episode_0212

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Whether a zombie apocalypse had broken out in the outside world,

or it was just another peaceful April day in Seoul with the occasional villainous terrorist attack,

none of it held much meaning for Han Su-ah, who rarely had any reason to leave her apartment in the first place.

It wasn’t for any particular reason—it was just her nature.

One. She wouldn’t go so far as to call it social anxiety, but crowded places simply drained her energy, so she avoided them.

Two. She didn’t stop people from coming or going.

It wasn’t out of pride—

arguing over what others decided was just too high a difficulty level for her.

Three. Some people recharged their energy by socializing, but Su-ah much preferred flipping through manga pages alone at home.

Not that she had anyone to meet anyway, but still.

However, things changed when she did step outside.

Information.

She needed information.

Not necessarily about how many zombies were swarming the first floor of her officetel,

but she did need to check the severity of the yellow dust.

The weather forecast, too.

If the temperature fluctuated too much, she’d get annoyed from both the heat and the cold—

and even having to pack an extra layer of outerwear was irritating.

And if it started raining on top of that? Worst-case scenario.

Ah, and on a smaller note, it’d be nice to have some idea of where to go when she met Yozora.

Somewhere quiet, if possible.

Somewhere both she and Yozora could enjoy, if possible.

Somewhere without alcohol… though that probably wasn’t necessary.

If they had to drink, they could always stop by a bar in the evening.

“Hmm…”

After listing and eliminating conditions one by one, the first place that came to mind was, of all things, a manga café.

Come to think of it, could this even be considered going out…?

Just as Su-ah entertained that thought, she tugged her pristine white mask back up over her chin and stepped out of the elevator.

It wasn’t like she’d only go to the manga café before parting ways.

Wouldn’t Yozora, who was far more socially active than a homebody like her, know the area and fun spots better?

Hell, she might even end up dragged around by Yozora all day instead of reading manga.

That’s why Su-ah’s current outfit consisted of a baggy hoodie that hid her figure, leggings, and a pair of ugly-but-expensive sneakers for comfort.

With just her backpack and a crowbar, her attire wasn’t far off from zombie apocalypse gear as she headed toward Yozora’s place.

“I got dumped by Seo Woo-jin. Did I not mention it?”

“…What?”

“I did something he hated, so he dumped me. Sniffle.”

Contrary to expectations, nothing eventful happened during their first hour at the manga café.

Just as Su-ah was subtly building up the mood with a mature-rated manga to ask for Yozora’s opinion,

she was met with this bombshell—delivered in a mock-crying, playful tone.

Had she known this was coming, she would’ve dragged Yozora to a bar in broad daylight instead.

212

Negative words breed negative impressions.

Especially when they’re tied to you in some way.

The phrase “we broke up” she’d just heard was no exception.

Su-ah was well aware that Yozora, the school nurse, and Seo Woo-jin had been seeing each other separately.

Sex friends…? Sex partners?

Whatever they were, they’d been extremely close.

If Su-ah had only known about that relationship, it might’ve been different,

but the problem was that she had entered the picture later.

So, naturally, her thoughts led to: “Was it because of me?”

Like an old saying about a rolling stone dislodging a settled one.

Sure, Yozora had already explained why they broke up, but—

There were the nurse’s affectionate whispers during their private moments.

That one time she’d snapped at Yozora to hurry up and have sex—the first time Su-ah had ever seen her annoyed.

And the memory of Yozora arriving late to school after a night of sex, showered with “I love yous” from the nurse.

No matter how she looked at it, Su-ah couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the reason.

“Sigh. I should’ve never begged for a collar and outdoor sex…”

“…”

What if Yozora was lying to avoid drifting apart as friends?

More importantly, imagining the nurse getting angry… was just hard.

It made more sense that they’d broken up because of someone rather than a fight.

“S-So that’s why you broke up? With the nurse?”

“Yep!”

“…Just because of that? Wanting to try outdoor sex?”

“Hmm… Well, that was more like the final button being pressed. Felt like something that’d been building up for a while.”

“…Building up? What?”

“When you first saw me and Woo-jin having sex, did you feel anything?”

“…”

It was really lewd.

What else was there to feel?

She racked her brain, but it was a while ago, and nothing stood out.

At most, it was a little violent?

But that’s just a given in the smutty manga I read.

Erotica’s the same.

“…Not really.”

“He pinned me down and fucked me like he was trying to kill me, but he came for you.”

“…Oh. Yeah.”

“Think that’s when things started shifting~”

“…”

…Huh?

No way—

Are you saying I was the reason?

Su-ah blinked rapidly, gripping the innocent manga in her hands like a lifeline.

Pfft.

Yozora stifled a laugh to avoid disturbing others before crawling toward her on all fours.

Like…

She was about to pounce.

“…”

“…”

Su-ah didn’t even have time to ask why.

Shouldn’t you be glaring at me resentfully? Or just avoiding me altogether?

That question remained an unsolved mystery in her mind.

Yozora’s playful grin carried that much weight.

Enough to make Su-ah’s palms sweat as she braced against the floor, half-convinced she was about to get railed.

With every step Yozora took, crawling closer like a puppy, Su-ah pressed back into the cushion, retreating.

And Yozora, delighted by her reaction, crept forward until she was inches away—

Then slowly licked her lips.

“…! H-Hey, wait…!”

“Why so tense, Sua-chan~? It’s just a joke… A joke…”

“How is this a joke?!”

“Sniff… Haaah…”

“Ew, gross…!”

Yozora buried her face in Su-ah’s chest, hidden under the baggy hoodie.

“Heheh… Baby’s milk bar…”

“W-What kind of weird thing is that to say?!”

“You got the point, didn’t you? If anything, my Korean’s perfect~”

“What are you…”

She had no rebuttal, but she couldn’t just let Yozora grope her chest freely either.

So Su-ah pushed her away before things escalated.

Yozora offered no resistance, tumbling to the side with an exaggerated “Kyaa~” before giggling.

Su-ah glared down at her, hastily adjusting her bra through her clothes before hesitantly asking:

“…Was it because of me?”

“Hmm?”

“The… breakup.”

“Hmm~ I wouldn’t say zero percent…”

Mid-sentence, Yozora’s eyes flicked toward the door.

The blinds didn’t fully cover the entrance, and judging by her reaction, she’d locked eyes with someone through the gap.

Her playful expression vanished, replaced by disgust as she shifted positions. Definitely someone there.

Then, just as quickly, she reverted to her usual self in front of Su-ah.

“Maybe 1%? Even if he’s done with me, he’s got you now, right?”

“…”

Done with her?

Is that how Japanese people describe breaking up after dating?

Su-ah hugged her knees, lost in thought.

After agonizing over whether it was rude to ask, she finally spoke:

“…So, are you going to see other guys now?”

“Probably? No one’s caught my eye yet… But I’ll find someone eventually. Someone like Woo-jin.”

Su-ah stared at her before lowering her gaze.

Who’s dating who, who broke up with who—

She’d heard it all before, mixed in with the noise of school life.

Her shoujo manga mindset couldn’t comprehend it, but logically, it was normal.

If unwavering devotion were easy, divorce rates would be much lower.

So she tried to accept that Yozora would see other men too.

Maybe she’d even find someone better than the nurse.

A Korean, or maybe even a Japanese guy.

…But,

even though she knew that—

It still didn’t sit right.

“…Can’t you make up with the nurse?”

She tested the words carefully.

“Make up? Hmm… Feels like it’d be hard after such a big fight…”

“F-Fight?”

“Ah, more like I got chewed out. One-sided scolding, so ‘fight’ isn’t the right word.”

Before the breakup, it’d been rewards.

Yozora stretched with an awkward smile.

“Don’t worry about it! It’s all my fault anyway.”

“…”

“I’m gonna read now, so shhh. We’ll talk about Woo-jin later.”

“…Okay.”

She didn’t want to talk about it later.

If possible, she’d call the nurse right now to help.

She’d never intended to steal him away,

and if suppressing her desires had affected her daily life,

wouldn’t it be the same for Yozora?

She’d have been fine with things staying as they were—

having sex when they both wanted,

with whispered “I love yous” when they were alone, even if they were lies.

That would’ve been enough.

Picking up the manga she’d set aside, Su-ah flipped through the pages, stealing occasional glances at Yozora.

“…”

Is there anything I can do for her?

For the first time in her life, she was worrying—

for a friend.

It must’ve been around the midway point.

I couldn’t hold back and acted on impulse,

but surprisingly, things didn’t turn hostile.

Well, for about 30 minutes after cooling down,

I did have to deal with Yi Hayoon’s excessive pregnancy panic—

like asking if she should take the morning-after pill now

or googling conception chances during safe periods—

while also stopping Yi Jiyoon from teasing her sister about

“You’d be fine getting creampied until you pass out~”

until I was exhausted.

But that was it.

In fact, after dinner,

the near-cold war atmosphere at home had eased significantly.

“…Unnie. There’s something I’ve been wondering.”

“Hmm?”

“Why’d you slip me tongue when we kissed earlier?”

“You did that first, you psycho…!”

“No, you definitely—”

“I didn’t…!”

Even though Jiyoon had squeezed in next to Hayoon, who just wanted to watch Netflix,

the fact that she was clinging to me made her interference forgivable.

“Anyway, Jiyoon. …Stop trying to sneak in more.”

“Whyyy.”

“I won…! W-We used three tissues, so go play games in your room.”

“I saw you half-assing it to keep it at three.”

“You could see how much more I came inside her…!”

“Couldn’t have been that much. Wanna go again with all three of us?”

“Ugh…”

“Should’ve taken a pic right after creampieing her. Dumb unnie~ Next time, have Woo-jin film it.”

“There won’t be a next time with you…!”

“You’ll come crawling back when it’s just the two of you and his loads get smaller—‘Huh? This isn’t right…?’”

“God… Is Jiyoon actually insane…?”

Though I hadn’t yet managed to fully break these two prospective heroes and claim their devotion,

the results were satisfying enough.

If I kept provoking them, I’d see that side of them soon.

Maybe tonight, or within a month at most…

Lost in thought while watching Jiyoon relish teasing her sister—

Buzz.

My phone vibrated lightly in my pocket.

“Anyway, you and Woo-jin are doing it again tonight, right?”

“I-I’m locking the door…!”

“…”

[Han Su-ah]

– Nurssse. Did u rlly brek up w Yozora…?

If she were just tipsy, she’d at least try to fix the typos.

But this was a drunk, error-riddled mess.

And judging by the content, Yozora must’ve told her everything.