episode_0581

.

Now.

Among the words being chewed over in my mouth right now, which one would be the most ideal to spit out?

The first choice was a cluster of positive words praising Lee Jiyoon.

“I felt much better when I secretly had sex with you.”

Something along those lines.

Following my instincts, this seemed like the right answer.

In all my years of living, I’ve never once received a negative reaction when complimenting someone.

But something still felt off about blurting it out like this.

Why did Lee Jiyoon suddenly ask me that kind of question?

Why did she cling to me earlier and sniff my scent like that?

Obviously, it was because she was worried Seol Dabin’s scent might still be on me.

It’s not like the scent would be strong enough to be noticeable, but she probably wanted to check just in case.

And when she later asked me what happened between me and Seol Dabin, it was the same logic.

No matter how hard she sniffed, all she’d find is the familiar body wash scent—nothing else.

So it’s only natural to assume she asked purely out of simple curiosity.

But now,

why did Jiyoon, who had been listening to the story, bring up that question?

Was it just as I first thought—that she simply wanted to hear something nice?

Or did she genuinely want me to choose which one felt better?

Or,

would it be okay to interpret it my own way?

That she was starting to feel bothered by Seol Dabin suddenly interfering—

would it be okay to take it that way?

After some deliberation, I finally answered.

“Still, I think I felt better when it was with you.”

“…Really? Hmm…”

For now, I chose the words Jiyoon would want to hear.

Since I’m not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, I couldn’t think of anything else useful.

But surprisingly, her reaction was just… lukewarm.

At least it didn’t seem like the wrong answer, but it didn’t seem to fully satisfy her either.

If I had to score it, I’d give it a solid 50.

A bit disappointing, but since the opportunity presented itself, I casually asked:

“But why? Are you bothered by the senior?”

“W-what…? No, it’s not like that! I just asked because I was curious which one felt better…”

“It’s just not like you to suddenly ask something like that.”

“I can be curious too, you know? Anyway, it’s nothing, so don’t think too much about it.”

“……”

“Besides, now that I think about it, this kind of thing is just about saying something nice and moving on… So forget it. Pretend it never happened.”

The part that bothered me the most.

When I pointed it out directly, her reaction this time was slightly different.

Normally, unlike her sister, she’s quiet and composed when talking, but right now, I could really feel they share the same blood.

So if I keep digging, I might get something more out of her.

I was about to act on a simple, one-dimensional thought—crude but effective.

“It’s not nothing. Your reaction says otherwise.”

“How many times do I have to say no? I’ll really hit you.”

“Were you worried that having a fling with your sister’s friend would feel better?”

“I said no…! Ugh, whatever, just go clean up the dinner stuff!”

“Hey, wait—”

Instead of continuing the conversation, Jiyoon hastily cut me off and shoved me out of the bedroom.

And then—slam!—she even closed the door behind me.

The noise must’ve been loud because Lee Hayoon, who had gone back to her room, peeked out and asked what was going on.

“What happened? If you slam the door like that, you could get hurt—… Oh, never mind, I guess getting hurt doesn’t matter.”

“It’s nothing. Just messing around.”

“Messing around?”

“Yeah. Just a second ago, Jiyoon said she’d help clean up, but now she’s locked the door.”

“You should’ve just told me. Besides, Jiyoon’s bad at housework anyway. You know that, right?”

“She suddenly offered, so I thought I’d let her try.”

“That is surprising… Oh, do you want me to help? Woojin?”

“It’s fine. It won’t even take a minute.”

“Really?”

Luckily, she didn’t seem to notice anything strange.

Hayoon laughed, saying how could I believe Jiyoon would actually help, and we exchanged some meaningless small talk for a bit.

After wrapping up the conversation, I turned my gaze to the firmly closed door in front of me.

There were a lot of disappointing aspects, but there was definitely a reaction when I brought up Seol Dabin.

It’s still unclear whether it was a good or bad reaction, but…

The important thing is that there was a reaction.

“……Haa.”

For now, at this stage where I’ve barely taken the first step—

this much is enough.

581

“…For now, it seems Jiyoon is very conscious of it…”

The very next day after getting a chance to have some fun time with Seo Woojin—

No, actually, the same day I had fun with Woojin.

I received a few short messages from him.

They were so brief that there wasn’t much to summarize, but the gist was roughly “Jiyoon is really conscious of you.”

Apparently, Jiyoon directly grabbed Woojin and asked him how good our se…x was.

Anyway, it seems like things are smoothly sailing—or so it seems.

…Unlike Woojin, who doesn’t seem to have any worries.

I still had one more thing on my mind.

“Everything’s fine, but… if something goes wrong somewhere, couldn’t Jiyoon end up hating me instead…?”

Let me give an example.

What if I misread Jiyoon’s subtle mood and ended up getting too close to Woojin?

This is something I could avoid if I were perceptive enough, but what if Jiyoon’s mood suddenly sours for no reason? There’d be nothing I could do.

But it’s not like I can just treat Woojin like he’s invisible now.

I’ve already used Woojin to deepen my connection with Jiyoon, and I’ve seen the effects firsthand over the past few days.

It’s literally a double-edged sword.

Like keeping a ticking time bomb close, fully aware of the risk but having no choice—that’s the feeling.

How can I handle this without getting hurt…?

Lost in thought, slumped on the reception room sofa, I heard—

“Hello, Dabin sunbaenim.”

Through the slightly opened door, Jiyoon appeared with a soft sound.

“Ah, hi. You’re here earlier than I expected?”

“…You too. I came at this time to be the first one here, but…”

“Ahaha…”

There’s zero merit in arriving early to work.

Maybe if we were salaried workers, but Jiyoon and I are just academy trainees.

But the fact that she went out of her way to arrive early means—

“…Did you like what you did with Woojin yesterday?”

—it was to have this kind of conversation, one we’d have to be careful about if others were around.

Since my reason was the same, I cleared my throat and answered.

“It was… good. Yeah. Better than I imagined…, …it was good.”

“…I see.”

Woojin said Jiyoon was very conscious of me… but

I have no way of knowing right now if that’s in a good way or a bad way.

If her tone had been something like “Sunbaenim, you seemed to enjoy it too. That’s good,” then I could’ve taken it as the former.

If she had just stayed silent, lips tightly pressed, I would’ve assumed the latter.

But what am I supposed to make of this reaction?

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. If it had been bad, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

“No! Don’t worry about it. If it was bad, then it just wasn’t meant to be. Why should you care?”

Judging by her follow-up, it seemed somewhat positive.

Can I really take that at face value?

“But just writing it off as ‘not meant to be’ feels too simple…, …especially since you know our big secret.”

“……”

“…I really wish no one else ever found out about that.”

But this time, it felt more negative, the opposite of before.

Can I take this at face value?

Since it’s such an awkward topic to ask about directly, my head hurts from all the speculation.

Then, Jiyoon’s voice reached my ears again.

“…Sunbaenim, when are you planning to meet Woojin next?”

Next se…x.

…I’ve fantasized about it a lot, but I haven’t actually planned anything concrete yet.

Thinking back to the fling Jiyoon allowed me to have yesterday, I answered:

“I-if possible…, …um…”

“……”

“……Tonight…, …too…?”

“…You did it yesterday, and again?”

“……Is that not okay?”

“……”

The subtle mood I was initially worried about—

was completely overshadowed by a speck of lust.

Before I knew it, it had been wiped clean from my mind.

“…I’ll allow it, but on one condition.”

“A condition…?”

“Yes. Just like how you once made se…x a condition. ……Honestly, aren’t we in the same position now?”

“……”

“…Me, having tons of se…x with my sister’s boyfriend. You, enjoying se…x with your friend’s boyfriend. We’re no different.”

“……”

“Anyway, it’s not a difficult condition…”

By now, time had passed, and other employees were starting to arrive at the office.

In a voice only I—

and the Jiyoon in front of me—could hear:

“…A photo. Just one.”

“…What kind of photo?”

“…That idiot getting ha…rd because of your body.”

“…Why?”

Whisper whisper.

“Just curious. …Whether he gets more excited having se…x with me, his girlfriend’s little sister, or with you, his girlfriend’s friend… Just simple curiosity.”

“……”

“If you tell him later that you’ll use it when you masturbate, he’ll probably take at least one for you…”

“……”

“…Can’t you show it to just me? Without Woojin knowing?”

I gulped.

Whisper whisper.