—who’d been caught in an empty classroom wearing a blindfold and a dog collar, getting railed by her boyfriend (the P.E. teacher)—Yozora had learned that early.

“Ugh…”

Come to think of it, she was already plenty blackened herself.

Being a spy and all.

Why was she even studying so hard when she was just a spy planted undercover as a student on the neighboring country’s Most Wanted list…?

Ugh. Stretching her back, Yozora tossed her phone onto the bed.

Running her fingers through her hair, she found it mostly dry.

A quick brush would do.

Ah, fourth inconvenience of long hair:

If you don’t brush it, it turns into a rat’s nest.

Especially if, like Yozora, you leave it half-dried and mess around.

After a few futile attempts to comb through the tangled mess, she gave up.

Oh well. Resigned, she tugged a small cap low over her head, threw on some clothes, and left her apartment.

After all, for a hangover…

Nothing beats hair of the dog and a bowl of bean sprout soup.

Three hours before Yozora woke up from her drunken stupor—

Lee Ji-yoon, who had been gaming since early morning, stared at her sister’s back, her headset hanging around her neck.

…Something’s off with her.

“Hehe.”

“…….”

See?

Isn’t it weird?

Humans, unless extremely lonely, aren’t the type to talk to themselves.

They don’t bark like dogs, purr like cats, or chirp like chicks.

But right now, Lee Ha-yoon, cooking breakfast in the kitchen—

“Ehehe…”

“…….”

—kept giggling creepily to herself.

Twisting her body, then untwisting.

Lightly knocking on the kitchen wall.

Pausing mid-taste to cough, then—

Still giggling.

“What are you doing?”

“…Huh? Oh. Ji-yoon, you’re up?”

“Didn’t sleep. It’s Friday—my day off.”

“Ahh. Already Friday…”

Suspicious.

No way she’d forget the day.

Of all people, Ha-yoon lived for the weekend. How could she not know it was Friday?

…Something had happened.

Something big enough to make Ha-yoon forget the day and float around grinning like an idiot.

The immediate suspect was obvious—

“…Seo Woo-jin?”

“…….”

The ponytail swaying over the braised tofu froze.

Extremely, extremely, extremely suspicious.

“Did something happen with him yesterday?”

“…N-no?”

“Did you two make plans to meet behind my back?”

“…We didn’t.”

They did.

The way her voice wavered gave it away—99% certainty.

Not that Ji-yoon had any right to meddle in her sister’s love life, but personally, she thought jumping into a relationship after just a few days was a bit much.

Sure, Seo Woo-jin wasn’t actor-level handsome, but he was decent-looking and undeniably skilled.

Still, shouldn’t they take time to get to know each other first?

What if hidden flaws started popping up?

Like annoying little habits or something.

Meanwhile, Ha-yoon, freed from crushing medical bills and faced with a reasonably attractive guy, seemed to have fallen head over heels…

Hmm. What to do?

With two weeks left before the academy started, she wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on things.

After a brief internal debate, Ji-yoon crossed her arms and tilted her head.

The headset around her neck pressed into her cheek.

“Don’t be too nice to guys. That’s why so many boys in middle and high school misunderstood and confessed to you.”

“I-I’m not!”

“Same goes the other way. Girls might misunderstand if a guy’s too nice.”

“…….”

“I’m talking about you. Lee Ha-yoon.”

“…….”

Only the bubbling stew filled the silence.

Ha-yoon’s sudden quiet suggested she’d gotten the message.

If this put even a little distance between her and Seo Woo-jin, great.

As Ji-yoon savored the salty aroma of the stew and braised tofu—

Ding. A Discord notification chimed softly from her headset.

Followed by in-game ready checks and apologies for being late.

Looks like the raid group she’d scheduled for this morning was assembled.

Honestly, she’d rather shoot herself in the head, but she’d been peer-pressured into it by online friends.

What if they eventually wanted to meet in person…?

Well, the group was mixed gender, so nothing too sketchy, but…

Some she’d known for nearly three years—it’d be harsh to outright refuse…

…No idea.

“I’ll finish this and eat later. Unnie.”

“Okay…”

“Have a good day. I’ll handle dinner.”

“You’re just gonna have instant noodles for lunch again, aren’t you?”

“Dried noodles are healthy. Better than burgers. And cheaper.”

“Sigh…”

Ha-yoon turned off the stove, washed her hands, and let out a small sigh.

Ji-yoon, watching her, slipped her headset on and retreated to her room.

Which was why—

“…….”

—she missed the sight of Ha-yoon, ears burning red, lightly slapping her cheeks before leaving the house.

She didn’t see Ha-yoon stop by a convenience store to buy something embarrassing—

No. After some hesitation, two of them.

Of course.

She had no idea.