episode_0467

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Rather than meeting separately as usual, this time the three of us—including Baek Jiho—were meeting together.

Had luck turned against me and they found out? That was my first thought when I saw the message.

Of course, even if I had been caught, I wasn’t sweating bullets or scrambling to come up with an excuse—that wasn’t the worry I had.

From the start, hadn’t Baek Jiho once sent me an absurd signal before?

The kind where he said stuff like his girlfriend moaned my name while masturbating—anyone with half a brain could see the obvious hidden meaning behind that.

So, well, I figured I’d just been caught.

Since he couldn’t just let it slide, he must’ve called me out to talk.

If he gets angry, I can just act awkward and troubled—put on a natural performance.

That was my first thought upon receiving Seol Da-bin’s message.

But upon reflection, one thing struck me as odd.

Isn’t it usually the woman who reaches out in these situations?

Shouldn’t the guy who ought to be furious be the one making contact?

It’s not like Baek Jiho doesn’t have my number.

Was there really a need to have Seol Da-bin message me?

By the time my thoughts had reached that point last night, I fell asleep with a somewhat ridiculous assumption.

Maybe Seol Da-bin—

—had orchestrated this to sever their stale relationship.

Or so I thought.

“Ah, you’re already here. Both of you. Sorry for being late.”

Ten minutes before the agreed time.

I arrived at the café we had settled on the night before, greeted the two who were already seated, and took my own seat.

Screech— A short, sharp sound of a chair scraping echoed.

It was an ordinary café I’d chosen precisely because loud arguments were unlikely to break out here.

Its only notable traits were that I’d visited once before and that it was located roughly halfway between Seol Da-bin’s place and mine.

Given the nature of the café, the number of customers was modest, making it the perfect place to hear each other clearly.

For example—like this.

“You’re not late. We just arrived early.”

“…Hello.”

“…….”

Aha. Seol Da-bin is just like usual.

Hmm. Baek Jiho seems a bit more tense than the image I had of him.

Enough to make an objective judgment.

“So, what’s the occasion…? Ah, I’ll go order something first.”

At any rate, judging by the atmosphere, it seems Seol Da-bin and I haven’t been found out yet.

Given that we’d been having sex practically every other day, it’s only natural her boyfriend would be furious—

But if he had learned the truth, he wouldn’t be sitting so stiffly like this.

At the very least, he’d be visibly restraining his anger.

This probably means my assumption last night was somewhat on point.

Though I still don’t know exactly how she plans to break up with Baek Jiho.

Around the time I finished ordering and returned after hanging up my coat—

“Professor.”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

“…I’ll just get straight to the point. I’m not good with words.”

Still visibly tense, Baek Jiho forced himself to sound composed as he spoke.

“…Well, …sigh…….”

“…….”

“…Da-bin. What do you think of her?”

Seol Da-bin, avoiding eye contact in silence.

Beside her, Baek Jiho uttered those words.

“Uh… She’s your girlfriend’s friend, and she’s kind… Plus….”

“No. Not like that.”

I had a rough idea but wasn’t completely sure, so I feigned ignorance—yet—

…inevitably.

“…As someone of the opposite sex. What do you think of her?”

“…….”

He just had to say it.

So I gave him an appropriate answer.

“…Come again?”

No sane person could comprehend something like this—

Not in an instant.

467

The calm rhythm of jazz music.

The indistinct murmurs of surrounding conversations.

The barely audible clatter of laptop keyboards.

In between these typical café sounds, Baek Jiho’s voice lingered for a long moment.

To summarize—

Baek Jiho had an unusual fetish he found embarrassing to admit to others, and Seol Da-bin was struggling to understand it.

…Well, about half of that was probably genuine, while the other half was still mixed with lies.

Regardless.

This was identical to what I’d overheard from Yozora a while back.

Setting aside the possibility of being aroused by group activities—was the idea of having something precious taken away and utterly destroyed supposed to be exciting? No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.

But apparently, this fetish is more common than expected.

Seems Baek Jiho really is exactly that type.

“…Sorry. That my boyfriend’s a pervert.”

“No, forget about that for now….”

Seol Da-bin—usually brimming with irritation—now wore an apologetic look and even apologized for the trouble.

After giving her a vague response, I turned my gaze to Baek Jiho beside her, idly touching his coffee cup.

I could roughly understand his fetish.

After the conversation I had with him months ago, what was only 99% suspicion was now confirmed.

Back then, he might’ve clumsily masked it—but now, it seems he’s fully decided to drop the act.

The only thing that bothered me was why, of all men, he chose me.

For something this private, wouldn’t it make more sense to involve a complete stranger rather than someone he knows?

Even if Seol Da-bin had gotten off to moaning my name, was that really reason enough to ask me for this?

Or had Seol Da-bin maneuvered things this way?

Carefully probing on this point, Baek Jiho answered with visible embarrassment.

“…Da-bin mentioned something. That among her acquaintances, there’s a friend who… uh… bragged that her boyfriend was really well-endowed….”

“…….”

That was probably about me and Lee Hayoon—but it was hard to believe.

The same Hayoon who used to be embarrassed to even be seen with me—she said that?

…Though, if true, it does somewhat explain why Seol Da-bin used me like a side dish.

But honestly, it feels more plausible that Da-bin just made that up on the spot.

So I briefly glanced her way—only to catch her pretending not to know anything, feigning ignorance.

…Eventually, I heaved a faint sigh and continued.

“So, just for that kind of reason? And I’m already seeing someone, you know.”

“W-Well, someone like you… is incredibly trustworthy, dependable….”

“Trustworthy… Hmm.”

The reason didn’t really matter.

The only thing that had to hold was whether ‘Seo Woojin, who cares deeply for his girlfriend,’ could reluctantly agree to this proposal.

In that regard, ‘trustworthy’ was an uncomfortably passable label.

Since this had to stay absolutely secret, it also gave me the perfect excuse to wrap things up before they escalated further.

So I played the part of a bewildered man and asked—

Far better for maintaining the upper hand than acting arrogant.

“…Then what exactly do you need me to do?”

“…….”

Obviously, sex.

Nothing else made sense—yet Baek Jiho and Seol Da-bin hesitated to answer.

Probably because of where we were.

Given how far removed this conversation was from the café’s cozy atmosphere, I switched tactics—

An easy method.

In a country with a high literacy rate, surely everyone could parse simple Korean, right?

Like like—this.

“…….”

“…….”

S-E-X-?

Even if I had to spell it out with my fingers on the table.

“Yes… Um. Yeah. That.”

“…Sigh….”

Baek Jiho nodded, while Seol Da-bin finally failed to stifle a sigh.

Watching their awkward expressions, Baek Jiho pulled his chair closer and spoke again.

“…And, if possible, I’d like you to act like lovers.”

“Like lovers?”

“Se… sex comes in different forms. Not just a quick, get-it-over-with kind… but something with real emotion behind it….”

“No, no—not that part.”

“…Huh?”

Mid-explanation, I cut him off, and he froze—as if he’d made a mistake.

Rubbing my temples with visible frustration, I clarified.

“…Were you planning to just watch us from the sidelines?”

A simple release of sexual tension wouldn’t cut it—he wanted us to embrace like actual lovers.

But watching from afar wouldn’t hold meaning for someone who isn’t physically present.

When I pressed him, Baek Jiho hesitated, eyes darting around.

After a few seconds, he cautiously muttered—

“Video… footage….”

“…….”

“…I’m sorry.”

He blurted it out quickly, then bowed his head in shame.

“So, you want me to film myself having sex with your girlfriend… and send it to you?”

Not a difficult request. Honestly, ranked among the easiest options.

Even if equipment was needed, a simple tripod—or even holding the phone would suffice.

Only thing was—I wasn’t too keen on sharing footage with her boyfriend.

And given that Seol Da-bin was already sleeping with me, the only thing that changed was she could now openly cheat—was that it?

I’d secretly hoped to draw a line with Jiho and make her my woman—

But if they wanted to engage in this kind of play, it meant she hadn’t let go of her lingering feelings for him.

In the end, things had skewed slightly off course.

“…Sorry for asking something so strange, Professor.”

“…….”

But it wasn’t all bad.

A minor detour, but this could still loop back to my desired destination.

Either way, I could now hold Seol Da-bin as much as I wanted.

Instead of some guy making absurd requests, I could have my way with her.

Once they broke up, I could even push things further—beyond just roleplay or theater.

Even if some parts still didn’t sit right—

The answer was already decided.

“Do you both have time today?”

“…I already told my boyfriend I was hanging out with him.”

“Then it shouldn’t matter if you return a little late.”

After exchanging those brief words, I stood from my seat.