Graduation
The setting of this novel is Earth in a parallel dimension.
I put on a suit again and checked myself in the mirror.
Ji-yu stepped up beside me and carefully inspected my clothes, while Jeong-mi held a necktie against my collar, shook her head, and undid the top button of my dress shirt.
"This looks better."
"Yeah, the tie was a bit stifling anyway."
Before I knew it, Ji-yu had gel on her hands and was working it through my hair—combing, then carefully shaping every strand with her fingers.
"Woof!!!"
Yu-ra, still barefoot, sat at my feet and licked the tops of them. Even though she had her own graduation ceremony today, she'd spent the last two nights at our place, and her phone had been ringing nonstop with people looking for her.
"Yu-ra, human mode. Shouldn't you hurry home and change?"
"Master. Lady Jeong-mi bought me a dress. I want to wear that."
"Hmm… fine. Your house has been calling, though. About that…"
"Hmph. We'll see them at school. Mom and Grandpa will both be there."
After I'd been accepted through early admissions in the first semester, I had barely set foot on campus. The school still marked me present as a matter of policy, so I only needed to show up on exam days. And since third-years had no attendance requirements at all in February, today was the first time in a long while that I was actually going to school.
"Are you sure we don't have to go, Master?"
"Yeah. I'd love to be at your graduation, but…"
"Don't. Ji-yu, you go to yours. Take Na-yeon and Jeong-mi with you… Besides, Yu-ra will be at my school, and I need to size up that bitch So Mi-jin while I'm at it."
"Master. She's my mother, but she hits the host bars pretty often and goes crazy for big cocks. She's a total pervert. Mom will fall for you easily—the second she finds out your size."
Calling her a pervert felt a little unfair. Host bars weren't that big a deal if you didn't have a husband.
I ruffled Yu-ra's hair roughly. She stuck out her tongue, flopped onto her back, and thrashed around, covering her crotch tattoo with her tail.
"Should I give Jeong-mi a tail too? You as well, Ji-yu?"
"We really get ones of our own?"
"Yeah. Wives get fox tails, concubines get tiger tails, and bitches get bitch tails."
When they both nodded, I pretended to leave, then came back in with a box full of tails and headbands for the women.
"Each one has a name on it, so Jeong-mi, you hand them out. Where's Emily?"
"Unnie said she has work today. She's washing up and heading out a little later."
I nodded.
Everything was finally in order. When I lifted my feet, Ji-yu knelt and slipped a sock onto each one. I stroked her hair, touched by the gesture. Jeong-mi, meanwhile, had already fastened on a tiger tail and was swishing it back and forth in fascination.
"Oh my… it's really amazing, Master. It feels just like… my own tail."
She'd had it coiled against her belly; now she unfurled it and gave it a gentle sway. With her round ears perked up, she looked so cute that I stepped in and kissed her on the forehead.
"Master. Should this be our indoor uniform from now on?"
"Hmm? Don't tell me you're suggesting we go naked indoors?"
"Yes. Or… maybe we could wear aprons at least?"
"Hmm… do whatever you like."
I grabbed my wallet, pocketed it, and headed for the front door. Jeong-mi, Ji-yu, and even Yu-ra followed me out to see me off.
"Yu-ra, can you get ready and make it by nine?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Even if I'm late, the teachers won't say much."
"Alright."
"Master, you know, right? You have to come to Hangang Jium. The car's already registered, so just drive right in."
"Got it. I'll go and come back."
At the entrance I picked up my car key and slipped it into my pocket.
We weren't selling this house, but from now on our real life would be in Mapo, so I cast one last, faintly wistful look around Jeong-mi's place.
All the memories piled up here with Hye-yun.
It hadn't been long, but so much had happened under this roof.
I couldn't stand around forever, though. I went down to the parking garage and got in the car.
The distance was far too short to put the car through its paces. I'd barely started the engine before I was almost at my destination.
Dongnipmun High sat near Naengcheon-dong in Seodaemun-gu. Back when I'd lived at Hyeon-ju's place, it had been walking distance; now, even from Daesin-dong, the drive was quick.
Dongmyeong Girls' Middle School came into view, and beyond it the grounds of a nearby theological college—bought up by the board chairman and converted into Dongnipmun High—began to appear.
The wide-open school gate was jammed with cars. Familiar-faced teachers were out directing traffic, waving vehicles through one by one.
My turn came, and Kim Su-hyeok—my homeroom teacher from Class 3-11—approached. From the gesture, he wanted me to roll down the window.
Whirr.
The glass dropped. Su-hyeok leaned in, met my eyes, and looked startled.
"Huh? Ian, you little bastard. Even if attendance didn't matter, you haven't shown your face once since July?"
"Ah, sorry, Teach. I've been busy with part-time work."
"And you—if you made money, you should've thought about saving it. What the hell are you doing driving an MB?"
"Ah… my mother-in-law bought it for me after I got married."
I scratched my head as I answered.
The teacher looked like he had a lot more to say, but horns started blaring behind us, so he just pointed somewhere.
"Park on the athletic field for now. Then get over here. Got it?"
"Yes."
I found a free spot among the sea of cars on the field and got out.
Familiar faces were everywhere. Kids climbing out with their parents—I watched them for a moment with a flicker of envy, then turned away.
Walking back toward the gate, I found that my teacher had already handed parking duty off to someone else. He waved me over.
"You. Married? What are you talking about?"
"That's just how it worked out."
"Tsk. You didn't even send your teacher a wedding invitation. I'm hurt, you know?"
"Ah… we didn't hold a ceremony. Just filed the marriage papers and started living together."
He nodded, then clapped me on the shoulder.
"Well. Looking at a car like that, it must be a well-off family… Good. I'm glad you won't have to worry about money."
"Thank you, Teach."
I could tell he genuinely cared about me.
If only every teacher had been like him… instead of someone like Lee Yun-hui.
"Kid. Good for you. I honestly thought you wouldn't even show up for graduation."
"Haha. Gotta come to graduation. Need to pick up the diploma, right?"
"Yeah."
He headed back toward the gate, and I walked up toward the school building.
Greeting familiar faces along the way ate up a good thirty minutes. It was around 8:40 by the time I stepped into the Class 3-11 classroom.
About half the seats were empty.
"Hey! Ian. You made it for graduation, huh?"
Kids glad to see me—but as I looked around the room, I couldn't help flinching.
A blue light flared above four heads and then vanished. That meant I'd slept with them in some future timeline.
None of them were ugly, exactly, but they all had ordinary faces.
"Hey, Yeong-a. Is this really all that's shown up?"
Son Yeong-a. Cute enough, sure—but my standards had climbed so high that her looks did nothing for me.
I've gotten picky, I thought, as I kept talking with her.
"Yeah. Most people said they weren't coming to the ceremony."
Three more girls drifted over to Yeong-a's side. All of them had flashed that blue light too—and none of them were my type either.
Better watch what I say so I don't get tangled up…
"Ian, do you have plans after this?"
"Hmm? Yeah. I've got to move, so I need to leave early. Sorry, Mi-yeong."
"No, it's fine… Then when are you free?"
Mi-yeong and the other three seemed to have coordinated. Their eyes kept flicking between one another. I felt bad, but they simply weren't my type.
If I hadn't met Hye-yun and the others first, I might well have made plans with them today.
"Hmm. February's no good. Maybe around March."
"Aww… so we can message you then?"
"Yeah, sure. But I'm switching phones, so hit me up on ASN."
"Okay."
I finally peeled myself free of them and walked over to Han-seok, who was clustered with some guys talking about games.
"…And so, all of you are now stepping out into society. Never forget that you are graduates of the great Dongnipmun High—"
Up on the podium, the principal had already been droning through his speech for a full twenty minutes.
A boring graduation. Even more boring than I'd expected.
If it hadn't been for Jini's voice cutting in mid-ceremony with an update on the prison situation, I would have dozed off the entire time.
"Ugh, this is dull. Ian, wanna hit the PC bang after?"
Han-seok's voice—we were close enough, having shared a class through second and third year.
The guy had bombed the CSAT and was retaking the year, yet he still hung around game rooms.
"You guys go. I've got plans."
"Can't be helped. But if not today, when are we ever gonna see each other?"
"There'll be class reunions and stuff. And without Gi-hun and those guys around, the vibe won't get wrecked either."
At that, Han-seok glanced over at A-reum sitting in the girls' row. Fair enough—those kids still had A-reum and Seo-jin.
"Yeah… even if they hold a reunion, barely anyone's gonna show."
I nodded.
Han-seok went back to talking PC bangs with Ju-hyeong.
I looked around again.
Teachers sat in a long row across the auditorium, and among them Yun-hui and Ji-yeon stood out—both looking distinctly uncomfortable. They weren't in no-panties miniskirts, but the skirts that covered their knees still left them squirming; they kept smoothing the fabric down.
And between them, a cold-faced beauty stomped in and sat down, seething. Yu-ra's mother.
Oh. She's finally here… and she keeps glaring at Yu-ra.
I followed her gaze toward Class 4 and found Yu-ra sitting there, grinning nonstop. She and her friends clearly had no shortage of things to talk about.
Before long the ceremony ended, and for the first time I felt it—I was an adult now.
I said goodbye to my friends, stepped out of the building, and stared blankly up at the sky.
This is where it really begins.
All around, families were busy taking photos. I slipped past them and headed for the parking lot.
Then my phone rang.
"Master. Aren't you taking any pictures?"
"Nah. You take plenty. I almost didn't come as it is."
"Master. Then would you come to the chairman's office? Grandpa already left after the ceremony. Won't you fuck me here—as a final high school memory?"
"Alright. I'll head up."
She didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about talking that loud; the call volume carried clearly. I thought it over for a moment, then decided it sounded thrilling enough and nodded.
"Okay. I've already sent Yun-hui and Ji-yeon ahead. I'll just take a few pictures and come up."
"Got it."
I went back into the building, pushed through the outgoing crowds, and took the central elevator to the fifth floor.
Fifth floor. The teachers' office, the art room, the science labs—memories welled up one after another. At the far end, I stopped in front of the door marked Chairman's Office and pushed the slightly open door inward.
A secretary's desk came into view, and beyond it another door.
I shut the outer door first so no one would see.
Approaching the inner door, I found it wide open. Looking inside, I saw two naked figures.
Yun-hui and Ji-yeon, golden retriever tails swaying gently, had their upper bodies draped over the chairman's desk.
High heels thrusting their asses high, pussies spread and twitching, tails and ears flicking—perfect bitches in every detail.
"Woof!!!"
"Human mode."
"Master. We're in heat. Please fuck us already."
I started toward them—and the chairman's chair creaked as it swiveled around.
Emily.
Emily, who had claimed she had work today, sat with her legs crossed, leaning back in the chair and watching me.
The moment our eyes met, she lifted both legs, spread them wide, and planted one on either side of the desk. Her pussy was covered by a fox tail.
"Honey. You must've felt left out. All alone."
"Nah, I'm fine. And this might actually be better, right? Sex in the chairman's office as the last act of high school… heh."
As I approached, Emily dropped onto all fours between the two bitches and pushed her ass out toward me.