Ch.226IF Side Story: Like a Quiet Flow

People’s inclinations are incredibly diverse.

Some personalities enjoy wandering around noisy places, while others prefer quietness.

If I had to classify myself, I’d probably fall into the latter category. Except under specific conditions—for example, when my girlfriend suggested going out first—I really enjoyed relaxing at home.

There’s quite a lot you can do at home, isn’t there? You can watch movies or read comics. I occasionally played games too, and there was even enough space to exercise.

However, staying home all the time can be somewhat tiring.

Being an introvert is such a troublesome existence. Disliking and finding it bothersome to go outside, yet feeling unsatisfied if you don’t venture out occasionally.

Interestingly enough, there was someone like that around me too.

“……”

“……”

Chaeyeon.

A quiet girl who was always sitting in some corner of the house, leisurely reading a book… Well, calling her a girl might be a stretch since she was a college student, but she still retained some girlish qualities.

When reading, she usually sat at the dining table or quietly lounged around in a corner of the living room. Very occasionally, she would boldly sit on my lap to read her book.

At those times, she would hug me tightly with both arms and bury her nose in my neck, sniffing. She took decent care of herself, so she rarely smelled bad.

When I held her waist tightly and stayed still, Chaeyeon’s eyes would stop following the words on the page. Unable to concentrate, she would pretend to read while subtly pressing her body against mine. She would just let me play with her like a doll. Whether I kissed her cheek or left slight teeth marks on her neck, she would just sit quietly with a flushed face, not making a single sound.

Despite being so passive even when making sexual advances, after seeing me go on dates with others one by one, Chaeyeon said she wanted to do the same.

With Ju-a, we had planned our date course together, and with Yeonwoo, although we moved somewhat impulsively, she had some date plans in mind. But Chaeyeon seemed to have come out without any thought at all.

“……”

“……”

We walked for a while without saying anything.

Perhaps because the weather was a bit cold, Chaeyeon was sticking close to my side. Almost like she was trying to burrow under my armpit.

We hadn’t even left our neighborhood yet.

The streets of this bedroom community on a weekday afternoon were even more deserted than a subway station at the same time, with barely any sounds except for the distant noise of children playing. Honestly, I was a bit worried about the restaurants in this neighborhood that were already open.

“So, is there anywhere you want to go?”

“…I don’t have any particular place in mind.”

Chaeyeon had made a rather troublesome statement.

She’s the type who doesn’t express her emotions much, so honestly, when she speaks in such a flat tone, I don’t know how to interpret it.

So, well, we just walked for now.

Strangely enough, I found that it wasn’t so bad. Even though we were just walking in silence, we were so close together that we could clearly remind ourselves that the other person was right beside us.

But after a while, Chaeyeon’s body started trembling slightly.

“Are you cold?”

When I stopped walking and asked, Chaeyeon nodded slightly.

I let go of Chaeyeon and spread my arms with my hands in my coat pockets.

I’m not that cold yet. It was late autumn, not as cold as midwinter. Still, it was cold enough for some people to feel chilly.

“Here.”

When I said this playfully, Chaeyeon hesitated for a moment. She looked around, but apparently couldn’t resist my temptation.

Chaeyeon carefully came into my coat and snuggled against me. She lightly pressed her face against my chest and put her arms around my waist from inside the coat.

I closed my coat around her as if kidnapping her. Just like when she usually sits on my lap and I grab her firmly.

Her delicate body fit perfectly in my arms. Her face, which had been slightly raised to my chest, was now completely buried.

It was the kind of thing cute couples would do, but, well, it was somewhat exciting. While Chaeyeon was small in stature, her curves were quite distinct. Her slim waist made them seem even more pronounced.

I deliberately held her tight, pressing her firmly against my body. At times like this, I’m somewhat grateful that I’ve become a woman. Otherwise, something would have definitely grown and Chaeyeon would have noticed.

The inside of the coat became very warm with my body heat and Chaeyeon’s. It was a different kind of warmth than just from a hot pack or ambient temperature—a somewhat moist warmth.

“How’s this?”

“……”

Chaeyeon hesitated for a moment before answering.

“…I like it.”

Hmm.

“It’s warm” would have been an even more pleasing expression.

*

But we couldn’t spend our date time just standing on the street.

We would end up at a hotel eventually, but wouldn’t it be nice to spend the time in between more leisurely and warmly?

After pondering for a while, I took Chaeyeon to a manga cafe.

I had a feeling that Chaeyeon would read any kind of book regardless of the genre.

Well, there was one more thing I had in mind.

As soon as we entered, the peculiar smell characteristic of places with lots of books wafted over. If poorly maintained and too humid, it could smell rotten, but this place wasn’t like that. The heater inside was turned on to a comfortably warm temperature.

There were recliner sofas with small tables attached for sitting comfortably alone, but I had something else in mind.

This manga cafe had private rooms.

Though called private rooms, they were just small spaces like the sleeping areas in a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna), where you could lie down and read books.

It was a space spacious enough for two people, with curtains that could be drawn to prevent others from seeing inside.

We ordered a glass of fruit juice each to drink and picked up some random books before going inside.

Amazingly, as soon as Chaeyeon entered with her book, she really opened it. Unlike me who had picked up a popular manga, she had a novel—an old-looking martial arts novel.

“You read those kinds of books too?”

“It’s my first time.”

I thought so. The books she usually read were mostly non-fiction anyway.

But seeing her actually reading the book, I felt a bit upset for some reason.

So I placed my leg on top of Chaeyeon’s leg.

“……”

Chaeyeon lowered her book slightly and looked at me, a bit surprised.

Didn’t you come here to read? Looking at Chaeyeon’s expression, I laughed incredulously once more.

Crawling slowly—since it wasn’t a place where I could fully stand up—I moved closer to Chaeyeon, who blushed and gradually shifted away from me.

But this was just a small space with a few mattresses laid out. Unless she went outside, she couldn’t escape.

Like a predator, I caught Chaeyeon and hugged her as if embracing a dakimakura (body pillow).

Chaeyeon was still looking at her book, either having stopped thinking or still intending to read in such a situation.

With my chest pressed tightly against Chaeyeon’s side and my arms wrapped around her, I felt somewhat provoked.

So I leaned in and gently blew into Chaeyeon’s ear.

Shudder.

Chaeyeon’s body trembled. We were so close that I could feel the vibration in my own body.

I lightly bit Chaeyeon’s earlobe with my teeth.

“Mmm…”

I heard Chaeyeon’s suppressed moan.

Ah, that was close.

I almost pounced on her because she was too cute. Of course, I know we can’t do that here. In fact, if this were a space where others could see, even this position would be grounds for ejection.

I lifted Chaeyeon’s light body onto mine, and hugged her tightly from behind as I leaned against the wall.

“……”

Chaeyeon’s hands, still holding the book, slowly moved up toward her face.

Then she pressed the book against her face as if to hide it.

I hugged Chaeyeon tightly from behind and buried my nose in her nape. She smelled nice. She must have really washed thoroughly today.

Why? Well, the reason comes to mind immediately.

Though slim, her stomach was slightly soft. That’s because she doesn’t have a lot of muscle. Her waist was quite narrow, emphasizing her pelvis below more than expected.

Chaeyeon, trembling with her face hidden behind the book, neither resisted nor made any sound.

“Chaeyeon, you know what?”

I whispered softly into Chaeyeon’s ear. Beyond the curtain, I could hear people quietly moving around and the sound of teacups clinking. The soft music playing in the cafe too.

“You’re really cute.”

When I said that, Chaeyeon’s feet fidgeted slightly. Somehow, that movement conveyed a strange joy.

I giggled.

Then, after stroking Chaeyeon’s hair thoroughly, I picked up my smartphone.

Peek.

Somehow knowing what I was doing, Chaeyeon peeked her eyes over the book.

Her eyes were narrowed like a purring cat.

I put my face next to Chaeyeon’s and took a picture.

Click.

Ah. The sound seemed a bit loud. Would the people in the next booth hear?

Well, it doesn’t matter. We had been whispering and talking quietly all along, so our voices wouldn’t have been heard.

And so, we quietly let time pass.

Even without going to energetic, bustling places, spending time leisurely together like this was very enjoyable.

Later, Chaeyeon also gathered some courage and sniffed at me, taking in my scent.

…Well, this is nice.

I thought with a satisfied smile.