The Warmth of a Black Hoodie
To be completely honest, I was scared out of my mind.
"Why don't you girls cut it out?"
I had managed to force the words out, but...
"..."
"..."
The moment the girls whipped their heads around to glare at me, the sheer pressure they exuded was no joke.
Was this why Jo Ayoung couldn't even attempt to fight back despite being subjected to such awful bullying?
Even though they were a group of girls who were clearly shorter and smaller than me, they were the ones completely dominating the atmosphere.
I carefully read the room before cautiously continuing.
"...You're taking this way too far."
I was so nervous I almost bit my tongue, but I barely managed to spit the words out without stuttering.
Yet, the girls' reactions remained ice-cold.
You'd think they'd back off after I summoned this much courage, but...
The girl standing firmly at the front scanned me from head to toe and let out a low growl.
"Who do you think you are?!"
Immediately, the girls beside her chimed in to attack me.
"Yeah! Why are you sticking your nose in our business?!"
...This was bad.
This wasn't part of my plan at all.
I thought if I made a dramatic entrance from the opposite hallway and gave them a gentle warning, they would back off, considering it was only the first day of the freshman orientation.
Instead, they stood their ground like RPG NPCs who refused to budge until you engaged them in battle.
What do I do now?
Am I supposed to pull out some kind of electric monster rodent and throw it at them?
"..."
With my mind going completely blank as things veered off-script, I decided to try resolving this through rational dialogue. I began taking slow steps toward them.
Just as I was about to apologize and suggest we talk things out—
"...We'll finish this later."
The ringleader at the front roughly let go of Jo Ayoung's collar and turned toward the opposite end of the hallway.
Clack, clack, clack—
Feeling a wave of relief wash over me as their footsteps faded into the distance, I wiped away my cold sweat and looked down at Jo Ayoung, who was collapsed on the floor.
...That was a close one. I almost died.
My own legs felt like jelly, threatening to give out at any second, but I forced strength into them and extended a hand to Jo Ayoung.
Jo Ayoung, who had been staring up at me with a dazed expression, quickly snapped out of it and stammered her gratitude.
"Th-thank you so much."
Mhm, yes, yes. You really should be incredibly grateful to me.
I literally almost pissed my pants back there.
Suppressing my internal panic, I spoke to her.
"We're in the same year. You don't have to be so formal."
At that, Jo Ayoung seemed to recall our brief eye contact back in the auditorium.
"Ah... that..."
She slowly searched her memory, but...
Now was not the time for leisurely recollections.
Unable to overcome the sheer awkwardness, I pointed a finger at her.
"Before that, shouldn't you cover yourself up? I mean, I don't mind, but..."
Perhaps because it had been pulled so violently, her shirt was torn to the point where it could barely be called clothing, draping limply toward the floor.
And spilling through those gaps was her smooth, milky-white skin and her incredibly... generous "heart."
Faced with a soft, pillowy grandeur of a size I had never seen in my life, my true feelings had slipped out for a split second.
Hearing my words, Jo Ayoung blinked blankly once more before suddenly realizing her state and wrapping her arms tightly around herself.
"D-don't look!"
I'm sorry, but I've already seen everything there is to see.
Did Jo Ayoung not know that covering herself up like that in sheer embarrassment only fueled a man's wicked desires even more?
Watching her react so naturally, I felt like I finally understood why she was the heroine of an erotic game.
"Wh-what should I do..."
Growl.
Inside my head, a demon urging me to pounce on her right this instant was locked in a fierce battle with an angel telling me not to do something so wicked—and instead take my time to slowly devour her.
What should I do?
Fortunately, I still possessed enough self-control to maintain my rationality.
I slowly pulled off my black hoodie and offered it to Jo Ayoung.
"Do you want to wear this for now?"
Flustered by the gesture, Jo Ayoung looked up at me.
"Is... is that really okay?"
Rather than answering her absurd question, I countered with one of my own.
"What else are you going to do?"
It was a question born of pure curiosity.
How would Jo Ayoung, the heroine of an erotic game, have acted here if I hadn't stepped in?
"Ah, well..."
I imagined Jo Ayoung desperately trying to hide her exposed underwear beneath a shirt with all its buttons ripped off.
Sweating profusely, with the damp fabric clinging to her skin and revealing...
"...!"
Just imagining that suggestive sight being witnessed by other male students made a sudden surge of anger flare up inside me. I barked at her.
"Stop overthinking and just put it on."
"O-okay."
Perhaps Jo Ayoung had imagined something similar, because she didn't ask any more silly questions and quickly slipped into my black hoodie.
"Much better."
Since it was my clothes, the oversized hoodie draped all the way down to her hips, effectively concealing her voluptuous figure.
"...Yeah."
Jo Ayoung seemed pleased as well, stretching her arms in different directions to check how she looked.
"You can return it to me after class."
I wanted to keep talking to her, but lingering any longer would make us late for class. I asked for her phone number.
"Could I get... your number?"
"Ah, sure."
Fortunately, Jo Ayoung only hesitated for a brief second before agreeing.
If she had said no, I was planning to ask for her Instagram instead...
Tap, tap, tap—
After exchanging phones, we tapped in our numbers. With a soft chime, the contacts were saved, and we began walking toward our respective classrooms.
"See you later, then!"
All things considered, it was a pretty successful first encounter.
I met Jo Ayoung again in the afternoon, right after the brief freshman orientation ended.
Perhaps because it was the first day, classes wrapped up before lunchtime.
As a result, crowds of students were heading toward the campus cafeteria, chatting with their newly made friends in a mix of excitement and awkwardness.
I watched the scene unfold from the bicycle rack next to the building, waiting for a certain girl.
Patter, patter, patter—
The heavy sound of hurried footsteps echoed.
Instinctively knowing who it was, I turned my head and greeted her.
"Hey."
Jo Ayoung, catching her breath, returned the greeting.
"Haa... Hey."
With the greetings out of the way, we stood there staring blankly at each other.
"..."
"..."
In the midst of the awkward silence, Jo Ayoung was the first to speak.
"Ah! Right. Here."
Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out my black hoodie and handed it over.
"Thanks."
I took the hoodie and immediately slipped it back on.
Jo Ayoung watched me with an anxious expression before speaking up.
"...I told you I should wash it before giving it back."
While that might be basic etiquette,
I didn't really care.
For one thing, I was getting it back less than three hours after lending it to her, so there was no need to go through the trouble.
And secondly, there was the scent wafting from the fabric as I put it on.
She didn't seem to be wearing perfume, so why did the hoodie smell so sweet? It was her natural body scent.
I dazed out for a moment, intoxicated by the fragrance, before quickly snapping out of it and waving my hand dismissively.
"Seriously, it's fine."
Despite my reassurance, Jo Ayoung kept glancing at me with a deeply apologetic expression.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me. I turned to her and made a proposal.
"If you feel that bad, you could buy me a meal sometime..."
Even as the words left my mouth, I wondered if I was being too forward.
"...Okay."
But Jo Ayoung nodded without a moment's hesitation.
My jaw dropped at the unexpected stroke of good luck.
"Really?"
I had only thrown it out there as a half-joke—a "great if it works, whatever if it doesn't" kind of thing.
I never imagined she would agree so easily.
Could it be that Jo Ayoung secretly liked me too?
I knew I was getting ahead of myself. But still...
"...Yeah."
Faced with a girl blushing slightly and giving such a shy response, how could any guy help but let his imagination run wild?
In my mind, I was already flying past dating and looking straight at marriage.
"...Shall we head over that way, then?"
Trying my absolute best to act casual, I pointed a slightly trembling hand toward the distant street lined with restaurants.
"Sure."
Jo Ayoung giggled softly and nodded.
...It was summer.
No, it was spring.