A Real Warmth
"Ha... Hajun."
Her voice, sweet yet thick with a heavy, melting quality, stirred my primal instincts.
"...Ayoung."
I pinned Jo Ayoung against the wall, holding her wrists in my grip.
"W-we shouldn't do this..."
Ayoung kept pleading that we shouldn't, but her physical resistance was practically nonexistent.
Her glossy, long black hair spilled down against the wall. Her large, tear-rimmed eyes gazed up at me, and just beneath one of them lay a single tear mole—the only mark on her otherwise flawless, pale skin.
Ironically, that very mole transformed what should have been an innocent, pure impression into something that fiercely aroused a man's darkest desires.
Staring down at her face, I whispered softly.
"Why not...?"
Between Jo Ayoung's parted, rosy lips, her pink tongue flickered as she let out a soft sound.
"We really shouldn't... Ah."
When I slid my knee between her thighs to lock her in place, Jo Ayoung gave up even the slightest pretense of trying to escape.
Looking down at her, I growled low in my throat.
"Why not? I'm your boyfriend now, aren't I?"
At those words, Jo Ayoung flinched, utterly speechless.
"Tell me. If you're my girlfriend, shouldn't you be able to do at least this much for me...?"
"Th-that's..."
While she hesitated, my gaze drifted down from her flushed, seductive face to her body.
There stood her two swelling, voluptuous mounds, and below them, her thick, soft thighs peeking out from beneath her skirt.
She was a girlfriend with a body and allure that could drive any man absolutely insane.
"Aren't you going to answer me?"
I pressed her even closer against the wall.
Then...
"...Okay."
Blushing furiously, she gave a timid nod.
Captivated by her fragile voice, I asked her once more.
"Ayoung... you really are my girlfriend, right?"
This time, Jo Ayoung didn't look away. She met my eyes and whispered softly.
"...Yes."
Her delicate voice trembled slightly.
"...Do whatever you want with me."
The moment those words granted me permission to do whatever I pleased with her, I—
Ring-r-r-r-ing!
I woke up from my dream.
"Ah, fuck. It was a dream."
I turned off the blaring alarm on my phone and rolled around in bed, cursing my luck.
Why did I have to wake up at the most crucial moment...?
Actually, now that I thought about it, it was always like this.
On days when I had some kind of interaction or contact with an attractive girl, she would occasionally show up in my dreams.
But without fail, right at the climax of a sweet conversation, just as we were about to make physical contact, I would wake up.
Was it really true that your brain can't simulate physical sensations in a dream if you've never experienced them in reality?
Is that why I...?
...No, that couldn't be it.
Shaking the depressing thought from my head, I headed to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face.
I decided to write off the dream as just a silly morning occurrence.
Because in reality...
...this was something that could very well happen in real life now.
Our meeting time was 8:20 AM.
It only took about fifteen minutes at most to walk from our meeting spot to the Future Academy.
Still, since this was technically our first date, I figured it was better to have some breathing room rather than rushing.
With that in mind, I left my place ten minutes early and walked toward our spot.
I pictured myself waiting calmly, watching Ayoung walk out from the alleyway in the distance.
But reality defied my expectations.
"Ah, Hajun!"
Ayoung was already there, waiting at our spot. The moment she spotted me, she ran straight toward me.
I was caught off guard.
I had been so proud of myself for arriving early.
"Uh..."
The cool, collected version of me who was supposed to wait patiently, smile gently when she arrived late, and say, "It's fine, I just got here," to score some boyfriend points had completely vanished.
"I'm sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
Instead, here I was, nervously reading her expression and frantically apologizing.
Of course, I wasn't actually late for our meeting.
"No, not at all! I just got the time mixed up and came out way too early."
Jo Ayoung let out a soft, beaming giggle and looked up at me.
...Is she trying to kill me with cuteness?
Where did the Jo Ayoung who looked like she had lost the entire world yesterday go? How did she transform overnight into this bright, golden retriever-like girl?
Was she a doppelgänger or something?
"Shall we... go, then?"
Jo Ayoung stepped up beside me, her cheeks lightly dusted with pink. I quickly tried to hide my own burning ears as I answered.
"...Yeah."
Walking in step with someone was surprisingly difficult.
If it were someone of a similar height and build, we could walk at a natural pace without thinking.
But with a girl who was much shorter than me, I had to consciously slow down my stride to match her pace.
On top of that, I had to keep the conversation flowing so things wouldn't turn awkward.
Fortunately, I had thoroughly prepared for this before leaving the house, allowing me to speak up before the silence grew heavy.
"Um, Ayoung."
At the sound of her name, Jo Ayoung turned her head to look at me.
"...Yes?"
Lacking the courage to look her in the eyes, I focused my gaze near her chin and began to speak.
"You remember what we agreed on, right?"
Jo Ayoung gave a shy, quiet nod.
"We wanted to see if the bullying would stop once people knew you had a boyfriend..."
Since our official excuse was to find a solution to the bullying she had been enduring, there was a specific action we needed to take to make it convincing.
"For that to work, the other students need to know we're dating."
It was a perfectly logical argument.
If we kept our relationship a secret out of embarrassment, no one would be able to tell if we were actually dating or just friends.
To get the desired effect, we had to start by announcing that fact.
"Sigh... You're right."
But the thought of acting like a couple in public seemed to overwhelm her with embarrassment, and she covered her face with one hand.
I stared at her, completely captivated, before quickly snapping myself out of it.
...I still can't believe such a gorgeous girl is my girlfriend.
If it were up to me, I would have shouted it to the world, proudly declaring her as mine.
But that was just a fantasy.
In reality, I had to tread carefully.
I had been thinking of something subtle, like matching bracelets, necklaces, or maybe rings.
"...Since it's all for my sake anyway."
Jo Ayoung mumbled softly to herself, and then, suddenly—
Grab.
She reached out and grabbed my hand.
Startled by the sudden contact, I nearly let out a yelp. I barely managed to swallow it down and looked at her face to see what had gotten into her.
What I saw made my heart skip a beat.
"Th-this is what we're supposed to do, right?"
Her face was so red it looked ready to burst like a ripe tomato.
Wait, I wasn't expecting her to go for something this bold right off the bat.
"S-since you're my boyfriend..."
Jo Ayoung's idea of showing off our relationship completely bypassed my cautious plans.
"H-Hajun, if there's anything else you want to do, just tell me..."
I knew she was innocent, but I hadn't expected this level of directness. Or was this even considered innocent?
"I'll try my absolute best..."
Blushing furiously, Jo Ayoung squeezed my hand with surprising strength.
I stared down at our hands for a moment.
"Ayoung, hold on a second."
I gently pulled my hand away.
Her face fell slightly.
"Oh... Ah..."
Leaving her looking anxious and hurt, I didn't just grab her hand like an object.
Instead, I slid my fingers between hers, intertwining them completely.
I squeezed gently, holding her hand the way real, deeply-in-love couples did.
"..."
"..."
We began to walk in silence.
It was just holding hands, but the soft, delicate texture of her slender fingers and the warmth radiating from her palm sent a thrill through me that was on a completely different level from anything I had felt in my dream.
"Hey, look over there."
"...What is that?"
As we neared the academy grounds, students began to notice us. Whispers broke out immediately. Some looked at us with sheer envy.
"Whoa, how the hell did a guy like him land a girl like her...?"
"I'm so fucking jealous."
"...Do you think they go back to his place and do it after classes?"
"Shut the fuck up, dude."
Others watched with giddy excitement.
"Oh my god, look at them!"
"They're already holding hands! They must be dating."
"That is so sweet."
Various reactions swirled around us as we walked past.
But this time, there was no trace of the dirty, predatory lust or malicious jealousy that used to follow her.
"...This is nice."
I murmured softly.
"...Yeah, it is."
She agreed with a tiny, happy nod.
Our ship, laden with a complex mix of emotions, was sailing smoothly out to sea.