The Cousin's Secret
"Yerim, what are you doing in a public place!"
I was the one who broke the awkward silence first. What was this atmosphere? "Yerim, were you bored? You should’ve called me before coming." That way, I wouldn't have been so surprised! I almost thought I’d been caught lying to Youngsun-nuna about her being my cousin! But without a care for my internal turmoil, Yerim clung tightly to my side.
"I was bored being all alone at home, Oppa."
Yerim had switched from her usual polite speech to casual, informal language. She was acting the part of a cousin close enough to speak to me without formalities. She was usually terrible at acting, but she was being so natural right now. Youngsun-nuna looked at the two of us.
"You two are quite close for cousins, aren't you?"
"Hehe. I saw Kangmin-oppa a lot when we were little. We haven't seen each other in a while since we grew up, though. It’s so nice to see him after such a long time."
"Yeah, yeah. It’s been a while. Her parents got divorced, you see. But she doesn't get along with her dad, so she ran away from home this time."
The lies just flowed out of my mouth. Why was I so good at lying? My brain was spinning rapidly, trying to avoid getting caught by Youngsun-nuna. She actually believed my story and patted Yerim comfortingly.
"Oh, you poor thing. If you're having a hard time, just tell your big sister everything."
"Really? Thank you!"
"Do you have anything to do this evening? If not, want me to buy you dinner? We have about two hours left before we get off work."
"Dinner?"
Yerim looked at me. There was no real reason to refuse. Well, as long as I kept my mouth shut, the lie wouldn't be discovered, right? I just had to treat her like a cousin. Besides, I was craving a fun drinking session. I’d already turned down the shitty drinking parties the boss forced on us.
"Nuna, are you really going to buy us dinner? How about pork belly?"
"Oh, that sounds good. And we can drink some soju. Yerim, was it? Are you good at drinking?"
"Uh... I've only had a little bit of wine and things like that. I've never had soju before."
At that, Youngsun beamed. Youngsun-nuna was a self-proclaimed soju-theorist who actively preached the virtues of soju on a regular basis.
"Hey, you haven't really lived until you've had soju! This is perfect. You’re supposed to learn how to drink from adults anyway. Go sit down and play on the computer for a bit!"
Youngsun-nuna guided Yerim to a corner seat and even logged her in with a manager account. However, Yerim stared at the mouse and keyboard with unfamiliar eyes. Oh no! She didn't know what those were! What kind of knowledge were they stuffing into her head at the Gate, anyway? I stuck by Yerim’s side and pulled up YouTube for her. It wasn't like I was putting on cartoons for a little cousin, but what was I supposed to show her...? After much deliberation, I put on a video that I thought mirrored Yerim's situation.
[ Why an African villager who came to Korea was shocked ]
It would probably help Yerim study Korean society a bit. Yerim, having been dropped into another world, was in the position of a true foreigner. She’d probably relate to it a lot and learn something, too.
"Watch this while you wait. If you have any questions, come to the counter and ask!"
When I returned to the counter after setting up the video, Youngsun-nuna was sitting nearby with wide, rabbit-like eyes.
"Hey, what's up with that? Is your cousin some kind of model or idol trainee? Why is she so pretty?"
"It's not like that, but she really is pretty, right?"
My shoulders puffed up with pride. Yerim was definitely stunning. Youngsun-nuna, sitting next to me, made a huge fuss.
"I've never seen anyone that pretty. Her body is no joke, either. Isn't it uncomfortable living together?"
"No, not at all."
If I told her that when I wake up in the morning she gives me oral, and in the evenings we do everything from vaginal to anal, it would be anything but uncomfortable. It was actually great. I swallowed those words and shook my head.
Youngsun looked like she wanted to help with something, then scratched her head. It would be rude to overstep, though.
"If you ever have a hard time later, definitely let me know. Nuna will help you."
"Got it. Thanks, Nuna."
Youngsun-nuna had been exceptionally kind since yesterday. I felt so guilty that I’d even dreamt of her. Hmm. Should I ask Yerim to refrain from taking on Youngsun-nuna's appearance...?
Time flew by, and soon it was time to clock out. The boss was nowhere to be seen, likely still suffering from a hangover. Good. That was good. Only the manager came by to handle the shift change.
"Yerim, shall we go?"
Yerim was craning her neck like a turtle, staring intently at the computer screen. She looked like she was about to dive back into the digital sea. Well, YouTube videos were pretty fun, I guess. On the screen, a guest was busy grilling meat.
"Is this... really what we're going to eat today?"
Of course. Eat to your heart's content. We went to the same all-you-can-eat place we’d had our company dinner at last time. No one would recognize us, right? As soon as we sat down, Youngsun-nuna ordered meat and soju.
"Could you show me your IDs?"
"Born in '98, twenty-three years old. Yep, that's fine. Born in '97, twenty-four... Born in '01... twenty years old."
The part-timer, a guy with a face full of acne, looked at Yerim’s face, then back at her ID. "...Are you really the person in this photo?"
"I am."
While Yerim was talking, Youngsun-nuna and I giggled about the ages. "Hey, can you believe people were actually born in '01? It's the end of the world, I tell you."
"I'm so confused, too. I asked him to write down the first part of his resident number, and he kept typing '010 527'. I told him it was his birthday, not a phone number, and he insisted that was the first part of his resident number. Gave me the creeps."
After the part-timer left, Yerim asked, puzzled, "Do I not look like the photo?"
"Hey, do you think he asked because he was curious? He’s just saying anything to try and talk to you again because you're pretty."
"Is that so?"
Just as Youngsun-nuna said, I could feel gazes gathering from all directions. From the moment we walked in, eyes were glued to our leggings. Even at the table by the window, they were whispering, mouthing things like, *Hey, did you see that? Her body is insane.*
Hmm, my shoulders were naturally straightening. Who knew it would be this good to go out drinking with pretty people? I went to pour some water, but Youngsun-nuna had already set out the glasses and water cups. It was strange... why was she being so kind? Furthermore, the topic of conversation before the meat arrived was also odd. *Is it okay living with Kangmin? What was Kangmin like when he was young?* It was full of questions about me. I was embarrassed, so I just focused on grilling the meat.
"Here, eat while we talk."
Yerim’s eyes never left the meat sizzling on the grill. I acted like a mother bird, feeding meat to Youngsun-nuna and Yerim, and the two of them kept wrapping lettuce wraps and shoving them into my mouth. I could practically feel the jealousy from the other tables as an aura.
"Yerim, is it good?"
Yerim, her mouth stuffed with a wrap, nodded. She looked adorable with her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. The alcohol flowed as quickly as the food. Already, seven bottles of soju were piled on the table. We were all quite drunk.
"Come to think of it, Nuna, why did you kiss me yesterday?"
Nuna choked on the soju she was drinking and spat it out. Yerim was startled, then looked at me with a strange expression. "Nuna, did you really do that?"
Youngsun wiped her lips, her face turning bright red as she rambled incoherently. "Uh, well, I was drunk from the beer. And besides, if I gave you my clothes, isn't a kiss the least you could do?"
"Ah, if it's Youngsun-nuna, I'd give you a kiss even without a reason. Just say the word anytime."
I laughed and chatted away. But like an idiot, I didn't even notice the change in the two women's eyes. Suddenly, Yerim’s hand dug into my thigh. She was positioned perfectly so that no one else could see.
Youngsun-nuna, perhaps too drunk, didn't seem to care that Yerim had gotten so close to me. "Hey, you'll really give me a kiss?"
Yerim’s hand slid inside my sweatpants, caressing me over my underwear. In an instant, my cock surged. She gripped my entire length through the rough fabric and stroked it. "No, I mean, that much is fine."
"You said it! I'm recording this!" Youngsun-nuna turned on her phone. Meanwhile, Yerim’s hand had gone completely inside my underwear. She made a ring with her fingers, slipped it over the head of my cock, and shook it, occasionally reaching out to stroke my balls or brush against my pubic hair. *No, what are you doing in a public place!* But contrary to my words, my body was reacting honestly. Yerim’s hand was targeting my weak points with precision. Plus, the way she gripped and released was pure art.
"Hey, say it! You'll kiss Youngsun-nuna whenever she wants, okay?"
This Nuna was pretty drunk, too. I answered that I would, fighting against the urge to ejaculate. If I went any further, I’d really cum—right here, right now?
At that moment, Yerim pulled her hand away. What the hell was she doing? I looked at her, but Yerim’s eyes were quite glazed over. Oh no, she’d had too much to drink... Then, she jumped up.
"I'm going to the bathroom."
A moment after Yerim left for the bathroom, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Yerim.
What was she trying to do? "Nuna. Take a break for a second. I'm going to the bathroom, too."
"Uh-huh, go ahead— I'm going to go have a smoke—"
Youngsun rose, her body swaying. She pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and thought to herself. *I'm going to get close to Kangmin like this, and if not a boyfriend, I'll at least maintain a friends-with-benefits relationship! Then would Yerim become my sister-in-law? We just met today, but she seems really nice and easy to talk to. It would be great if we could get close.*
While Youngsun was thinking that as she smoked, Yerim was in the men's bathroom, taking Kangmin’s cock into her mouth.