episode_0485

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“Hey~… Didn’t you say last time something similar happened because you were in heat and couldn’t help it? Hmm~? Like when it was the three of us with Sua-chan?”

“…….”

“Are you in heat right now too~? Or maybe a gumiho is just always in heat normally~….”

“…….”

“Earlier, you were so proactive—wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him. Why are you just clinging to him like a doll without saying anything now~?”

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

These so-called “five stages of grief” are said to progress in that order.

Even if it doesn’t involve death, it’s supposedly a somewhat common phenomenon when faced with misfortune or tragedy.

Of course, since the term “common” is used, it’s safe to assume this theory doesn’t hold true 100% of the time.

After all, everyone’s life and experiences are vastly different, aren’t they?

So, it’s only natural for people to react in all sorts of ways. That’s why they say not to blindly believe in this concept and just use it as a reference…

But in any case, I learned one thing for sure from this experience.

“Hey. Baek Seo-yeon? Did you pass out after just one beer?”

“…….”

Turns out, I’m not part of that “common” group either.

“Baek Seo-yeon~, who was just begging for head pats from Seo Woo-jin~?”

“…Hey, Yozora. Cut it out.”

“Why~? It’s fun.”

“Sigh… Just know that if you get in trouble later, I won’t be protecting you.”

“Ah~, that’s fine! The more embarrassed she gets, the more it proves what I just saw was true~”

“…Seo-yeon must be annoyed too. Because of you.”

“…….”

I didn’t even have time to feel denial, anger, or bargaining.

I was too busy trying to avoid the situation.

…Not that it would’ve changed anything without a proper plan.

Maybe I should’ve just taken Yozora’s earlier hint and asked them to step outside for an hour or so.

For a brief moment, I entertained that naive, stupid thought.

Of course, I realized too late that it was just a teasing joke. So, I kept my face buried in Woo-jin’s arms, pretending not to hear anything.

First, I needed to calm down.

There was no point worrying over spilled milk.

Even a preschooler could tell you it’s better to think about how to clean it up instead.

…That much, at least, I managed to force my brain to process.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of a way to actually clean up this mess.

So, I just left the scene of the crime as it was, hiding my burning face while—

Right next to Woo-jin, that laughter-filled voice reached me again.

“Anyway, I was right, wasn’t I? I know Seo-yeon best~ …Ah, that phrasing sounds kinda dirty now that I think about it.”

Well, of course you’d know me best.

You’ve been in contact with me for years.

That much is true.

But what bothered me was something else—now that I thought about it, hadn’t Yozora been struggling after just one beer earlier?

So why was she perfectly fine now…?

“…….”

…Why had I blindly believed such an obvious lie?

Had my brain really been completely taken over by lust?

Am I an idiot?

Once that thought crossed my mind, Yozora’s earlier words suddenly felt even more loaded.

The way she’d been so gleeful after my “mistake,”

the way she was now clinging to Woo-jin, bragging about how well she knew me,

even the way that usually harmless idiot was now pretending to be fast asleep, snoring softly—

…She’d been waiting for me to let my guard down, hadn’t she?

And not just that.

“Seo Woo-jin.”

“…Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“…Did you two plan this? You and Yozora?”

“‘Plan’ is a strong word. It was more like…”

“If I stayed quiet, Yozora said she’d show me something fun. 1000% chance.”

“…….”

“…It’s so obvious I don’t even know what to say. Wow. Unbelievable.”

This guy—useful only in situations like this—

had teamed up with that stupid, perverted idiot.

“It’s fine. It’s fine. You were super cute earlier, Seo-yeon~ Ah, and if you wanted head pats that badly, I could’ve done it for you instead, you know~? You should’ve just said so~”

“…Shut your mouth for a second.”

“Mmph, mmph—mmph!”

“…Tch. What are you even saying…?”

“Pffft… Good girl~ Such a good girl~ Ah, no, not like this.”

“Ngh…! Stop petting my head…!”

“Aww, so cute~ So well-behaved~ This is what you wanted, right?”

“…Seriously, stop….”

“Why~? My hands are probably softer, you know~? Ah, or did you want your ‘master’ to pet you instead? Like a puppy?”

“…….”

I tried putting some real irritation into my voice, lowering it for effect, but as expected, it didn’t work on Yozora at all.

Her playful, sunny demeanor was leagues ahead of my half-hearted acting.

So instead, I considered grabbing Woo-jin by the collar and shaking him like a maraca, but in the end, I just gripped his shirt and let go.

…Not because anyone stopped me.

What if I actually did it and he ended up genuinely disliking me?

I’d even studied cooking more just to impress that idiot… …No. Anyway.

So, the only words I could muster while looking at Woo-jin right now were:

“…That’s unfair.”

A line borrowed from the buzz of alcohol to blur my true feelings—

not something a selfish girl like me should’ve been saying.

“…Sorry. Yozora really wanted to try this earlier.”

“…I get it.”

“…….”

“…….”

A brief silence.

Stuck in the middle of that awkward atmosphere, I cleared my throat unnecessarily and put a little distance between Woo-jin and me.

Earlier, I’d been clinging too close, hoping he’d hold me…

With Yozora watching, this distance felt more appropriate.

I could always get closer again later—blaming it on being in heat.

“…….”

Separately, I’ll admit one embarrassing thing:

Maybe it was because I’d just blurted out some honest words to Woo-jin while pretending to be drunk?

But the more time passed, the hotter the area below my navel grew.

My mind was getting hazier too.

And the frequency with which I swallowed hard—

was only increasing.

This wasn’t unfamiliar.

I’d had similar experiences before. Multiple times.

…Touching that idiot,

being caressed by that moron,

getting completely devoured by that pervert…

But strictly speaking, that wasn’t the direct cause.

Based on past experience, the symptoms usually only appeared well after contact.

So this was—well.

As much as I hated to admit it, Yozora’s earlier words were probably the most accurate.

“What, are gumiho just always in heat normally?”

She’d said it as a joke, but—

……Of course, that couldn’t possibly be true.

Except in one case.

In front of a certain someone,

maybe—

just maybe—

it might be.

“‘Unfair’? What’s unfair? You were the one who dodged saying you liked it by calling it ‘liking sex’ earlier….”

“…! Shut up with that nonsense already.”

“You think I didn’t hear you stumbling over your words saying you liked it? That’s why I laughed!”

“I didn’t say I liked Seo Woo-jin! I just, uh….”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say~”

“Ngh…….”

Thoughts I’d definitely never voiced aloud.

Yozora had pinpointed them almost exactly, and as I struggled to retort, she giggled and moved from Woo-jin’s side toward me.

Well, since she was already right next to him, she barely moved at all. But still.

Her intention was obvious. She was probably planning another weird prank.

Just as Yozora knew me well, the reverse was also true.

So I tried to grab her arms first, the biggest concern—

but.

“…Hey, idiot…! Wait….”

Yozora slipped away like a cat, pressing up against my back instead,

…making it hard to resist, so I completely lost my grip.

Instead, she cuffed my wrists with one hand like restraints, pushing them against my lower back.

“What’s the big deal? This is why we got together in the first place. Right?”

“W-Well…! There’s such a thing as… atmosphere…!”

While I flailed, the worn-out T-shirt I was wearing was forcibly pulled up,

and the carefully chosen bra I’d put on was now fully exposed in front of Woo-jin.

…Click, click.

Even the hooks were undone.

“Hmm? You being flustered and embarrassed is the atmosphere, isn’t it?”

“…Yozora, you’re really…!”

I whined, trying to get her to stop, but nothing changed.

Woo-jin wasn’t helping either.

Too busy watching, probably amused by my struggling.

…At this point, maybe I should just force my way out.

I was seriously considering it when—

The hem of my T-shirt, which had been resting on my chest, was grabbed by Yozora and brought up to my lips.

“Since I’m gonna let you have all the sex you want with the person you like, just hold this in your mouth for a bit, okay?”

“No, when did I ever say I liked— Mmph—!”

“Here, pinky promise~”

“…….”

Honestly…

It wasn’t a bad offer.

So in the end, I obediently bit down while pretending to hate it,

leaving only my pitch-black dolphin-print panties covering the area below my navel.

“Hehehe… If I do this, maybe I’ll get a ‘good job’ reward later too~ …Huh?”

“……. ….”

Huff, huff— Between my ragged breaths,

I’d been caught on one small detail.

“…Uh, Seo-yeon?”

“…….”

“You haven’t even done anything yet, right?”

“…….”

…My nipples.

Even without any stimulation, they were already stiff and swollen.

“…Were you touching yourself or something…?”

“Ngh, guh…!”

Of course,

I had no intention of explaining how this had happened.

“That’s because of me. It’s because we touched.”

“Touched?”

“Gumiho go into heat when they touch the opposite sex… I heard that somewhere before.”

“…Ah. When you touch a guy…. Hmm~….”

“…….”

Luckily, Woo-jin’s complete misunderstanding made it possible to explain.

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense!”

…Well,

it wasn’t that far from the truth.