The Words Left Unspoken
"I really love this time of day! The sunset is so beautiful!!"
The school rooftop.
With the fading sunset at her back, Seong-ha leaned against the railing and beamed at me.
Yoon Seong-ha.
My one and only best friend, the person I'd been with since we were kids.
Despite our different genders, we'd spent every day together as friends, never as lovers.
It had become something so natural, like breathing.
An irreplaceable presence in my life.
I was certain of it, and I firmly believed Seong-ha felt the same.
"Yeah… the sunset is pretty."
Feeling the wind strong enough to whip through our hair, I stood beside her.
She rested against the railing, turning her head to gaze at the sunset, while I stood next to her doing the same.
We looked at the same view, sharing a silent moment as our gazes met.
Staring at the breathtakingly beautiful scene, I realized something.
This was a dream.
I was dreaming right now.
After finishing my rounds at the company yesterday, I'd collapsed into bed the moment I got home.
In reality, I was probably deep in sleep.
Even knowing it was a dream, there was nothing I could do.
All I could do was watch this undeniable dream replaying from memory.
"Seung-woo."
Seong-ha called my name softly, breaking the pleasant yet drowsy silence.
"Yeah?"
"How do you… feel about me?"
It was the same question I'd asked her in the classroom that morning.
She'd answered, but unfortunately, the noise in the classroom had swallowed her words, and I hadn't heard them.
Still gazing at the sunset, she turned her eyes to me. She was smiling, but a faint tension lingered in her expression.
Understanding what her serious gaze was hoping for, I lowered my eyes.
What should I say?
My heart raced as confusion washed over me.
We'd been together for decades.
If she was asking whether I felt something more than friendship… honestly, I didn't know.
There might have been those feelings, but at the same time, there were also the emotions of a friend, so maybe there weren't.
We'd been together since we took our first steps—perhaps something like family.
Close friends, yet because of our different genders, our relationship remained ambiguous, impossible to define clearly.
"Well…"
I forced my lips apart with difficulty.
Only silence remained.
It was a different kind of silence from the comfortable one moments ago.
After several false starts, the answer that finally came out was the one that truly reflected my feelings in that moment.
"I don't… know."
"…I see?"
Disappointment.
Reading the first emotion that surfaced on Seong-ha's face, regret hit me too late—but the words had already left my mouth.
"Let's go! If we stay any longer, we'll be late for evening study and the teacher will scold us again."
"Yeah…"
Watching Seong-ha's back as she smiled and walked toward the door, I answered weakly.
The dream of memory slowly closed from that point onward.
Feeling myself return to reality, I was left with deep regret within that memory.
The me from back then should have answered Yoon Seong-ha differently.
That I liked her.
It had nothing to do with whether I truly liked her or not.
Regardless of my feelings, I should have said that without hesitation.
If I had, that terrible thing wouldn't have happened…
Seong-ha dying like that… wouldn't have happened.
* *
I was startled.
The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was Seong-ha's face from the dream.
For a moment, I wondered if I was still dreaming, my mind still foggy from sleep.
But when I met her gaze and realized the girl lying beside me on the bed had different eyes, reality came rushing back.
With bleary eyes, I looked at the Guide mimicking Seong-ha and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Ahaha— Just looking at your sleeping face, obviously?"
Her laughter carried Seong-ha's voice but an entirely different atmosphere.
"Cute Seung-woo…"
The Guide gently stroked my cheek.
A touch dripping with affection.
A face smiling tenderly at me.
If it had been any other day, I would've pulled away or told her to stop, but not today.
After the nightmare I'd just had, I needed some comfort.
So without a word, I accepted her touch this time.
Surprised by my reaction, she blinked, then broke into an even brighter smile filled with affection.
"Ahaha— You're being extra cute today, huh?"
Covering both my cheeks with her palms, the Guide smiled and gazed silently into my eyes.
Caught in that inexplicable moment, I stared back until an inexplicable embarrassment welled up and I looked away.
"Ahahaha—!!"
Amused by my reaction, the Guide rolled onto her side and burst into laughter.
Watching her shoulders shake with hearty laughter made me feel mortified.
After laughing for a while, she turned back to face me, wiping away the tears that had formed from laughing.
Still chuckling, she managed to suppress the remaining laughter and propped herself halfway up on the bed.
Naturally, my eyes took in her entire figure, and I realized the clothes she wore were familiar.
A crisp white dress shirt with a necktie.
A black H-line skirt over stockings.
The same outfit Seong-ha had worn in the dream.
Reading my thoughts from my gaze, the corner of her mouth curled up with mischief.
While I watched her with wary eyes, she deliberately moved.
Swish—
Loosening the necktie that had been snug around her neck, she revealed her collarbone, then hooked a finger under the hem of her skirt and teasingly lifted it.
It was only a slight exposure, but that very subtlety drew the eye even more.
With a seductive, sensual posture, the Guide beside me gave me a provocative look and asked,
"How is it? This outfit."
"That…"
"Doesn't it look similar to what you saw in your dream?"
"Ugh…"
Since the Guide had become one with me, she naturally knew about the dream I'd had.
And she probably knew what that dream meant, too.
"So does it turn you on even more? Don't tell me… you're having dangerous thoughts? There are plenty of people dressed like this outside. Office workers, for example?"
She was right, but the dream connecting to reality made thoughts I shouldn't be having flash through my mind.
Swish—
When she lifted her skirt all the way to her hips, the thin fabric hidden beneath came into view, barely concealed.
"Kikiki!!"
The Guide openly laughed, clearly enjoying how my eyes were inevitably drawn there.
Just as I tried to get up, not wanting to be teased any longer, one of her hands covered the front of my pants.
"What's this~?"
The Guide leaned in with a face full of laughter.
When I turned red like an idiot, unsure what to do, her smile grew even more sadistic.
"What do you think it is?"
"W-what do you mean, what…"
"Did you get hard looking at me? Or is it just morning wood?"
The Guide pressed closer to my flustered self.
Her fallen hair tickled my skin.
Mixed with the pleasant scent of body wash, her natural fragrance invaded my senses.
As she pressed against me, her chest softly pushed against mine, stirring a strange feeling.
Naturally, blood rushed downward, and the member trapped in my pants began to harden.
There was no way she didn't notice the reaction while her hand rested on it.
Her gaze flicked downward briefly before she smiled and asked,
"You look uncomfortable… Want me to help you out?"
Every morning, the Guide had offered to relieve my sexual urges.
I had always refused.
Even though I could use the brainwashed women to satisfy myself, I hadn't wanted to do something like that with her wearing Seong-ha's appearance—it felt wrong.
But not today.
Starting work had brought back memories of Seong-ha that I hadn't dreamed of in a long time, leaving all sorts of emotions lingering in my chest.
Surprised by my uncharacteristically silent consent, she widened her eyes slightly.
She'd clearly expected me to reject her teasing, so my wordless acceptance seemed to catch her off guard.
Sensing the complicated emotions on my face, she dropped the mischief and smiled softly.
"The dream must've been tough, huh? I'm sorry… I should've been more considerate. In that spirit, I'll be gentle with you. I promise I won't cross any lines this time."
After tenderly stroking my hair, the Guide slowly moved down my reclining body.
Her fingers trailed along my skin as her other hand freed what had been asserting itself beneath my pants.
Before taking it into her mouth, she looked up at me and spoke in a soft voice.
"Slowly… take your time."
Slurp—
The Guide slowly enveloped the tip in her mouth, without the violent pleasure from before.
Instead, as if trying to relax my tension-filled body, she began to soothe me gently and slowly.
