Are You a DINK?
The alarm went off.
I reached for the phone I’d tossed beside the bed. The screen lit up, showing the time, and beneath it a single line of text.
[.]
Just a period.
That was all.
A small laugh slipped out. It was Ayeong. A single, carefully chosen character from a woman who wanted to show she was upset but couldn’t find the words. I could picture her agonizing all night before finally sending that lone dot. The way she was pretending to sulk was unbearably cute.
[I’ll call you later, so come down.]
I tapped out the reply with my thumb. The response came quickly.
[Where are you going?]
[Yeah.]
[Okay.]
Still acting curt to the very end. Yet she didn’t protest when I told her to come down. I set the phone back down and turned my head.
Jinhui was lying there, using my arm as a pillow. Her eyes were tightly shut and her breathing was even. The act of pretending to sleep was clumsy. When I’d picked up the phone earlier, her eyelashes had fluttered, and even while I was exchanging messages, I could see her closed eyelids trembling.
I raised my index finger and held it in front of her forehead, poised to flick it. Even with her eyes closed, she must have sensed the movement in the air.
After a long silence, just as her narrowed eyes began to crack open, I let my finger drop.
Flick.
“Ow!”
Jinhui clutched her forehead where I’d flicked her and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.
“Pretending to sleep, are we?”
“It hurts!”
Her sharp yelp scattered her hair. The corners of her eyes were already bright red. Her expression showed more shame at being caught than actual pain. When I spread my arms, she grumbled but still leaned in and nestled against my chest. She buried her forehead against my collarbone while one hand kept rubbing the spot I’d flicked.
“Did you sleep well?”
“No. Someone kept me up late, so I’m exhausted.”
“So you didn’t like it?”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
Her voice trailed off. Embarrassed by her own words, she pressed her forehead deeper into me. The tips of her ears, visible through her hair, flushed crimson. Her fingertips began to move slowly across my chest, tracing circles, as if confirming something. The rhythm was completely different from the way she’d clung to my arm and trembled last night.
“Is it… her?”
The cautious question rose from against my chest.
“Ayeong?”
“Ayeong…”
She repeated the name as if tasting it, then lifted her head. With her chin still resting on my collarbone, she looked up at me. It seemed like she was debating how to say the two syllables.
“Is it okay to call her by name like that?”
“Why wouldn’t I call my girlfriend by her name?”
“…But the age difference…”
“What does the age gap matter? If I like her, that’s enough.”
“R-really?”
Her head dipped again. She mumbled something against my collarbone, then paused. The circling motion on my chest stopped for a moment before resuming.
“Why? Should I call you by name too, Teacher?”
The casual remark made her head snap up.
“…What? Hah, you really have no filter.”
She grumbled and pulled out her teacher status like a shield. After spending the entire night beneath me and crying out, she was still trying to act like my teacher.
“Who was the one crying underneath me all night again?”
“I wasn’t crying!”
She pushed at my chest in a huff. I caught her wrist and pulled her up from the bed. As her upper body rose, her hair cascaded over her shoulders.
“Ugh, it’s cramped. How do you even sleep on a bed like this?”
“It’s perfectly comfortable for me. You’re the one who’s too big.”
“This won’t do. Let’s get out.”
“What?”
“Hurry up and get up.”
I grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it off in one motion. Jinhui’s naked body was completely exposed as I pushed her out of the bed.
“Hey!”
She yelped and tried to clamp her legs together in a panic. At that moment, something trickled down the inside of her thigh. Thick, white semen slid slowly toward her knee. The load I’d filled her with all night was still leaking out, unable to stay inside.
Jinhui’s face turned scarlet in an instant. Both hands flew down to cover her thighs, but it was too late. She jumped off the bed and dashed toward the bathroom.
“Ugh, seriously!”
She shouted at me for no reason and slammed the bathroom door shut.
I couldn’t help laughing at the sight.
We each washed up quickly and got in the car. Jinhui, in the passenger seat, still had slightly damp hair. I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Where are we going?”
“To buy a car.”
“A car?”
“It’s too small.”
“Why? It’s plenty for two people.”
“We’re not only going to be two people.”
The moment those words left my mouth, the air in the passenger seat froze. Jinhui, who had been turning toward the window, stopped halfway. The hand resting on her knee clenched and unclenched once.
“…Are we going to meet her right now?”
“Yes.”
“…………Do I have to go too?”
Her voice had lost its confidence. She was pretending to look out the window, but her gaze wasn’t really focused anywhere. Last night she had declared herself trash and joined this relationship in my arms, but now that morning had come, she was finally feeling the weight of the place she was stepping into.
“Didn’t we agree to live together?”
“Y-yeah, we did.”
“Then we’ll be seeing each other every day from now on.”
“…Haa, seriously…”
A long sigh escaped her. She sank deep into the passenger seat and swept her bangs up. The tips of her ears, now visible, were flushed red.
“Why? Are you going to call yourself trash again?”
“No. Because I am trash.”
The words came out with her eyes closed. She wore a bitter smile, as if chewing over the meaning of what she’d just said.
“Don’t worry. I already told her everything.”
“That’s exactly what pisses me off.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, it just does! Just because!”
She sounded pleased yet deliberately sulky. I chuckled and pressed the accelerator a little harder.
When we entered the underground parking garage, Ayeong was already waiting by the elevator. She wore a light knit sweater and jeans. Her hair still held a trace of moisture, as if she’d just stepped out of the shower. She recognized my car and took a step closer.
“Could you move to the back for a moment?”
“…Okay.”
Even while grumbling, Jinhui obediently unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed into the back seat. As she straightened her skirt and sat down, her eyes kept drifting toward the windshield. When the car stopped, Ayeong opened the passenger door.
“…H-hello.”
The awkward greeting came cautiously from the back seat. Ayeong leaned into the passenger seat and looked behind her. A gentle smile spread across her face.
“Hello.”
Just one word. A short, soft greeting, yet Jinhui’s gaze dropped downward, unable to meet that smile.
It was an interesting dynamic. Ayeong was endlessly gentle. But having lived as a single mother for so long, she had learned that showing weakness meant being devoured. That was probably why, the first time she met Jinhui, she had greeted her softly while kissing me on the cheek, and even said “I love you” at the end of a call while knowing Jinhui was right there.
Jinhui was the opposite. She snapped at me and wore a cold, decisive expression toward others, but in front of the man she liked, she became completely helpless. The contrast was striking.
Ayeong got into the passenger seat and closed the door. She seemed about to fasten her seatbelt, but instead leaned toward me and wrapped her arms around mine.
“Why didn’t you come home last night?”
The question was whispered. Even though she knew Jinhui was sitting in the back, or precisely because she knew, she didn’t hide her coquettish tone. It was her gentle way of marking her territory, saying she didn’t mind a new family member joining but she was still on top. She had deliberately asked the question loud enough for Jinhui in the back seat to hear. In the rearview mirror, I saw Jinhui shrink even smaller.
“I went to the columbarium with Teacher Jinhui’s sister.”
The strength in Ayeong’s arm loosened for a moment. Her head slowly turned back. The playful glint in her eyes as she looked at Jinhui, then at me, faded. In the back seat, Jinhui’s shoulders stiffened slightly at the words.
Something passed slowly across Ayeong’s face. It was an expression that said she understood without needing to ask. In a single breath, she accepted that Jinhui, like herself, carried something heavy inside.
“…Tell me about it later.”
She spoke while half-turned toward the back seat. Only then did Jinhui’s eyes lift slightly. Her lips parted once, but no sound came out. She simply nodded.
“Okay.”
The small reply barely slipped out.
Ayeong looked at me again. This time her eyes were calm, without any teasing.
“So where are we going?”
“I’m thinking of changing cars.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s getting too small for all of us now.”
At my use of “us,” Jinhui’s shoulders relaxed a little in the rearview mirror. The corner of Ayeong’s mouth curved up softly. It was the moment both women understood the word in exactly the same way.
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
The short reply carried the weight of acknowledging Jinhui’s place. From the back seat, I heard a quiet, relieved exhale.
The air between the two women was still awkward. They hadn’t even decided how to address each other yet. Still, once they started living together, they would naturally find their own places. Both were women who loved me, and that ultimately meant they were on the same side.
I shifted gears and pulled out of the parking garage. Sunlight spread wide across the road leading to the dealership.
When we entered the showroom, cars were lined up on the sunlit floor beyond the glass walls.
The two women walked side by side a couple of steps behind me. Ayeong said something first, Jinhui replied in a low voice, and Ayeong continued. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about. It wasn’t my place to butt into a conversation between women.
I started looking at the cars alone.
A dealer approached quickly. He was a young man in a suit with a name tag.
“How about this one? It’s a new sedan that just came out. It has a sporty feel while also offering generous interior space…”
“Not really. I’ll look around by myself.”
“Ah, yes. Please take your time.”
The dealer stepped back. The sports sedan wasn’t much different from my current car. I ran the back of my hand over the hood and moved on to the next model.
After looking for a while, I heard footsteps behind me.
“Found one you like?”
“No. Nothing really catches my eye.”
When I turned, Jinhui was standing a little behind me. Ayeong stood beside her, quietly watching me. A mischievous thought occurred to me.
“Want to pick one out for me, Teacher?”
“…I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
“What have you been doing instead of getting one?”
“I was too busy studying.”
Jinhui jabbed my side with her elbow. The tips of her ears were slightly red. Beside us, Ayeong let out a soft chuckle. There was no jealousy or resentment in that laugh. She simply found the sight of Jinhui elbowing me adorable.
“Since we need something a bit bigger, how about an SUV?”
Ayeong spoke up cautiously.
“An SUV?”
When I repeated the words, Ayeong took a small breath and briefly lowered her gaze. When her eyes rose again, they were a little more careful than usual.
“If we’re also thinking about… a car for our child…”
Her voice grew smaller. The words “our child” were placed gently under the bright lights of the showroom. I felt Jinhui’s breath catch beside me.
“You want to have one soon?”
“I’m not getting any younger.”
Her head tilted down slightly. Her cheeks were faintly flushed. Whenever the topic of age came up, Ayeong built a small wall in front of herself. It was my job to tear it down.
“Alright, then.”
My short answer made Ayeong’s eyes curve into happy crescents. She really must love the idea of having my child. I’d have to work harder.
Jinhui, who had been watching from the side, had cheeks that were now bright red. The flush had climbed all the way to her ears, and her gaze had dropped to the floor. She looked less like someone eavesdropping and more like someone whose own turn had been exposed first.
“Why? Are you a DINK?”
“…N-no, I’m not.”
The reply came almost reflexively. Only after the words “I’m not” left her mouth did Jinhui seem to realize what she had said. The tips of her ears turned an even deeper shade of red, and this time she turned her head away completely.
“Then let’s go with an SUV.”
I called the dealer over.
The test drive was arranged quickly. I sat in the driver’s seat with the dealer beside me. Jinhui and Ayeong sat side by side in the back. I shifted gears and headed to the test-drive course behind the showroom.
“How’s the back?”
I glanced up at the rearview mirror. Ayeong was calmly looking out the window, while Jinhui was fidgeting with the edge of her seatback.
“I’m not sure.”
Seeing Jinhui’s uncertain expression, I felt playful again and teased her.
“Is it because you haven’t ridden in many cars?”
“Now that you’ll be driving me around, I’ll get used to it.”
The words popped out before she could stop them. In the mirror, Jinhui’s eyes met mine. She looked surprised at herself. She closed her mouth and turned to the window, but her ears remained red.
“I like it.”
Ayeong chimed in quietly. That single comment was enough.
“We’ll take this one.”
The dealer hurriedly pulled out a tablet. The contract was completed quickly. After hearing that it would be delivered to the house in a few days, we left the showroom.
On the way back, Jinhui sat in the back seat of my current car again while Ayeong took the passenger seat. As soon as the car pulled onto the road, a low grumble came from behind.
“It’s cramped.”
A pointless complaint. It was obvious she wasn’t really upset about the car being small, but about not being able to sit in the front. In the passenger seat, the corner of Ayeong’s mouth curved up gently at the grumbling.
“I’ll let you have the front next time.”
When she glanced back, her smile carried the warmth of an older sister. Jinhui’s shoulders stiffened for a second before she hurriedly waved her hands.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
Her voice from the back seat grew smaller and smaller. Ayeong faced forward again and let out another soft chuckle. This laugh was slightly different from the one at the showroom. It was the laugh of an older woman who had watched a younger girl clumsily protect her pride. Jinhui had no weapon to fight back with.
I glanced at the rearview mirror again. Jinhui had turned her head toward the window and was pressing her lips tightly together. She had angled her face so I couldn’t read her expression, but even the back of her neck was red.
It really was an interesting dynamic. In front of me, Jinhui tried to act strong, but in front of Ayeong she was just a cute little sister. Once the two of them lived under the same roof every day, this dynamic would only grow stronger. And for Jinhui, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. After spending her whole life raising her younger sister without anyone above her, she was finally gaining an older sister of her own.
That was when it happened.
My jacket pocket vibrated.
I took out my phone. It was an unsaved number. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, I pressed the call button.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Jinho.”
It was an unfamiliar woman’s voice. Young, calm, and already knowing my name. The moment I heard it, something familiar overlapped. It was the same voice I had spoken with briefly that night at the hospital when I took Taewook’s phone.
Ayeong in the passenger seat turned her head. In the rearview mirror, Jinhui’s eyes rose toward me as well. The atmosphere inside the car changed in an instant. Both women reacted sensitively to the female voice.