Daily Life 6 - A Whole New World
Haa… Almost time to clock out.
Most office workers would agree that Friday is the best day of the week. You don’t have to dread the next morning’s commute, and the weekend is waiting to wash away all the exhaustion that’s piled up. So even though I was doing the same work as always, on Fridays my steps felt a little lighter.
“Gyu-min, any plans after work today?”
Quitting time was approaching and I was wrapping up my tasks when I turned to find Park Yeong-hwan watching me. He was the leader of Research Team 1, the one both I and Senior Chul-min belonged to. In his late forties, he had the kind of face that screamed “middle-aged uncle” to anyone who looked. Unlike Senior Chul-min, he was stubbornly old-fashioned—what people called a kkondae—with a completely self-centered way of thinking. We had never clicked. Because of that, I kept our relationship strictly professional.
On top of that, although he was a goose father who had left his family behind for his children’s education, he had a reputation for hitting on new female employees. His name didn’t exactly inspire warm feelings around the company.
“Ah… No particular plans.”
“Really? Then how about the three of us grab dinner together? Our team received a big research budget this time. We should celebrate. Chul-min, you don’t have anything going on either, right?”
“No, I’m free,” Senior Chul-min answered. For a split second he wore the same reluctant expression I did before smoothing it into a polite, businesslike smile. Park Yeong-hwan was the type to hold grudges, so refusing him usually meant dealing with the consequences later. We had learned it was easier to just go along.
“Great. See you both in front of the main entrance in ten minutes~”
“Yes, sir.”
Inside the izakaya, late evening after work.
“All right, cheers to surviving another week!”
The three of us—Senior Chul-min, me, and Park Yeong-hwan—began what was sure to be an awkward team dinner. I had already texted my wife that I had plans. She simply told me not to come home too late.
“Chul-min, it hasn’t been that long since your divorce. You must be going through a lot. Let’s drink our troubles away tonight.”
And so it began. Park Yeong-hwan had a weak tolerance but always drank too much, which led to plenty of verbal slip-ups. Still, as our boss, and since he usually forgot whatever nonsense he spouted once he sobered up, Senior Chul-min and I had learned not to engage.
“Haha… Thank you, sir. It’s nice to know you’re looking out for me.”
“Of course! I’m the only one who truly cares about the people in our department. I’m a goose father myself, you know. As you’re well aware, Chul-min, whether it’s physical distance or emotional distance, once a couple grows apart the relationship inevitably cools. Ah! Are you and your wife still in the honeymoon phase, Gyu-min?”
“We’re still doing well.”
“That’s good to hear. Now that I think about it, I’ve never actually seen your wife’s face. When you first joined the company I was stationed overseas, so I missed your wedding. I still feel bad about not being able to congratulate you in person.”
“Haha, please don’t worry about it. You always take good care of me—that’s congratulations enough.”
“Don’t be so modest. Let’s have a proper meal together sometime soon. I’ll pay for everything—bring your wife along.”
“Yes… let’s do that.”
I forced a smile as Park Yeong-hwan continued saying things that grated on my nerves. The drinking went on. While Senior Chul-min and I remained relatively clear-headed, the team leader was completely wasted.
“Aigoo, my stomach’s acting up. I’ll head out first. See you both on Monday.”
Park Yeong-hwan left the table, leaving only Senior Chul-min and me.
“Whew… That kkondae finally left.”
“No kidding. Pretending to listen to him is a full-time job.”
“What do you want to do? Head home, or go for a second round?”
“It’s been a while. Let’s keep drinking.”
We moved to a private-room bar for round two.
“Oh, right. I was going to show you this later, but I’ll show you now.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve discovered a new site recently. It’s a whole new world.”
“A whole new world?”
Senior Chul-min smiled like he was remembering something pleasant, took a long drink, then held out his phone. I accepted it and looked at the screen. The photo gallery was open, rows of images neatly arranged.
“Just tap any of them.”
I tapped one at random. The photo expanded to fill the entire screen.
“What the…?”
I couldn’t look away as I asked the question. The image showed a woman who had stripped off everything except her underwear. I swiped to the next photo, then the next. Every single one featured provocative lingerie full of strategic holes and cutouts—nothing you could call everyday underwear.
I kept scrolling, studying them more carefully now. The women posed like professional models, each one giving the camera a sultry, suggestive look. It was obvious they knew exactly what they were doing and that someone was photographing them.
The next image showed a woman arching her back, head tilted slightly, hips pushed out to emphasize her ass.
“Whoa…”
These photos were giving me something new, something I couldn’t quite name. My eyes, which had been hazy with alcohol just moments ago, sharpened instantly. My pupils were already blown wide. The buzz I’d felt earlier had completely vanished, replaced by something hotter.
She wore a pure-white silk lingerie set. The color and material suited her perfectly. The background looked like a motel room; the signature colored lighting made her look even more seductive. Her panties matched the bra—bold and minimal. The fabric covering her most intimate areas was far smaller than normal, like tiny scraps of silk barely preserving her modesty.
“What do you think? Hot, right?”
“…Senior, why the hell do you have pictures like these?”
“I wasn’t planning to keep them on my phone, but they’re just too damn arousing, lol.”
“Seriously… you really are a pervert.”
“More importantly, aren’t you curious where I got them?”
I glanced at him, then back at the screen. I had never seen photos like these before. What shocked me most was how willingly these women posed—nearly naked, completely unashamed. The only remotely sexy lingerie I had ever seen in real life was the set my wife had received as a honeymoon gift from a friend. Other than watching porn online, this was the first time I had ever looked at another person’s exposed body like this. I wasn’t cheating. I wasn’t even in the same room as these women. Yet somehow I still felt like I was doing something wrong to my wife.
“All of these are from the site I mentioned. There are videos too—tons of them. It’s literally heaven.”
An underground adult community website where users upload amateur photos and videos of themselves or their partners to receive sexually explicit comments.
“What’s the site called?”
“It’s called Heaven Net. The place is packed with perverts like me, lol. The women upload all kinds of revealing photos like it’s regular SNS. The more comments and likes the men leave, the more competitively the women post and the more they enjoy the attention. I haven’t been on it long, but it really is heaven.”
“They compete by exposing their bodies?”
The idea that the women I had just seen were deliberately showing off their bodies for strangers—and enjoying the reactions—didn’t make sense to the rational part of my brain. Yet at the same time, a strange, heated feeling began to rise inside me.
“Once you get a taste of Heaven Net, you won’t be able to quit. You said your sex drive has been dropping lately, right? Try something different. I’ve been taking care of myself with this site lately, lol.”
“Sigh… You’re not a teenager, Senior. Isn’t this a little young for you?”
“Just try it later. Even small changes can make a big difference. Look at those photos—sexy lingerie like that gets you hard instantly. I saw a program once that said changing things up like this can help restore intimacy between couples. If a simple underwear change can fix your sex life, it’s a total win-win. It won’t feel too burdensome for you or your wife. You do have at least one set like this at home, don’t you?”
“Uh… maybe. My wife got a set as a gift from a friend a while back. I’m not sure if she still has it.”
“Go look for it. If not, I’ll buy one as a present for her. Don’t just listen—actually try it. I’ll keep helping you.”
“You really are reliable, Senior…”
“Would I just talk big? You know me.”
“All right, lol. Let’s head home.”
We finished one more bottle of sake and called it a night. Senior Chul-min lived close enough to walk, so I caught a taxi alone.
“The more I get to know Senior Chul-min, the more fascinating he becomes. He really does live however he wants. Sometimes I’m honestly a little jealous…”
I stared out the taxi window at the passing city lights, lost in thought. In my head, I had already replaced every woman in those photos with my wife, Yu-jin. Her perfectly sized C-cup breasts, the white silk lingerie hugging her Western-style, perky ass, and the tiny scrap of fabric barely covering her most secret places…
My cock had grown painfully hard. As the taxi’s engine hummed and the night wind brushed past the windows, I drifted off to sleep.