An Invitation Home
Seonbae had been invited to his house.
“E-Excuse me,” Eunbyul said, her face flushed bright red like a newlywed bride as she cautiously stepped into Jinwoo’s entryway. It was her first time ever visiting a guy’s house. And of all things, she was still in her school uniform, soaked from head to toe. Of course she was embarrassed. Her body should have felt cold from the rain, yet for some strange reason, heat kept rising to her head.
“A-Are your parents not home?”
“Yeah, they stepped out for work.”
“Ah~ Right, they run a tteokbokki shop.”
“Dad does, but Mom’s just a regular office worker.”
Either way, it meant the two of them were alone in the house. Eunbyul felt a fresh wave of nervousness and carefully moved forward.
This is Jinwoo’s house…
The unique, unfamiliar scent that always hits you when you enter someone else’s home tickled her nose. Being alone with a guy in his house like this— even someone as composed as Eunbyul couldn’t help but stiffen up.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo had already deftly brought out a towel and a change of clothes.
“First, warm yourself up with a hot shower. These are my clothes, but they’ve never been worn, so they’re clean.”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks.”
Watching Jinwoo act so casually made Eunbyul pout a little. I’m this nervous, so why does he look completely fine? She was clearly the older one here. It felt like she was losing in terms of experience, and that annoyed her a bit.
“I’ll be in my room. I won’t come out, so don’t worry and make yourself comfortable.”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks.”
But Jinwoo’s thoughtfulness quickly melted away that petty feeling. Jinwoo was just a genuinely good and sincere person. He was only doing this out of kindness because she was cold. He probably didn’t have any ulterior motives.
Honestly. He’s way too nice for his own good.
…Still, if it was Jinwoo, she wouldn’t mind if he held her just a little.
With that thought in mind, Eunbyul stepped into the bathroom. She looked down at her uniform, which was clinging to her body after being drenched.
“Hic!?”
Only now did she realize that the wet fabric had turned completely see-through. Her cheeks burned crimson at the belated realization.
…So that’s why Jinwoo gave me his jacket.
She’d thought so before, but he really was full of subtle consideration. Eunbyul’s fingers undid the buttons of her blouse, and her unzipped skirt slid down her legs. Next, she peeled off her damp, slightly heavy panties and bra and set them aside.
When she looked in the mirror, she saw herself completely naked. Coming to a guy’s house and ending up bare like this—if it had been in the past, she never would have imagined it. No, even now as an adult, she wouldn’t have accepted it if the person wasn’t Jinwoo.
Still, it’s a rare act of kindness. Might as well enjoy it while I can.
Hot water poured down, enveloping her body. White steam rose, gently veiling her alluring figure.
It’s warm.
Normally this temperature might have felt a little too hot, but after shivering from the cold, it was perfect. Her frozen muscles loosened, gradually regaining their softness.
It feels good.
She had been flustered when he first suggested coming over, but now that her body was warming up, she was glad she’d come. If she had gone home alone in that state, she probably would have felt a little pitiful.
By the way, he made that suggestion so easily. Jinwoo’s surprisingly bold.
…Or maybe he just didn’t see her as a woman at all?
In front of the mirror, Eunbyul absentmindedly touched her own chest. She had always been fairly confident in her figure. Without realizing it, she pursed her lips slightly.
At the same moment.
Contrary to what Eunbyul was thinking, Jinwoo was banging his head against his bedroom wall like a woodpecker.
That damn Kim Jina… why isn’t she home at a time like this?
The reason Jinwoo had been able to casually invite Eunbyul over without thinking twice was because he had assumed his little sister would be home. His original plan had been to ask his younger sister—who was, after all, a girl—to take care of her. But when he called later, she wasn’t there.
Once he realized the situation, Jinwoo experienced the biggest panic of the year. Eunbyul had thought he looked composed and skilled, but in reality, he had been so flustered that his mind went completely blank and he had moved on autopilot.
He could barely even remember how they had gotten to the house.
Alone at home with Seonbae Eunbyul?
And that wasn’t all. Right now she was taking a shower in his bathroom. The sound of the running water—which he must have heard countless times—sounded strangely special today. A hot flush rose to his face.
Hoo! Calm down. Seonbae Eunbyul trusted me enough to come here. I can’t have dirty thoughts about her.
Even though his suggestion had been sudden, she had readily come inside. That had to mean she trusted him that much. He couldn’t betray that trust with sleazy fantasies. It was a little depressing to think she might not see him as a man at all, but he decided to push that feeling aside for now.
Ah, but did I handle that well earlier? I feel like I was just moving without thinking.
Naturally, Jinwoo had never invited a girl over before, and this was the first time another girl had ever showered at his place. The only place he had seen situations like this was in the anime he enjoyed watching. So he kept asking himself if he was doing this right.
I gave her a towel and clothes, so that should be fine, right? Is there anything else she might need? Oh, since Seonbae has long hair, she’ll probably need a hair dryer too.
-Knock knock.
While Jinwoo was lost in thought, a knock sounded on his door.
“……Jinwoo, I’m done showering.”
“Ah, uh! Yes! Can I… open the door?”
“……Yeah.”
It was a strange situation where the person inside the room was the one giving permission to open the door. But it somehow felt like the right thing to do. Jinwoo carefully opened the door.
“Thanks for the clothes. So these are yours, huh.”
“Ah… yeah.”
What Jinwoo had given Eunbyul was a plain white t-shirt. There hadn’t been any particular intention behind it—he had simply grabbed the only brand-new one he had. He also hadn’t thought far enough ahead to consider borrowing his sister’s clothes.
But after seeing Eunbyul in it, Jinwoo didn’t regret his choice at all.
“Hehe! Is it because of our height difference? It’s definitely a bit big on me.”
Since Jinwoo and Eunbyul had a noticeable height gap, the size difference in clothes was significant too. The already loose t-shirt hung quite low on her. Below the hem, her smooth thighs were teasingly visible. The sleeves were so long they nearly covered her hands.
But… one area was so disproportionately large that it made the outline of her body stand out in a completely different way.
Her skin and hair, freshly washed and fluffy. The way the fabric traced her narrow waist before sliding down over her gently curving hips. Of course, even that sight was incredibly attractive.
How can a person be this beautiful?
Could a face without a trace of makeup really be this captivating? Her cheeks were faintly flushed from the heat of the shower, and even her slightly shy posture was enchanting. Every aspect of her drew his gaze.
In that heart-pounding atmosphere, Eunbyul spoke up.
“F-First, I want to dry my clothes. Can I use the washing machine?”
“Ah, yes! Of course! Hand them over! Our machine even has a dryer function!”
“Ah, no!”
Jinwoo reached out for the wet uniform she was holding. Eunbyul blushed and quickly pulled her hands back.
“I-I’ll… I’ll run it myself. Just tell me where it is and how to use it.”
“Ah, okay.”
Jinwoo explained how to use the dryer. It looked like it would take quite a while for everything to dry completely. Since it felt awkward to just stand around, the two of them returned to Jinwoo’s room and sat side by side on the bed.
…What should I even say?
They had spent the whole day together, yet strangely, no suitable topic came to mind. His heart just kept pounding away without any regard for the situation.
At that moment, a loud growl echoed. It was the sound of a stomach clock announcing hunger. It couldn’t have been him, so it had to be the other person. And the only other person next to him was Eunbyul. Sure enough, her face had turned bright red.
It was clearly red for a different reason than the heat from the shower.
“Ah… now that I think about it, it’s been a while since we ate those lunches. Should we get something to eat?”
Eunbyul felt like she was going to die of embarrassment, but Jinwoo was actually grateful for the sound. It was better than sitting in awkward silence, and cooking seemed like a good idea.
“I was thinking of checking the fridge and throwing something together. Is there anything you don’t like?”
“I-I’ll do it! You already let me use the shower and the washing machine. Besides, I’m good at cooking. You ate my lunch, so you know that.”
“That’s exactly why I should do it. I ate your lunch, after all. And I’m pretty good at cooking too since I help Dad at the shop.”
Jinwoo had said it because he wanted to let her rest. But Eunbyul felt the same way.
“No, even so, a girl should be better at cooking, right?”
“Come on~ In this day and age, who cares about guys and girls? The one who’s done it more is better at it.”
“……So you’re saying you’ve cooked more than me?”
“Well… wouldn’t the son of a snack shop owner have cooked more than a writer?”
“Hmm~ So that’s how you see me?”
Eunbyul’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was a pouty look, but even that glare was overflowing with cuteness.
“Then how about we make a bet?”
“A bet?”
“Whoever makes the tastier dish wins.”
Hmm. Did that even count as a proper bet? There were only two people to judge it, after all. They would obviously both claim their own dish tasted better. Besides, it was hard to objectively say which dish was superior when it came to cooking. Everyone had their own favorite foods and different tastes.
As expected, Seonbae really likes these kinds of games and jokes.
Still, since Jinwoo had eaten her lunch, he wanted to treat her this time. Plus, she had been shivering earlier. Even if she felt fine now that she was warm, she might catch a cold if she didn’t rest properly. So maybe it would be better if he just cooked by himself…
“The loser has to grant the winner any wish they want.”
“Let’s do it right now.”
The answer slipped out reflexively.