#52. A Hundred Steps
#52. A Hundred Steps
The book Oppa gave me as a gift was...
so cringey I couldn't even bring myself to read it out loud.
It was packed with lines that could've come straight out of some third-rate drama.
For real? Are you serious? Han Gyeo-ul author-nim?
My insides were burning up, so I chugged my smoothie in one go.
"Is that why you're dating me?"
[You're beautiful just as you are?]
[I like you just for being you?]
Where the hell do unrealistic lines like that even exist?
It'd make more sense to say, "I like you 'cause you're rich. I like you 'cause you're hot."
Wouldn't that be way more believable?
And that wasn't the kind of answer I wanted from Oppa anyway.
[You look fucking delicious.]
[My cock won't work without you.]
Haa... so fucking romantic...
Vulgar yet pure, untainted expressions.
Not some shitty packaging—I wanted that raw language.
And [I Imprisoned Her] fulfilled that craving of mine perfectly.
Lee Jin-seong never had any filters when dealing with his woman.
He utterly despised those pretentious words full of fakery, and he always expressed his desires to his women exactly as they were.
Pure lust with no calculations.
How clean is that?
And Han Gyeo-ul author-nim. I knew my boyfriend was more than capable of doing the same.
"Na-eun-ah. I told you I'd take responsibility for you."
Oppa dodged my question with a direct answer.
"Yeah, you did."
"In my opinion, a healthy relationship between lovers is..."
Boyfriend-nim paused, resting his hand on his chin, trailing off.
"...two people with different values compromising and adjusting to each other to some degree."
"...The intro's way too long."
This roundabout conversation.
What's the point?
In the end, you only need to hear the last line to get what they wanna say.
"Ahem... ahem...! So, Na-eun-ah."
Oppa picked up the book I'd given him as a gift, turning the cover toward me.
"If you want something from me, you gotta satisfy my desires too, right?"
Hoo...
In other words, you're putting conditions on fucking me?
Honestly, it was kinda outrageous to attach strings to letting him rape a cute girl like me every single day, but Oppa had a point.
Even in a relationship, give and take is a universal concept.
"...What do you want?"
"Every day, memorize one line from the book I gave you and say it to me with your own mouth."
Suddenly, my brain kicked into balance game mode.
Things started piling up on the scale in my head.
On the left: Oppa's big, magnificent, lovable cock.
On the right: Me gritting my teeth through cringey lines, whispering them to him without fail every day.
Which one's the loss...
If Oppa fully grants my wish, I could probably close my eyes tight and do it.
No, wait. If I just read it off emotionlessly like whirr, wouldn't that be a total win for me?
"Oh. But when you read it, do it in a voice full of affection."
Oppa added an option, like he'd read my mind.
Hmm... Even so, it still feels like I'm coming out ahead...
"...Prepayment."
"Huh?"
"Upfront payment, Oppa."
Oppa tilted his head, not getting it.
"Let's go."
I picked up my emptying glass and stood.
"What? Where you going?"
"Gotta do some 'lover'-like stuff like you said, right?"
In my other hand, I clutched the gift from Oppa as I cleared the drinks.
Oppa looked anxious.
I grabbed his wrist and hopped on the bus back to my place.
I wasn't sure how Na-eun took what I said, but I figured this was a successful first step.
I'd predicted it'd be tough to draw out her genuine, normal affection right from the start, so I thought using a book as a medium would be super useful.
If she said those pretty words to me, maybe eventually they'd come from the heart, and she'd truly open up to me?
And another thing: if what she wanted from me was physical, erotic love, I didn't have much reason to refuse.
What's wrong with a boyfriend and girlfriend having sex?
I've seen guys drowning their sorrows in booze over girlfriends refusing sex, but never one complaining about too much.
And honestly, Na-eun is...
Na-eun, sitting primly with the book on her lap.
No one would guess.
That such a well-behaved girl is a horny, naughty kitten dying for it.
We naturally got off in front of Na-eun's place and arrived at the Officetel.
"Feels like it's been forever."
Yeah, lately Na-eun's been the one barging into my place.
Coming to hers felt like ages even though it hadn't been that long.
"Tomorrow's the weekend, so no plans, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Then let's stay here the whole weekend."
"...I gotta work."
You've got no idea how backed up my manuscript is lately because of you.
"I'll lend you my laptop. It's just Word, anyway."
That was true enough.
One of the best perks of being a Web Novel writer.
With a laptop, anywhere's your office.
Café, fast food joint—work from anywhere. That's the real deal.
But do I really gotta come to my girlfriend's place to write Erotic Novels...
Reality started hitting hard.
"...I'll work from home."
"Oppa."
Na-eun grabbed my arm with a voice full of nasal whine.
"Isn't spending the weekend working side-by-side with your boyfriend my ro.mance? You really gonna do me like this?"
Romance.
For two people like us who couldn't date despite being old enough, it's inevitable.
Honestly, I had a ton of girlfriend fantasies.
Sure, you could say what kinda romance does a gloomy Erotic Novelist holed up in his room have?
But even beggars dream of riches, right?
I wanted that drama-like youth romance too.
In that context, Na-eun's romance lined up somewhat with my needs, but the problem was...
You're an Erotic Illustrator. I'm an Erotic Novelist.
A quiet weekend afternoon.
Windows wide open, warm sunlight pouring in.
In a swanky new Officetel, sipping coffee, both lost in our work.
Perfect up to here. Picture-perfect romance...
Fuck.
Reality: Girlfriend drawing a heroine with a condom in her mouth.
Boyfriend writing a novel making a virgin do pussy squats.
Something's wrong.
This feels deeply, profoundly wrong.
"W... well, if you put it that way."
But if it's Na-eun's romance, I'd go along with it.
The content itself isn't sexual, right?
"Thanks. Hehe."
She trotted to her room, dumped her stuff, grabbed comfy clothes, and came back.
"I'm gonna shower now, Oppa."
"Yeah."
"You can just sit there and wait, or sneakily peek through the bathroom door, or come in naked. Whatever."
First one's fine, but what the hell are options two and three?
"I'll just sit here."
Na-eun pouted her little mouth, dissatisfied with my answer.
"Eunuch?"
"Like I keep telling you, eunuchs can't write Erotic Novels."
"No, but why you playing hard to get? You're such a massive perv."
Even these third-rate provocations don't work on me anymore.
I knew the easiest way to shut her down.
"You want me to eat your dirty, unwashed body?"
An insult straight out of Lee Jin-seong's playbook.
I said it indifferently, not even looking at her face on purpose.
...The effect was tremendous.
"Ah..."
Na-eun's face lit up like she'd realized something, then switched to sorry as she bolted to the bathroom.
"S... sorry! Oppa! I'll wash up quick and be right out!"
The bathroom door slammed shut with a loud bang.
Hah... is this for real...
Day two of dating. I called my girlfriend's unwashed body dirty.
And she sincerely apologized and rushed to the shower.
Swaaah.
The unusually loud water sound got me excited and worried at the same time.
Where the hell are we headed?
Lost in those thoughts, spacing out on the sofa...
Na-eun finished showering—the door opened.
"Oppa."
Her voice calling me.
I turned reflexively and...
"H... huh...?"
"How's it look?"
Not a stitch on her, yet she walked toward me without a care.
I was getting used to her naked body, but there was a glaring change anyone could spot at a glance.
It was...
"Y... you... you shaved?"
"I shaved it so it's easy for Oppa to suck!"
The neat bush I knew from Na-eun was gone, leaving just her snowy mound like a bald hill.
Ah... it stood up.