Nightmare's End and a Tsundere's Resolve

I jolted awake, gasping. "Iseor noona! Haa... haa...!"

It had been a nightmare. The nightmare of being cut off by Iseor noona after she learned about my other sex partners. Just moments ago, it felt like the sky was collapsing on me. The instant I opened my eyes and realized it was only a dream, a deep sigh of relief escaped me on its own.

"Whew... It was just a dream."

"What dream?"

"Noona?!"

The sudden voice startled me. When I came to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my senses, I found Iseor noona nestled against my bare chest. She had been sleeping right there in my arms.

"Haa... Noona. You scared the hell out of me."

Maybe it was because she was still by my side, unlike in the nightmare. Without thinking, I pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Iseor noona..."

"W-why are you like this? Did you have a scary dream?"

She looked up at me, flustered, so I hugged her even harder and answered.

"Yeah... I did. A really scary one. I thought I was going to die from how terrifying it was."

"How scary could it have been? By the way, did you know you called my name when you woke up?"

"I did?"

"Yep. It reminded me of when you were in middle school. Back then, whenever something happened, you'd come crying and looking for me."

Iseor noona chuckled softly as she recalled the old days. Thanks to that, I managed to calm my racing heart a little.

"...But why are you in this room, noona?"

This was the room her mom had told me to sleep in, and noona had gone to bed in her own room. Yet here she was, looking fresh and fully dressed, lying right beside me.

"What's the big deal? This is our house too, so it's my choice."

"What about your mom?"

"She left for work. Luckily, she has no idea what we did yesterday. She said she slept really well for the first time in ages last night."

It was the result I'd expected, but I pretended it was news to me.

"Really? That's a relief."

"Let's eat a bit later. If you're hungry now, we can eat right away."

"No, I'm fine."

"Then... shall we stay like this a little longer?"

She buried her face in my chest and inhaled deeply. It seemed that was why she'd come into this room in the first place. While she savored my scent, I fell into serious thought, my expression grave.

'...Should I tell her now?'

With her mom gone, this was the perfect time to talk with noona. But I hesitated because I still hadn't figured out exactly what to say. The truth was, noona and I were practically in a pseudo-romantic relationship even if we hadn't put it into words. Telling her I had another sex partner in that situation was definitely not going to be welcome news. That was exactly why I'd agonized over it countless times and was still agonizing now.

'...No. I've already put it off too many times. I really have to tell her now.'

Finally steeling my resolve, I sat up and spoke to her.

"...Noona. I have something to tell you."

"What is it, all of a sudden?"

She must have sensed the gravity in my voice, because she straightened her posture properly.

"Is it serious?"

"...Yeah."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Before you listen, can you promise me one thing? Don't leave in the middle or anything. Hear me out until the end."

It was a request born from not wanting to experience the nightmare again. Fortunately, noona didn't refuse.

"Okay. I'll listen until the end."

"..."

She watched me, waiting for my lips to move. Even in that moment, I briefly wondered if I could just brush it off as nothing, but I knew I couldn't run away anymore. I moved my lips.

"The truth is... I've gotten another sex partner besides you, noona."

"What? What did you just say...!"

The exact same reaction as in the dream made my heart sink. Her brown eyes trembling with shock looked exactly like they had in the nightmare too. But unlike the dream, noona didn't explode in anger and storm out the moment she heard me. Instead...

"Hey... what do you mean? Another person? Then what about me? You know what happens to me if you're not around..."

Tears were already welling up in her eyes. I hurriedly continued to clear up her misunderstanding.

"I'm not saying we should end our relationship. I still like you, noona, and I always will. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just... want to keep seeing that other person too. Not as a lover, but as a sex partner..."

"..."

Her gaze, which had been fixed on me, slowly dropped downward. The way her lips twitched as if she wanted to speak but couldn't told me just how confused she was. Seeing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that, my own heart couldn't possibly feel at ease.

"She's someone I happened to meet by chance. She said she's had a tough story since she was young and has lived in complete loneliness. She told me that being with me would let her escape that loneliness, so I couldn't bring myself to refuse..."

I wanted to explain Yuna's circumstances and what had happened between us in more detail to help noona understand and feel reassured. But I couldn't casually spill someone else's personal story, and Yuna had asked me not to talk about her either, so I held back.

"..."

An icy silence filled the room, cold as a block of ice. After thinking for a long time, the words noona finally spoke were completely unexpected.

"Is it... because one person isn't enough to satisfy your sex drive?"

"Huh?"

"I know you have a kind personality and can't turn down people who are struggling. But turning into sex partners just because of that seems a bit strange, doesn't it?"

"That's..."

"Now that I think about it, I always got exhausted and fell asleep first after we did it. So maybe I'm not enough to satisfy you, and that's why you got another person...?"

To be honest, that wasn't the case at all. Not once while being with noona had I ever thought she alone wasn't enough. But I couldn't explain that the Sexmuwiki app was the real reason I'd had to create new partners. If she could accept it with that reasoning, it would be great, but I wasn't sure she would.

"...Looks like I'm right."

I was about to explain again that it was because I couldn't leave the lonely Yuna by herself when...

"...I understand."

The unexpected answer left me staring at her in a daze.

"Huh? Really?"

"If your sex drive is that uncontrollable, what can I do? You accepted my perverted scent fetish, didn't you? So I should accept you too..."

Surprisingly, noona's expression and tone were completely calm. There was a faint sense of bitterness underneath, but it felt like she was approaching the issue with reason rather than emotion.

"Honestly, it's hard to understand... but I'll try. Just make sure the time you spend with me doesn't decrease compared to before."

"Got it, noona!"

In my joy, I unconsciously grabbed her hand. Wanting to have two partners at the same time was an incredibly abnormal request. It couldn't have been easy for her to accept it so readily. That's why I was so grateful that she was trying to understand me.

"Nothing will change between us, noona. And it's absolutely not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your fault! It's just that my desires are too strong. I'm really sorry, and thank you."

"It's fine, it's not a big deal. Go wash up so we can eat."

I think I had underestimated noona's heart. Since she had given in this much, I needed to do my best for her from now on too.

"I'll wash up quickly. Wait just a bit. Let's get ready together."

"No need. This is my house, so I'll prepare it. Take your time washing up."

Noona got up from the bed and left the room. Watching her cool, retreating figure, it felt like all the worries I'd been carrying were melting away. Thanks to that, I could head to the bathroom with a much lighter heart.

While the two of us were eating, Park Yuna was lying on her bed, staring at the photos she'd taken with Han Jihoon.

"Ehehe~"

A silly laugh slipped out before she could stop it. In the picture, the two of them were lying naked on the bed together, smiling at the camera. Just looking at it made it impossible to hold back her laughter.

'I never thought I'd end up liking someone this much.'

He was a warm-hearted person who had forgiven her for trying to use him. A gentle person who understood her pain and embraced it. Because Han Jihoon was that kind of person, Park Yuna had been enjoying a level of happiness she'd never felt before.

"He's seriously so handsome..."

Her mood was so good she felt like she could fly away. Even though this man already had a woman he liked, she could still stay by his side from now on. However, Yuna had no intention of being satisfied with their current relationship.

'...I'm definitely going to date Jihoon oppa.'

She had promised him, after all. That she would continue to like him, but wouldn't make things difficult for him. It meant she wouldn't confess or throw a tantrum demanding he accept her feelings, but that didn't mean she was giving up on her dream of becoming his lover.

'I don't have to confess myself. I just need to make his heart naturally turn toward me, right?'

If Han Jihoon had been in a proper relationship with the woman he liked, Yuna would have been content with their current arrangement. But since she was also one of his sex partners, this was a fair competition for the man they both wanted.

'Jihoon oppa is everything to me now. I'll subtly appeal to him and make him like me for sure.'

With that firm determination, Park Yuna couldn't tear her eyes away from the photos of them together.

Meanwhile, the late breakfast-slash-lunch between the two of us went pretty much as usual. I made a big fuss about how delicious noona's cooking was, and Kang Iseor acted embarrassed but didn't show any displeasure. Just like that, as if nothing had happened, we finished eating. I said goodbye and headed home.

"Haaaa...!"

The moment Kang Iseor returned to her room, she let out a sigh so heavy it felt like the ground would cave in, then buried her face in her pillow.

'What am I supposed to do...!'

Han Jihoon had told her he had another sex partner now. Not even a normal female friend, but a sex partner. That meant he was doing all those dirty things he'd done with her with another woman too.

"Uuuuuuuugh!"

Unable to contain her frustration, she kicked her legs wildly on the bed. In front of Jihoon she'd acted like it was no big deal, but it was just an act. Inside, it felt like the sky was falling.

'I should have just said I hated it...!'

The truth was, while talking with him, she'd agonized dozens of times over whether to say no. But she had been too scared to do it.

'Jihoon accepted me... What if he gets disappointed that I can't accept him?'

Just as he'd said, Han Jihoon had understood and accepted her perverted scent fetish. The fact that she could live a normal life, and even enjoy exciting and happy days, was all thanks to him. If she acted selfish just because she liked him, she was afraid she'd look like a shameless woman. She was terrified that the affection Jihoon showed her would disappear.

"Aaaagh, seriously...!"

Frustrated beyond words, Kang Iseor scratched at her head. She knew what the best thing to say in that situation would have been. I like you. I'll take care of your desires somehow. Let's end the sex partner thing and date for real. Saying that would have solved everything, but in the end she'd swallowed the words again.

The fear that if they dated and then broke up for some reason, their entire relationship would end. That same fear that had always held her back was gripping her ankles once more.

'I'm such an idiot... I can't do this, I can't do that...'

She had always prided herself on being straightforward and decisive, but whenever Han Jihoon was involved, she turned into a timid coward. She hated herself for it, but because he was that precious to her, she couldn't help it.

'Another sex partner besides me...'

She already had so many worries, and now this unexpected situation had created a whole new one. What if her pathetic behavior caused Jihoon's feelings for her to cool? What if he grew more attached to his new sex partner than to her?

Just imagining it for a second brought tears to her eyes. It was a horrifying ending for Kang Iseor.

'...I can't stay like this!'

If she kept acting lukewarm like before, his heart really might go to another woman. The best way to prevent that was to confess to him boldly and become his official girlfriend. But since she still couldn't muster the courage, she needed to keep his affection directed at her until she was ready to confess.

'From now on, I have to be proactive. I need to make Jihoon only look at me.'

She clenched her fist, steeling her will, but she had no idea how to actually start.

'Should I search it up online?'

She scrolled through the search results with both thumbs flying across the screen. The look in her eyes as she stared at her phone burned with the determination of a soldier heading into battle.