How She'll Come to See Me

A little time passed, and it was Friday.

Which meant… from Tuesday, when I'd had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lunch with Chu Yeonju, through yesterday, Thursday — three straight days of overtime.

But the content of that overtime had been very, very far from anything resembling diligence.

Helping Chu Yeonju and stacking affection points.

Poking around the Office Romance Management App, trying this and that.

Messing with Park Eunseo.

That was mostly how I'd spent it — and all three lines of work had produced some eye-catching results.

Chu Yeonju… thanks to my sticking around every night to help her with the work, we'd agreed to meet on Sunday and grab a meal together.

Yeah. Absolute jackpot.

Next, the second result.

I'd kept fiddling with the Office Romance Management App, too, and I was starting to get a real feel for how I needed to "manage" these four women.

An exclamation mark had popped up next to Chu Yeonju's name, too.

As for Chu Yeonju first…

Just like that.

The exact same interface as Park Eunseo's had appeared, and those relationship labels could be edited at will the same way hers could.

And… same as before, the number sitting behind them that looked like an affection score still couldn't be adjusted.

Of course, there was still plenty more I needed to figure out…

"Ah, you said you were leaving early today, right?"

"Yes. And you, sunbae…"

"Heh-heh…"

"…Oh dear."

If I could just get that exclamation mark to appear, I could rewrite my relationship with someone however I wanted.

Which meant adjusting the affection score was basically meaningless.

Spend just a little time, and I could lock in whatever "relationship" suited my tastes.

A genuine jackpot, plain and simple.

So the real question was…

"Don't push yourself too hard, sunbae."

"Of course not. You don't need to worry about me. You shouldn't overdo it either, Jichan-ssi — head home early today and get some proper rest. We still have to eat together on Sunday, don't we?"

"Then I can just turn that right back on you, can't I?"

"Hm?"

"We agreed to eat on Sunday. So you need to head home early and rest up properly."

"Ah… so that's how this goes?"

How do you make that exclamation mark appear… that was the problem.

I zeroed in on the fact that Park Eunseo and Chu Yeonju both had exactly three relationship labels.

Honestly, it was half a stretch… but I had my reasons for thinking that way.

"I never noticed it before, but… sometimes you really do feel like a little brother. I just can't help it."

"…You can't keep teasing me like that, noona."

Yesterday during overtime… I must have been a little tired myself, because I'd suddenly called Chu Yeonju "noona" out of nowhere.

She'd been a bit flustered at first, then said she was grateful if I thought of her like a big sister, and clearly liked it.

Said she'd always thought it would be nice to have a younger brother.

And when I got home and checked the Office Romance Management App, an exclamation mark had appeared out of nowhere next to Chu Yeonju's name.

I opened it right away and checked our relationship: junior, attractive man, comfortable little brother — in that order.

It lined up perfectly with the chronological sequence of events.

"Well then, head on home, Jichan-ssi. See you the day after tomorrow."

"Ah… yes. You be careful getting home too, noo— wait, wait, wait — you too, sunbae. Get home safe."

"Pfft. Yes. Go on home."

It had started with junior, naturally.

Then, after getting tangled up with Chu Yeonju more and more lately… it was more than plausible that some affection had developed.

And on top of that, yesterday's noona bit had made her start seeing me as a comfortable little brother.

It fit perfectly, didn't it?

And the same logic applied straight to Park Eunseo.

First she'd been an entry-cohort colleague.

Then a guy friend.

Then a sex partner.

…Though the fact that the exclamation mark had appeared before I'd actually slept with Park Eunseo was a little out of order, admittedly.

"Yo!"

"Sorry, been waiting long?"

"Mm-mm, no. I just got out myself."

But today I planned to put that theory to the test.

First, though — food.

"Anything you want to eat?"

"Hmm… what about you?"

"I'd kind of like Korean food, if possible."

Yesterday.

I'd arranged to spend the day with Park Eunseo the same way we had last week.

Except where last week's thing had been a little spontaneous, today's was a little more planned.

You could tell just by looking at the small bag in Park Eunseo's hand.

"Korean food means… meat."

"Explain to me how that conclusion even works."

"Listen carefully, Choi Jichan-ssi."

Park Eunseo put on a deadly serious face and even raised a long index finger, ready to deliver her philosophy on meat.

"Korean barbecue. Okay?"

"Do you… not do any kind of body management? Every single meal it's chicken, pizza, meat…"

"Hmm, not really? I don't gain weight easily, so it's fine."

The kind of line that would make other women grab her by the ponytail and shake her — and she just tossed it out like it was nothing.

"So we're getting meat, right?"

"……"

…I stared at her for a moment, then shut it down.

"Not meat."

"Then what?"

"Something that doesn't leave a smell, maybe?"

"Smell… then chicken."

I had no idea how that conclusion worked either.

"Chicken… fine, chicken it is."

"Let's go to the place from last time. It was good."

Looking at Park Eunseo's style today, chicken really did seem like the better call.

Pizza left that distinctive funky cheese smell clinging to everything.

And pork belly or galbi — no need to even say it.

Other kinds of meat… I wasn't sure what those would be like either.

Anyway.

Park Eunseo and I walked into the chicken place we'd visited before and sat down.

This wasn't a drinking outing, so we ordered just the chicken — light, no alcohol…

"I'm gonna hit the bathroom real quick!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

I watched Park Eunseo's hips as she headed for the restroom.

A pretty nice pair of hips swaying… and the moment they disappeared from view—

I snuck a look at my relationship with Park Eunseo.

Sixty-nine.

Over the past three days, during lunch or stopping by a motel briefly after work, we'd kept sleeping together.

Thanks to that, the number that had been at 63 had climbed to 69.

In one sense the jump was a mere six points — but looking at the level of the stunts Park Eunseo pulled on me, calling it "mere" felt pretty embarrassing.

She'd send me secret photos or videos under the pretext of "cheering me on."

Or pull me aside during work hours and take care of me with her mouth.

Or — and I knew this one was a joke — tell me she loved me whenever I helped her with something.

Ah, for the record, that third one was definitely a joke.

That number I figured was her affection score was still only at a "mere" 69. If she already meant "I love you" for real at this stage, what the hell was she going to do when it went higher?

Knowing Park Eunseo's mischievous personality, it had to be a joke.

"Jichan, big problem."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I went to the bathroom, right?"

"Yeah. What about the bathroom? Something happen?"

"Not that… just, even while I was in there, I missed you so much I thought I was going to lose my mind."

…Yeah. She was that kind of girl.

"Right? You think it's serious too, don't you?"

"…Hey, Eunseo."

"Yeah?"

"Sorry, but can you keep the bullshit to once a day?"

"……"

When I didn't play along, Park Eunseo made a face that was openly sulking.

But then—

"Enjoy your meal!"

"Ooh!"

The chicken arrived, and just like that she was beaming, snatching up a drumstick as if nothing had happened.

We filled up on chicken and fries, skipped any other stops, and went straight to a motel.

I wasn't in a romantic relationship with Park Eunseo, and she didn't seem to think of it that way either…

But we were about to have sex soon enough.

I at least wanted to keep a bare minimum of mood going, so instead of diving straight into anything filthy, we traded light teasing for a little while.

Then, once the atmosphere had gradually warmed up—

"I'm gonna go wash up."

Park Eunseo said she was going to shower and quietly slipped off the bed.

I followed her a step behind.

"What?"

"…Thought we could wash together."

"Uh-uh-uh… y-you want ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to?"

And then.

We stepped into the bathroom, stripped off our clothes together, and I took in Park Eunseo's body as it gradually revealed more of itself — a body that was genuinely nice to look at.

Shoulders cut clean at right angles.

Breasts just the right size to fill my hands.

A waist slim enough that her already-wide hips looked even wider.

Park Eunseo's figure was packed with everything I liked…

"Ugh… this feels weird."

…except her hands and arms were in the way, so I couldn't get a proper look.

I, on the other hand—

"Come here."

"Mm…"

—stood there completely unashamed, everything on full display, and called her closer.

We stood side by side at the sink and brushed our teeth, then stood together under the shower and washed off every bit of the day's grime.

While we did, the tub filled with warm water, and when I stepped in first, a splash sent ripples across the surface.

I sat down with my legs spread just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough…

"What are you doing."

"……"

…and guided her to sit in the space between them.

Park Eunseo hesitated a little, then carefully settled back against my chest.

"Eunseo."

"Yeah?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

"…Why'd you get all serious all of a sudden?"

"You… last week."

"Ah, yeah."

"When exactly did you decide you were going to do it with me?"

"Uh, thaat…"

Depending on how Park Eunseo answered this, I'd have a precise guide for how to use the Office Romance Management App going forward.

Please… just answer the way I'm hoping.

"…When we left work together."

"From then?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask why?"

"Mmmmmmm…"

Park Eunseo thought it over for a long time, then spoke carefully.

"…I don't know if you noticed, but I've got a pretty high sex drive."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. You were actually my first, but before that I used to… do it alone a lot."

"So that's why you kept trying to reenact stuff you'd seen in porn."

"Hmm… yeah. But people have instincts, you know?"

"Obviously."

"We were leaving the office together and I just… just got this feeling that I was going to end up doing it with you that day."

"Wasn't that jumping the gun a bit?"

"It was early, yeah. But it was just a gut feeling. No — let me put it more precisely."

Park Eunseo stretched out her index finger the same way she had when delivering her meat philosophy earlier.

"I figured that even if you were the one who hit on me and suggested it, I'd probably go along with you."

"You said I was your first. You'd never even done it, and you still got that feeling?"

"That's why I was having fantasies like that, dummy. Because it was my first time."

…So that's how it worked.

"If I'd already done it before… I probably would've just eaten with you and gone home."

"Why? Because you didn't like me that much?"

"No? The opposite, actually."

"…Opposite in what sense?"

"Because you're too precious as a friend. You know how it is — once something like this happens, a guy and a girl can end up in a really awkward place."

"Mm… true."

"But back then I was already worked up. In the moment, the sex drive just completely overrode the friendship."

So… the "sex partner" relationship label hadn't formed after we'd actually slept together — Park Eunseo had already been thinking of me that way on her own, beforehand?

If that was the case… the difficulty actually went down, didn't it?

It meant I didn't necessarily have to perform a specific action with someone for a "relationship" to form. I just had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to make them become conscious of me in a certain way.

Which was why—

"…Let's get out."

"Hm? Ah, okay."

I climbed out of the tub with a satisfied smile.

Consciousness.

I was far too curious about how Park Eunseo would come to see me once today was over.