Extreme Choice
Having a woman wash him was a truly trembling experience.
Even if she was his older sister, her soft breasts pressed against his back, and the plush shower towel glided over his body. Han Seyeon’s hands moved carefully—and hungrily. Outwardly she wore no expression at all, yet the occasional brush of her fingers betrayed everything she felt. She hid those feelings behind a dozen excuses: a slip of the hand, a moment of awkwardness.
I ignored Jarvis’s startled voice. The holograms that flickered into view every so often already held a considerable score. Separate from that, her touch grew steadily more blatant. The soapy towel slid lower—over the pubic bone, toward the groin. Careful as she was, the faint tremor in her hands behind me still reached me clearly.
A soft woman’s touch. Any man would have been stirred. Slowly, my groin began to swell.
And then—
“Ah.”
“…….”
Silence. Yet I could hear her swallow from here.
A generous haul of points as well. Was she going to pounce? No—surely not. I didn’t know everything about her, but I could guess what Han Seyeon would choose. After a brief silence, she fled once more. From my perspective, that was a relief. It was still too early to harvest points. This was a sibling bond only just restored after years of distance. Of course she would be more frightened, more careful.
My guess proved right. Her hands moved down past the groin—to the thighs, the calves, all the way to the feet.
“I-it tickles.”
“Sorry.”
Finally finished. Warm water cascaded over my body. Believing my eyes were tightly shut, Han Seyeon let her heated gaze linger. Looking was fine. For Seyeon, I could allow that much.
At any rate, the bath that had set my skin and heart trembling came to an end. I had to dress again and, on shaky legs, barely managed to lie down. Before the whole ordeal, simply being cared for had felt good. She watched my every cue, considered me completely, and gave me whatever I wanted without a second thought. How comfortable. How safe.
“Need anything?”
“…I’m fine.”
Of course it was a little scary sometimes… yet time slipped by quickly. Between the nursing and the attention, a whole day vanished.
Sunday morning arrived. Even though he hadn’t gone to bed particularly late, Han Sein slept a full nine hours or more. Han Seyeon called in to say she would rest again today.
“Really? Nothing’s wrong, is there?”
“My little brother is a bit sick.”
“…Can’t be helped, then. Rest well!”
Truthfully, a twinge of guilt remained. Resting itself felt strange to her. Even so, the work foreman’s voice was warm. Of course it was. When a student so diligent she could win perfect-attendance awards called in sick, the first reaction was worry. Questions would come, but never suspicion.
Han Seyeon let out a soft sigh. Had the call just ended? Already awake, Han Sein let out a pained sound. She hurried to his side. She had to look after him—that much was obvious—yet her chest fluttered.
“Ah…”
“What? Why do you sound disappointed?”
A sigh had slipped from her lips. He had groaned softly, but his movements were unrestricted. Just one day of rest and he was already better? It had only been simple muscle soreness and a mild fever, yet in two days Han Sein had regained normal mobility.
“N-no. That’s good.”
Only… once the flutter in her heart faded, emptiness rushed in. Recalling the storm of yesterday, a sigh escaped on its own. The moment those surging emotions settled, a black fog seemed to settle over her feelings, turning them heavy and gray. An unnameable tightness pressed in. She ought to be happy seeing her little brother’s health improve—yet complicated feelings kept tormenting her.
“Want to go out for breakfast?”
“No, there’s leftover rice.”
“I’ll treat you, noona. Let’s go eat.”
Was he simply too lazy to cook? Because of her gloomy mood, she hesitated, then followed her little brother’s suggestion. She would be the one to pay. Having made that resolution, Han Seyeon prepared to leave. Han Sein stepped inside for a quick wash. Clothes on, shoes on—the siblings finished getting ready and stepped out the front door.
And then—
“Noona.”
“Hm?”
“Hold my hand. It’s a little hard.”
“O-oh! Okay.”
Warmth traveled up through her palm. Han Seyeon did her best to hide the grin tugging at her lips. Right—she still needed to take care of him. She was the older sister, after all. The gloomy feelings seemed to ease a little. Every time they climbed a step, though, the soft moans that reached her ears quickly scrambled her thoughts again.
“Eut… heuut… euu… aeu…”
“…….”
She could only keep her mouth shut. Ordinary sounds of exertion, yet to her they were far too stimulating a melody. To keep lewd thoughts at bay she silently recited the national anthem in her head. It was only half a flight of stairs, yet it felt like a major crisis. Having safely weathered today’s stimulation, Han Seyeon turned to look at her little brother.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Better than yesterday.”
“That’s good.”
His body was already so frail. Worry remained the same as ever.
At any rate, the kimbap place was not far. Close, yet a place they rarely visited—because their household was simply too poor. Aside from middle school, they had almost never come. The little bell above the door jingled. Han Sein and Han Seyeon sat down and began to order.
“What are you getting?”
“Um…”
It had been so long. Lost in nostalgia, Han Seyeon was still pondering the menu when his voice made her eyes widen in surprise.
“Noona’s sweet-potato cheese pork cutlet, right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Mm.”
How did he remember? She had no memory of coming here except in middle school. Han Sein spoke the dish she had ordered most often and loved the most. And then—
“Uncle! One sweet-potato cheese pork cutlet and one roll of kimbap, please.”
“You should eat something tasty too.”
“I like this. And I can’t eat much anyway.”
“…….”
Han Seyeon’s head slowly drooped. Her voice came out unsteady. For a moment the past rose up, so she pressed her lips tightly shut.
“Noona, you’re not eating this?”
“I like kimbap. Eat a lot.”
Afraid her tear-choked words would be noticed, she pushed the lonely feeling aside and lifted her water cup to drink. Something felt as if it had changed a great deal.
Sometimes fate rewrote a great many things.
The last Monday of March. The week after the MT had ended. Kang Hyeona was uncharacteristically face-down on her desk. She could go see Han Sein whenever she wanted—yet she found it hard to go. Her heart pounded as if it would burst from her chest; the events of the MT kept rising unbidden. Facing him was difficult. If she saw his face she would never be able to hide her expression. She would have to steel herself again and again just to act normal. She stayed slumped over the desk, trying to calm her heart.
The settled emotions brought anxiety with them. Kim Hyeongmin was strangely the same as always. The fact that he showed no reaction at all only made her more uneasy.
“Huu.”
Kang Hyeona drew a short breath. Lunchtime would arrive soon. She would eat, and then she would have to see Han Sein. And then—
She would have to torment him again. An unpleasant feeling stabbed at her heart.
At the same time she was confused—dizzyingly so. She unclenched the fist she had been squeezing. First she would have to go to Kim Hyeongmin. And then fate arrived to shake Kang Hyeona’s heart to its core.
After eating, they gathered as usual on the fourth floor. Time passed; Han Sein and Jeong Ayeong came up. Park Hyorin stepped forward first and began bullying Jeong Ayeong. No special signal was needed—it was a kind of routine. Perhaps she was under more stress than usual; Park Hyorin hit harder than normal. Kang Hyeona stood beside Kim Hyeongmin as always, waiting for the signal. In the end she would have to torment him. Hearing that should have brought some relief, yet Kang Hyeona’s heart only grew heavier. If she had simply cast herself as the villain and accepted being hated, it would not have been this bad. But the more her feelings for him grew, the harder it became.
“Wait.”
At that moment, Kang Hyeona—swallowed by emotion—lifted her head. An atmosphere different from usual. Kim Hyeongmin’s mouth corners curled in a bizarre smile. He looked at Kang Hyeona, then shifted his gaze to Han Sein. Was that the signal? She stepped forward. But—
“Don’t go.”
Was he going to do it himself? Extremely unusual. Kim Hyeongmin almost never moved personally. Raising one hand to stop Kang Hyeona, he walked not toward Han Sein but toward Jeong Ayeong. And then he spoke words that would plunge everyone into shock.
“Hey.”
Fate was cruel.
“Huh?”
Cruel enough to trample the heart Kang Hyeona had been carefully nurturing.
“You. Go to Han Sein and—”
“…….”
Cruel enough to twist the heart of a woman who had only wanted to love purely.
“Confess.”
It was cruel.