NILWM - 45

“But it’s strange. After enduring that humiliation for seven years, it’s as if your mother caught it from your grandmother; as you two grew up, she started to clearly favor only Jungwoo. ‘My son, my Jungwoo’...”

Yeseo’s heart grew cold. Even though it was a fact she already knew, the realization that it was so obvious to an outsider felt like a crack forming somewhere in her chest.

“I’m sure she’s not like that now that you’re grown... Anyway, even though I was also cut off, since we met by chance like this, let’s at least keep in touch. You said you’ll be a junior now, right? If you’re free during the break, come visit L.A. Our Gyeonghyeon also needs to come back to Korea for military service after he graduates...”

It seemed he had volunteered for military service, keeping in mind the possibility of settling down in Korea after graduation. Just then, she felt a gaze and turned toward the door. Han Juhyeok had entered and was paused for a moment. He seemed to be observing, not knowing who her aunt was.

“Sunbae.”

“Oh, is this the friend you were meeting? I should get to the restaurant quickly. Oh my, I still can’t believe it. It’s been so many years!”

Min Ja-yeong hugged Yeseo tightly and patted her back. She seemed so sad to part ways like this that her eyes were still red.

Yeseo felt the same sadness. She had only warm memories of her aunt. She had loved her aunt more than her mom, who only cared for Jungwoo, and had even wished to live at her aunt’s house forever.

“Let’s definitely keep in touch. Okay? I don’t know if your mother will like it, but you’re all grown up now. I think I’ll be back again in the summer, but we’ll see.”

“Yes, I’ll contact you. Let’s go to the nursing home to see Grandma together later.”

Her aunt, without even looking properly at Han Juhyeok, wiped her eyes and headed toward the other door. When Yeseo saw her off at the door and came back, he was sitting in the seat where Min Ja-yeong had been. Han Juhyeok asked her outright with a curious expression.

“Was that your aunt? Is she going far away?”

“Oh, no, not really...”

The rest of their conversation continued in the restaurant on the second floor of the building. Yeseo, in between bites, briefly told him about her reunion with her aunt and the story behind the adults’ falling out.

She hadn’t intended to tell him all that, but it just came out. Since she had already confided in him about her family problems when she was upset last time, there was no reason to hide it.

“I see. That must have been a great reunion.”

Han Juhyeok listened silently and then rested his chin in his hand, looking lost in thought. His appearance made Yeseo’s heart flutter again. Even though it had only been a week, it felt as if she was seeing him after a long time, and she was happy to see him. At the same time, the memory of their first time together made her blush.

“Should we go to the States together later? I have relatives there, too.”

“What? With you, Sunbae?”

“Yeah. After we both graduate, when we have the chance.”

He smiled faintly. Yeseo’s heart beat even faster. It didn’t seem like he was just saying that. Going on a trip to America with her sunbae. Just imagining it felt like a dream.

“You just need to show up. You don’t have to worry about a plane ticket or anything else.”

“Oh... but I can’t do that. I’ll work even harder starting now. Especially with the tutoring job you introduced me to!”

Just the suggestion of going together, even if it was in the distant future, made her feel like she was flying. More accurately, the fact that he naturally assumed they would still be a couple was what made her so happy. Her heart, which had been heavy from the reunion with her aunt, was instantly filled with a feeling of happiness.

“Now that I think about it, Sunbae, you only have one semester left. You don’t have many credits left either.”

“Yeah. The remaining courses can be taken online, so I’m going to cram them all in on the weekends.”

“What? So you won’t be coming to school in the first semester, Sunbae?”

“I don’t think so.”

“So you’ll only be focusing on work?”

He hadn’t said anything like that until recently. But she believed that he would have more time now that there were no more urgent projects and his senior colleagues had returned from their military service. In fact, she was more worried that she would be too busy juggling school and her part-time jobs.

“Should we get dessert and talk more?”

“Okay. Where should we go? There’s a cafe across the street.”

“Why go somewhere else? Everyone’s gone home, and the officetel is empty.”

“Then...”

His subtle tone made her heart race a little.

“Should we get it to go...?”

“Sounds good.”

“Then I’ll buy the dessert, so let’s order it here using the app and then go. What do you want, Sunbae? Hmm... this new item looks good. A fresh strawberry latte and a Mont Blanc ice cream.”

Just then, Han Juhyeok pushed away his clean plate and leaned in close. Their seats by the window were a little separated from the women at the next table. But the glances the women kept giving Han Juhyeok never stopped.

Perhaps he felt their stares, as he set the menu upright, blocking both Yeseo’s and his face. And then he whispered so quietly she could barely hear.

“You.”

“What?”

Yeseo lifted her head from her phone. Her innocent eyes sparkled round. His sneakers moved closer to her Ugg boots.

“I want to eat you.”

Yeseo, who had been looking down at their feet, flinched and lifted her head.

“I want to connect with you completely.”

Yeseo’s lips parted. The fact that she understood what he meant right away was more embarrassing than the raw expression coming from Han Juhyeok’s mouth.

“Yeseo.”

His deep voice continued.

“I missed you.”

He licked his lips with his tongue and then emphasized again.

“I thought I was going to go crazy missing you.”

Pressure was applied to their shoes, which were touching. His two eyes, beneath their long eyelashes, looked calm at first glance. But if she looked closely, his pupils were burning like hot points. She felt as if her heart had been captured by his gaze, which was aimed at her like a target.

“I- I felt the same way, Sunbae. I missed you...”

“No. There’s no way you felt the same.”

A faint edge appeared in his eyes.

“Because you don’t know.”

Yeseo gulped nervously. His sharp, piercing eyes and icy low voice sent a chill down her spine. Did I say something wrong?

“You don’t know... even a quarter of what I’m feeling.”

“...”

“Let’s go.”

After his cryptic words, he put the menu down and stood up. At his movement, the women at the next table, who had been chatting, all looked at Han Juhyeok. As Yeseo got up and followed him, she made eye contact with the most glamorous of the women.

In that brief moment, the woman looked Yeseo up and down as if to appraise her. It was a look of disdain. Yeseo flinched, feeling intimidated like a sinner. But that feeling was short-lived; the moment Han Juhyeok turned from the counter and put his arm around her shoulder, her timidness vanished as if by magic.

“Oh, Sunbae. But we haven’t ordered yet.”

“Let’s just go. I’ll buy you dessert, too.”

“No, I was going to get the dessert...”

He pretended not to hear and interlaced his fingers with Yeseo’s, and they left the cafe. The heat flowing from their clasped hands and fingers kept her from feeling the cold. It was warmer than wearing gloves.

________________________________________

Yeseo couldn’t swallow a single sip of the fresh strawberry latte they had taken to go. She didn’t have time to taste the ice cream either. She wasn’t even given the time to look around his officetel, which she was seeing for the first time.

“Ah, hng... hnn...”

The coolness of her chest being exposed to the air was momentary, as the heat of his mouth eagerly taking hold of her nipple made her whole body feel hot. A jolt ran down her spine, and she tilted her head back, but the hard wall blocked her retreat. The two of them were tangled up, leaning against the stairs that led to the loft.

“Sunbae, it’s me- melting...”

“I know.”

He replied with one of her nipples in his mouth. As he moved his tongue, her hips jumped as if in a spasm. She felt like she was going to lose her mind from the tingling pleasure.

His wet tongue moved up from her chest and slid into her mouth. The hand that had been supporting her waist was now diving between her legs, inside her underwear. His index and middle fingers were thrusting into her wet, sloppy opening at once.

“Everything’s melting from top to bottom. So lewd.”

“Ah!”

As his two fingers thrust into her vulva at once, a cry erupted from Yeseo’s mouth.

“Sunbae, n-no, the ice cream is... put it in the freezer... hah!”

“You can eat it now.”

He smiled faintly, pulled his hand from her vulva, and lifted Yeseo onto his shoulder.

“Let’s eat now.”

“What? But...”

Let’s just eat it later... and keep going.

Yeseo, panting, pursed her lips, trying not to show her disappointment. She felt a sense of emptiness when his fingers, which had just entered, were pulled out, and she found it absurd.

She felt crazy. This was only the second time, but she felt like a woman who was obsessed with sex and had lost her mind, and it made her feel pathetic.

“We can do it while eating.”

Yeseo’s eyes widened in confusion. When she finally came to her senses, he had her sitting on his lap with both the latte and the ice cream on the armrest of the sofa.

“Here.”

Han Juhyeok picked up the latte with the fresh strawberries on top and brought the straw to her mouth. Yeseo instinctively sucked on the straw but squirmed, trying to get off his lap.

“Sunbae, let me down. It’s a little... Hng.”

Because he had spread her legs wide like scissors and was holding her from behind, the bulging front of his pants kept poking her tailbone. The hard, blunt heat made it impossible for her to properly taste the sweet strawberries.