episode_0528

.

Yeah.

For a couple who’ve already had sex, something as simple as hugging isn’t a big deal. I could do that much.

Even though the thought that this is something you do when you’re about to break up with Hayoon nagged at me, I could still somehow understand it up to that point.

Of course, right? If it’s this pervert we’re talking about, there must be at least two or three other women I haven’t even accounted for. Whether it’s a sex partner or a girlfriend, there probably isn’t much difference in how he treats them.

So, I obediently let Seo Woojin have his way with me, even up until we showered…

That was about an hour ago.

“…Is it all over now?”

“…Yeah.”

Regardless of how dryly I thought about it.

It wasn’t the kind of story I could just casually spill to Baek Jiho, though.

“You worked hard. Today took… a really long time.”

“…….”

By now, the sun had completely set.

Baek Jiho, who had promised to wait patiently, was indeed sitting quietly in a nearby café, just as he said.

…Maybe he sensed it’d be awkward to suddenly ask me pointed questions. Even though I never asked, he rambled about what he’d been doing alone before killing time at the café. Since it wasn’t anything important, I let it go in one ear and out the other.

The story Baek Jiho wanted to hear now… was something we both already knew too well.

So, with my hands stuffed in my hoodie pockets and occasionally fidgeting, I cautiously spoke up when his one-sided chatter began to die down.

“…Let’s just go home first.”

“Home… Oh, what about dinner? Did you eat?”

“I’m fine. Let’s just go.”

“Are you sure? If we go in at this hour, your parents will naturally assume we ate together, right?”

“I’ll just make some ramen.”

“But ramen is…”

Besides, skipping one meal wouldn’t be a problem.

Letting out a sigh, I cut off the pointless argument and stepped out of the café.

Once outside, the chilly air hit me, and before long, I heard hurried footsteps following behind.

At this point, it was practically a fingerprint—no need to check who it was.

So, I trudged slowly through the night air toward the subway station.

Baek Jiho, who had caught up to me without a word, matched my pace in silence.

Well, of course.

You can’t exactly laugh and chat about something as deep as netorase in the middle of the street.

What kind of lunatic would talk about that kind of thing in public?

So, even though Baek Jiho must’ve had a lot of questions, he didn’t ask me anything.

Whether because of that or in spite of it…

We were lucky enough to find seats together on the train but didn’t exchange much conversation.

At most, we just idly scrolled through our phones.

“…….”

You’re not dating because you like each other.

You’re just taking care of your childhood friend out of pity.

Was that what he said?

As I cleared the flood of notifications from various chat rooms that had piled up during the day, I rewrote Seo Woojin’s words from earlier in my head over and over.

…I really don’t want to admit it.

But it’s not entirely different from what I once casually thought myself.

Even though being with Baek Jiho is comfortable, like family, I’ve never once felt the butterflies that couples are supposed to feel.

And it’s not like we’re some old, bored married couple, either. Even when we first started dating, we weren’t much different from how we are now.

Not to mention last year, on Baek Jiho’s birthday, when I tried to use being drunk as an excuse to sleep with him…

It wasn’t because I genuinely wanted to.

More like… because everyone else does it.

So, were we really not dating because we liked each other?

Just an extension of friendship. Or pity.

Was that all it was?

“……Haah…”

…Seriously.

Was that really it?

I closed my eyes with a faint sigh.

528

Since it was the tail end of December, with icy winds blowing, the number of pedestrians noticeably dwindled once we left the bustling streets.

While the subway station had been packed, by the time we reached the apartment complex, only a handful of people were scattered around.

Do other people just ride around in cars with the heater blasting?—I was lost in that trivial thought when…

“Da-bin, uh…”

…Ah, right.

We have to talk about this too. Of course.

The mood, the situation, his expression, everything. His nonverbal cues made it obvious what he wanted to say.

Baek Jiho called my name and awkwardly averted his gaze.

His lack of confidence was especially irritating today, but I could still instantly tell what he meant.

To sum it up neatly: Can I see the video of you and Seo Woojin doing netorase sex today?

In that case, the only things I could say in response were along these lines:

Sorry, but I didn’t film it this time either.

Seo Woojin said he didn’t want to show you.

And honestly, I’m not even sure if I like you right now.

Are we really in love?

Wouldn’t “friendship” suit us better?

To be blunt, it feels closer to pity than friendship…

“…….”

But saying something like that…

I haven’t even sorted out my own thoughts yet.

And I’m not cruel enough to say something that harsh.

“…Well, Jiho. Actually, there is a video from today.”

“…Yeah?”

“I was thinking… maybe we could keep it just between me and Teacher.”

“…Huh? Again? Why?”

“Uh…”

After a brief hesitation, I blurted out:

“Teacher said that for someone like you, who gets off on being stolen from, it’d be more exciting this way…”

Seo Woojin never actually said that.

…It was entirely my own fabrication.

Not to mention, there was no sex video—

Just a short clip in the bathroom of me clumsily rubbing his long cock between my breasts before taking his thick, jelly-like cum all over my face.

“…But do you still want to see it secretly?”

“…No, I mean, if Teacher says so… it probably makes sense…”

“…….”

I covered it up.

…Breaking up with Baek Jiho.

Honestly, even if you said we’d been together our whole lives, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. And now, over something like preferences…

Pulling the blanket over my head, I recalled the golden lines Seo Woojin spat out while we had sex earlier and kicked the bed with my heels.

Embarrassment aside, is this even possible? I couldn’t help but wonder.

21 years.

In this life—neither short nor long—I’ve never once seriously considered breaking up with Baek Jiho.

How should I put it? It wasn’t that I believed we’d never break up.

More like… the sun rises in the morning, or when you see your mom and dad, you naturally think of them as your parents.

It was just one of those universal truths.

So, even if I tried to imagine life after breaking up, I couldn’t picture it at all.

If Baek Jiho and I really broke up, would our families stop sharing side dishes like they used to?

Useless thoughts like these were all that came to mind.

How long had I been tossing and turning in bed?

Just as I was sinking deeper into my tangled thoughts, I started wondering: What good memories do I even have with Baek Jiho?

But even that was hard to come up with.

At best, it was just the comfort of being together like family…

Not that that’s a bad thing, but it still feels lacking for a couple, you know?

The same went for our other memories.

There were plenty of small, happy moments, but that was it.

Again, not bad, but like Seo Woojin said, it felt more like childhood friends than lovers.

The problem is, this isn’t just how others see us—it’s how I see us too.

If even I think this way, then from an outsider’s perspective…

It must look even more like we’re just close childhood friends rather than a couple.

No wonder that pervert keeps eyeing me…

…Wait, saying he’s eyeing me sounds weird…

—Bzzzt

“…Huh?”

Though I couldn’t see under the blanket, my ears worked just fine.

Reacting to the vibration from my phone right above my head, I fumbled around and pulled it under the covers.

[Seo Woojin] – Did you get home safely?

I thought it was some random notification, but it was a message from Seo Woojin.

…Back to formal speech, huh—I mused briefly.

Feeling oddly unsettled, I lowered the blanket to my chest.

This kind of small talk wasn’t unusual, but maybe it felt different because today we basically had an affair…-like sex.

So now,

It feels like we’re talking behind Baek Jiho’s back.

[Seol Da-bin] – Yes. – By the way, did you just message me because you were bored?

[Seo Woojin] – Not bored, just had something to say. – I’m almost done cleaning up the love juice you splattered everywhere. Killing two birds with one stone. – Didn’t realize it got all the way to the floor.

[Seol Da-bin] – Ughhh… – Sorry about that…! For pointlessly leaking so much…!

…Damn it. That’s what this is about.

Burning with embarrassment, I tapped my phone furiously before forcing myself to cool down.

I was the one at fault, after all.

The bed sheets Seo Woojin had to use were completely soaked because I kept gushing.

And since he was the one who did all the laundry, not me, I really had no right to complain.

So, after sending a single emoji in response, I shifted to a more comfortable position—

When another message came through.

“…….”

But this one…

Rather than being for me…

…I think someone else would appreciate it more.

For now, I ended the conversation by saying I’d ask about it tomorrow.

[Seol Da-bin] – …Have a good night.

Not goodnight, but have a good night.

The same phrase I’d never say to Baek Jiho because it’d make me cringe—

I typed it out carefully, pressing each key firmly.

Watching the 1 disappear.

Making sure.

“…Hey, Mom?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Remember that health teacher we met last summer?”

“Yeah?”

“With the flu going around, I was wondering if you and Dad were doing okay.”

That’s what I said.

If I hadn’t brought it up during a quiet weekend lunch with my parents…

The restaurant wouldn’t have gotten this loud.

“The flu? That’s nothing. Thanks to the teacher, the stiffness in my right wrist is completely gone, my knees don’t ache like they used to, my gums don’t bleed when I brush my teeth anymore, and also…”

“…Okay, okay. Got it.”

Unlike Dad, who just briefly mentioned feeling better, Mom went full-on worship mode, praising Seo Woojin like he was some kind of deity.

To an outsider, it might’ve looked excessive, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Thanks to that, I got a firsthand lesson in why some healers end up cult leaders.

Chewing my food, I barely managed to continue.

“I see… So you’re both fine, no flu or anything…”

“Why? Did the teacher offer to check on us again?”

“…Even if you’re fine, there’s no need to bother him. He’s human too—he’d probably find it annoying.”

“Nonsense! If there’s a chance, we have to invite him!”

At the same time, Mom went on and on about how handsome people have kind hearts, layering compliment after compliment.

Even Dad, influenced by her, chimed in: That’s exactly why he’s a healer—his heart is pure.

…I wanted to sarcastically ask if kind-hearted people these days also blackmail women with boyfriends before sleeping with them… but of course, I couldn’t.

Instead, I just kept eating while wondering if Seo Woojin was even that good-looking.

Honestly, he’s not that handsome—just decent.

On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 6.

…No, since he works out, maybe a 7.

If you factor in his… size and how good he is in bed, maybe 7.5…

Wait, that’s not about looks, though…

As I was lost in this dumb scoring system, Mom, now in a good mood, started humming before speaking up again.

“Next time you have a chance, invite him over. Last time was too sudden—we couldn’t even treat him properly. At least let him have a home-cooked meal. All I remember giving him was one of my treasured chocolates.”

“Treat him? What for…”

“Of course we should! If we’d gone to a hospital, it would’ve cost hundreds, no problem. What’s a few hundred? Even thousands…”

“…Okay, okay. I’ll let him know.”

Had she completely forgotten that the only reason Seo Woojin came over that day was because he was pretending to be drunk?

And that he wasn’t even actually drunk—

He just faked it to get in and sleep with her daughter.

And now she wants to treat him just because he healed her a little?

I groaned internally but agreed anyway.

“…….”

Well, even if I don’t tell him…

That pervert knows his own worth.

I already know how this’ll end.