Valentine's Day
"……."
"……."
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring a once-wilted cock back to life.
The atmosphere had been no different from usual. Right up until the moment I was about to push in, I'd been rock-hard. Then I saw the missed call from Ye-rim, and this was the result.
"Sorry… I don't think it's happening tonight."
"It's fine. Really. These things happen."
Ye-na lay beside me, her voice gentle as she tried to soothe me. I felt wretched. We weren't even a married couple of several years. We didn't live together; we only saw each other now and then. And still this had happened. She wasn't showing it, but she had to be more than a little disappointed.
"Ye-na, tonight…"
"Just stay still."
She took hold of my soft cock and began stroking it up and down. When a man went soft after the first round, it was usually the woman who got him hard again. The real problem tonight was that we hadn't even managed a first round.
"Nngh…"
There was real determination in the way she worked me—firm, almost like the way I touched myself when I was alone. The stimulation was sharp enough that my hips moved on their own.
"Oh—it's coming back."
"……."
Blood started pooling downward again; I could feel myself stiffening. Ye-na didn't waste the moment. She swung herself over me, face toward my cock, her pussy naturally turned my way. The entrance fluttered open and closed as if it were teasing me, inviting me in.
"Hup…!"
Her waist jerked as she sucked me. I'd pushed my tongue into her hole. Whether it was a tongue, a cock, or fingers, Ye-na's pussy clamped down on anything that entered it. It felt like forcing a tongue into the center of a thick jelly—like her pussy was in love with it.
"Haah, oppa…"
She stopped sucking for a second and squirted against my face. I drank the juices dripping from her the way you might sip coconut water straight from the fruit, the rich scent filling my nose at the same time.
"Hup… uuuh!"
She kept sucking as if she refused to lose, holding back her own pleasure as best she could. But I knew her weak spots perfectly.
"Heeut?!"
Inside her, there was a patch of especially rough, grainy flesh. Stimulate that and she went wild. Add her clit and she made those wet, filthy sounds straight out of porn and gushed.
"Hup… haaaahng!"
The lewd sounds almost became visible; her juices began dripping onto my chest. She'd given in—her ass pushed back as she chased her own pleasure.
"O-oppa…"
Thanks to her efforts, my cock was alive again. I could do it now. I could make up for the earlier failure—
"……."
"Hm? What is it…?"
Before the head even touched her entrance, I went soft. It wasn't the ordinary shift of blood when you sit up. The second I left her hands, I just… deflated. I could have forced it in, but I couldn't bring myself to push this pathetic, limp thing into her.
"Again… like that?"
"…Sorry. I really don't think I can tonight."
"It's okay. Really."
She told me to sit up, then took me into her mouth again. Her hand rolled my balls while her tongue worked the shaft, tending to me with the careful devotion of a maid at service. My cock came back to life, but I still had no confidence.
"As long as you don't put it in there, it's fine, right?"
"What do you me—ngh…"
I understood immediately. She swallowed my hardened cock and began moving her head back and forth. The wet, eager sounds of her sucking, the scrape of her tongue along the shaft, the look of pure concentration on her face—the sheer wrongness of putting something that shouldn't go in a mouth there sent the urge to come surging up.
"Nngh…"
"Uup…!"
Cum overflowed from her lips, spilling down in thick strands, but she didn't pull off. She held me in her mouth until the last pulse stopped.
"Beeh…"
"You don't have to show me…"
"Why? You don't like it?"
"No. …I like it."
Just like she said—as long as it wasn't her pussy, I could finish properly.
"I'm sorry."
"Why do you keep apologizing? I felt good too. I hate it more when you do that."
"…Yeah. Thank you."
We shared a light kiss, then straightened the bed. This wasn't one of those nights where we could fall asleep naked and fuck again later, so I pulled out clothes.
"I don't feel like getting dressed…"
"Want to wear this?"
"Yeah. Okay."
It had looked ordinary when I wore it, but on Ye-na the hem dropped low enough to cover her. Even so, the fabric caught on the curve of her ass, leaving the front half-hidden, half-revealed—the kind of look that dragged your eyes downward whether you wanted it or not.
"Can I wear your underwear?"
"Why…?"
"Mine are soaked."
"……."
"What?"
"…Nothing. Never mind."
Saying anything would only make me feel worse. She'd been ready and willing; I was the one who'd failed her.
"Ye-na. Are you off tomorrow?"
"Hm? Yeah. I am."
"Then let's go out tomorrow. I'm free too."
"Really? What's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me? I'm planning to do this more often from now on."
"Oppa… I'm actually moved. Seriously."
"Don't make it weird."
"My oppa is the best~"
She clung to me, cooing and nuzzling. At least it wasn't a physical problem. That was a relief.
Then… why?
Why did my cock wilt the moment I tried to put it in? Why… couldn't I get Ye-rim out of my head?
Today was February 14th—Valentine's Day.
It meant different things to different people, but for most it was the day you gave chocolate to someone you liked or admired. Usually the woman gave it to the man. Of course, unless you worked somewhere with a decent atmosphere, none of that applied. It was just another day of clocking in and clocking out like always.
"Here."
"What's this?"
"Chocolate."
"Ah… right. It's Valentine's today."
Only after Ye-na handed me the chocolate did I remember what day it was. Lately all I'd done was disappoint her, and yet she still thought of me. Looking at her made me feel both sorry and grateful. The fact that I still hadn't fixed that problem only made the guilt heavier.
"Thanks. I'll enjoy it."
"Mm."
"…Did you make this yourself?"
"Yeah! Can you tell?"
"Yeah."
It looked store-bought, but the taste was completely different. Not the mild commercial sweetness—this was sweetness packed with care, like someone had distilled pure chocolate sugar and nothing else. I knew for a fact you couldn't buy this shape this sweet off a shelf.
"How is it…? Too sweet?"
"No. It's good. A little sweet, but it's fine."
"Okay… Next time I'll make it a bit more bitter."
"Thanks."
"Oppa."
This time she pulled out a stick-shaped chocolate and held one end between her lips.
"Pocky game…?"
"Yeah."
"……."
I took the other end. The chocolate touching our lips started to melt at once. Unlike Pocky, even a light bite snapped it, so there was no time to hesitate.
"Mm?"
As I inched closer, Ye-na closed the distance at terrifying speed, snapping off pieces of chocolate. In an instant it was gone and our lips met. The melted chocolate swirled through my mouth on her tongue.
"……."
"Well? Taste good?"
"Yeah…"
"Okay, time to go~"
She grinned like she'd been waiting for exactly that reaction and gave my shoulder a playful shove.
"Have a good day~"
"Have a good day…"
Still half-dazed from the morning, I somehow made it to work in one piece.
"Haaah… finally heading home…"
Why did overtime never end no matter how many policies changed? I wanted a job without it.
"Hm…?"
The second I looked at my phone screen, the middle-aged guys' exaggerated sighs around me vanished from my ears. Missed call from Ye-rim.
"……."
It had been a full month since I'd cut contact with Ye-rim—and with my sister too. That wasn't abnormal, exactly. I only talked to my uncles once every few months myself. Since neither of them had reached out first, nothing serious had probably happened. Still, I had to call back. I couldn't keep running forever.
"……."
"Hello?"
About twenty seconds later, Ye-rim picked up.
"Uh… yeah. Long time no talk. You called?"
"What is it."
"Huh? No… if it was a wrong number, sorry. I'll hang up."
"Don't hang up. I called about something."
"Ah… okay."
"What are you doing right now? Your girlfriend isn't next to you, is she?"
"Just finished work. About to head home."
"Ah…"
"Yeah, so—is something going on at home?"
"……Can you come? To our place."
"Yeah, I can. Should I?"
"Yes. Come."
I'd planned to go home and eat chocolate in bed, but I turned the car toward Ye-rim's place instead.
"……."
"……."
Somehow she already knew. The moment I got out of the car, Ye-rim was standing on the stairs leading up to the building.
"…Were you waiting? It's cold. You should've waited inside."
"It's fine. My parents are asleep."
"Ah… really? …Want to get in the car, then?"
"…Okay."
Her parents were asleep—so why had she called me? Had she overheard what my sister and I talked about that day? There were too many things I felt guilty about; sweat started beading on my palms.
The car door shut. Ye-rim spoke.
"Why… did you do that?"
"……."
"Why… did you keep ignoring my calls? Why wouldn't you pick up?"
"…I'm sorry."
"I thought something had happened to you, Uncle."
"……."
Something had happened. Because of her calls, I couldn't even get it up with my girlfriend.
"But… I guess I was the only one worrying. Looking at how fine you are."
"That's… not true."
After that day, Ye-na had scolded me for how thin I'd gotten. For several days I barely ate. I barely slept. I kept thinking about jumping. If Ye-na hadn't held me together, I might not have made it. An adult's sense of responsibility was what kept me alive. Dying out of guilt would have been spitting on everything my brother-in-law had looked the other way for—and on Ye-rim herself.
"Still, I'm sorry. You must've had a hard time."
"Yes. I cried a lot. Because you dumped me. And I fought with Mom."
"…With your mom?"
So that was why neither of them had contacted me. Both my sister and Ye-rim had needed time to sort out their own hearts.
"Ah—it's… okay now…. We made up…."
"I see…."
Tears gathered at the corners of Ye-rim's eyes. Just like that day—New Year's Day, when she'd given me her first kiss. They welled up, then spilled over and fell one after another.
"Hic, huuk…!"
"……."
Without a word, I pulled her into a tight hug. How hard must it have been for her all this time? How hard, not being able to tell anyone? And still I had looked away—telling myself that as long as I survived, it was enough. I'd promised to take responsibility, then tried to break that promise.
"I'm really sorry."
"Huuuk…!"
For a while she clung to me and sobbed. Then she wiped her tears and pushed me back.
"Haa… This isn't why I called you… Here."
She pulled a gift box from her coat. It was small enough to fit in one hand.
"Can I open it?"
"…Go ahead."
I untied the gold ribbon and lifted the lid. Expensive-looking chocolates nestled in gold foil.
"……."
"Why—why aren't you saying anything?"
"No… thank you. I'll enjoy them."
"Eat one now."
"Okay."
There were five. I took one out and put it in my mouth. A mild, sweet flavor spread across my tongue.
"It's good."
"Is it? I want one too."
"Here."
"…No. Never mind."
"Yeah…? It's really good, though."
Without thinking, I popped another one into my mouth. Even the second time, it tasted incredibly high-end.
"Uncle."
"Hm?"
"Do you still have chocolate left?"
"Yeah, three left. Want one?"
"Yes."
"Here."
"Not that one."
"Huh? Then wha—!"
Suddenly Ye-rim's lips crashed over mine. Her tongue forced my mouth open and stole the chocolate from inside.
"Ye-rim… even so, this is…"
"You said… you'd take responsibility."
"…!"
And then she pushed the chocolate she'd taken back into my mouth.