Jackpot Prize: Luxury Ryokan and Steamy Tension

Sea approached the machine, and a shop clerk hurried over, speaking to her in Japanese. I couldn't understand a word, so I quickly fired up the real-time translation app.

Before I could even open my mouth after seeing the translation on my phone screen, Sea pulled the receipt from the restaurant out of her wallet and thrust it at the clerk. The clerk checked it, nodded with a smile, and kindly gestured toward the wooden handle on the machine.

Sea grabbed the handle with a cocky grin and gave it a spin. Clink. A cheerful sound rang out, and a small golden ball dropped from the bottom of the machine. The clerk's eyes went wide as he checked the color of the ball. Then he started ringing a bell wildly and shouting.

The moment I saw the translated text on my phone, I couldn't believe my eyes. The stunned clerk handed me a flashy flyer. Sea, standing beside me, grabbed my arm and started jumping up and down like a kid.

"Whoa! Yoon Dojin, jackpot! I've never won anything like this before!"

Her eyes sparkling, she snatched the flyer from the clerk and hugged it to her chest. I turned to the clerk with an awkward expression.

"We're only here ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a one-night, two-day trip. If we want to use it, we'd have to do it today—any way around that?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Oh, hold on. Let me call my sister-in-law."

Sea held her phone to her ear and hit the call button. She exchanged just a few short words before hanging up casually.

"She said the place she originally booked can be canceled right away."

Something felt off. I didn't know much about Japanese culture, but... could a little neighborhood shop really pull off something like this? It seemed way too suspicious, but there was no concrete evidence right in front of me. Sea was just beaming innocently, clutching the flyer and chalking it up to good luck.

And incredibly, just ten minutes later, a staff member from the ryokan showed up in a black car to pick us up. We rode with him deep into the mountains. The place we arrived at was a top-tier traditional inn, luxurious from the entrance onward.

"You're Han Sea, the reservation?"

The staff led us down a quiet hallway to a spacious tatami room at the end. When he opened the door, an elaborate Japanese dinner was already set out on a large table. Everything was unfolding so seamlessly it was hard for my brain to keep up—like we'd been seamlessly pulled into some meticulously scripted play.

In one corner of the room was a large sliding door leading outside.

"This is your private outdoor onsen attached to the room."

The staff slid the door open a crack, revealing a steaming hot bath billowing with white mist.

"After dinner, you two can enjoy an intimate mixed bath onsen."

My throat tightened at those words.

"Mixed bath?"

I croaked out the question, and the staff nodded with a bright smile.

"Yes. A special onsen where men and women can enter together."

The staff finished his explanation with a polite bow and quietly slid the door shut behind him. A heavy silence settled over the spacious tatami room. I stood there blankly staring at the closed door. Even after the staff had been gone a while, my feet wouldn't move. A glance sideways showed Sea was just as flustered, standing there with a dazed expression.

"Hey."

I heard Sea clear her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠throat softly.

"You gonna stand there forever? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's eat first. It's gonna get cold."

Her voice was a bit stiffer than usual. We silently opened our respective wardrobes and pulled out the loose yukata inside, slipping them on. The only sound in the quiet room was the soft rustle of fabric.

We sat facing each other awkwardly across the large table, laden with pretty dishes of sashimi and clear soups. But our chopstick hands didn't move easily.

Unable to bear the silence, Sea spoke first.

"You not eating that side dish?"

She stretched her arm across the table to grab a distant bowl, and with every movement, the thin yukata's front parted slightly. Through the loosely tied collar, her ample cleavage came into full view.

"Uh. You eat a lot."

I hurriedly lifted my gaze. I tried to focus on counting the wooden ceiling patterns in the tatami room, then ended up glaring at my empty rice bowl. My mouth was parched; I gulped down cool water one after another. I couldn't tell if the gourmet food was going in my mouth or my nose.

"This must be sake."

Sea picked up a small tokkuri bottle next to the neatly plated appetizers.

"Hey. Empty stomach and you're drinking already?"

"Just. It's warm and goes down easy."

Sea carefully poured the sake into a ceramic cup. The tension she'd held until moments ago seemed to melt as she downed cup after cup. The clinking of cups echoed a few times before the bottle lightened noticeably. Her intent to loosen up was obvious.

"Your face is super red. Stop drinking."

"I'm not drunk at all."

Despite her words, her cheeks were already flushed. As the alcohol kicked in, Sea's eyes softened languidly. She propped her chin on her chopstick hand and stared at me intently, her breathing a touch slower.

"But Yoon Dojin."

Sea called my name abruptly, chin still resting.

"What."

"Why do you keep staring at the ceiling?"

It hit right at the core of my efforts to avoid her gaze.

"Wasn't looking."

"Liar. You're shaking at the thought of getting in the onsen with me, right?"

Her alcohol-flushed lips curved into a soft smile. She gazed at me leisurely, her expression provocative. I slammed my chopsticks down on the table with a thunk.

"Like I'd go in with you. Cut the nonsense and eat."

"Mixed baths are normal Japanese culture. Might as well experience it since we're here."

Sea fiddled with her empty ceramic cup, replying nonchalantly.

"As if. Where do you even hear this crap?"

"Comes up a lot in porn."

The water I'd been swallowing nearly went down the wrong pipe.

"Crazy. Stop watching porn."

Flabbergasted, I raised my voice, and Sea burst out laughing, almost choking.

"And your face totally shows you wanna go in together."

"Hell no."

"Really?"

Sea slowly rose from her seat. The thin yukata hem rustled against the tatami floor as she moved quietly behind me. Soon, her languid voice brushed my ear.

"All done eating? Grab a towel. Time to go in."

"I said I'm not going. You go first."

I answered firmly without turning around.

"Ugh, idiot."

A short sigh fell from above my head. Slide. The wooden sliding door opened and closed with a heavy thud, filling the room. I heard her head out to the outdoor bath alone. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Heavy silence returned to the room.

I sat there, mindlessly scrolling my phone to kill time. Not a single word registered. My nerves were fixed on the closed sliding door beyond. Ten minutes. Then twenty. No splashing from outside, no matter how quietly she bathed—it was eerily silent. Drinking on an empty stomach and soaking in hot water worried me. Alcohol raises body temp; leaving her alone in the bath was a mistake.

"Hey. Han Sea."

I called toward the door, but no reply.

"Han Sea. Quit messing around and answer."

Still dead quiet outside. Finally, I stood and yanked the sliding door open roughly. Slide. Hot, humid air hit my face amid thick white steam obscuring my view. I waved my hand, peering through the vapor.

"What're you doing."

Sea was leaning precariously against the edge of the bath, head tilted to one side, eyes squeezed shut. Thankfully, she had a large towel wrapped around her body. Exhausted from the heat and booze, her breathing was irregular. One slip and she'd tumble into the water.

Forgetting about my yukata getting wet, I jumped straight into the bath. Water splashed wildly as the hot onsen enveloped my thighs. I cleaved through the water urgently, grabbed her shoulder hard, and yanked. As she started slipping under, I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against me and lifting her up.

"Hey. Snap out of it. Open your eyes."

Sea went limp, her forehead dropping onto my wet shoulder. Her feverish body heat seeped through the thin towel. Leaving her in the onsen longer might really knock her out. I scooped her up, towel and all, and carried her straight back through the sliding door into the room.

I gently laid her on the plush futon already spread out. Then I grabbed another dry towel and dried her wet hair. Even wrapped in a towel, her curves were incredibly tempting. I fixed my gaze strictly on the air or her face and neck. I roughly wiped the moisture from her exposed arms and legs, narrowing my field of vision. Her soft skin under my fingertips kept making my throat burn. I bit my lip hard to suppress stray thoughts.

After roughly drying her off, I started to get up for some cold water to sober her. That's when it happened. Sea's arms, still heavy with booze and heat, wrapped tightly around my neck.

"Where you going."

With a husky voice, she yanked me toward her with surprising force. I couldn't brace in time—my knees buckled. I lost balance and toppled onto her. I caught myself with both arms on the futon, but it wasn't enough. Her face came close enough for our noses to brush. Her hot breath scattered dizzyingly over my cheek.