The Night Before
After Min-ah left, I sat there alone in a daze for what felt like an eternity.
Even as the ramen swelled into a soggy mess and the beer grew warm, I couldn’t summon the will to stand.
Was it really right for Min-ah to suffer like this because of me?
Wouldn’t it be better if we ended things now… at least then she could be free?
Rather than staying tied to a pervert like me—still so young, with her whole life ahead of her and so beautiful—rather than forcing herself to have sex she didn’t even want…
No matter which way my thoughts turned, the conclusion was always the same. Letting Min-ah go was the best possible outcome for both of us.
“Haah…”
But I loved her too much to do it.
I knew it was selfish, yet I still wanted to find another way.
I cleaned up the beer and ramen, then sat on the sofa. That was when I heard the familiar beep of the passcode being entered.
Reflexively I rose and walked toward the entrance.
“I’m home, oppa.”
Her eyes were faintly swollen from crying, and her smudged makeup remained untouched.
“Min-ah…”
“And I realized I wouldn’t be able to figure this out by myself, so…”
…Gyeong-rok hyung?
Hyung offered an awkward little wave, his expression uneasy.
“Sorry. I was going to head home, but Min-ah insisted I come over.”
“…”
Min-ah stared at me without even removing her shoes.
“I just couldn’t come up with an answer on my own.”
“Min-ah…”
When I spoke her name, she cut me off at once, her voice resolute.
“I still don’t understand any of this.”
My heart plummeted.
Her hardened expression seemed to soften just a fraction, but it brought me no comfort.
“Even so, I don’t want to run away and leave you behind.”
Min-ah stood frozen for a moment, saying nothing. She simply gazed straight into my eyes.
She studied my face for a long time, as though searching for something only she could see.
Then she slowly stepped closer.
She slid her arms around my neck, rose onto her toes, and pressed her lips to mine.
It was a short, clumsy kiss.
When our mouths parted, Min-ah buried her face against my chest.
“…You really do love me, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not lying?”
“Never.”
Min-ah pressed her lips tightly together, then wrapped her arms around my neck once more.
Our foreheads touched. The tips of our noses brushed. Our lips met again, slowly.
This kiss lasted longer, quieter than the first.
The tips of Min-ah’s fingers clutched my collar as if she never wanted to let go.
Only after a long while did she draw back, resting her forehead against my chest.
“…You’re such an idiot, you know that?”
Her hoarse voice came out in a fragile whisper. Min-ah gripped my shirt once, then released it.
Her trembling words sounded painfully delicate.
“Fine… If this is what you want, oppa… I understand.”
With that, she burrowed back into my arms.
The three of us stood at the entrance in silence for a long time. In the quiet apartment, only the faint sound of our breathing filled the space.
“Sorry, Team Leader. I kept you waiting while I had a guest.”
“It’s all right. None of us were really in any state to worry about etiquette.”
Inviting Gyeong-rok inside felt strangely surreal.
An outsider stepping into the home that belonged only to Min-ah and me—someone who would soon share a very particular relationship with us.
My heart hammered so violently I could barely speak.
Min-ah poured three glasses of water and set them on the table.
I snatched mine up and drank too fast. The liquid caught in my throat and I coughed; Min-ah looked up at me with worried eyes.
No one spoke. In the end, I was the one who broke the silence.
“Hyung.”
“Mm.”
“I won’t regret this. Not telling you… not choosing you.”
Gyeong-rok watched me without a word. I drew in a slow breath.
“I absolutely will not regret it.”
Even after repeating myself for emphasis, the room remained heavy with quiet.
“I still feel exactly the same way right now.”
The tips of Min-ah’s fingers gave a tiny flinch, but she didn’t interrupt.
“Of course I’m scared. Scared Min-ah might leave me… scared you’ll look at me like I’m some kind of pervert.”
They were my honest feelings. Once the words were out, my whole body began to shake.
I doubt I would have trembled this badly even if I’d been sitting here completely naked.
Gyeong-rok lowered his gaze for a moment, then lifted it again.
“What about you, Min-ah? How do you feel?”
“…I’m scared too.”
Min-ah dropped her head. I squeezed her hand tightly.
Her white fingers were ice-cold, and the chill unsettled me even more.
“To be honest, I don’t like it… No, I hate it…”
Min-ah’s lips trembled as she forced the rest out.
“But since it’s for oppa… I’ll do it.”
Gyeong-rok gave a small nod. He lifted his glass and took a sip.
“I understand how both of you feel.”
He sat with arms folded, eyes closed for a moment. When he opened them again, he spoke calmly.
“All right. I’d rather it be me than the two of you getting involved with some stranger.”
Even after he finished, he didn’t speak again right away.
“We’ll do it the way Min-woo wants.”
Min-ah’s face tightened. Of course… the weight of it had to feel different for her.
Because it meant she would have to sleep with Gyeong-rok hyung, who was sitting right in front of her.
“Good. How about we set some ground rules first?”
“Rules?”
Min-ah’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing crimson.
“I think… having rules would be good.”
Her voice shook as she answered him. I simply held her hand in quiet support.
“First, I believe none of us should lie to or deceive one another.”
I nodded. Min-ah murmured that she agreed.
“Also… is there anything either of you would like to request from me?”
“Hyung, I’m fine with anything. I’ll follow whatever the two of you decide.”
Gyeong-rok nodded once more. Min-ah thought for a while, then slowly opened her eyes.
“This isn’t really a rule… it’s more of a promise I’d like you to make, oppa…”
Fidgeting with her fingers, she spoke hesitantly, clearly embarrassed.
“Even if I… sleep with the Team Leader… please don’t leave me. Keep loving me until the very end.”
“Min-ah. I will never leave you. Ever.”
My voice was steady, in contrast to her trembling one. At last, she managed a small smile.
“One last thing. Since this is all being done for Min-woo, if this arrangement ever needs to end, I want it to be either Min-ah or myself who ends it.”
I faltered at those words. I had been the one to start this, yet I wouldn’t be allowed to finish it?
…Yes. They were both making this sacrifice for me.
“I’ll do that, hyung.”
“Um… if oppa is okay with it, then I am too.”
Min-ah and I looked at each other and shared a faint smile. Relief washed over me.
Min-ah wouldn’t leave me. I wouldn’t have to leave her either.
It was truly a blessing.
“Words alone can lead to misunderstandings or emotions running high later, so it’s safer for all three of us to draw a clear line now, before we begin.”
Min-ah and I nodded together. Though they were only words, formally deciding them eased the weight in my chest.
“Then shall we call it a night? …I’m rather tired.”
“Ah, I’m so sorry, Team Leader! Dragging you out on the weekend like this…”
Hyung waved it off.
“Not at all. Honestly… this is better than the two of you struggling alone.”
After telling us to come to his place next week once we’d had time to think, Gyeong-rok rose, saying he was exhausted.
Even after everything was decided, daily life remained unchanged.
We still loved each other, cherished each other, and occasionally bickered over the smallest things.
“Oppa! I told you not to leave your socks inside out!”
“Ah, I forgot. I meant to flip them right away.”
Each morning Min-ah left for work while I sat at the computer, quietly fuming at myself.
I made sure to finish the housework before she returned so she wouldn’t be tired.
If anything had changed, it was only that I grew tense every time she mentioned work.
“…Manager Kim from accounting keeps nagging me over the stupidest things.”
“Uh-huh… and?”
“The Team Leader covered for me. I mean, it’s just a credit card receipt—you print it and you’re done!”
Watching her complain while energetically scooping up rice made me smile, yet the three syllables of “Team Leader” twisted something painfully inside my chest.
“If he’s just going to back down the second the Team Leader speaks, why does he come all the way to our department to throw a tantrum?! Huh?!”
“Y-yeah… He sounds like a real jerk. Why does he do that?”
Oh. There was one more change. At home, Min-ah had become completely dominant.
More accurately, I had become hyper-aware of her every mood…
“Whose side are you on, oppa? Mine or Manager Kim’s?!”
“Yours, of course. Always yours, Min-ah.”
Her dimples deepened as she beamed and set down her spoon.
“It’s finally tomorrow.”
“…Yeah…”
My hands shook so badly I dropped my chopsticks.
Min-ah picked them up from the floor and handed them back to me.
“…Don’t worry, oppa.”
Her eyes still sparkled when she looked at me.
“I’m only doing this for you. That’s all.”
Min-ah smiled—the same smile she had always given me.
After tomorrow… would I still be able to see that smile?