Chapter 112: Not Yet.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112: Not Yet.
She seemed like such a harmless creature.
Doah didn't stir in my arms, her breathing soft and even.
I reached out to tidy her messy bangs, simply watching her in silence.
She must have been exhausted.
After all, if I remembered correctly, we'd made love at least four times.
It felt like we were under a spell.
No one had to tell us; we wanted each other until we were breathless, and this was the result.
“Doah.”
I checked the time on my phone. I had to tell her it was time to wake up.
“Mmm…”
As if telling me not to, she snuggled deeper into my chest.
We were still naked under the blanket.
The soft sensation against my skin felt even more distinct.
“We have to get up now, Doah.”
I wished we could stay another day.
When I gently shook her shoulder, she groggily opened her eyes, and the first word she uttered was…
“…Water.”
“Huh?”
“…Get me some water.”
She must have been really thirsty.
It was the first time I'd seen her ask for water right after waking up, so I quickly got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
I opened it and held it out to her, but Doah, her eyes still closed, just pursed her lips.
“…Help me drink.”
Helping her drink wasn't hard, but I was pretty sure she'd spill a lot…
After managing to get Doah to sit up, I placed the water bottle directly in her hand.
“Now, drink.”
“Okay…”
Gulp, gulp.
The sound of water going down her throat.
Doah finally seemed to be waking up, and she gave me a bashful smile.
“…Good morning, Oppa.”
“Yeah. Good morning.”
Her makeup was gone and her hair was a mess, but in that moment, she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.
“What time is it?”
“A little past ten.”
Checkout was at eleven.
It seemed we only had enough time for a quick shower.
“I guess we have to go…”
She said that, but then tried to sneakily lie back down.
I quickly reached out and stopped her.
“If you keep this up, we'll have to leave without showering.”
“Do you not like me when I'm grimy?”
That was a cheap shot.
It seemed Doah knew exactly how cute she was and was using it to her advantage.
“Maybe I don't like it when you're grimy?”
I'd said something I didn't mean, trying to get her to move, but…
“…Really?”
Instead of answering, Doah mumbled something and threw herself into my arms.
“I still like you even when you're grimy…”
Her arms wrapped limply around my waist.
“How could you be so mean…”
The way she said it made me feel like I was the bad guy.
“No, that's not it.”
“You're mean…”
She didn't even listen to my reply, driving the nail in the coffin.
But I realized she didn't mean it just a moment later.
Because as she lay back down, her eyes were already closed again.
“…Hey. Kim Doah.”
Sigh.
If she was going to be like this, I had an idea of my own.
I'd never done it before, but today, I felt like I could.
Besides, I decided that a little force was necessary.
With one arm behind her back and the other under her thighs, I lifted her up in one swift motion.
“Eeeh?”
Doah's eyes went wide, as if she had no idea what was about to happen to her.
“I'll wash you myself.”
I kicked the bathroom door open and turned on the shower.
*
Perhaps we were fated to check out late.
Despite my drastic measures, we couldn't avoid being late.
No, in fact, the drastic measures might have been the problem.
Because until now, I'd never realized just how sensual an act it was to wash each other while naked.
If the night was about moving in a haze of passion, the sober morning offered a much clearer stimulation.
“Thank you.”
After apologizing for being late and returning the key, we walked slowly to the bus stop.
White puffs of breath rose from our lips as we walked side by side, holding hands.
“…Did you have fun?”
Doah stopped walking and asked, looking toward the ski resort.
“Of course.”
It was so obvious that saying it would be a waste of breath.
“What was the most fun part?”
Unlike before, I hesitated to answer.
It wasn't because I didn't know the answer.
It was just that saying it out loud was a little…
When I replaced my answer with an awkward laugh, Doah whispered in a voice so quiet I could barely hear her.
“…Pervert.”
I didn't bother denying it.
And if you really thought about it, Doah was the one to blame.
I used to be a 2D-only guy, you know?
I didn't even watch 3D videos…
But I guess I'd come too far to complain about how unfair it was.
“Then what was your favorite part?”
I wanted to ask her in return.
Would she give a wholesome answer, like skiing was the best part?
But considering the fuss she made about the instructor yesterday, I doubted it.
And honestly, my skiing skills were so pathetic, it would be hard to say it was fun even as a joke.
“Everything.”
Doah tried to brush it off with the most anticlimactic answer.
But I didn't mind her answer, so I let it be.
“Everything I did with you was great.”
As if cringing at her own words, Doah's fingers fidgeted in my palm.
“Still, if we come back next year, I hope that damn ski instructor isn't here.”
Looking annoyed, Doah kicked at a clump of snow in front of her.
“Maybe we should just go sledding next year instead.”
“Yeah, that's not a bad idea.”
If I was going to be tumbling down a hill anyway, I might as well do it comfortably on a sled.
With me carrying Doah's bag and her carrying mine, we walked across the partially snow-covered asphalt and reached the parking lot where the buses were gathered.
We boarded the bus to Seoul, found seats in the very back corner, and started talking about how to spend the rest of Doah's vacation.
“First of all, malatang is a must, you know.”
“We already talked about that, so that's a given.”
“Um… and…”
As if she'd already organized her thoughts, Doah opened the notepad on her phone and eagerly listed all the things she wanted to do.
“I don't think we can do all of that.”
“You think so?”
“We'd need another week of vacation to get through that list.”
Having fun was great, but it would be foolish to spend the entire week just playing around.
She definitely needed days to rest, too.
It was a chance to recharge, and who knew when she'd get another one.
No matter how much she enjoyed spending time with me, she also needed time to just stay cooped up at home and relax.
“Then on the last day, I'll just stay home with you.”
She organized her calendar and nodded with a satisfied look on her face.
“Okay. Let's stay home.”
“And I'm not cooking. We're ordering in.”
“I love delivery.”
She cooked more often than I did, so in terms of frequency, I ordered delivery far more.
“More than my cooking?”
“Your cooking is the best, of course.”
This must be what they call a white lie.
It was hard for homemade food without any artificial seasonings to beat delivery.
“Then I'll just cook for you that day, too! What do you want to eat?”
Something must have gotten lost in translation, because her eyes started sparkling.
“…Let's just order in so you don't waste your energy.”
When I gave an awkward smile, Doah pinched my thigh once before resting her head on my shoulder.
Since the ride back would take over three hours anyway, we decided to sleep again.
After dozing off and on, we finally arrived in Seoul.
Doah and I got off the bus, grabbed our bags, and went inside the terminal.
“Ugh. After being on a bus for so long, we have to get on another one.”
She stretched, her tone filled with exasperation.
“Should we take a taxi?”
If Doah said she was tired, taking a taxi was an option.
“Nah, it's fine. It's not that far anyway.”
Doah said she was going to the restroom for a minute, so I leaned against a wall and pulled out my phone.
Just as I was thinking how empty it felt without any stream notifications from Luka-tan,
-Bzzzzzt-
It was an unknown number.
I usually don't answer calls from local area codes or numbers starting with 070, but since it was clearly a personal cell phone number, I hesitated for a moment before answering.
[“Hello?”]
[“Ah, yes. Is this Han Taemin?”]
A young man's voice came from the other end of the line.
[“Yes, speaking.”]
[“Ah, my name is Kim Dohoon. I'm a manager calling about the YM casting offer for you.”]
[“Oh… right…”]
I didn't expect them to call so soon.
[“Is now a good time to talk?”]
I saw Doah walking toward me in the distance.
[“No, I'll call you back later.”]
For now, I wanted to forget about work and just be with Doah a little longer.