Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Junior Slowly Drops Her Mask
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My place is a 7-pyeong separated studio apartment.
Perfectly sized for a single guy living alone—or honestly, just a bit dingy.
Click.
The sound of the door lock disengaging echoed louder than usual.
I folded my wet umbrella and stepped into the entryway. The narrow space was already crammed with two pairs of shoes.
"Come on in. It's a mess, but make yourself at home."
"Excuse the intrusion…."
Seo-ah tentatively stepped inside.
Her shoulders and hair were soaked from the rain. The scent of rainwater mixed with her signature sweet peach fragrance, filling the cramped room with an oddly intoxicating aroma.
"Oh, let me turn on the light first."
Flick. The fluorescent bulb flickered to life.
My room's sorry state was laid bare in harsh light, and my face burned with embarrassment.
Clothes strewn haphazardly over the bed, stacks of textbooks and empty canned coffee cluttering the desk.
Every guy's bachelor pad looks like this, but it was mortifying to have a junior I wanted to impress over.
"Sorry about the mess. Haven't cleaned up."
"No, it's cozy. I like it."
Seo-ah's eyes sparkled as she looked around.
I'd expected shock at the dirt, but she gazed about with the curious wonder of a kid in a toy store.
Her eyes meticulously scanned my bed, closet, even the drying rack.
"Go ahead and shower first. You'll catch a cold staying wet."
"Okay… but I don't have a change of clothes."
Oh, right.
I pondered for a moment, then rummaged through my closet.
I pulled out my largest, cleanest boxed T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
"Put these on. They'll be baggy, but better than wet clothes."
"Thank you. These are yours, Senior?"
Seo-ah took them, buried her nose in the fabric, and sniffed deeply.
"Hmm? Nice fabric softener scent. Smells like you, Senior."
"Hey, why are you sniffing? Pervert much?"
"'Cause it smells good. Hehe."
She stuck out her tongue and headed into the bathroom.
The door clicked shut, followed soon by the sound of dripping water.
Shhh—.
The shower echoed through the tiny space.
Listening to it, my throat suddenly went dry.
A woman in a healthy twenty-something guy's apartment—no, a girl I had a crush on, or whatever this was, taking a shower.
If that didn't spark any thoughts, you'd have to be impotent or a saint. I was neither.
'Get a grip, Kang Minwoo. You're not an animal.'
I chugged cold water from the fridge to steady myself.
But my imagination ran wild anyway. Just a thin door away, her using my shampoo and body wash….
About fifteen minutes later.
Click. The bathroom door opened.
"Senior, I'm all done."
I turned—and nearly dropped my water bottle.
"…Ah."
Seo-ah wore my black boxed T-shirt.
It fit me perfectly, but on her petite frame, it draped like a dress down to her thighs.
Her white collarbone peeked through the loose neckline, water droplets falling from her damp hair to wet her shoulders.
And above all.
She'd cinched the too-big shorts tight to keep them up, accentuating her slim waist.
Innocent yet devastatingly sensual.
"Kinda big, right? The shorts keep slipping."
Seo-ah tugged at the hem with an awkward smile.
I stared at the ceiling, unsure where to look.
"Uh, y-yeah… Looks good on you. I mean, comfy."
"It's warm. Feels like you're hugging me."
That casual line hit like a gut punch.
Unaware or not of my pounding heart, she padded over and plopped on the edge of my bed.
Man… this is driving me crazy.
"You gonna dry your hair? Hairdryer's over there."
"Eh, too much hassle…. Can't you do it for me, Senior?"
She picked up the dryer and held it out.
Her wide eyes looked up pleadingly, like I'd make her cry if I refused.
This 'pretend-obedient teasing' since yesterday had me defenseless.
"…C'mere."
I took the dryer and sat on the bed's headboard.
Seo-ah settled between my legs.
Vrrr—.
I ran my fingers through her hair, drying it with warm air.
Soft strands slipped between my fingers. My shampoo's scent wafted up—but on her, it smelled entirely different.
"Senior."
"Yeah."
"Us like this… feels like newlyweds."
Cough.
I choked on air.
"What're you saying? Way too soon."
"Why? I imagine marrying you every day."
"Cut the jokes."
"Not joking…."
Seo-ah tilted her head back to look up at me.
Her upside-down eyes were deep, intense.
"I'm serious. If you said you'd take responsibility, I'd pack my bags and move in right now."
Her hand rested on my knee.
Fingers crept slowly up my thigh.
This was no joke. Her gaze burned hotter than I could handle.
My heart thudded hard.
"……Just finish drying your hair."
I hurriedly turned her head forward.
My heart hammered so loud, I feared she'd feel it through my back.
Once her hair was dry, I glanced outside. The rain had thickened.
Thunder rumbled as it poured relentlessly. The sky was testing me.
"Raining harder…."
"Yeah. No sign of letting up."
"Hungry? Want me to make ramen?"
Seo-ah headed to the kitchen like it was her own.
She opened my fridge, pulling out eggs, green onions, even kimchi shoved in the corner.
Ramen aroma filled the small space.
We sat across a low table.
Only rain and slurping sounds broke the silence.
But it wasn't awkward. A strange comfort settled in.
'Is this what living together feels like?'
The dangerous thought crept in: waking to this every morning, coming home to it—not bad at all.
"Good?"
"Yeah. You make great ramen."
"Glad. I'll make it for you often."
Seo-ah propped her chin, watching me eat contentedly.
She wasn't eating, just staring.
"You eat too."
"Watching you eat fills me up. Eat lots, my oppa."
My oppa?
The pet name shifted naturally.
I should've corrected her, but my mouth wouldn't move. Honestly, it sounded nice.
After ramen, it was past 11 p.m.
But the rain showed no mercy.
"Hey, Seo-ah. It's late… shouldn't you head home? I'll call a cab."
Reason dictated it. Staying longer felt risky.
Her face fell like a rain-soaked puppy.
"Already…? In this downpour."
"Still, your parents'll worry. No sleepovers."
"They're on a trip. House is empty tonight…."
Empty house? That sounded more dangerous.
"Even so…."
"Senior."
Seo-ah stood and approached.
She clutched my shirt. Puppy-dog eyes, damp with plea.
"I'm… scared."
"Of what?"
"Thunder… empty house… everything."
She burrowed into my arms.
Shampoo and her warmth enveloped me, soft curves pressing close.
"Just tonight… can I crash here?"
Bombshell.
I froze.
"I'll just sleep. Floor's fine. Please? Don't kick me out."
Her body trembled faintly.
Motorcycle scare from yesterday? Or something else? She seemed genuinely anxious.
How many guys could coldly say "out" here?
Not me.
"Haa…."
I sighed deeply, raking my hair.
"Fine. You take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
"Really? Yay! Thank you!"
Her face lit up instantly. The pout vanished, replaced by a smile owning the world.
Tricked? Too late now.
Lights out. We lay down.
Her on the bed, me on the floor.
In the tiny studio, arm's reach apart.
Rain battered the window.
"Senior, you asleep?"
"…No."
"Me neither."
Rustle.
She fidgeted on the bed.
Moments later, a pale hand dangled down.
"Hold my hand?"
"……."
"Holding hands helps me sleep."
I silently reached up and took it.
Small, soft hand.
Her fingers intertwined, locking in place.
"Warm…."
Seo-ah whispered softly.
"You're like a heater, Senior. With you, I won't freeze."
Random metaphor, but it tugged at my chest.
We listened to each other's breaths in the dark, hands clasped.
How much time passed?
"Senior."
"Yeah."
"What if… I locked you up and made you look only at me forever… would you hate it?"
Sleep-talk question.
I chuckled.
"Dunno. Feed me well and love me pretty, and I'd think about it."
"For real? Promise?"
Her voice perked up oddly.
Our clasped hands tightened.
"Goodnight, my love."
Her final whisper brought silence.
I couldn't pull away, soothing my racing heart as I drifted off.
I ignored how her fingers around my wrist felt like handcuffs.
Minwoo's steady breathing filled the room.
Seo-ah opened her eyes in the dark.
She leaned over the bed's edge, gazing at his sleeping face.
"Silly. Feed you well and love you pretty?"
She laughed silently.
Too easy a condition.
Her head was already stocked with a ten-year meal plan for Senior, simulations of loving him complete.
"No take-backs on that promise."
She raised their intertwined hand, rubbing it against her cheek.
Her other hand rummaged through his bag on the floor.
She slipped a photo from his wallet.
"Score."
This goes under my pillow—gonna look at it every night.
She kissed the stolen photo.
Senior's space, scent, warmth.
Paradise.
And someday, this paradise would exist behind a forever-locked door.
Known only to her and Senior.
"I love you. Mine."
Seo-ah planted a stealth kiss on his forehead.
She wanted to claim him now, but their first time—she craved being pinned down fully sober by him.
"Holding back is torture."
She squeezed his hand tight and closed her eyes.
Wishing that tomorrow morning, when Senior opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her.