#05_Back Alley (4)
Of course, drug use was illegal in Korea. And since these guys were distributing the stuff, they sure as hell weren't going to report it to the police after getting roughed up. Yuchan, who had taken a decent haul of narcotics from Kim Hyunwoo, wiped the blood splattered on his pants and stepped out of the alley.
Yujin was fidgeting with her smartphone and stamping her feet at the alley's entrance. He'd been tempted to hang back a moment to gauge her reaction, but she'd spotted him.
"Teacher!"
She came bounding over like a puppy that had just found its owner, throwing herself into his arms. The perfume and hair mist she'd spritzed on at the PC bang mingled with the faint, blooming scent of her girlish body—sweet and intoxicating.
"You okay? Aren't hurt anywhere? That must've been scary. But it's all good now."
Yuchan beat her to the punch, speaking first before she could voice her worries. He pulled her shoulders close and stroked the back of her head. Far from resisting, Yujin clung even tighter, slipping her arms inside his coat to hug his waist. The trust he'd built up in her was proving more potent than expected.
Women, by instinct, shrink and cower when exposed to shouts and violence. Yet Yujin showed no such signs, even right after witnessing the bloody brawl. A relief.
"What about you, Teacher? You're not hurt?"
"Nah, I was just the one doing the hitting."
Dealing with drunken idiots who couldn't think straight was honestly less workout than a single set of squats. Putting up with this minor hassle for her deepened affection was a worthwhile gain. With his face hidden against her as they embraced, Yuchan allowed himself a satisfied smile.
"Hey, sorry. It was my fault for running off like that..."
"No, I was the one being too careless."
By now, passersby were starting to take notice, so he tried to loosen his hold—but Yujin sensed it and gripped his waist even tighter. The soft curves of her body pressed through their clothes. Yuchan felt a sudden urge to pin her down right there.
His inability to perfectly control these fleeting emotional surges was, in his own estimation, his greatest flaw. And something he'd worked tirelessly to overcome. But not yet. The time wasn't right.
He planted a light kiss on her forehead. Yujin's body, which had been sniffling moments before, shivered faintly. The arms around his waist went slack. As she let out a soft huh of exhaled breath and relaxed, Yuchan gripped her shoulders and gently pushed her back. She finally let go.
Her carefully applied makeup was a tear-streaked mess. Relief, guilt, remorse, gratitude. Yuchan feigned a concerned gaze while scrutinizing her expressions.
He had been born without the ability to empathize with others' emotions. It wasn't by choice, nor had anyone molded him that way. He was simply built like this.
Human emotions aren't perfect from the start. They're built during childhood, mirroring the empathy around them like a palette of paints. Yuchan's emotional spectrum had plenty of blanks. Deficiencies.
If you divide human thought into intuitive emotions and logical reasoning, Yuchan could only grasp the latter. But emotions and logic, seemingly separate, shared a key trait: they were causal chains, cause leading to effect. Every emotion followed its own laws. Even seemingly irrational outbursts were just chemical reactions from unnoticed events.
Deficient parts could be mimicked, learned. By observing countless emotions, comparing samples, Yuchan had crafted convincing facsimiles. Free from his own emotions clouding rational judgment, he could fabricate the ideal human persona better than anyone.
Yujin's face drew slowly closer. This behavior clashed with her usual caution. Yuchan ran the calculations in his head, as always.
For her, this was impulse. Her teacher's near-miss because of her reckless stunt: guilt and gratitude. Rescue from peril: relief from pent-up fear. Combined with her secret crush, it had loosened her self-control just a fraction.
He could drag her to a motel now and spend a steamy afternoon, but it would damage their future dynamic.
"Mmph!"
Yuchan raised his palm, blocking her approaching lips. The soft, slippery texture slid against his skin.
"Ah..."
Disappointment leaked from Yujin's lips as the mood shattered. She blinked wide-eyed, startled by her own boldness. The brakes had kicked in; reason was returning.
"Jeez, what? Why block my mouth like that? People might think you're about to kiss me or something. Ahahaha."
To salvage the awkward air, Yujin sweated through a full-throttle act. Yuchan watched her with a tender smile—far superior to her amateur efforts.
Emotions ignite more from sincere actions than plausible words. He stroked her hair, then hugged her lightly once more. Her petite frame buried itself in his coat hem, shifting from bold initiative to passive surrender.
"You were tense, then it all released. I'm fine, so don't hold back—let it out."
His gentle words and back-patting coaxed sobs from her again, hiccupping.
2.
Yujin was the type who needed sleep to shake off stress. She stubbornly refused his offer to drive her home, but once he got her into the passenger seat of his car parked below her building, she was out like a light, snoring softly.
Yuchan was feeling the fatigue too, so he reclined the driver's seat fully and dozed off. He'd pulled an all-nighter yesterday and planned a nap around lunchtime anyway.
It felt like he'd only closed his eyes for a moment, but it was already past 7 p.m. Yujin was still asleep, so he pinched her cheek lightly. It stretched soft and pliant. Her eyelids, faintly double-lidded, were puffy from crying right before crashing. How could a girl's sleeping face look so angelic? Surrounded by her private peace, oblivious to the world—Yuchan felt that dark desire stir in his chest every time.
The twisted urge to snag her innocent feet from the swing and drag her into the mire.
When he saw people possessing what he could never have or even imagine—taking it for granted—he felt a vague malice. Humans were rotten from birth, no doubt.
Compared to "goodwill," mere mimicry to fill emotional voids, raw feelings like jealousy, desire, possessiveness, anger, irritation burned with vivid originality.
"Teach. Morning. Why're you grabbing my cheek?"
"Trying to wake you up."
"Hehe, who wakes someone like this?"
She'd opened her eyes without him noticing, grinning sleepily with that drowsy slur still in her voice. Yuchan neatly packed away the black emotions bubbling in his chest. His blank expression morphed into the kindly mentor's.
Objectifying himself like this for emotional control was one of the things he rated highly about himself.
Yujin seemed thrilled just by their physical contact. She rubbed her cheek against his hand, still resting on her shoulder. Unlike her innocent face earlier, her expression now carried an innate seductiveness. The cute piercing behind her ear glinted as her hair fell back.
"Was I too pushy earlier?"
"It's my failing as a teacher for not noticing my student was drunk."
"Still, don't hate me too much."
"Why would I hate Yujin?"
"I was so reckless though. You even held back on smoking for my sake, but back then I was just pissed."
"It's okay. Happens."
As if craving more of his hand's warmth, she leaned her head against it—then smacked her lips in regret when he pulled away. Stretching like a cat, yawning, she spoke in her still-husky, adorable voice.
"It was scary earlier. I wanted to call for you, and you came running like in a movie. Made me so happy."
"I was shocked too. Glad nothing happened. Don't do it again."
"Didn't know you were such a fighter, Teach. Were you a delinquent in school? Three on one, and bam—they went down like dominoes."
"Not sure if being good at fighting at my age is a compliment."
He scratched his nose with a wry smile, and Yujin flailed her limbs in clumsy shadowboxing. Her worries seemed forgotten; she'd clearly scored big points.
"Kicking like this, elbow smash like that! So cool."
After a brief quiet, she fixed him with mesmerizing eyes. This time, she didn't look away even as their gazes met. Yujin spoke.
"Teach, wanna come to my place and drink some more tonight?"
Playing it casual, but her tension showed in the lip-lick and averted eyes after. Her home was a penthouse in Ilsan's priciest residential complex in Tanhyeon-dong—the top floor, no less. He'd looked it up out of curiosity: asking price 5 billion won, 40 million per pyeong. Absurd.
As she'd said, her mom was off to China on business starting today. Inviting her male teacher for drinks in an empty house—she knew exactly what that implied.
Tempting, but too soon, Yuchan judged. Plus, it was the day after his crime spree at Nayae's. He'd installed hidden cams as a precaution, but needed to monitor for anything suspicious.
Regrettable, but better to bide time. Acting aloof and mature would serve better than seeming swayed by one word. She wouldn't escape his grasp anyway. He'd ensure it.
3.
After walking Yujin home, Yuchan showered her with smooth talk to spare her embarrassment from the rejection. You're just rattled and lost control momentarily. Male-female relations deserve careful thought—it's not too late. It's not that I feel nothing for you; I worry you'll get hurt from rash choices.
Words worthy of a wise adult advising his student. Yujin looked deeply disappointed but eventually nodded with sparkling eyes, impressed, and went inside.
He checked the time. Dinner and cafe chit-chat had brought them near midnight. Parking in the cram school's underground lot, Yuchan popped a piece of gum for dessert and fired up the surveillance app.
Nayae's room filled the tiny 6-inch screen. The lust he'd held back for Yujin today would all pour onto her.
Earphones in, and the room's sounds came alive. Diligently flipping through an English vocab book while brushing her teeth. Spare moments for study—classic top-student trait.
She approached the bedside lamp and switched it off. Her bed by the window was lit enough by moonlight seeping through. Spreading out her microfiber blanket, Nayae hummed softly as she tossed and turned. When her movements slowed to quiet breaths, Yuchan grabbed his sports bag and left the car.
He'd mapped every CCTV blind spot from the academy to her place. Strolling naturally through the night, excitement rippled in his chest.
With Yujin charging at him earlier, how many times had he debated devouring her? She'd dodged it narrowly; now a tender lamb slumbered oblivious in her bed as substitute.
If not for Nayae, he might've crossed the line. Gratitude welled anew.
Confirming no eyes on him, he took the outer emergency stairs instead of the elevator to her floor. Final check before entering: only her steady snores. Choi Nayae, deep in sound sleep without a stir.
After ten more minutes of watching, Yuchan slipped into her home as casually as if it were his own.