Chapter 33
...If you're that curious, I'll show you.
The first time I saw Yoo Seol-ah in a swimsuit. It was a casual crop-top style that wouldn't normally feel all that sexy, but her killer figure and that subtly embarrassed look made it impossible for my lower half not to react.
She's just turned twenty in Earth years, and even adding the three years from Astasia, she's barely twenty-three. Prime age for raging hormones, and our first time was only three days ago. So even a hint of a naughty vibe, and this was inevitable.
"......"
"......"
But no matter how amazing her body or the situation, getting hard just from seeing her in a swimsuit left me with no excuses. Yoo Seol-ah kept her head slightly lowered, idly splashing the water with her hands, as an awkward silence stretched on.
The silver lining? She wasn't looking at me with contempt or a cold glare. With the other two in the adjacent bath, she wasn't making a scene either. Her ears flushed a deep red—far too much for just the hot water—and she kept up the pointless hand play. Seemed like she was just a little embarrassed.
I might've been seeing things, but the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch upward just a bit.
A moment later, she lifted her hips slightly, scooting closer to me, and whispered in a voice so tiny only I could hear.
"...You're a guy in your prime... I get it, it's natural..."
"......"
"Just... make it go down first...? I can't exactly help you out here..."
Suddenly, I started resenting Yoo Seol-ah. Sure, it's a physiological reaction and I need to get it under control in a situation like this, but don't say stuff that sounds so damn sexy if that's the case...
Hearing "help you out with one" from her lips? No way it was going down now. And if it's a no-go here, did that mean she'd handle it when we were alone? My thoughts spiraled, and the tent in my swimsuit stayed rock-solid.
Then, a voice from the next bath—Lee Seo-yeon.
"Seol-ah's swimsuit is so pretty, right? Bikinis suit her too, but this everyday-style one is just chef's kiss."
She must've noticed Yoo Seol-ah taking off her rash guard. And since she'd just whispered to me earlier to compliment the swimsuit, this was clearly aimed at me.
Staying silent might look weird, so I replied in as flat a tone as possible.
"Yeah, it suits her well."
Fashion-savvy duo picked it out together—no way it'd flop. Which is exactly why we were in this mess.
"...Suits her well...?"
Yoo Seol-ah muttered in a tone that said she wasn't thrilled, loud enough for them to hear. But her eyes were locked on my upright erection.
"Baek Sion, give her some real compliments... It's her first time showing off that swimsuit."
Lee Seo-yeon probably thought Yoo Seol-ah wasn't satisfied with my lukewarm praise. But Yoo Seol-ah's intent was probably a tad different. She knew damn well I was this hard because she had me worked up—why wasn't I being honest about it?
She'd just told me to calm it down, and now she was channeling her inner S? Must be instinct. All that pent-up frustration from always being on the receiving end, mixed with her natural competitive streak...
With the other two just a few steps away, if Yoo Seol-ah got mischievous, things could get dicey. I hated how cringey it felt to sincerely compliment her instead of teasing, but no choice now.
"...It's so perfect I can barely look straight."
"......Eut!..."
Yoo Seol-ah suddenly slid off the edge seat, dunking almost her entire body underwater. Vague praise irks her, full sincerity embarrasses her—what the hell was I supposed to do?
She moved so fast, water splashed out of the bath. Lee Seo-yeon lost it, squealing like crazy.
"Oppa, you hear that? I can't even... what do I do?"
"Ow, that hurts... Okay, okay, why hit me..."
In romcoms, there's always that one who can't handle the sugar and cringey vibes, smacking nearby objects or people. Guess that's Lee Seo-yeon. Poor Doyun-hyung in the same bath kept getting slapped.
Yoo Seol-ah was crouched with her upper body—and mouth—fully submerged. Bubbles kept popping near her face; probably exhaling her embarrassment.
Luckily, her cuteness overload shattered the naughty mood, and my erection started fading naturally.
A bit later, a dreamy-voiced Lee Seo-yeon broke the silence.
"Haa... But I love baths."
"Me too. Prefer this hot soak over a pool any day."
"Right? Feels like your whole body unwinds."
She gets it—baths make you feel alive like nothing else.
"Relaxes the muscles for real."
"Yeah. And guys might not get it, but being in water eases your shoulders big time? Breasts are heavier than you think, but in the bath, they float—no burden."
"Isn't that a cartoon trope?"
"For me and Seol-ah? They definitely float."
Whoa, news to me. Even Doyun-hyung—the biggest closet otaku among us—questioned if it was cartoon physics. Shocking fact.
Breasts really float? My head instinctively turned toward Lee Seo-yeon's bath, but hands grabbed my cheeks, forcing it back.
Somehow she'd surfaced without me noticing. Yoo Seol-ah's low voice followed.
"Why's your head turning?"
"...No, just curious. Do they really float?"
I swear on the heavens, pure curiosity—no ulterior motives. Staring innocently into her eyes to prove my innocence, she sighed softly.
"Obviously not like life vests bobbing around... But yeah, water buoys them up. Fat's less dense than water."
"If you're that curious, I could show you, but Seol-ah'd get jealous."
"It's not jealousy—that's crossing the line between guys and girls!!"
"Sure, sure~"
Yoo Seol-ah got totally owned by the teasing. But seriously, news to me. Fat's density is lower, sure... but breasts are that fatty?
Digging through ancient science class memories, Yoo Seol-ah poked my shoulder and whispered super softly.
"...If you're that curious, I'll show you..."
She must've mistaken my furrowed brow—trying to recall science—for disappointment at not seeing floating breasts...
But no need to clear up the misunderstanding. If she's offering, why refuse?
Like those old-school TV experiment shows, I followed her gesture and shifted position. Now sitting on the floor facing her, not the seat.
Thankfully, the mood had eased earlier, and I'd adjusted enough that staring at her chest didn't instantly revive things.
She offered first, so legally fixating on her breasts was fine. Yoo Seol-ah flushed but didn't protest, owning her words.
Soon, she knelt on the bath floor and slowly lowered her upper body. As her chest's underside touched the water, it kept descending... but her breasts stayed fixed at the surface.
Of course, fully submerging dropped them too, but I got the point—water really supports them.
Breasts do float. Wild.
"...Happy now? Stop staring."
Her tiny voice acknowledged the embarrassment. Before wonder turned naughty again, I scooped water and splashed her.
"Pfft!?... What the hell, suddenly!..."
Couldn't say it was to vent the mood before I got hard again. No response from me, so she snorted in disbelief and splashed back.
Splashing in a bath was rude, but with no one else around, whatever.
A word from quietly soaking Lee Seo-yeon.
"You two... playing like total kids... This isn't a pool."
"She started it!"
Tattling to the teacher—peak little kid energy.
But her physique meant she took the worse hits in our splash war.
"Tch..."
Panting, Yoo Seol-ah's patience snapped. She unleashed her finisher.
"Hoo... Gather."
"......?"
"Scatter."
"Hey, wait!"
Dozens of water orbs floating in the air.
...Seriously, no one's around, so she uses magic without thinking? Total bad habit.
"Attack...!"
Before I could speak, the watery spheres arced toward me in wild trajectories.