How Did Our First Date End Up at an Adult Goods Store (3)

Looking up at me with a shy, upward glance, Seolhwa asked,

"…I want this one."

I tried to dodge her eyes, then really did my best to look unbothered. Feigning an indifferent expression, I gave the maid outfit a light touch.

"Ah, the maid outfit? …Heh. Got it."

"Uh, yeah…"

…Wow. This is mortifying.

In front of Seolhwa I put on a carefully proper act, but I was thoroughly embarrassed at having so blatantly revealed my sexual tastes without meaning to.

I didn't even look her way—just waved her off, meaning hurry up and go buy it. Cheeks flushed, Seolhwa gave an embarrassed little smile and walked over to a nearby female employee.

"Excuse me. That outfit hanging over there—do you have a size that would fit a 65H…?"

"Yes, of course. I'll bring it over for you. Would you like to try it on?"

"Oh—is that okay?"

"Fitting room number two is free, so feel free to use it. Just wait a moment and I'll bring the right size."

"Yes, thank you."

"…65H?"

I'd known her chest was huge, but so it was a 65H.

Unintentionally overhearing that Seolhwa's bust was a 65H cup, I honestly couldn't take in any of the rest of the conversation. So I stood there dumbly, repeating 65H in my head, until Seolhwa—having taken the clothes from the clerk—waved at me.

"Oppa, just a second…!"

Of all the times to call me.

Walking any closer was a guaranteed ticket to weird fantasies, but I couldn't ignore her when she called, so I approached awkwardly.

When I stopped about three steps away, Seolhwa fluttered her hand as if telling me to come closer.

"Oppa."

When I stepped right up, she whispered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠against my ear.

"I'm going to put this on and show you right away. Will you take a look and tell me what you think…?"

…Ah.

Was she trying to kill me with torment?

"Oppa?"

"…Okay."

When I reluctantly nodded, Seolhwa smiled sweetly.

"Heh. Wait just a moment…"

—Creak, thud.

Seolhwa went into the fitting room.

Only then did I let out the breath I'd been holding, and the thick wave of self-loathing that followed made me shudder in secret.

"…Ah, I'm going crazy."

If she was trying it on for size, she could just check it herself and be done. Why show it to me…?

Seolhwa probably thought she was doing this for my sake, but from where I stood it was pure agony. After all, ever since seeing her in handcuffs and a ball gag, I'd already half lost it and kept having dirty thoughts.

I didn't show it outwardly, but right now I was holding down—with the tiny scrap of reason I had left—an instinct trying to smash through its threshold and race like a runaway train. Even the smallest trigger would make that reason collapse like a sandcastle.

And yet she wanted my impressions of her in a maid outfit.

In this state, the only words that would come out would be vulgar ones like sexy, hot, I want to pin you down right now. My head was being ruled by my lower body. Pickled in lust.

"…"

Instinct nine, reason one.

If I saw Seolhwa in a maid outfit like this, even I didn't know what I'd do.

With a sexy maid like Seolhwa right in front of me, I was ninety-nine percent—no, a hundred percent—likely to make a mistake. Sadly, my feet wouldn't leave, and my eyes stayed fixed only on the firmly closed fitting room door.

…When is she coming out?

Then it happened.

Creak—.

The closed fitting room door opened, and Seolhwa poked her head out.

"…Oppa."

"Yeah, what?"

"Could you come here for a second…?"

Meeting my eyes, Seolhwa called me carefully with a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠troubled look.

Thinking there might be something that needed a man's hands, I approached without much thought. Seolhwa lightly took my wrist, pulled me inside, and quickly shut the door.

"I—I tried it on, for now…"

With her hands behind her back, Seolhwa slightly avoided my gaze.

"…So, how is it?"

Seolhwa was wearing the maid outfit.

But it wasn't an ordinary maid outfit. The top was cut like a bikini swimsuit, and the bottom was like a short skirt.

It was so revealing—or rather, a costume made for exposure—that anyone would call it an obscenely sexy maid outfit.

No—was it even right to call this a maid outfit?

It was that sexy and revealing, and without meaning to I found my eyes stolen by it.

"…"

Whether Seolhwa intended it or not, her fully exposed figure was incredibly stimulating.

Her large breasts, the cleavage between them, her smooth underarms and pale thighs, her cheeks faintly flushed with shyness.

All of it combined seemed to keep prodding the dangerous instinct inside me.

"…Ah."

When I came to my senses, I was gripping Seolhwa's wrist.

"O-Oppa…?"

Suddenly seized by me, Seolhwa didn't look away—instead she looked up at me with eyes that seemed to expect something.

"…Seolhwa."

As if possessed, I moved purely on instinct and took a step toward her.

Looking down at Seolhwa, who was about a head shorter than me, I thought anew how truly beautiful her eyes were.

Not just her eyes—her smile was pretty, her plump lips were pretty. The jawline falling below them was pretty, and her white nape and the modestly swelling curve of her chest were pretty too.

Looking at Seolhwa's body, which somehow seemed to have no unpretty part, my hands moved naturally.

My left hand settled behind her slender waist; my right hand gently took hold beneath her chin.

Lifting it carefully to meet her gaze, Seolhwa closed her eyes smoothly as if anticipating something.

"…Mm."

"…"

Then it happened.

—Excuse me, customer…?

Someone's voice came from outside the fitting room.

"…!"

Like someone just waking from sleep, my dazed mind snapped clear in that moment. Seolhwa, just as startled as I was, opened her eyes wide and looked at the fitting room door.

"Y-Yes?"

—U-Under store policy, a man and woman can't use a fitting room together. One of you will need to come out…

The employee outside spoke carefully, in a voice only we could barely hear.

From how awkwardly she put it, she must have seen me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go into the fitting room from outside.

At the fact that our secret rendezvous had been discovered, Seolhwa and I both flushed red and hurried to answer.

"A-Ah…! I-I'm so sorry…!"

"…I'll go out."

And so, outside the shop.

With gathering time approaching and nowhere else to go, Seolhwa and I headed back to the pension, walking while awkwardly looking everywhere but at each other.

"…"

"…"

"…Shall we stop by a convenience store for a bit?"

"…Why a convenience store?"

"I-I want to get some hangover remedy. They say if you take it before drinking a lot, it helps…"

I'd heard that too. The ingredients in hangover remedies help break down alcohol, or something like that.

"Okay, let's do that…"

"…Y-Yes."

It was awkward anyway, and I thought some snacks might improve the mood, so I agreed.

I took Seolhwa into the convenience store, picked out two bottles of hangover remedy—one for each of us—and added a pack of gum and a chocolate bar. The chocolate was for Seolhwa; the gum was for me.

"O-Oppa."

As we headed to the register after choosing everything, Seolhwa tapped my shoulder and pointed somewhere with her finger.

"…I think we'll need p… protection. …Sh-Should we buy some?"

Where Seolhwa was pointing was none other than the condom display.

"…"

I deliberately said nothing—just took Seolhwa's wrist and led her to the counter.

I set down the hangover remedies, gum, and chocolate as a signal to ring them up. For some reason, the convenience store part-timer's gaze on me was not normal.

Beep, beep—.

She didn't say anything, but the whole time she was ringing us up she kept glancing at me blatantly. It was pretty uncomfortable. Was something on my face?

Why is she doing that…?

Feeling oddly awkward, I looked at where the prices were displayed.

Under the real-time updating price list, in small text, a contraceptive ad slogan was written:

…Ah.

Seeing that ad, I vaguely understood why she was staring so openly.

This female part-timer probably thought I was some trash who doesn't even use protection.

"Do you need a bag?"

You piece of trash.

Hearing that phantom voice, I must still not be in my right mind.

"…Yes."

I took the bag the part-timer handed me and left the convenience store with Seolhwa. The part-timer stared at me like garbage right to the end.

"…"

All in all, an evening that left nothing but a lingering unease.

I sorted the bag and was about to say something to Seolhwa when the phone in my pocket vibrated. Curious, I checked—it was a call. The caller was Kim Hyenseok.

"Hello."

"I'm heading into the pension right now. Why?"

"Ah, was that it…?"

"Yeah, thanks."

The brief notice ended and the call cut off at once.

"…Oppa."

Right ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠next to me, Seolhwa—who had been pretending not to listen while eavesdropping—looked at me.

Until a moment ago her face had said she was dying of awkwardness, but somehow now she looked quietly pleased.

"Is that your friend?"

"Yeah, the one you said earlier you'd introduce a girl to. Don't you remember?"

"Ah, that was him?"

"Yeah. You've probably seen his face once too? Kim Hyenseok—same year as me…"

"…Mm, I see."

Drawing out the end of her words as if she had little interest, Seolhwa lightly clung to my arm.

She seemed to have no interest in talk about other people, so I stopped what I'd been about to say and changed the subject.

"Earlier it looked like you bought something else besides the clothes—what did you get?"

"Hmm, curious?"

"Yeah, I am."

"…Heh. Not right now. It's a secret, so I'll tell you later."

"Ah, okay…?"

Honestly I wasn't that curious, but with her hiding it so openly, I got more curious for no reason.

Had she bought something weird behind my back?

"But Oppa, what if I get too drunk?"

Just as I was about to dig a little, Seolhwa very naturally linked her arm through mine.

"That's why we bought hangover remedy, so it should be fine, right?"

"Still, if I drink a lot I could get drunk. Like, so much I can't control my body."

"If you're so drunk you can't control your body… then you should go in and sleep, I guess."

"…What if a weird person comes in while I'm sleeping?"

A weird person coming in while she's sleeping.

With so many eyes around, the chance was small—but Seolhwa was a girl, and pretty enough that guys might casually fall for her, so I should answer seriously.

"Hmm, then…"

"…Then?"

Just as I was about to answer, I realized the look in Seolhwa's eyes as she watched me was strange.

How to put it—I couldn't explain well.

Like the eyes of a lioness stalking her prey… or something.

"…"

"…"

"—Oppa."

"…Huh?"

"At this rate we'll actually be late. Let's hurry."

"Huh? Ah, yeah…"