Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Dizzying
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It's dizzying.
I'd thought it wasn't easy telling someone something they didn't want to hear, but rejecting a confession was a whole level harder.
'Ah… I kinda get why they say if you wanna escape being a lifelong singleton, you should dress up nice, head to spots packed with girls, and just chat up anyone you see.'
Turning someone down wasn't easy at all.
Damn it.
For a fleeting moment, I'd even pondered baby names if I'd married Han Aebom. Something like Kim Hyunbom for a boy, Kim Bom-ah for a girl.
It's like picking up a stray lottery ticket off the ground, only to hand it back to its owner like a sucker and walk away with nothing.
Honestly, I almost regretted it. If I hadn't seen the look on Han Aebom's face right after I turned her down.
"Hoo, huah."
Huah?
The moment I heard that involuntary breath slip from Han Aebom's lips, my earlier hunch turned into certainty. Even a total newbie like me—who'd never properly dated a girl—knew what that expression meant.
Han Aebom was relieved, just a little. And at the same time, a bit happy.
"That's not exactly a shocked face, is it?"
"Ah! Th-that's…"
Han Aebom stammered, her face flushing red.
"J-just calm down and listen carefully."
Shouldn't you be the one calming down first?
"To be honest, I don't think you would've hated accepting my confession just now. As the one confessing, if you'd said yes… I would've done my absolute best as your girlfriend. And, well, thinking way ahead into the future! I even came up with baby names."
Good to know I wasn't the only one. Though hearing it from someone else feels kinda weird. From now on, no more fantasizing about kids' names after a girl confesses to me. And definitely don't blab about it.
"But…?"
"I actually felt relieved when you turned me down. Or maybe… strangely happier, somehow."
Does a crazy conversation like this demand a crazy outcome? My brain couldn't quite wrap around a girl saying she felt better after getting rejected. And yet, part of me got it. What the hell am I even saying?
My head was a total mess too.
"If you'd said yes and agreed to date me right there, what would happen to Oh Hana?"
"That… it'd complicate things a bit."
Her name popping up out of nowhere made my conscience jolt. But like she said, Oh Hana was a huge reason—a major factor—in why I'd rejected Han Aebom.
As I scratched my cheek,
Han Aebom smiled brightly and spoke.
"I'm glad you're not the type of guy who'd sleep with Oh Hana that intensely, then just accept my confession on a whim. It actually makes me like you more. And it puts my mind at ease. If Oh Hana had to move out because of me, I would've felt awful."
Shit. Close call.
It startled me as much as realizing a boss with only three phases suddenly kicked into a hidden fourth phase.
"You… knew?"
"…Yeah."
Even as she said it, her face turned red from belated embarrassment. I dragged a hand down my face entirely this time.
From what she told me, about eighty percent of Han Aebom turning into a panty-sniffing pervert was on me.
With her absolute favor maxed out, and me pounding away like that next to her while she was drunk and miserable. If anything, I felt bad for her putting up with it all this time without saying a word.
"Alright, one more question then."
"…Go ahead."
Her reply came a beat late. I dreaded whatever was coming out of her mouth next. Was I gonna end up in the ER with a heart attack today?
That's what made Han Aebom scary—you never knew what she'd say. Like a rookie's lucky punch. Every hit made my brain spin.
"Honestly, Oh Hana's a big part of why you rejected my confession."
She was even analyzing it coolly. My heart thumped harder with every word.
"Yeah… sure."
"So, if Oh Hana had confessed to you instead, would you have dated her? Or do you feel absolutely no attraction to me at all?"
One question, huh? Here I thought it was just jabs, but she slipped in a straight punch.
If Oh Hana confessed the way Han Aebom did. Though that'd never happen anyway.
"Ironically, both those questions can be answered with one reply."
I looked at Han Aebom and said,
"I probably would've accepted if it weren't for you. That work?"
Shit. My face is burning up.
Suddenly, heat surged from my neck to my ears. If there was a hole nearby, I'd shove my head in it right now.
"Wh-what's that… Hnng!"
Han Aebom, who'd tilted her head in confusion at first, suddenly got it. Her face turned beet red as she frantically covered it with both hands, trembling.
What the hell kind of conversation is this? We're both wrecked, no winners here.
"I-I heard your answer loud and clear, Hyunwoo. So… have sex with me too!"
Eh?
Whoa. That's a fresh one. Like a math teacher explaining 1+1=2, then yelling that the Earth is round.
…Am I the idiot here? I couldn't follow the conversation at all anymore.
"Th-think about it—for smoother one-room living going forward, it's only natural, right? I'd want it too, of course. You'll build up urges too. And if you're not only attracted to Oh Hana, I could help relieve that for you."
"……."
"Pl-plus, hear me out. We don't even have separate rooms. We're all sharing one space. If we, y'know, exchange… bodily intimacy first, it'll definitely make things way more free and comfortable than now. Quality of life goes up. If we put a number on it…."
This girl. Suddenly giving a desperate sales pitch like she's convincing a big client.
"Aebom, just calm down first…."
"…The most important thing is, d-do you want to do it with me or not!"
That last line made me chuckle despite myself. It hit harder than all her rambling excuses before.
And for good reason.
"Didn't Oh Hana say that to you?"
Han Aebom's expression twisted—happy, maybe a bit sulky, jealous too?
"Yeah. Once I heard that, I could finally be honest. I want to… do it with you, Hyunwoo. Something that feels good."
"Hnnngh."
"Hyunwoo?"
I dragged both hands down my face. This is cheating.
Saying that with that look.
Plus, she'd spent the whole day teasing me on purpose with those black stockings, stoking my urges. What guy in the world could hold back? Holding back would be the real feat. Too bad I'm not that guy.
"Of course… of course I want to. But imagining you saying that to someone else suddenly makes me kinda depressed."
"N-no way! I told you earlier. I'm twenty-four. Not a ton of life under my belt, but not nothing either. No one's ever sparked feelings in me like you do. You think my confession was light?"
Not at all. Is there anything heavier than Han Aebom's confession?
"But you kinda seemed like you wanted to be rejected?"
"Th-that's…"
"Heh, kidding. Kidding. Kinda get why Oh Hana teases you so much now. This is fun."
Han Aebom clenched her fists, trembling. Cute.
The problem was…
The massive silence that followed. Both our faces burned red; we were dying of shyness.
'Guess I gotta take the lead here?'
I realized anew how grateful I was for Oh Hana leading things before. And just how good she was at it.
Keeping me from tensing up, purely enjoying the sex. Even guiding me to get better at it.
'But… how do you even lead?'
Honestly, no clue where to start.
Kiss? Talk? Truth be told, I was dying to know exactly how she'd used my panties. If I asked to see, would she slap me?
"Ahem! Hm, ahem!"
"Eek, ngh."
"So… we're doing it tonight, right? Oh Hana cleared out for exactly this, yeah?"
"Y-yeah…."
"Ahem, hold on. The boiler…"
…I went to turn it on, but it was already running. Oh Hana must've flipped it before leaving.
Scheming little—
"……."
"……."
Damn. What now? How do you even start?
Kiss? A kiss?
"Um, Hyunwoo."
"Yeah."
"Oh Hana mentioned before she left. That you were a total virgin up until recently. You might manage okay now, but don't expect you to lead like a pro."
That damn girl. Undermining me before we even started.
But yeah, that's exactly the spot we're in.
"After hearing that, I looked up stuff online. Y'know, ways to lose my virginity properly, or make my first time go well."
The all-knowing internet age, huh.
"They say the biggest thing is not tensing up too much. If you're too nervous, your… v-vagina contracts, or l-lube doesn't… pr-produce properly…."
She looked exhausted from her own embarrassment.
"…S-so, basically, v-vag… v-vag… boh."
"You can stop there, Aebom. We haven't even started. No need for super embarrassing words."
"Yeah… They said talking's important too. Let's chat, loosen up. Or maybe take turns saying what we want?"
I wanna see you masturbate with my panties right now.
…Should I say it? Or not? I'm losing it.
"F-for me, to relax… I w-want your… p-pa-pa-panties you're wearing right now…."
Yeah. I'm losing it for real.
But on the flip side, since I'd been agonizing over the exact same thing, I knew how much courage that took her to say.
"…You really want me to take them off? For real?"
"If you did, I'd be truly, sincerely grateful."
Behind that dying-of-shame face, her lips twitched upward in uncontainable joy. Seeing that sent a shiver down my spine. This girl was serious. Dead serious.
"Th-then! I wanna… see how you use those panties…."
Han Aebom squeezed her eyes shut, trembling all over at my words.
"P-pervert?"
Last person I wanna hear that from is you.
"A-alright."
Still, Han Aebom agreed in the end. I'm gonna go nuts.