Does Sex Feel Good?

Dizzy.

My head throbbed. It felt like someone had shoved me into a washing machine. My body kept spinning around and around—the same sensation as that spinning ride I used to go on at the playground when I was little.

"Ugh, ughhh..."

A sick groan slipped out on its own. I felt a strange floating sensation, like I'd had an out-of-body experience. I was nauseous and desperately thirsty.

I wrestled with my body, which refused to move the way I wanted, trying to sit up. Then my eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Huhk! Ugh, fuck!"

I freaked out at the face right in front of me the moment I opened my eyes. The curse came out before I could stop it.

"What the—ah, Ahn Seong-hyeon...?"

I lowered the fist I'd instinctively raised. I'd almost punched a sleeping Ahn Seong-hyeon square in the face. Waking up to a big, burly guy's mug right in front of you—not the best start to the day.

"Ugh, where am I?"

I looked around; the layout was all too familiar. It was my studio apartment. But why was Ahn Seong-hyeon lying in my bed with me?

I clutched my throbbing head and tried to piece together the previous day's memories.

"I definitely went to get advice from hyung yesterday..."

My heart had felt unbearably suffocated, so I'd sought advice from Seongju Hyung, who seemed to have a lot of experience with women. But when I actually tried to talk, I realized I didn't even know what my problem really was. So I'd just guzzled alcohol to get drunk.

I'd chugged more than I ever had before, and at some point the conversation began...

"Damn it. I can't remember."

I remembered answering something earnestly, but I couldn't recall what I'd said. I felt like Seongju Hyung had replied very sincerely.

I clutched my head with both hands and strained to remember. But it was futile. The atmosphere and scenes from that time came back vaguely, but I couldn't recall the crucial conversation. Damn it.

Then a memory suddenly surfaced.

'The gist of what I'm saying is this. Don't attach too much meaning to just having a girlfriend. What's dating, really? If you like someone enough, give it a try; if not, you break up.'

Even though it was a fairly long statement, I remembered it clearly. The problem was I had no idea why that had come up.

"...What did he mean by that?"

Was that related to my problem? No—what even was my problem in the first place?

I agonized a bit longer, then finally gave up. No matter how hard I tried, nothing else came to mind. So this was what it meant to black out.

"Ah, shit, this feels like crap."

I'd definitely been there, but my memory had just been snipped clean off. It felt incredibly unsettling.

"I'm never drinking again..."

That was the moment I made a vow I couldn't possibly keep.

Bbu-aaaak-!

A sound like a drum exploding erupted right beside me. At the same time, a foul stench stabbed my nose.

"Ugh, ah, shit! You crazy bastard!"

I freaked out and kicked Ahn Seong-hyeon. The bastard, perched at the edge of the bed, tumbled right off.

Kudangtang!

"Uheok?! Wha—what! What is it? Wh-where am I?"

Ahn Seong-hyeon, now on the floor, sprang up and looked around in confusion. I grabbed my nose and threw a pillow at him.

"It's my studio apartment, you poison gas bastard."

"Ah..."

"Ugh, quit stuffing yourself with sweet potatoes and chicken breast! The smell—fuck! Hey, open the window! Was that a fart or a biochemical attack?!"

I needed to check that bastard's pants. It honestly seemed like he'd shit himself. Otherwise, a stench that horrific was impossible.

I roughly washed my face and got breakfast ready. Then, with a creeping sense of déjà vu, I checked my phone.

"Huhk, morning workout!"

I went jogging by the stream every morning with Seora noona. After that, I'd have PT or do individual exercise as part of my routine. I'd completely forgotten because of the hangover.

Sure enough, there were several missed calls on my phone. I called back right away.

"Uh, hey. Nuna, sorry. Something came up yesterday."

- You drank, didn't you?

"Huhk, how did you know?"

Do phones these days have some kind of scent transfer function? What the hell?

- My friend said she saw you yesterday. Said you went into a bar.

"Well, I really haven't been drinking lately, but yesterday I had some stuff on my mind so I was getting some advice..."

- Advice? What kind of stuff?

"That's, uh, it's kind of hard to go into detail..."

- Alright. Anyway, come to the gym in the afternoon at least. If you don't, you're dead.

Maybe because I'd missed morning exercise, or maybe because I'd been drinking, Seora noona's voice was prickly.

"Okay. I'll definitely come."

- I'll ask the other trainers and check!

"I'll really come. Don't worry."

- ...Alright. See you later. Text me when you're on your way.

I finished the call and went back to making breakfast. The menu was bean sprout kimchi soup. I had a set diet plan normally, but right now I desperately needed a hangover cure.

'Excuses kept creeping in. I shouldn't be like this.'

After sticking to the diet for about a week, I'd inevitably find an excuse every so often. That was probably why my weight was still stuck in the low 90kg range. If I'd consistently followed the diet Seora noona set for me, I'd already be down to the high 80s.

'Still, a bit of kimchi soup should be fine.'

As long as I didn't season it too heavily, it'd be okay. Plus, bean sprouts are good for dieting. If I just added some protein, it might actually be a surprisingly solid meal.

"Oh, smells good. What is it?"

Ahn Seong-hyeon, fresh from washing up, came into the kitchen sniffing the air. He spoke, visibly swallowing his saliva.

"Kimchi soup? Kyah, perfect for a hangover. Wow, my stomach is suddenly growling like crazy."

"I didn't make rice separately, so microwave some. Oh, do you need chicken thighs too?"

These days diet food meant chicken thighs, not chicken breast. Of course, it was a bit pricier.

"Oh, you have some? Sure, if you're offering. I need to fill up on protein."

"Is one enough?"

"Two."

"Farting bastard."

"......."

"Didn't you shit yourself?"

"I didn't shit!"

A simple breakfast came together. Even though it was just bean sprout kimchi soup and pre-made chicken thigh, it was pretty edible. The spicy broth settled my upset stomach.

"Ugh."

"Keu-heo. Wow, the broth is killer."

"Is it good?"

"Yeah, you're a good cook."

"Send the meal money to my account. Friends and family discount, so just 5,000 won."

"...You've got plenty of money but you're so petty."

Of course, I had no intention of actually taking it.

Around when we finished eating.

I asked cautiously.

"Hey, do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"...Yesterday?"

Ahn Seong-hyeon tilted his head, closed his eyes, and fumbled through his memories. Then suddenly his expression twisted fiercely and he glared at me, spitting out curses.

"Fucking piece of shit."

"?"

"You fucking bastard."

"...Why the fuck are you throwing a fit? I asked if you remember."

Enraged, Ahn Seong-hyeon pointed his chopsticks at me. I couldn't even fault him for table manners right now; this guy had clearly lost his mind.

"I remember! You crazy Casanova bastard!"

"Th-this bastard, what's with the seizure?"

"How could I not? Five people? Fuck, some of us have never even dated, and you've been with five?! It's because of bastards like you that I'm single!"

No, that's because you're a loser—why blame me? If I became single, I really don't think you'd suddenly get a girlfriend.

I had those thoughts but kept quiet because I felt like I'd get beaten to ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠death if I voiced them. Look at this bastard, his eyes had gone completely crazy.

I gently tried to placate him.

"Aren't you pretty popular? Your face is decent, and you've got a good body."

I didn't like admitting it, but honestly Ahn Seong-hyeon was quite good-looking. He got overshadowed by Seongju Hyung, but people still called him a decent-looking guy. He was tall at 178 cm and had a good physique, so there was no way he wasn't popular.

To be blunt, aside from Seongju Hyung, there probably wasn't a guy in our department better looking than Ahn Seong-hyeon. Since it was a female-dominated department, there were few guys, and... it felt a bit rich for someone like me to be rating appearances, but the male specimens in our department weren't exactly top-tier.

"I'm pretty sure there was a girl who liked you, too."

"Well, yeah... there are a few girls who send me personal messages."

Look at this—this guy wasn't so desperate that he needed to rage about being single in the first place. You deceptive bastard.

"Then get a girlfriend. Don't take it out on ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me."

"No, but dating within the department is a bit..."

"...Is it?"

"You didn't know there were already two CC couples in our major?"

"Huh? Really? Who?"

"Jeong-jun and Se-hui, Ju-hyeok and Hye-min were couples."

"Ahh. Huh? Wait. Why past tense?"

"Because they broke up, obviously."

Ahn Seong-hyeon shuddered as if disgusted.

"After seeing that, I've sworn off department dating. The girls are fucking scary. As soon as they broke up, the girls started politicking like crazy."

"Politicking...?"

"They made the guy out to be a total piece of trash. But when I actually asked the guy, they just broke up over personality differences."

"That's insane. I'm gonna get PTSD..."

This was exactly why I didn't date. If I got politicked like that, I'd probably lock myself up at home again.

We chatted a bit longer.

I changed the subject.

"Anyway, don't you remember anything else from yesterday? What Seongju Hyung said to me."

"...I think he said something about sex partners and sex friends?"

"Besides that?"

"I don't know. I think I passed out before you did yesterday."

"Ah jeez, you useless bastard."

"...Casanova bastard."

"Is that an insult, or are you just jealous?"

"...Fuck. I want a girlfriend too."

"Just clear the table."

In the end, I'd gained nothing from yesterday's advice session. Or maybe I had gotten one thing? Strangely, my heart felt a bit more ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at ease than yesterday. Yesterday my chest felt so suffocated I could barely breathe, but today it wasn't like that. Was it because I'd vented some of what was inside to someone?

Anyway, we cleared the table and each made a cup of coffee. There was a lot to do today. I had to work out, and after afternoon classes, I had to draw.

'I haven't drawn in a while.'

I'd planned to resume drawing right after exam period, but life got busy and I kept putting it off. When was the last time I held a pen? Ah, I did draw some because of the club.

'Come to think of it, I also need to work on the animation storyboard.'

The club's short animation topic was decided as "Escape from the Room Corner." Since it was a comic based on my own experience, naturally I had to be heavily involved in the story framework. I lived such a busy life.

I was sipping coffee and organizing today's tasks in my head when I noticed Ahn Seong-hyeon staring at me with a weird expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...Can I ask you just one thing?"

"What?"

"Well..."

"What are you trying to ask that you're hesitating so much? Your expression is really weird."