50. An Early Summer Encounter (1)
50. An Early Summer Encounter (1)
Tap, tap, tap.
Light footsteps echoed through the empty gym. A slightly labored breath mingled with the whirring sound of the treadmill belt.
"Hoo."
Confirming she'd reached her target distance on the display screen, Baek-seol exhaled lightly, stopped the treadmill, and stepped off.
Wiping the sweat from her face with the sports towel around her neck, Baek-seol picked up the water bottle beside her and replenished her fluids.
As she tilted her head back slightly to drink, the tank top and tight leggings she wore for comfortable movement accentuated her well-toned, smooth physique, maintained through exercise.
It was a sight captivating enough to draw attention, but since there was no one else in the morning gym besides Baek-seol, she didn't have to worry about anyone's gaze.
"Puhah."
After emptying her water bottle, Baek-seol stared for a moment at her reflection in the mirror that formed one wall of the gym.
She hadn't started exercising with the specific goal of building a great body. She just ran mindlessly on the endlessly turning treadmill because sweating and running made the complicated thoughts in her head disappear.
Of course, that had become the catalyst for exercise itself becoming a hobby, and now, since there was someone she wanted to look her best for, Baek-seol thought it had ultimately worked out well.
After a short break, Baek-seol put her water bottle down, got back on the treadmill, and began increasing the numbers endlessly.
Tap tap tap tap.
In the rhythm of her quickly moving strides, Baek-seol recalled the conversation she'd had with So-jeong a few days ago at the couple cafe.
The recommended summer vacation list that Ha-na had compiled for So-jeong was filled with even more extensive content than Baek-seol had imagined.
It wasn't just a list of places worth visiting; it was organized with information about various events and recommended courses, to the point it rivaled a proper travel guidebook.
"There's even a Japan travel schedule."
Baek-seol said, inwardly surprised by Ha-na's information-gathering skills and enthusiasm.
After carefully looking through the notes while finishing the desserts they had ordered, So-jeong and Baek-seol were able to roughly plan out their activities for the vacation.
"So-jeong, are you working a part-time job this vacation too?"
"Yeah. I need to contact them soon, though."
"Then let's finalize things again once your work schedule is set."
"Okay."
So-jeong nodded, popping a gimbap-shaped roll cake into her mouth and smiling brightly.
"I'm looking forward to it. Going out with you, Baek-seol."
Baek-seol didn't say it out loud, but she was also incredibly excited about the days she would spend traveling with So-jeong.
The reason she was paying more attention to her workouts lately was precisely because of those summer vacation plans.
When she went to the beach with So-jeong, she didn't want to show her an unimpressive body.
"Hoo, hoo..."
Exhaling her increasingly ragged breath, Baek-seol ran on the belt today as well, her sharp eyes fixed on something beyond the display panel.
***
After finishing all her exercises and showering, Baek-seol saw she had a message on her phone while changing clothes in the locker room.
[Just woke up.]
Below So-jeong's message was an emoji yawning sleepily.
Perhaps because she felt a bit more comfortable texting than speaking directly, So-jeong's text tone carried a cuter feel.
Baek-seol pictured So-jeong lying in bed, fidgeting with her fingers and tapping on the screen, and sent a reply.
[You slept a lot.]
[Tell me about it. I went to sleep right after talking to you last night. I guess I've gotten too lazy because it's vacation.(Gloomy bear emoji)]
[I think resting deeply like that is important sometimes.]
[What are you doing now, Baek-seol?]
[I just finished working out.]
[You tell me resting is good, but you're working out first thing in the morning?]
As Baek-seol looked at the emoji sending a sharp, glaring look from So-jeong, wondering how to respond, another message flew in immediately.
[Just kidding. If you're done working out, where are you going? Home?]
[Probably.]
[Then wanna have lunch together? Let's eat out.]
[Sure. Are you coming out now?]
It took a considerable amount of time before Baek-seol received the next reply.
[Ah, not right now, can we make it a little later...? Like in about 2 hours.]
[That's fine, but why?]
[I have something to do a little......]
She could almost hear So-jeong's hesitant voice even through the text.
"Something to do?"
Baek-seol tilted her head, looking at her phone.
It was a bit surprising that So-jeong, who usually didn't put on much makeup and thus didn't take long to get ready to go out, was suddenly pushing the appointment back by 2 hours.
"Something to do, like what...... Ah."
Just then, a thought flashed through Baek-seol's mind.
So-jeong had clearly said she just woke up.
And during the semester, in the mornings, she always, right after waking up, would... her own......
"Eut."
As her thoughts reached that point, a deep crimson blush spread across Baek-seol's face, so intense it felt like you could hear a *poof* sound.
She tried to stop the imagination, but Baek-seol's mind had already conjured an image of So-jeong gripping her own thick, large member with those small, soft hands and shaking it back and forth.
The image of hot breath exhaled in a drowsy state, still half-asleep, came to mind. The peculiar, addictive scent of the pure white liquid vigorously spurting out as her slender waist trembled faintly seemed to brush past the tip of her nose.
"......"
Overwhelmed by her runaway imagination, Baek-seol brought her hand to her forehead with a *thump*. It was only after the phone in her hand vibrated a moment later that Baek-seol moved her hand away and looked at the screen.
[Baek-seol?]
Come to think of it, she hadn't replied yet.
[Ah, sorry. Then let's meet at our usual spot in 2 hours.]
[Okay. See you later.]
After ending the conversation, Baek-seol turned off her phone and lowered her head.
"......I need to shower again."
Even though she had just thoroughly dried her body with a towel moments ago.
A transparent fluid was trickling down between Baek-seol's smooth thighs.
Baek-seol thought it was fortunate that she was the only one in the gym now, more than ever before.
***
After leaving the gym, Baek-seol first stopped by home to drop off her gym bag before heading out again.
There was still plenty of time before meeting So-jeong, but Baek-seol decided to kill time near the meeting spot rather than stay home.
Partly because she had a few things to buy, but also because if she stayed home alone, she felt she might just fall into strange imaginations again.
The weather outside was still cool for summer, with a breeze blowing. Since it wasn't too far from home to the meeting place, Baek-seol decided to walk and started moving her feet.
Many people passed by Baek-seol, and she passed by them too.
She could feel some people glancing at her as she walked by, but all those people were meaningless to Baek-seol.
Baek-seol didn't really like people. Herself included.
From a young age, the humans she had seen were all beings who hid their true intentions. And she too had been educated to hide her own intentions and deal with such people.
Ultimately, the answer she arrived at was to not open her heart to anyone. Until she met a woman named Han So-jeong.
I want to meet So-jeong quickly. Baek-seol thought that.
She wanted to be with the woman who always filled her dull world with warm, bright colors.
Walking with a lighter step than when she was running at the gym, an accessory shop caught Baek-seol's eye.
It was a store she often passed by, but today, the sparkling accessories on display there made Baek-seol stop in her tracks.
While briefly browsing the various accessories, a fact flashed into Baek-seol's mind.
"Ah."
So-jeong's birthday was approaching.
There was still about a month left, but this was the first time Baek-seol had forgotten that So-jeong's birthday was getting so close.
'I have been pretty distracted lately.'
From So-jeong suddenly becoming a futanari to them starting to date. Thinking back on the events of the past few months, forgetting about the birthday for a moment wasn't that strange.
'But I should start preparing soon.'
It was a birthday she had faithfully celebrated every year.
Moreover, this was the first birthday of So-jeong's they would celebrate after becoming lovers. She needed to put more effort into the preparation than ever before.
Baek-seol's gaze returned to the accessory shop's display window.
She wanted to make this birthday more special than usual.
What would she like if I bought it for her?
Such worries for So-jeong always brought Baek-seol both happiness and deep conflict simultaneously.
But Baek-seol's contemplation didn't last long.
"Oh my?"
A voice that seemed to freeze the early summer weather came from behind Baek-seol.
Baek-seol was instantly snapped back to reality. Her eyes, which had been slightly relaxed, widened sharply in an instant.
"Fancy meeting you in a place like this?"
A voice she absolutely did not want to hear, but could never mistake.
As Baek-seol slowly turned around, a woman with a similar appearance to her own was standing there.
Eyes as sharp as her own, but a bit more beautiful and ominous. Hair black, shimmering, and long enough to reach her waist, as if covering the day.
And a voice like glass made of ice.
"......Ryu Baek-hwa."
As Baek-seol uttered her younger sister's name in a low voice, Baek-hwa's eyes curved like cold crescent moons.
"It's been a while. Baek-seol unnie."