The Crush's Friend
Hye-na’s moans grew thicker, denser, more urgent with every breath.
His hand traced over the fabric of her panties, mapping the hollow of her hip bone and the soft curve that spilled downward from it. When his thumb pressed lightly against the most secret place at the center, he felt the damp heat blooming beneath the thin cloth.
Without hesitation he eased the fabric aside and swept a finger along her outer folds.
“Aaaah… Oppa… wait… aaaah…”
Her pussy was slick and scorching; it closed around his finger as if it had been waiting. Faster breaths and broken moans spilled past her lips.
He hooked the slender waistband and began to peel the panties down.
Hye-na’s hand shot out and locked around his wrist.
“…Oppa.”
Her eyes were still hazy, yet they found his and held them with sudden clarity.
“Not here… I don’t want it here. And… it’s too soon.”
She’s right. I’ve only known her two days.
“S-sorry. Was that too sudden?” Yeonwoo asked.
“Yeah… I don’t… I don’t want to go further.”
Even someone as clumsy with women as Yeonwoo could read the truth. One more firm push and her resistance would crumble; she would open for him. Her body was already screaming it—the heat of her breath, the way she trembled—and above her head the number confirmed everything.
Even among established couples that number was rare. Her “I don’t want to” was less a true refusal than the last fragile barricade of reason. A single manual nudge upward and she would surrender her body without another word.
Yeonwoo chose not to.
He gently released her hand and drew his own away from her skin.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
Relief and gratitude softened her gaze. The number above her head ticked from 52 to 55—not mere relief, but genuine emotion at being understood.
They finished closing the shop and walked through the deep night toward Hye-na’s place. Even in the cold air their joined hands stayed warm.
Just walking in silence, hand in hand, and the number still held at 50. Earlier, when he had been stroking her so intensely inside the shop, the peak had only been 52. That it remained this high now told him the value was never simply sexual arousal. It was a composite of far broader, more complex feelings.
The knowledge that merely holding her hand could fill her heart this completely left Yeonwoo with a quiet, unexpected pride.
Beside him Hye-na suddenly spoke.
“Earlier… why… did you stop?”
The automatic answer—Because you told me to—rose to his throat, but he sensed at once that wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
He slowed his steps, gathering the right words.
“The place, for one thing… and you didn’t seem ready yet. Forcing it like that… it just felt selfish. Like I was only thinking about myself.”
Hye-na turned and looked straight at him.
“I was… kind of moved,” she said with a small smile. “I said the words, but I never really believed you’d actually listen. Most guys would just…”
She didn’t finish, yet Yeonwoo could fill in the rest easily enough.
“I’m not that patient, you know. And you’re way too pretty. When you’re ready… just tell me right away.”
He said it lightly, almost joking. Hye-na huffed a soft laugh.
“Oppa… you’re really a good person.”
After work Yeonwoo went straight home. Hye-na had said she was meeting a college friend she hadn’t seen in a long time. He showered, collapsed onto the sofa, and lost himself in a mobile game until his phone vibrated.
It was a little past ten. He typed back at once.
A moment later another message arrived.
Yeonwoo smiled as he answered.
The pin for a bar dropped into the chat. Yeonwoo quit the game, pulled on a hoodie and jacket, and headed out.
When he arrived, Hye-na and a female friend were sitting across from each other at a window table, deep in conversation. Hye-na spotted him first and waved.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed from the alcohol. Yeonwoo approached and gave her friend a polite nod.
“Hello. I’m Park Yeonwoo.”
The woman returned a small smile.
“Hi. Kim Seon-yeong.”
Yeonwoo offered an awkward smile of his own and took the empty seat beside Hye-na. She leaned lightly against his shoulder and whispered,
“Sorry for calling so late. I mentioned you and my friend insisted she had to meet you.”
Across the table Seon-yeong’s lips curved.
“Hye-na said she was seeing someone. I got curious.”
Her gaze traveled slowly down Yeonwoo’s body and back up again.
“Our Hye-na has terrible taste in men, so I figured I should run a little inspection.”
Where Hye-na was soft, Seon-yeong was sharp—fox-like features, clear and cutting. Her long wavy hair looked carefully maintained; her outfit was deliberately provocative. A tight black mini dress hugged every slim yet full curve, and the leather jacket thrown over it only sharpened the edge.
Yeonwoo met her stare without flinching. Familiar blue light flickered at the edge of his vision.
Emotion Level:11
Name:Kim Seon-yeong
Age:??
Occupation:??
Issue:??
Interesting… information I’ve already learned shows up even without physical contact.
Eleven was probably just the alcohol talking—meaningless for now.
Yeonwoo kept his smile easy.
“An inspection, huh? That’s a little intimidating. Still, I’m glad to meet Hye-na’s friend.”
He knew how much a girl’s friends’ opinions mattered.
Hmm… if Seon-yeong starts liking me too, that can only help.
Manual Emotion Conversion—target 40.
Target: Kim Seon-yeong
Goal Value: 40
Rate: +2 points per minute
He watched her while the number above her head began to climb—12… 15…
“First impression’s not bad,” Seon-yeong said, one corner of her mouth lifting. The sharpness in her eyes remained, but a thread of curiosity had joined it. The value hit 18.
“Hye-na never talks much about the guys she likes. I was dying of curiosity. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
“Seon-yeong, stop it~” Hye-na poked her friend’s arm, flustered. Her own cheeks were pink; her Emotion Level sat steadily around 52.
Yeonwoo kept the easy smile.
“I like her a lot. I’ve been the one chasing.”
Seon-yeong nodded and lifted her glass. The number was already past 35.
“You’re not just saying that, right? Hye-na’s too nice—she falls for a few sweet words way too easily.”
“True. That’s why I’m a little worried myself. Please look after her for me, Seon-yeong.”
The value locked at 40. The way Seon-yeong looked at him had already changed.
The night flowed on naturally after that.
While Yeonwoo stepped away to the restroom, Hye-na leaned in.
“So… what do you think? Through your eyes.”
Seon-yeong studied her friend’s face for a long moment. Something more complicated than her usual sharpness moved behind her eyes.
“At first…” she began slowly, “I thought, yeah, Hye-na still doesn’t look at a guy’s face.”
“Hey!!!” Hye-na swatted her arm at once.
Seon-yeong laughed softly and took a sip.
“But after sitting with him a little…” Her gaze softened. “He seems like a really good person. Manners, kind eyes… and he’s overflowing with charm. If you don’t date him…” She shot Hye-na a sidelong glance, lips curling. “I might want to.”
She tossed the line out like a joke, playful and light—yet a surprising thread of sincerity ran through it. Even Seon-yeong herself was startled. She had come only to inspect the man for Hye-na’s sake, yet after a short conversation and watching the way he carried himself, an inexplicable liking had begun to bloom—quiet, gradual, like a fragrance slowly filling the air.