The World Tree
I genuinely couldn't understand. What had I done to upset her?
"Did I... do something wrong...?"
Seeing my timid attitude, she let out a long sigh.
"Sigh... you sly bitch... Why do you have to be so pretty? You make it impossible to hate you."
"Hehe, I'm sorry~ ♡" I clung to her arm, rubbing against her.
"You bad girl. You really think the whole world revolves around you, don't you? Everyone babies you, and even if you treat your boyfriend like dirt, there's a truckload of other guys waiting, so you've got nothing to lose. Right?"
"But I treat you well, don't I? ♡ Isn't that enough?"
"I'm just worried you're going to hurt Haun, you brat. Why else?"
"No way... Don't tell me you still... Were we actually rivals?"
"Are you crazy...?" Yuna gave a bitter smile. "I just... feel sorry for him."
I was incredibly curious about what had happened between the two of them, but the atmosphere was too heavy to ask lightheartedly. "Well... wouldn't it be better if you told me? So I can make sure I don't hurt him..."
"Well... it's nothing major. We were just too young back then."
Yuna explained that she hadn't been able to distinguish between romantic feelings and possessiveness back then. She had taken a liking to the pretty Haun and stayed close to him, but she grew jealous when other girls befriended him for the exact same reason. Wanting to make Haun entirely hers, Yuna confessed to him. He accepted, and for a while, she felt like she had the world at her feet.
The incident happened not long after their first kiss—a shy pressing of lips. That day, amidst a sweet, lovey-dovey atmosphere, they shared a light peck, but Haun didn't stop there. He pushed his tongue inside and pulled her close. And then, she felt something heavy and hard pressing against her stomach. This isn't the Haun I like, she had thought.
Startled out of her wits, Yuna pushed Haun away and fled. That night, she called him, sobbing uncontrollably as she apologized.
"That's when I realized. It wasn't the first time Haun had dealt with something like that. He actually comforted me, saying he was used to it so it was fine. Instead of calming me down, his words made me feel so guilty that I cried even harder, tears and snot running down my face. That was the day we broke up."
Only then did I understand everything. Why Yuna looked at me and remembered her childhood. Why she still worried about his scars even though they had broken up so long ago. And where Haun's habit of subtly drawing a line between us came from.
"I won't tell you to grow up. I like Ji Sua just the way she is now. But if you end up hurting him, especially after I've laid bare my embarrassing past like this, I will be truly disappointed in you."
"Don't worry." I steeled my resolve. I wouldn't hurt his feelings. And I wouldn't give up on him. The kindness Haun had shown even in the face of his breakup with Yuna only made me fall for him more.
Even so, because I hated the idea of my clean world becoming sticky and messy, I drew up a long-term plan to eventually marry him. First, I would become Haun's best friend. I would always be by his side as someone comfortable and dependable. All the while, I'd keep a sharp eye out for any other girls trying to muscle in—the only real wildcard. Because if push came to shove, even I didn't know what I might do.
Seong Haun was a man valuable enough to warrant risking muddy impurities entering my bright, refreshing world. Depending on who the other girl was, I might even let him have his fun. If she was the type he'd easily break up with, she was more than welcome. Haun was only like this because he was a virgin; once he experienced women, got hurt, and struggled, I would be there to support him. That would make me stand out even more, and he would eventually realize the greatness of my platonic love.
I thought it was a truly perfect plan. Until Haun's best friend fell for me. To think the intruder wouldn't be a girl, but a guy. Just as I was slowly breaking down the wall Haun had built around himself and we were starting to get flirtatious, Taehyun's sudden entrance instantly erected an even sturdier barrier.
Taehyun, who made his feelings painfully obvious as he tried to close the distance between us, and Haun, who subtly backed away as if he had no lingering attachment to me—both of them made me want to scream. If Haun had at least actively tried to play matchmaker, I could have shown my annoyance. Instead, his complete indifference, acting as if my relationship with Taehyun was none of his business, infuriated me even more.
I considered baiting him into confessing and then dumping him, but doing so would only make things awkward among the three of us, and it was obvious that I would be the one left out in the cold. Therefore, his confession had to happen entirely independent of my intentions. However, I already had a plan for how to respond. A way to end this situation quickly without any lingering drama. A relationship just like any other. My plan was to accept his feelings first, and then naturally drift toward a breakup.
I told him clearly. I told him there would be nothing good about dating me, and that if he asked my ex-boyfriends, they would all say the exact same thing. But Taehyun was an unexpectedly formidable opponent. I was already a caught fish; it was about time he stopped feeding me, yet he kept pouring on the affection. He came whenever I called, left whenever I told him to, and ran all sorts of errands without a single complaint. Even when people around him mocked him, asking if he was a servant rather than a boyfriend, he remained unshaken.
If Yuna had heard this, she would have called me an insufferable bitch, but his behavior only annoyed me more, prompting me to treat him even worse than I had treated my previous boyfriends. I treated him so poorly that I would eventually feel guilty and try to make up for it by being nice to him once in a while. Affection is a truly terrifying thing. Slowly, I grew accustomed to my relationship with Taehyun. Before I knew it, I even found myself imagining a future with him. There was no doubt he would make a wonderful father to my children.
Deep down, I secretly hoped he would break my lingering feelings for Haun. I was already living a sufficiently blessed life. No one can have everything they want. I was no exception. And so, the days went by as I slowly, bit by bit, let go of my feelings for Haun.
Then, one day, a girl who didn't suit Haun at all began to show interest in him. The girl known as the 'Mad Dog,' Kwon Juran. She looked exactly like the type to play around with Haun for a bit before dumping him. The moment I saw the two of them together, malice writhed deep within my heart. It was intense enough to startle even myself.
I valued myself too much, and I was going to give up on him just to protect my own world—yet now I'm jealous? I couldn't accept that side of myself. Brushing away the dark, damp emotions threatening to submerge my bright, clear world, I approached Juran with a warm, friendly smile. But she wasn't the end of it. For some reason, there seemed to be an unusual number of girls eyeing Haun that day, twisting my stomach into knots. What's more, unlike Juran, some of them looked like they could actually date him long-term and end up with him, which irritated me even further. I was utterly bewildered by this jealousy, a feeling I was experiencing for the very first time in my life.
But still. 'I am strong... I am strong... I am a strong person...' This was a bright, lively world I had protected without bending, even through the stormiest years of my youth. Refusing to lose to the malice blooming inside me, I managed to face Haun looking no different than usual. Even the next morning, I was content simply satisfying my small desire to be alone with him for the first time in a while. I intended to let him go completely. Because I couldn't tolerate a version of myself that was clingy and selfish.
But then, something happened that made me realize just how trivial all my agonizing and effort had been. Haun's massive penis, exposed by Kwon Juran. The moment I saw it, a tree so colossal it could only be called the World Tree shot up at a terrifying speed right in the middle of the endless, colorful flower garden inside my head.
As Haun's semen spilled from Juran's mouth, long flowers bloomed in heavy clusters on the branches that blanketed the entire world. The true identity of the World Tree was a chestnut tree. Its heavy, musky scent filled my world. Intoxicated and dizzy from the fragrance, a wave of intense regret washed over me. Why on earth had I rejected something so wonderful until now?
I want to lick Haun's cock too... I want to swallow his cum... Why do I have to just stand here and watch another woman suck and slobber all over it? Because I've never seen one before? Because I've never smelled a cock before? Why did you blindly hate it without even knowing what it was like? The resentment I felt toward the two who had just finished deep-throating and kissing his penis lost its direction and turned inward, targeting myself.
It was then. The World Tree spoke to me.
"Don't blame yourself, dear."
The voice sounded like mine, yet it was filled with a coquettish allure I didn't possess.
"It isn't your fault. You were simply a victim of the old common sense. Now, all you have to do is be reborn as a person of the new common sense."
I could feel it instinctively. Everyone in my sight was accepting this new common sense. It was only natural for everything to grow old and fade away with the passage of time. It was an inevitable providence, one that required no resistance.
"Do not suffer, and be honest with your new desires. If you cannot have his heart, you simply need to take something else. And... that might eventually lead to his heart anyway."
But if I do that, what about Taehyun...?
"But you've already prepared for this, haven't you? A way for everyone to be happy."
Something I had done purely to satisfy my curiosity and torment Taehyun had now become the perfect tool—allowing me to fulfill my newly sprouted desires with only a brief, minor sting of guilt.
And so, here I was, in my boyfriend's house. Leaving my sleeping boyfriend behind, I climbed on top of the mouthwatering man without a single shred of hesitation.