The Scent That Heals
My ipdeot was worse today, Oppa. But strangely, as soon as I smell Oppa’s scent, it doesn’t happen at all. I felt sorry for having failed to care for Chohee the way I should have. After all, it wouldn’t do to bring her to a place bustling with people and thick with popcorn for her morning sickness. Yet Chohee still gently wrapped my hand in her warmth. “So then, Oppa, will you heal my ipdeot for me?” Before I could even understand what she meant, Chohee moved first. She grasped my T-shirt tightly and pulled. I followed helplessly. Before I knew it, I was lying on top of her body. It was as if I was covering her completely. In that slanted, intertwined position, we pressed together. “You’re so heavy, Oppa.” “Ah, I’m sorry, sorry!” Instinctively I rolled to her side. Chohee’s double bed wasn’t big enough for two people. Here we lay shoulder to shoulder like a man and a woman. What kind of situation was this? “I’ll just take a whiff of Oppa’s scent.” Chohee turned her head my way and rolled onto her back. The positions had reversed this time. Instead of her belly, her hand rested on my chest. My heart felt like it would burst. Whether she knew or not, Chohee pressed her face to my shoulder and inhaled deeply. She took in my body scent. It felt as though she was stealing even my breath. I squirmed and pressed myself against the wall. “Chohee. I’m really sweaty because I rushed over.” “I know. Oppa’s sweat scent is so strong.” “But it’s okay?” “Yeah.” “Then maybe I should shower?” “No. The shampoo scent makes my ipdeot worse.” Chohee took my arm and tucked it behind her head. In an instant I became a human teddy bear. She dug in even deeper. “Mmm. Oppa’s sweat scent is really pungent.” It was pungent. Chohee’s nose was right in front of my armpit. At times like this, I had no choice but to sweat. Moreover, Chohee hadn’t turned on the air conditioner. The wind from the fan spinning lazily only made my excitement worse. “Hey, it’s gross. What if your sweat gets on me?” “You have sweat scent too. Is it gross?” There was no way. How could Song Chohee’s sweat ever be gross? The moment I stepped into Chohee’s house, I was intoxicated beyond words. Her scent always smelled only good to me. Even now, that body scent was sweeter than any fruit. Of course, in this context, “sweet” carried a complex meaning. Yes, it was too much to call it simply sweet—a woman’s body scent. A bit tart, somehow. A scent that stirred up reproductive DNA. That must be pheromones. And that was Chohee’s sweat scent. It was addictively dangerous. “No. I like Chohee’s sweat scent too.” Chohee gave a slight smile. The smile was the signal I needed. I slipped out of the teddy-bear position and turned to face her. Chohee’s cardigan hung loosely open. Her porcelain shoulders were slender. Beneath them, delicate collarbones like thin wine-glass stems. Her skin looked moist with sweat as if she had applied lotion. Swish, whoosh. Swish, whoosh. With every deep breath I took of her scent, her chest rose and fell. The thin camisole straps looked fragile. The overlapped bra straps. The soft breaths sounded so close it was hard to tell if they were mine or hers. The unique scent only Chohee possessed. For a moment I let the trembling sensation wash over my entire body, then I raised my arms. I pulled Chohee into my embrace. My chin met her forehead. Chohee’s chest pressed against my ribs. I pulled her back even stronger. Her bare leg rose onto my thigh. In that way, we became the only sticky, erotic teddy bear in the world, clinging to each other. And we devoured each other’s scents as stubbornly as animals searching for oxygen in space. **** The humming air purifier, distant car sounds, and elevator noises. And Chohee’s breath tickling my neck. How long had Chohee and I been quietly breathing together? “Oppa. Sorry, but can I rest comfortably?” It hurt too much. I had wanted to hold her all night even if she sweated or felt sticky. But since Chohee’s condition came first, I moved my arms. “Ah, yeah. Should I get up now?” “No, not that.” Again she pulled me back down. Chohee reached her hand behind my back. I was sure she’d stop there, but a grown woman was slipping her hand inside her clothes. The fidgeting behind her back… “My breasts are swollen because I’m pregnant, so it’s a bit uncomfortable.” Chohee smiled bashfully. A “thump” sound echoed. My groin felt like a vein had burst with a “bang.” Chohee again draped her arm over my side and hugged me. I tucked my hips back as far as I could to minimize contact. At that moment my excitement was extreme. My pants were at the exact height of Chohee’s navel, and she was freeing her bra while pressed against me. I couldn’t have imagined anything like that. “Then… is it better?” “Yeah. I couldn’t even put on makeup because it was too painful, but this has to be done…” Ah, women have to worry about these parts too. Not just their faces, but their chests. “I had no choice but to put on underwear because I came in a hurry.” “Yeah, sorry.” “Sorry for what? I was the one who couldn’t take care of that.” “Oppa must be uncomfortable too.” At that moment I felt Chohee’s thigh pressing against my groin. Since when had she been doing this? After all, how could a couple this beautiful be lying in bed alone, breathing only against each other without it happening? Since we were already caught, I decided to brazen it out. Chohee’s nose tip touched my chest. “Oppa. This makes us smell like puppies smelling each other’s butts, right?” The small giggle told me Chohee was feeling better. “Yeah, it’s kind of funny.” “What?” “Why the butt scent?” “That’s the most embarrassing spot, isn’t it? We’ve shown everything there, so we’re even.” It was a claim I’d never heard before, but it sounded plausible. And it was cute. Imagining the little puppies sniffing each other’s butts and Chohee secretly watching them made my heart melt. “I secretly smelled Oppa’s butt scent before too.” “What nonsense?” “Back in high school when you put on that hemorrhoid cream, I secretly sniffed it.” Another shameful high-school memory resurfaced. I had really suffered through my senior year. And the proctologist had definitely told me: “It’s not embarrassing. Be proud.” “Hey, hey. How many times did I shower after that?” “No, it was me?” I had been in real pain back then, yet I had scrubbed every wrinkle there with all my might. I swear I never did anything perverted like deliberately spreading the scent. I’m a normal guy. “Better kill me. I should have solved it alone back then.” “Back then you were really cute, Oppa. The scent was cute too.” I had to change the subject. “Anyway, seeing you teasing around, you must be feeling better, right?” “Yeah. Now it’s comfortable.” “Then shouldn’t we eat something? Want me to buy you porridge?” “I have porridge at home. Yawn, I’m sleepy. Just twenty more minutes, then you go.” “Just sleep? Don’t you need to drink water?” “I’m tired. I’ll think about watching a movie this weekend.” With a soft sigh, Chohee’s eyes closed. I followed suit. I diligently stored Chohee’s sparkling features in my eyes as if searching for every change over five years. She had definitely said she couldn’t wear makeup, hadn’t she? Yet how was there not even a single beauty mark on her face? Her eyelashes were fuller than a doll’s, her nose perfectly straight. Even her red lips, as red as mine, would never tire me to look at for the whole day. I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting downward by force. It wasn’t as if they were burning, but just looking was fine, right? Over the low neckline of her camisole, Chohee’s upper breasts rose boldly. The two breasts seemed to be fiercely pushing each other, creating deep cleavage. Although round, they were like enormous glutinous rice cakes. Through them peeked a black bra that looked looser now that it had been untied. Inside, how beautiful was the female body? The most sublime curve in the world that only women possess. If there was something that brought peace to the warring males of the species, it had to be a woman’s breasts. I swallowed dryly. Like a wild male reaching rutting season. Or like a child craving its mother’s milk. **** The door lock clicked shut and Song Chohee’s eyes opened. Kwon Taejung moved exactly twenty minutes later as promised. The moment Taejung left, she felt even lonelier. Song Chohee slowly sat up and looked around the room. The towels and tissue pile that had been scattered on the floor were gone. From long ago, cleaning had always been Taejung’s strong point. Seeing the neatly arranged air conditioner remote, lip balm, and earphones on the desk, Chohee gave a small smile. In fact, she had deliberately pretended to sleep. She wanted to feel Taejung completely, as if they were one body, without unnecessary conversation. That was why her ipdeot had vanished as if it had never been there. Her appetite even returned, and she took out salad from the fridge and placed it on the table. Crunch, crunch, crunch. She chewed and swallowed the vegetables a little at a time. It tasted good. Even the faint scent of orange felt refreshing. She easily swallowed the boiled egg too. After all, that had always been the case in school. No matter how much she thought she would collapse from menstrual cramps, she felt better the moment she met Taejung. Even if she took several painkillers, it did nothing. How strange. Yet on the other hand, Song Chohee felt regret. It was a chance meeting, after all, and she hadn’t meant to reveal her pregnancy in the first place. She knew Taejung’s personality better than anyone. Now Taejung would take care of himself more than he took care of her, and he would sacrifice without hesitation. He would push her aside using the excuse of “older brother” and “brother.” But then, how would twenty-five-year-old, fresh-faced Taejung’s life turn out? He wouldn’t be able to date, and he wouldn’t spend money on himself. Who knew? He might even be pointed at for dating a kid who didn’t even know about reproduction. She didn’t want that even if she died. Song Chohee cleared her bowl and muttered to herself. “Sigh. Human relationships really need healthy distance.” Yet she couldn’t stop imagining Taejung’s movie date.