The Telltale Scent
"Don't tell me you've been waiting here all night?"
At my suspicious tone, Yuna shook her head.
"What are you talking about? I just ran into you while taking out the trash."
She held up the pay-per-use trash bag in her hand.
Relieved that it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, I stepped out of the elevator—only for Yuna to suddenly lean right into my face.
"Sniff, sniff…"
She flared her nostrils and began deliberately smelling me.
"Alcohol… Did my sister make you drink a lot?"
Yuna muttered with her eyes narrowed to slits. Behind that unfocused gaze, worry was clearly visible.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Just like you said, she kept pouring drinks while grilling me about everything."
Yuna tilted her head at my answer and gave a meaningful smile.
"I see… So you spent the whole night drinking alone with her."
There was a strange edge to her words.
I flinched inwardly but forced myself to stay calm.
"We just finished having hangover soup and went our separate ways."
The moment I smoothly delivered the excuse I'd prepared in advance, the smile on Yuna's lips vanished.
"Liar."
"What?"
My face hardened.
Yuna narrowed her eyes and took another step closer.
"I can smell my sister's scent mixed in with the alcohol… and that musty smell you only get in a room. Like the kind that clings to a motel…"
Her nose hovered so close it nearly brushed my clothes.
Yuna's eyes, which had been lowered in thought, slowly widened.
"Don't tell me… you?"
Her upturned gaze was a mix of shock and horror. My heart dropped at that meaningful look.
Shit!
She'd somehow sniffed out the distinctive motel smell and my sister's scent from our night together.
Guilt pricked at me, but if I backed down now, it was over.
In an instant, I wiped my expression clean and lowered my voice.
"Yuna. What exactly do you think of me to be having these thoughts?"
When I snapped at her with deliberate anger, her shoulders flinched.
During our entire relationship, I'd never once raised my voice at her. So my current attitude must have felt not just unfamiliar, but frightening.
"N-no…! I just… the smells were mixed together, so…"
The once-aggressive Yuna began mumbling and glancing at me nervously.
I said nothing, simply staring at her with a hardened expression.
Under the silent pressure, she eventually took a step back and apologized in a small, deflated voice.
"I'm sorry… I guess I was being too sensitive… I was just worried because you came home so late…!"
"Haa—"
I pressed a hand to my forehead and let out a deliberately heavy sigh. Since I'd pushed her, it was time to take a step back.
"I'm sorry too, Yuna. I got a little irritable and tired after drinking with my sister all night."
Yuna quickly shook her head at my apology.
"No, it's fine. You must be exhausted—go get some rest."
Just when I thought we'd brushed past it, Yuna carefully spoke up again.
"But… did my sister ask anything about us?"
"She asked a ton. Kept trying to figure out if I was actually your real boyfriend."
"A-and what did you say!?"
Yuna grabbed my sleeve, her voice slightly excited.
"I flat-out denied it. Which is the truth, anyway."
At my answer, Yuna looked relieved, then oddly bitter.
"She also asked about my personal life and past, but I managed to dodge everything. You know how well I hold my liquor."
Yuna gave a weak smile. As my ex-girlfriend, she knew better than anyone that I could drink like a fish. That was probably why she'd gone along with her sister's drinking-interrogation plan in the first place—she'd been confident I wouldn't slip up while drunk.
Yuna fidgeted with her fingers, looking guilty.
"Now that I think about it… it's my fault you got dragged out and interrogated all night by my sister. I'm really sorry, Dohun… All I ever seem to do is make you feel grateful and guilty at the same time…"
Urgh…
The heavier Yuna's expression grew, the heavier my conscience felt. Of course, I wasn't entirely without excuses. We were already broken up. Strictly speaking, who I met or spent the night with wasn't any of her business. And if I told her the truth about what happened with Daeun, it might just cause unnecessary trouble for her sister.
Still, I wasn't shameless enough to feel zero guilt.
Forcing myself to ignore the sting of conscience, I kept my expression neutral.
"And on top of that, I even made that ridiculous misunderstanding… Thinking about it, my sister isn't the type to cross that line anyway."
Kh…!
At Yuna's continued apologies, I cried bloody tears inside.
"It's fine. I'm the one who should be sorry for reacting so sharply earlier."
"Yeah… I'm the one who's really sorry."
Our mutual apologies wrapped the atmosphere in a warm, if awkward, bow. At the same time, the tension drained away and the fatigue I'd been ignoring came rushing back.
"Well, I'm going to get some rest."
Just as I turned toward my door—
"Ah, Dohun! Wait, one last thing!"
Yuna called out urgently.
"Yeah?"
"Can you give me your phone number?"
She held out her phone, asking cautiously.
"You didn't come home last night, and my sister wasn't answering either, so I was really worried… I thought it would be good if we could at least contact each other from now on…"
It was a reasonable request. I remembered how I'd paced around last night when my sister got blackout drunk and caused a scene.
Come to think of it, that Stella girl—Yusia—asked for my number first, didn't she?
It wasn't like I was getting a girl's number in a romantic sense, but imagining it still made me feel a little smug.
"Got it."
We finally exchanged numbers.
"Thanks! Get some good rest!"
Yuna saved the number, smiled brightly, and waved. I waved back lightly, then entered my apartment with a quiet sense of relief.
After washing up and lying down, exhaustion overtook me before I could think any further, and I fell into a deep sleep.
* *
"Hnn…! Ah…!"
A suppressed moan.
"D-Dohun…! Haaang…!"
And the wet sound of my name being called pulled me slowly from sleep, leaving me in a hazy state.
Thanks to sleeping in, my mind felt clearer, and I realized the sounds hitting my ears were very familiar.
The same woman's moans I'd heard from next door the day I got fired and became unemployed.
Now I knew exactly what those sounds meant—and why.
She did say it was okay to think about me, but hearing it right next door is still embarrassing…
"Haaang…! Dohun…! More…! There, right there…!!"
From her voice alone, I could vividly imagine what Yuna was fantasizing about. My face grew hot.
Come to think of it, she still didn't know.
That this officetel had terrible soundproofing.
A day had passed since we'd slept together. To keep her promise of once a day—and to suppress her intense desire for me—she was struggling alone.
I sat up in bed and checked the clock. Thankfully, I still had time before my meeting with Arin.
Perched on the edge of the bed, I waited for Yuna's self-pleasure to end.
But—
"Haa…! Hnn…! I want you…! I want you so bad…!"
Time passed, yet her pitiful moans showed no sign of stopping.
The situation was awkward and embarrassing. I considered pretending not to hear, but quickly shook my head. Now that I knew the truth behind her withdrawal symptoms, leaving her like this would be cruel.
Swallowing my embarrassment, I deliberately coughed loudly toward the wall.
"Ahem—!!"
The moment my fake cough echoed through the room, the mortifying sounds from beyond the wall cut off abruptly.
A suffocating silence followed.
Soon after, a cautious voice came from the other side.
"D-Dohun… Can you… hear my voice…?"
I moved closer to the wall and answered calmly.
"Yeah…"
"Kyaaaaah——!!!"
The moment my reply landed, a piercing scream erupted from the other side. Even the sound of her thrashing in shame came through clearly.
The noise continued for a while before finally dying down.
"Can I… come to your room?"
When I asked carefully, another long silence followed.
"…Yeah… The door… is open."
After getting her permission, I asked one last time.
"You're sure it's okay if I come now?"
"…Come now."
Confirming her barely audible answer, I headed straight for Yuna's apartment.
Click!
The moment the door opened, a wave of heat and Yuna's sweet, seductive scent hit me.
The room was dark. On the bed, a large blanket was rolled up into a ball. Yuna was curled up inside it.
"What are you doing?"
When I asked incredulously, the lump under the blanket gave no answer for a long time. Then it squirmed, and a small voice slipped out.
"C-come closer…"
Not understanding, I sat on the edge of the bed. Yuna spoke in a trembling voice.
"Put your hand… inside the blanket…"
Still confused, I did as she asked and slipped my hand through the gap. The moment I did—
"…Huh?"
My fingertips touched something hot and wet. It didn't take long to realize it was Yuna's soaked sex.
"Haa…! Ah…!"
Yuna rubbed her sensitive spot against my fingers under the blanket, letting out heated moans.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing right now!?"
Startled, I tried to pull my hand away, but Yuna grabbed my wrist and whimpered.
"You're tired…! I don't want to be the selfish bitch who drains your body again…!"
Her absurd yet pitiful consideration left me speechless, then a hollow laugh escaped.
"Agh, seriously!"
Annoyed, I yanked the blanket off her.
The moment the blanket was removed, an even thicker wave of heat and scent burst out. And the sight of Yuna left me stunned.
Her clothes had slipped off, exposing her most intimate areas. Even more shocking—my fingers were touching her sex, and in her hand was the pair of panties I'd given her, pressed against her nose.
In short: Yuna had been masturbating with my fingers while smelling the underwear that carried my scent.
"Kyaaaaah——!!! D-don't look—!!"
Yuna's face turned bright red with shame as she tried to pull the blanket back over herself. I gently stopped her hand.
After all, I was the reason she was suffering these withdrawal symptoms. It was my responsibility to ease her pain.
I slowly leaned down to meet her eyes, then gently pushed my fingers into her wet entrance.
Schlick…!
"Kyaa!?"
Yuna's body jerked as a moan escaped her.
"You're too considerate."
Whispering low into her ear, I began moving my fingers in earnest to soothe her desire.