episode_0169

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The reason the seed of doubt is terrifying isn’t complicated.

Even actions you’d normally consider perfectly ordinary—no, actions you wouldn’t even think twice about—suddenly take on a strange new frame once that seed is planted.

Take, for example, thinking, This guy is kind to everyone. He must just have a good personality—only to then notice that the girl by his side changes every single day.

It’s the kind of thing that makes you start looking at him with slightly less favorable eyes.

Anyway, Jiyoon was in a similar situation.

Even the way she whispered into my ear this morning—

Sure, I could brush it off as, Ah, she probably did that because she didn’t want passersby to hear—

But at the same time, the thought N-no way, no way, no way— kept creeping in.

Of course, it was most likely just the former reason.

A lesbian—especially one with feelings for her own sister—isn’t exactly common, after all.

But that initial seed of doubt kept fueling strange thoughts in my head.

Until finally.

I.

“…S-Seo Woojin. Are you there…?”

I visited the infirmary under the pretense of having hurt myself by failing to control my strength.

Obviously, it was because Woojin was practically Jiyoon’s only friend…

Meaning she might know some kind of secret.

…Of course, if even Woojin doesn’t know, then that’s a whole other problem.

But I’ll think about that later.

My head hurts.

“Didn’t we talk about this last time? It’s best if you just call me ‘Teacher.’”

“…I-I was nervous…”

“Calling me like that just makes it more suspicious, so next time, just knock and come in. Noona.”

“…Got it.”

Unlike most infirmaries, which reek of medicine, this one was filled with the faint scent of fruit from a diffuser.

Feigning pain while clutching one of my thumbs, I awkwardly scratched my cheek and sat in the chair across from Woojin.

If another patient were to walk in, I’d look like just another ordinary student.

But the tips of my feet lightly bumped against hers—just enough that no one else would notice.

“….”

“….”

…But something felt off.

Today, Woojin seemed to be in a bad mood.

The way she calmly closed her laptop without a trace of a smile on her face.

Her hair, which looked oddly more disheveled than usual.

A gloomy, drizzling rain kind of vibe rather than clear skies.

A melancholic air that suited glasses more than a bare face…?

It was all those little things.

“H-Hey.”

“Yes?”

If a friend of mine were acting like this, I’d just think, Ah, must be that time of the month, and move on.

But this wasn’t just anyone—it was Seo Woojin.

…My first-ever boyfriend.

So instead of brushing it off, I cautiously spoke up.

“Did something… bad happen?”

“…Not really. Nothing in particular… Ah, was my tone too stiff just now?”

“No, it’s more like… your expression seems a little…”

“My expression? I don’t think I was making any particular expression.”

“Hmm…”

“Really, I’m fine. It’s nothing. You don’t have to worry about me, Noona.”

No, it’s obvious something’s wrong, so why are you saying you’re fine?

You can be honest with me.

…Sigh.

Something’s definitely bothering you.

You weren’t expressionless—you had a slightly irritated look on your face.

Maybe one of the students you treated today was acting weird?

Since Woojin wasn’t telling me anything, I started making my own guesses.

Pulling my chair a little closer, I cleared my throat and looked at her.

“B-By any chance…!”

“Hm?”

“…Would it help if I called you like last time?”

“Last time…? Ah. When you called me ‘oppa.’”

It’s embarrassing.

So embarrassing that every time I say it, my face burns so much I worry it might explode…!

But if it’ll cheer Woojin up, I can swallow my pride and do it once or twice…

“It’s fine. That kind of thing is only exciting when it’s rare. If it happens too often, it’s just…”

“….”

“So, what brings you here?”

Ugh. That didn’t work.

I thought I’d try being a little cute, but I guess that’s not the way to go.

I should probably learn from friends who actually have boyfriends.

For a brief moment, I despaired at my pitifully shallow knowledge of romance after barely a month of dating.

In the end, instead of lifting Woojin’s mood, I smoothly steered the conversation toward my real purpose.

“…There’s something I’m curious about.”

“Curious? About me?”

“More about… Jiyoon.”

“Why are you asking me about your sister?”

“Well…”

Clenching the fists resting politely on my knees.

Shifting my gaze, which had been fixed on Woojin’s face, left and right.

“Y-You know Jiyoon, right?”

“Yes.”

“Has she ever… said anything weird to you?”

“Weird like what…?”

“Like… struggles with schoolwork… or how to make friends…”

“…Not particularly…”

“…Or maybe… something about her… sexual preferences?”

“….”

I strained my ears, making sure no one was about to walk in.

169

“Wait, you two were… s-sex… partners, right?”

“Yup! Oh, by the way, did you do it here too? The couch I was just lying on, the bed in that room over there…?”

“I don’t care about th—Ugh. Anyway, if that’s the case, then you could’ve just broken it off easily, right? You weren’t even dating.”

“Yup, yup. We could’ve broken up anytime.”

“Right. It’s not like you had some… deep, emotional bond. You were just having sex.”

“Exactly. Exactly.”

Yozora, whose wrist I was gripping, nodded with a bright smile—though there was also a strangely smug look on her face.

She looked no different from how she was two years ago, when we saw each other more often.

So I could already guess what was coming next.

“So stop throwing a tantrum over breaking up with her and just do the damn job you were paid for—”

“Too much work. I’m gonna sleep today… I stayed up all night and I’m tired…”

Nonsense that completely missed the point.

Nonsense that pissed me off.

No—nonsense she was deliberately spouting pretending to miss the point.

…So obvious.

Yozora, for someone so smart, loves playing dumb…

I’ve been watching her do it since back when her Korean was still clumsy.

I still don’t know why she does it,

but I know she does.

“…You’re making things hard for me too, you idiot.”

“No way you got dragged into this just ‘cause of me… That’s delusional. Clinical delusion.”

“You just want to eliminate even the tiniest possibility, don’t you? How do you not get that?”

“By that logic, you should just never leave the house. What if you get hit by a car? Or some random stranger stabs you?”

“That’s a ridiculous leap, you crazy—Ugh. This is so frustrating…”

“Ehh. Ran out of comebacks? Hit a nerve?”

“….”

“Getting angry is bad for your health~ Oh, right. Since you’re here, wanna have a drink? There’s plenty left.”

“Piss off. I don’t need it.”

“Ta-dah~”

I glared at her, hoping she’d shut up and listen, but the result was pathetic.

Far from being intimidated, Yozora—who was already grinning like an idiot—only looked even more amused.

She slipped her wrist out of my grip, grabbed the bottle on the table, and poured herself a glass of strong Chinese liquor.

Then she offered me the glass, now filled to the brim.

And as if she’d had another brilliant idea, she flopped back onto the couch—still naked.

…Seriously,

my chest feels so tight,

I could die.

How do kindergarten teachers even do it?

If one Yozora is this exhausting,

I can’t imagine a whole class.

“Get up.”

“Zzz…”

“I’m not in the mood for games. Get up. Now.”

“Ughhh… Too much work…”

“At least wash up and get ready to head back by lunch. The alcohol smell isn’t too noticeable, but just in case, make sure to brush your teeth.”

“…Pfft. You’re like a mom. Seoyeon Mama…”

“Ugh, gross—get off.”

“Mama. I want water…”

“…You crazy bitch. You’re barely even drunk, but you keep spouting nonsense…”

“Hurry uuup… I never asked for food…”

“Sigh.”

Annoying, but what can you do?

Finally seeing a somewhat cooperative side of Yozora, I sat her up on the couch and went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of cold water.

…Honestly, I hate doing anything for her,

but this is the only way to slightly increase the odds of her listening.

“….”

The way she took a single sip, smirked, and then just sat there grinning

made it clear she wasn’t listening at all—just looking for more ways to mess with me.

“Once you finish, go wash up. I’ll clean up here in the meantime.”

“Ehh? ‘Go wash up’ sounds kinda dirty… Plus, Seoyeon, you’re in uniform right now…”

“Stop screwing around and just wash.”

“…But even if I go back to the academy now, there’s nothing to do…”

“Don’t just skip work because you feel like it. Go mess with Han Soo-ah so she can’t graduate.”

“Uuu… Too much work…”

“Ugh, seriously—I said don’t lie back down! It makes no sense to drop a job just because you can’t have sex. And it’s not like he’s the only guy in the world.”

“Told you. I never cared about the job in the first place…”

“Then why the hell did you even take it? Disguise or not, you didn’t need to go as far as being a sex partner…”

“Ah~ That was ‘cause I wanted to give Woojin a present…”

“…A present? Money?”

“What’s he gonna do with money…? Obviously, it’s something money can’t buy.”

“Then what…?”

“Han Soo-ah. I helped him get her.”

“….”

“Ah, maybe I wasn’t supposed to say that…”

I already knew Yozora and Seo Woojin had been sex partners.

And since I’d seen it myself, I also knew Han Soo-ah and Woojin had that kind of relationship.

But why would Yozora want to give Soo-ah to Woojin?

And even putting that aside, why would Soo-ah agree to sleep with him?

There’s no reason.

…No, forget it.

Not my problem.

Yozora’s definitely just making up something plausible to see me flustered.

It’s better for my mental health to just let it go.

As I shook my head, trying to dismiss the thought—

“Hey, hey.”

“…What.”

Yozora, her lips curling up, spoke in a hushed voice.

“I’ve got a proposal for our adorable Seoyeon, who’s currently stomping her feet in fear of being exposed because of me…”

“….”

And she did it

in the most infuriating way possible.

“If you promise to help me… then fine, I’ll reluctantly put in the effort to attend the academy. How’s that?”

“….”

As if this had been her plan all along.

As if she’d refused to go wash up just for this moment.

In the most infuriating way possible.

“Hm? Time’s still ticking, you know? If you don’t answer soon, both class and lunch will be over. You’ll get marked absent, and the teachers will start paying attention to you?”

“…What do you want me to do? Help you get back together with Woojin?”

“Close enough?”

“Sigh. Be specific. What do you actually want?”

Tap, tap.

Running her fingers over her lips,

…less smug and more

with a slightly dazed tone,

“I wanna find a new sex partner. Doesn’t have to be Woojin, but someone as good-looking, with a dick as big as his…?”

“…I can judge looks, but how the hell am I supposed to know about other guys’ sizes?”

“Eh? You don’t?”

“Do you expect me to have X-ray vision or something?”

“Well, yeah, obviously…”

Poke.

Her slender finger pointed at my lower abdomen

as she spoke in a tone of genuine confusion.

“You’re a gumiho, Seoyeon. I figured you’d have some way to tell when it comes to lewd stuff.”

“…I don’t. Don’t care, don’t like it.”

“Hmm…? But in folklore, gumiho are all into that kind of thing, right?”

“…It’s just folklore.”

“It’s not just folklore. A few years ago, there was a shapeshifting gumiho in Japan who acted all pure on the outside but ended up…”

“I don’t like it.”

“Why? Don’t you like feeling good?”

“…Sex doesn’t always feel good.”

For a moment, she stared at me with a face full of question marks, as if she couldn’t comprehend what I’d said.

“So you have done it. With who? A classmate?”

“I haven’t! It’s just… just…”

“Ah, fingers?”

“….”

“….”

“….”

…I don’t know why,

but soon after, she started grinning again, staring at me.

Avoiding her gaze, I pursed my lips.

“…It didn’t even feel good. Just hurt.”

“…So you have masturbated.”

“W-Well, anyway. Why do you even like that stuff…? I don’t get it…”

“…It feels amazing. Like, really amazing.”

“Not… for me.”

“When it hits here—thud, thud—so hard you can hear it, everything else stops mattering because it feels so good…”

I lightly swatted away her finger, which had been poking near my navel,

while pushing down thoughts like—

Wouldn’t you just die if it went that deep?

Does Yozora really take it that far during sex?

Then how big is Woojin’s…?

—and forced myself to continue.

“Not for me… Maybe for you, but not me.”

“…Heh.”

To be honest,

…mating and all that.

It’s a preference I just can’t understand.

“Sexual preferences, like… um…”

“L-Lesbian, or… you know, stuff like that…!”

“…Jiyoon?”

“…Yeah.”

When Lee Hayoon first asked if her little sister was a lesbian, I was so stunned I froze for a second. But after calming down and thinking it over, I could roughly guess how this happened.

It’s not like Hayoon had a dream and started acting like this.

Something must’ve happened to trigger it…

Seems like Lee Jiyoon, unable to get what she wanted, decided to go all-in on this angle and set the stage.

Honestly, I have no idea what she’s planning to do with this,

but,

well,

in this case,

I’ll just…

“Now that you mention it, Jiyoon did say something a little…”

“….”

Play along.

Figure it out yourself.