Groveling at Her Feet
"What's a 'dickie'?"
As expected of a model student. She really didn't know these kinds of words.
"It's slang for male genitalia."
"Ah... pfft... Hahaha! That's hilarious. It's such a cute word."
It was an old slang term that had recently made a comeback, but she was only just cracking up over it now. Talk about being hopelessly behind the trends.
"Anyway, yeah, that's a word."
"Like it's about to burst? Hmm... I feel like if it bursts, juice would go splat! Hahaha!"
"Don't imagine such crazy things. You don't even have one..."
I ended up imagining a horrific scene.
"Ah, sorry... I guess I got too excited. It's just my first time hearing it described so adorably."
Any other girl would have blushed or acted embarrassed. Usually, there were two reasons for this kind of reaction: either she was incredibly experienced, or she had absolutely no interest in sex, making it a non-issue. Looking at her attitude, it was definitely the latter.
"Before we talk about guys... don't you like dirty things? They say girls like dirty stuff just as much as guys do, they just don't show it."
"Girls aren't as simple as guys. There are girls like Yehyeon, girls who absolutely detest it, girls who actually like it but play coy, and girls like me who are just indifferent."
"Guys aren't that simple either. Sure, we all get uncomfortable if we don't relieve our sexual desires because of a body part we can't control, but our tastes in what we watch to solve that are pretty diverse."
"I bet girls have even more diverse tastes. There are genres I try just because they're popular among my friends, even if I don't really get them. Though I only stick to soft stuff without explicit scenes. What about you, Ha-woon? Is there a genre that even guys can't understand?"
"There is."
Coincidentally, not too long ago, I had read a smut manga that was so incredibly hot I risked my brain rotting just to finish it. Why on earth did that artist waste such magnificent talent on absolute garbage?
"It's called NTR."
"Ah, I've heard of that."
She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.
"It's a term used when something gets stolen, right?"
She clearly didn't know the actual etymology and was just throwing around a word she'd overheard somewhere. This was why normies were so hopeless.
"It's originally an adult genre."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"It's a genre where the protagonist is a guy whose woman gets stolen by another man."
"Whoa... people actually look that up on purpose? Do they watch it as a tragedy?"
"Tragedy is the baseline... but the real kicker is that they get sexually aroused watching their woman get taken."
"Wow... that's fascinating. So they're empathizing with that kind of protagonist."
"Exactly. It's baffling to me too. I can't believe there's enough demand for that trash to keep being produced."
"Hmm... interesting. It sounds like it's worth researching."
"Don't even try to understand it. It'll rot your brain."
"But I'm so curious about the psychology behind it. Humans really are fascinating, aren't they?"
The fact that you're feeling a genuine urge to investigate something like NTR makes you just as fascinating, you know. On the other hand, I figured this obsessive curiosity about human nature was probably the driving force behind Ji Su-ah's exceptional social skills.
If I hadn't brought up NTR back then, Taehyun's eyes and brain wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
I desperately wanted to apologize, but even if it happened before they started dating, there was no way he'd feel good knowing his girlfriend and I had shared that kind of conversation, so I kept my mouth shut. To think she was the one who wanted to understand it, yet she dumped the dirty work on her boyfriend. I suppose this was Su-ah's flaw, one I only discovered after they started dating. She was sincere about understanding others and building good relationships, but when it came to her actual partner, she could be surprisingly harsh. A haughtiness she never showed in front of others was her default attitude toward Taehyun. Every word and action of hers practically screamed: 'I accepted your feelings because you begged so much, but if I'm too much for you, feel free to leave whenever.'
Even though Taehyun had spouted crazy nonsense about how her queen-like behavior—reserved only for him—was a reward in itself, I honestly thought he would eventually burn out and give up. I believed Su-ah would never give him the ultimate reward a woman could give a man, rather than those bizarre psychological "rewards." That was why I felt safe teasing him. But in the end, I was wrong. It must have been so good... I'm so fucking jealous, you bastard! Having lost my virginity to my sister's non-consensual assault, it was something I could never experience for the rest of my life. A shy, heart-fluttering, pure-love sex where both partners were each other's firsts.
"Make sure you put your heart and soul into writing that report and submit it."
"What the hell, why are you joining in too? You usually take my side. Just a moment ago, you were saying Su-ah was crazy."
"And what are you gonna do if you don't? What can you even do? What can you do besides exactly what Su-ah tells you to do? Hehehe."
"Ugh..."
Seeing him suffer made my burning jealousy subside. I won't deny that I was being petty. But it was only because I felt relieved. If even Ji Su-ah was willing to give him her body, it meant she was incredibly serious about him. So suffer a little more!
"She's the woman you chose. Suck it up and deal with it."
I meant it: grovel at your girlfriend's feet for the rest of your life. I couldn't be the only one suffering. Besides, isn't that still a hundred times better than submitting to your little sister?
"Does seeing me suffer make you feel that good?"
"Yeah. Extremely. It's refreshing."
"Then that's fine."
I was the one who said it was refreshing, but his smile was the one that looked bright. It was obvious he was genuinely happy that I, who hadn't been able to hide my depression all day, was finally cheering up at his expense. I was actually touched. If this guy had been a girl, I would have hugged him on the spot, buried my face in his chest, and bawled my eyes out.
Just as I was starting to feel ashamed of my petty jealousy and teasing, my phone buzzed.
It was Ha-yeon. Interrupting my moment of emotional warmth. I coolly ignored it and made a suggestion to Taehyun.
"Hey, let's just go to the PC bang. If you tell her you're doing it to hang out with me, your girlfriend will let it slide."
Because while Su-ah was a tyrant in romance, she was nice to her boyfriend's friends.
"Hmm..." Taehyun pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"No. I have a good feeling about today. I think it'll pass this time."
Pass this time?
"Don't tell me... you had to keep rewriting it until she was satisfied..."
"Yeah... I am going to end this penance today, no matter what."
What is he, a grad student getting his thesis rejected by his advisor? Since there wasn't much I could do to help, I just cheered him on in my head and went back to playing on my phone. Then, I happened to glance at his face. He was typing like a man possessed, wearing a creepy, perverted grin. Is that what a grad student looks like when they're absolutely certain their thesis will finally pass after countless rejections? It was a little chilling.
"It's done—!" he finally cheered, throwing both arms into the air.
"Do you want to read it? Give it a review before I send it to Su-ah..."
"Ew... no way." I cut off his ridiculous offer immediately.
"Ah... I'm so nervous... I wonder if she'll tell me I can stop now..."
With the Kkotok chat window open, he hesitated over whether to send the file. I could feel his anxiety radiating off him. Anyone watching would think he was trying to send a love confession.
"Just send it. That's the only way to get it over with."
"Yeah... right?" But he still couldn't bring himself to hit send. I recalled the sight of the two of them I'd secretly watched at school today. Taehyun, looking like he was getting scolded. Just how hard did she ride him to make him this terrified?
"Want me to do it?" I stepped closer to the computer.
"W-would you?"
I dragged Taehyun's file and dropped it into Su-ah's chat window. It didn't take long for a reply to come back.
The sheer arrogance dripping from those two short sentences made it hard to believe they actually came from Su-ah. Was their private dynamic really this extreme?
"Whew... please..." I tried to distract the fidgeting Taehyun.
"Let's watch a movie while we wait."
Partly because I didn't want to go home, but also because I was genuinely curious if this guy could finally say goodbye to NTR. I wanted to witness his happy ending in real-time.
Just as the movie reached its climax, with explosions going off left and right during a high-speed chase, a Kkotok finally arrived from Su-ah.
"I did it!" We slapped our hands together in a high-five. Taehyun excitedly began hammering away at his keyboard.
I should never date like that.
—The thought flashed through my mind, only to immediately remind me of the reality that dating wasn't my biggest problem. I couldn't loiter here forever; eventually, I had to go home.
First, I should finish the movie. If I stretched it out, it would be late enough that Ha-yeon might be asleep by the time I got home.
Leaving behind Taehyun's happy-ending report submission and the movie, I headed out into the cold reality.
The door opened into silence. A dark living room. The air inside the house, where only my footsteps could be heard, brought a wave of relief. My heart, which had been tight with the fear of running into Ha-yeon the moment I stepped in, finally relaxed. But...
"You really are a stupid dog, aren't you? Did you think leaving me on read would change anything?"
When I walked into my room and flipped on the light, Ha-yeon was sitting there in dolphin shorts, her legs crossed.
"You're struggling, aren't you? Huh? Begging to be disciplined. You made me wait so I'd hold it in and eat you up even more deliciously, didn't you?"
Before I could even close the door, she approached me and shoved her hand straight down my pants.
"N-no..."
"If not, then what?"
"I... I was just... having fun hanging out with my friend..."
"You fucking bastard... filling the whole room with your slutty scent to make your master horny, and then my flesh dildo goes off playing somewhere else and doesn't even reply? You're dead, you piece of shit."
I was thrown onto the bed.