Chapter 2: Cheol-jin and Aunt Gyu-ri (Seul-gi, Aunt Gyu-ri) (School, Aunt Gyu-ri’s House)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: Cheol-jin and Aunt Gyu-ri (Seul-gi, Aunt Gyu-ri) (School, Aunt Gyu-ri’s House)
Kim Cheol-jin
Same age as Si-woo.
Cheol-jin, a boy in the same class, had been friends with Si-woo since they were children. He was the son of Aunt Gyu-ri, his mother’s best friend.
Si-woo’s mother, her younger sister Aunt Seon-ju, and Aunt Gyu-ri had always been a trio. Even after getting married and having children, their bond remained unbroken. Because of this, their families interacted and gathered frequently; before Si-woo’s father passed away, they had gone on trips together almost every quarter.
Cheol-jin’s hobby was photography. He mainly took photos of women, and he particularly enjoyed photographing close neighbors or family members. He reportedly started photography after taking pictures of Se-hee Noona during her peak as an athlete. When Se-hee Noona quit sports, Cheol-jin was more devastated than anyone else—mostly because he lost the official excuse to take her picture.
—What a pathetic bastard...—
Cheol-jin also had a deep knowledge of rare erotica. He provided most of the rare adult content circulating through the school, and much of it was so peculiar that people wondered where he even found it. Though he was a pervert, he was quick-witted, sly, and quite intelligent. His reputation among his peers wasn't actually that bad.
* * *
"I hate it when kids who would've gobbled it up without a second thought act all high and mighty, pretending to be disgusted! I bet you nine out of ten wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't said anything!"
As Si-woo entered the classroom, he saw Cheol-jin arguing heatedly, as if defending himself against something. A girl’s sharp, biting voice immediately fired back.
"That’s as frivolous as asking for cheese in a Chinese dish! You should ask politely while fully expecting to be rejected!!"
The owner of that sharp voice was Shin Seul-gi. She had a pretty face and a sexy body that made random men approach her if she just stood still. In the academy, she was famous for being just as much of a pervert as Cheol-jin—though she usually had the prefix "beauty" attached to her name.
Perhaps because they were aware of their own perversions, Cheol-jin and Seul-gi would get worked up to the point of being a public nuisance whenever their "perverted purity" was questioned. On the surface, they seemed like sworn enemies, but Si-woo often thought they were surprisingly well-matched, considering they could hold such absurd discussions.
"What are you two being so noisy about since first thing in the morning?" Si-woo asked, approaching them.
"Oh, Si-woo, you're here? Look at this girl. I went through all the trouble of preparing something for her, and now she’s backpedaling," Cheol-jin complained as soon as he saw Si-woo.
"Good grief, I’ve never seen such a heinous bastard in my life! If I let him 'look out for me' twice, I’d probably end up in a grave!" Seul-gi retorted, grabbing Si-woo’s arm in exasperation.
"Shouldn't you say thank you since I picked it out to match your tastes?"
"Who said that was my taste? Are you just going to go full mask-off now?"
"You might not know it, but in this world, it’s all the same thing anyway."
"Oh, really? In that fantasy world inside your monitor?"
Listening to their incomprehensible conversation for a while made Si-woo’s head throb.
"Seriously, what are you both even talking about?"
"She really doesn't know how to show gratitude."
"Hmph! Look who's talking!"
The two huffed and puffed at each other for a while longer before returning to their seats at the sound of the warning bell for morning assembly.
The spat between Cheol-jin and Seul-gi seemed to have reached a temporary truce. Since these kinds of arguments were common, Si-woo didn't pay it much mind. But did he know then? That this very argument... this conversation... was a clue to an event that would shake the very foundations of his life's values?
When lunchtime came, Cheol-jin walked over to Si-woo’s desk.
"Everything okay?"
"Huh? Yeah... I guess."
Si-woo gave a half-hearted answer to Cheol-jin’s random question.
"Come over to my place after the academy."
"Your house? Why? Did you get some new videos?"
"I have something to show you."
"What is it?"
"You'll know when you get there. It's something good."
And so, after school, Si-woo headed to Cheol-jin’s house.
Aunt Gyu-ri was home alone. Cheol-jin’s father was often away on business trips, sometimes for months at a time. Aunt Gyu-ri, his mother’s friend, was quite a beauty. She had fair skin and a soft, gentle gaze. With a face that looked much younger than her actual age—if you asked someone on the street, they’d believe she was in her late twenties—she had a mellow personality that was very different from Si-woo’s mother, Na Seon-mi. Her body, toned from yoga, looked remarkably voluptuous and firm.
"Hello~"
Si-woo greeted her as soon as he entered the house.
"Oh... oh, Si-woo? Come on in."
She seemed a bit more flustered than usual, but Si-woo figured it was just because he had dropped by unannounced and headed into Cheol-jin’s room.
"So, what are you going to show me this time?" Si-woo asked.
"What's the rush? Put your bag down and wait. I'm thirsty, so let's ask for something to drink first."
Cheol-jin took a deep breath and then shouted toward the living room.
"Mom! Do we have any juice or cola?"
Aunt Gyu-ri’s voice drifted in from the kitchen.
"Wait a moment. I was just about to bring some snacks anyway."
"Okay!"
After answering his mother, Cheol-jin suddenly asked Si-woo a bizarre question.
"What do you think of my mom?"
"What do you mean, 'what do I think'? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Don't you think she's kind of sexy?"
"What the hell is wrong with you, you crazy bastard?"
"Just try not to be too shocked in a bit. Hehe."
Not knowing what kind of weird stunt he was pulling, Si-woo just sat there.
Soon, Aunt Gyu-ri entered the room carrying a tray with juice and cake. She glanced at Cheol-jin’s face with a slightly wary expression before placing the tray on the desk.
"Enjoy~" Aunt Gyu-ri said, smiling at Si-woo.
"But Mom, you don't usually do this for my other friends unless I ask, do you?" Cheol-jin said jokingly.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I mean, the snacks seem especially good whenever Si-woo comes over."
"It's because he's Seon-mi’s son. Of course I'd take extra care of him."
"Oh, was that it? And here I thought..."
"Honestly, what is with the nonsense today?"
"By the way, Mom, have you been working out lately?"
"Yes, I've been doing yoga. You see me doing it every day, don't you?"
"Yeah, I see it."
"Then why ask? Honestly..."
Just as the pointless mother-son banter was ending and Aunt Gyu-ri turned to leave with an exasperated look—
Slap!
A loud, fleshy sound echoed through the room. Cheol-jin had ruthlessly swatted his mother’s butt with his palm.
Si-woo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock, while Aunt Gyu-ri stood frozen in place.
"Auntie, you've put on so much weight. Aren't you being a bit too obvious about wanting a younger man?"
When Cheol-jin teased her like that, Aunt Gyu-ri turned around and shouted at him, looking flustered.
"Hey! I told you to stop hitting your mother's butt like that! What are you doing in front of Si-woo?!!"
Aunt Gyu-ri balled her hand into a fist, extended her middle knuckle, and ground it into Cheol-jin’s temple.
"Ow! Okay, okay! I surrender! Seriously, you're so brutally strong! Ow, ow, ow! It hurts!"
Cheol-jin screamed as he was punished for his disrespectful act. Si-woo had almost never seen Aunt Gyu-ri raise her voice or get so flustered and angry. Watching her like that, an inexplicable surge of excitement rose from deep within his chest.
"Goodness, this boy is getting weirder by the day."
Aunt Gyu-ri spoke as if embarrassed and hurried out of the room.
"How was it?" Cheol-jin asked as soon as she left.
"You... what did you just do?"
Si-woo stammered, his brain seemingly frozen, unable to process what had just happened.
"Didn't you get a hard-on watching me hit my mom's butt? I won't get mad, so be honest. It turned you on, didn't it?"
Cheol-jin’s question hit the bullseye. Unable to find the words to answer, Si-woo simply nodded. Then, with a mix of worry and curiosity, he asked Cheol-jin:
"But isn't that a bit dangerous? She looked really mad. Do you do that when it's just the two of you, too?"
"It's fine. When it's just us, she doesn't get all serious like that. I think she overreacted because she was embarrassed that you were here."
"What?"
"Usually, she just stands there until I've hit her three or four times. If it starts to hurt too much, she'll just ask if I've done my homework or put out the laundry and then walk away. She never actually tells me not to hit her."
"Isn't it kind of cute how she pretends nothing's happening and changes the subject? My mom has a great body, but her butt is so fleshy it just begs to be hit. When I'm hitting her, it doesn't feel like she hates it—it feels more like she's offering it up to me."
"..."
Si-woo didn't know how to react and just kept listening with a stunned expression. Seeing him like that, Cheol-jin spoke up.
"You look shocked. Aren't you curious how this all started?"
Si-woo swallowed hard and nodded.