My Type
**Riha Side.**
Whether I was a student or a soldier, weekends always flew by in the blink of an eye.
A week might be seven days—Monday through Sunday—but it always felt more like MooooooondayTuuuuuuuesdaaaaaayWeeeeedneeeeesdaaaaayThuuurdaaaaayFridaaaaaySaaaaaaturrrrdaaaaay. I’m pretty sure most people can relate.
Back when I was unemployed, I wondered if weekends would still feel that short… but in the end, I was so out of it I didn’t even notice when they ended.
“If you weren’t wearing your school uniform right now, I would’ve sworn today was still the weekend.”
“No matter what, that’s a bit much, Riha oppa…”
Once you become a NEET, weekdays and weekends blur together until you completely lose track of what day it is. Looks like I’m still growing in my own weird way.
At twenty-two years old, the fact that I’m still experiencing personal growth is both terrifying and something I quietly celebrate as I finish the toast Aju made and glance over at Daeho.
<>
“Just bear with it a little.”
I quietly scold him so Aju won’t hear. Daeho sighs and scratches his face with a front paw. At this point, every little movement he makes really does look exactly like a cat.
“Hahu seems uncomfortable. He’s been fiddling with that tracking device since earlier…”
“He’s never worn anything like that before. It must just feel strange.”
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He’s right about that. A friend who used to wear something like a dog collar… I’m not sure I want to be friends with him anymore. In that sense, I’ve also lost some interest in being friends with Daeho.
If I said that out loud, this guy would definitely get mad. He’d probably snap at me for even thinking it.
“I’ll be heading out now.”
“Got it. I’ll come pick you up at the same time today.”
“Okay.”
Aju had already finished her morning toast and changed into her uniform, so she was completely ready for school. It was almost time, and she looked like she was about to head out, so I’d come to the entrance to see her off.
But for some reason, instead of opening the door, she just stands there staring at me.
I tilt my head, wondering if she has something to say.
“Aju?”
“Huh?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Um… Ah, no! It’s nothing…”
For whatever reason, Aju’s cheeks turn bright red and she shakes her head. Then she lightly covers her cheeks with both hands and sneaks a glance at me.
I’m wondering if there’s something she wants to tell me when…
“I-I’ll get going now!”
“Oh… yeah. Have a good day.”
She’s already opened the front door and slipped outside. What was that about…?
“Man, that’s a shame. I just ate that toast, so my hands are all greasy. If it weren’t for that, I could’ve touched Aju’s soft cheeks.”
I’d used a fork, but I’m the kind of guy who treats table manners like they’re optional, so I’d still gotten a bit of oil on my fingers.
No matter how much I love touching Aju’s cheeks, doing it with greasy hands felt… wrong. And I didn’t want to make her wait when she needed to get to school.
“…Huh?”
As I was thinking that, the image of Aju covering her cheeks with her hands flashed through my mind. The way she’d looked like she wanted to ask for something… or maybe like she was hoping for something.
“Was she waiting for me to touch her cheeks…? Nah, no way.”
I shook off the ridiculous thought. Aju doesn’t exactly hate it when I touch her cheeks, but the slightly awkward expression she always makes tells me she doesn’t like it enough to actually want it every day.
Still, if she ever asked me to touch them, I’d do it without hesitation.
Like this… and like that… and like this…
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“It’s training. I’m practicing how to touch the softest thing in the world.”
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Daeho, who had been twisting around earlier because the collar bothered him, seemed to have given up. He just kept scratching at the spot where the tracking device was with his front paw.
“Alright. Be careful. If anything happens, press the button.”
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“Ugh. What does she want this time…”
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It was definitely Hwayeon—the one who’d called Aju before and said she was going to meet her no matter what. But since Aju hadn’t mentioned anything about her, it seemed like they still hadn’t been in touch.
“Whatever. Let’s put that on the back burner for now. First, we need to take care of Aju’s situation.”
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And with that, my Daeho slips out the window to carry out his own mission.
…Now I’m all alone.
“Hmm. What should I do…”
The biggest problem for a NEET is figuring out how to kill time.
* * *
**Aju Side.**
The moment I stepped out of the house, I could still feel how hot my face was as I walked toward school.
I can’t believe I was secretly hoping Riha oppa would touch my cheeks. The fact that I’d taken it for granted, and the way I’d practically begged him for it… it was so embarrassing.
“Ugh… Is it because we’re living together, just the two of us? I’ve been way more conscious of him lately.”
I hadn’t told Riha oppa this, but living with him was putting a serious strain on my heart.
It hadn’t been long since he was discharged, so his hair was still short. But with his naturally sharp eyes and that bad-boy face, the short hair only made him look even more masculine.
And then there were the muscles he’d built up in the military… Oppa doesn’t really feel the cold, so he wears short sleeves a lot. That means his arm muscles are always on full display.
The defined lines of his forearms, the way his biceps bulge… I’m not even into muscles, but they still make my heart race.
“…I think I’ve become a pervert.”
I really wasn’t like this before. It must be because we started living together.
No, that’s not all. It’s also because he got so much more handsome during the year I didn’t see him. I guess guys can change that much in just one year…
“…”
Just thinking about Riha oppa makes me zone out again. And then… the reality hits me, and my racing heart starts to cool down.
“After all, Riha oppa doesn’t see me as a woman…”
Riha oppa’s type is tall, big-breasted, mature women. I’m… the complete opposite. Every girl he’s ever dated has been tall with a large chest.
Hwayeon unnie was tall and mature too. Her chest was… bigger than mine.
“I wonder if Hwayeon unnie is doing okay…”
Hwayeon unnie. Out of all the girlfriends Riha oppa had, she was the only one who was genuinely nice to me. Most people found me annoying for always being next to him, but Hwayeon unnie always treated me like I was cute.
But…
“Why did I say something like that?”
When Hwayeon unnie had come to me worried about her relationship with Riha oppa, I’d unconsciously said something that sounded like I understood him better than she did. She got angry… and slapped my cheek.
Of course, she was shocked by her own actions and apologized right away… but the heavy atmosphere and the stinging feeling on my cheek are still vivid in my memory.
We haven’t been in touch since. So when Riha oppa said we’d see her again on the day he was discharged, I thought it would be a chance to reconcile…
“Hwayeon unnie… It would probably be weird if I contacted her first.”
It’s partly my fault that things got awkward between us. If I just casually reached out like nothing happened… it would feel too…
“Aju, study hard today too.”
“Eek!?”
Lost in thought, I’d reached school without realizing it. The security guard greeted me, and I jumped in surprise. Then, feeling embarrassed, I bowed deeply and shouted, “Hello!” before hurrying through the gate.
“Hehe, you’re full of energy today~”
I heard the guard’s warm voice behind me, but I was too embarrassed to turn around. It really has been a while since I felt like this.
The reason I hadn’t worried about anything on my way to school was probably…
“Because of what happened yesterday.”
Yesterday, I’d walked home in Riha oppa’s arms. A lot of students had seen us… Maybe that’s why I wasn’t as bothered by people’s stares as I usually was.
“Hey.”
Normally, if I heard someone call out behind me, I’d think, *It’s probably not for me,* and just keep walking. But this time—
“Hey, An Aju.”
…It really was for me.
I hadn’t expected anyone to actually call out to me on purpose…
“…Huh? Jihui…?”
I turned toward the voice and saw a girl with blonde-dyed hair—the kind of look you rarely saw at this school. It was Yoo Jihui, who sat behind me in class.
“Why do you look so surprised?”
“Ah, sorry… I just didn’t expect anyone to call me.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”
Jihui seemed to accept my answer. She scratched her head, nodded, then walked up beside me. After giving me a quick glance, her eyes drifted to the spot where Riha oppa had held me yesterday.
“You’re the one who got hugged by that guy here yesterday, right?”
“Huh…? Yeah, that was me.”
But why was she asking?
The question had barely formed in my mind when my eyes naturally went to Jihui’s tall stature and impressive chest… She also had this mature aura about her…
Ugh…
“What’s with you? Why are you suddenly pouting…”
“…I don’t know.”
“…Pfft. What is that?”
Ah. She laughed.
I rarely get to see her smile. But when she does… yeah, she’s really cute.
“But why are you asking about that?”
“I just saw something interesting yesterday and wanted to confirm it was really you.”
Jihui said it like it was no big deal, then lost interest and walked right past me. I stood there for a moment, staring blankly after her.
So that’s really why she talked to me. And once her curiosity was satisfied, she went back to not caring about me at all.
For some reason, that made me feel good. Unlike the other kids, the reason Jihui didn’t talk to me wasn’t because she was ignoring me—it was simply because she wasn’t interested.
“…She really doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
She’s the type who pays more attention to herself than to her surroundings and does whatever she wants.
I decided that was the kind of person Jihui was.
And I’ve always liked people like that.
The reason is simple.
“She kind of reminds me of Riha oppa, doesn’t she?”
Because the person I like is that type of person.