Chapter 23: Didn't I Tell You to Behave?
Chapter 23: Didn't I Tell You to Behave?
'By now, she should have sorted out her thoughts somewhat.'
Given how long I'd spent organizing the storage room, considerable time must have passed. I stepped back into the office.
[Employee | Do Seo-yun]
'Where did she go?'
Her seat was empty. Looking closer, her monitor was turned off. The desk was neatly arranged as if she'd already left for the day.
'Did she leave early? Not that it would be strange if she did.'
Though I'd orchestrated the situation, even I would have been too embarrassed to stay and would have bolted. Only Deputy Head Lee remained. Sensing my presence, she turned her head.
"Mr. Dae-hoon, finished organizing everything?"
"Yes, Deputy Head."
"Ms. Seo-yun left early—nothing happened in the storage room, right?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. She seemed tired, so I sent her home early."
Telling the truth would have been foolish.
"Oh? Just checking. Get back to work."
"Yes."
I returned to my seat and checked the phone I'd left on my desk.
'Quite a few notifications.'
Amid the useless alerts, Do Seo-yun's account caught my eye.
[SY____0_0 | Answer me +21]
'Twenty-one messages?'
I glanced at our team's section. The office felt eerily quiet with only the deputy head present. I quietly checked the messages.
[I got caught]
[And by]
[A senior on our team]
[What do I do]
[Seriously, what do I do?]
Whether sent in rapid succession or not, twenty-one messages had arrived within two minutes. It was clear how frantic she'd been.
'At this rate, she won't even think about exposing herself anymore.'
Just like how I'd stopped thinking about masturbating after Ha-rin caught me, she wouldn't dare consider flashing anyone again.
<You got caught?>
<If you did, there's nothing to be done. Behave for a while.>
This would undoubtedly be my last message to her.
'With the cause gone, maybe she'll focus properly now.'
[Friday | 5:43 PM]
'Speaking of which, is that damn department head not coming back?'
Even though it was almost time to clock out, there was no sign of the old bat. Since the manager who went with her was also missing, their meeting must have dragged on.
'Working overtime on a Friday is the worst.'
Probably most office workers would agree. With unease gnawing at me, I tapped my keyboard until 6 PM.
Even when quitting time arrived, she still hadn't returned.
'This is ridiculous. Can't even complain.'
This wasn't school or an academy.
'...?'
A sound from behind made me glance back. The deputy head was packing up. Her monitor had just been turned off, its power light blinking.
'Is she just leaving? Even if she's a salary thief, she wouldn't just walk out without following procedure.'
I pretended to work, facing my monitor again.
"Mr. Dae-hoon."
"Yes?"
"If you're done, you can head out too."
"Is it alright? The department head isn't back yet..."
"Ah... Sorry, sorry. I forgot to mention."
If you're going to apologize, you should at least look slightly remorseful for it to be believable.
"The department head said to let everyone leave early after the meeting since she's heading straight home."
"Really?"
I kept my expression neutral. She was still my superior, after all.
"Yeah. Wrap up what you're doing and go. I'm off first."
"Have a good weekend."
"You too, Mr. Dae-hoon."
Lee Ye-ri waved without looking back. After cursing her internally for a brief moment, I saved my files.
'Time for me to leave too.'
Now that I knew I could go, there was no reason to stay. I quickly tidied up, grabbed my things, and left the office.
'Should I get chicken? Ha-rin seemed stressed about her assignments.'
I didn't deliberate long.
With two whole chickens in hand from the shop, I rang Ha-rin's doorbell.
'Wonder what she's up to?'
Normally, she'd answer within ten seconds, but it was silent.
'Did she go out?'
After another ten seconds passed, I assumed she wasn't home. There was no sign of movement inside. Thinking she might not have heard, I pressed the bell again to be sure.
'Guess she's not here. Should've called first.'
She might have gone out to eat—it was Friday evening. Waiting longer was pointless. Chicken in hand, I headed up the stairs.
'I'll try calling her.'
Just as I pulled my phone from my pocket to contact Ha-rin—
"Boo."
"! ...You scared me."
Ha-rin was standing on the rooftop. Even without much effort, her beauty shone brilliantly.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"What were you looking at that made your heart drop?"
Her lips curled mischievously.
"I was about to call you."
"Me? Why?"
"To give you chicken."
I held out the chicken. Ha-rin took it with a bright smile, looking happier to see the food than me.
"How did you know I was craving chicken?"
She seemed more excited about the chicken than my presence.
"Thought you could use a pick-me-up since you've been working hard. Where's your mom? Didn't seem like she was home."
"Dinner plans. So I was waiting to eat with you."
"You should've called. What if I'd been working late?"
"Ah... Didn't think of that."
"Well, it worked out. Let's eat."
"Where? Inside or out?"
"Outside. Enjoy the view while we eat."
After dropping my things inside, we sat at the table.
"You only got drumsticks."
"Drumsticks are the best. Easy to eat, too."
"True. Thanks, I'll dig in."
"Yeah, eat up."
We each took a drumstick and tore into them. Freshly fried, the crispy coating gave way to tender meat underneath.
Just as the greasiness started to hit, a sip of the cola we'd brought along—
"Ahhh..."
'This is the life.'
The sunset over the residential area completed the bliss. Five days' worth of fatigue and stress melted away.
"That's cola, right? Not beer?"
"Does this look like alcohol? Stop talking nonsense and have another piece."
"Oof. Mmm."
I handed her another piece, and she chewed with puffed cheeks like an adorable hamster, making me laugh.
"How's your assignment going?"
"Assignments. Ugh... Professors who assign group work should be forced to do group work themselves."
"Group projects make you want to quit when you get stuck with a slacker."
The point of group work is collaboration for the best outcome, but reality isn't so ideal. Like they say, university is a microcosm of society—you meet all kinds of people with bizarre mindsets.
"Seriously. At least reply to messages."
"Some don't even check their messages."
"It's a mixed bag. Some are responsive."
"Yeah, but—"
"This one girl keeps messaging me, asking if I'm free."
"Maybe she's not a 'girl'—maybe she just thinks you're cute?"
Her eyes widened briefly at my words before she broke into a sly grin.
"Well, I am cute. You can't help but lose your mind over me."
As she spoke, she lifted her top slightly, revealing her toned stomach and a perfectly straight belly button.
"Wanna... do it? Ah!"
Thwack!
I flicked her forehead. Rubbing the spot, she pouted.
"Didn't you say no until your assignments are done?"
"And right after that, midterms are coming up..."
"How long until then?"
"Three weeks? Four? Not long."
"Then we can do it after midterms."
I pushed back deliberately. Good grades never hurt anyone in the long run.
"I'm fine anytime."
"What about me?"
"You're always healthy, old man. Wouldn't it be troublesome if you got hard at random times? Oof."
I shoved another drumstick into her mouth.
"Don't turn me into some pervert who can't control his urges. Just eat."
"You are a pervert."
"Want another flick?"
"After midterms, be ready."
"You should be the one preparing."
We bantered as we finished off the remaining chicken.
[The way it's tightly closed looks so damn delicious.]
[Can't I just taste it once?]
[Looks like it'd gush like a clam.]
Vulgar sexual harassment, no matter how many times I read it.
But this time, it felt different. The reason was simple—I knew who sent them.
'My senior knew everything and still wrote such crude things...'
Back home, I reread the messages from K—no, my senior. Starting from the first one, I traced my clit slowly as I read.
"Ahh♥"
Even with such gentle touches, moans kept slipping out.
"...Ngh♥"
My body trembled uncontrollably, and my toes curled restlessly.
'His goal... must be me.'
He'd made me photograph every part of myself—face, chest, stomach, butt, even between my legs. Nothing was left unseen.
"Uhh♥"
My toes curled as my back arched, the ceiling filling my vision. Then, release.
Squelch.
"Haah...♥ Haah...♥"
The afterglow was brief. I got up—the sheets were soaked.
"Towel. Towel."
After hastily wiping myself dry, I checked my phone.
[You got caught?]
[If you did, there's nothing to be done. Behave for a while.]
'Behave? What is he planning to make me do...?'
This wasn't an ordinary command. It had to be something even more extreme than no panties.
I waited with anticipation.
Saturday and Sunday passed without contact. I endured—it had only been two days.
"Hello, Senior."
"Ah, yes, hello, Ms. Seo-yun."
Monday came.
"Senior. Hello."
"Ah, Ms. Seo-yun. Hello."
Then Tuesday.
"Next week, we might have a two-night, three-day business trip out of town. Anyone interested?"
"Three whole days?"
"Yeah, need to inspect thoroughly."
"No takers? Everyone's busy, huh. Mr. Dae-hoon."
"Yes."
"Can you go?"
"...I'll go."
"One person isn't enough, but... no volunteers. Think about it."
"Sure."
By Wednesday—
'Why hasn't he contacted me?'
Still nothing.
[K | Last online 5 days ago]
His last activity was Friday. Meanwhile, my solo sessions increased by one each day.
Then, Thursday lunch break.
I watched my senior. He was smiling at his phone.
'What's so funny?'
But it wasn't just amusement—there was something affectionate in his smile.
'Like he's talking to a lover...?'
I checked his left ring finger. No ring.
'As far as I know, he's single. Should I ask?'
If he'd just started dating, they might not have exchanged rings yet. I didn't hesitate long.
"Talking to your girlfriend?"
[Ju Ha-rin]
A girl's name...
I caught a glimpse.
"Ah, no, not a girlfriend. Just a younger friend."
"Oh... You must be close?"
"We've known each other forever."
"I see..."
I was about to drop it when—
[Did you buy new underwear?]
[Sent a photo.]
[How is it?]
The screen turned off before I could see properly, but it was filled with nude tones.
'Just a 'younger friend,' huh...?'
No matter how close, you don't send underwear photos to someone of the opposite sex unless it's more.
"I'll be right back—bathroom break."
"Sure."
I opened SNS.
[K | Last online 6 days ago]
'Was I discarded? Just used for my nudes?'
I clenched my fists. No matter how much I tried to stay positive, doubts crept in.
I wanted to message him first, but as the blackmailed party, it was awkward.
'What do I do?'
Losing him like this was unfair.
'Should I counter-pressure him?'
Just as he'd pressured me using my background, I could do the same now that I knew K was him. The power was mine.
'First, the business trip...?'
A three-day trip out of town meant three days together, like it or not.
'I'll talk to the department head later.'
I couldn't pass up this golden opportunity.
'What should I do once we're there?'
I started planning.