episode_0296

.

They say any cat will instantly calm down if you grab it by the scruff of its neck.

Right now, I wasn’t much different.

Just a wrist.

Just having that damn wrist gently held and pressed downward was enough to make me press my lips tightly together.

“…….”

A pitch-black hoodie—the result of agonizing over how to avoid being misunderstood as having a “different kind of relationship” with others—something I only wore when working out.

Seo Woojin’s large hand, separated from mine by just that single layer of fabric, lightly pressed my wrist against my thigh.

Was this… restraint?

It didn’t feel like that.

It was just… gentle.

Gentle enough that if I wanted to, I could shake him off right now and snap, What the hell are you doing?

Then again, this man was just an ordinary healer.

There was no way some random guy who just happened to work out could overpower me.

I was much more accustomed to fists than the law, so I had the clear advantage here.

The only thing I had to be careful about was… getting turned on just because he was touching me directly.

There was only one possible outcome.

……So.

—This station is Euljiro 4-ga. Euljiro 4-ga Station…

I didn’t say anything.

Because I could choose not to.

—This station is Dongdaemun History & Culture…

I didn’t resist at all.

Because I could choose not to.

—This station is…

I stayed quiet.

Only swallowing repeatedly as saliva pooled under my tongue.

Because I could choose not to.

“…….”

Seo Woojin, still holding my wrist.

Slowly leaned his head closer.

And whispered into my ear, Let’s get off here, before standing up.

I stayed still.

Because…

I didn’t like the other option.

296

Transfer, and Transfer Again.

After following an unfamiliar path, the place I arrived at was, ironically, the most familiar spot possible.

None other than the subway station closest to the Academy.

I didn’t usually have much reason to use public transportation, but I had occasionally—very occasionally—used the station nearest to the Academy.

…Which meant Seo Woojin’s place must be nearby too.

That thought led to some unnecessary imagination, but I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, quickly snapping out of it.

We came here to grab a beer for a bit.

Not because of some gloomy, unpleasant thoughts.

“…Hey.”

Absently rubbing the wrist he’d just been holding, I glanced at Seo Woojin walking a step ahead of me diagonally and spoke up.

The belated realization that I could’ve just cracked open a beer can at home if I wanted to avoid leaving the smell of alcohol was already shoved into a corner of my mind.

“Uh, where are we drinking?”

“A convenience store.”

“…Ah.”

A convenience store, huh.

So he took my suggestion of grabbing a beer and settled on a convenience store.

…Lucky me.

That meant we wouldn’t have to go to Seo Woojin’s place.

Not that I…

Wanted to go, anyway.

“Which convenience store…?”

“Any decent one. As long as it has outdoor seating.”

The geographical advantage of being near the Academy.

Our careless outfits.

Staring at the paper bag containing the perfume, I nodded quietly even though he wasn’t looking.

It wasn’t guaranteed, but there was a chance we might be spotted by a student who knew us.

But just like in the downtown area, they wouldn’t misunderstand us as being in some weird relationship.

In fact, it might even help piss off Yoo Siwoo…

Without another word, I followed Seo Woojin.

The place we arrived at was, as he said, a completely unremarkable convenience store.

Not spotlessly clean enough to be impressive, but the tables looked about as sturdy as the benches at the Academy.

A bored male part-timer snickering at his phone, probably because there were no customers.

Nothing to complain about, really.

“2, 21,600 won. Card goes here…”

…Him glancing at us occasionally was whatever.

Happened all the time.

“Consider this 20% paid back.”

“Paid back?”

I set down the four 500ml beer cans we’d bought on the outdoor table and continued.

“This. …For the perfume.”

“Ah, you didn’t have to. That was—”

“…You made me feel like I had to.”

“People don’t usually pick gifts expecting to get paid back later, you know?”

“….”

I had something to say in response, but instead of voicing it, I pulled one of the cold beer cans toward me.

Because if I owe you, you’ll find some weird way to collect, won’t you?

Saying that out loud would ruin the decent mood we had going.

…Let me say it again—I still hate that vulgar act.

It’s just that my cursed body loves it way too much. I don’t. Absolutely not.

I’d rather never have to mix bodies with Seo Woojin again.

If possible, I’d prefer not to even talk about that kind of thing.

But Seo Woojin…

“By the way…”

As if something pleasant had occurred to him,

Seo Woojin smiled more naturally than before.

…Seemed like his thoughts were a little different from mine.

“I didn’t expect you to be the one suggesting we drink.”

“…I can do that too. Is it weird?”

“Yeah. Weird.”

Pshhh—

A refreshing fizz rose from Seo Woojin’s beer can across from me.

Seeing that, I finally fumbled with opening my own can. As I did, Seo Woojin tore open a bag of snacks we’d just bought, popped a piece into his mouth with a crunch, and spoke.

“You’re always saying it like a habit—I hate you.”

“…I still do.”

“Obviously. But if you hate me so much, why suggest drinking together?”

I hate you, but my body keeps whining that it wants to be with you a little longer.

If I said that seriously, he’d definitely scoff.

No, he might even think I was hinting that I wanted to have sex.

So instead—

“…Are you a goldfish? Why are you asking about something we already settled?”

“What did you say earlier?”

“…Because I want Yoo Siwoo to feel bad, so I’ll drink with you. Better the lesser evil than… the worst.”

I answered with as indifferent an expression as possible.

Of course, I also tried to keep my gaze as natural as possible.

“Anyway, let’s just drink. You too, hold your can. People usually toast at times like this…”

“…The more I see you, the more you act like Yoo Jora. Is it because you’re friends?”

“E-Everyone does this. What’s the big deal…?”

Clink.

Compared to the crisp sound of glass meeting glass, the toast we shared was pretty pathetic.

The sound of us pouring our respective beers into our stomachs soon filled the convenience store’s outdoor seating.

Thanks to Yoo Jora forcing me to drink often, my tolerance wasn’t terrible, but two cans of beer were still more than enough to get me drunk.

So, just in case, I sipped slowly for a while.

Unlike me, Seo Woojin downed about half his can in one go before setting it down with a short exhale.

…This guy. Did he say he was good at drinking?

I think I’ve heard that before.

Or maybe not…

Staring quietly at Seo Woojin’s face, I cautiously asked since I had nothing else to say.

“…You’re good at drinking, huh?”

“Nah. Not good… I just like it?”

Just like it, huh.

As if to prove that true, his voice had already risen slightly in pitch.

And he’d only taken one sip so far.

“Then drink in moderation. …Don’t go causing me trouble.”

“Do people usually say that about themselves?”

“They can. If you pass out, I’m just leaving you here.”

“The part-timer’s gonna be annoyed…”

“…Wait, do you actually just sleep wherever when you’re drunk? …I was joking.”

“Dunno. Never been that drunk before.”

“Yoo Jora would know. That girl can drink by the crate.”

“Even then, I never drank enough to get drunk. Something about how being drunk reduces pleasure during sex later…”

“Ahhh. Okay. Okay, stop talking about that…”

…Tch. Leave him alone for a second, and he steers the conversation straight into perverted territory.

Is that all this guy thinks about?

Women. Sex.

How to have the most pleasurable sex possible…

Or how to make girls climax over and over…

Something different.

Something more constructive, intellectual—was that impossible for him?

Glaring at Seo Woojin in disgust, I sighed shortly and clinked my can against his.

“…Gimme some of those snacks.”

“You like these?”

“…Can’t I?”

…One more.

And one more.

Even after finishing the first can.

We kept going.

“What are you gonna tell other guys you meet later? …Still gonna use the workout excuse?”

“Just… say I had an ex…”

“Gonna tell them you lost your virginity after having tons of sex with your ex?”

“Then… that’d work…”

“So I’d be your ex. …The one who took your virginity.”

“…It’s just a figure of speech…”

So, how did we even get here?

Was it after talking about what kind of guy I’d meet after cutting ties with both Yoo Siwoo and Seo Woojin?

I tried to retrace the conversation, but my head was too fuzzy to remember.

Beer. I hadn’t even drunk that much yet.

“Then again, it’s a happy thing, so what can you do? If a full-grown adult said they had no experience, that’d be weird too.”

“It wasn’t happy… It just hurt…”

“What did? …Ah, your first time?”

“…Yeah.”

“…What about after? Did it just hurt then too?”

“That time… I at least understood why people do this…”

But the bigger problem wasn’t me—it was Seo Woojin.

At least I was still clinging to my sanity, but Seo Woojin was clearly already pretty tipsy.

His usually sharp eyes were slightly glazed.

He kept dropping the snacks he tried to pick up.

…And unlike usual, he was smiling carelessly.

All while steering the conversation straight into perverted territory, as always.

No.

My ideal type is more like a straight-A student, not some pervert like you.

I hate guys like you…

…Even if my body loves you to death.

Even now, the alcohol kept fueling weird fantasies, filling the trash bin in my head with skin tones and milky hues.

But I hate it…

“But, Seo Woojin-ssi…”

“Yeah.”

“Just because something feels good doesn’t mean you should do it… Like drugs…”

“Why bring up drugs? Sex isn’t illegal.”

“…Not illegal, but…”

“Even if it were… people break minor laws all the time, right? Jaywalking. Sex’s the same.”

“I’ve never done that…”

“Never? …Then why’d you join the villains?”

“…I was just born like this, what was I supposed to do? …Well, I do sometimes think the rich should just drop dead.”

“Like Han Soo-ah?”

“Why’d you bring her up…? Soo-ah’s kind and… pretty…”

Unlike you.

Quiet, and despite her looks, she’s more of a model student type.

Mid-rant, Seo Woojin’s beer can tapped lightly against mine before pulling away.

So I paused to wet my throat with another sip of alcohol.

As I did, Seo Woojin chewed another snack and brought up a different topic.

“Most Wanted’s full of freaks, huh? You’re one of the more normal ones there.”

“…Some of them are genuinely driven by hatred…”

“So you were there because your parents were part of it? Or were you picked up off the streets?”

“Watch your mouth… What if I was an orphan……”

“Didn’t mean anything by it. Both my parents died too. In an accident when I was little.”

“It’s not about whether you meant anything— …Huh? Wait, they died?”

“Just a normal car crash. Didn’t even make the news properly.”

“….”

“Before I got this ability. …Might’ve been the trigger, though.”

I sobered up slightly.

I never looked into it, but Seo Woojin was in a similar situation to me.

I don’t know my parents’ faces or names, but…

He lost his after knowing them.

…Which one’s sadder?

Did I say something wrong?

Even drunk, I was hyper-aware of his reaction. But when I cautiously looked up—

…Thankfully, he was just staring blankly at me, seemingly unfazed.

“Now that I think about it, you’re the one killing the mood, not me.”

“…I didn’t know, okay…?”

“Since it’s come to this, I should be tactless too to balance things out…”

“…What kind of logic is that…”

“…Yours died in an accident too? Both of them?”

“…I don’t even know their faces. Or their surnames.”

“….”

“They just gave me the surname Baek and said I could paint it whatever color I liked later… But I was really little, so they probably just said that. It’s not like I wouldn’t know the director’s surname was Baek.”

“….”

“…Ah, whatever. Let’s stop with the depressing talk. What are we, orphans bonding over tragedy…”

“Better than complaining to kids with parents, right?”

“…I guess, but…”

Taking another sip, I let out a short exhale like Seo Woojin and set my can down.

Maybe it was the alcohol. The mold-like gloom clinging to me had blurred, if only slightly.

But alcohol alone couldn’t wash it all away.

Maybe because I was a little drunk, the gloomy mold crept back like dark clouds.

…I swear.

Without thinking.

“…Give me your hand.”

I said something unnecessary.

“My hand?”

“I wanna touch it.”

“Why… Wait, we shouldn’t touch.”

“We can just hide it under my sleeve…”

“….”

“Just once. There’s something I’ve been curious about but couldn’t ask…”

Pulling my black hoodie sleeve down to cover my palm, Seo Woojin hesitated before cautiously offering his hand.

Awkwardly, since I’d asked to hold it, not just touch.

His comically stiff posture, as if screaming Stop right there!, made me giggle quietly for a moment.

Resting my chin on one hand, I lightly pressed my sleeve-covered hand against his.

…Yeah. Huge.

Even with my hand hidden under the black sleeve, his fingers were a full joint longer than mine.

“No wonder…”

“No wonder, what?”

“…Never mind. Don’t wanna say it anymore.”

“…Must be something perverted. Your reaction gives it away.”

“You think I’m some pervert like you?”

“Then what?”

“Just that they’re really big…”

“…Not that big, am I?”

“They are. Really. Reaaally…”

“….”

“Look. My fingertips only reach up to here…”

Pressing lightly, my fingertips pushed into his fingers through the sleeve.

…Which meant, when he touched me…

Compared to when I touched myself, his fingers reached that much deeper, stimulating walls I couldn’t reach alone.

That’s why it felt…

So good it made my head tingle.

Seo Woojin seemed intrigued that I’d pieced it together.

At the same time, I felt a little embarrassed.

Letting out a sigh laced with alcohol, I pulled my hand away.

“…….”

“…….”

But.

This wasn’t the only thing I’d been curious about.

“…There’s something else I’ve been wondering…”

“….”

“You’re usually with other women, not me…”

“….”

“…You do that, right…?”

A sip.

Seo Woojin answered by tilting his beer can.

“…Don’t you get tired of it?”

“Not yet.”

“Since they’re all women, it’s probably all the same anyway…”

“They’re all different. Their reactions. What feels good during sex.”

“…How are they different?”

“Some try to cling to me the whole time. Others are the opposite.”

“…You’re talking about me. The opposite.”

“Yeah.”

“…I can’t tell if you’re just honest or gave up on lying…”

Laughing in disbelief, I popped a sweet snack into my mouth. Seo Woojin picked up his beer can, then set it back down.

…