Graduation Ceremony (2)
Graduation Ceremony (2)
"U-uh, noona, do you mind if I take one photo?"
"Us too! Is it okay?"
"Noona!! I'm a fan. I went to your live show just recently!!"
My head began throbbing from the endless flood of photo requests aimed at A-ra Noona and the Queens members.
How on earth did the graduation ceremony turn into a 'Queens' photoshoot...?
Was this my fault?
I could only stand there in a daze, watching A-ra take pictures with nameless graduates.
Hey... I haven't even gotten a picture with her yet, so could you let me have a turn?
"W-what's your relationship with Song A-ra?"
"Huh?"
I turned around and saw some guys who looked exactly like what people called idol fanboys, their eyes burning intensely as they stared at me.
Come to think of it, I'd heard there was an unauthorized idol club at school...
Could it be these guys?
"H-how can he just hug an idol..."
"Y-you lucky bastard..."
"I'd pay a fortune just to get one hug."
Wanting to embrace someone else's wife... look at these filthy bastards.
They said this was a gender-reversed world, but some things never change, I guess.
Well, there were quiet girls and unpopular girls in that other world too, so it must be the same here.
"You wanna know what kind of relationship we have?"
"Honestly, I'm fucking curious, but I'd rather not know because it'd wreck me."
"You lucky little shit!"
"A-ra-nim, please take pictures with us too!!!"
Haa...
In the end, I only got a single photo together with her by the time the ceremony ended.
***
"Are you sulking?"
"I'm not sulking."
"I'm sorry..."
Still, I pretended to be a little hurt as I climbed the apartment stairs.
Behind me, A-ra was hanging her head, looking genuinely apologetic.
In the end, the photos she'd taken for her fans as a service numbered over a hundred.
But there was only one with me.
I understood, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed.
"Then I'll forgive you, but will you do one thing I ask?"
"Huh? If my Seong-hwan wants something, I'll do anything! Tell me!"
I stopped in the middle of the stairway and pushed A-ra back against the wall.
In what people commonly call a 'kabe-don' pose.
Since I'm shorter, I had to look up a little at A-ra, but A-ra, perceptive as always, spread her legs slightly to match my eye level.
I slid my thigh between her legs.
Then I touched her lips with my thumb.
"S-Seong-hwan-ah, we're outside..."
"So do you not like it?"
"N-no, that's not it..."
"Then stay still. Last night you were the one who led."
"O-okay..."
I moved my small hand from her lips up to her cheek.
It was so soft and bouncy that I had the illusion I was touching pudding, not skin.
Women used a lot of cosmetics; could that be what made skin like this?
"Did you put on lipstick?"
"Lip balm..."
"What's the difference? I don't know."
"Lipstick is solid... and lip balm is mmmph..."
Before she could finish speaking, I claimed her lips.
The act of kissing outside, and the thrill of knowing anyone might be watching, excited me.
"Smooch... slurp... Noona... it's your fault... chup..."
Noona gave no answer.
Only the sound of liquid meeting liquid could be heard.
I pulled away from her lips just enough and moved down to her neck.
Then I buried my face deep into that spot.
"Noona is mine."
"Yeah..."
"If you're my wife, you should be confident anywhere. Even in front of your husband."
"......."
"Noona was just doing what she had to do. So there's no need to be sorry."
"That's... yeah..."
A-ra seemed more embarrassed than I'd expected.
I was even a little doubtful whether the words that had popped out of my mouth were right, but it seemed like this kind of thing worked here.
"Hoo... I can't hold back..."
"S-Seong-hwan-ah? It's still daytime though...?"
"Noona, you enjoyed yourself plenty last night too."
"'Enjoyed myself'... a boy... shouldn't say things like that..."
I led A-ra into the house.
It was probably my last day wearing a school uniform, so I was going to enjoy it enough to last a lifetime.
***
About a month passed between graduation and the start of university.
There was absolutely nothing to do.
Nothing except sprawling out in a starfish pose in the house alone after A-ra went to work, watching TV.
"Isn't this basically being a kept man..."
If my life were a story somewhere, it would need a title change.
I used to work a convenience store part-time job, but it seemed I didn't in this world.
Probably because A-ra wouldn't let me, or...
Since I'd done it alongside school, it had been the evening shift, so...
"I still need a part-time job, though."
Of course, it didn't look like I needed to earn money.
When A-ra filmed one CF, she made more money than I'd earn in a lifetime.
I'd nearly stopped breathing when I saw A-ra's bankbook, you know.
"E-heu, I'd better go grocery shopping."
I'd noticed while cleaning that there was no rice and no suitable side dishes to make.
It had only been two days since I told A-ra I'd cook homestyle meals for her every day.
What would she think if she came home from work and found a packed lunch?
I threw on some clothes and stepped out the front door.
One thing I'd noticed since coming here: in that other world, only women stared at me as if trying to see right through me.
But over here, men stared at me like that too.
Honestly, it was a little uncomfortable.
But wouldn't it be a bit weird to tell people not to look?
They're looking at my face, not staring between my legs, so...
The reason I'm telling you this is, when I got on the bus to go to the mart, there was more than one person staring.
Some schoolgirls were even gazing at me, their faces bright red without them realizing it.
I arrived at what I assumed was the mart I always heard about, and I pulled out a 100-won coin to get a cart.
Considering I had to haul rice, a cart was definitely the best choice.
"Hmm... what's this?"
Usually, most carts had a coin-slot system, didn't they?
There was no coin-slot system here.
It looked like you could just grab one for free.
"Wouldn't there be lots of cart thieves this way..."
I'd even seen news reports about thieves who collected carts to sell as scrap metal.
In this world, things that sounded like a lie sometimes turned out to be true.
I grabbed a cart and went inside the mart.
Maybe because it was around quitting time, a sight that would normally be unusual was common: ajummas and ajussis who looked like married couples piling goods high in their carts.
"Let's see... what should I make today..."
Just then, I heard a bell announcing a time sale.
A-ra had told me not to worry about money, but I was the type to save every penny if I could.
My motto was to be frugal and spend slowly, rather than blowing money.
- Mackerel and horse mackerel on sale. First come, first served~ -
Mackerel.
Wasn't it the best blue-backed fish, cheap and delicious?
Grilled, it's good. Braised, it's good.
It's a fish versatile enough to be used even as sashimi in Japanese cuisine.
Come to think of it, A-ra did like mackerel, didn't she?
I remembered the way she ate it so happily.
"Ma'am, could I get two mackerel, please?"
"How would you like them?"
"Hmm... could you cut them into four pieces?"
"You're planning to make braised mackerel too, young man? Radishes are cheap today too, so buy one to go with it."
"Thank you."
As expected, the advice from these ladies was spot on.
Radishes were practically essential for braised mackerel—a perfect match.
They do a great job of keeping the fish and sauce from burning when you line the bottom with them, and they taste good too.
"Should I buy some fresh napa cabbage and chonggak radish too? We're out of kimchi."
A-ra ate fresh kimchi so well.
Just watching her eat was enough to fill me up.
Since I was at it, I should also make some spring cabbage salad.
"Oh, got the last one, nice."
There was only one bunch of chonggak radish left, and to snipe it at the last second—I couldn't believe my luck.
In the distance, a pretty young woman was sighing, probably because she'd been too late.
Sorry, but this was for A-ra, so I couldn't give it up.
Then I loaded sand lance fish sauce and other vegetables into the cart and came to the front counter.
"Excuse me, where can I find the rice?"
"Ah, just tell us here and we'll bring it out to you. Were you planning to carry it home?"
"Yes, I wanted to buy one 5kg bag for now."
"Our mart offers free delivery for customers who make purchases over 30,000 won. Since you're buying things anyway, how about getting a 20kg bag?"
"Hmm..."
Not bad.
The prices here were reasonable, and delivery seemed free.
I nodded slightly.
"Yes, please do that."
"Thank you, customer~ One 20kg bag of rice to Register A, please~"
I finished paying using the payment feature on my phone, wrote down the delivery address, and headed home.
*
I'd been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes, but it still hadn't come.
I'd checked the bus location on my phone, and it hadn't moved an inch.
There must have been an accident or something.
"Should I just take a taxi..."
I looked at the numbers printed in my personal bankbook and let out a bitter smile.
How many years would I have to work to earn this myself?
A-ra was one thing, but the guy who'd been fine with this arrangement was pretty weird himself.
- Beep beep
"?"
I was about to open the K Taxi app on my phone when I heard a car horn.
Normally I would have ignored it, but something about the rhythm made it impossible not to look.
Right before my eyes, an incredibly gorgeous woman was sitting in a Porsche, waving her hand at me.
It wasn't A-ra...
"Ah. She was a Queens member."
I couldn't help but smack my forehead at my own idiocy for forgetting even my wife's colleagues.
She was one of the Queens members, 'Lee Eun-ji'.
We were clearly the same age, but it seemed she was already driving a car.
A Porsche, no less.
"Seong-hwan-ah~ What are you doing there?"
"W-well, the bus isn't coming..."
"Bus? I was on my way to your place, so this works out perfectly."
Eun-ji got out of the car and opened the passenger-side door.
I could only stare at her with an awkward expression.
Was it okay to get in?
"Hey, get in."
An idol being a yata-jok... I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.