Morning's Reckoning
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Right in front of me, Daeun noona knelt on the bed wearing a white gown. Her face was flushed crimson, and she fidgeted, unsure where to look.
The sheets still bore the evidence of last night—dried semen and vivid traces of blood. What had begun with her half-drunk, almost forceful advance had, at some point, turned into something mutual. We’d spent the night lost in each other’s bodies until she eventually lost consciousness and I collapsed beside her.
Now that we were both awake and sober, the air between us had grown unbearably awkward.
A heavy silence filled the room. I cleared my throat, trying to break the tension.
“Ahem, about your body—”
“I’ll take responsibility!”
Before I could even finish, she squeezed her eyes shut and blurted it out.
“What?”
Startled by the unexpected reply, I stared at her. She covered her face with both hands.
“I don’t remember everything from last night… but I remember most of it.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“It felt so good—”
She caught herself mid-sentence, cheeks burning, and quickly changed the subject.
“A-anyway! I was drunk and did something I shouldn’t have. I’m really sorry…”
She bowed her head deeply on the bed.
If I looked at it coldly, last night could’ve landed someone in jail if the genders were reversed. Still, I’d gotten swept up in the moment too, so it wasn’t entirely one-sided. Even so, the beginning had been very much her initiative.
‘What’s done is done.’
An idea occurred to me—maybe I could turn this situation to my advantage.
I wiped the smile from my face and looked at her seriously.
“How exactly are you planning to take responsibility?”
Her shoulders jumped at the weight of the question. She glanced up at me, then quickly looked down again.
“Th-that’s…”
The composed, in-control noona from yesterday was nowhere to be seen. She fidgeted with her fingers, stumbling over her words.
“This is my first time dealing with something like this, so…”
After letting the silence stretch a little, I got to the point.
“Please keep everything about me and Yuna a secret from the agency and everyone else. No matter what it is.”
She lifted her head at my condition.
“That’s…”
Her brows furrowed slightly.
“Even so, this is my personal matter… I can’t just mix it with work…”
She muttered, clearly torn by her sense of duty as a manager. It was an understandable reaction, so I took a step back and offered a compromise.
“Then, if you ever feel like it’s something you can’t keep to yourself, you can tell the company. But before that, I’d like you to talk to us first.”
She thought it over for a long moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“Haah… If that’s all, then… fine. I understand.”
She nodded reluctantly.
“Like I said yesterday, I never planned on reporting anything about you to the company right away anyway.”
One major hurdle cleared. But there was something even more important I needed to confirm.
I moistened my lips and hesitated for a second, feeling a faint heat rise to my face.
“There’s something I want to ask…”
“Hm?”
“You said you remember what we did last night to some extent, right…?”
At the cautious question, her face went from pale to bright red in an instant. She kept her head bowed and gave a tiny nod.
I swallowed and asked in a tense voice.
“How was it?”
“…Huh?”
“And how do you feel now?”
It wasn’t just a question about the physical act. I was checking whether she, like Yuna and my other ex-girlfriends, had started experiencing that strange phenomenon after being with me.
She covered her cheeks with both hands, unable to meet my eyes.
“N-no… I mean, it’s… my first time, so… that’s…”
Her voice came out barely audible, rambling and incoherent, until she finally forced the words out through her embarrassment.
“It just… felt good… way better than I imagined…”
My heart sank. I clenched my sweat-dampened fists and drove the final nail in.
“Do you… want to do it again?”
She jerked her head up in shock.
“Wh-what! Why would you ask something like that!”
She snapped at me, flustered. But when she saw how serious my expression was, her eyes began to waver. She avoided my gaze, nervously fiddling with the collar of her gown.
“I… I do… want to…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. Shame, shyness, and a quiet longing all bled through.
She bowed so deeply her forehead nearly touched her knees. The side of her face that showed was flushed so red it looked ready to burst.
“Actually… even right now…”
The moment I heard that answer, I knew for certain. The women who slept with me became addicted to me. And the deeper it went, the more likely they were to show withdrawal symptoms like Yuna.
Guilt pressed down on my chest. Last night, I’d been the one who got pushed down—I could call myself a victim. Yet if I’d been firmer, I might’ve kept her from falling into the same trap as Yuna.
Maybe the person who needed to take responsibility for her life wasn’t anyone else but me.
Suppressing the heavy feeling, I spoke carefully.
“Noona, you should probably take the morning-after pill first.”
She looked up, blinking in confusion. Then realization dawned and she waved her hands frantically.
“Ah, the emergency contraceptive! Don’t worry, I’ll take it.”
She tried to sound nonchalant as she continued.
“Still… just in case, I’ll make sure to take it.”
“Please do.”
“Yeah… I will.”
After that exchange, the awkward atmosphere returned. I needed to change the subject.
“What should we tell Yuna?”
She pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh. The two of them had gone out drinking and hadn’t come back until the next morning—definitely suspicious.
“For now…”
She rubbed her temple as she answered.
“Let’s just say we drank all night, had hangover soup in the morning, and went our separate ways. That’d be best.”
“Understood. We’ll go with that.”
I nodded in agreement.
Just then—
Ring ring ring—
The intercom on the bedside table blared loudly. Both of us flinched at the sudden noise.
I cautiously picked up the receiver.
“Hello.”
[Your checkout time is up. Would you like to extend your stay?]
It was the motel owner’s curt voice.
“No, we’ll be leaving now.”
I hung up and turned to Daeun while picking up the clothes scattered on the floor.
“Time’s up. Shall we go?”
She nodded quietly, her face still flushed.
We threw on our clothes and headed for the door. Just as I grabbed the handle, her voice came from behind me.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
I looked back, puzzled. She hesitated, lips moving soundlessly.
“Could you… give me your number…?”
“My number?”
She flinched at my surprised tone and quickly added, almost defensively,
“I-it’s just in case something comes up with Yuna!”
I blinked at her flustered state. The mature, capable older woman from yesterday was gone, replaced by someone who looked like a shy girl after her first time. The contrast made her seem oddly cute.
Before I knew it, a small laugh escaped me.
“Why are you laughing!”
She shouted, unable to hide her embarrassment.
“No reason. Just…”
I shrugged and answered honestly.
“Because you’re cute, noona.”
“Wh-what?!”
Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. She clenched her fists and snapped,
“So! Are you giving me your number or not!”
“Alright, I’ll give it to you.”
Smiling, I took out my phone and we exchanged numbers.
* *
Inside the officetel elevator.
“Haaam—”
I yawned loudly and rubbed my tired eyes. My whole body felt heavy after last night’s intense session with noona. Leaning against the wall, I watched the floor numbers climb and thought about my meeting with my ex-girlfriend Arin tonight. At least I still had plenty of time until then. If I went home and got some sleep, I should be able to recover enough energy to meet her—though it meant giving up on the hospital visit I’d planned for this morning.
‘I’ll think about it after I sleep.’
Ding—
The elevator doors slid open with a mechanical chime. I stepped forward, heavy-footed, then froze in place.
“……!”
Yuna stood right in front of the elevator doors, hands clasped behind her back, as if she’d been waiting for me. Her eyes were lifeless. It was that dangerous, empty gaze I’d seen before.
“Dohun, hello?”
She whispered in an eerily gentle voice.
“Good morning.”
The moment I received her meaningful greeting, an uncontrollable sense of dread ran down my spine.
