I Can Feel the Love
I Can Feel the Love
Junwoo looked at the shopping bags filled with t-shirts and pants.
"Next time, buy a skirt and try wearing it. I think it would really suit you."
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
Seoyun still wasn't accustomed to her female body, and the thought of wearing a fluttering skirt brought discomfort to the forefront.
But since Junwoo wanted to see it... maybe next time she'd buy and try on a skirt..?
Thinking secretly about such a surprise event, she grinned.
"What should we do now? Is there anything you want to do?"
"Not really... Should we just hang out at your place, Junwoo hyung?"
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah!"
Just going out for the first time in a while and enjoying shopping at the Department Store was enough to satisfy Seoyun.
She wanted to spend time as she always did, holed up at home playing games or leisurely watching movies.
"Alright. Let's do that then."
"Hmm..!"
Junwoo, who didn't have any better ideas, actively accepted her suggestion.
"But hey, Seoyun-ah."
"Yeah? What?"
"We should change how you address me now, right? It's awkward."
"What is?"
"Instead of 'Junwoo hyung,' you should call me 'Junwoo oppa.'"
Seoyun, who had been walking while smiling, abruptly stopped in her tracks.
She couldn't get the words out, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she poked Junwoo's side with her elbow.
"What... that's even more awkward."
"But if someone sees, they might get the wrong idea, right? And I kinda want to hear you say 'oppa' too."
"Hmm, but..."
"Not good enough. Give back the clothes I bought you today. Why should I buy you presents if I can't even hear you say 'oppa'?"
"That's so mean..."
He really wanted to hear 'oppa' from Seoyun's mouth no matter what.
Judging that she couldn't just let it slide, Seoyun blushed and opened her mouth, her voice growing small.
"Junwoo oppa..."
"Hehe. Good."
"Ugh, I'm not calling you that ever again!"
Feeling unnecessarily annoyed, Seoyun expressed her irritation by kicking at Junwoo, who was just laughing at her.
Even though she kicked with all her might, he just kept laughing as if it didn't hurt.
"Ahahaha!!"
The two walked home while playfully teasing each other.
"Excuse me...?"
"It's just me. It's fine."
"Hmm..."
Upon arriving at Junwoo's house, Seoyun sat demurely on the sofa and looked around the living room.
Come to think of it, she hadn't visited Junwoo's house even once since becoming an adult.
After graduating high school, Seoyun had been busy studying for the Suneung, and Junwoo had enlisted in the military, so they hadn't even had a chance to meet.
"It's been a while since you've been here, huh?"
"Hmm... It feels kinda different..."
The same apartment complex, the same layout.
Unlike Seoyun's house, Junwoo's house had an unfamiliar atmosphere somewhere.
Instead of a pleasant lived-in smell, the strong scent of lavender air freshener stimulated her nostrils.
The white-toned furniture showed no signs of use, and the wall-mounted TV still had the screen protector film on it.
Seoyun, sensing the source of the feeling of incongruity, tilted her head and opened her mouth.
"Do you live alone? What about your parents?"
"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I've been living alone for quite a while. I even said goodbye to your parents when I moved?"
"R...really?"
Junwoo's father, who was a doctor at a university hospital, retired last year and used his severance pay to buy a house in the countryside and moved.
Instead of disposing of the apartment they used to live in, it was transferred to Junwoo, who had become an adult.
"Having my own place is good... but I need to have a use for it. Since I'll be living away from home while attending university, it's just left empty like this for now."
"Hmm..."
It had become a white elephant where he just paid the maintenance fees every month.
Seoyun ran her finger over the living room table, looked at the dust that came off, and swallowed a sigh.
"Hmm... This won't do. Since I'm here anyway, I'll clean up for you."
"No. Just relax and hang out. We finally get to meet and play, right?"
"Hmm..."
Junwoo brought a cup of cool iced tea from the kitchen and handed it to Seoyun.
He pressed down on her shoulders, which kept trying to move to do something, and sat her back on the sofa.
He put the TV remote in her hand and took the controller for the console game they'd enjoyed since childhood out of a drawer and handed it to her.
"Here. You're the guest. I can't make you do the things the homeowner should do."
"But still..."
Seoyun glanced at the clothes she received as a gift at the Department Store and showed a restless reaction.
She wanted to repay him somehow, but since she couldn't, she curled up like a hamster and watched his mood.
Given Seoyun's personality, she couldn't even smoothly say 'thank you.'
Junwoo, who knew her better than anyone, silently reached out and stroked her head.
"What..."
"Just because. You're cute."
At first, he stroked lightly, then shook her head messily until her hair got tangled, making Seoyun complain and shake her head.
Seeing her short hair sticking out here and there, a smile spread across Junwoo's lips.
"You really want to help that much?"
"Hmm..."
It seemed she wanted to repay him through physical labor, since she owed him a debt too big to repay.
Seoyun had been the type since childhood who couldn't stand being indebted.
If she received a 30,000 won cake as a birthday gift, she was the type to repay it with a 50,000 won gift.
"Then how about this? You come to my place often and take care of it."
"Huh? Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. It's going to be empty while I'm away anyway... A place needs people coming and going to have some warmth. Oh right, you're still studying for the Suneung, right?"
"Hmm..."
Seoyun trailed off her words and gave an ambiguous smile.
When she was a man, she had aimed to follow Junwoo and get into a prestigious university, but now that she was a woman, she wondered what the point of it all was.
Even if she studied, she didn't want the stress of academics right at this moment.
"Why that reaction? Are you giving up now?"
"Well... I don't really know."
"Is that so?"
It seemed he could guess even without asking the reason.
Junwoo, empathizing with her feelings in his own way, smiled.
"I want to attend the same school as Seoyun and stick together~"
"Hmm... Can I really do it..?"
"Of course. I'll help you to the end."
"Then... okay! I'll try my best!"
Her previously gloomy expression brightened considerably.
It seemed she had gathered her resolve.
"That's good. When you study at home, you can't concentrate well and your parents get on your nerves, right? Just study comfortably at my place. Think of it as going to a study room."
"Are you really sure that's okay?"
"I said it's fine. I'll tell you the Door Lock passcode. Let's register your fingerprint later too?"
"Hmm..!"
Junwoo immediately turned on his phone and sent the Door Lock passcode via text.
Along with the message that she could come anytime she wanted.
"You can use any part of the house, but absolutely do not enter the Small Room. Got it?"
"Why?"
"Hmm... I need a room where my privacy is protected too."
Junwoo chuckled dryly, looked at the firmly closed door, and stroked Seoyun's head.
The Small Room had a latch and a padlock.
It looked suspicious to anyone.
She didn't know what was inside, but Seoyun didn't particularly question it.
"Let me say it again, the Small Room is absolutely off-limits. You must keep this promise. No matter how close we are, if you just barge in... I might get angry?"
"Okay... You don't have to say it like that, I wasn't planning on going in anyway."
Everyone has at least one secret they can't tell others.
Seoyun didn't want to dig into Junwoo's secret and ruin their relationship.
At most, he probably hid some Adult toys, right?
"Hmm..."
Seoyun, having indulged in various fantasies by herself, stared intently at Junwoo's face sitting beside her.
She had thought he was a eunuch with no sex drive since he'd never had a girlfriend, but it seemed he had a secretly pervy side.
"Why are you looking at me like that."
"It's nothing."
"Seriously... So what should we do now? Want to play games all night? A new installment of that series you like came out. Let's play it together."
"Yeah! Sounds good!"
How long had it been since she spent such a leisurely time like this?
Seoyun happily smiled and played games with him.
They played games without noticing the time, ordered delivery food when they got hungry, and watched TV to take a breather when bored.
They got angry watching social news, laughed watching variety shows, and cried watching sad documentaries.
Unlike her, who was emotionally rich, Junwoo reacted calmly, playing along.
"I'm sleepy now..."
"Want to sleep over? I have blankets."
"No... Mom would come find me and yell, wouldn't she?"
If she were still a man, they would have been thankful and said thanks for letting her stay up all night playing.
Now that she had a woman's body, her parents' unnecessary overprotectiveness caused a lot of stress.
She was an adult, not a minor, what did it matter? Even though she wanted to rebel and fight back, her heart was weak, so Seoyun swallowed her feelings inside.
"Let's play again tomorrow. I'll come right in the morning!"
"I won't be here tomorrow? I have to go back up now."
"Hmm... Then when are you coming again?"
"Hmm. I'm thinking of coming down at least once every weekend. You get lonely, don't you?"
Junwoo coming all the way back to his hometown every weekend while living away had no purpose other than to meet Seoyun.
Feeling burdened by the excessive favor, she shook her head side to side and answered.
"You don't have to go that far! I can have fun by myself, you know? If you keep doing that, it feels burdensome."
"No. It's fine. I'm doing it because I want to."
"But..."
"Enough, you just take good care of my house. I'll check on the cleaning condition, okay?"
"Seriously... fine."
Seoyun, her feelings hurt by that one offhand, indifferent remark, turned her head away.
Pouting, she put on her shoes and opened the front door, then looked at the shopping bags she was holding in both hands and mumbled.
"What? Not going? It's getting really late."
"Well..."
Junwoo, who had been standing by the door, was waving.
Seoyun, who had been waiting for the elevator, hesitated, then mustered her courage and spoke.
"Thank you."
A single phrase laden with many meanings.
Seoyun's cheeks flushed bright red as if they would burst.
"Suddenly?"
"Just thank you!"
As soon as the elevator arrived, Seoyun got in and went down as if running away. Even after returning home, she didn't know what to do and kept kicking her blanket in frustration.
She finally mustered the courage to say it, but what was with that lukewarm reaction?
"I'm never saying thank you again."
Seoyun rebelled like a teenage girl, pounding her bed before falling asleep.
Still, she had been worried Junwoo might hate her, but she was truly grateful he treated her normally like before.
"I like you..."
Seoyun, having fallen asleep, muttered in her sleep, secretly venting her feelings.
Judging by the grin on her lips, she seemed quite happy.