#17 Trap (3)
1. Nayae came home a little earlier than usual today, around 9 p.m. Until Teacher Yuchan resolved the stalker issue, she had been instructed not to leave the house, not to post any recent updates on SNS, and not to do anything that might leave traces of contact information. Accordingly, Seohyun finished a late dinner with the five days' worth of chicken breast salad that had been ordered separately in Nayae's name, paired with low-sodium dressing. Just as she roughly finished the dishes, the sound of the front door password being entered rang out, and Nayae stepped inside.
"You're back? Good work today too."
Seohyun wiped her hands on her apron and came out to the entrance. Nayae, backpack on and holding a black plastic bag in one hand. Studying surprisingly drained her stamina. After devoting over twelve hours a day to it, Nayae was utterly exhausted by the time she got home. And yet she always responded warmly to Seohyun's greetings... but today was a little different.
Standing stock-still under the sensor light without even taking off her shoes, she resembled a vase filled with wilted flowers.
"You okay? What's wrong?"
Seohyun had worried all morning about how to face the girl she'd used as masturbation fodder several times already, anticipating Nayae's return. But such trivial concerns evaporated in the face of Nayae's unnatural state. After a long silence, Nayae flashed a grin. It was a forced change of expression, like donning a new mask.
"What's up? You look tired. Could you take these?"
"Oh, sure."
Seohyun took the backpack and plastic bag, stepping aside to let Nayae cross the threshold easily. The atmosphere was frigid. She was smiling, responding in her usual tone, yet the room felt five degrees colder. Something bad must have happened at the academy. Using that sharp feminine intuition, Seohyun hovered around Nayae, circling her.
"Hoo..."
A sigh so heavy it seemed to sink into the floor. Seohyun hesitated over whether to ask what was wrong, then her eyes widened at the items Nayae began laying out on the desk.
"Ta-da!"
Suddenly, like a magician revealing a trick, Nayae thrust out both arms energetically. One was an unmistakably expensive crystal bottle of cognac. The rest she lined up were equally high-end snack sets.
"What's all this?"
"Yeah, Teacher Yuchan gave them to me as a housewarming gift."
"Even this stuff?"
"He's just so thoughtful about the details."
Nayae's face lit up with a playful smile, as if her earlier gloom had been an act for this surprise. She beamed, looking utterly delighted.
"Ah, so that's why you were acting all dramatic? You scared me. I thought something happened."
"I wanted it to feel special since it's a rare treat. Did it work?"
It had shocked her tremendously. More than the sudden gifts, that earlier menacing expression lingered. If she'd been acting professionally, she'd be a star.
"Whoa~ I've never seen a bottle like this. It's so heavy. How much do you think it costs?"
"Wanna look it up?"
Like close sisters, Nayae and Seohyun plopped onto the sofa, giggling as they searched the bottle's label and name on their smartphones. Their jaws dropped in unison.
"Hennessy Paradis... 1.3 million won a bottle...?"
This dark brown liquor cost 1.3 million won? Seohyun steadied her pounding heart and looked at Nayae. Nayae wore the exact same stunned expression, apparently unaware herself. She'd assumed it was nothing special since it came in a black plastic bag... If she'd known the price, she would've cradled it protectively in her bag all the way home.
"Must be... a mistake, right?"
"Probably."
Even the kind-hearted Yuchan wouldn't just hand over something like this. Being nice to people was one thing; money was another. Seohyun knew that well.
"Good thing we checked. I'll message the teacher."
Seohyun tapped out a KakaoTalk to Yuchan.
The reply came almost instantly, as if he'd been waiting. It was oddly cute, and Seohyun let out a small laugh.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Nayae—he says we can drink it."
As Seohyun snapped photos from every angle and sent a thank-you message, Nayae watched her intently, then murmured softly.
"...Thieving stray cat bitch..."
"Huh? What'd you say?"
Seohyun, caught up in the excitement, hadn't caught the tiny whisper and asked again. But Nayae just looked her way, smiling innocently.
"Tomorrow's the weekend, so I'll skip swimming and sleep in. Haven't been to the pool lately anyway."
"Wait, so you'll drink with me tonight?"
"It's a special gift. He even said he'd cover for me if I skip academy tomorrow."
"Is that okay for a cram school teacher?"
Thrilled, Seohyun poured drinks back and forth with Nayae for a good while.
2. Tipsy and woozy, Seohyun was half-sprawled on the bed. Her back had started hurting on the sofa, so they'd brought the rest of the liquor to bed. It wasn't much, but the high proof hit like two bottles of soju. The snacks that came with it were delicious too—not cheese or jerky, but some weird bacon-like thing that stuck to the roof of the mouth, making her forget all about dieting. It was a lazy compromise: one day of indulgence after never touching booze in her life couldn't hurt.
"Haa... the room's spinning... Guess expensive stuff hits harder..."
The slight pretense she put on around Nayae usually washed away with the alcohol. That's why they said drinking revealed true colors. Nayae matched her energy without discomfort, enjoying the time together.
"Haa, I should shower, but I'm so sleepy..."
"Want me to wash you?"
"What're you saying~?"
Seohyun leered like a sleazy old man, and Nayae giggled in response. Two things stood out with the booze in her system. First, Nayae got incredibly cute when drunk. Her cheeks flushed apple-red, she couldn't sit still, swaying side to side. From midway, complaining of heat, she'd stripped down to just her sports bra, her pale skin flushed up to her neck. Second, drinking with someone you like unleashed a flood of lewd impulses. She couldn't tear her eyes off Nayae. The sexual urges she'd suppressed came bursting out, her touches growing clingier.
"Nayae, I'm buzzed, so I'm saying this—you're so damn cute. I've liked you since day one. Like, wow, I'm living with this gorgeous girl~."
Seohyun combed Nayae's hair with her fingers as she spoke. Nayae's unbound locks flowed like water through her fingers, soft and silky. Her familiar scent rose sweetly. Nayae gazed at Seohyun's hand with dreamy eyes, breathing raggedly.
"Why say that all of a sudden?"
Her voice trembled, fragile and soft. Was Nayae's heart pounding like hers? Did she sense the erotic tension enveloping them? Even drunk, Seohyun's pulse raced. But her actions had no hesitation. She wanted to hold Nayae. Kiss her.
"Just curious—what was your first impression of me?"
"Mmm... I thought you were super pretty too. I expected it since you're a model, but seeing you in person... I didn't know you'd be this pretty."
The usually kind but straightforward Nayae spoke like a spoiled child in that moment, trailing off shyly as she answered. Seohyun swallowed hard. What she was about to say might shatter their relationship. It was uncharted territory she'd never dared tread. Their faces drew so close they could count each other's lashes. Nayae's flushed little face was intoxicatingly alluring. Seohyun cautiously reached out, caressing Nayae's lower lip.
"Nayae... have you ever kissed another girl?"
Nayae's gaze lingered on Seohyun's fingertip touching her lips. Panting lewdly, unfit for her innocent face, the tip of Nayae's tongue flicked out to lick it. Slowly, deliberately, as if savoring each knuckle. The mood lighting behind Nayae melted away like crumbling borders.
"Not... yet..."
Seohyun felt reason snap. Layers of alcohol piled up before her, plus the aphrodisiac and hallucinogen Yuchan had slipped into the mix. Maintaining sanity was impossible. Like a hawk's talons seizing prey, Seohyun's hand slid smoothly to the nape of Nayae's neck, locking her in place. Their thin lips overlapped. Nayae shuddered in surprise, but as Seohyun's soft tongue slipped inside, she accepted it quietly. Saliva mingled thickly, laced with liquor. Fireworks exploded in Seohyun's mind—an ecstasy from just a kiss. The liberation of unleashing long-hidden desires brought unprecedented pleasure.
"Mmph... nngh..."
In that instant, neither Yujin nor anyone else crossed her mind. Wet slurps of exchanging saliva. Seohyun slipped her hand under Nayae's sports bra, Nayae who had been so aggressively entwining tongues.
"Chuuup!!"
Probably from the chill—Nayae's body trembled. Seohyun groped Nayae's smooth, bare breasts, skin stickier than glutinous rice cake. She kneaded roughly, savoring every bit like dough. The nipple, hidden tight inside the bra, stood erect. Using two fingers, she teased the bud slowly, deliberately. Nayae grabbed Seohyun's wrist as if to stop her, but Seohyun ignored it. All she craved was tasting Nayae's scorching flesh.
"Chuuuup... slurp... smack..."
So provocative before, Nayae turned passive as a lamb once things got real—like she didn't know what to do with her body being manhandled. Savoring Nayae's sweet-yet-rough tongue, Seohyun plunged her hand into Nayae's pajama bottoms. Her wrist caught on the elastic, and Nayae's petals brushed her fingers. Like during masturbation, Seohyun pointed two fingers and eased them inside slowly. Pinning Nayae's rising hips, she stirred the slick inner walls.
"S-stop... stop that!"
At Nayae's desperate cry, Seohyun froze. Pulling back, lips parting, she saw Nayae—shaking in fear, tears streaming as she looked up.
Shit.
The alcohol cleared instantly.
"S-Seohyun... why are you doing this...?"
Her face screamed violation. Seohyun's mind went blank. What the hell was I doing? She'd misread the mood completely. Pinned down her drinking buddy, forced a kiss, shoved fingers into her privates. Nayae had never explicitly consented. In the heat, she'd taken the tongue-lick as a green light, but reviewing their prior touches, it might've just been playful. Why did these realizations hit so late?
"Hic... sob... I'm scared... Seohyun, don't..."
Nayae sobbed, covering her eyes with her arms, looking every bit the victim of a sudden assault. Betrayed by a trusted friend—a female friend, no less.
"N-Nayae, sorry. I... I must've lost it for a second. I thought you were okay with it..."
Seohyun backed away awkwardly. Nayae wailed as if the world had ended. From Seohyun's rough handling, her bra was hiked up, pretty breasts fully exposed; her pants half-down. No excuses. I'm the worst. Overwhelmed with despair, Seohyun covered her face with her palms.