Risk Level 4: Girl - Awkward Morning
Whack! Thud!
She had wondered why the hangover felt so much worse than usual. The moment she cracked her eyes open, she found a black cat mercilessly drumming its front paws against her forehead.
"Nyaang…"
Yerin shot upright in shock.
"Ah, you’re awake. I was just making soup—would you like some?"
Only then did the rich aroma and the gentle bubbling of simmering broth reach her. The washing machine hummed steadily in the background, creating the perfect picture of an ordinary weekend morning.
…A man holding a ladle was a rare sight. He’d look even better in an apron. Still…
"When… did I fall asleep?"
She couldn’t quite remember, but the soft mattress beneath her hips told her he had given up his only bed. The blanket was his, too.
"Huh…?"
Yerin lifted the blanket and glanced down, only to stiffen at the sight of her bare, pale legs. No pants. And the shirt she was wearing definitely wasn’t hers.
"Wait—my clothes?"
"…Ah?"
She yanked the blanket up to cover herself and glared at the only possible culprit.
"You… what the hell happened?! Why am I in different clothes? Where are my pants?!"
"Well… pants were too hard to change without looking, so…"
"What kind of excuse is that?!"
His reaction wasn’t what she’d expected. Shameless? Or just… honest? Had something happened while she was drunk? At least nothing hurt down there…
"It’s not like that…! You really don’t remember?"
After hurriedly denying the voice in her head, he asked if she truly had no memory of last night. What memory? They’d been drinking, talking about all sorts of things… and then…
"…Ah."
She wished the memories had stayed buried. The moment they returned, she wanted to disappear. They’d kept drinking, laughing, and at some point she’d leaned into his arms and…
"…"
"…"
Both fell into heavy silence. The only sounds were the washing machine and the soup still bubbling—until the machine beeped to signal the end of its cycle and the broth suddenly overflowed. Geon-woong quickly turned off the heat.
"…"
Complete silence settled over the tiny studio apartment. As if mocking them, the black cat lifted one paw to cover its mouth and let out a series of quiet coughs.
In the end, it wasn’t Yerin who broke the awkward silence.
"…The soup’s ready. Want to start with some hangover cure?"
"…Yeah."
"Ah—wait, let me get you some pants first."
"No, the shirt’s big enough. This is your shirt, right?"
"…Yes."
Embarrassment hung thick in the air. Even if it hadn’t, he could hear every thought in her head anyway, so pretending to be calm was impossible.
"I’m… going to wash my face first. I fell asleep with my makeup on…"
"Sure, take your time. I’ll make some rolled omelet while you’re gone."
"…Okay."
She was wearing nothing but underwear and his oversized shirt—an extremely bold outfit—but the circumstances made it anything but seductive. From inside the bathroom, Geon-woong could hear her mortified internal screams for several long minutes.
"…Does it suit your taste?"
He asked carefully.
"It’s delicious. I’d be even more upset if this wasn’t such an awkward situation."
"Haha, I told you it’s fine."
"You might be fine, but I’m not…"
Despite her words, the fact that her spoon never stopped moving was somewhat reassuring. The doenjang soup and rolled omelet tasted exactly like the ones his mother used to make—one of the few recipes he was confident in. The seasoning had been sent from home, of course.
…He really should visit his hometown soon.
"…"
Yerin looked completely different without makeup. Her sharp eyes still carried their usual cool impression, yet her expression had softened so much that he could easily believe she was older than him.
"Stop staring at my face and eat your food."
‘It’s embarrassing… Ah, you can hear me, right? Pretend you didn’t. I’m going to hit you.’
"Sorry…"
"And we agreed to drop the formal speech when it’s just the two of us. I’d prefer it if you spoke comfortably, like yesterday."
"…Yeah."
The meal continued in relative peace, but yesterday had been exhausting. After the rainbow-colored disaster, he’d spent the early morning cleaning, changed his own clothes, then struggled to dress the unconscious Yerin—
Glance.
He quietly looked toward Nero, who was now sitting peacefully by the window, basking in sunlight and watching the outside world. Thanks to her trembling threat that she’d bite him if he tried anything weird, he’d kept his eyes covered and followed her instructions to change Yerin’s clothes. It had been quite the ordeal, but at least Nero had served as a witness to his innocence. Not that Yerin could understand the cat, of course.
"…I’m not just being polite. It really is good. You’re good at making ramen too."
"Thanks. Worth going to the mart this morning, then."
"The mart? You could’ve just made another pack of ramen…"
"No, I had to buy ingredients anyway for tomorrow’s counseling session."
"…?"
Yerin gave him a look that clearly questioned the connection between food ingredients and counseling.
"The containment subject I’m counseling asked me to cook for her."
"The one on the fourth floor? She’s probably just pretending to want your sincerity so she can win you over."
"It’s not that simple. Her spoken words and the voice in her head have never contradicted each other. So… it’s a lie, but not really a lie… um…"
He couldn’t quite put it into words. The important part was this:
"But are you really okay with it? It’s the first time I’ve cooked for someone else, so I was worried you were just being polite."
"How many times do I have to say it? It’s delicious. If you could prepare breakfast like this every morning, I’d want to marry you."
"Thank… you?"
Not the groom, but the bride? Well, it was still a compliment.
"So… I’m the first person to ever taste your cooking?"
Her expression had been sour until now, but she finally smiled properly. She popped the entire rolled omelet into her mouth and looked at him with a strange glint in her eyes.
"You’ve done so much for me. This much is nothing."
"It’s different. Completely different. If we’re talking price, maybe, but the sincerity behind it already makes it special. Thanks. I’ll accept the gratitude."
"…Okay."
"And the taste is good enough for a Korean restaurant. You should have more confidence."
He doubted it was quite that good, but the praise still made his shoulders straighten a little. Maybe that was why he finally noticed other things.
The shirt he’d chosen wasn’t for any particular reason—just the easiest one to put on her. But now, in daylight…
"…?"
Through the gaps between the buttons, glimpses of her underwear and skin peeked out. The thin fabric, backlit by sunlight, revealed the feminine curves beneath, and the silhouette of her somewhat mature black underwear kept drawing his gaze.
Her toned, slender figure and the oversized shirt that emphasized her petite frame made the outfit feel strangely perfect in this moment.
"…Your eyes look pretty indecent. Since we’ve finished eating, are you thinking of doing something energetic this early?"
"Ugh…"
He had only looked for a second, yet she noticed immediately.
"It’s a joke. I know you wouldn’t try anything. That’s why I said I’d sleep here."
"…"
It was clearly a statement of trust, yet somehow it didn’t feel entirely good. Why…?
"Of course, even if you tried, I’d just throw you off right away."
Her follow-up remark was so matter-of-fact that the strange displeasure vanished instantly.