Christmas (2)
Christmas (2)
"What's this?"
What A-ra handed over was a small box barely 10 centimeters on each side.
It was so elegantly wrapped that there was no way to tell what was inside.
The weight was slightly heavy—just heavy enough that it didn't feel suspiciously light.
"Do you remember when we went to the department store to buy clothes a while ago?"
"Hmm... didn't we go almost every week?"
A-ra, whose fashion sense was a bit out of the ordinary, sometimes treated me like a mannequin.
So we went clothes shopping every week, and by now the dressing room was packed—half my clothes, half A-ra's.
"When was it again? When we first went clothes shopping back in the spring of this year."
"Ah~"
I remembered.
The incident where A-ra had paid for dozens of hoodies, each one costing over 5 million won a piece.
I recalled buying an action cam then, too.
Well, not that I used it much.
"You bought a watch then too, remember? We couldn't get it right away because it was out of stock."
"Is this that watch?"
"Yeah, want to open it?"
At A-ra's playful urging, I untied the ribbon and opened the box.
A watch that unmistakably looked expensive sparkled and gleamed, radiating an elegant beauty,
and I saw the elegantly inscribed letters: 'Patek Philippe.'
"Wow... it really is a Patek Philippe."
"Pretty, isn't it? It was so hard to get this, you know?"
"I bet it was. It's not something you can buy just because you have money."
Since A-ra was the one who procured it, this piece was at the very least a top-tier model or a limited edition.
To purchase a high-end Patek Philippe item, they say you need to submit a watch purchase history.
Of course, A-ra already owned top-tier watches from brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, and Audemars Piguet.
"But this feels like it'd be a bit scary to wear around."
"It's not that expensive, so don't worry. They said it's called the Nautilus?"
I didn't know how much that was, but I couldn't take her "it's not that expensive" at face value.
To A-ra, things costing a hundred million or two hundred million won were "reasonably priced" or "not that expensive" in the same breath.
"Then I'll try it on."
I took the watch out of the box and strapped it onto my wrist.
It had been adjusted to fit just right—not sliding down, not pinching tight. The fit wasn't bad at all.
"It doesn't really get in the way."
"Expensive watches are designed to be meticulously crafted yet light, after all."
I gave A-ra my thanks, then removed the watch and placed it back in the box.
Because I figured I should later put it in the watch section of the dressing room and store it properly.
Wearing it only when I went outside was perfectly fine.
"Seong-hwan-a."
"Yes."
I set the watch box near my head and looked at A-ra.
Wearing an expression that suggested she was a little embarrassed to speak, A-ra fidgeted, twisting her body,
darting her eyes slightly back and forth. She was deeply flustered.
"Today's Christmas Eve, right?"
"It... is?"
"So, the thing is, Noona brought something."
I didn't know what she'd brought, but I thought carefully about what kind of item A-ra might pull out in this mood.
Handcuffs? A whip?
No, A-ra didn't like SM or things like that.
As I was mulling over all sorts of possibilities inside my head, A-ra pulled something out from under the bed.
It was wrapped in a black plastic bag that made rustling, crinkling sounds.
"What is that?"
"A Santa outfit...."
"Don't tell me...."
A cosplay outfit?
She was actually going to wear it for me?
She'd sworn before that she'd never wear it.
Back then, I'd once set a condition: if A-ra wore it, then I'd wear it once too.
I'd definitely asked her to wear a maid outfit before.
"You said if Noona wears it, then Seong-hwan-ee, you'd wear it too, right?"
Heh, so she remembered after all.
I shouldn't underestimate A-ra's memory.
She remembered every conversation from one year ago, two years ago,
and she even remembered what underwear and clothes she'd put on each morning.
Still, it seemed best to play dumb here and let it slide.
If I played my cards right, I might be able to slip out of the Santa outfit and have only A-ra wear hers.
"Did I say that?"
"You're... playing innocent!"
"If A-ra Noona puts on the Santa outfit first, maybe my memory will come back?"
"Ugh....."
With an expression that looked on the verge of tears, A-ra bit her lip tightly,
and as if she really meant to go through with it, she shed her outer clothes.
Then she slipped off her skirt and blouse and opened one of the bags she'd taken out earlier.
Inside were a red one-piece dress, a Rudolph nose, and a pair of deer antler headbands.
"Y-you definitely promised! You said if Noona wore it first, you'd wear it too, right!?"
She'd taken the bait.
I had never promised to wear it.
I'd said my memory might come back if she wore it first.
Maybe it was because the Santa outfit was a cheap one—
the sound of fabric brushing against skin whispered softly, seuk-seuk, into my ears.
"Oh... ohhh....!"
The proportion of bare skin far outweighed the proportion of red fabric,
so it was an outfit so lewd that it was hard to judge whether to call it cosplay or just plain nakedness.
Why?
Because the judgment wasn't being made by my brain, but by the third leg attached between my thighs.
"Can I touch you?"
"H-have you ever... asked permission before..."
A-ra was mine, so there was no need to ask permission.
I reached my hand toward the area that seemed most exposed and warm—her groin—and stroked it lightly.
There's one misconception people without experience with women tend to have:
the softest part of the female body isn't the buttocks or the breasts.
It's right here—the inner thigh and groin area—that's the softest of all.
"Hnnn...."
"It's gotten a little damp, hasn't it?"
"Y-you're going to wear it now, right?"
Hmm... what should I do.
A-ra had endured her own embarrassment and put it on. It'd be wrong not to return the favor, wouldn't it?
And I'd gotten a big present, too.
"Alright, I'll put it on."
"Really...?"
I tore open the bag, shook out the contents, and spilled them onto the bed.
***
I got out of the car and opened the trunk.
Then I placed all the items into a basket I'd prepared in advance and entered the building.
"Oh! It's Seong-hwan-ie oppa!"
I'd spent Christmas Eve with A-ra, so on Christmas Day itself, I came to see my younger siblings for the first time in a while.
The interior design had changed a bit, and all the electronics had been swapped out through donations,
so seeing the kids live in an environment that was now the envy of others
brought a smile to my face automatically.
"Jiyeong-a, have you been well?"
"Yeah!"
I lightly stroked Jiyeong's cheek—she always beamed with lively energy—and glanced around.
Because Mom, who would normally be looking after the children, was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Mom?"
"She went up to the Director's office a while ago!"
"I see, thanks. Here, unwrap these with the other kids."
Since the orphanage leaned strongly toward girls, I'd bought things that girls would like.
They'd started selling the Switch in Korea not long ago, so I'd bought three Switches and three PlayStations,
plus a few portable monitors and some simple, easy-to-use laptops.
I'd already set up a few computers here, but I'd heard before that they were a bit short,
so I'd gathered up a bunch of things and brought them along.
"Whoa..."
"Actually, let's hold on and open them together when Mom comes back down later."
"Okay!"
Seeing how happy they were lifted my spirits, too.
So, thinking I'd play with the kids for a while, I took off my coat
and sat on the sofa in the living room.
"But, oppa."
"What's up?"
"Are you not uploading Qtube videos lately?"
"But I uploaded one just yesterday?"
I shot one video, split it up, and uploaded one segment every two weeks.
So you could say I posted about once every two weeks.
"Other Qtubers upload at least one every two days, but you don't do that, oppa."
"I'm a college student, so I'm busy."
"Then, when you graduate, are you going to upload a lot?"
"Of course. Once I graduate, I might even upload every day?"
I didn't really know for sure, but would Jiyeong even remember this by then?
I just blurted it out.
Well, it'd probably be fine.
Once I graduated, I wouldn't have much else to do, and since I was already affiliated with an agency,
this would probably be the only path left for me.
*
"Seong-hwan-a?"
"Ah... I fell asleep."
I'd sat on the sofa to wait for Mom, and it seemed I'd dozed off for a bit.
Maybe Jiyeong had covered me—there was a blanket over me, and a small travel pillow tucked under my head.
Mom, who had come down and was looking at me,
stroked my head and asked if I'd slept well, then sat down beside me.
"Mom, have you been well?"
"What about my son?"
"I'm always doing fine. What are the kids up to?"
"They're opening the presents you brought. Why do you buy such expensive things."
"Don't worry about me. You just worry about yourself and your kids, Mom."
I was depositing money every month as a sort of living allowance, but I wished she'd use it more freely.
A son's deepest wish is for his mother to spend money prudently but well, rather than turning it away.
"You're eating well, right? You look a little thinner."
"This kid... you're the one who should be eating better. You still only eat about half a bowl of rice, don't you?"
Because I had a small appetite and ate so little,
ever since I was young, I'd always tried to run away at mealtimes to eat as little as possible.
Every time, Mom would catch me, shove rice into my mouth,
and threaten—not quite threaten—that I couldn't leave my room if I didn't finish it all.
"Don't worry. I'm eating properly."
"Alright... I'm sure A-ra-ssi is taking good care of you."
Was the fact that A-ra took care of me really such a big deal?
What about A-ra was my mother seeing to say something like that?