I Guess I've Always Liked You
I guess she liked me a lot. And she still does.
What the hell is she thinking?
Saying she doesn't want to drink… means she's handing the glass to me.
And if I refuse here…
"…Are you serious?"
"…"
She answered the question and nothing more, then sealed her lips tight.
So the choice is mine, huh.
I hadn't really thought about it, but now that I was about to do it, I felt embarrassed.
No—I was hard as hell.
Drinking more wasn't even an option for me.
I broke the short silence and opened my mouth.
"I can't drink any more…"
The second the words left me, cheers exploded around us.
"Kyaaaaah~!"
"Rub against each other, rub~!"
"You've gotta hug tight—ten whole seconds!"
"Sitting's too awkward, both of you stand up!!"
Before I pulled Yuna into my arms, we looked each other in the face.
And she was wearing an expression that didn't suit a hostess at all.
Why was she getting this shy?
We used to work together, for fuck's sake.
It put me in a weird mood, too.
Not embarrassed, of course.
Just… my cock felt like it was about to explode.
"…Let's stand up."
"…Okay."
Like we'd rehearsed it, she and I rose at the same time.
"Hurry up and rub~!!"
I get it already, so shut the fuck up for a second.
I spread my arms into a hug and wrapped them around her shoulders.
Her skin scent, usually buried under cigarette smoke, hit me full on.
Had it always smelled this good—this fucking arousing…?
Drunk on it, I focused on breathing her in.
"…You have to press closer."
"…Nnh!?"
She'd been standing still, then suddenly grabbed my ass and yanked me in.
I could feel every detail of Yuna's small hands.
And then…
My cock pressed into her body.
If it was this hard, she had to be feeling it just as clearly as I was.
Our breathing turned ragged.
I could feel my blood racing.
"Hell yeah, that's it!!"
"Yuna, you're on fire~!"
How long are we supposed to keep this up?
I muttered it to myself.
I wanted to grind against her pussy right then and there, but the time ran out.
"Alright, ten seconds up!! Everyone stay on the right side of the line~ for. now."
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
The music started again.
To keep the heat in check, I deliberately steered clear of anything sexual.
"…Who here would you most want to date?"
"Haha! You two just met tonight, didn't you?"
"Filing the marriage papers today, then?"
I ignored their jeers and passed the glass.
The girl who'd just gotten railed answered in zero-point-one seconds.
"Obviously Siwon oppa~"
"Want to go somewhere quieter?"
"What are you even saying~ ♡"
Dumb bitch.
"Whoever here wants to grab each other's cock and pussy!"
I jacked the heat all the way up.
This one didn't seem normal either.
And the glass went to the demon bitch.
"Even for me… doing that sober would be a bit~"
She lifted the glass and knocked it straight back.
At the same time, her hand found the athlete's thigh beside her.
"How's that…? Feel good?"
"I can't get this hard-on to go down."
"Really? Want me to drain one for you?"
Her hand slid without a hint of shame right to the middle of his pants.
"Haha. Fuck, I can't take it."
The athlete reached for her pussy in turn and carefully rubbed.
"The game's not over, you bitches. Drink the damn booze already."
"Fine. We'll drink, so stay out of our way."
He filled his glass, then downed it in one go.
And then…
Still holding the liquor in his mouth, he started kissing her.
The liquid inside ran down their chins in rivulets, but they didn't seem to care at all.
That wasn't what mattered.
Watching them, I felt juice bead at the tip of my already hard cock.
Just like the liquor dripping to the floor.
Fucking bitches. They know exactly how to get a guy going…
I quietly turned my head to the right and watched Yuna's face.
"…"
She kept her mouth shut and stared at the floor, but there was nothing she could do about her rough breathing.
Haaap. Schlick.
The sound of kissing filled the room.
But these weren't the guys and girls I'd been looking at before.
"Everyone's engines are running… crazy bastards."
I started wrestling with myself in my head.
Here. In this atmosphere.
Do I stay still? Or do I go with the flow?
A man is the gender that's supposed to lead.
When the woman in front of him hesitates, he has to be her guide.
I took Yuna's hand without another second of delay.
"What…? Right here!?"
Shut that mouth and stick your tongue out.
"Mmmpphh..!!"
A sweetness like licking a lollipop spread through my mouth.
And she had to be feeling the exact same thing.
Yuna tried to push me away with her hands.
No—she was trying to feel my heat.
A little later I broke the kiss to catch my breath.
As our tongues parted, a thread of saliva stretched between them like silk.
The other bitches and bastards had vanished from my field of vision.
"Haha… I think I'm pretty wasted too… never thought something like this would happen with y─────"
Someone shoved the back of my head toward Yuna.
No—that touch belonged to a hand I knew well.
Haaap…
Haa… haa…
My erect cock twitched and jerked, hunting for a female hole.
I wanted to drop my pants and pin her down right now.
But someone wanted to kill the mood.
"Pffft! Look at those two! Are they gonna make a baby right here before they leave?"
We were right in the middle of the good part… which bastard was that?
The comment killed my buzz for a second.
The alcohol I'd drunk was starting to work its way down, too.
"…I need the bathroom for a bit."
"Uh… u-uh-huh..! There's a bathroom right up front!"
"Nah, this one's a little much. I'll step out for a minute."
The sound of beasts howling followed me, but I ignored everything in that room and walked out the door.
"Haa… fuck, I didn't think it'd go like this…"
I headed straight for the counter.
"Where's the bathroom around here?"
"Hmm… it's a bit tucked away—think you can find it? Go around that corner, keep going, and it's on the right."
"Yesh…"
My tongue was already twisting.
I needed to drain a full bladder, then refresh with a smoke.
Stumbling, I made it to the out-of-the-way bathroom.
And from inside came a sudden stream of cursing.
"Ah, fucking hell!! This job sucks ass, these goddamn motherfuckers… haa…"
"Something wrong?"
"These ajummas have some weird tastes… it's not even valley wine, and they're pouring booze on their feet and telling me to drink it… fucking seriously…"
Tick. Tick.
The sound of a lighter failing only amplified his shitty mood.
"Ah, it won't even light. Piece of shit."
"Here, I'll lend you a light."
"Sssss… haa… Looking at your clothes, you're a new hire, huh. Think you can handle this work?"
"…I can't really promise either. Emotional labor… it's not easy."
"Hurry up, service those ajummas, and graduate. The ceiling in this line of work is right there. Or just quit early and join the military police—or the Imperial Royal Guard."
This guy had probably seen countless demon bitches come and go.
I used to just pick up girls; I couldn't compare.
But… I had my own reasons to make money.
"Still, I'm gonna try it for a month. I've got bills to pay…"
"Well, do whatever works for you~ Good luck."
"Yes, thank you for the advice."
He flicked the cigarette he'd been smoking onto the floor and crushed it out under his shoe.
"Ah! And killing time in the bathroom is fine, but don't overdo it. Otherwise they'll tell you to get lost."
"…Got it."
The way he coolly headed back to the room looked strangely lonely.
More importantly, the bladder I'd been forcing shut was about to burst.
"Hoo, goddamn. That's a lot coming out."
Being the new guy, I figured I should just head back early.
I started to leave the bathroom.
That was when I ran into Yuna at the entrance.
"What? You came to the bathroom too?"
"…The heat in the room got way too high, so I left."
"Something happen while I was gone?"
"Everyone dropped the game and just went full sexual… I just wanted somewhere quiet."
Maybe because she only ever went to public places.
It hadn't been easy for Yuna either.
"Right? You should've just hung out at the office. Why come to a place like this?"
"What about you, Leon? Why are you working here?"
"I'm broke. Didn't have a choice."
"I already paid back everything I borrowed from you. Is that still not enough?"
Her words made me think of Linebelt, asleep back at the house.
"Well… the rent and maintenance fees went u─────"
"…It's because of the girl you're living with, isn't it?"
I flinched.
Seeing that, Yuna—drunk—started to cry.
"No, no. It's not just becau─────"
"Why… why not me…?"
"Huh? Yuna, you're way too drunk. You need to snap out of it."
"Then make me snap out of it…"
She buried her face in my chest and started to sob.
Work didn't seem important anymore.
Like always, I had to take care of Yuna first.
"It's been hard lately, huh? You've been through a lot…"
"Hic… hngk… I was lonely… so I tagged along with a friend…"
"…I'm sorry about back then. I was short on sleep…"
Even as I said it, regret over my own actions kept stacking up.
"I just wanted to eat together… so… hic…"
Eat?
Ah—that time I said I'd treat her…
"I had no idea. I'm really sorry. If I'd noticed, I would've gone out right away."
Truth was I'd been about to leave, but Linebelt had tangled things up.
"Anytime. I'll buy you a meal. I'll eat with you. So…"
She wiped the tears streaming down her face and looked up at me.
Then, like she'd made up her mind, she spoke.
"Today… I want to be with you."
"Okay. I'll stay with you."
"No. I want to be alone with you."
"…"
Still not free of the manager-and-employee dynamic, I dropped my eyes to the floor and said nothing.
Yuna pulled me into her arms and whispered softly.
"I don't really get it, but… I guess I liked you a lot…"
"And I still do…"