12. The Bud Bursts (2)
12. The Bud Bursts (2)
"Let's pull an all-nighter!"
It was Friday, with midterms and the group presentation looming so close they were practically visible.
Ryu Baek-seol looked up at Choi Ha-na's sudden declaration after class ended.
"An all-nighter? All of a sudden?"
At Baek-seol's question, Ha-na clenched her fist.
"You guys and I all have midterms coming up soon, right? And right after midterms is our group presentation."
"That's right."
"So we finish the presentation prep tonight, even if we have to stay up all night! Then starting tomorrow, we can focus on midterms with peace of mind, right?"
"Hmm......"
Baek-seol thought Ha-na had a point.
As she often thought, despite her flashy appearance that suggested she preferred having fun, she was surprisingly diligent.
"Doesn't sound too bad."
Baek-seol turned her head to So-jeong.
"So-jeong. What do you think? So-jeong?"
"Huh?"
So-jeong, who had been staring blankly into space, flinched as if startled awake by Baek-seol's call.
"Ah, sorry. I didn't hear...... What did you say?"
"Choi Ha-na says we should finish the group presentation project by pulling an all-nighter tonight."
"Ah...... Yeah. That's fine!"
Baek-seol gazed intently at So-jeong, who was nodding repeatedly.
"Are you really sure you're okay with that?"
"Yeah. I'm free after class today anyway......"
"It's not a schedule issue, it's your body."
"M-my body?"
So-jeong avoided Baek-seol's gaze as she repeated the question. Even though the weather was still cool, she was visibly sweating profusely.
"Yeah. You haven't been looking too well lately. Your face is a bit red too. Did you catch a cold or something?"
As Baek-seol said this, she lightly placed her hand on So-jeong's forehead and brought her face closer.
"......Hwaaah?"
At that, So-jeong's face flushed even more hotly, as if air was rushing out of her.
"Seems like you have a bit of a fever."
"N-no, I don't!"
So-jeong quickly moved her head away from Baek-seol's hand.
"I'm really fine. Maybe I got a fever in my head from today's difficult class? Ah, ahaha. Anyway, I'm totally fine, so don't worry about me."
"......Alright."
As Baek-seol seemed to take a step back with her words, So-jeong quickly changed the subject.
"If we're pulling an all-nighter, where should we do it? My place is too small for the three of us to fit comfortably."
Ha-na also rested her finger on her chin and made a thoughtful sound, "Hmm."
"Hmm, I live in the dorm too, so I can't have outsiders in. Should we look for a 24-hour cafe or something?"
"Come to my place."
Baek-seol said curtly.
"Huh, to your place, Baek-seol unnie?"
"It's inconvenient to spread out all the materials in a cafe. My place is spacious, so let's just finish it there."
"Wow!"
At Baek-seol's suggestion, Ha-na clapped her hands and cheered.
"That's great! So when do you guys finish class? Let's go together after!"
After arranging to meet at the main gate after all three of their classes ended, Ha-na shouted, "See you then, unnies!" and ran off to her next classroom.
"Let's go too."
"Yeah."
Walking out of the classroom and down the hall, Baek-seol kept glancing sideways at So-jeong's profile.
So-jeong insisted she was fine, but her condition was definitely a bit off.
Her face often turned red, and she often spaced out with unfocused eyes.
It was also slightly concerning that she seemed to be subtly avoiding Baek-seol.
At first, Baek-seol worried that So-jeong might dislike her, but seeing her treat her kindly as usual, that didn't seem to be the case.
However, it was puzzling that So-jeong would tense up and try to move away if Baek-seol got too close, or jump in surprise at the slightest touch.
From these subtle changes and her apparent desire to hide them from Baek-seol, Baek-seol drew her own conclusion.
'Is it that time?'
A phenomenon women experience periodically.
Having lived with So-jeong for a long time, Baek-seol was already familiar with her menstrual cycle, but she had heard that symptoms or cycles could change due to factors like stress.
Baek-seol, who was extremely reluctant to let others into her private space, had proactively suggested doing the group project at her house precisely because of this speculation.
'If a problem arises outside, it would be a real headache.'
But Baek-seol thought she could handle any problem without much difficulty if it happened inside her own home.
Her deep concern and consideration for So-jeong led to this choice, but ironically, it was this very choice that plunged So-jeong into another worry.
'Baek-seol's house......'
It wasn't her first time going to Baek-seol's house, so she wasn't overly nervous about that.
But she was worried about her dick, the very source of all her recent anxieties.
As a result of forcing herself to extract semen dutifully without thinking of Baek-seol, So-jeong's lust for Baek-seol had boiled up like water nearing its boiling point.
Just smelling Baek-seol's scent, or having their arms barely touch, would make the base of her dick twitch. So-jeong wasn't sure if she could endure it in this physical state, in Baek-seol's house, which was saturated with her scent the most.
Moreover, since they planned to meet Ha-na right after class and go straight there, she had no opportunity to relieve her sexual urges beforehand.
'I just need to endure for one day.'
So-jeong told herself.
'You can hold out for one day, right? For the sake of your friendship with Baek-seol, you can endure that much.'
So-jeong made this pledge for what felt like the umpteenth time.
A pledge as fragile as a sandcastle, seemingly sturdy but likely to collapse helplessly with the first wave.
***
"Woahh, it's huge!"
Ha-na exclaimed, her mouth agape as she stepped through the front door.
Baek-seol's home, located on an upper floor of a recently built officetel, certainly looked too expensive for a university student living alone.
Not only did it have multiple rooms and a veranda, but the interior also exuded a sophisticated atmosphere.
The furniture, wallpaper, flooring, kitchen fixtures—all the interior elements looked luxurious and gave off a vibe very similar to the aura Baek-seol herself projected.
"Unnie, are you maybe rich?"
Ha-na, who had been looking at the cityscape beyond the veranda with sparkling eyes, clung to Baek-seol, but Baek-seol detached her bluntly.
"I didn't bring you here to give a house tour, so open your laptop quickly. We don't have time."
"Yes, ma'am!"
While So-jeong and Ha-na spread their materials out on the desk, Baek-seol ordered dinner delivery.
After eating, the three of them got down to work on the group project preparation in earnest.
"So which parts should we emphasize during the presentation for this section?"
"Emphasizing the problems in our country's laws that this proposal aims to solve would be best. That's the theme of this project, after all."
"I thought so too, right?"
"Ah, it might also be good to consider that the proposal we came up with has no flaws... I think. And then explain why we're advocating for this proposal despite that......"
"That would show we researched from multiple angles. Thanks, So-jeong unnie."
Gathering and organizing materials, selecting useful data, then writing the presentation script, followed by deciding the presentation order and practicing—time flew by as they did all this preparation, and before they knew it, it was well past midnight, into the early hours of the morning.
"Ugh......"
Even the usually energetic Ha-na seemed tired, as she flopped onto the desk with a thud and let out a dying sound.
"Unnies...... Can't we take a little break now?"
"What are you talking about? We haven't even finished organizing the later parts yet."
"Waaah~ So-jeong unnie~"
As Baek-seol spoke coldly, Ha-na whimpered and sought out her ally.
So-jeong stiffened at the sudden sensation of Ha-na clinging to her, but she managed a laugh and smiled at Baek-seol. "Aha-ha."
"But the later part is just the conclusion, right? We just need to summarize what we've researched so far. I think we can finish it after getting some shut-eye."
"......Fine."
"Yahoo~"
Even her cheer sounded sluggish; Ha-na truly looked exhausted.
"Unnies...... I'm gonna go ahead then......"
Mumbling this, Ha-na plopped down onto the floor and,
"Hngnyangnyang......"
Immediately started mumbling and fell into a deep sleep.
"......Can people normally fall asleep that quickly?"
Baek-seol said with a voice mixed half with shock and half with awe, then rubbed her own eyes, seeming a bit tired herself, and turned to So-jeong.
"Seems like she'll be fine sleeping here, so I'll just get a pillow for her. So-jeong, are you going to sleep in my room?"
"Ah, I'll work a bit more and then sleep."
So-jeong pointed at the laptop screen.
"I'm not that tired yet."
"Aren't you overdoing it?"
As Baek-seol looked at her with a suspicious gaze, So-jeong laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
"I told you I'm fine. Baek-seol, you look tired yourself. Go get some sleep."
Baek-seol looked at So-jeong for a moment as if she had something to say, but eventually nodded.
"Alright. Good night, So-jeong."
"Yeah. Good night."
Once Baek-seol entered her room and closed the door, the living room fell silent except for Ha-na's shallow breathing.
"......"
The sudden descent of silence invariably brings an inexplicable tension.
In the quiet, feeling her own heartbeat unusually loud, So-jeong carefully lifted the blanket that had been covering her lower body.
The thin pajamas were utterly insufficient to hide So-jeong's dick, which was swollen to the point of bursting. The tip of her dick was pushing up against the fabric as if trying to puncture a hole in it, and the transparent fluid leaking from the tip had soaked the thin cloth so thoroughly that the shape of the tip was visible through the pajamas.
She had been in this state almost since arriving at Baek-seol's house. The blood pooled in her dick refused to subside, making her feel dizzy.
"Huuut......"
The pledge she made this morning had already crumbled, swept away by a thirst-like desire.
She couldn't hold out any longer.