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Due to Joo-won’s meticulous supervision, Da-eun couldn’t stay up all night studying, even though it was exam period.
She had studied diligently beforehand, so she did well on the exams, but it was her first time taking an exam without pulling an all-nighter, so she was constantly nervous.
Thursday, the second day of exams.
After finishing her exam, she headed to her locker when she heard a cold voice from the end of the hallway.
“Da-eun-ah.”
Da-eun, who had stopped abruptly, slowly turned around. At the end of the hallway stood Professor Park Eun-ju, wearing glasses and with her hair tied back, her expressionless face directed at Da-eun.
“Professor, hello.”
So, the inevitable had finally arrived.
Da-eun bit her lip tightly. Her mind was a mess, trying to figure out how to act in front of Professor Park Eun-ju.
What should she do if the professor told her to break up with Joo-won?
Would she raise her voice for hiding her relationship with Joo-won?
Just as Da-eun felt uncomfortable entering the lab of her boyfriend’s mother, Professor Park Eun-ju would also feel uneasy having her son’s girlfriend as a student.
It was a complicated situation in many ways. She had talked about this issue with Joo-won, but it was a matter that depended on Da-eun’s feelings, and still, no answer had emerged.
“Shall we go to my office for a moment?”
“Yes, Professor.”
It felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on her chest. Each step she took felt like her feet were sinking into the floor.
Da-eun put her book in her locker and hurried over to Professor Park Eun-ju. Judging from Professor Park Eun-ju’s cold expression, she seemed quite angry.
Da-eun had thought there was a fifty-fifty chance.
Either the professor would oppose her dating Joo-won or oppose her joining the lab. Even in Da-eun’s imagination, the thought that the professor would approve of their relationship didn’t occur to her.
But now, facing Professor Park Eun-ju’s icy demeanor, Da-eun felt breathless.
In the elevator heading to the office, Professor Park Eun-ju didn’t say a single word, and Da-eun’s heart pounded as if it would burst.
What should she do if the professor told her to break up? What should she do if the professor withdrew her offer to join the lab?
What if the professor told her to break up with Joo-won and not to join the lab!
In that case, even if it wasn’t Professor Park Eun-ju’s lab, she wouldn’t even dream of going to graduate school at Korea University. Should she really go for that escape route of studying abroad?
Da-eun worried incessantly, letting her imagination run wild. The fact that Professor Park Eun-ju, who always maintained a poker face, had a grayish complexion made it seem like there was no hope at all.
Why wasn’t the professor hiding her emotions today?
Da-eun felt like she was about to cry even before entering the office.
Professor Park Eun-ju, who had already entered the office, sat down on the sofa. She gestured to Da-eun with her chin to sit opposite her.
“I heard the rumors.”
“Ah...”
Her hands turned icy cold. She clasped her trembling hands together, but it didn’t help much.
Where should she start? How should she explain? She didn’t want to beg for forgiveness for dating Joo-won. But she also couldn’t just obediently accept if the professor told her to break up.
Thoughts chased each other in her mind. Professor Park Eun-ju clicked her tongue, sounding disappointed.
“Judging by your silence, I suppose you have no intention of making excuses?”
“I apologize for not telling you beforehand.”
The words she spoke, “I apologize for not telling you beforehand,” were a compromise, not because she wanted to be forgiven for dating Joo-won.
“I’m truly disappointed, Da-eun-ah.”
At Da-eun’s words, Professor Park Eun-ju sighed deeply and rubbed her dry face with one hand.
Was it really such a terrible thing? Professor Park Eun-ju’s expression was icily cold.
The moment Professor Park Eun-ju’s sharp gaze touched her, it stung as if a blade had cut her skin.
“Knowing how much I cherished you. I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back.”
“Professor, I’m sorry. It wasn’t that I intentionally tried to deceive you, Professor, and I didn’t know at first either.”
“Don’t you know that the longer you talk, the more pathetic you sound? You really don’t know the basic attitude of apologizing, do you?”
At Professor Park Eun-ju’s sharp remark, Da-eun shut her mouth tightly.
Even though she was always sensitive, Professor Park Eun-ju never got angry at her students with personal feelings. The fact that she raised her voice sent a chill down Da-eun’s spine.
“I’m sorry.”
Da-eun swallowed any further explanation and lowered her head deeply.
“Why? Didn’t you want to study under me?”
She was desperately trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes...
Wait. What did the professor just say?
“I naturally assumed you would join our lab, so a few days ago, I even went to a faculty meeting and boasted about you. That the top student in aesthetics, Hwang Da-eun, would be joining me. Do you know how proud I was in front of everyone? But why did I have to hear through the teaching assistant that the top student in aesthetics had submitted an application for an overseas scholarship? Do you even know what I look like in front of the other professors?”
Da-eun blinked her large eyes for a moment, trying to follow the conversation, her mind racing. The tears that had welled up in her eyes receded, and she slowly began to grasp the situation.
“Were you trying to weigh your options? Keeping one foot in studying abroad and planning to come to me if you failed?”
“No, Professor!”
Could it be that the professor wasn’t angry about her secret relationship with Joo-won, but rather about the overseas scholarship application?
If so, did she not know about the rumors of her dating Joo-won yet?
Should she confess first before being asked?
Her mind was a mess, but when Professor Park Eun-ju’s expression, waiting for an answer, turned fierce again, Da-eun realized she couldn’t delay any longer.
Da-eun took a deep breath and slowly explained the whole situation.
“I didn’t submit the application myself; a classmate submitted it on my behalf. I only found out about this scholarship program right before the deadline, and I was considering it, but I ended up going to the emergency room that day, so I forgot about submitting the application altogether. In the end, I decided not to go and had forgotten about it, but it turned out that my friend submitted the application to the department office while I was in the hospital.”
“Emergency room? Why were you in the hospital?”
“Vasovagal syncope... They said it’s stress-related.”
“Is that so? Nothing serious?”
“No, Professor.”
At Da-eun’s words that she hadn’t submitted the application herself, Professor Park Eun-ju’s face brightened.
“I was worried.”
Even as she said she was worried, a smile spread across Professor Park Eun-ju’s lips.
Her eyes were wide with a smile, but the contrast with her expressionless mouth felt strangely unsettling.
“They said it’s nothing serious. Thank you for your concern.”
“Then. You’re not going to study abroad?”
“Actually, my heart did waver when I saw the scholarship notice. But after careful consideration, I realized that throughout my senior year, my desire to learn under you was greater than my desire to study abroad. It’s true that I was momentarily swayed by the good conditions and worried, but I still feel like there’s more to learn here in Korea. I want to learn under you, Professor.”
“Even though the aesthetics department at Korea University attracts all the top students from across the country. I can’t help but cherish you more. A top graduate from our own undergraduate program. In the aesthetics department in Korea, that means you’re the best. How can the other students compare in my eyes?”
Professor Park Eun-ju nodded in agreement with Da-eun, looking relieved. “If you do your master’s and doctorate under me, wouldn’t I take good care of you? Unless you have powerful connections, finishing your doctorate at your alma mater is also advantageous for getting a professorship. You probably want to teach at your alma mater rather than another school, right? You can go study abroad later when Joo-won goes for his MBA, or something.”
“Pardon?”
At the sudden change of topic, Da-eun was lost in thought again.
Did the professor know she was dating Joo-won and was just acting so nonchalant?
Judging from the context, it seemed Professor Park Eun-ju knew that Joo-won and Da-eun were dating.
The professor had been so furious about the study abroad news, but she was so indifferent about the dating news?
True to her academic nature, it seemed that securing a graduate student was more of a concern than her son’s love life.
Da-eun’s worry that the professor might oppose her relationship with Joo-won due to their difference in financial status was unfounded. Professor Park Eun-ju, a true academic, seemed to have slightly different criteria for evaluating her son’s girlfriend compared to ordinary people.
“It’s also good to live abroad before the kids start school. If you spend about two or three years living like you’re dating overseas, you’ll become very affectionate. It’s also better because the kids will naturally become bilingual. Joo-won was like that too.”
Da-eun was completely bewildered by the conversation’s speed, unable to keep up.
“Kids?”
“You have to have at least two. If you only have one like me, you’re so worried about the child that it’s hard to write papers. If I try to go to a seminar, I’m a mess because of the child. Even with a nanny, they throw a fit because they miss their mom. If there are two, they’ll play well together. It would be perfect to have them back-to-back after finishing your master’s. By then, Joo-won will probably have settled down at the company. You can get married, have kids right away, take a breather while raising them, stay abroad, and then come back to start your doctoral program.”
Since when had Professor Park Eun-ju planned out Da-eun’s family life?
Da-eun was speechless at the detailed blueprint she herself had never even considered. It felt like she was looking at a ten-year “Hwang Da-eun Life Plan.”
“Ah...”
“Got it? Do it that way and submit the study abroad application anyway. Joo-won will take good care of his wife. He grew up watching me struggle to write my papers, so he has a bit of a thoughtful side.”
“Yes...”
Da-eun realized she had stepped into a swamp from which she could never escape, but it was already too late to turn back.
Professor Park Eun-ju smiled brightly and placed a book in Da-eun’s hands. This time, it was a signed first edition of Professor Park Eun-ju’s new book. Da-eun could only move her lips, feeling overwhelmed by the gift.
“It feels like just yesterday that Joo-won was drunk and looking for you. Time really flies.”
“Pardon? Joo-won was?”
Da-eun was startled to hear that Joo-won had been drunk and looking for her in front of Professor Park Eun-ju.
“Don’t even mention it. The first time Joo-won came home drunk when he was twenty, he was looking for you. I was so worried back then, thinking something had happened to him.”
Professor Park Eun-ju smiled, reminiscing about the past.
“When he was twenty?”
Joo-won had once told her that he had liked Da-eun since he was twenty, but Da-eun had dismissed it. Joo-won had never even expressed any interest, so she was skeptical.
But hearing Professor Park Eun-ju directly say that Joo-won was interested in her was surprising.
“He kept saying ‘Hwang Da-eun, Hwang Da-eun’ while drunk, so I wondered who he was looking for so desperately. I checked your name in the attendance book and laughed for a long time. That Joo-won, he has high standards, having a one-sided crush on the top student in aesthetics. It was amusing.”
“Ah...”
Thinking about Professor Park Eun-ju, who had been keeping a close eye on her since then, made Da-eun feel like she was caught in a grand scheme.
“I had my eye on you since then.”
Did that mean the professor had been considering Da-eun as a daughter-in-law for three years?
“As a graduate student.”
“Ah, yes.”
Professor Park Eun-ju’s tone, even more chilling than saying she had her eye on her as a daughter-in-law, sent shivers down Da-eun’s spine.
Professor Park Eun-ju’s eyes flickered with a dark light that held a scheme. The professor’s obsessive gaze, which had been watching Da-eun for a long time to make her her student, became cloudy.
“Da-eun-ah, so I’ll assume you’re not going to study abroad.”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
Da-eun stood up and bowed.
When the professor called my name, I went to her and became a graduate student.
________________________________________
She successfully completed the first semester final exams of her senior year.
After finishing the last exam and leaving the humanities building, Da-eun stretched languidly. With light steps, all the weight gone from her heart, she embraced the brilliant sunlight with her whole body.
She savored the refreshing youth at the cusp of early summer. The lush green trees that had stood with the campus for a hundred years swayed pleasantly in the sunlight, waving their leaves.
She had thought it was the end, but it was a new beginning.
She would probably have to spend an even longer time here than the time she had already spent at school.
“Da-eun-ah.”
It was then. Someone more dazzling than the brilliant sky approached Da-eun’s side.
Yoon Joo-won’s hair, catching the light of June, flowed pleasantly. Joo-won gently wrapped his arm around Da-eun’s shoulders and smiled tenderly.
“You worked hard.”
Joo-won, whose exams had finished a day earlier, didn’t need to come to school, but he had come to campus to meet Da-eun when her exam ended.
“How can you be so small, cute, lovely, and pretty?”
Joo-won hugged Da-eun’s small frame tightly with his large body. Da-eun rubbed her face against Joo-won’s chest.
“Am I too short?”
“Are you just short? Your hands, feet, and face are all small. That’s why I’m scared I’ll break you when I hold you. You’re small and precious. I think I know what it means to want to carry you around in my pocket.”
Da-eun stood on tiptoe and kissed Joo-won’s chin.
“We’re finally free for a while. When do you start work?”
“I have about ten days.”
“Let’s go on dates every day until then.”
Joo-won nodded and rubbed his lips against the top of Da-eun’s head.
She didn’t care if people were watching. All she could see was Yoon Joo-won.
Joo-won reached the car and opened the passenger door for her. Watching Joo-won walk around the hood to the driver’s seat, Da-eun suddenly remembered something from a while ago.
“Yoon Joo-won.”
“Yeah, Da-eun-ah.”
“If you give another woman a ride in your car, you’re dead.”
“Why would I give another woman a ride?”
Da-eun scoffed and glared at Joo-won.
“Are you even going to lie?”
“Lie? I haven’t given any woman a ride.”
“Last week, I saw those girls in the business school underground parking lot practically swooning in your car. I saw it all, you know?”
“Ah, that day.”
“Yeah, that day.”
It wasn’t a lie, but it was as if it wasn’t important enough to even remember, as Joo-won recalled the events of that day.
“Actually... there was no one in the business school parking lot, so I told you to come, but suddenly a bunch of kids came out of nowhere and started touching the car without permission. I was annoyed too, but I was in pain from the vasectomy that day, so I didn’t have the energy to say anything to them. The doctor said I could go back to my daily life right away, but that wasn’t the case for me. I didn’t even have the energy to come to school, but I came because I missed you. Anyway, the girls just said they wanted to take pictures and got in the car before I could even give permission. I didn’t want to argue, and chasing them out would have looked like I was showing off, so I just let it go, but I won’t do that again.”
Da-eun felt relieved by his detailed explanation of the situation. She also liked the annoyed expression on Joo-won’s face as he recalled that time.
“That was really the first time, right?”
“Yeah. And the last.”
Da-eun smiled, watching Joo-won explain everything so thoroughly.
“But Da-eun-ah.”
“Yeah?”
“Were you jealous?”
“Jealous? What jealousy?”
“You seemed jealous?”
“I wasn’t.”
Da-eun, who had been looking down, noticed that Joo-won’s lower body, which was driving, was surprisingly swollen.
“Yoon Joo-won! Are you crazy? Why is your pants like that while you’re driving? It’s dangerous!”
“Seeing Hwang Da-eun jealous makes me horny.”
“Doesn’t it hurt anymore?”
“It hurts.”
“Still?”
“It hurts because I want to cum. My balls feel like they’re going to burst from all the semen buildup. I need to release it every now and then, but it’s built up too much.”
“That tone of voice...”
“Why? Does my tone make your pussy tingle?”
“You’re really crazy.”
Da-eun’s face flushed for no reason, and she turned her head towards the car window.
“Da-eun-ah, let’s go do our homework.”
“Homework? I finished all my reports...”
Da-eun, who had been answering brightly about the sudden homework talk, shut her mouth tight as she saw Joo-won’s lecherous gaze.
Joo-won suddenly grabbed Da-eun’s hands, which were demurely clasped together. Her thighs felt damp in the broad daylight.
________________________________________
“I should give you a tour of the house first...”
As soon as they entered the front door, Da-eun was pushed against the wall and helplessly accepted Joo-won’s kiss.
“I should show you my dick first.”
“Ah, no, why here...”
“I got it tuned up, aren’t you even going to look?”
Joo-won roughly threw off his shirt and opened his slacks. He didn’t stop kissing her lips even as he took off his clothes.
“We can take our time...”
“Quickly check if I’ve become infertile or not.”
His drawers fell to the floor with a thud, and his heavy, erect cock sprang up and pressed tightly against his navel.
“Wash up, Joo-won-ah. Huh? Wash up.”
“After ten days, you won’t even look at my dick and touch it?”
“No, a person should wash up first!”
“Who isn’t washing up? I got my tubes tied because it might not be good for your body, would I just stick it in? I’m just asking you to touch it first. Can’t you give it some love?”
“No, why does it need to be loved like that?”
“My dick has a love deficiency.”
“Ah!”
Joo-won hoisted Da-eun, who was telling him to wash up, over his shoulder like a sack of luggage. Her heart pounded at Joo-won’s forceful actions, but a sense of apprehension also crept in.
She looked around the living room while hanging onto Joo-won’s shoulders. Before she could even admire the view of the Han River stretching out from the living room, the bathroom door opened.
Joo-won put Da-eun down in the bathroom and then tore off Da-eun’s clothes as if ripping them. Before she could even take off her underwear, hot water poured from the shower, soaking both her bra and panties.
“Are you crazy? What are you going to do if these get wet?”
“I guess you’ll have to go naked at home.”
“Did you do this on purpose?”
Joo-won nonchalantly raised his eyebrows and began to lather her body.
In front of the sink, a black toothbrush and a pink toothbrush were placed side by side. Joo-won handed the pink toothbrush to Da-eun and kissed her lips.
“Your toothbrush.”
“I don’t like pink.”
“Then use mine. We already lick and suck each other, what’s a shared toothbrush?”
While Da-eun brushed her teeth, Joo-won diligently washed her body. His hands holding her breasts and rinsing between her legs were so suggestive that the speed of her brushing gradually slowed down.
After they both washed, Joo-won, holding a black and a pink towel, first dried his own body with the black towel, then wrapped Da-eun in the pink towel and slung her over his shoulder again like a sack of luggage.
“Why are all my things pink? I like black too.”
“Our Da-eun’s things need to be bright colors so you can throw them away before they get dirty.”
“That’s unnecessarily polluting the environment.”
“You’re like a cute and lovely princess, so pink suits you.”
“Princess? That’s creepy.”
“Yellow suits you too, like a chick.”
“You’re crazy.”
“There isn’t a color that doesn’t suit you, though.”
Da-eun, still hanging onto Joo-won’s shoulders, briefly glanced at the neat kitchen in the distance this time.
The bedroom door opened, and Joo-won threw Da-eun onto the bed like a doll. Da-eun cringed at the sight of the condoms piled high on the bed.
“What’s all this?”
“Homework.”
“Homework? You said you had a vasectomy.”
“The doctor said I have to release the built-up semen about 50 times and then go back to the hospital for a check-up.”
So that’s what he meant by homework.
“Fifty times?”
“You can’t go out until the homework is finished.”
Joo-won, who had picked up a condom, had a beastly glint in his eyes. He naturally tore open the foil and put the condom on his cock before striding towards her.
“Hey, we said we’d go on dates to our heart’s content for ten days.”
“We can do that to our heart’s content if we finish the homework quickly.”
“You’re not going to let me out until we do it 50 times?”
“We need to relieve our Da-eun’s stress.”
Joo-won smiled affirmatively and pulled Da-eun’s legs towards him.
Joo-won buried his face between Da-eun’s legs, which were still resting on the bed. As his warm breath washed over her, her juices flowed out as if they had been waiting.
“You’re already squirting before I even get in.”
Was it because she hadn’t had sex with Joo-won for ten days?
Just a single dirty remark sent a strange thrill through her vulva.
Joo-won licked Da-eun’s swollen labia intimately and chuckled softly.
“Hwang Da-eun’s pussy is delicious.”
“Hnng, uhn.”
Slurp, tsk.
The stimulation of his tongue, lewdly probing her folds, made her hips lift involuntarily. The moment his lips touched her membrane, a pulse shot through her clit.
Joo-won relentlessly teased her throbbing flesh with his tongue while simultaneously inserting two fingers into Da-eun’s vagina.
“Hng, ahh.”
He reached up with his left hand to rub Da-eun’s nipple while his right hand churned inside her vaginal walls.
As he freely moved both hands and rubbed her clit with his tongue, a stream of liquid gushed from deep within her.
Slurrrp.
Joo-won greedily sucked on the flood of her juices that defied gravity like a fountain. Da-eun spread her legs wide, bouncing her hips and reaching out to Joo-won with both hands.
“Hnnng, hold me.”
Joo-won, who had been lying on top of Da-eun, inserted his cock as if he had been waiting.
“Haaah...”
“Hah, uhn.”
“Da-eun-ah. I love you.”
“You’ve loved me since you were twenty, right? You cried and got drunk and couldn’t forget me, right? I was your first love, wasn’t I? You went through so much trying to forget me, right?”
“What?”
Joo-won, who had been thrusting his member inside her, suddenly stopped moving and asked her.
“I heard everything.”
“Heard what?”
“That you had a crush on me when you were twenty.”
“Who told you?”
“Professor Park Eun-ju. She said you cried and looked for me while you were drunk? I always thought it was half a joke that you liked me when you were twenty.”
“Shit... How embarrassing...”
“Joo-won-ah, I love you too. Our Joo-won, you achieved your first love? You must be happy. Achieving your first love.”
“Yeah, damn it. I’m so fucking happy.”
When Da-eun teased Joo-won, he plunged his manhood deep inside her.
Thwack!
“Haaah, uhn!”
Joo-won, who had wrapped his limbs around Da-eun, began to thrust rapidly.
“So. Who was our Da-eun’s first love?”
“Uhn?”
“Tell me.”
“Y-you... you were...”
“Why else would I have gotten drunk and acted like a dog? You confessed you liked some other guy besides me.”
Thwump thwump!
At Joo-won’s rough thrusts, Da-eun cried out in pleasure. Joo-won, relentlessly pressing for her answer, slammed his shaft powerfully against her vaginal walls.
“A-ah, no, that was... when I didn’t know anything... We didn’t even hold hands, can you call that first love?”
“You didn’t even hold hands with that bastard Kim Se-jun?”
“Yeah.”
“So my kiss was your first?”
“Of course.”
“And I was your first time having sex?”
“Why are you asking when you already know?”
“I want to hear it even if I know.”
“What?”
“That I was your first in everything.”
Da-eun hugged Joo-won’s back tightly and whispered.
“Joo-won-ah. You were my first. You’re my first love.”
“Haaah...”
Thwack!
Joo-won filled her deeply, as if he couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Hng, uhn, Ju-Joo-won-ah...”
Her inner walls, contracting and relaxing, pulsed as if they would burst. Da-eun pounded Joo-won’s back, overwhelmed by their seamless, intimate contact.
Joo-won slowly pulled out his cock, removed the condom, and tilted his head.
“One.”
“Uhn?”
“One homework done.”
Joo-won gathered a handful of condoms and then lifted Da-eun, holding her like a bride.
“Uh, where are we going?”
“To celebrate moving in, and for the second homework.”
He kissed Da-eun’s lips, who was just blinking her large eyes, not understanding his words, and strode out of the bedroom.
He passed through the kitchen and came out into the living room. Looking around the unexpectedly spacious house, Da-eun asked.
“Didn’t you say it was 30 pyeong?”
“The view was better, so I signed a contract for a 40 pyeong place.”
“It’s too big for one person to live in.”
Joo-won chuckled at Da-eun’s words.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Huh?”
“You hate environmental pollution, are you just going to stand by and watch space being wasted?”
“I said I wouldn’t live together?”
“Did you?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Joo-won opened a door and sat Da-eun down in a chair in front of a desk. Next to the window with a view of the Han River, bookshelves were packed with books related to aesthetics.
“This is your study.”
“My study?”
“Yeah.”
“Why is my study here?”
“It has to be better than the library so you’ll come to our house often.”
“It’s so nice. Unbelievable.”
Da-eun, unable to close her mouth, walked towards the bookshelf. She was touching the books on the shelf, forgetting that they had just had sex, when Joo-won thrust his cock into her from behind.
“Haaah!”
“This is our house.”
“Hnnng, wh-what are you saying... It’s your house, what else would it be.”
“No, our house.”
“Yeah, Yoon Joo-won’s house.”
“No, I said our house.”
“……!”
Joo-won, holding Da-eun’s waist, clung to her from behind like a dog and thrust rapidly.
No longer able to just stare blankly at the books, Da-eun grabbed the bookshelf and pushed her hips back.
Thwack thwack!
Her legs gave way at the rapid thrusting. She barely held onto the bookshelf, relying on Joo-won’s large hands that firmly gripped her.
“I’ll settle down quickly. Come to our house whenever you want. It’s our house where only Hwang Da-eun can enter.”
“Hnnng, hng, hnnng!”
“I can even put the ownership in your name. Just come to me whenever you want.”
He would transfer the ownership of a new 40 pyeong apartment with a Han River view in Jamsil to Da-eun’s name. The bourgeois’s tempting offer was annoying, but she was a proletarian wavering before the majesty of the Han River view.
She was impressed by Joo-won’s consideration in willingly giving the room with the best view in the house to be Da-eun’s study. Moreover, thanks to having a scholar for a mother, the abundance of books that perfectly matched Da-eun’s taste was fantastic. It was a gift that pleased Da-eun more than any jewel.
“It’s unbelievably tight, Da-eun-ah. Relax a bit.”
“I like it...”
“You like it that much?”
“Hnnng, more than the library, here is, hng, better.”
“Damn it, you like the study more than getting fucked?”
“Uhn...”
“Well, of course. You can’t fuck in the library, but you can get fucked here anytime. Still, though. Getting an orgasm because you like the study, what kind of fetish is that? Hwang Da-eun, you’re really more perverted than me.”
Joo-won suddenly picked Da-eun up and laid her on the desk. He grabbed Da-eun’s legs, which were lying on the wide, sturdy mahogany desk that was easily two meters long, and slammed his cock into her again.
“Haaah, hng, hnnng.”
“Nice housewarming gift. It was the most needed thing in our house. Hwang Da-eun, you. It finally feels like a place where people live.”
The heavy desk rattled relentlessly. The chair fell backward from Joo-won’s doggy-style thrusts.
Thwack! Thwack!
The violent back-and-forth continued, and Joo-won, who had once again poured himself into Da-eun’s body, released his semen. He sucked on Da-eun’s lips thickly and pulled his throbbing member from her body.
“Two times, done.”
“When, hnnng, when are you ever going to die...?”
“Why would this die when Hwang Da-eun is naked?”
He removed the condom, tied it off, and threw it on the floor before picking Da-eun up again and leaving the study.
They continued their rough lovemaking in the living room, the kitchen, and the terrace before finally collapsing back into the bedroom after coupling in the laundry room, the dressing room, and even the pantry.
They were stuck at home for a whole week, using 50 condoms, and Da-eun couldn’t see Joo-won’s non-erect member even after that.
________________________________________
It was spring of their freshman year.
Joo-won’s eyes were bloodshot.
Even after drinking six bottles of soju by himself, his healthy twenty-year-old liver had good detoxification abilities, so he didn’t black out. Only the scars remained vivid amidst the blurry memories, clutching his aching heart.
“Damn it, this sucks.”
The pain of unrequited love was bitter. He hadn’t even had a proper conversation with Hwang Da-eun. He was frustrated with his pathetic self, having to turn away without even confessing.
From the beginning of the semester, his eyes had been drawn to Hwang Da-eun. He started to be concerned about Hwang Da-eun, who evoked his protective instincts, and before he knew it, not a day went by without thinking of her.
After the orientation trip, he talked about Da-eun to Kim Se-jun, who he had been close with. Kim Se-jun boasted about knowing women well, and although it bothered Joo-won, he, inexperienced in love, was soon taking his advice to heart.
Things started to go wrong in an instant. A senior girl Kim Se-jun liked suddenly confessed to Joo-won, asking him to date her. Kim Se-jun, who had already slept with that senior girl, seemed greatly shocked by the rejection.
In the meantime, Da-eun confessed to Kim Se-jun, and Kim Se-jun, feeling inferior to Joo-won, went around telling everyone about it, as if to show off to Joo-won.
His heart ached as he thought of Hwang Da-eun crying while holding onto Kim Se-jun.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest, thinking that Hwang Da-eun’s heart must have been just as rotten as his own.
He was even confused about whether his heart ached because Hwang Da-eun didn’t like him or because Kim Se-jun didn’t like Hwang Da-eun.
First love was that clumsy and terrible.
Still, he couldn’t give up on Da-eun. He resolved to approach her after a little time passed and Da-eun’s wounds had dulled.
As he was drinking his seventh bottle of soju, the door opened, and his mother, Park Eun-ju, entered Joo-won’s studio apartment.
“Ugh, the smell. How much did you drink!”
Park Eun-ju, who had seen the seven empty soju bottles scattered around the room, was shocked and grabbed her son.
“Are you okay? Yoon Joo-won!”
“Hoo...”
His vision was blurry. All the objects in the world faded away, and only the pain that sharply pierced his heart was vivid.
“Da-eun-ah...”
“What’s he saying? Yoon Joo-won!”
Park Eun-ju, seeing her son’s disheveled state for the first time in her life, opened the refrigerator and poured cold water into a cup.
“Hwang Da-eun, Da-eun-ah...”
Even in his hazy state, he clearly pronounced the three syllables of “Hwang Da-eun.”
“Drink some water.”
“Hoo... Hwang Da-eun...”
“You, you rascal! Doing things you never used to do!”
Professor Park Eun-ju groaned and laid her son down on the floor. She didn’t have the strength to drag her son, who was over 190cm tall, to the bed, so she propped a pillow behind his head and covered him with a blanket.
“Da-eun-ah...”
Professor Park Eun-ju frowned, listening to her son’s drunken ramblings.
“Who exactly is Hwang Da-eun?”
Shocked by her son’s intoxicated state, Professor Park Eun-ju repeated the name “Hwang Da-eun” to herself, made hangover soup, and left the studio apartment.
The next morning.
His head throbbed with a pounding hangover. Joo-won rubbed his dry face with both hands and got up, but the subtle scent of dried pollack soup wafting through the air made him jump out of bed.
“Damn it, what is this?”
He vaguely remembered dreaming about his mother.
Surely, it was just a dream.
Joo-won, who had never shown a disheveled appearance in front of his family, was startled, wondering if he had acted drunk in front of his mother last night, and got up.
[Mother: I made soup in the induction cooker, so have some to sober up.]
“Haa...”
Joo-won, who belatedly checked the text message on his phone, tore at his hair, realizing that last night’s commotion was not a dream.
He didn’t remember what he had babbled, but he seemed to have staggered around drunk in front of his mother. Ha, damn it. He couldn’t remember. He had emptied seven bottles of soju by himself, so it was no wonder he had blacked out.
Joo-won, who had intended to approach Da-eun someday, cleanly gave up on her that day.
During his innocent high school days, he had entered the aesthetics department at Korea University to side with his depressed mother. But he never imagined that his mother would become an obstacle to his love.
He liked Da-eun, but he felt ashamed to engage in a romantic rivalry with his classmates within his mother’s line of sight. His usually taciturn son showing such a sight was something he’d rather bite his tongue and die than do.
“Haa, first love really sucks.”
The dried pollack soup was refreshing. But even after finishing the soup completely, the bitter ache in his stomach didn’t subside for well over a year.
________________________________________
It was spring of their senior year.
His mother had been acting strangely recently.
Since Joo-won had entered the aesthetics department at Korea University, his mother hadn’t paid much attention to whatever he did.
He was busy enough trying to complete his double major in business administration, but his mother urged Joo-won, who had already completed all his aesthetics credits in his junior year, to take aesthetics classes.
And none other than Professor Park Eun-ju’s own classes.
While he thought it was his mother’s wish to spend his last year together at Korea University, he was actually annoyed at his situation of having to take an excessive number of credits even in his senior year.
“Come to the get-together.”
What on earth had gotten into her? His mother, who only knew about research, was now pressuring Joo-won to come to a social gathering.
He wasn’t close with the kids who took classes with him, so it was awkward, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do sitting at a drinking party.
He tried to understand his mother’s desire to create last campus memories with her son, but he found it bothersome and followed her to the gathering.
And after that, he couldn’t take his eyes off her mother.
He secretly glanced at Hwang Da-eun from afar as she staggered with her frail body, downing shots.
She was so pretty even when she was twenty, but she had become even more beautiful now.
Her pale face was still innocent, and her deepened gaze looked somewhat lonely.
He felt the urge to snatch away the glass she kept emptying without any appetizers, but he deliberately looked away.
It was a boring drinking party as expected. Ever since he had gotten drunk in front of his mother sometime in his freshman year, Joo-won didn’t drink much.
The chattering classmates next to him were annoying, and so was Hwang Da-eun, who was sipping her drink in the distance... Haa. She kept bothering him.
While pretending not to look at Hwang Da-eun and sitting there, he unknowingly drank a little.
Before he knew it, Hwang Da-eun, who had staggered to her feet, got up, saying she was going to the restroom.
The restroom wasn’t that way...
While he was worried that she might be too drunk to find the restroom, a message arrived on his phone.
[Mother: Da-eun seems to be leaving drunk, so please take her home.]
Joo-won was dumbfounded at his mother’s request to even take care of a student.
[Why should I?]
[Mother: It’s dangerous.]
At the word “dangerous,” he got up without looking back.
Yes, it was dangerous.
He didn’t like his mother’s order to arbitrarily register for classes, her selfishness in dragging him to the drinking party, or her instruction to take her student home, but what he disliked the most was Hwang Da-eun walking alone on a dark night road.
Did she know how dangerous the world was?
What if she collapsed again on her way home?
How dangerous was it in front of the school?
How dangerous was it for a woman to walk alone at night?
Joo-won, who had come out of the pub, found Da-eun staggering alone a little ways ahead.
She shone even from afar. Her back view was also beautiful.
Her long, straight hair fluttering in the breeze...
He felt breathless.
The emotions of the past, which he had tried so hard to suppress, regained their vitality.
There were no flowering trees, but the scent of flowers gently tickled his nose.
As if possessed by a ghost, Joo-won took off the department jacket he was wearing.
Da-eun, walking with her small body curled up, looked pitiful, so he draped his jacket over her shoulders.
“Ah, damn it, what the...”
Da-eun turned around. His heart stopped at her star-like shining eyes.
It was the moment Hwang Da-eun, whom he had buried in his heart, revived with a thump-thump.
Epilogue. As the seasons passed, my first love was...
Autumn of their senior year.
It was Da-eun’s birthday, so he took a half-day off and headed to school after a long time. He had been incredibly busy handling the piled-up work until the morning. As a parachute hire who was promoted to assistant manager right after joining the company, he was already under scrutiny, so he couldn’t possibly skip his morning work.
He went to school in his suit without even stopping by home. He had a bouquet in one hand and a shopping bag with a gift in the other, planning to surprise and delight Da-eun, so the passing students all glanced at Joo-won.
Joo-won, who had submitted his job application and rarely came to school, knew Da-eun’s schedule inside out. He vowed to kidnap Da-eun in the afternoon, even if he had to, to spend some quality time together, and headed to the department office, where he heard the voices of freshmen.
“Isn’t Da-eun noona so damn pretty?”
Who dared talk about his woman?
Feeling displeased, he looked around at the guys, but since he didn’t hang out with the freshmen, he didn’t know their faces or names.
The guys didn’t seem to know that Joo-won was Da-eun’s boyfriend and continued their offensive remarks.
“Ah, that girl Senior Kim Se-jun used to follow around?”
“Yeah. I wondered why that senior was acting like a lunatic for a while, but she is damn pretty.”
Damn it.
When people thought of “Hwang Da-eun,” the name “Yoon Joo-won” should come to mind. Why was that bastard Kim Se-jun’s name attached?
Unaware that he was standing askew and listening to their conversation, the freshmen were engrossed in talking about girls.
“I’m not really into older women. Kang Da-ye from the philosophy department is pretty, though.”
“She’s the cute type. Aren’t the older girls sexier?”
Joo-won, who knew better than anyone what the word “sexy” implied, could no longer tolerate their ridiculous conversation.
“But I heard that noona has a boyfriend?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Senior Kim Se-jun always used to sing about it. He said Da-eun noona’s boyfriend seduced her with a foreign car. He even bought her designer bags and stuff?”
What the hell was this now?
He was furious at the bullshit Kim Se-jun was spreading. But on the other hand, it was true that he drove Da-eun around every day like a chauffeur in the passenger seat of his foreign car and bought her designer bags every month, so he couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
The shopping bag in Joo-won’s right hand right now also contained a designer bag he had bought by spending his entire salary for the past two months.
“Ah, is that noona that type of person?”
“What woman doesn’t like designer brands?”
“I guess. That’s probably right.”
Since things had turned out this way, he needed to thoroughly intimidate these guys.
If they were the type of guys to be intimidated by a show of wealth, then he should definitely put on a show.
Joo-won nonchalantly made his presence known and sat down at the department office table.
“Who... are you?”
Joo-won ostentatiously placed the designer bag and the bouquet on the table. It was childish, but he also took out the smart key of his foreign car with the emblem on it from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“I’m Hwang Da-eun’s boyfriend.”
The freshmen, who had successively checked the large French logo on the black shopping bag and the excited horse emblem on the smart key, awkwardly got up and hesitantly bowed.
“Hello.”
“Oh, sit down. Are you freshmen?”
“Yes, senior.”
Joo-won took out his wallet and handed the guys two fifty-thousand won bills.
“Go buy coffee for everyone. Oh, and get a green tea for Da-eun too. Use the rest for lunch.”
“Thank you!”
One of the guys, who immediately fawned over Joo-won at the sight of the money, ran towards the campus coffee shop. Joo-won glared sharply at the other guy who had shown interest in Da-eun.
“What’s your name?”
“Me?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
“Ah, my name is Choi Hoon-young.”
Joo-won gently patted Hoon-young’s shoulder. Perhaps thinking he was about to be hit, the much shorter guy hunched over and looked at Joo-won with a shrunken posture.
“Hoon-young-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Are you interested in Da-eun?”
“Ah, no. I didn’t know she had a boyfriend. I’m sorry, senior.”
Joo-won squeezed Hoon-young’s forearm. The arm, devoid of any muscle, limply flapped.
“I don’t know what that ‘donggi killer’ bastard is going around saying, but it’s not wrong.”
“‘Donggi killer’?”
“Yeah. That bastard Kim Se-jun. He clearly knows his classmate has a boyfriend, but he still clings to her. That’s his nickname, ‘donggi killer’.”
Joo-won retaliated by giving Kim Se-jun the nickname he had once given Da-eun.
“Ah, so that hyung’s nickname was ‘donggi killer’?”
“Yeah. You be careful too. If you get a girlfriend, you always have to keep a close eye on that bastard.”
“Yes, senior.”
Hoon-young, a freshman who didn’t know much about the seniors’ love lives, kept Joo-won’s words in mind. He looked eager to spread Kim Se-jun’s new nickname, “donggi killer,” to his friends.
“‘Donggi killer’, is he still hanging around Da-eun?”
“No. Senior Kim Se-jun doesn’t come to the department office.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He keeps calling freshman girls while drunk, so his reputation isn’t very good. These days, I only see him occasionally during class.”
Joo-won felt a sense of relief at the news that Kim Se-jun wasn’t lingering around Da-eun.
“Hoon-young-ah. And listen. If you want to meet a smart and pretty girlfriend like Da-eun, you have to buy her bags regularly and drive her around like a chauffeur on time. It’s called, uh, maintaining her dignity?”
“Ah...”
Joo-won, as if giving dating advice, said things he wasn’t even asked and completely deflated the freshman. He intended to nip any budding feelings in the bud so the guy wouldn’t even dare to have a one-sided crush from afar.
“She doesn’t eat just anything either. You have to take her to places with a nice atmosphere. And for that, you definitely need a car.”
“......”
“And if you’re this weak, you’re not attractive as a man. Work out a bit.”
Joo-won tightly squeezed Hoon-young’s forearm with his hand. Of course, Joo-won’s gaze was directed towards the guy’s lower body. It was a silent threat, telling the little prick not to aim for something beyond his reach. The guy, who had turned pale at Joo-won’s grip, nodded.
“Y-yes...”
“Joo-won-ah! When did you get here?”
It was then. Da-eun’s voice came from behind Joo-won.
Joo-won let go of the freshman’s arm, stood up, and hugged Da-eun tightly.
“Happy birthday, Da-eun-ah.”
“What’s all this?”
“I love you.”
“How did you come? Did you take a half-day off? Joo-won-ah, I love you too.”
Joo-won handed Da-eun the bouquet and the shopping bag containing the purse. Da-eun was happy to see Joo-won, who had visited without contacting her, but the freshman Hoon-young, who thought she was happy about the gifts, awkwardly lowered his head. Seeing Da-eun so happy, the freshman looked defeated.
“Hyung-nim, the coffee’s here.”
Just then, the freshman who had gone to the coffee shop on an errand came back with coffee and green tea.
“Okay, enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you!”
Joo-won handed Da-eun the green tea and, as if showing off to everyone, held her in his arms and leisurely walked out of the department office.
“Da-eun-ah.”
“Yeah?”
“Is there anything you want?”
“Nope?”
Joo-won felt anxious alone, watching Da-eun smile brightly. The guys’ words that he had seduced Da-eun with a foreign car and designer bags still bothered him.
He felt that his fate of having to keep the young, fresh college guys in check until Hwang Da-eun finished her doctoral program was excessively harsh.
Damn it.
Since things had come to this.
He had to get rid of all the flies around Da-eun, even if he had to act like a crazy rich bastard.
________________________________________
Heavy snow began to fall thick and fast. The white snow that blanketed the campus was a spectacle. Students holding bouquets here and there moved towards the auditorium with their parents.
Da-eun, wearing her graduation cap and holding a bouquet, also came out of the humanities building with her parents.
It felt like just yesterday was the entrance ceremony, but it was already graduation. Perhaps because she planned to stay at school, she still didn’t feel like she was graduating.
“Where’s Joo-won?”
“He said he had some work at the company in the morning and would come later. It seems the snow is making traffic a bit heavy.”
Her father, who was initially wary of Da-eun’s boyfriend, now liked Joo-won more. Seeing Joo-won taking such good care of Da-eun by her side, he had opened his heart too wide. They got along so well that Da-eun sometimes felt left out these days.
Joo-won had gotten a job after finishing the first semester and spent the second semester replacing attendance with reports.
On the other hand, Da-eun had been incredibly busy preparing for graduate school entrance exams.
News came that she had graduated from the undergraduate program as the top student in the entire humanities college of Korea University and had also been admitted to graduate school as the top student.
She had also been selected as a scholarship recipient for studying abroad during her master’s program, but as Professor Park Eun-ju had persuaded her, she decided to reconsider studying abroad during her doctoral program.
“Mother, Father, hello!”
Sujin ran over from afar, greeting them cheerfully. Sujin, wearing a suit and having recently gotten a job at the Hanyoung Gallery, looked unfamiliar.
“Sujin-ah, you’re here?”
“Yeah. Did you hear about it?”
“About what?”
“Kim Se-jun got academic probation. Isn’t that his second time?”
“I don’t care.”
Even as she said she didn’t care, she secretly felt a sense of satisfaction. The pain of unrequited love that had belatedly come to Kim Se-jun seemed quite significant. There were rumors that Kim Se-jun still drank heavily every night, cried, and wandered around convenience stores.
According to people, Kim Se-jun had gotten a new nickname. “Donggi killer.” That tiresome word that had been stuck to Da-eun had now been passed on to Kim Se-jun.
She wasn’t very curious about what had happened to Kim Se-jun, but she could roughly imagine the humiliation he would have to endure until graduation due to the bitter taste of the rumors.
“Hasn’t Mom arrived yet?”
“She said she got lost near the natural sciences building. I was about to go look for her.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Da-eun said goodbye to Sujin and headed with her parents towards the College of Fine Arts building where the auditorium was located.
“Da-eun-ah.”
Turning back at Joo-won’s voice from afar, she saw Joo-won’s parents and Joo-won parking their car and walking towards them.
“Hello.”
“Greetings.”
Joo-won and Da-eun’s parents shook hands and greeted each other. Da-eun, already holding a large bouquet, received bouquets from Joo-won, Professor Park Eun-ju, and CEO Yoon Tae-jung, making it so she could barely see in front of her.
“Thank you for giving us such a precious daughter.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. I’m the one who’s grateful for you looking so kindly upon our Da-eun.”
Professor Park Eun-ju held Mrs. Son Jeong-hwa’s hand and repeatedly bowed. It was unclear whether she was thanking her for giving her such a precious daughter as a daughter-in-law or as a graduate student.
Given Professor Park Eun-ju’s usual personality, it probably was the latter, but Mrs. Son Jeong-hwa, unaware of this, seemed to have taken it as the former.
“So many professors coveted Da-eun.”
“Da-eun has many shortcomings, but I’m relieved that she’s so loved by you elders.”
“Shortcomings? How could anyone not adore such a smart child? She’s also a junior from my alma mater, and she reminds me of myself when I was younger, so I feel even more attached.”
“Hearing you say that truly puts my mind at ease.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach her well in the future.”
“Please take good care of our Da-eun.”
Again, the two mothers’ conversation subtly went in different directions, but it didn’t seem necessary to reveal the truth at this point.
“Shall I carry some for you?”
While their parents were chatting amiably behind them, Joo-won, who had come close, asked, smelling the flowers.
“No. I’ll carry them all. I like flowers.”
“I like Hwang Da-eun.”
“I told you not to say things like that in front of our parents.”
Da-eun glanced back at the adults and glared at Joo-won.
Joo-won, who had come straight from work, had an aura about him. Especially tall, Joo-won looked exceptionally handsome in his suit, complete with a gray coat and a black cashmere muffler. Everyone passing by seemed to be looking at Joo-won.
Joo-won, who was holding his graduation gown, put it on and wore his mortarboard before entering the auditorium.
“Whose boyfriend is that ridiculously handsome?”
“Whose girlfriend is this hot? I want to take off her graduation gown and fuck her.”
Da-eun once again glanced at the adults’ reactions and glared at Joo-won. Inside the bustling auditorium before the graduation ceremony, people didn’t pay attention to their conversation.
The congratulatory speeches and graduation speeches proceeded according to the schedule. Diplomas were awarded as each student’s name was called.
The slightly chaotic graduation ceremony, different from what she had imagined, ended, and Da-eun and Joo-won left the auditorium hand in hand.
“Then, we’ll see you at the restaurant.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s do that.”
Da-eun’s parents and Joo-won’s parents each got into their cars. Da-eun also got into Joo-won’s car, following her parents.
Three cars headed to the meeting place for their formal introduction. After the graduation ceremony, their parents had naturally arranged a meeting to discuss Da-eun and Joo-won’s engagement schedule.
Joo-won, who was driving, nervously tapped the steering wheel with his fingers. The newly matched couple rings on Joo-won’s fingers glittered.
“I’m excited.”
“About what?”
“I want to set the engagement date quickly.”
Da-eun chuckled. It was Joo-won’s grand plan to use the engagement as an excuse to get their parents’ permission and officially start living together.
“We can just get married slowly around next year. You’re really being extra. Engagement ceremony and all that is too much.”
“I want to spread the news quickly. I also want to upload engagement photos to my SNS profile.”
“Everyone knows we’re dating, what’s the point?”
“It’s such a waste to pay rent for your studio when we have a four-room house.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
“I hate the time I can’t see Hwang Da-eun.”
Da-eun smiled at Joo-won’s words. She had greeted both sets of parents separately several times, but this was the first time they were all meeting together.
Even after getting permission for their engagement and marriage, Joo-won seemed nervous.
Da-eun found Joo-won so adorable that she unknowingly leaned over and kissed his cheek as he drove.
“Do it one more time.”
Joo-won offered his cheek, asking for another kiss. The moment Da-eun’s lips touched his cheek again, he turned his face and kissed her lips.
Thrrr.
It was then. Joo-won’s phone started vibrating, and he answered it on speakerphone. The voice coming from the receiver was none other than Professor Park Eun-ju.
-Joo-won-ah.
“Yes, Mother.”
-Be careful driving so you don’t get into an accident.
“Pardon?”
-It would be a disaster if my precious student got into an accident, so save the kissing for later and just drive properly.
Professor Park Eun-ju, unaware that Joo-won had answered on speakerphone, abruptly worried about Da-eun.
Startled, Da-eun turned around. CEO Yoon Tae-jung and Professor Park Eun-ju’s car, closely following Joo-won’s car, was visible.
Da-eun buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment.
“Oh, come on. Please respect your son’s privacy.”
-Okay. It’s a green light. Go.
“Yes.”
As soon as the light changed, Joo-won stepped on the accelerator. He chuckled, looking at Da-eun, who was embarrassed. He skillfully weaved through the heavy traffic and arrived at the restaurant first.
“We lost them, should we kiss one more time?”
Da-eun frowned at Joo-won with a flushed face.
“I’m embarrassed. What should I do?”
“Come here. You’ll feel better if we kiss once.”
Joo-won hugged Da-eun tightly. His lips gently met Da-eun’s, who was at a loss for what to do due to the awkwardness.
Heavy snow poured down from the sky.
<The End>