Wonderful Days 1
He woke to the sound of raindrops drumming relentlessly on the camper's ceiling. The sky, shrouded in thick clouds and turned pitch black, unleashed a dense curtain of rain. What shitty timing. Personally, he didn't hate rain or feel any special joy on clear days. But the humid midsummer monsoons never did anything to lighten the mood. The late-summer downpour was fiercer than any other day.
His gaze flicked past the clock on the table. Two hours had slipped by. He'd figured she'd be back at the camper by now, throwing a tantrum, but there was still no sign of her. Even Seohae wouldn't be foolish enough to wait out the rain. She must have seen the clouds gathering and headed home. He repeated this to himself inwardly, but a sliver of possibility refused to fade from his chest.
Grabbing an umbrella, he stepped outside. The soft grass glistened slick with rainwater, and the yielding earth had turned to clinging mud that impeded every step. There was no duty or drive pulling him to find Seohae right now. And yet Yuchan braved the soaking hem of his clothes and made for the lighthouse.
Through the lashing sheets of rain, as he drew near enough to spot the bookshelf beside the lighthouse, Yuchan slowed, his steps faltering as if his strength had drained away. Rewarding his idiotic worry like some fool's prize, there she was—the girl huddled beside the shelf.
Something surged up inside him. A hot, prickling emotion. He swallowed it down and approached her.
"What are you doing out here still?"
Seohae, her head bowed, slowly lifted her gaze. Her eyes brimmed with tears, swollen from who knew when. That sight set his emotions rioting even harder. An infuriatingly obstructive feeling.
"What the hell are you doing in a place like this? The camper's not even far."
Unbidden, a stern tone crept into his voice as he scolded her.
"Trying to pull my attention with some abnormal stunt? Or scheming to drag me all the way out here?"
After a long silence, the girl ducked her head again and murmured softly.
"...You said..."
"What?"
"But you told me not to get wet in the rain!"
Was she talking about that time with the dying bird he'd handed her? Her response was even more brainless than he'd imagined, and it pissed him off. Even though there was no reason it should.
He was angry.
"You're really a dimwitted little thing, aren't you."
Knowing full well her stubborn adherence to that meaningless promise wouldn't yield even a scrap of emotional reciprocity, Yuchan strode toward her anyway.
The girl jerked her head up with a flap, locking her big, tear-streaked eyes on his, and cried out.
"It was the first time you ever worried about me! Ugh, I don't know. Why'd your words pop into my head again? Rain's no big deal—I could've just taken it. Anyway, it's your fault. You meant it, not just some throwaway line..."
That casual, offhand remark—she'd cherished it like treasure in her chest. Left alone in the dim lighthouse, she'd huddled there, sheltering from the rain.
"Who's calling who dim... You worry and say something, and I just give stupid answers. It's not about the smell. I just want you to be happy. To live way longer than me, laugh more, be healthier..."
He recoiled at her words, delivered in a nonstop stream amid her faint trembling. They rang with a sincerity stronger than ever before from her.
Her voice grew thicker with sobs toward the end, harder to make out.
"Whatever you give me, I can't give you anything in return."
It was a rare, brutally honest answer from Yuchan. Seohae's eyes flew wide as she sensed it. And that baseless swell of hope inside her burst away more pathetically than foam shattering on rocks.
He fished a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The clearest possible statement to her.
"You're the one who said you'd be satisfied with a relationship like that. If it's not enough, tell me now. I won't come back here again."
Yuchan waited for her reply, but when she stayed silent even after he'd smoked it down to the filter, he turned to leave. He was already sketching plans in his head—pack up by tomorrow and head anywhere else.
Then a soft sensation pressed against his back. Seohae had come running, wrapping her arms tight around his waist. Heat seeped through his thin summer shirt.
"I'm... sorry..."
As Yuchan roughly tried to pry her off, she clenched harder, as if she'd never let go, her interlocked hands quivering.
"I won't... interfere anymore... so don't go..."
Yuchan forcibly peeled her away. Pushed beyond the umbrella's shelter, Seohae stood alone in the downpour, the hem of her dress turning transparent as it soaked through.
Seohae was useless now. Weighing gains against risks, his instincts screamed that her uncertainty harbored unknown dangers. Whether she withered away alone or not, it was no longer his concern.
As he turned to go, a flash of yellow petals fluttered past in the wind. Yuchan looked back at Seohae.
Her beautiful sunflower blooming in her chest. That Black Box, which had always flaunted its vibrant petals beneath the scorching sun, now hung its heavy head, its stem nearly snapping under the weight.
Her sunflower, which had shone brilliantly through any agony or torment, was wilting.
A sudden, violent pounding gripped his heart. Inevitably so—it was awe, a reverence Yuchan had never felt before in his life. A shiver like the one from art transcending human reason and stirring the soul.
Beautiful.
No emotion had ever shaken his chest like this. No pleasure compared to its raw intensity. No aesthetic had ever conveyed such vivid life.
Yuchan thought: When this sunflower has fully withered, I want to see what she looks like then.
Like a man who'd spent a lifetime chasing the end of the rainbow and finally found it, Yuchan approached Seohae and held the umbrella over her. In those few short moments, her drenched clothes clung slickly to her body, evoking a seductive allure.
"All right, let's go. The wind'll kick up soon. We'll sleep in the camper tonight."
Seohae lifted her head in shock. Rain had plastered her hair flat, making her already small head look even tinier. She threw herself into his arms and burst into heaving sobs.
2.
He folded the umbrella and slotted it into the holder, then stripped off his soaked outer layer and tossed it into the dryer. The warm-toned lighting and snug interior made the space feel far cozier. Seohae hurried in after him and kicked off her shoes.
"Shower first. I'll brew some cocoa."
"Sniff, okay. Make it thick—no stirring, just shake it."
She'd been huddled too long in the cold, and she hated how chilled it left her; she dashed off her reply and bolted into the tiny shower stall. It was so cramped, barely room for one—too bad they couldn't share. There was a certain charm in a woman lavishing his body with devoted care.
Sad things or not, Seohae bounced back fast. Or at least, she wanted to seem that way... probably.
Before the door clicked shut, he grabbed the new women's robe from the camper's storage—the one he'd bought for her visits. Last time it had been gym clothes, but he couldn't keep lending those; he'd ordered this online.
She emerged about twenty minutes later. He offered the robe, but...
"Not this—got a big shirt instead?"
Back into the drawer it went. Her whims were unpredictable, a headache to even try understanding, so it was easier to just give in.
"Here."
"Thanks."
Towel turban on her head, clad in nothing but the shirt, she plopped on the sofa and sipped her cocoa. Smooth bare legs, thighs of silken softness. Yuchan knew exactly what that gap between them felt like. Lust stirred unbidden.
"Why the shirt all of a sudden?"
"Hehe, just panties and a man's shirt—isn't that every guy's fantasy?"
Yuchan rolled his eyes briefly, then replied.
"I prefer you naked."
"Well, yeah, figured."
After downing about half her cocoa, Seohae asked, "Thought you'd just leave—why'd you come back?"
Adding that pointless flourish: commendably, or whatever. She was putting on her usual act, but with her legs pressed tight together and perfect posture as she sipped, her tension was obvious.
"Told you your body's useful. Finish that, ditch the shirt—we'll get to it right away."
Blunt words meant to wound. But no matter how much it hurt, she wouldn't leave him. She'd wilt beautifully, that sunflower, right up to her final breath.
"Eat something first? Feels queasy otherwise..."
Her reaction was just as expected. She bit her lip hard at his words pulverizing even that faint hope, then continued in a breezy tone like it was nothing.
Seohae finished her cocoa, and Yuchan took the mug from her hand, slotting it into the corner dishwasher. As he stood, she shoved the table aside and unrolled the bed. After much grunting and tugging, the mattress slid out from its wall nook, spanning the space where the desk had been.
"Clothes off."
Being a one-person camper, once the bed was out, there was nowhere left to stand.
Climbing onto the bed, Seohae hesitated at his command before slowly stripping. Unbuttoning the shirt revealed the beautiful nude they'd enjoyed together every day for the past week.
"Um..."
"What?"
For a brief moment, her eyes held a poignant glimmer as she looked at Yuchan. Then, timidly:
"Lights off tonight?"
"No."
Down to her panties, she neatly folded the shirt and set it aside, twisting her body shyly. A fresh, innocent reaction to baring herself to a man.
Of course, Yuchan had no intention of considering her feelings.
She pouted just a touch. That fragility, like it might shatter any second, ignited his desire.
Seohae shed her panties slowly, like casting off heavy armor. The bra slipped free from her pert breasts; the fabric trailed down her thighs to her ankles, exposing her raw nudity below.
Her body screamed still growing at a glance, its immaturity at odds with the allure that drew a man's lust.
The soft rustle of fabric. The cramped room filled with the scent of flesh and blooming musk.
Still damp, or maybe from nerves or chill, her slender waist quivered faintly.
"There... good?"
"Hands behind your back. Present your pussy."
"Told you to watch your tone... Fine."
Her usually paper-white face now flushed with healthy color. Seohae arched her back, offering easy access for him to touch.
Yuchan extended his index finger long and pressed it to her tiny slit. She accepted it meekly, without flinching. Chewy, yielding labia jiggled like jelly. It parted slightly, wafting scorching heat from the pink flesh within.
He knew well how her delicate petals, seemingly so fragile they'd break under rough handling, could turn lewdly sensitive and drenched in pleasure so easily.
From his seated height on the bed, her pussy aligned perfectly with his gaze. He could see her swallow hard. His searing stare clung to her mound like a lick.
Yuchan's head drew slowly closer to Seohae's pussy. Her labia were downy-soft, utterly smooth—no hint of stubble—like secret lips in truth.
Never having received oral before, Seohae stared blankly at him until his lips closed on her clit.
"Mister? That's dirty down there... Haah..."
Her legs trembled at the first-ever cunnilingus, a moan of pure ecstasy escaping her.
She hadn't known a man's body could hold such softness. His tongue delved like warm sponge, sending chills prickling up the back of her neck.
Watching her disappointed expression melt away like cotton candy, giving way to raw instinct, Yuchan moved his tongue slowly.