Morning After and the Telltale Scent
Did she catch me!? .......... I'm screwed. That was the first thought that hit me the moment I opened my eyes. The motel ceiling stared back at me. The indirect lighting was off, and only the morning sunlight leaking through the curtains dimly illuminated the room. The one silver lining was that since I'd been on emergency dispatch the night before, I could probably swing a half-day off without much fuss.
I really screwed up. Was it regret? No, more like bewilderment. At my age, spending the night in a motel with a twenty-year-old girl. And drunk? Not even that. Yeom Hana had just been pretending to be wasted, and I hadn't drunk enough to be blackout either. I'd done it stone-cold sober.
"Haa..."
What now? I slipped quietly out of bed, careful not to wake Yeom Hana. I gathered my clothes, splashed some water on my face, and checked the mirror. The man staring back was still Han Kang. The gruff forty-five-year-old uncle.
"...Ugh."
Just a sigh escaped me. Shower first. Then wake her up and buy her breakfast or something.
...........
Hangover soup joint. At eight in the morning, the 24-hour place was half-full with all-night partiers and office workers grabbing a pre-commute fix. And here I was, spooning hot broth with my mouth clamped shut, not saying a word.
I had no clue what to say. Bring up last night? Pretend it didn't happen? Apologize?
No, apologize for what? We both agreed to it.
Maybe something like 'Last night felt good.' No, hell no. Absolutely not.
In the end, I just kept eating my soup. Focusing every nerve on chewing each grain of rice.
Meanwhile, Yeom Hana—
"Kaa—Fuck yeah!"
She was as cheerful as ever. Devouring the pork slices, crunching kimchi, slurping broth.
...She's something else. After all that last night, she acted like it was nothing. Or was she just used to this kind of thing?
...I hope not.
"Ajusshi."
"Uh, yeah?"
I snapped to attention. She was looking right at me.
"Did you use up too much energy last night? Makes sense—sweat and all that fluid loss. Gotta replenish those electrolytes, right?"
"—Guhk!!"
Broth went down the wrong pipe. I choked, coughing violently.
"Puhahaha—!"
Yeom Hana burst out laughing. Slapping the table, cackling away.
"Ajusshi's ears are red! Epic!"
This brat. Laughing so hard she was tearing up.
I barely stopped coughing and chugged water. My throat burned. Never thought I'd live to snort soup through my nose. My face was hot—embarrassment or the choke, who knows.
"...Doesn't it bother you at all?"
I finally managed to spit it out.
"What?"
Yeom Hana tilted her head.
"...Sleeping with a guy like me."
"Oh, that?"
She picked up a pork slice with her chopsticks, totally casual.
"Young guy and girl hang out, stuff happens. Normal."
Young? I'm not young. I'm forty-five.
I wanted to argue, but words failed me. Did I even have the right?
Then.
Yeom Hana suddenly leaned forward. Closing the distance over the table, her flame-orange hair cascaded over her shoulders, her face inches from mine.
"J-Just to be sure, okay? Hypothetically, really hypothetically."
She cupped her hand to her mouth, whispering. Nothing like her usual boisterous self.
"W-What?"
"Like, what if... I mean, what if."
Yeom Hana averted her eyes, like she couldn't look at me.
"What if I got... pregnant. Would you take responsibility, ajusshi?"
...Pregnant?
My vision tinged yellow. Way scarier than when they told me it was time to retire because of my age.
I'm fucked.
Ah, damn. I didn't think at all. Should've at least checked for safe days. Or pulled out. But no, I went all the way.
You idiot.
But.
Once the initial shock faded, my head cleared oddly. A mindset shift, maybe.
If. Just if. If Yeom Hana was okay dating me.
Why not just date her?
Thinking about it, yeah. Big age gap—twenty-five years. Practically father-daughter territory.
But Yeom Hana was a good kid. Loud, clueless, full of dumb jokes, but no malice. Pure, fun to be around. And pretty, too.
Honestly? Way better than the divorced single-mom types I'd considered. By hundreds of times.
Yeom Hana was still waiting for my answer. A hint of tension under her playful expression.
"...No plans to run."
That's what I said.
Her eyes widened. Then she relaxed, grinning.
"That's my ajusshi!"
"Yeah, yeah."
She laughed and went back to her soup.
Hm.
Strangely, my heart felt lighter. Maybe in this world, I could actually pass the three goddesses' trials. Normal love. Happy ending. It felt within reach.
...........
We finished our soup and stepped outside.
"See ya next time, ajusshi."
Yeom Hana waved. Her face as bright and cloudless as ever.
"Yeah. Take care."
"Yup!"
She slung her guitar on her back and headed off the opposite way. Her flame-orange hair shimmering in the morning sun.
"...Youth is nice."
Looking through this forty-five-year-old's eyes, she practically had a halo.
I headed to the subway. Half-day off, but needed to clock in before lunch. Especially since I'd notified them same-day morning—better get there ASAP. Emergency dispatch the day before would smooth it over, though.
On the train, I gazed at the sunlit Han River through the window.
"...Hmm."
Mixed feelings. Hooked up with a twenty-year-old, promised responsibility. Was this really okay?
But at the same time, it didn't feel bad. If she was cool with it, why not? I'd welcome it with open arms.
Anyway, work first. Decision later.
...........
I got to the office just past eleven. A few coworkers glanced over; light nods exchanged. Word of the emergency dispatch had spread.
Sat at my desk, booted the computer. Then a familiar voice.
"Sunbae-nim."
Lee Jin-ah. Holding her usual coffee mug, usual kind smile as she approached. Glad to see her, but some inexplicable guilt twisted in me.
"Heard you had emergency dispatch last night. You okay?"
"Yeah, no big deal."
It was a big deal. Honestly, our three agents couldn't have taken that villain. But we did, so 'no incidents.'
Lee Jin-ah offered the coffee. Steam rising warmly.
"You worked hard. Here."
"Ah, thanks."
But.
As she got close, her movement froze.
"......"
Her smile iced over. Actually, her whole face stiffened.
Lee Jin-ah's eyes scanned my neck, then my shoulder.
What the?
Her expression shifted slowly. Smile stayed, but her eyes weren't laughing.
...........
Lee Jin-ah's smile had frozen purely because of her nose. The scent. Sunbae Han Kang smelled different from usual.
She remembered everything about him. His usual body wash, laundry detergent—even the faint cafeteria grease after lunch.
This scent didn't match any of that. Cheap soap. That artificial floral whiff from bargain shampoo. The kind from motel amenities.
Her gaze drifted to his clothes. The shirt from yesterday morning. Identical.
He didn't go home.
Realization hit like ice. Han Kang sunbae hadn't gone home last night. Slept somewhere—a motel.
With who? First face that popped up: blue twintails. That pervert incest freak. The psycho trying to sleep with her own dad.
Did that bitch actually seduce him? And did he fall for it?
Rage boiled inside. Like organs being wrung out.
But.
Lee Jin-ah fought to stay calm. Anger clouds judgment.
If Han Sol had seduced him and he bit, why a motel? She had her officetel; he had his place. Why motel, and show up to work without changing?
Then who...?
Her mind raced. Han Sol wasn't fully cleared, but least likely by circumstances.
Another woman?
Her fingers gripped the tray hard. Veins bulging.
Who the hell.
Who dared touch her Han Kang sunbae, the one she'd slathered in her spit.
Inside, a bonfire raged. But she kept smiling.
"Sunbae-nim, looks like you didn't go home last night?"
His reaction was instant. Flinch. Suspicious as hell. Eyes darted, poker face crumbled, avoided her gaze.
"...Ah, well, you see."
"Yes."
"Uh, yeah. So, after handling the situation and handing off the villain, grabbed food nearby. By then it was too late. Crashed close by."
Nearby dinner. That phrase grated.
Couldn't picture him eating alone.
"Oh, I see..."
Lee Jin-ah felt her smile stiffen. Lips up, cheeks rigid.
Still, she handed over the coffee.
"Here. Drink before it cools."
"Y-Yeah, thanks."
Han Kang sunbae took it. Not even meeting her eyes properly.