[Secretly from Each Other]
I’ve always been rather fond of the rain. To be precise, I don’t mean the damp, musty feeling of rainwater, but the rain itself. It’s not for any grand reason; it’s just that back in my school days, it helped me pass the time whenever I should have been calculating spatial vectors but was staring out the window instead. I mean, wouldn’t you rather count the raindrops falling in a steady drizzle than stare blankly at a boring, cloudless blue sky? My head was usually filled with nothing but thoughts like, "Which Hero would be the most arousing to pin down in a back alley on a rainy day?" but having something to focus my gaze on was a good thing. ……Or so I thought back in my days of storm and stress. It was a time when pride and ego were swimming through my veins, so it couldn't be helped. Anyway, that was the extent of my affection for rain and dark clouds. At least, that was the case until I woke up this morning.
"…What time is it?"
The sound of the steady drizzle broke my deep sleep. The rhythmic thud-thud of water hitting the air conditioner's outdoor unit had a certain beat to it. Of course, that doesn't mean it was a pleasant sound. It was just a noisy interruption to my slumber. It snowed a few days ago, and now rain. I suppose the ambiguous temperature of March is to blame. Besides, the weather forecast said the chance of precipitation was less than 30 percent. Fortunately, the view outside the window didn't look particularly gloomy, so maybe it’s just a passing sunshower. It wasn't a heavy downpour, either. At that rate, it wouldn't interfere with my plans.
I stretched lazily and rolled over. Peering through heavy, squinting eyelids at the phone charging by my bedside, I saw the clock read 8:57. Strangely enough, it was exactly three minutes before my alarm was set to go off. …Why is it that waking up just three minutes early makes me feel so much more tired than usual? My favorability toward the rain dropped a little right there. If this were a game, I would have seen a heart with a minus sign floating above my head. That was the end of the nonsensical thoughts I’d conjured up while half-asleep. With a groan, I smoothed down my bedhead and sat up. Just as I was sitting on the edge of the bed, pressing my palms into my tired eyelids, my phone vibrated lightly. I assumed it was the alarm, since it had been about three minutes since I woke up.
Crack. I turned my head, my stiff neck popping, and looked at the phone screen. I saw an emoticon. It was a pathetic-looking white puppy, waving its hand enthusiastically. (Come to think of it, those are front paws, not hands.) …I wondered who sent it, and it turned out to be Lee Hayoon. The white, fluffy puppy looked so much like her that I let out a dry laugh before I could stop myself. Did she send it because she figured I’d be awake by now? I don’t know if I should call her psychic or say she has a nose for things like a puppy….
Instead of heading to the bathroom, I flopped back onto the bed. I opened KakaoTalk and cleared the notification badge on the emoticon. Soon after:
A large dog, not a puppy. A smile spread across my face at the barrage of messages, which felt like a large dog wagging its tail. I wish Lee Jiyoon would learn some of this cuteness from her sister.
…There are "adult reasons" for that…. Adult reasons, my foot. It just means she’s still too shy to tell her friends. Well, it doesn't matter. As I’ve said repeatedly, whether you’re seeing someone or not, you just have to conduct yourself accordingly. When I sent a message asking, "Is it really that hard to admit we're dating?" Lee Hayoon spammed me with emoticons of a puppy holding a pillow that said "Yes." I chuckled at that, left one last message, and headed to the bathroom.
Now I know for sure. It’s better to buy clothes online whenever possible. Especially for someone like me who doesn't give much thought to fashion, that’s even more true. Because this is no different from pure torture.
"The design and price aren't bad, but the fabric here is terrible. Even considering it's unbranded."
"……."
"……."
"Even unbranded stuff is usually decent these days. Hmm…. It’s spring clothes, so I won't be wearing them for long, so maybe it's fine if they're just cheap and pretty…."
I’d already thought, "She was smiling brightly at the clerk earlier and saying she’d look around a bit more, but that was a total lie," for the seventh time now. I’d noticed things were going strangely around the third shop, but I never expected it to drag on this long.
……Ha. I didn’t come here with the intention of purely picking out clothes with you two. As I let out a light sigh so Lee Hayoon wouldn't hear, I heard an equally demoralizing sigh from beside me. It was Lee Jiyoon. To be precise, Lee Jiyoon, who was in a bad mood because her golden weekend gaming time was being encroached upon.
"…Just buy it here, unnie. You’re tired of walking around, aren't you?"
"Should we try a boutique instead of unbranded stuff this time?"
"Whatever…. Let's go."
But perhaps because she was used to Lee Jiyoon’s whining, Lee Hayoon ignored her younger sister naturally and headed down the stairs, smiling brightly at me. And Lee Jiyoon, as if used to Lee Hayoon’s reaction, sighed deeply and walked down listlessly, leaning against the wall and bending her knees a few times. I’d barely managed to answer, "Let's just go, then," but I felt the same way as Lee Jiyoon. I wanted to have a sweet, heart-fluttering date with the three of us, so why was she so serious about shopping? Why do we have to go in and out of so many places just to buy a few pieces of clothing?
Pop! Under the sunshower that still showed no signs of stopping, I opened my umbrella, looking up at the sky blurred by white clouds. Lee Hayoon, wearing a cute beige short coat, took the lead with a cheap convenience store umbrella. She easily outpaced Lee Jiyoon, who lacked stamina because she was a gamer from the magic world, and me, who just lacked the motivation to keep up. No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say we were outpaced by Lee Hayoon because we were too slow.
By the time Lee Hayoon had accidentally drifted about three steps ahead of us, Lee Jiyoon, who had been pouting, spoke up. For reference, unlike Lee Hayoon, she was still wearing the same khaki jumper and ball cap she usually wore.
"…Don't your legs hurt?"
"My legs are fine. I’m just a bit tired."
"…Hmph…."
Lee Jiyoon looked at me with a strange expression before turning back to face forward before her sister could catch her. Ah. Was the right answer to empathize and say my legs hurt, too? As I regretted my thoughtless answer, Lee Jiyoon, who had tilted her umbrella to the other side so rainwater wouldn't splash on me, spoke hesitantly.
"…Is unnie like that when she goes on dates with you, too? Walking around everywhere?"
"Well. I haven't been on many dates, so I'm not sure."
"How many have you been on?"
"Including today? Two? Three?"
"…That's fewer than I thought."
"Of course. How long has it been since I started practicing dates with you…. I’ve probably practiced dating with you more times than that."
"……."
When I brought up the story from about a month ago, Lee Jiyoon kept her mouth shut and fiddled with her ball cap. But I could still see her ears, which were burning red. You idiot. It’s fascinating how these subtly cute points are just like Lee Hayoon. …What if I were to sneakily grab her ear when Lee Hayoon isn't looking? I bet her reaction would be fun.
Just before I could take my hand out of my pocket, Lee Hayoon, who had already walked to the crosswalk, waved at us lightly.
"Ah, Noona is waving."
"……."
"I think she's telling us not to dawdle and to hurry up."
"…I, I know that…! You dummy…."
"Yeah, yeah."
"……Le, let's go…."
"Should I turn down the heating?"
"Yelp……."
A sluggish afternoon. Han Su-a, who had barely managed to open her eyes, sat up in bed and stared at the middle-aged woman in front of her. What was going on? She felt like she had only closed her eyes for a second, so why was the housekeeper standing right there? Her dazed, blinking eyes moved slowly to the clock on the wall. 2:00 PM. Six hours past her usual waking time.
"……."
She was screwed.
"You seemed to have been sweating quite a bit while you were sleeping."
"…Swea, sweating……."
"Yes. Your hair is damp, and your clothes, and…."
"……."
"Besides, you were sleeping so late today, unlike usual, so I came to check on you…."
"……."
As her sleeping brain woke up, a checklist of things she needed to verify immediately popped into her head.
1. Did she wash up? > She had been masturbating like a madwoman and fallen asleep right after. She’d managed to pull the blanket over herself, but the smell of sweat was stinging her nose.
2. When she washed up in the morning, did she hide the towels she used in the middle of the night deep in the laundry pile? > No. She hadn't even washed up yet….
3. Did she open the window properly to ventilate the bedroom? > She had left it open just a crack before going to sleep, just in case, but she hadn't closed it. So, the cold air was still drifting in.
In other words, Han Su-a was currently unwashed and smelling of sweat, had suspiciously left her pajama pants hanging off the edge of the bed, had a pile of towels soaked in her own fluids sitting right next to the bed, and was now alone with the housekeeper who did the chores.
"……."
Bite her tongue. No, no. It was too early to bite her tongue and give up on life. The only saving grace was that the towels were all in a place the housekeeper couldn't see. Moreover, judging by the question about whether she should turn down the heat, the housekeeper was under the impression that she had just sweated a lot because it was hot. In other words, if she played this right, she could get out of this…!
Having reached that conclusion, Han Su-a smiled brightly and said,
"O, oh, you're right. I think it would be good if you turned it down a little."
"Understood."
The housekeeper answered politely and left the bedroom. Han Su-a let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back onto the bed. The fact that the housekeeper had only come to wake her up after lunch time meant she probably suspected what she had been doing in the early hours of the morning, but calculating that far was too much for Han Su-a to handle.