Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Outdoor Pool's Outsider
*** - Yoo So-mi's Perspective
On the way home after shopping at the department store.
I noticed that Si-a and Yi-an had started dozing off peacefully together.
Si-a seemed to be short on sleep even during vacation because she studied late into the night,
and Yi-an... maybe he ate too much for lunch?
Anyway, it felt like I was the only one fully awake in this car besides the driver.
...
Yi-an seemed to be fighting not to fall asleep, repeatedly nodding off and then snapping back awake.
If he was that tired, he should just sleep comfortably.
Or maybe he was deliberately staying awake out of consideration for me?
Every time he woke up, he glanced around, like he was checking on me and Si-a.
Of course, knowing my best friend was staying up just to keep me company made me incredibly happy.
But fighting off sleep is pure torture,
and thinking about that, I'd rather he slept soundly than forced himself to stay awake for my sake.
Still, if I kept my eyes wide open like this, he'd just keep dozing awkwardly out of worry for me, right?
So, to let Yi-an sleep without any second thoughts, I quietly relaxed my body and pretended to fall asleep.
...
"Guys, sorry, but I'm gonna catch some shut-eye... Wait, I'm the only one still awake anyway, huh?"
".....zzzz"
Not long after that, Yi-an—who'd been drifting in and out—finally slipped fully into dreamland after hearing those words.
I cracked my eyes open just a sliver and observed him.
Was his breathing steady now?
Had the tension drained from his body?
...
Did it seem like he was in deep sleep?
.
.
.
Watching Yi-an sleep like that,
I felt a certain desire stirring deep inside me.
Was it because I'd seen his sleeping face last time at the multi-cafe with him?
Gazing at him like this brought back those memories so vividly that my face flushed without me even realizing it.
...
Ah... That was such a great time...
Even though Yi-an was asleep the whole time, it filled the void of physical closeness I'd been craving, making it a day full of happiness and satisfaction.
...
But after that, we'd been short on skinship again.
Early in the vacation, Si-a and I went off to Daegwalleong by ourselves, and lately, preparing for the UCC contest had made it hard to find time alone together.
The recent massage from Yi-an was nice, but...
In the end, a massage was just a massage—different category from real skinship, right?
In other words, I'd been parched for skinship with Yi-an lately!
Skinship deficiency syndrome!
These days, we were always hanging out as a trio with Si-a,
so whenever we tried anything, she'd nag from the sidelines and put a stop to it.
Things had gotten a bit better after Si-a and I formed our alliance,
but even today, she interfered when I tried to sneakily give him a photo showing my underwear lines!
Even though Yi-an deleted it right away, if Si-a hadn't gotten in the way and I'd had a chance to persuade him,
our relationship definitely could've taken another step forward.
Anyway, Si-a gets embarrassed over the weirdest things, doesn't she?
That's why, after all that self-denial and suppression, her overflowing feelings occasionally overwhelm her, and she ends up pouncing on Yi-an.
If she just maintained a healthy amount of skinship like I do, she'd feel so much more at ease.
And... Yi-an has his own issues with how he treats me, I think.
Back with the hidden camera incident, he tracked down the perp and gave them a brutal personal beatdown.
The guy committed crimes like secret filming and unauthorized photo distribution, but legally, it was pretty minor...
If you look at it differently, couldn't you say Yi-an just beat him up because another guy was eyeing me?
No, that's definitely it.
Yi-an has a strong possessive streak toward me deep down—he clearly couldn't tolerate another man lusting after me!
It's still underdeveloped, but he absolutely has the right mindset as my 'best friend'!
So, taking that incident as a turning point, I fully believed he'd start showing even stronger possessiveness or dominance toward me.
As part of that belief, I prepared these lacy panties, bracing myself with nervous excitement for the day he'd summon me and make some forceful, over-the-top demand!
But in reality, his attitude toward me hasn't changed much, and I'm still stuck in skinship withdrawal...
...
This is serious negligence of duty, Yi-an.
Well... anyway, what's important right now is that I'm starving for skinship, and both Yi-an and Si-a are asleep.
This is my chance.
...
I carefully sat up and placed a hand on the car seat behind Yi-an's shoulder for balance.
Naturally, his face came right up to my nose, and I could feel his faint breaths slipping in and out of his slightly parted lips.
Of course, I'd love to do this while we're both awake, locking eyes.
That's why I've been trying hard to ease his embarrassment about skinship in all sorts of ways,
but he still reacts shyly a lot when our bodies touch...
...
So,
for now, I'll settle for sneaking it while he's asleep!
That way, he won't feel awkward, right?
I gazed at Yi-an's peaceful sleeping face for a moment,
then gently brought my lips to his left cheek—right near his mouth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The final shooting location for our planned UCC contest video was the Han River outdoor pool.
Rectangular pools painted bright blue, parasols lined up beside them.
Turn your eyes, and there's the vast Han River and a massive bridge spanning it.
And the high-rise apartments around the river—insanely expensive even now, but destined to skyrocket in value later.
...
With this unbalanced, bizarre mix of subjects all together, I had no clue what the final footage would feel like.
If someone asked me to name Seoul's most unique landscape—for better or worse—this place would probably top the list.
Anyway, as pre-arranged with pool management, we gathered an hour before opening,
and to finish on time, we headed straight to the outdoor pool.
"Whew... It's hot as hell. Should've just come in my swimsuit."
I still hadn't changed into my swimsuit.
With all the gear I had to carry for shooting, a swimsuit with limited storage wasn't practical.
And since opening was still a ways off, none of the outdoor parasols were open.
Even if it was morning, standing in direct summer sun like this was brutal...
But unlike me in my regular clothes, Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi had to change into swimsuits to get here.
That naturally meant varying arrival times.
Plus, I needed to set up the camera at the shooting spot first anyway.
After enduring the heat and the chlorine smell by the poolside for a few minutes,
Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi finally appeared in their swimsuits.
...
Well, more precisely, they appeared wrapped head to toe in robes.
"Why the robes?"
I'd expected them to come in one-piece swimsuits with cover-ups as planned,
so the sudden robes caught me off guard.
Han Si-a answered my question.
"We showered before changing into swimsuits, but we're still a bit damp. No time to dry fully, so we figured we'd towel off and air-dry on the way out."
Oh. Smart.
But now it was time to ditch them. As she said, we only had 30 minutes left for shooting.
So I reminded them time was tight and urged them to drop the robes and start.
...
Han Si-a was already camera-ready, but Yoo So-mi was still dawdling, robe intact.
"Heehee... Feels kinda weird stripping down in front of Yi-an, who's all properly dressed."
"..."
Yoo So-mi and her flirty talk—I'm dying of heat already.
I wanted to play along with the joke, but we really were short on time.
For quick shooting, I spoke to her firmly.
"Yoo So-mi. Off. Now. No time."
She blushed at my words but flashed a bright smile and tossed off the robe.
Was it her flirty vibe? For a split second, a bad thought crossed my mind: 'What if she's wearing something else under there?'
...
But no, it was the one-piece swimsuit we'd picked at the department store.
With cover-ups over them, their outfits turned wholesome—no skin showing at all.
Of course, even without exposure, the curves of Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi's figures were so alluring they looked too stunning for mere UCC video attire.
...So why was there still a twinge of regret in my heart?
"Okay! Nailed it in one take again. Great job, everyone. It's hot out—head inside and chill till opening, then regroup!"
With that, our grueling UCC contest shoot wrapped at the pool.
All that's left is for me to edit and submit.
I've already finished editing the previous footage, so it'll probably be done today or tomorrow.
Man, finishing the last video really drives home that the contest is ending.
I suggested it to dodge going to the beach with friends,
but then we got tangled with some creep, I beat him up, went to the station,
and finally ended up shooting at a pool with friends.
...
Lately, I've been thinking it a lot: wouldn't hitting the beach have been way simpler?
Looking at my friends in one-pieces, barely any skin showing—
even at the beach, none of the awkward stuff I worried about would've happened.
Mingling accomplishment from finishing the shoot with regret over entering the contest, I headed out to the outdoor pool with mixed feelings.
As expected for a midsummer Han River pool, crowds were gathering,
people hustling to snag prime parasol spots.
And amid them, I easily spotted Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi.
.
.
.
...
But even after seeing them, I couldn't bring myself to approach—just stood there staring from afar.
Because
they weren't in the one-piece swimsuits from shooting,
but bikinis that boldly showcased their overwhelming figures in a mature design.
"Heeheehee! Look at Yi-an's shocked face! Worth sneaking these bikinis in!"
"So-mi. Forget that—check out those abs..."
"Wait, Si-a?"