episode_0622

My hazy memory ended there. To add a bit more, the conclusion was me complaining to Woojin, who had just finished showering, asking why he did that, before vaguely falling asleep… But that’s not particularly important right now. What’s important now is what to do next.

“…Do you need help?” Late morning. As I rummaged through the refrigerator by myself, Woojin, who had roughly finished cleaning, asked with an apologetic expression.

His kindness was appreciated, but if it was the Woojin I knew, he wouldn’t be much help in preparing breakfast. Moreover, Dabin was sleeping right behind us now… It wasn’t a situation where I could flirt and cuddle with Woojin like usual either.

“N-no, it’s fine. You must have had a hard time cleaning by yourself, so just rest in the room.” “No. It wasn’t hard at all. I only did the recycling.” “Still… Besides, you’re not good at cooking, are you…?”

“That’s true, but I figured I could just boil some ramen today. We drank quite a bit yesterday, didn’t we? …And now I can even make simple pasta.” “Hmm…”

Pasta? Did he practice by himself to make it for me? I wasn’t sure, but I let it go for now. I could check his skills another time. Instead, I glanced at Dabin, who was still sleeping soundly, and then spoke.

“…Then, um, let’s just say breakfast will be hangover ramen for now.” “Okay. I’ll cook it.” “After you put the water on the stove, could you come a little closer to me…?”

“Just a second… Is this close enough?” “…Yes.” “…So, why?”

“It’s nothing else… It’s about what happened yesterday.” “…Ah, yes.”

Woojin said to talk about it later, but how could I wait until then for this conversation? …I want to confirm and resolve it as soon as possible.

“You know what I’m talking about, right…?” “Of course I do. How could I not know that?”

“…Y-you say it first.” “…Should I say it exactly as it happened?” “Yes. Exactly.”

“…I had sex with Dabin in the bedroom. Because you, Noona, allowed it.” “Haaa… I thought I might have had some strange dream all by myself…” “If your memory and mine are the same, wouldn’t it not be a dream?” “That’s true, but…”

“……” “And what you did with Jiyoon in the bathroom, …is that true?” “…Yeah.”

It seemed my hazy memory was real after all. If it had just been a bizarre dream, nothing would have been more fortunate… So, it was true that he had sex with Dabin with my permission. It was also true that Dabin had learned Jiyoon’s secret. Therefore, it would be good for me to consider what Dabin would ask for in exchange for keeping the secret. And there was a 99.999% chance that it would be…

“I’m sorry. Jiyoon said that all the older sisters enjoyed it, but she was the only one who couldn’t, so she came to me and…” “…It’s fine. That’s all in the past now…” “……” “And if someone needs to be scolded, it should be Jiyoon. …I clearly told her to be quiet, but she ended up making a lot of noise. Her.”

It was obvious it would be Woojin. …More precisely, the right to meet Woojin occasionally. A ticket to have sex occasionally. Something like that.

“……” Flames roared from the gas stove, and a momentary silence fell. Woojin was probably acting like that because he felt sorry for me. Not only had he done such a thing with my close friend, but he had also revealed my and Jiyoon’s most embarrassing secret to her. But if I had intended to remain silent like this, I wouldn’t have told Woojin to come closer.

“I’ve been thinking, and Dabin will probably want… compensation…” “Compensation?” “Since she learned such a big secret, she’ll naturally want hush money, won’t she?” “If it’s money, I can manage somehow…” “It’s not money, you idiot.”

“…She’ll want to meet you. She told me she had a secret crush on you because she was charmed by your kindness.” Perhaps it was because he heard this kind of talk, Woojin avoided my gaze and silently looked down at the pot in front of him. Without any rebuttal, only the water, slowly bubbling, filled his sight. …I wasn’t sure exactly, but perhaps he was showing that reaction because his heart was heavy.

I let out a heavy sigh and took out four packets of ramen from the cupboard, enough for everyone. “Of course, you can do it, but…” “…What?”

“You can do it, but every time you do, you *must* tell me. Understood? And try not to go out too much; meet at home.” “…I can do it? Honestly, that’s just cheating on you with your friend, Noona…” “What else can I do…? Dabin hasn’t said anything yet, but if she says she wants to, I’ll have no choice but to allow it.”

Rather than worrying about them meeting secretly, it’s better to manage it directly beside them to ensure they don’t get caught. I probably thought something similar in the early morning, and even rethinking it now, my judgment remained unchanged. She was so intoxicated that she nearly raped Woojin immediately after drinking some alcohol. Even if her desires were somewhat resolved this early morning, I can’t feel at ease with this. Now that she’s tasted meat, would it truly be possible for her to restrain herself from now on? …It’s not that her desires were resolved, but rather that new ones have emerged.

“I’m sorry, Noona.” “From now on, don’t be too kind to other women. Understood?” “…I’ll try.”

“Do you even know that some of my friends are in your fan club? …Anyway, it seems you really need to be careful from now on…” If the new semester starts in about half a month like this, I’ll have to worry if Dabin keeps secretly visiting the infirmary. So, maybe I should input a manual for Dabin into Woojin’s mind… I was grumbling and worrying as I tore open a ramen packet.

“………Ugh…” The sound of a light stretch came from behind. Dabin, who had been asleep just now, was creakingly getting up from the sofa. I wasn’t sure exactly, but I suspected it was probably due to last night’s hangover. …I felt it even when we had sex together, but she’s normally a very flexible girl.

“……” And at the same time, a vague hope slowly crept in—that if she was in that state, she might actually have blacked out. Indeed, she was so drunk that she couldn’t control her own desires and was practically raping someone else’s boyfriend. If she was that drunk, there was a high probability that she had forgotten all the embarrassing things that happened early yesterday morning.

…Of course, if Jiyoon alone remembered the events of that early morning later, that would present another difficult situation. But that would be easier to handle, at least. Hoping that Dabin’s memory had vanished, I offered a morning greeting.

“Well, did you sleep well, Dabin?” “Ugh… Just a moment…”

A reply didn’t come immediately. Perhaps her head hurt from the hangover, as all she did was gently tap one side of her head with her hand. Well, she had just woken up, so that was understandable. Up to this point, I hadn’t thought much of it.

But Dabin’s behavior was peculiar for someone who had simply ‘just woken up.’ What stood out most was that she was staring at both of us with wide, surprised eyes like a rabbit. …If I were to think about it in the most positive way, it could be seen as a reaction of ‘Why on earth did I wake up in Hayoon’s house?’ If I were to think about it in the most negative way,

As expected. “…Ah, hello… …Woojin-ssi…” “…Did you sleep well?” “Yes…” “It wasn’t a very comfortable place to sleep, being a sofa.” “No, I slept well. Besides, we… were really tired from yesterday’s events…”

“……” Because everything that happened yesterday was vividly remembered. …Because she was mortally embarrassed. There could be no other reason.

“Hey, I said hello first, so why is the question going to Woojin…?” “…Ah, I’m, I’m sorry, Hayoon…” “That… …No, it’s fine.”

No. Her reaction was too much like ‘someone who vividly remembers everything that happened yesterday.’ The Dabin I knew wouldn’t immediately apologize while shrinking like that; she should be throwing a playful joke. To be even more precise, the part where Dabin shyly greeted Woojin was completely wrong to begin with… Anyway, seeing that reaction, it would be difficult to rely on the chance that she blacked out. With a heavy sigh, I broke the ramen packet in half.

“…Hayoon, did you sleep well?” “…Just, you know, …a normal feeling.” “I see…”

“……” “……” …Ah, damn it. What kind of conversations did I usually have with Dabin at times like this? Even if not that, aren’t there terms like small talk or ice-breaking? No matter how hard I tried to recall, only artificial conversations came to mind, and my usual natural way of speaking didn’t come to me at all. To be honest, only yesterday’s events kept coming to mind. Memories like making love with Woojin while entangled with Dabin. Or questions like whether she would truly keep Jiyoon’s secret from others. Something like that. And it seemed Dabin and Woojin felt the same, as silence lingered between us for quite a long time. Only the rustling sound of the ramen packets being crumpled into the trash can and the bubbling sound of water boiling in the pot faintly echoed. …What should I do about this? Like it or not, it would be good to at least talk about yesterday’s events… Whether we end it as a one-night mistake… Or promise to set a number of times for us to spend together in the future… Haaah…

“……” Therefore, while I was boiling ramen without saying anything, a rustling presence was heard from the direction of the sofa. It seemed Dabin, who was on the sofa, was about to get up. And that presence slowly crept towards us and stopped right behind me.

“…Um, Woojin-ssi.” The name that finally broke the long silence was Woojin’s again. Honestly, it was a part that bothered me greatly as his girlfriend, but I didn’t say anything for now. Simply put, it was just calling his name, right? Besides, wanting to talk to a man she has a crush on… well… I was already willing to allow something much more absurd than that, even occasional sex. Yes. Yes. Enjoy yourselves to the fullest. With roughly this attitude, I focused on boiling the ramen.

“…What happened yesterday, I wanted to apologize for it while Hayoon was here too…” “Yesterday… wasn’t there nothing Dabin-ssi needed to apologize for?” “Ah, no. There was one thing, wasn’t there…?” “One thing?” “…W-well, that is…” “……” “…After I overpowered Woojin-ssi, I… r-raped him…”

In truth, it was an environment where I absolutely couldn’t concentrate.

“Woojin-ssi kept telling me I’d regret it and tried to stop me… but I completely ignored him and worked hard pressing my hips down…” “……” “…I really enjoyed it, but I thought you must have felt quite unpleasant, from the receiving end…”

For now. Somehow.