The Scent of My Sweat
The weekend passed, and the next day I quit my job as planned.
I'd expected it to take a little longer, but since I'd been working day labor, I was able to walk out of the company without a hitch that very day.
I had no particular loyalty to the company, but when I said goodbye to the older men I'd bumped shoulders with day after day, I felt a genuine pang of regret.
"Haaah..."
For the first time in ages, I lay on the bed in an empty room with no one else in it, stared at the ceiling, and let out a long, deep sigh all by myself.
Normally I would have been in the middle of a work shift by now, but now that I'd actually quit, I had too much time on my hands and no idea what to do with it.
I thought about doing the housework, but Seong-ha had taken care of practically everything before heading out, so there was nothing left to touch.
I had no real hobbies and no friends nearby, so I just rolled around aimlessly on the bed, turning over and over last night's conversation with Seong-ha in my head.
...Let's think about this objectively and rationally, Hyun-ok.
A woman who solved my livelihood, gorgeous enough to turn my head, brilliant at the housework, at supporting me — and in bed, damn, ahem... a woman who took care of my desires in whatever form I wanted, whenever I wanted.
Someone who could even change into another woman's appearance and personality if I so desired.
Could I really bet my life on someone like that, not as love, but merely as fondness?
No matter how materially abundant and devoted she was, in the end what mattered most was how I thought of her — or so it seemed to me.
In other words: even if I truly died because of Seong-ha... no, because of the monster, I'd want to be able to think, in that moment, that I had no regrets dying because of her.
Chewing it over again and again, weighing all the advantages and the fact that she was my girlfriend, it still didn't feel like I was at the point where I loved her, or could offer up my life without hesitation.
But... I did seem to be liking her more and more, and given time, the odds of that growing even stronger looked pretty high.
So — what's the conclusion?
"Ugh, aaaaagh!"
I clutched my head and let out a strangled howl, then cut the noise off abruptly and muttered something incoherent, scowling.
"...This is all just because my body feels too good."
Come to think of it, I remembered how the monster had worried about my body not long after we first met.
Construction work had given me some decent muscle, but only in my arms and legs. Everything else — like my belly, which no labor ever touched — bulged out like a tadpole's.
Standing in front of the mirror, I took off my shirt and examined myself here and there for the first time in a while. As expected, aside from my arms and legs, I wasn't in great shape.
All right — nothing else to do, so might as well work out.
Before the construction site, exercise had actually been the one thing I kept up with fairly regularly.
My flaw was that I never gave anything my absolute best, but I did have one strength: once I committed to something, I stuck with it for years.
Tracing back through the bodyweight routines I used to do, I began slowly burning up my body.
"Haa... haa, haa..."
After about an hour of hard exercise, my breath was climbing up my throat, and I collapsed onto the floor, heaving ragged breaths.
Sneaking a glance at the full-length mirror, I felt a swell of pride watching the muscles that had naturally risen after the workout.
Clack.
"...Sniff, sniff. Something smells good in here."
The monster came through the door with an armful of luggage, wrinkled its nose — and then suddenly began staring at me, unblinking.
"Oh, you're back?"
I was drenched in sweat from the workout, shirtless.
Back in the day I would have been embarrassed, but after our bodies had tangled a handful of times, this much exposure didn't faze me at all.
When the monster just kept silently staring at me instead of answering my greeting, I got awkward and asked.
"What?"
"...Did you work out?"
Could you have fallen for my body? Ha, ha. Let's not get carried away.
I wanted to believe everyone felt that urge to show off a freshly exercised body to someone — especially to the opposite sex.
"Yeah, now that I've quit I had nothing to do. And you already did all the housework... Oh, I'll shower and then help you with dinner."
I'd said the same thing before, and the monster had insisted over and over that it was fine, but no matter what, sitting around doing nothing made me feel guilty.
"...Must you wash?"
As I brushed past toward the bathroom, the monster — who'd been staring at my body the whole time — asked carefully.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you smell good."
"Uh — what? Wait... don't tell me... my sweat?"
"Yes."
The monster nodded with a blank face.
But behind the blankness, a faint flicker of excitement showed through.
"I mean... why?"
I remembered it once saying the smell of my cock during sex was good, but I'd assumed that was just some quirky kink.
"If it is a scent that comes from your body, I love it — anything. Especially urine, sweat, feces, bodily fluids, and the like."
It had hinted before that it liked my natural scent, but this fresh list was well outside acceptable territory.
"Um... r-right, okay?"
Having no idea how to respond to something so far beyond common sense, I just fumbled helplessly.
"But for the sake of hygiene, wash you must... it is unhealthy. You'd feel grimy in that state yourself, after all."
I couldn't skip the shower on account of the monster's reasoning, but it visibly deflated, and I felt a little sorry for it.
"Then before I wash... could you let me lick you, just a little?"
"...Lick me?"
No... it wants to lick my... sweat?
That was a bit much, even so...
"Oppa, please, hm? Your sweat smells so good that... I got... a little... worked up."
The moment I grimaced in discomfort, the monster suddenly switched into Seong-ha's speech and personality, and crept softly up against me.
With dewy, glistening eyes and a flushed face, it traced my chest gently with its index finger.
That strange, tingling touch made me shiver despite myself — and knowing full well it was a sly little maneuver, I still couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"Oppa... your body is amazing. Wow... you're the best, oppa..."
Snnn.
Seong-ha drew even closer, hands roaming over every part of my body while bringing its nose near my skin and starting to breathe me in.
Between the compliments melting my guard and Seong-ha's breath washing directly over my skin, my head began to swim.
"Mmh, haa... you smell so good after working out, oppa. Mm... I love it. Oppa... won't you spread your arms for me... just a little...?"
"My arms...?"
"Mm, it's strongest under your arms, oppa... I want to... smell more. Is that okay...?"
Tap.
Pressing its fingertip softly into my chest, it writhed coquettishly, dropping its chin while glancing up at me through its lashes.
Ugh... c-cunning. So cunning.
So this is why aegyo from women is dangerous... especially for a guy like me with zero immunity.
I knew it was a thoroughly calculated move, probing straight for my weakness — but I had no strength to refuse it.
"I-I mean, it's not like I can't... Ngh. F-fine."
When I reluctantly spread both arms, a thick, unmistakable wave of body odor filled the air — even I could smell it.
And in that instant, something astonishing happened.
Seong-ha's eyes slipped out of focus, the pupils rolling upward as its mouth broke into a slack, goofy grin.
"Heh... good. Ah, so good... mmmmh..."
Its voice a blend of the monster's and Seong-ha's speech, Seong-ha grinned vacantly like someone drunk on something — then snapped back to its senses and began licking my armpit.
Lick.
"Ugh —!?"
The moment Seong-ha's small, cat-like tongue started flicking over my armpit hair, I flinched at the sensitivity — and blushed.
Isn't this... normally something guys don't like...?
Like, armpit fetish stuff?
Lick, lick... slurp.
Seong-ha buried its face in my armpit for a good while, tongue and nose working in tandem, frantically exploring every inch of it.
"Heh... good, nnheh, so good, it's good... ah, love it, this smell is so good... Hyun-ok's smell is the best, nnheh?"
Its face had twisted into something completely unhinged — and to make matters worse, a tendril began sprouting out near its neck. Sensing danger, I shouted urgently.
"STOP!"
"...Ah."
At my shout, it pulled back, and only then did the monster come to its senses — a dazed look flashing across its face before it slowly returned to its usual blank expression.
"...My apologies."
Realizing what state it had been in, the monster furrowed its brow deeply, clutched its forehead, and looked thoroughly flustered.
It glanced at me — my eyes still a little shaken by the first broken, ruined expression I'd ever seen on Seong-ha's face — and mumbled,
"That... was rather dangerous."
"My sweat?"
"Yes. Especially your scent under the arms."
Thinking back to the tentacle that had burst out unconsciously just moments ago, those words didn't feel like a lie in the slightest.
The image of it, high as a cat on catnip, was still burned into my eyes.
"Mmm... I'll go wash, then."
"Oppa."
I hurried toward the bathroom before things could escalate any further, but Seong-ha's voice called me back once more.
"C-can't I smell it just a little longer...?"
Seong-ha stared fixedly at my armpit with eyes brimming over with longing, unable to hide the breaths that were growing heavier all on their own.
"I don't think so. No."
"Mm... understood."
When I refused flatly, the monster's shoulders slumped so dramatically anyone could see it from a mile away, and it turned its heavy gaze away from me.
Thankfully, this time I didn't feel sorry for it at all.
Looking at that beautiful woman's wrecked face from moments ago — half out of her mind — I firmly believed anyone would have reached the same conclusion I had.