4. Since You Have Some Time...
Episode 4. Since We Have Some Time...
Na-eun jerked her hand away as if burned.
Her palm tingled with residual heat. The rigid bulge she'd felt beneath Jin-hyeok's pants still imprinted on her fingertips. Jin-hyeok stood frozen like a statue.
The lingering sensation of his recent kiss with Eun-ju still hadn't faded from his lips. Na-eun, oblivious to this truth, could only assume her own actions had caused his reaction.
'It must be because my chest touched him,' she thought, a strange thrill running up her spine at the thought that her clumsy provocation could elicit such a response. The realization left her more flustered than him.
Their flushed faces avoided each other's gaze as suffocating tension filled the room.
Jin-hyeok finally broke the silence. "L-let's... end today's session here." His voice strained with tension.
Na-eun nodded without meeting his eyes, biting her lip as a faint whimper escaped. "Mm..."
As Jin-hyeok moved toward the door, Na-eun remained rooted in the living room, unable to muster her usual habit of seeing him out.
"I'll... go now."
"Okay. Be safe, oppa."
Click.
Only when the front door closed did Na-eun release the breath she'd been holding.
Eun-ju emerged from the kitchen, approaching her daughter who stood staring blankly at the door. "Did Jin-hyeok leave? Na-eun, want some fruit? I can cut some for you."
Na-eun avoided her mother's gaze. "No. I'm dieting." She retreated to her room and slammed the door.
Leaning against the closed door, she suddenly sprinted to her bed and buried her face in the pillows.
"Ahhhh!"
Her muffled scream dissolved into the cotton stuffing. She pounded the innocent pillow corners with her fists, making the mattress bounce. Only when her tangled hair stuck to her damp cheeks did her ragged breathing begin to steady.
'I've lost my mind. What must he think of me now?'
She'd deliberately pressed against him, grabbed his arm—then let her hand wander to that unmistakable place. No accident could explain such boldness. The fear that he might see her as some brazen girl made her stomach clench.
Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling, her pounding heartbeat loud in her ears. Slowly, she raised her right hand, spreading her fingers to examine her palm.
'That was... a man's...'
The memory of its weight, its heat, its thickness that her fingers couldn't fully circle—it overwhelmed her. Friends often exchanged graphic stories about men—who slept with whom, how size correlated with pleasure. Though they'd made her ears burn, she'd listened intently. And in all her imaginings, the man was always Jin-hyeok.
She'd guessed his stature might extend elsewhere, but reality surpassed fantasy. What would it actually look like?
Opening and closing her hand, she relived the sensation. Heat spread from her nape through her entire body.
"Ah..."
Biting her lip, she sat up. Her limbs felt heavy, her lower abdomen throbbing.
She locked her bedroom door with a decisive click.
The revealing tee and short skirt she'd worn to tempt Jin-hyeok were discarded. From her drawer, she pulled out soft cotton sleepwear. Each brush of fabric against bare skin made her shiver. Her breath came faster, throat parched.
Sliding under the covers, she pulled them over her head. In the darkness, her hand traveled to her chest, grasping the swell beneath thin fabric.
"Mmm..."
Her palm kneaded the soft fullness.
"Haa..."
What would his hands feel like? Those thick fingers, prominent veins—the same strong hands that turned textbook pages now caressing her...
Her stomach clenched with desperate curiosity. She imagined Jin-hyeok's large palms exploring her body. Her own hands began moving with purpose.
Trailing down heated collarbones, over sensitive breasts—every touch electrified her nerves. The memory of that rigid heat filled her mind as her fingers slipped beneath her waistband.
Inner thighs received slow strokes, sending jolts up her spine.
"Ngh. Hah..."
Biting her lip to silence herself, her fingers found slick wetness.
'Ah... I'm soaked.'
She circled the delicate folds, resisting deeper penetration. She wanted to give her first time entirely to Jin-hyeok, the man she'd longed for.
Gasping, she crossed her legs, trapping her hand between tight thighs. Her hips jerked uncontrollably as fantasies of being with Jin-hyeok overwhelmed her.
'How pathetic... waiting like this for him.'
Mentally cursing him, she replayed his imagined rough breathing in her ear. Her earlobe burned.
In her mind, Jin-hyeok held her close, whispering her name. Her body trembled as pleasure crested, fingers moving faster against slick flesh.
...
The next day, Na-eun hesitated before her closet.
Normally she'd immediately grab a short skirt, but today her hands wandered uncertainly. Yesterday's incident haunted her—that moment her hand brushed Jin-hyeok's groin, the firmness imprinted on her palm.
'What if he thinks I'm easy?'
She finally selected a knee-length dress—modest, proper. Checking her reflection repeatedly, she smoothed the hem. She couldn't appear too forward. Yesterday was just an accident, she needed him to believe.
Eun-ju glanced at her departing daughter. "Going on a date?"
"What date? I'm an exam repeater." Na-eun pouted.
"Then why so dressed up?"
"...To look nice for oppa."
The casual reply made Eun-ju's expression flicker, unnoticed as Na-eun turned back to the mirror.
"Really?" Eun-ju's voice trembled slightly.
Eun-ju studied her daughter quietly. The resemblance struck her anew—the round eyes, nose bridge, even the dimples when smiling—all reflections of her younger self, now enhanced by twenty-year-old youth. Bright complexion without makeup, plump skin—the natural freshness stood out more in modest clothing.
Unconsciously, Eun-ju hid her hands—hands approaching forty. Though well-maintained and often complimented as youthful, beside her daughter's, the difference was undeniable.
An ache filled her chest.
Yet strange pride surfaced. Jin-hyeok didn't desire that youthful freshness. From childhood until now, his eyes had always followed her. That knowledge soothed the jealousy.
Then shame followed.
'What kind of mother thinks such things?'
Eun-ju had long known about Na-eun's crush. The girl had followed Jin-hyeok like a puppy since childhood. She'd never guess her mother's relationship with him.
Moreover, Eun-ju could never truly be with Jin-hyeok—a ring on her finger, a husband, and most importantly, being Na-eun's mother. The end was predetermined. That knowledge made her more desperate.
Before the inevitable end, just once more...
She suppressed the thought.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. Eun-ju moved to answer.
Before she could fully open it, Na-eun rushed past and threw herself into Jin-hyeok's arms.
"Welcome, oppa."
"Yeah."
Jin-hyeok laughed, embracing her naturally—a familiar gesture since childhood, one arm supporting her back.
The sight clawed at Eun-ju's heart.
Her greeting died unspoken. The position that should have been hers was taken by her daughter. She could only watch from a step away.
Then Jin-hyeok looked up. Over Na-eun's shoulder, his eyes met Eun-ju's.
He smiled secretly—a smile only for her, unseen by Na-eun with her back turned.
The pain in Eun-ju's chest eased.
"Hello."
"Come in."
Eun-ju replied with practiced calm. Na-eun missed the silent exchange.
"Let's go! I really studied hard today!" Na-eun pulled Jin-hyeok along.
"Okay, okay."
Jin-hyeok let himself be led to her room. The door closed.
Eun-ju stared at it for a long moment.
Later, when the door reopened, Eun-ju stood quickly from the dining table.
Seeing Jin-hyeok emerge, she moved to approach—only to stop awkwardly as Na-eun followed.
"Mom."
"Yes?"
"Oppa and I are ordering late-night snacks tonight." Na-eun's voice bubbled with excitement. Eun-ju forced a smile. Beside her, Jin-hyeok bowed apologetically.
"Sorry. Na-eun did well today, so I offered to treat her..."
"It's fine. I'll order. Want chicken?"
"Ugh... but my diet."
"One day won't hurt."
At Jin-hyeok's words, Na-eun brightened immediately, grabbing her phone to browse menus eagerly.
They settled on chicken.
Seated around the table with steaming chicken between them, Eun-ju went to the fridge, returning with several cold beer cans.
"Want one?" She slid a can toward Jin-hyeok.
"Wow, my first drink with oppa!" Na-eun's eyes sparkled.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah! You wouldn't let me drink after graduation."
"You were preparing for exams."
Na-eun barely listened, already popping open her can and offering it to Jin-hyeok.
"My first toast with oppa."
"Thanks."
"Of course. I've never drank with anyone else."
Na-eun's boastful tone made Eun-ju's hand pause mid-motion.
That phrase—"first with Jin-hyeok"—pricked like thorns. First drink, first toast. She could never be any of Jin-hyeok's firsts. The realization ached unexpectedly.
Unthinkingly, Eun-ju raised her own can.
"Shall we all toast?"
"Yes, let's." Jin-hyeok responded immediately.
Na-eun pouted slightly but joined as three cans clinked together.
Night deepened.
Half the chicken disappeared as empty cans accumulated. Na-eun, excited for her "first drink" with Jin-hyeok, kept sipping eagerly.
Unnoticed by her, Eun-ju and Jin-hyeok moderated their drinking in silent synchronization—their cans still half-full when hers emptied.
Na-eun wasn't a drinker. Combined with an empty stomach and passing time, intoxication set in. Her cheeks flushed, eyes half-lidded.
"Ah... oppa, you'll keep your promise, right?"
"What promise?"
"See~cret!"
Na-eun clung to Jin-hyeok's arm, words slightly slurred. He looked down at her with affectionate amusement.
Eun-ju watched silently, hands wrapped around her beer can.
"Hehe. First time drinking... so sleepy..." Na-eun rested her head on Jin-hyeok's shoulder.
"She needs to sleep." Eun-ju said.
Jin-hyeok helped Na-eun up as she leaned heavily against him, emitting contented hums.
"Oppa smells nice..."
"Such a kid."
Jin-hyeok smiled awkwardly. Eun-ju mirrored the expression.
He guided Na-eun to her room, laying her gently on the bed and pulling up the covers.
Suddenly, Na-eun's hand shot up, pulling his face down to meet her lips.
"Huh?"
"Hehe."
Na-eun giggled, gazing up at him with flushed cheeks.
"My first kiss."
"Ah..."
She held his gaze, smiling as her eyes slowly closed.
"A gift for oppa."
With those words, her breathing evened into sleep.
Jin-hyeok sat quietly for a while, stroking her hair—her reddened cheeks, peaceful sleeping face. An unreadable expression flickered across his features before he carefully stood and closed the door behind him.
In the living room, Eun-ju sat alone at the table, slowly sipping beer.
Jin-hyeok approached.
"Na-eun's asleep."
"Mhm."
Quiet settled between them. Jin-hyeok spoke softly.
"Well, I should—"
Before he could finish, Eun-ju stood and pressed into his embrace.
"Since we have some time..."
Looking up, she whispered. Jin-hyeok didn't hesitate, capturing her lips hungrily.