Chapter 169: Rope
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: Rope
Choosing someone to confide in was an incredibly difficult task.
They had to be someone who could keep my secret.
And they had to have plenty of dating experience.
Hooo...
After scanning through my contacts, I came back to the same conclusion: Hanbit unnie was the right person to ask. But...
Ah... is this really a good idea...?
I was less worried about the secret getting out to the public and more worried about it spreading internally.
If I told her, it was obvious the other unnies would come flocking, fussing over me like, “Oh my god~ So your super-hot boyfriend is a total perv~ What do we do! What do we do!”
Should I let myself be put on the chopping block?
Or should I just try to solve this on my own?
But... could I really find an answer by worrying about it alone? For something like this...?
If I asked Oppa, the person at the center of it all, he would obviously just deny everything.
Ugh... Why did Oppa have to go and look at something like this and make my life so difficult?
The new app I’d installed on my phone.
[Novel World]
I let out a sigh and sent a DM to my unnie.
[Unnie.]
For a while, there was no reply.
Ah. Maybe it’s better not to say anything.
Just as I was about to delete the message before she saw it, a vibration startled me.
[Yeah? What's up?]
[Nothing. Just wanted to see how you were doing.]
[LMAO]
[Hey, Kim Luka! You never text me unless something's wrong!]
I flinched, feeling like she’d seen right through me, but I decided to play dumb.
[No, really. It’s been a while since we talked, so I was genuinely curious~]
But the reply that came back was...
[Cut the crap. I can tell something's up, so just spit it out.]
Ah, she's ridiculously sharp, this unnie.
That's why I came to her, but still. Ugh... Ah... Hngh... Ugh...
When I actually tried to type out my problem, my fingers wouldn't move.
[Can you talk?]
[For 3 mins.]
A call came through immediately.
With a trembling heart, I pressed the accept button.
[Well, well~ The world-class idol~ Luka-tan, long time no see~]
[Ah, Unnie~ It’s been too long~]
[Hey. You don't even play games with us anymore. Huh? Are you just gonna ditch us? Is that it?]
[Nooo~ But I've been so busy. I have a lot of work to do even when I'm not streaming.]
[And you spend the rest of your time with your boyfriend?]
Her words hit the mark, and I bit my lip in embarrassment.
[Ah... um... Speaking of which, you brought up a good point! There's something I'm curious about.]
[Knew it. What is it? Let's hear it.]
I calmly explained the whole incident with Oppa.
She listened in silence, but she couldn't hold back her laughter, interrupting me several times.
[So? What's the problem?]
[Well... it's... are all guys... normally like this... or is it just my boyfriend... and if they are, what am I supposed to do...?]
I was rambling. Utterly rambling.
Given the subject matter, I couldn't explain it clearly.
[Okay, Luka-tan, first.]
[Yeah.]
[How long have you been with your boyfriend? It was last year, right?]
[It’s been about... six months...? I think...?]
[And how often have you... you know?]
The inside of my mouth went dry.
Right. Advice isn't free.
I had to answer for her to give me a proper response.
[Well, after the first time in the winter, we’ve been doing it... pretty often... I think...]
[Hmm. Well, it's definitely about time things got a little old.]
My facial muscles stiffened at her doctor-like diagnosis.
[...Old?]
[Yeah, right? No matter how much you like each other, you're still the same two people.]
[Th-That's not true! I still like it! I still love doing it with Oppa...]
...What on earth am I even saying?
[That might just be you.]
My world started to shake.
Her words echoed, scrambling my thoughts.
That might just be you. That might just be you. That might just be you. That might just be you. That might just be you. That might just be you. That might just be you.
[Th-Then what do I do!]
I yelled at her in a panic.
[Whoa! My ear! Hey, why are you shouting?]
[Sumimasen... But what do I do... Is Oppa really tired of doing it with me? Is that why he's looking up weird stuff like that?]
Sensing my anxiety, my unnie offered a solution in a gentle voice.
[Well... Doah... hmm... How should I explain this...]
I heard the sound of her clapping her hands once before she continued.
[That's just how it is. After a certain amount of time, it's unavoidable. No matter how delicious a food is, the feeling you get the first time you eat it is different from when you eat it every day, right?]
[...Yeah.]
So she’s saying the passion has cooled.
[But I'm sure something else has blossomed between you two to take its place.]
[Huh?]
[I mean that your relationship is no longer built on simple curiosity. All that time you've spent eating together and going on dates has built up into something more.]
That... was definitely true.
If Oppa were to disappear from my life right now.
If he suddenly told me he wanted to break up.
I can say with certainty that I would be completely unable to function.
[But... should I just let it be, then? Him looking at that stuff?]
[Hey, that's not something you can stop just because you want to. When guys watch that stuff, you just have to accept it.]
[Is that how it is?]
So everyone just pretends not to know.
[But if you really want to confirm whether your boyfriend likes that kind of thing, it's not like there's no way.]
[What is it?]
Sensing that some real, practical advice was coming, I raised my voice and repeated her question.
[Try doing for him what he was watching.]
...Excuse me?
My jaw dropped.
[Are you being serious?]
[Look, I'm only saying this because you said you don't want him to get tired of you. Sometimes, trying a different kind of play is one way to do it. Guys usually like that stuff.]
This was advice from Hanbit unnie, of all people.
[This one guy I used to date wanted to use handcuffs, so we tried that.]
She giggled as she told me such an embarrassing story without a hint of shame.
[Well, as long as you're not against it, you should do it. He definitely won't say no.]
...Is this really the right thing to do?
I logged onto an adult toy website and squeezed my eyes shut.
-Vrrrr-
[Ah, hello?]
[Yeah, Oppa. Are you working late today?]
Not wanting to get caught in the rush of 퇴근시간 (evening commute) and subway crowds, I quickened my pace.
[Nope. I'm on my way home now. Why?]
[Umm... I was thinking of ordering a late-night snack with you later.]
[Ooh, a late-night snack sounds great. What do you want?]
[Pizza.]
My girlfriend, whining that she wanted pizza.
[When do you want to eat? I'll probably get home around... 5:30?]
[I'm still working, so maybe around 10 PM? How does that sound?]
[Sounds good. Should we eat at my place?]
[Nope. My place.]
The location didn't really matter to me, so I readily agreed to her suggestion.
After getting home and showering, I dove onto my bed.
I picked up my phone.
Ah... I'm still tired, though...
No matter how fun it was, a class was still a class.
My commute had been packed, catching the tail end of rush hour.
The only thing that could soothe my weary body and mind was, of course, Luka's clips.
Her second album is coming out tomorrow...
Doah still hadn't shown me the music video, just telling me to look forward to it.
After devouring every last bit of the edited clips from streams I’d already seen live, I took a moment to think.
[I Confined Her.]
Should I finish this...?
Doah had caught me, but I hadn't deleted it yet.
And to be honest, it felt like a waste of money.
I’d already spent over 10,000 won, so I kind of wanted to see it through to the end.
It was arousing, sure, but the story itself was also really interesting. So, with the mindset of just finishing it and then hiding or deleting the app, I continued my binge-read.
When was the last time I’d focused so intensely on the written word?
As I read frantically, time melted away like snow.
Before I knew it, our promised time had arrived. I changed into a tracksuit and got ready to meet Doah.
Of course, I made sure to delete the [Novel World] app.
I trudged up the stairs and reached out to press the doorbell.
I could have just let myself in, but I liked it better when Doah was the one to greet me.
“Can you let yourself in, Oppa?”
Her voice came from the other side of the door.
Figuring she was just busy with something, I did as she said, pressing the passcode and stepping into the entryway.
“What's this? Why are all the lights off?”
The room was pitch-black.
“Close the door and come over here. And don't turn on the lights!”
It sounded like she was on the bed.
It was a series of commands I couldn't quite understand, but I played along, taking off my shoes and fumbling my way through the dark room.
“...Oppa.”
I could only see Doah's silhouette.
But... she... something was...
Is... she even wearing any clothes...?
A rope, not too thick and not too thin, was placed in my hand.