37. Eunseo's First Experience
'Warm.'
It felt cozy and comfortable, like being held in her daddy's arms as a child. In her half-asleep state, Lee Eunseo nuzzled her head against the warmth.
In that moment, her eyes fluttered open briefly, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. She was just about to drift back off when—
"Huh?"
Her mind snapped awake. This was a ceiling she'd never seen before. Startled, Eunseo bolted upright. As her brain fully roused from sleep, fragments of the previous night came rushing back.
Last night, she'd gone to a club for the first time ever, dragged there by her friend. For someone who'd lived a prim and proper life under her strict father's iron rule her entire twenty years, stepping into a club had been a massive challenge. The open, uninhibited club culture she'd encountered for the first time left her utterly disoriented. The lights shifted colors with every blink, dizzying her senses. She wasn't the outgoing type, so she'd only swayed her shoulders timidly at the edge of the stage with her friend, but guys kept approaching nonstop.
Why do they keep talking to me? Do they just like dancing together?
When she voiced her confusion, her friend explained it was because she was pretty.
I'm not that pretty, though.
Flustered by the persistent, cunning advances of one particularly aggressive guy, she'd accepted the drink he offered—and that was her last memory.
With every recollection flooding back, Eunseo's body went rigid. She'd definitely blacked out at the club. And now she was waking up in a strange place... and... and...
Only then did she realize she was naked. Her face flushing crimson, she patted herself down.
What happened?
The pieces clicked together in her mind, forming the worst possible scenario.
Hiiing... I think I got kidnapped.
Riiing.
The alarm blared, and his eyes snapped open less than two seconds later—a habit ingrained from his intense exam prep days.
Washing up sounds like a hassle.
A sudden thought struck him, so he grabbed his smartphone. Opening WeLike, he selected the Beauty Skin filter that boosted appearance scores the most and applied it. In the blink of an eye, he looked like he'd just stepped out of a luxury boutique.
This thing is way too convenient. Gotta use it more often on lazy days.
He left the motel and popped into a nearby clothing store, buying outfits in Eunseo's size. He left them in front of the door to her room, then returned to his own. Pulling up her Profile on his phone, he waited for her to wake.
About thirty minutes later, text began appearing in her status message.
Panic / Fear.
Where is this place?
Song Yunho observed her inner thoughts for a while.
Just as expected—no memory after the drug kicked in.
One key effect of the water-soluble ecstasy she'd been slipped was memory loss from its extreme stimulant properties. He'd anticipated this.
Good thing. If she'd remembered anything, last night's whole plan would've been ruined.
Now confirmed, all he had to do was wait patiently. He kept monitoring her status messages. Soon, she realized she was naked and began piecing together her situation.
Seeing her conclusion, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Kidnapped? Not assault or abduction, but kidnapped? A twenty-year-old woman blacks out at a club and wakes up in a motel, and that's her take? She'd seemed a bit off-kilter in her thoughts since yesterday.
Eunseo glanced around and spotted the note he'd left.
What is this?
"I bought some clothes for you to wear in front of the door. Put them on and come to the next room over?"
Only then did she notice her own clothes strewn under the bed—stretched out and torn, unwearable. She started flustering about in a panic.
He closed the Profile and waited a moment. Soon, a knock came at his door. Opening it revealed Eunseo, looking slightly frightened.
"Um... hello?"
"Hey. Hello."
As he greeted her, he checked her status message.
Is this the right place?
The message wasn't what he'd hoped, leaving him a bit disappointed. He'd even used Beauty Skin to make a killer first impression, but she wasn't registering him as handsome at all.
"Um... I saw the note. You're the one who left it, right?"
"Yeah, that's me. Come on in. I'll explain what happened last night."
She hesitated even after entering, so he gestured to the bed. Eunseo sat primly on the edge, knees pressed together.
"I know you're confused, so I'll cut to the chase. Last night at the club, I saw some shady guys carrying off an unconscious girl."
"Oh... yeah. Some weird guy gave me a drink, and after that, I don't remember anything."
"I followed them, and they were dragging you into a motel."
Eunseo's face drained of color. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. Nothing happened. Those bastards looked like they drugged you to rape you. As a guy, I couldn't just stand by, so I beat the crap out of them."
"Ah... so you're the one who saved me, oppa?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Eunseo let out a relieved sigh. With her biggest worry resolved, a new question bubbled up, and she fidgeted bashfully.
"But... why am I naked?"
"Who knows? Why do you think?"
His loaded words turned her face beet red. Her innocent, girlish reaction was adorable.
"Kidding. The drug they slipped you had stimulant effects. You were hallucinating and tore off your clothes saying you were hot. Figured you couldn't wear them after, so I bought new ones and left the note."
Eek, wait. I was totally naked.
So he saw me naked?
"Did you... see my body by any chance?"
"Uh... yeah. Couldn't be helped."
Her face exploded with color.
"R-right. It was unavoidable, so no helping it. Yeah."
So it's not embarrassing. Right. Unavoidable!
Oh yeah, her talents include self-rationalization.
Watching her desperately justify it sparked a mischievous urge.
"Did the bra fit? I eyeballed the size since I didn't know."
H-he eyeballed my breasts that closely?!?!
"Hiiing..."
Her face crumpled into a pout as she hung her head. Seeing her squirm with embarrassment made him grin.
"Anything else you're curious about? I'll answer everything I know."
Her face brightened at the topic shift, and she fired off questions. He patiently cleared up all her doubts.
The result:
Deep gratitude / Slight affection
Kidnapped, but he showed up like the hero in a story, saved me, even prepared clothes ahead.
He'd orchestrated this whole elaborate setup because of her desire.
She dreamed of romance with a prince on a white horse.
Fortunately, affection had appeared in her status. Letting her sleep in the clean bed while he crashed on the one soaked with her fluids had been worth it.
"Nothing else weird or curious?"
"Hmm... now that you mention it."
Eunseo unconsciously rubbed her lower belly.
Stomach's been hurting since I woke up.
"My stomach kinda hurts."
"R-really?"
He knew instinctively. That pain was the aftermath of her first time.
What now? Didn't prepare an excuse for this.
He winged it. "Maybe food poisoning from the drink last night?"
"No, doesn't feel like that."
Feels just like period cramps...
Thankfully, her status message offered a knight in shining armor.
"Does it feel like period cramps? I heard some trendy club drugs mess with hormones and cause cramp-like side effects."
Is that it? Oh yeah, my period's about due.
"Yeah, guess so. Or maybe it's just cramps. It's about that time."
Whew, crisis averted. She bought it. To be safe, he playfully changed the subject entirely.
"Huh? If that's all, good, but you don't have to tell me your cycle..."
Her face flushed bright red.
"Euut... I didn't mean to... felt like I should say..."
You idiot! Why'd you say that! Now I've messed up... hiiing...
Fanning her burning cheeks while seated on the bed, she looked utterly cute. He walked over and sat beside her.
"Eek!"
Not expecting him so close, a tiny squeak escaped her. She scooted her butt away slightly.
"Sorry, too close? You feel like a little sister, so I got casual."
For a girl who'd never even held a guy's hand until yesterday, this was overwhelming stimulation. Clutching her racing heart, she replied.
"N-no, it's fine. Just startled me."
"Oh, right—since you mentioned the pain, don't go to a hospital."
"Why not?"
"They might suspect drug use. You say guys at the club slipped you something, but nothing awful happened, and only drug traces show up? They could think you took it willingly and are lying."
"Euut... yeah, makes sense. Thanks for the heads-up."
Her bobbing head as she thanked him was pretty cute.
"Anyway, we haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Song Yunho, twenty-four."
"Oh... I'm Lee Eunseo, twenty. So you're oppa. Feel free to drop the formalities."
"Nah, it'd be weird right now. Once we're closer."
He pulled out his smartphone and held it out to her.
"On that note. Here."