Chapter 160: Quintessential A (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: Quintessential A (15)
The day A met Blue and they went their separate ways. Intoxicated by the rare solo time with her boyfriend, Blue remained bathed in happiness even after he left, wishing that if this were a dream, she would never wake up.
It was bittersweet to let him go even after receiving his firm word that he wasn't going anywhere, and the thought of having to wait another week to see him was painful, but Blue was more than satisfied just to be able to meet A again and spend time with him.
With a smile that refused to leave her face, Blue thought about what she would cook for him and what they would do the next time they met. She returned to the master bedroom and looked at her smartphone lying on the bed.
A text had arrived. It was from Pink, whom A had met the day before.
[Can you talk right now?]
Blue replied that she could, and less than a minute after sending the reply, Pink called.
"What's up?"
「Did your meeting with A go well?」
"Yeah. He just left. Why?"
Blue wondered if the call was about A. Curious about what was going on, she immediately asked for Pink's intention. Pink didn't answer right away, pausing for a moment.
「Blue, are you satisfied with seeing A the way you are now?」
Pink didn't know yet that Blue had agreed to A's harem, so Blue immediately considered the intent behind the question.
Regardless of being for or against the harem, Pink was asking if she had any complaints about the current arrangement.
Even a month ago, Blue had been meeting A once a week. Through their conversations, she knew Pink met him twice a week, though they only really spent quality time together once.
In any case, it was true that Pink saw him more than she did, but Blue knew their one-on-one time was roughly the same. She pondered how to answer Pink's question.
Meeting him reliably once a week was good, but Blue wanted to see A every day. Even though she now knew his true identity, the fact that A was with Spacetro no longer mattered to the smitten Blue.
In fact, she was even willing to join Spacetro if it meant she could spend time with him. While she couldn't tell what Pink was thinking by calling her out of the blue, she could answer this specific question clearly.
"No. I want to see him every day, not just once a week."
「Is that so? Got it.」
"What are you planning? Didn't we divide the time specifically so we wouldn't burden him?"
「We did, but I started wondering if we really need to be so calculated about dividing the time.」
Then, Pink shared all her thoughts with Blue. Her idea was that those who could meet him should do so every day, and any problems that arose from that should be resolved by everyone gathering their opinions.
Whether they were for or against the harem, what everyone wanted most right now was to be with A. Rather than seeing him one day a week and waiting for the other six, wouldn't it be better to see him every day, even if the amount of time they had him all to themselves decreased?
It was a choice that would make the decision to split him into five equal parts useless, but Blue didn't think Pink's idea was bad. In fact, she thought it might be better.
However, there was the matter of their initial promise.
「That five-way split. We don't necessarily have to divide it strictly by dates, do we? Wouldn't it be fine if we just divided what each of us receives in the moment?」
When the topic of the five-way split came up, Pink spoke her mind without hesitation. Listening to her, Blue could feel that Pink had thought very deeply about this.
She hadn't just thought about it to create more time for herself to be with A. Of course, the initial thought might have started with how she could see him more.
However, Pink's final proposal wasn't simply about increasing her own time with A. It was a system where everyone competed under the same conditions, within limits that wouldn't burden him.
"So, how are you going to do that?"
The problem was the method of putting Pink's proposal into practice. Unless everyone's opinions aligned, it wouldn't be easy for Pink's suggestion to be accepted, even if she presented it.
The five-way split by date was something Red had initially suggested, and everyone had agreed to it at the time because they thought it was fine.
At a glance, changing to a competitive system for A's attention was highly likely to provoke a backlash from someone. Of course, Blue didn't think there would be much conflict since she was in favor of the harem, but the problem lay with those who opposed it.
From Red and Yellow's perspective, they might have agreed to the date-based split because they wanted to spend even a single day alone with A.
「So, I'm going to start with something everyone wants in common.」
"Something everyone wants in common?"
At Pink's words, Blue wondered what that could be. Wanting to be with A was the one thing they all shared.
But Pink's current proposal was already about everyone being able to be with A, so something else was needed for this proposal to be accepted. Not catching on immediately, Blue thought about what Pink meant by "something everyone wants in common."
「Blue. Did you have sex with A today?」
At that question, Blue felt a jolt. She immediately replied "No" to the Pink on the other end of the line.
No detailed explanation was needed. Pink's question already implied that she hadn't been able to have sex either, and Pink must have heard A's current thoughts just as Blue had.
「I'll ask one more thing. Can you have sex with A when everyone is together?」
Blue flinched at that question and fell into thought for a moment. When Blue finally gave a firm answer, Pink replied with a voice laced with laughter, "Got it."
*
The next morning. Red contacted Green and they met up, taking seats across from each other in a cafe located in a busy district.
"How was it when you met Oppa?"
As soon as the coffee they ordered arrived, Red asked Green point-blank.
"We just spent time together and talked. It was nice being just the two of us after a long time."
The reason Red met Green alone was that she had met her the day after she herself had met A. While she knew exactly who A was meeting up until today, she had called Green because she felt more comfortable talking to her, as Green had stayed by her side throughout the long Hunter Killer meetings.
"Green, you said you hadn't decided what to do yet, right? Did you talk to Oppa?"
"Yeah. We talked, but why?"
"…I'm a bit bothered by what Yellow said."
Green, who had come out at Red's call, was curious why Red wanted to talk at a cafe. Red cautiously explained the reason she had called.
"I still want to meet Oppa alone. But Yellow said it, didn't she? She asked if I didn't care about the others."
"Yeah. She did."
Around the time of the conversation Red mentioned, Green hadn't quite made up her mind, but she had been listening intently to everything the members said.
Yellow had also argued for a monopoly, and Red had suggested dividing the time into five parts after considering various factors.
"…I'm worried that I was only thinking about myself. I want to hear what the others think, but I thought it would be easiest to talk to you first, Green."
Green listened to Red's words seriously. Although she was now in favor of the harem, Green never thought Red's thinking was wrong.
There was nothing strange about A coming from a completely different culture, nor was it strange for Red to act according to Earth's common sense.
"Are you worried that we might have been hurt?"
At those words, Red stayed silent for a moment before nodding. Seeing Red worry that her words—spoken to protect her own position—might have hurt others, Green felt surprised and grateful at the same time.
Red was by no means abnormal. Thinking coldly, Green believed that the ones who were abnormal were those who agreed to the harem, and she considered herself part of that abnormal category.
Thinking logically, Red was the normal one, and there was absolutely no problem with Red asserting that she was A's only girlfriend in front of everyone.
After they had disbanded and gone their separate ways, Red, who had met A, must have agonized over it.
The desire she had to see A was surely shared by the others, and she worried that they might have been hurt or disappointed by her words.
"I don't know exactly what the others think, but I wasn't hurt."
Rather, Green felt grateful to Red for thinking about the members and the team even in the midst of all that, and she thought it was admirable.
Green herself was still wavering on many things, and her emotions often took the lead whenever she thought of A. Red was the same. Thinking of A made her head messy, and she had become emotional because she felt like he would drift away if she let go even a little.
And after that, Red had looked back on her own attitude and worried that the members might have been hurt. Some might say it's too late to reflect after the fact, but looking back on one's actions after committing them is more important than anything.
"I understand how you feel, Red. So I don't think you need to change your mind if you don't want to."
Green was in favor of A's harem, and Red was against it. Neither of them was wrong. They simply had different thoughts right now, and Green didn't want Red to force herself to suppress what she wanted and change her mind.
"A time for change will surely come. Whether it's you who changes or someone else, I don't think you need to force yourself to change your mind out of consideration for others right now."
Green gave her clear opinion, but perhaps lacking total confidence, she soon gave a sheepish smile.
"Of course, I'm not doing so great myself, so my words might not be the right answer. But still, I think it's okay to clash with each other's thoughts exactly as they are for now. That's why we divided the time we can meet Oppa, right?"
"Yeah…"
Red felt a sense of composure from Green that was different from her usual quiet self. Hearing her words, Red wondered if it was really okay and nodded.
Just then, both of their smartphones rang simultaneously. Pulling their phones out of their pockets and bags, the two of them froze.
A photo had been posted in the Hunter Killer group chat. Yellow and A were kissing, and Pink had taken the photo of the three of them while she was half-undressed.
And decisively, their eyes shook at the remaining text: [We're going to have a good time.]
"Why—why are the three of them together?"
"I'm not sure either…"
Red asked Green in a trembling voice, but there was no way Green could know the situation either. Recognizing instantly that the background of the photo was Yellow's house, Red downed her freshly served coffee in one go and bolted upright.
"Let's go."
"Huh?!"
Green was greatly flustered by Red's sudden declaration to go to Yellow's house, but there was no wavering in Red's eyes.
*
At the sound of the doorbell being pressed repeatedly, Yellow frowned and headed toward the intercom.
The moment the screen flickered on, she discovered Red and Green at the door and expressed her confusion with her eyes.
"Why are you two coming together?"
「Never mind that, just open up!」
At Red's words, Yellow muttered, "This is my house," and immediately opened the front door. Ignoring the sound of footsteps marching down the hallway, Yellow turned back toward the living room. Red, entering the living room after passing through the hallway, could not hide her shock at the scene that immediately met her eyes.
*
After Yura sent the photo and text that would shock everyone, she suddenly started kissing me, and Su-ah was watching from the side, gauging the mood. Their lips were pressed tightly together, tongues entangling, and then, five minutes later.
Unable to hold back any longer, Su-ah pushed Yura away, shouting, "Switch!" and pressed her lips against mine.
Following Yura, I shared a deep kiss with Su-ah, our breaths gradually growing hotter. Just as another five minutes passed and Yura was about to take Su-ah's place, the doorbell rang.
Yura naturally pushed Su-ah aside and kissed me, while Su-ah headed to the intercom to check who it was.
"Blue is here?"
I was surprised that Hayoung had arrived much faster than expected, considering her house was quite a distance from here, but I didn't even have time to express my surprise before I was swallowed up by Yura's deep kiss.
Soon, Su-ah opened the door and Hayoung strode inside.
"!"
She wasn't even given a chance to say hello as Yura continued to entwine her tongue with mine, pressing her body close. Hayoung stopped at the entrance of the living room, watched the scene for a moment, and then walked straight toward me.
"How long has it been?"
When she asked cautiously, Su-ah, who was beside her, said, "Not long," and added, "I'm next."
Hayoung glanced at Su-ah, and after five minutes of me kissing Yura, Su-ah grabbed Yura's clothes and tried to pull her away from me.
"Five minutes are up. Get out now."
"You said you were against the harem, but you're sure trying to enjoy yourself when we're together, aren't you?"
When Yura spoke with a laugh in her voice, Su-ah raised her voice.
"Enjoying it, my ass! I'm doing this because I don't want to lose him!"
In the moment the two were arguing, Hayoung, who had been watching from the side, approached me and pressed her lips to mine.
"Mmph!"
Caught off guard, this time my lips were stolen by Hayoung.
"Don't cut in line!"
Su-ah shouted belatedly, but Hayoung had no intention of letting go, and Su-ah had to give up her turn once.
Like that, we took turns kissing every five minutes. I kissed Yura again, and just as it was Su-ah's turn, the doorbell rang.
"Don't do it, just stay there!"
Su-ah ran to the intercom, annoyed by the continuous ringing, and Hayoung didn't miss the chance to kiss me again.
"Darling. Mmph, mmm… Nngh."
Just how starved for a sensual kiss were they all? I, too, kissed them without rest, our tongues entangling, with the thought of resolving the desires I hadn't been able to fulfill for a month right now through kissing.
We continued kissing so deeply that our lips felt tingly, but we didn't stop. Su-ah, returning after opening the front door, immediately grabbed Hayoung and shook her.
"I told you not to cut in line!"
As Su-ah grabbed and shook Hayoung, Hayoung clung to me even more, and I also hugged Hayoung's waist as we kissed. Beside us, Su-ah watched Hayoung and me kissing with a frustrated look in her eyes, and that was when Yubin and Eunha walked in.
In the end, an unplanned full assembly took place. After stopping the kissing for a moment, Yura laid out a blanket in the living room—which she had brought out under Su-ah's guidance—and we all sat in a circle.
"You're going to explain what's going on, right?"
At Yubin's demand for an explanation, Yura and Su-ah locked eyes, and soon Yura began to explain. About the new five-way split, and the idea of meeting every day for those who could.
Yura explained everything exactly as it was, without changing a single detail from the conversation we just had, and Su-ah added explanations here and there.
While listening to the long story, Eunha nodded occasionally as if she agreed, and each time, our eyes met. The moment we saw each other, we exchanged greetings with a smile in our eyes. Yubin just listened silently until Yura's explanation was finished.
"So, you're saying we shouldn't divide it by dates, but just meet Oppa whenever we can?"
Contrary to my expectation that she would refuse flatly, Yubin didn't say she disliked the idea and was instead contemplating it, looking at each member in turn.
"So, what I thought was, for an equal distribution, let's do what everyone wants first."
"What we want is to be with Oppa, right?"
"We're going to have sex."
Yura's single sentence left only silence in the spacious living room. Yubin, quickly coming to her senses, shouted with a flushed face.
"Wh-what are you talking about?! With everyone here!"
"I'm going to do it. Anyone else?"
For now, I just watched the proceedings where my opinion wasn't being considered. When Yura spoke while raising her hand first, Hayoung, who had been gauging the mood with a red face, raised her hand.
Eunha, perhaps feeling a sense of crisis, belatedly raised her hand with a flushed face like Hayoung, and Su-ah, who had been swept up in the mood while kissing, also raised her hand. Honestly, I was quite surprised when Su-ah raised hers.
"Huh? Everyone's doing it? This makes me look like the weird one…"
From an Earthling's perspective, Yubin certainly wouldn't be the weird one. However, if four out of five people agree, the one normal person who doesn't agree becomes the strange one.
Yubin looked at the members one by one and then met my eyes. I gave her a smile to show it was okay. Yubin slowly raised her hand with a red face, and Yura clapped her hands loudly.
"Then everyone's in agreement, right?"
"Hey, listen."
Due to the situation, Yubin had no choice but to raise her hand, leading to a vague consensus. I, who had been watching the situation silently, raised my hand and spoke up.
"I have a proposal too."
Since this was an unavoidable situation, no excuses would work from here on out. I had no intention of making excuses anyway; I only felt that I should clearly address the things I had been agonizing over for the past few days while meeting everyone in turn after returning to Seoul.
Everyone focused on me. I cast aside the thought that I wasn't in a position to make proposals and decided to engage with the situation before me more decisively.
"I've been thinking about this for the past few days, and since we're in this situation, I'll say it clearly now."
After looking into everyone's eyes once, I took a breath and spoke.
"I'd like it if you didn't attach any special meaning to the order. You might not care about it individually, but I've worried a lot because of the order. I was afraid someone might be hurt if their turn was pushed back."
Everyone listened to me without a word, and I felt the continuing silence was proof that they were taking my words seriously.
"I know it'll be hard to stop caring right away and that it's a greedy request, but I hope there won't be any fighting because of me."
After I finished speaking, silence still reigned in the living room. Among the girlfriends who were listening quietly, Hayoung was the first to smile. She approached me and pulled me into a hug against her chest.
"Got it. We won't fight, so don't worry too much, darling."
Only Hayoung said that to me, but I felt as if she were speaking for everyone. Hearing her words, the anxiety that had been in a corner of my heart seemed to shrink a little.
Yura smiled, stood up from her seat, and began to undo her shirt buttons one by one.
In truth, this situation was created under Yura's leadership, and I hadn't done anything directly to bring it about. However, I was the one who had to take responsibility for everything that would happen from now on.
I had been able to organize my thoughts to some extent over the past few days, and I also knew that just racking my brain to organize them wasn't the solution.
From now on, I would have sex with five girlfriends. Honestly, I was excited and looking forward to it, but if I didn't keep my wits about me, today could be the last day of my life.
The moment I met their eyes, which were filled with the desire to release a month's worth of pent-up lust, I felt a surge of tension and swallowed hard.