Unable to Love a Man

Euna's voice over the phone was colder than usual.

Well, I'd only texted her a half-assed message saying I'd be late. I hadn't mentioned I was out drinking with Sujung-unnie.

Part of me had wanted to surprise her a little when I got home and told her… and honestly, I hadn't expected the conversation to drag on this long either.

I'd figured we'd knock back a bottle each and call it a night…

Unnie had gotten a bit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clingy, though. I owed her in more ways than one, so it wasn't like I could just brush her off.

"Sorry… I'll be there soon."

"Mm. I'm fine."

"Uuunh… Gaeul-ah…."

After seven bottles of soju, Sujung-unnie had finally collapsed completely, slurring through a thick tongue as she reached out for me.

I leaned as far back as I could, dodging the drunk's grasping hands.

"Why're you running—!"

The temperature in Euna's voice dropped another few degrees.

Just picturing her face twisting with jealousy made an ugly little grin tug at my lips all on its own.

"Uugh… so hot…."

Apparently the alcohol had flushed her whole body warm, because Unnie started peeling off her outer layer.

Seizing the opportunity, I jacked my voice up high and cried out in a deliberately playful shriek.

"Kyaah—! You can't strip here…!"

"Huhh…?"

Heh heh….

Getting exactly the reaction I wanted was pure delight.

"Hehehe…."

My shady little chuckle earned me a long sigh from Euna.

The Euna I pictured clutching her throbbing temples was equal parts irritable and adorable.

"Mm… about thirty minutes? I'm taking the night owl bus, so it might take a bit."

"Nah. I just drank, so I'm good."

"With Sujung-unnie! She came all the way out just to see my face and congratulate us on dating!"

Euna seemed less focused on the fact that I was with Sujung-unnie and more on the fact that I was casually calling her Unnie.

Honestly, it surprised me a little too.

The first few times had felt awkward, but I'd gotten used to it surprisingly fast.

I'd managed to touch a dick within five minutes of becoming a woman — calling someone Unnie was nothing by comparison. Thinking of it that way made it oddly fine.

Calling a guy Oppa, though… that still felt like a stretch.

What was the difference between a full-grown adult saying "Oppa" and calling someone "hyung-ah," really?

"Yeah. Unnie."

"It's Sujung-unnie~. Hi, Euna~ I've been borrowing your girlfriend for a bit~."

"I've been borrowed~."

Having caught on that I was teasing Euna, Unnie threw in a little jab of her own to needle her further.

She really did know what she was doing.

You could argue I was overdoing the teasing, but the feedback I got every time I poked at Euna was so deliciously satisfying that I just kept doing it.

"She says that. You okay with it?"

"Yeah yeah! Fine by me!"

"Yes, ma'am—!"

We cleaned up as best we could under Euna's orders and stepped out of the restaurant.

It was early summer, but the night air still carried a cool edge.

Or maybe that was just the alcohol and the residual heat from inside the barbecue place.

We headed for the bus stop, savoring the way the night breeze slowly washed the alcohol from our skin.

"It's been a while since I've been to Euna's place."

"You were here this afternoon."

"I just left stuff at the door that time. That was…."

"Ah. Yeah."

Fair enough.

The whole apartment had been covered in our traces, so even if she'd come inside it would've been awkward — and even if it hadn't been, walking into a place where a couple had just finished having sex was a little much.

Now Euna had invited her, and the situation was different from earlier, so it was fine.

"All right then! Allow me to introduce you to Euna's and my love nest!"

"Woooah—!"

I puffed out my chest, arched my back a little, and pointed dramatically at Euna's front door.

Basking in Unnie's applause, I went to punch in the door lock code — and then….

"Ah. Right. It's fingerprint recognition here."

"Huk."

"Eunaaa—! Open the door—!"

The second I hit the doorbell, Euna opened up like she'd been waiting for it.

She scolded me with her brow furrowed.

"…Keep it down. You're bothering the neighbors."

"Come on. The soundproofing's great."

"Well, that's true, but still."

The place was soundproofed well enough that Euna and I could moan as loud as we wanted without a problem.

If it hadn't been, having sex at home would've been a lot more complicated.

Neighborly goodwill might be a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thing of the past these days, but still… the people living here all had comfortable lives, and everyone knew everyone through someone else.

Which meant once a rumor started, it could balloon out of control in no time.

Good thing neither of us has gotten caught for having a pathetic dick or a pathetic pussy, mm.

"Euna~. Long time no see."

"We saw each other a week ago."

"A week's long enough."

While I was off on my nonsense train of thought, Sujung-unnie latched onto Euna.

As her girlfriend, I crossed my arms and gave them a cold look — but not a single scrap of jealousy stirred in me.

Part of it was that days of nonstop sex with Euna had left me with plenty of emotional bandwidth.

Ever since I'd gotten close with Euna, I'd naturally gotten to know her too, and I'd seen this kind of scene plenty of times.

And… I'd had my own face thoroughly groped earlier, so I didn't exactly have the right to get jealous….

"Thanks for earlier, Unnie."

"For that little thing? Please. If anything, give me more of those errands. I hate working—. I'll even be your baggage mule on dates… I'll trail you from a hundred meters back so I don't get in the way…."

"That doesn't sound like being our baggage mule so much as just hanging out on your own…."

"Hehe…."

"And, ah… um…."

Our eyes met, and Euna casually peeled Sujung-unnie off and put some distance between them.

Then she came over to me, linked her arm through mine, and said,

"You mad?"

"Nope. Not even a little. But you looking all nervous is cute, so I'm going to pretend I am."

"Hehe… fine. Oh, the late-night food already got here… let's go in and eat."

"Yes, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ma'am—! Thank you for the meal—!"

"Unnie, you just ate over ten servings of meat by yourself and you're still eating?"

"Don't underestimate a former food-fighter hopeful."

She answered with full energy.

She could eat a lot, but she was so slow about it that she'd given up on the competitive eating path — and now she casually stripped off her outerwear and stockings as she headed into the living room.

Watching her, Euna and I both snorted out a laugh at the same time.

I changed into the T-shirt and sweatpants Euna handed me, and so did she, settling into something comfortable.

Sujung-unnie tossed her shirt and underwear into the washing machine, started it running, then tilted her head.

"Doesn't it smell kinda sweet in here? Did you spill a drink or something?"

"Uh… yeah. Just a little while ago…."

"We should air the place out first. Ugh. How much did you spill for it to smell like…."

At her words, the two of us bolted to open every window in the apartment.

She looked at us like we were overreacting, but… neither of us could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say a word.

I'd gotten so used to the sweet smell of the place that I hadn't realized how strong it was… looks like inviting people over on a day we'd had sex was off the table from now on.

We settled onto the living room sofa, turned on the TV, and started sharing the late-night food Euna had ordered.

The menu: boneless chicken feet and a tteokbokki set, plus jokbal.

It was a combination with zero culinary logic behind it —

just the result of Euna ordering one thing to match each of our three tastes.

"It's not… too much food. Yeah."

This amount was never going to fully put Unnie's stomach to sleep.

"…So who confessed first? Hm? Hm?"

Unnie, cheeks stuffed full of food, half-turned toward us as she mumbled the question.

We looked at each other, wrestled with what to say, and ended up just laughing it off.

It was a hard question to answer.

If we're being technical, I got forcibly TS'd before either of us could confess, jerked her off, got my dick sucked, and then we just… naturally started dating…

Even setting that aside, it was still a tough question.

I'd always been the one to confess first, and she'd always turned me down.

After the rewrite, it flipped — she was the one chasing me.

I hadn't heard any stories about Euna actively courting me or anything like that.

"…Does someone even have to confess first to start dating? We just kind of naturally ended up together."

"Hmmm… well, watching Euna chase after you… wait? Euna? Huh? Wasn't it you chasing Euna, Gaeul?"

"…What are you talking about. I was the one following Senpai around because I liked her. Unnie, are you drunk?"

"I… was I? I've only had seven bottles…. Well, I guess I am getting older."

"Come on. You're barely older than us."

Thankfully, Euna steered the topic away with natural ease.

Between the part-time junior's reaction earlier and this now — watching people feel that dissonance around her own words and actions left me with complicated feelings.

"Kids, I'm gonna hit the bathroom real quick…."

But… was it really that big a problem? Not particularly.

Even if Unnie — no, Noona — somehow remembered again that I'd been a guy, would that even matter?

"…Guess the magic isn't perfect either."

"Yeah. But I… kind of think that's a good thing."

"What is?"

"…Coming from someone who spent forever turning down your confessions, I might not have the right to say this."

Euna scratched her cheek, avoiding my eyes.

I grabbed both her cheeks, forced her face toward mine, and kissed her.

Smack, smack, smack♡

My aggressively manly move made Euna puff out a laugh as she pulled me into her arms.

With her face buried in my cleavage, she whispered softly.

"The reason I — someone who can't love a man — still wanted to date you so badly I'd turn you into a woman for it…."

"Yeah…."

"…was something the 'male' you gave me. And I don't want all of that to just… change."

"Yeah."

"But the fact that other people keep feeling something off about our relationship means that somewhere in their memories, it's still there. So I actually think that's a good thing…."

"…Mm."

"…What. Say something. I feel like I just said something ridiculously embarrassing…."

Euna lifted her head and looked up at me.

The moment she saw my face, she pulled me down into her arms instead, cradling my head against her chest.

It hurt.

In the best way.

I'd already confirmed it over and over, but her love resonated deeper than usual tonight.