Business Trip - 7
Waiting for me outside the door was a woman dressed in a sharp suit.
Her black hair fell to her shoulders, with a slight wave at the ends that curled inward. Beneath that, she had sharp, piercing eyes that seemed to glare at everything. Her long, slender legs, which looked stunning in that slim-fit suit, were quite impressive... hmm.
If you ignore the fact that her hair was a bit shorter, she looked remarkably like Jia. Her eyes were a bit more fierce, but it wasn't a huge difference. Honestly, if a stranger saw them, they wouldn't even doubt it if someone called them sisters.
"Oh, you're Ms. Song Ain, right?"
She seemed quite surprised that I called her by name; her eyes widened, and she nodded.
"You remembered my name."
"We're working together, even if it's just for a short while."
I couldn't exactly tell her it was because she looked like my wife, so I just mumbled a vague excuse. Honestly, aside from a few representatives, I didn't remember any of the other staff at all. Even when I tried to recall them, their faces were just a blur. They all had faces like the living dead, exhausted beyond belief. The atmosphere and everything else just made them all look the same.
Come to think of it, Ain was like that at first, too. I remember she used to have her bangs grown out long, perhaps to hide those sharp eyes, which gave her an even gloomier vibe than the others. Oh, she must have trimmed her bangs. They were covering half her face before. And she took off her glasses, too. Her smile had become much more natural. As expected, it's better to show your face confidently than to hide it.
Jia was the same; she used to worry about her sharp eyes and tried to hide them, but it only backfired. She once told me that showing them off confidently is less burdensome for the other person and better for making a good impression.
Ain, who had no way of knowing my personal musings, seemed satisfied with my vague response, thankfully.
"I'm glad. Everyone else couldn't recognize me without my name tag."
Well, if there's a name tag, you don't have to go through the trouble of memorizing names. Especially in a relationship like this, where we aren't even colleagues and will be strangers the moment the work is done.
If she didn't look like Jia, I wouldn't have bothered to remember her name either.
"But, you're here early? I heard the work wasn't starting for another two hours..."
"Yes. That's why I came to pick you up."
"Pardon?"
"...?"
Ain tilted her head, as if she couldn't understand my reaction at all. What is this feeling of unease? A sudden chill began to creep over me, and I hurriedly checked the time.
I was hoping it wasn't what I thought, but—oh, crap! Two hours and thirty minutes had already passed! Had I really lost track of time while jerking off?
"H-have you been waiting long? Did you come because I was so late..."
She must have come to get me since there hadn't been any contact for thirty minutes! I was scolding myself for checking the obvious, but Ain shook her head unexpectedly.
"I was under the impression that the meeting time had been pushed back by three hours. Didn't you get the message?"
"Message...?"
Ah, there it was. A message. The client had sent one saying that since most of the staff and I were in a state where it wouldn't be strange if we collapsed at any moment, we should rest for another hour before starting. They said since it was just a matter of touching up the final draft, we could afford that much leeway.
Was I not even looking at this? Seriously?
"..."
"..."
"...Uh, why don't you come inside for now? I'm not ready yet, so you'll have to wait a bit."
It was a ten-minute walk to the office. It would take me about ten minutes to get ready, so I still had time. Not resting was my own fault. More than that, wow! If Ain hadn't come thirty minutes early, I would have been in real trouble. I would have panicked, thinking I was way past the appointment time, and rushed out, likely making a mistake somewhere.
"I'll get the materials organized in a second, so please have a seat and wait!"
"Understood."
I left Ain on the sofa and immediately started gathering the documents needed for the work. It was a good thing I had already organized the meeting notes. If I hadn't even done that, what would I have done? No, wait—what am I saying? I'm an idiot for not even checking the time! I should have checked one last time before finishing!
I need to check if anything is missing even now—ugh!
...My vision is blurring. Fatigue is washing over me. Well, I've been wasting my stamina since last night, so it would be strange if I weren't exhausted. Haa, please, get a grip, Seunghyun! You dug this grave yourself, so grit your teeth and endure it.
I was whipping myself to move, even as my body begged to sleep, when suddenly, a *clatter!* sound echoed.
Startled, I turned my head to see Ain standing up from her seat.
"Ain?"
"...I'll borrow the restroom for a moment."
I stared blankly at Ain as she hurried toward the bathroom. What was that? Was it urgent? Judging by the sound, it seemed like she had bumped into the table while standing up, but... hmm?
Did I forget something? I feel like there was something important.
...Maybe it's because my head is throbbing, but I can't think of it. It probably isn't anything important; that's why I can't remember it. Stop thinking about other things and hurry up with the preparations.
***
Side: Seunghyun -> Ain
It was an accident. Seeing Seunghyun's smartphone while tidying up the desk. The phone lighting up just as a message arrived. Seeing the photo set as the background. The only thing that could be called intentional was that I couldn't take my eyes off the photo when I should have just looked away and pretended I hadn't seen it.
A photo of the couple looking happy together. Seeing them embracing each other with smiles so bright it looked like they had the whole world made me feel warm inside.
I'm envious. I used to think I might be able to have a love like that someday, too. But as I grew older, my conviction only grew that such happiness would never find me.
My sharp, glaring eyes. Added to that, my stiff expression made most people I encountered feel uncomfortable. Even my ex-boyfriend...
"What are you so annoyed about?"
"Did I do something to upset you?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
I was just looking at him because I liked him...
After being dumped by my boyfriend like that, I always tried to hide my eyes. By growing out my bangs or wearing glasses. To the point where walking with my head bowed became a habit. I lived my life looking only at people's feet to avoid making eye contact as much as possible. I thought, *if they call me gloomy, so be it.*
...She looks like me.
Seunghyun's wife. She's a beauty. Even as a woman, my first thought was how pretty she was. It might be self-centered, but she looked like me. It felt so familiar, as if she could have been the older sister I never had.
Especially her eyes. The sharp, glaring part of her eyes was incredibly similar. The only difference was that Seunghyun's wife showed off the very thing I considered my biggest complex without hiding it at all.
How can she smile like that while showing off those eyes that only make people uncomfortable?
"That's my wife."
I was so focused on the photo that I didn't even realize Seunghyun had returned. I bowed my head, apologizing as I scrambled to put distance between us. It was as good as stealing a look at someone else's phone. He must have been annoyed. What if he said he couldn't work with me because of this? Such anxious thoughts flooded my mind, and I couldn't bring myself to look up. And if he saw my eyes and got even more annoyed...!
"...Come to think of it,"
Seunghyun, having realized something, murmured a short sentence and approached me. What is it? Did I see something I shouldn't have? He's not really going to say he can't work with me, is he?
My breathing grew shallow with anxiety and worry, but then Seunghyun's hand entered my field of vision. Could it be? Just because I looked at a photo? That Seunghyun, really? There's no way the Seunghyun who always greeted me with a kind smile would do that... No. Even a good person has their limits. And I had crossed that line. Yes, if me getting hit once meant there would be no setbacks in the work, that was for the best. That was best, so I...
"Ah, as I thought, you look so much alike."
My eyes were squeezed shut in fear, but to my surprise, Seunghyun's hand was reaching for my glasses. My bangs were swept up along with the glasses. Seunghyun looked directly at my face, now fully exposed without anything to hide it.
"Your eyes are exactly like my wife's. I'd believe it if someone said you were sisters."
He's smiling. Even while looking me in the eye. He shows no sign of being uncomfortable at all. Instead, he looks happy. Why?
"My wife used to hide her face when she was in college, too. Her eyes were so sharp that she'd get into arguments with people for no reason, and it was exhausting."
I'm sure. Regardless of my intentions, a sharp impression is easily seen as rebellious. I'm just looking, but the other person hates it, saying it makes them feel bad.
"But I told her, 'If you do that, I can't see Jia's face, and that would be a shame,' and she laughed, even though she was taken aback. I told her that with that smile, people would like her regardless of her eyes—that I certainly did—and after that, she stopped hiding her face."
...
"It might be meddling, but I think it's better to smile than to force yourself to hide. Ain, you're just as much of a beauty as Jia, my wife. I think it's a waste."
...You don't know anything, talking so easily. What's a waste? I've been living with dog-like memories because of these eyes. Why are you calling this a waste?
Don't make me laugh! I... would I really be better off smiling?
"Yes!"
Decisively. As if it were obvious. Seunghyun answered. While wearing a kind smile, telling me that even a forced smile would suit me much better.
"It suits you well."
If someone else heard this, they might think it's an exaggeration. That it's ridiculous for my heart to be moved just by a little bit of praise. It's ridiculous, but... I was moving.
I began to try to face people with a smiling face, confidently showing the sharp eyes I had wanted to hide so badly. And then, like a lie, the people around me—from those I knew to the many who just passed by—stopped feeling uncomfortable with my sharp gaze. Some even said they didn't recognize me because I had changed so much. I even heard people say they were surprised I could change like this and that I looked much better now.
Only then could I realize it. I could change. I had changed. All thanks to Seunghyun pushing me from behind. I was able to change like this because of you.
I wanted to show Seunghyun the changed me. That's why I came thirty minutes early under the guise of picking him up. I also had a small hope that he'd be surprised. I even left my name tag behind on purpose, wanting to see him flustered because he couldn't recognize me like everyone else.
But Seunghyun betrayed that expectation and recognized me immediately, calling my name. Even people who had known me for a long time hadn't recognized me, but this man knew me right away. I thought I'd be disappointed that he wasn't surprised at all, but I found myself happy instead.
I see. I... have harbored feelings for Seunghyun. A married man who already has a wife. Even knowing it's wrong, my heart moves on its own. Just thinking about Seunghyun makes my heart swell.
Today is the same. I came to pick him up under the excuse of work because I wanted to see him. I didn't expect to end up in his room, though. He didn't notice I was nervous, did he? Or that I was looking around, excited like a child?
Is it a relief? It seems Seunghyun made a mistake with the time. He's busy preparing in a rush and isn't paying any attention to me at all. Is it my greed that makes me feel a little sad about that? Once this job is over, it will be difficult to meet Seunghyun...
I don't know how to meet people without the excuse of work. Then, at least while we're working together... no, I can't do that. I'm not such a fool that I can't distinguish between public and private matters because I'm swayed by my emotions.
...Then what should I do? My feelings are only growing, and I don't know what to do. Isn't there some excuse that could keep us connected even after the work is done?
Did God hear my wish? What entered my field of vision as I looked around were smooth, red and orange objects. Like water balloons inflated tightly with milk instead of water...
Condoms.
And there were two of them, sitting on the table as if to show themselves off.
Why? Why are these here? It doesn't take much thought to realize that a married man away from home for work simply satisfied his sexual desires. Three hours—no, Seunghyun thought it was two hours. Since he had some free time, he must have done it in the short interval to relieve stress or whatever else.
My visit was sudden, and he must have forgotten to clean them up because he was in a hurry due to the confusion about the time. In any case, the conclusion is that it was a mistake. Seunghyun used these condoms to masturbate and forgot to put them away. I just need to pretend I don't know, pretend I didn't see them. So we don't feel embarrassed, so it's not awkward. If I just close my eyes, there's no problem at all. None at all.
"...I'll borrow the restroom for a moment."
I entered the bathroom and locked the door immediately. With the condoms full of Seunghyun's semen in my hand.
"Haa...! Haa...! I've done it...!"
My heart is racing like crazy. It's beating so fast it feels like my heart is right next to my ear. *Thump-thump!* My head is ringing with the sound of my heartbeat. It feels like every nerve in my body is on edge. It's the same heart-pounding feeling I had the day I bought a ticket from a scalper for twice the price because I wanted to see my favorite idol's concert. No, it's beating even more violently than then. I am expecting something right now.
"Amazing...! It's heavy, and it's still warm...!"
Two condoms sloshing in my hand. Even if there are two, could they really be this heavy? My ex-boyfriend's condoms didn't even inflate; they only had a little bit in the tip. Was it supposed to come out like this, as if a water balloon were filled with milk? Is that what semen is?
No, this definitely isn't normal. My ex-boyfriend was the average one, and Seunghyun's ejaculation volume must be abnormally high. If he could make condoms look like balloons twice over, wouldn't he be in the top tier even on a global level? I don't know the global standards, but even in AV productions, I've never seen an ejaculation volume like this. Even if it existed, it was just a trick—cutting the video, showing a fake one filled up, or attaching a tube to the penis to inflate the condom.
Anyway, I've reconfirmed that Seunghyun's ejaculation volume is incredible.
"If something like this went inside, any woman would be 100% pregnant... Ugh?!"
I hurriedly pulled down my pants as I brought the condom toward my lower abdomen. A transparent thread stretched stickily between my crotch and my pants, as if to say it was already too late. The woman's juice, which my panties couldn't absorb, began to flow down my thighs.
"No way, I didn't even touch myself..."
I can't believe I'm this wet. I thought I wasn't the type to get wet easily. It feels unfair when I think of the past, where I struggled because I wouldn't get wet even after spending time on foreplay and reaching a climax.
"I'm getting aroused, aren't I..."
There's no need to ask why. What's in my hand right now. A condom inflated tightly with Seunghyun's seed. I can tell just by the way my lower abdomen is ringing deep inside every time I feel the weight of the condom. I want what's inside this thin rubber membrane. The woman in me, the female in me, is screaming for it.
"...I'm envious."
I'm agonizing over what to do with what's in my hand, but his wife, Seunghyun's wife, wouldn't have to worry about this at all. If she wanted to, she wouldn't need a condom like this; she could receive it directly from Seunghyun. Lying in the same bed, whispering words of love. She could beg him to get her pregnant. Feeling the fulfillment of a woman while being ejaculated into with this massive amount of sperm, filling her womb...
"Haa..."
My vaginal fluid stretched stickily between my fingers and my panties. Imagining Seunghyun and his wife sharing love, I... I ended up fondling my pussy. I made my fingers dig into the space between my labia, which were swollen enough to be felt through my panties. Even though Seunghyun was just beyond the door, I masturbated.
"Ugh..."
But my fingers weren't enough to satisfy me. Instead, the more I touched myself, the more my desperate impatience grew. If I don't find relief like this, I feel like I'll be tingling all day long... But I hate the idea of being wet in front of other people, no matter what.
"..."
A thought suddenly occurred to me. The method to stop the flow in the most pleasurable way right now. But because it was such an absurd method, I had no choice but to agonize over it, and I reflexively looked at the condom in my hand.