More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers: Our Radical Date 1
Choi Ara stood under the sunlight for the first time in ages.
“Gulp…”
It was the first time she'd stepped out of the house on her own since submitting her leave of absence form. She looked terribly tense.
“You look pretty.”
“What?!”
Kim Il-woo suddenly complimented her appearance, startling Ara so badly she jumped. She usually favored bright pastel tones, cute skirts, and feminine outfits, but today was different. She'd dressed in muted, achromatic colors, clearly trying to avoid drawing attention—but her natural beauty shone through no matter what she wore.
A round hat reminiscent of a mushroom cap in dark brown, paired with a deep gray T-shirt. Being women's wear, it had cute frills as accents and subtly traced her curves, stirring a subtle arousal.
She's inherited her mom's amazing tits.
Thanks solely to Lee Seo-yoon's exceptional assets, Ara's breasts were water-drop shaped, boasting incredibly beautiful contours.
“No skirt today.”
“Skirts are… kind of…”
Ara's voice trembled slightly with fear as she expressed her discomfort. She'd always loved cute, girly clothes. Skirts amplified her femininity and let her play up her adorableness, but after the rape, wearing them terrified her.
Today, she wore simple jeans, but they hugged her slim waist flaring into wide hips and firm, bouncy ass cheeks, making her look even more provocative than a skirt in some ways.
“Let's go.”
Il-woo grabbed Ara's hand firmly and led her out of the quiet residential street toward the bustling downtown area.
As the crowds thickened, Ara felt fear gnawing at her body bit by bit.
“Haa… haa…”
Her breathing grew ragged, every passerby seeming to stare at her in her delusion.
Suddenly—
Grab.
“Eek…?!”
A hand touched her tense shoulder, yanking her sideways. By the time she regained her senses, she was leaning into Il-woo's embrace.
“Scared?”
“…”
Il-woo snickered like a mischievous brat, mocking his terrified childhood friend.
“Why are you laughing?!”
“I've got you, so relax. Let's have fun.”
No guarantees, no basis—just playful reassurance. Ara smiled faintly at her childhood friend's unchanged silliness and mild bullying, the same as when they were kids.
“Okay…”
Feeling her trembling hand steady in his, she began to enjoy the date.
“I've always thought this, but you're such a perv.”
“News to you?”
Ara fiddled with the black leather choker around her neck, looking awkward about it. The first stop Il-woo dragged her to for their “date” was an accessory shop selling chokers.
He ignored all the pretty necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings, picking out a choker like it was obvious and fastening it around her neck without even asking.
“Wearing this feels weird somehow.”
She liked cute things but had little experience with accessories, so the tight leather against her throat felt off, and she kept touching it.
A small ring dangled from the center—too much like a dog collar to say aloud, especially as a gift. In truth, it was a lewd item designed for leashing and leading the wearer like a pet. If she knew, she'd have slapped Il-woo's face.
“It's cute, right?”
“Sigh… You've always complimented girls so openly, but you do that with other girls too?”
“What…?”
She wanted to hear even empty words that he was the only one who praised other women's looks like that, so she pouted.
“Mad?”
“I'm not even your girlfriend—why would I be mad?”
“More than friends, less than lovers, though.”
Il-woo grinned meaningfully, and Ara flushed crimson, recalling their skin-on-skin encounter.
“Sh-shut up!”
For a rare outing, she'd tried to forget her guilt, but it reared its head again. Spotting her darkening mood, Il-woo pulled her into another shop.
“Nail salon?”
Ara panicked at the unfamiliar place. It wasn't just the newness—anyone touching her body scared her now.
“You're afraid of strangers touching you, right? It's all women here, so it's fine.”
Il-woo read her mind with surprisingly considerate words.
“I'm here too, so don't worry. Time to get used to skinship little by little.”
So he could pound and train her hard later—unaware of his lecherous intent, Ara felt grateful for her childhood friend planning such a thoughtful date.
“Welcome.”
A friendly, sociable female staffer greeted them.
“Make my girlfriend's nails pretty, and just do cuticles for me.”
Ara freaked at being called his girlfriend, but the staffer had already complimented them as a perfect couple, too late to deny.
“Girlfriend first, then.”
Ara sat where directed and extended her hand.
“Such pretty hands.”
The staffer grabbed her hand with praise, making Ara's body jolt slightly.
“My girlfriend's pretty, huh?”
Il-woo could've waited but sat beside her, chatting idly to stay close. He gripped her hand tight to ease her anxiety.
It's weird… not scary…
Ara felt her racing pulse steady from the moment the staffer held her hand. Annoyed by his constant chatter while the woman worked, she squeezed his hand hard.
Feeling the jealous grip, Il-woo stared at her, smirking vilely as if he'd caught her inner thoughts.
“Wh-what…?”
Like a thief with a guilty conscience, Ara stammered in panic, and Il-woo kissed her cheek lightly, finding her jealousy adorable.
Mwah. “Jealous, my cutie?”
“You crazy bastard…”
So flustered by the sudden kiss, Ara spat her first real curse in years. The pro staffer just smiled warmly at the flirting couple and kept working.
If her hands weren't held for the nails, she'd have slapped or punched him—her blood boiled.
“Hehehe.”
Il-woo laughed like a kid tormenting his crush.
“How did I end up…”
…liking a guy like this? She sighed in exasperation. But she couldn't deny how fun it was.
How long since I laughed this freely…?
It felt like returning to carefree childhood play, all worries and negativity vanishing for a moment, leaving pure comfort.
After nails, they hit the movie theater.
“Classic.”
Ara sighed in relief, feeling like a normal date at last.
“What is?”
“Nothing. What're we seeing?”
“Horror.”
Il-woo picked the least popular film on the marquee. Ignoring Ara's souring face, he bought tickets anyway.
“In we go.”
“Sigh… fine…”
Expecting mood or consideration was her mistake. Inside, as predicted, hardly anyone else—viewers spaced out, ignoring assigned seats. Not into movies, Ara claimed a dark corner.
“Can't see the screen well here.”
Il-woo grumbled lightly, but this was payback for his random pick—a little whining was fair.
Perfect.
Il-woo chose this film for the sparse crowd. And Ara picking a secluded spot herself? He inwardly cheered.
After some innocent dating, time for stickier fun—that's why the theater. If this works, it'll fix her big time.
Shock therapy. Success meant major progress against touch phobia; failure just cost trust—but maybe boost dependence.
Time to devour my future wife properly.
His burning lust demanded it. As the movie started, he told Ara he was hitting the bathroom.
“Hurry back.”
She pitied his lame excuse but looked anxious at being alone.
Pretending to go, Il-woo circled the theater quietly, sneaking to the row behind her. Horror films were dimmer, perfect cover.
She hasn't noticed.
Not focused on the screen but tense from solitude, her pallid, glowing skin entranced him even in the dark.
Thud.
He sat deliberately noisy in the seat behind. Touching her suddenly might make her scream and ruin his setup.
“…?”
Ara sensed the presence, tensing at someone sitting right behind in the vast empty theater.