The Truth Is Close By
Late at night, in front of a bar. The moment Park Yuna spotted Kang Iseor, she dashed toward her like a puppy greeting its owner after work.
"Iseor unnie!"
"Whoa, hey! You almost tripped."
"I missed you so much!"
"There, there."
Park Yuna clung to her like a child, pressing even closer. Kang Iseor smiled and gently patted her junior and colleague. Normally, she felt awkward about public displays of affection, but perhaps because Park Yuna treated her like a real little sister, she didn't mind at all.
"Did you miss me too, unnie?"
"Of course I did."
"Really? That makes me so happy!"
A pleasant scent drifted from the girl pressing against her. It was the same comforting fragrance she'd noticed the first time they met at the MCN office. Park Yuna had stopped by Han Jihoon's place before coming here, but Kang Iseor had no way of knowing that.
"Welcome! Table for two?"
After being greeted by the staff, they took their seats. Even as they opened the menu together, Park Yuna kept beaming at Kang Iseor.
"This time I'm paying! You treated me last time!"
"It's fine. I'm the older one, so I'll get it."
At Kang Iseor's refusal, Park Yuna shook her head firmly.
"Still, I'd feel bad if I keep letting you pay!"
"Hmm… Then how about I pay tonight, and you pay next time?"
"Next time? Does that mean we're meeting again?!"
"Of course. Even if we didn't want to, we'd still see each other for work."
"Yes! Then I'll pay next time, and the time after that too!"
Kang Iseor couldn't help but smile at her excited reaction. Park Yuna had confessed to being bullied before, but to Kang Iseor, she seemed to have a natural brightness that lifted everyone around her.
"Got it. What should we order for snacks? I've tried everything here, so pick whatever you want."
"This one! The mixed dried pollack set!"
After ordering, the snacks and drinks arrived. Though this was only their second time meeting in person, their frequent calls had made the atmosphere far more comfortable than their first encounter. They chatted nonstop about absurd incidents during streams, broadcasting tips, and their upcoming collab.
"Huaaah! Unnieee! Pour me more…."
"Here. Shouldn't you slow down now? Your eyes are already getting glassy."
"I'm fine. I can drink more!"
If two women got drunk together, who knew what might happen, so she needed to stay sharp. Just as Kang Iseor was thinking that, Park Yuna rested her chin on the table and looked up at her.
"…Iseor unnie, you're so lucky."
"Me? Why?"
"You're so mature… You really act like an unnie."
Kang Iseor didn't understand even after hearing the reason. But Park Yuna continued without being asked.
"Me… I like it when Oppa is nice to me, but it feels like he sees me as a little sister, not a girlfriend."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah… If I were as mature as you, unnie, maybe Oppa would see me as a woman too…."
Kang Iseor tilted her head in confusion. She had never met a more charming woman than Park Yuna. Her lovely, bright personality, her clear and lively voice, her beautiful features that could belong to a celebrity. Even without seeing her body up close, it was obvious how voluptuous she was. For someone to prefer another woman over this perfect girl… Whoever this "Oppa" was, Kang Iseor simply couldn't understand.
"It's okay, Yuna. He probably just doesn't know how wonderful you are yet."
"Do you think so…? And the girl Oppa likes… She's seriously intimidating. Last time she called to warn me, and this time she even sent a letter saying something."
Park Yuna, loosened by alcohol, let slip an episode she'd been keeping to herself. Kang Iseor's expression turned serious.
'She called to warn her? Did she say something nasty over the phone? That's too much. To someone as delicate as Yuna.'
And not stopping there, sending a letter too—clearly not an ordinary personality. Hearing this made Park Yuna, caught between an oblivious man and a fierce rival, seem even more pitiful.
"That person is really too much. She's acting so aggressive because she's insecure. Don't let it get to you."
"Hngh… I'm so glad I got to meet you, unnie…."
"Should I order more snacks? Let's eat something delicious tonight and forget about it."
"Then I want more dried pollack…."
===
"Iseor unnieee! Heheng."
"You okay?"
The moon was setting. Park Yuna leaned on Kang Iseor as they left the bar. Resentful that Han Jihoon only saw her as a little sister, she'd drunk far too much and was completely wasted.
"Yuna, can you walk?"
"Ugh… Unnie's so warm…."
"Haah. You can't walk, can you?"
Kang Iseor let out a deep sigh. Seeing Park Yuna stumble without any sense of balance, she couldn't possibly send her home alone.
"Where do you live? I'll take you home."
"Pollack… Why are you so tasty…."
"This won't do. Let's go to my place first."
They hailed a taxi and barely made it to the front of the house. Kang Iseor had hoped Park Yuna would sober up during the ride, but it was a vain wish. Even as they stood before the door lock, the girl was still out of it.
"Uuuung…."
"Yuna, wait a second. I'll open the door."
"Jihoon Oppaaa…."
"What?"
For a moment, Kang Iseor froze. Had she really just heard the name Han Jihoon come out of the mouth of the person she was supporting?
"What did you just say?"
"Huuu…."
"Yuna! What did you say just now?"
"…."
With her head hanging and swaying unsteadily, she gave no answer. Naturally, Kang Iseor's heart began pounding loudly.
'No way… The Oppa she's been talking about is Jihoon? But I didn't hear his last name. Jihoon is a common name, so I can't be sure yet. Still…!'
Her mind felt like it was about to explode from the chaos. Everything had happened so suddenly that she even doubted whether she'd heard correctly.
'F-First, let's get inside.'
With trembling hands, she managed to enter the password and step inside.
"Iseor, you're home?"
"Oh, Mom, you're still up? I told you to go to bed since I was late."
"I couldn't sleep, so I waited. By the way, who's that… Oh my, is that Yuna?"
Kang Iseor's eyes widened.
"Mom, you know Yuna?"
"She's the tenant in the same building as Jihoon. She lives right below him."
"What?"
"What's wrong? Did something happen? She looks pretty drunk—should I bring something to drink?"
"N-No, it's fine… We're going to bed, so you should go rest too, Mom."
"Alright. I have to leave early tomorrow, so make sure you eat breakfast."
After struggling to get Park Yuna into the room and onto the bed, Kang Iseor grabbed her shoulders and shook her without even catching her breath.
"Yuna, wake up. Yuna!"
"Mmm…."
Kang Iseor was on the verge of losing her mind from frustration, but Park Yuna wore a peaceful, innocent expression as she slept deeply. No matter how many times she tried to wake her, it was useless.
'What on earth is going on…!'
Kang Iseor still wasn't certain that the "Jihoon Oppa" she'd heard was really him. Yet there were far too many clues pointing to her ominous premonition being correct.
'She definitely said her Oppa lives in the same building. And Yuna lives right below Jihoon?'
Moreover, Park Yuna had mentioned that the other woman called to warn her and even sent a letter. Though she hadn't heard the details, if it referred to the time Han Jihoon had been on the phone during their encounter and left a note in the second sex partner's panties, that was also possible.
'Is that really the cow girl? No, but… still….'
Despite all the circumstantial evidence, Kang Iseor didn't want to jump to conclusions. No—she didn't want to. The idea that her new colleague and close friend was actually a rival fighting over the same man felt too cruel, as if some malicious god had orchestrated it.
'Right. The odds are ridiculous to begin with. There could be another man in that building, and Yuna might have actually received a call and letter from the other woman.'
"…."
'Maybe I misheard her say "Jihoon Oppa" earlier. Even if I heard it right, Jihoon is a common name.'
She tried to stay calm, but the seed of anxiety that had taken root in her heart refused to die out.
'Could all of this really be coincidence? Yuna talking about the call and letter, living in the same building as Jihoon? That comforting scent I smelled from Yuna—was it actually Jihoon's scent all along?'
Her heart wished it wasn't true, but her mind kept finding plausible connections. If only Park Yuna would wake up and tell her the truth, but the girl showed no signs of stirring.
'Should I call Jihoon?'
It was already dawn, and she didn't want to show him how possessive she was over her other sex partners. In the end, she clutched her throbbing head with both hands.
"Aah, what do I do…!"
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as if urging her to reach a conclusion. She wanted to sort out her chaotic thoughts quickly. What she needed was a single small clue that could turn all these suspicions into certainty—or disprove them. As she wondered what could serve that role, one memory flashed through her mind.
'That…!'
She hurried to the computer desk and opened a drawer. Inside was a cow-print bikini swimsuit. She'd secretly taken it from Han Jihoon's place and stashed it there when she couldn't figure out how to dispose of it.
"…."
She picked up the swimsuit and returned silently to the bed. Kang Iseor knew this method alone wouldn't be enough to confirm the truth. But it would be sufficient to verify whether the other clues she'd found were real. If even this impossibly sized swimsuit fit, then the other pieces of evidence couldn't be dismissed as coincidence.
'Please… Please let it not be true.'
She carefully removed Park Yuna's outer clothes and then her underwear. The massive breasts hidden beneath the thick knit sweater. Their beautiful shape and form were so striking that even Kang Iseor, a woman, couldn't look away. Her anxiety only grew.
'Please, it has to be wrong…!'
Praying silently, she finally slipped the swimsuit straps around the other girl's neck. When she adjusted the fabric to the right position, Kang Iseor collapsed onto the floor.
'…This can't be real.'
The moment the swimsuit that couldn't fit her own body was put on Park Yuna, it filled out perfectly, as if it had finally found its true owner.