A Stroke of Luck
"Hehe, you came straight here after work again today, didn't you? ♡"
"……."
My condition was at its absolute worst. Yet, at Yeoeun’s call, I had come running like a dog greeting its master, shyly showing my face. Well, what could I do? Honestly, born as a man, it wasn't easy to shake off the temptations of this vixen. No, I felt like even if I were to chop off my junk and become a woman, it would still be a struggle. Regardless, as soon as I arrived, we skipped the lackluster snacks we’d barely touched the day before and ordered only soju. With nothing but some short-legged dried squid she’d secretly swiped from a convenience store, we kept the drinking tempo going while flirting back and forth.
When the atmosphere of our drinking session had ripened once more, I spoke up.
"Um... it might be out of the blue to ask this at this timing, but..."
"What is it?"
"If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask... how old are you, Yeoeun?"
"Hm? Didn't you hear from my dad?"
"As I said before, I came to that meeting completely unprepared..."
All I’d heard at those boozy gatherings with the older men was talk about how the bosses lived. I’d only realized that they lived in a completely different world from me. I had been called out so unexpectedly.
"Hmm..."
Yeoeun chewed on a squid leg, making a crunching sound. She sucked it into her mouth, chewed lightly until her left cheek puffed out, and then answered concisely.
"My age hit the 30s this year."
"Ah, this year is 3—!? Wait, you’re in your 30s?"
"Really, do you have to broadcast my age to the whole neighborhood?"
I blurted it out like I was vomiting, then hurriedly covered my mouth at her rebuke. But it was a continuous stream of surprises. She didn't have the appearance of someone three years my senior. At thirty, she still had supple, jade-like skin, and not a single wrinkle except when she smiled. To the naked eye, she easily passed for someone in her twenties. Naturally, I had estimated her to be in her mid-twenties, but—'No, now that I think about it, assuming she was my age or younger was a stretch.' But when you think about it, her being older made sense. Given the inherent slyness and composure hidden within her, she gave off the vibe of an older woman through and through.
"Ah! But don't you dare start calling me 'Noona' or 'Older Sister' from now on, or I’ll stomp on your foot."
"Then what should I call you...?"
"Hmm~ isn't that something you should think of, Seungwoo? It’s funny for me to come up with my own title."
At that command, my brain worked desperately. Still, I had no data in my head that fit the bill. As I struggled to squeeze something out, not wanting to disappoint her, Yeoeun looked at me and grinned.
"Hehe, give it a try. ♥ If you call me something I like, I’ll call you—"
She seemed to be about to add something, but only a puff of air escaped her lips. Flushed from the alcohol, she seemed to be lost in thought. Before long, she asked with the same charming, confident smile she’d worn ever since we met.
"Before you answer that, can I ask you one thing, Seungwoo?"
"Y-yes! ...What is it?"
"I’m genuinely curious."
She slid her hand onto mine, which was resting on the table. With a touch that was incredibly soft and supple, she whispered while lightly caressing me.
"Seungwoo, why don't you hit on me?"
"……!"
"You know, it might sound like bragging, but other men are desperate just to get a word in with me."
She giggled. ♥
"But you, Seungwoo, it feels like you're forcibly suppressing your own desires."
I didn't think that was just excessive confidence. I judged it to be the very point where I was abnormal, just as she had pointed out.
"Are you scared? Can you tell me why you keep pulling back even though I keep coming closer?"
She was definitely an older woman. She had grasped the currents and problems flowing between us, hitting the core without beating around the bush. She was drawing out my answer, leading me on.
"Ah, you're relying on the alcohol again. ♡"
So, I decided to rely on the alcohol once more. Since it had come to this, I decided to be honest one more time. I wanted to shake off this frustrating attitude, but I confessed the reason why I couldn't do so lightly, looking her straight in the eye.
"Honestly... seeing the atmosphere yesterday, I did have feelings that I wanted things to go well."
"Ah! Then that’s enough, isn't it? But why—"
"But!"
I squeezed the words out. With my face bright red, prepared to be completely exposed, I confessed.
"The difference that’s visible... it’s just too big."
"……."
Perhaps if I confessed with such a depressing vibe, Yeoeun might be disappointed, just like yesterday. But this was the inevitable order of the world.
"No matter how you look at it, that’s how the world works, isn't it? The worlds we’ve lived in are so different, it’s hard to just ignore that."
I thought of myself as someone who lived quite realistically. And I had only witnessed the world turning in a very realistic, boring way. As you can see, the gap in appearance, wealth, and even the families we come from is huge, so naturally, I have to be cautious. Even if I were lucky enough to get close and date her, I would live in constant anxiety about when I might get dumped. You could call this attitude low self-esteem, but I call it being cold and realistic. If you inflate useless expectations too much, the disappointment is just as big. If I were lucky enough to date her and then break up, my heart, already swollen with expectations, would ache too much to just brush it off as a good memory.
Of course, I could cast everything aside and be greedy. But most people only realize their folly after failing in that greed. Therefore, it’s hard to just ignore the luck that rolled in and dive headfirst into it. I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to get hurt and fall apart.
"...That is all."
I excreted all the trivial contents of my mind. I conveyed my current position and feelings with the intention of baring it all. Then,
"Heh. ♡"
Yeoeun, who had been listening with her chin in her hand, let out an exclamation. This time, it wasn't disappointment. Instead, she showed her white teeth as if she were happy that I’d spilled it all.
"You’re cold-blooded, Seungwoo. Or should I say cynical?"
"...I’d be grateful if you called it realistic."
"Hmm, am I that much of a burden to you?"
"It’s not that you're a burden...! It’s just... if I get overly obsessed, I’ll be the one who suffers..."
If I followed my greed, I’d want to confess every time I saw her. If she allowed it, I’d want to feel her scent closer, and I’d want to hold her hands tightly. *Jiggle, jiggle!* Above all, her chest. I wanted to grab those breasts that jiggled even when she just moved her arms. But I held back. Since I’d be the one suffering later, I’d rather leave this tree I couldn't climb as it was—
"Seungwoo, please be obsessed with me."
The moment I tried to look away, the words vibrated against my eardrums. *Squeeze!* Yeoeun grabbed my hand, which was resting on hers, even tighter, and shouted cheerfully once more.
"If it’s such a burden, let’s start from the bottom together. ♡"
"...Pardon? The bottom?"
"If dating is such a burden, we can start with the lowest level: friends."
Yeoeun crossed her fingers to make an 'X' and said,
"We can be friends, and if we feel a bit more, we can move up to 'some,' and if the electrical impulses in our brains get stronger, one of us can confess and we become lovers, and if it goes even better, the next step is—"
She grinned. She didn't bother mentioning the rest, just smiled. The way she cut off her sentence—she was truly a nine-tailed fox in human form.
"............Friends."
I inadvertently repeated the two light, friendly syllables of her proposal. The suggestion certainly eased my burden. If we were friends, the psychological hurdle would be lower. Plus, even if things went sour, it was a position where we could either drift apart or keep meeting. Like the older woman she was, she had suggested an easy answer while being considerate of me. On top of that, her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she were enjoying this new pleasure herself.
"Honestly, this is my first time progressing things with a man like this. There aren't many men in this world as stubbornly sincere as you, Seungwoo."
"I-is that so?"
"Great! So we’ve agreed, we’re officially friends from today, right? Ah! Since we’re friends, let’s drop the formal speech. I’ll change how I address you too, since 'Seungwoo-ssi' is too stiff—"
She drew out the nasal sound. As if revealing the answer she’d almost said earlier, she parted her plump lips twice.
"Jagi (Honey). ♡"
*Gulp!* As soon as I heard it, my lower half reacted. At those two incredibly sweet syllables, the hair on my body stood on end. "Yeah! I want to call you that. I like how this title rolls off the tongue, Jagi. ♡"
Who would do that? Who would call a friend 'Jagi'? Every time she sweetly called me 'Jagi,' I felt uncomfortable in my pants. If the Gumiho, the nine-tailed fox that seduced men, truly existed, I felt like this was what she would be like. Even if she were a real Gumiho, I’d be willing to give her my liver for this much effort. Even if it wasn't exactly a healthy liver from drinking a can of beer every day, I had the intention of cutting open my own skin to hand it over.
"Jagi, I’m counting on you from now on. ♡"
"Y-yes, I’m counting on you too!"
"Hahaha. ♡"
Even if my liver were torn out and blood were leaking everywhere, I’d be satisfied if I could just see this lovely face. I felt like I could understand the heart of a male praying mantis who would shake his waist until he died. On top of that,
"Ah! Now that we’re friends, we’re going to a theme park for a 2-day, 1-night trip this weekend, okay? Clear your schedule. ♡"
"...Pardon?"
Didn't you just say we should start as friends? Yeoeun had already started progressing beyond friends. Since she’d been holding my hand tightly since earlier, I couldn't exactly argue.
Many things had happened in just a few days. Events that could turn my entire life upside down had occurred in barely a week.
'Phew... I ended up drinking three days in a row... the end.'
After drinking with Yeoeun, I got out of a taxi on the main road and walked back, stumbling. Walking down the same path I always took, I looked up at a particularly sparkling sign. The sign I usually ignored because I had no interest in it caught my eye today, enough to make me stop in my tracks.
<Chocolate Abs Factory Training Center>
The local gym I’d thought about visiting at least once for my health and body. It looked different today. The excessively defined bronze muscles drawn on the sign looked desirable today.
If that was it. If I wasn't just repeating cold, hard reality, but luck had truly rolled in to bring me here, and if this opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime lottery-level stroke of luck that God had granted me out of pity—
*Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling!*
"Um... I’d like to sign up for a membership."
I decided I wanted to try a little harder, too. I wanted to have just a little bit of hope and put in some effort.