The Invisible Door
Liria’s face went pale in an instant.
The voices outside the door belonged to the same guards from earlier. This time their numbers seemed to have grown.
She hurriedly pulled the shoulder strap of her dress back into place and swept her disheveled silver hair behind her ear. A flush still lingered on her cheeks, and the insides of her thighs remained damp.
In a low voice she whispered to Siwoo,
“Go into the inner room. Don’t make a sound, no matter what.”
Siwoo barely managed to tug his pants up before slipping into the small room she indicated. The moment the door was nearly shut, Liria drew a steadying breath and opened the front door of the house.
Torchlight spilled into the interior. Four guards stood waiting. The man in front raked his gaze over Liria with sharp suspicion.
“You don’t look well. What are you hiding?”
Liria answered with carefully feigned calm.
“Nothing at all. I was simply startled by your sudden visit.”
One of the men wrinkled his nose and peered past her into the house.
“The smell is off. For a place where a woman lives alone… there’s the scent of a man’s sweat mixed with something else.”
Liria’s ears twitched faintly, but she kept her expression composed.
“You’re mistaken. I’ve been home all day.”
A guard took a step as if to enter. Liria quickly blocked the doorway halfway and said,
“You may not come in uninvited. This is a woman’s house, and I live alone.”
The man snorted.
“The mana reaction has been confirmed. There’s a high chance it’s connected to that strange door that appeared in the stone wall. If you refuse to cooperate, we’ll search by force.”
Siwoo watched through the crack of the door, jaw clenched. If they discovered he was here, Liria would be in danger too.
Then Liria glanced once toward the room where he hid. Resolve flickered through her eyes. She suddenly sighed and said,
“…All right. I did see a strange door a little while ago. It’s on the stone wall behind the house. I’ll show you.”
The guards exchanged looks. The lead man decided to follow her, still wary.
“Lead the way.”
Liria guided them around the back of the house. Seizing the moment, Siwoo carefully opened the inner door and stepped out. He caught the small hand signal she had left for him.
Run to the door.
He jammed his shoes on, slipped out of the house, and raced back along the stone path they had first taken. Beneath the twin moons the stone wall with the door came into view. The portal still stood open.
Just as Siwoo was about to cross the threshold, Liria’s voice rang out behind him.
“Siwoo!”
She was running toward him alone. The guards must still have been farther back. She reached him breathless, her dress still rumpled, the earlier flush still coloring her face.
“Take me with you. They’re going to find this door soon.”
Siwoo seized her hand and they stepped across the threshold together. The familiar fluorescent light of the convenience-store storeroom stabbed their eyes. He slammed the door shut at once and locked it from the inside.
A solid click sounded, and the guards’ shouts from the otherworld side cut off abruptly. The door had become completely invisible.
In the dim storeroom Siwoo and Liria stood close, both breathing hard. Every time her chest brushed his arm, soft warmth pressed against him. She still held his hand and whispered,
“…We made it.”
Siwoo switched on the work light. It revealed Liria’s disheveled state and his own half-open uniform. She glanced down at the front of his pants and gave a small smile.
“There’s still… a little left.”
Her fingers began to slide toward his belt again.
Just then a familiar voice drifted from the glass door of the store.
“Manager~ Still open? I’m back again.”
It was Sera, purple hair gleaming.
Siwoo hurriedly straightened his clothes inside the storeroom. Liria pulled her dress strap up and smoothed her silver hair. The heat and scent of what they had just done still clung to both of them.
When they stepped out into the store proper, someone was already knocking on the glass.
“Manager~ Still open? I’m back again.”
Sera stood outside, purple hair unmistakable. Siwoo reflexively pushed Liria back toward the storeroom and said in a low voice,
“Stay there a moment. Don’t come out, no matter what.”
Liria nodded and hid behind the storeroom door. Siwoo took a breath, unlocked the glass door, and stepped outside, closing it firmly behind him so Sera could not enter.
She stood in her mini skirt exactly as before, smiling up at him.
“Manager, you left so suddenly earlier… my body still hasn’t cooled down. Can I come inside?”
Siwoo shook his head firmly.
“Not right now. I’m doing inventory. I have to lock up.”
Sera pouted and caught the collar of his uniform. Her perfume drifted close.
“You still look a little worked up, Manager. Want to finish with me? We can do it in the car if you want.”
He gently removed her hand.
“That’s enough for today. Come back tomorrow.”
Sera narrowed her eyes and studied him. After a long look she gave a short laugh.
“Fine. If the manager says so, I can’t force it. I’ll come back late tomorrow night. When I do… leave the door unlocked and wait for me.”
She brushed the front of his pants with a light, deliberate stroke and whispered,
“Tomorrow I’ll be rougher.”
Then she swayed off down the alley, mini skirt fluttering, the click of her heels fading into the distance. Siwoo waited until she was completely gone before returning inside, locking the door, and rejoining Liria in the storeroom.
He let out a quiet breath.
“She’s gone. For a while, even if she comes back, I won’t open the door.”
Liria asked carefully,
“That woman… is she from your world?”
Siwoo gave a short nod.
“Yeah. And I didn’t say a word about you. The two worlds can’t mix.”
Liria exhaled in relief. She stepped closer and spoke softly.
“Thank you. I almost got you into trouble.”
They stood looking at each other in the dim storeroom. Beyond the locked door no sound came; the portal was invisible from the otherworld side.
Liria gently brushed dust from his collar and whispered,
“Siwoo… may I stay a little longer? I don’t know what will happen to the door, and… I’m still afraid to go back just yet.”
Siwoo looked down at her face. Under the fluorescent light her silver hair and the lingering flush on her cheeks stood out clearly. The heat they had shared still hung between them.
He nodded slowly.
“…Just a little while.”
Liria smiled and took his wrist. Her fingers slid across the back of his hand. Siwoo did not close his own around hers; he simply let the light touch remain. The storeroom was quiet, only the faint fluorescent glow from the main store illuminating them. With the door locked, no customers could enter.
Liria spoke carefully.
“Siwoo. This door… what do you plan to do with it from now on?”
He thought a moment before answering.
“I’ll keep it locked for now. Open it only when you need it. No one else can come and go freely.”
Liria nodded.
“I agree. The guards in my world are already suspicious. If the door opens too often, they’ll find it quickly.”
She tugged lightly at the sleeve of his uniform and drew closer. The sweet floral scent rose again.
“Still… sometimes I want to open it. I’m curious about the things in your store. And… about you.”
At her last words Siwoo’s gaze dropped. Her dress was still not fully set to rights; one shoulder strap had slipped down her arm. The soft curve of her breast rose and fell with each breath.
He asked in a low voice,
“The goods… you can buy those with gold coins. But why are you curious about me?”
Liria’s cheeks colored as she answered.
“Because what I felt with your body just now… it was the first time. I can’t seem to forget it. My mouth, and down below… they still tingle.”
She took his hand and guided it to her waist. Soft flesh met his palm through the thin fabric of the dress. Slowly she drew his hand lower, past the line of her hip to the back of her thigh.
“I want your hands… to touch me more than before.”
Siwoo swallowed and closed his fingers around her waist. Liria drew a thin breath and leaned her upper body against him. Their bodies pressed together; her breasts cushioned softly against his chest. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered,
“I… still don’t want to go back. May I stay beside you a little longer?”
Instead of answering, Siwoo gently lifted her chin. Her eyes trembled close to his. When he slowly brought his face nearer, she did not pull away.
Their lips met—lightly at first, then deeply. Liria’s hands slid around his back and clenched the fabric of his uniform. As the kiss lengthened her breathing quickened and her body began to warm. When Siwoo’s hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress and stroked the inner thigh, a soft moan escaped between her lips.
“Haa… Siwoo…”
She reached for the front of his pants and cupped the hardness that had already returned.
“It’s… like this again.”
Liria lowered the zipper and freed him herself. Wrapping her palm around the hot length, she stroked slowly up and down. When Siwoo eased her dress off her shoulders, her pale breasts spilled free, the soft pink nipples already tight. He took one into his mouth and teased it with his tongue; Liria’s hips trembled.
“Nnh… haaah…”
She pressed him gently back against the storeroom wall, then hiked her own dress to her waist. She wore no panties. The pink flesh, already glistening wet, caught the fluorescent light. She guided him to her entrance and rubbed the tip slowly against herself.
“May I… put it in?”
Siwoo nodded. Liria lowered her hips and took him in, inch by careful inch. Each time she sank farther her inner walls clenched tight around him, hot and slick, until he was fully sheathed.
“Uuh… it’s… all the way in…”
Seated fully, she twisted her hips side to side. Her breasts swayed; Siwoo lifted his hands and filled them with the soft flesh. Then she began to move, rising and falling. Wet sounds filled the storeroom. When Siwoo thrust upward from below, her silver hair swung wildly.
“Siwoo… there… it’s too deep… haaak!”
Her pace quickened. Her insides fluttered and contracted; hot fluid spilled out, soaking the place where they joined. When Siwoo neared his limit he gripped her waist and drove deep. They climaxed almost together. Liria buried her face against his shoulder and cried out softly while he pulsed inside her, spilling everything he had.
For a long time they leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Liria slowly rose, letting him slip free. The mixed fluids ran down her thighs. She rested against his chest again and murmured,
“…I think it’s settled a little now.”
Siwoo stroked her back. She lifted her head and smiled at him—shy, yet thoroughly satisfied. After straightening her clothes she gave his lips one last light kiss.
“Let’s meet again… next time too.”
Siwoo unlocked the door. With a click it opened, and the night air of the otherworld and its twin moons flowed back into the storeroom. Liria stood on the threshold and looked back at him. A flush still colored her cheeks; her silver hair was slightly mussed.
“Then… I’ll go now. Siwoo, don’t forget to lock the door again.”
He nodded. Just as she was about to step fully through, torchlight wavered along the stone path. The guards were still nearby. Liria’s expression tightened.
Siwoo asked quietly,
“Are you all right? If they catch you—”
She sighed softly.
“This door is visible only to those who possess a certain amount of mana. Those guards can sense mana, but they can’t see the door itself. Even open, it will look like nothing but a wall to them.”
She signaled for him to stay behind the door, then stepped out onto the path. Siwoo left only a narrow crack and watched.
Three guards with torches appeared in front of Liria. The lead man demanded sharply,
“Miss Liria. Where are you going? The mana reaction is still lingering around here.”
She answered calmly.
“I’m on my way home. As I told you earlier, I saw no strange people.”
The man looked over her rumpled dress and tousled silver hair. One of the others ran his hands along the stone wall—right in front of the open door Siwoo was holding. Yet to the guard’s eyes the door did not exist. It felt like ordinary stone. He knocked, swept his palm across it, and found nothing unusual.
“Strange. The mana feels strong right here… yet there’s nothing.”
Another guard tilted his head.
“Could have been a temporary flow. Things like that happen near the forest these days.”
Liria stepped forward naturally.
“That’s very likely. I’ll guide you farther up the path if you wish to search. I pass this way often and I’ve never seen a door—or anything odd.”
The men looked at one another. After a brief silence the leader shrugged.
“…Fine. But if you notice anything strange, report it at once. Odd rumors have been circulating lately.”
Liria bowed politely.
“Of course.”
The guards moved off up the stone path with their torches. Liria remained still until their footsteps faded completely, then hurried back to the door. Siwoo opened it a little wider; she caught her breath and said,
“As you saw… even when the door is open, they can’t see it. Only someone with a certain level of mana can perceive it. Ordinary people don’t even know it exists.”
Siwoo asked,
“Are you really all right? That was close.”
Liria smiled softly.
“I’m fine. That much I can handle.”
She laid her hand over the back of his and added,
“Still… I feel safer because of you. Next time we’ll be more careful when we meet.”
She gave his lips one final light kiss. The soft touch was brief.
“I’ll bring more gold coins later. Then I’ll buy things from the store… and other things as well.”
With a meaningful smile she stepped fully through and vanished. Siwoo watched until she was gone from sight, then closed and locked the door. The solid click settled the connection to the otherworld once more. The storeroom fell quiet again.
Siwoo walked out to the counter and sat. On his palm lingered the warmth Liria had left behind, and the heavy feel of gold coins. The night of Gangnam’s pleasure district was still deep, and his convenience store now held a secret passage that only those with mana could ever perceive.
He murmured low,
“Next time… what should I try selling?”
Beyond the glass, distant neon signs flickered.