Chapter 29: Pink, But Not a Slut (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: Pink, But Not a Slut (15)
The trope of getting drunk and making a mistake is used everywhere. It’s a frequent occurrence between men and women in Korean dramas, and you see similar scenes in foreign movies and shows from time to time.
Even so, whenever I saw things like that, I used to wonder: How can a man and a woman get so drunk that they lose all sense of judgment and have sex?
I’d never been that drunk before, nor had I ever had a partner to do that with.
Speaking as someone who can confidently say I’m a strong drinker, I always thought that being too drunk to know what you're doing was just an excuse.
I figured people just got caught up in the heat of the moment, did what they wanted to do anyway, and then blamed the alcohol afterward.
That was what I thought—right up until yesterday.
“…….”
I opened my eyes late in the afternoon and immediately locked eyes with Yura, who had woken up at the same time. Before I could even process the situation, every single thing that happened last night came rushing back. Startled, we both bolted upright.
“Uh…?”
As the memories of last night flooded in, the realization of what I’d done forced a short, involuntary sound from my throat. Yura seemed to remember everything too; she sat there, clutching the blanket to cover herself, wearing a dazed expression.
Indifferent to my inner turmoil, the rain clouds that had poured all dawn had vanished, allowing warm sunlight to stream into the room.
After a moment of silence, we sat there with stupid looks on our faces before turning to look at each other at the same time. I pressed a hand to my forehead, and Yura flopped back down onto the bed.
“Sorry….”
“I’m sorry.”
We sighed the words out simultaneously. Yura stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning her gaze back to me.
Our eyes met again.
I don’t know why, but having "done the deed" while drunk last night, we both suddenly burst out laughing. Looking at the situation objectively, there wasn't a single thing to laugh about, yet we found the whole thing hilarious.
“What? You’ve gone through twenty guys?”
“That was a lie, obviously. You idiot. Where would I even find the time to meet men?”
Thinking about it now, there wasn't a single window of time in the stories she told me yesterday where she could have actually had a boyfriend. I pulled back the covers and saw the evidence of our late-night entanglement with my own eyes.
We were both naked, but at this point, there was no room for shame in seeing each other's bodies.
“Why would you say something like that and let people get the wrong idea?”
Feeling bad that her pride had led to such a misunderstanding, I reached out and stroked her hair as she lay there.
“How was I supposed to know things would turn out like this?”
Seeing her pout and grumble, I reached out and pinched her lips, pulling on them slightly.
“!!!”
Startled by the sudden grab, she flailed her arms before slapping my waist with her palm.
“Ow!”
The stinging pain in my side made me let go of her lips, and Yura sat bolt upright again.
“That’s what you get for grabbing my mouth out of nowhere!”
I rubbed my sore waist while looking at her grumpy face.
“I did it because you looked cute. So what?”
“…I’m going to go wash up!”
We spoke to each other in blunt tones, but neither of us was actually upset. If anything, it felt like we wanted to enjoy the situation a bit more. Yura climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom, completely naked without a stitch of clothing on.
I watched her walk away until she disappeared inside, then I fully stripped the blankets off the bed.
I wondered what I should do first, but seeing the sun high in the sky made me realize how hungry I was.
“I should order food first.”
Stepping into the living room, I saw my clothes—the ones I’d spread out on the floor before we started drinking—were dry. Thinking they’d be fine to wear, I opened the bathroom door, where the sound of running water was coming from.
“!!”
Startled, Yura shrunk back and looked at me with wide eyes, wondering what was going on.
“I’m going to order food. What do you want?”
“You should knock before opening the door!”
I asked about food and got scolded for not knocking. Did that even matter after everything we’d seen and done? I’ll have to make sure to knock next time.
“So, what are you eating?”
“What are you ordering?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know.”
“Just order something decent for a hangover.”
I closed the bathroom door and sat on the sofa, scrolling through a delivery app. For a hangover, soup was the obvious choice, but nothing was jumping out at me. I was debating over the screen for a while when Yura finished her shower and stepped out.
She had a large towel wrapped around her body and was drying her hair with a smaller one when she spotted me sitting there.
“Did you order?”
“No, not yet.”
She glared at me for not having ordered by the time she finished her shower, let out a deep sigh, and came over to sit beside me.
She pressed close to see the smartphone screen, and I felt the undeniable presence of her large breasts through the towel once again.
“Just order stew and rice. I’m hungry.”
“Alright.”
After placing the order, I was about to go wash up when I looked at Yura sitting next to me. She was looking at me as if she had something to say, and silence fell between us again.
She clearly wanted to talk about last night. I also felt it was better to get things settled.
“Um….”
“Do you want to act like it never happened?”
She cut me off the moment I opened my mouth. I stared at her for a moment, caught off guard by the suggestion.
The last thing Yura wanted was for this to ruin our relationship. I wasn't stupid enough not to realize that, and I needed a moment to think.
We had already crossed the line of friendship; it was impossible to just pretend nothing happened and move on.
In fact, I felt that leaving things ambiguous might be worse for our future, so I couldn't bring myself to agree with her words so easily.
“…I’ll go wash up first.”
“Okay.”
I couldn't organize my thoughts immediately and wanted to talk when I felt a bit more refreshed, so I headed into the bathroom. Under the stream of cold water, I kept thinking about Yura. Even though it was a series of events triggered by alcohol, pretending it never happened felt like it would leave a bitter aftertaste.
The most uncomfortable part would be trying to maintain a friendship while ignoring what had transpired.
By the time I finished my shower and put on the clothes I’d brought, the food had arrived. Yura was setting the table in the living room.
“That was fast.”
“Come and eat.”
I sat beside her and helped with the setup. We began eating in an awkward atmosphere.
The silence was so heavy I felt like I was going to get indigestion. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Yura broke the silence.
“What are we going to do?”
Yura had suggested pretending it never happened, but I had deferred my answer. That meant it was now my turn to make a proposal, and I decided to say exactly what was on my mind.
“…Honestly, I don't think it makes sense to pretend nothing happened and just stay friends.”
Yura put down her spoon, looking tense, and took a sip of water. I waited until she finished drinking and was ready to listen.
“What happened, happened. But… how about we just keep hanging out like we do now?”
It was the best answer I could come up with, but Yura looked dissatisfied. She made a grumpy face and went back to her food.
There was clearly something she wanted me to say, but unfortunately, I hadn't reached that conclusion yet.
“You said you don't have a girlfriend, right?”
Yura, who was about to put a spoonful of food in her mouth, put her spoon and bowl down again. At the mention of a girlfriend in this situation, I swallowed hard and answered.
“Yeah.”
I had one, but I was in a position where I had to say I didn't, so I said no. Yura stared blankly at the food on the table before snapping her head around to look at me.
“I don't have a boyfriend either.”
“Yeah, I know.”
She’d told me before. She didn't have one now, and the story about twenty guys was a lie, so more accurately, she’d never had one until now.
“So… about… dating…. What do you think?”
Her voice trailed off as if she’d lost her confidence, but I heard every single syllable. Once again, I pressed my hand to my forehead.
There was Yubin. It sounds bad to put it this way, but Yubin wasn't actually the reason I was hesitating.
From Yura's perspective, she thought I was single, and given the situation, it was a perfectly reasonable thing to bring up. She probably wanted me to be the one to ask her out first, but I hadn't thought that far ahead.
From a cosmic perspective, seeing multiple women isn't a huge problem. Traveling through countless planets with civilizations, you realize everyone has different values. Even within a single planet, different nations often share certain core beliefs.
One of those is the concept of marriage—monogamy, polygyny, polyandry—the universe is full of diverse perspectives. On Earth, the perception of marriage is predominantly monogamous. Of course, there are tiny exceptions, as there are exceptions to everything.
On my homeworld, there was no single fixed standard. Technological advancement led to different social changes in various nations. Depending on the country, people practiced monogamy, polygyny, or polyandry, and the prevailing value on my planet was that the choice belonged to the individual.
Personally, I didn't care either way. I also believed the choice was up to the individual.
However, this was Earth. I couldn't force the values of my homeworld onto the people here.
But regardless of whether I was seeing multiple people or lying to them, I couldn't give Yura a clear answer right now.
She probably said it because she wanted to hold onto me somehow, but I felt that dating her while my heart was still undecided and ambiguous would only hurt her more in the long run.
The problem was, I knew how much she would suffer if I rejected her, so I couldn't just say "No."
In the end, the only thing I could do was delay the answer.
“Can I think about it for a bit?”
“Okay….”
Seeing her spirit deflate instantly made me feel even more uneasy.
“It’s not because I don't like you.”
Yura, who had dropped her head, looked up again at my words. The light returned to her eyes as quickly as it had vanished.
“I just want to be sure of my own feelings. I know how you feel, but let’s just take it a little slow. You don't have to worry about me starting to dislike you.”
I reached out and stroked the hair of the girl staring intently at me. I knew this was just procrastinating. But right now, this was the best answer I could give her.
Dating just because we slept together once felt like I didn't value her enough, and I hated that.
To me, Yura was a friend, and sleeping together had certainly made us closer than just friends. That was why I had to think it over.
Yura still seemed anxious, but she respected my opinion. After a moment of thought, she nodded.
“If you come back later and say you don't like me or that we can't even be friends, I’ll kill you.”
She issued a rather threatening warning before resuming her meal. I laughed and replied, “That won't happen.” I didn't want to lose our friendship either.
After eating, we cleaned up together. We took the soiled sheets, put them in the bathroom, sprayed them with water, and stomped on them together. I kept playing around and got scolded again.
After putting the bedding in the washing machine, we tidied up the room.
“By the way, you were actually pretty good.”
“Really?”
When Yura shared her impression of last night, my expression brightened in spite of myself. My pride as a man swelled at her words, and seeing me like that, Yura let out a little smirk.
“Do you like being told you were good that much?”
“Of course. Whether it’s his first time or he’s experienced, there isn't a man alive who hates hearing that.”
No matter how much times change or what planet you go to, this is a universal truth. There isn't a man in the entire universe who feels bad or loses confidence after being told he’s good in bed.
“…How was I?”
Last night was Yura’s first time. She’d clearly enjoyed herself, but she seemed curious about my experience. Even for someone as cheerful as Yura, asking for a review of her first time made her blush.
“You? You were great.”
I told her exactly how I felt. Since it was her first time, she had entrusted herself to me—someone with at least a little experience—and as I explored her body as I pleased, I found it incredibly pleasurable.
“Really? Okay.”
She answered shyly and finished cleaning the room. I watched her back for a moment before finishing my own share of the work.
By the time we were done, the sun was setting. Since we’d woken up late, the day had flown by. I finished getting ready to head home and put on my shoes at the entrance.
“Are you going to tell them you’re quitting when you go to the cafe tomorrow?”
“I have to. How can I keep working there? I’ll have to look for another job.”
“Alright. Get some rest, and I’ll see you next time.”
As I said goodbye and reached for the doorknob, Yura grabbed my sleeve. My hand stopped, and I turned to look into her eyes. I could see a faint trembling; she was still anxious.
“I will see you next time, right?”
Her voice shook, fearing that my walking out the door might be the last time she saw me. I knew the most certain way to reassure her.
I watched the anxious Yura for a moment, then cupped her face with my hand, leaned in slowly, and pressed my lips to hers.
It wasn't a deep or erotic kiss—just a light one—but Yura’s trembling stopped. When I pulled away, she was just staring at me.
“See you next time.”
I waved once more to the girl seeing me off, then closed the door.
The moment the door shut and she realized he was gone, Pink stared at the closed door. Her face began to flush as bright as her beautiful pink hair. She ran into the bedroom and buried her face in a pillow.
Overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion, she rolled around on the bed, kicking her legs and pounding the mattress with her fists.
Once she calmed down a bit, she lifted her head from the pillow. The kiss we just shared. The moments we spent cleaning together today. Everything from last night came rushing back, and she let out a shy smile, her face turning red.
*
On the way home, a wave of exhaustion suddenly hit me.
I’d dealt with the hangover, but I hadn't slept deeply or comfortably last night, so all I wanted was to get home and crash.
“I’m beat.”
Standing in front of my door, I felt a lingering sense of unease, as if I’d forgotten something. The moment I punched in the code and stepped inside, I realized exactly what it was.
“…….”
Yubin was sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed. She slowly turned her head to look at me standing in the entryway.
The door closed slowly behind me, and the electronic lock clicked shut. Only then did I fully snap to my senses.
“Where have you been until now?”
Yura had said there was no Team Hunter Killer meeting today.
That meant Yubin didn't have a meeting to go to either.
And as far as I knew, the only place Yubin would go when she didn't have a meeting was my house.
Yubin’s red eyes, which usually felt hot and bright, felt colder than ever today. Having not contacted her once since my text about drinking last night, only one thought crossed my mind.
I’m screwed.