episode_0253

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“It’s not like I did it because I liked you or anything…!”

Preparing an excuse.

Ten minutes had passed—enough time for a basic cleanup—before I finally returned home. As I stepped through the front door, those were the first words I heard.

Even though I said I was fine, she insisted on walking me back. She borrowed the bathroom under the pretense of needing to pee. Then, she secretly rummaged through my closet, found one of my dress shirts, and pressed it against her face, inhaling deeply. She touched herself so intensely that the floor was soaked. So much that strange noises leaked from under the door. So much that if the neighbors had heard, we might’ve had an awkward conversation about keeping it down.

But no, she doesn’t like me. In fact, she hates me. Don’t get the wrong idea.

My honest reaction to this absurd claim?

“…Ah, okay.”

I believed about half of it. Which, in other words, means I didn’t believe the other half.

But, well. Given that the person in question is Baek Seo-yeon, and given that I’m a man with a perfectly functioning libido and tastes that align with hers, it’s not entirely unreasonable that seeing her sniff my shirt while grinding against it would make me hard.

“Seo Woo-jin, you don’t believe me at all, do you?” “I’m trying to believe you. That’s why I left for a bit instead of jumping you right then and there.” “Not—not that you could’ve overpowered me anyway, so don’t go making excuses…?” “…Then just think whatever you want. You don’t seem like you’d believe me no matter what I say.” “That’s… That’s not it…”

Caught masturbating in someone else’s home, yet she still had the nerve to sound annoyed. Irritated, I answered in the same tone I usually used with her in the infirmary, and Baek Seo-yeon—who had been growling defensively with her arms crossed—finally backed down.

I could guess why she was acting like this. She was probably embarrassed about getting caught and overcompensating.

Kicking off my shoes carelessly, I walked past her, thinking, If you didn’t want to get caught, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.

Ah, the biggest reason I half-believed her was still because of Baek Seo-yeon’s usual behavior. Neither of us are kids anymore—we’re adults. If someone who snaps at me every time we meet actually liked me, I’d have noticed by now. We’re past the age where we express interest by teasing or irritating each other. If we’re physically attracted, we could just spend a night together and be done with it.

“…So, Baek Seo-yeon.” That’s why. What just happened was even more baffling.

“Why were you masturbating? And while hugging a shirt you supposedly hate, no less.” “W-Who said I was hugging it…?!” “Then should I say you were pressing it to your nose and sniffing it like I saw?” “……”

If she wanted a purely physical relationship like Yozora, I wouldn’t have refused. Compared to the other ordinary girls at the academy, a villain like Baek Seo-yeon was much more my type. Lee Ha-yoon, Lee Ji-yoon, Han Su-ah—even Seol Da-bin. Whenever I wanted something different, I could’ve just had fun with them.

But Baek Seo-yeon says she hates me. …Yet she was masturbating happily while sniffing my shirt.

Doesn’t that seem weird?

Cutting through the unnecessary details, I got straight to the point. Baek Seo-yeon, standing frozen three steps inside the doorway, clenched her jaw.

But only for a moment.

After a loud gulp and a sigh, she stepped closer to me and spoke.

“…I’ll explain everything, so don’t tease me about my reaction like before. …Or I’ll bite my tongue off right now.”

She was calling out my earlier behavior—how I’d lightly joked because her reaction reminded me of Yozora.

“Anywhere to sit?” “Just use the bed. I doubt you’d want to sit on the floor.” “…You think the bed’s fine?”

The fact that the person who said she was going to the convenience store came back empty-handed— Well, at least she had some shame.

I didn’t point it out.

253

…You already got caught.

Masturbating like a pervert with someone else’s shirt pressed to your face. Hiding and struggling now is pointless.

It’s better to lay everything out and only ask for cooperation when necessary. Like it or not, I can’t avoid seeing Seo Woo-jin’s face until graduation. And who knows? Maybe I’ll get hurt again and have to go to him, just like I worried before.

So, …So. It can’t be helped…

With that thought, I sat on the edge of the bed like Seo Woo-jin and began speaking haltingly.

Between him and me, there was enough space for Yozora to lie down comfortably.

“…Remember what we talked about before taking the taxi?”

Like I hinted last time, it’s true—I’m a gumiho. Unlike other mutants, gumiho have something like… a mating cycle. That time you asked why I had such a high fever? That was it. I didn’t know at first. I only found out recently.

You know how people online say gumiho are basically prostitutes? There’s a reason for that. When I went to the infirmary that time, it wasn’t because Yozora told me to or anything. I was just embarrassed earlier, so I used her as an excuse, but it was entirely my decision.

To resolve this condition, I have to relieve my sexual urges. And so on.

I carefully wrapped up my explanation, leaving out the part where I said, Right now, I’m only in heat for you, Seo Woo-jin.

His response?

“So earlier, being around me must’ve flipped the switch again.” “…Something like that…”

Fortunately, he was very receptive. Well, not receptive—more like indifferent? Or calm? Either way, it wasn’t the worst reaction, so I let out a quiet sigh.

If he thought about it a little more, he’d realize— If I go into heat again and can’t resist properly, a guy like him could easily force himself on me, making me smell his scent while he…

And I wouldn’t be able to put up a real fight.

Squelch, squelch.

The loud, wet sounds would echo through the room.

“…”

Relieved, I slipped my hands between my soft thighs and glanced at Seo Woo-jin, who was sitting a short distance away.

If something like that had happened… …Right about now, I’d be under this trashy, inscrutable man, just like in those porn videos I’d watched out of curiosity— pinned beneath him.

Like those immature unnies’ photos. The ones where they’d show off their pretty back tattoos after sex, littered with used condoms and streaks of white fluid.

After briefly indulging in that horrifying thought, I pushed the blame onto my heat—If I weren’t in heat, I wouldn’t even be imagining this crap— and quickly erased the even more unpleasant images from my mind.

“So, you’re fine now?” “……”

That was the problem.

…Sniffing Seo Woo-jin’s scent on his shirt while touching myself did feel better than doing it normally. But since I was still just using my own hands, all I got was a mountain of embarrassment.

The feverish heat from my aroused body hadn’t fully subsided.

“You’re not fine?” “…I-I’m fine. You can tell just by looking, right…?”

Was I really going to have to ask him to touch me again? Would I only feel completely better if he pressed his fingers against me like last time?

Not wanting to say it out loud, I lied through my teeth, then… …carefully, without him noticing, started moving my hand deeper between my thighs.

If I touched there, I might moan, so I kept it to my thighs. Press, rub.

But this wasn’t satisfying at all. If anything, the ticklish sensation only made my desire flare up again.

…This was pointless. Really.

When I touched myself in the bathroom earlier, it felt way better than this half-hearted teasing. If Seo Woo-jin had come in just three—no, one—minute later, I could’ve finished on my own.

With this lukewarm stimulation, I’d need three hours to—

“…”

Three hours? There’s no way I could keep this up for three hours. And even if I did, who knows if it’d actually relieve my heat?

So what should I do now?

Since my thighs weren’t enough, should I touch somewhere more embarrassing? Like… here?

But what about the moans? …Ah, right. If I bite my lower lip hard enough, I can stifle the sounds while I—

… Wait.

I’m already wearing gray joggers. If I get wet, the stain will definitely…

…

…At this rate, instead of struggling like an idiot on my own, I should just close my eyes, hand Seo Woo-jin some hush money, and ask him to help me.

Just as my fingers between my thighs were becoming bolder—still careful not to be caught—

“If you’re fine now, then…” “…Hah…!”

Seo Woo-jin suddenly stood up without warning, making me freeze in panic.

But to my surprise, he showed no reaction. No glance, no comment—nothing. He just walked toward the kitchen.

I tried to act nonchalant, staring at him with the most indifferent expression I could muster, but he didn’t even look my way as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

“…? Thirsty?” “…Never mind.”

…That pissed me off a little.

Because I’d been shadowboxing over what-ifs, making myself look like an idiot. Because this bastard had the nerve to make me—the one in heat—feel resentful.

And also, though it was just a passing thought,

Does he not even see me as a woman?

“If you’re fine, then I should head out. If staying near me makes it worse, it’ll just be a hassle.” “…A hassle?” “You said being around a man and touching him triggers your heat.” “…” “So I’ll leave before that happens. Like I said earlier, I’ll keep it a secret from Yozora.” “…”

But he’s the only one who can quench this thirst.

I don’t want to admit it, but my body remembers.

The best way out of this is to just feel good and end it.

Still sitting on the edge of the bed, I forced out my words in a trembling voice.

“…I’m not leaving. No—I can’t.” “Ah, I’ll keep it a secret from Yozora and everyone else—” “That’s not the point… Didn’t you hear what I said earlier?”

Every word felt like it would kill me with shame. If someone offered to painlessly end me right now, I’d take it.

But no one’s offering.

So, helplessly, truly helplessly, I bit out the words I wanted to choke on.

“…I have to relieve my sexual urges. I told you that.” “Why? The bathroom looked… pretty wet earlier.” “That’s why I’m telling you it wasn’t enough…! …Idiot, seriously…” “…Want to borrow my shirt again?” “No, no… If masturbating alone could fix it, why would I have gone to the infirmary in the first place…?” “…” “…There’s a limit to what I can do by myself. In the end, I need to be touched by the person I’m in heat for to feel better…”

My voice dropped to a whisper.

“But I hate you…? You’re a trashy man…?” “So you don’t want me to touch you?” “…Yeah. I don’t. I really, really don’t…” “…” “…But I don’t have a choice…” “…” “So I’ll make you an offer. …Let’s make a deal.”

Pretending it was logical. Pretending I’d heard of this before.

“…When I’m in heat, if you help me finish each time… then I’ll… help you, too. You know, let you… release… once.”

Even though I’d heard from my unnies and Yozora that men finish faster, so they have the advantage, I proposed this wildly unfair deal.

“…You want to do it now…?” “…”

So he wouldn’t have time to think too hard, I used my body as bait.

Pulling up my windbreaker and T-shirt to expose my lower stomach. …He’d see it soon anyway. He’d already seen it once before.

My gray joggers, my white panties—

I stood from the bed, hooked my thumbs into the waistband, and slid them down until the dampness between my thighs met the cool air.

“…I’ll keep my promise, so just help me this once…”

…If he’s really the trashy man who only cares about women, this should be enough to make him nod without hesitation—

Ah, wait…