The Blonde Senior Picked by Kim Aran While Strolling Campus? But Her Condition Is...?
Mingyu slung the swimsuit bag he'd prepared over his shoulder and stepped out of the house with a noticeably lighter step. The chaotic tangle from the night before felt like a dream, and the house was peaceful once again. As always, a handwritten note from Song Jiwon was stuck to the table.
"I stopped by to grab my swimsuit. I'll head to school first :)"
They would meet again in the club room after class anyway. Mingyu simply wondered what kind of swimsuit she had brought. Then Kim Aran's words from before suddenly came back to him. Had they really gained another new member? Or... like him, had more unfortunate souls been forced into the club against their will? The thought made him oddly uneasy.
When he arrived at school, Mingyu quietly attended his Korean history class. According to the academy's rules, history was a required subject for all grades. After class, he gathered his things and headed toward the club building. His fingertips trembled slightly just before he opened the door.
"Song Jiwon, Kim Aran, and... a new member? Who would even join this place unless they're an idiot like me..."
He carefully pushed open the club room door, and an unfamiliar head of blonde hair filled his view.
"Ah... hello...? You're a first-year, right...?"
Clear eyes sparkled beneath long lashes. Her shirt was buttoned all the way up, yet her slim waistline stood out clearly, and the fitted jacket gently pressed against her chest. Below the short skirt hem, her knees were neatly together, and her posture was perfectly straight. Her hands rested neatly on her knees without crossing her arms. She looked prim and proper.
She gave off a feminine impression similar to Song Jiwon, but with a different quality. She seemed... fragile, as if she might break at any moment.
"Ah... um... are you the new member? And... yes, I'm a first-year..."
"What is this... is she an idiot...?"
Mingyu scratched his head and awkwardly bowed. At that moment, the club room door burst open with a bang, and a lively voice poured in.
"Kyahahaha! You two already introduced yourselves!?"
Kim Aran appeared carrying an old box in both hands, her bag half-sliding off one shoulder as she laughed loudly. She wore a one-piece swimsuit under a carelessly zipped training jacket, the zipper pulled down to her chest so the blue swimsuit straps peeked out. The fabric clung damply, faintly outlining her ample breasts.
"This girl here~ I spotted her quietly taking a walk(?) near the club room earlier and snatched her right up! What was it again!? Ah, Pokémon!? I choose you! That's how I caught her!"
Aran set the box down and grinned playfully.
"She was so quiet and well-behaved that I could barely talk to her, so I just picked her up on a whim! What~ Isn't she cute? From today on, we're on the same seal team~"
The blonde girl, looking embarrassed, stood half-hidden behind Aran. She flinched whenever spoken to and fidgeted when their eyes met.
"No, seriously... what is this? Picking up club members like stray puppies... is this even okay...?"
Mingyu stared blankly between the two. But before he could dwell on it, the girl carefully spoke up.
"I... I'm... a second-year... Yoo Eun-kyung... And... I'm one year older than you... So... calling me 'noona'... would be fine..."
Her voice grew smaller toward the end, her gaze darting between the floor and the trees outside the window. Even when she looked directly at Mingyu, her eyes quickly fled to the side. She was exactly like a frightened rabbit in front of people.
At the sight, Aran suddenly raised both hands and cheered.
"See!? Mingyu, isn't she super cute!? Thanks to teacher, we get to wear swimsuits together with such a pretty 'senior'~ and hang out~ Kuuu!!! This is amazing! Right? I'm the best, aren't I? Admit it! Admit it!"
She strode over and clapped Mingyu on the shoulder.
"Anyway, you two sort out your introductions! I've got tons of stuff to bring~ like a mountain~ If I find another kid like Eun-kyung, I'll snatch her up too, kiki kik!"
With that, she muttered excitedly to herself as she left.
"Nyahaha~ Using your body really does loosen it up~ When your legs move, your heart races, and when your heart races, your mood improves~"
With a clatter of footsteps, Aran disappeared down the hallway. And now, only the two of them remained.
Mingyu found himself sharing the awkward space with a girl whose name still felt unfamiliar. Even the smallest breath created an unfamiliar silence. A suffocating quiet hung between them. It felt like they should say something, yet the silence only stretched longer. Finally, Mingyu spoke first.
"Uh... Aran said we should tidy up a bit... Shall we organize together...?"
Eun-kyung flinched slightly, then quietly nodded.
"Y-yeah... let's do that..."
They sat facing each other with a box between them. The moment they opened it—
"...A rabbit doll?"
"...This is... a figure...?"
"...There's even a fishing rod...? Why is this here...?"
"A mini cuckoo clock...???"
"Yu-Gi-Oh cards...!?"
Items with no apparent consistent theme kept spilling out. Silence returned, and Mingyu couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.
"So... senior, you really got dragged in while just walking around campus?"
At his words, Eun-kyung's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she carefully tucked her long hair behind her ear.
"I... think so... Aran said I seemed naturally gifted at swimming..."
"Ah, so you were good at swimming originally?"
"Ah? No... I've never tried it... but she said I'd be good at it... so maybe...?"
Though he didn't show his disbelief, Mingyu stared at her blankly again. Her skin was flawless and smooth, her uniform perfectly neat without a single wrinkle. Yet the skirt was impossibly short for a standard uniform.
"...What is this? It's so unbalanced."
The fitted top accentuated her chest line, and the skirt length clashed completely with her timid way of speaking. Her long legs were fully exposed, and even while sitting, the upper part of her thighs was subtly visible.
"...Senior, you wear your uniform exactly as it is. Most people either wear it halfway, alter it, or don't wear it at all..."
Eun-kyung smiled awkwardly and smoothed her knees with her fingertips.
"Ehehe... well... it's pretty, our school uniform... Even adults in Thailand wear uniforms, and besides..."
She rolled her eyes for a moment before quietly adding,
"I... I think wearing the uniform skirt short... looks pretty... because my legs... might look nice..."
"Huh...!?"
Mingyu tilted his head inwardly. "I thought she was timid... is she actually confident? She says surprisingly bold things despite how she looks... Can those two traits even coexist...?"
"...You... what's your name...?"
Her voice flowed softly. The words drifted lazily, and listening to her made his heart feel strangely gentle.
"Ah... I'm Kim Mingyu."
"Ah... Mingyu..."
Eun-kyung smiled faintly and pulled out her smartphone from her pocket. She slowly tapped the screen.
"Junior Mingyu❤️"
She showed him the screen, then carefully handed the phone to him without a word.
"...?"
Her gaze stayed lowered, but her fingertips resting on the phone trembled slightly, as if saying "Please enter your number."
Mingyu entered his number in a daze.
"...I put it in here."
Eun-kyung pressed save and immediately called his number. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, she made a small gesture.
"...You want mine?"
Mingyu smiled awkwardly and handed over his phone. Eun-kyung took it and slowly entered her name.
"Senior Yoo Eun-kyung❤️"
After finishing, she handed the phone back to him without showing the screen. Her careful fingertips and the subtly warm gaze made Mingyu feel strangely flustered.
"...Well, how should I put it..."
Eun-kyung suddenly looked around with lost eyes and bit her lip.
"...There's... only one changing room here, right...?"
Mingyu blinked.
"Then... a guy uses it, then a girl uses it... like that...?"
Eun-kyung's face flushed as she avoided looking at Mingyu and trailed off. Mingyu, completely missing the nuance, answered firmly.
"Ah! The girls' changing room is outside, to the left!"
"...H-huh?"
Eun-kyung's eyes widened.
"...There's a separate girls' changing room...? Ah... I see... there is one..."
She nodded slowly, but her expression was strangely bitter. Her lips didn't curve upward, and her eyes stayed slightly wide without moving. Her lips were tighter than before, and even her slightly protruding mouth looked pouty. Mingyu felt an odd tingle down his spine.
"...What...? Did she... actually look disappointed just now...?"
It wasn't relief at all. It felt more like she was thinking, "Ah, there really is a separate one...? That's too bad..." without saying it out loud.
"Wait... this noona... was she actually hoping we'd share the same changing room...? Like... changing together... or something...? No way, right...?"
Mingyu shook his head vigorously at his own imagination.
"No, surely not. If it were that, she'd just be a pervert... But... why does it strangely make sense...?"
Because of that, he found himself glancing at her sideways. Her timid speech, neat demeanor, and the ridiculously short uniform skirt that didn't match at all. Somehow, she really did seem like someone "ready to take it off..."
Mingyu muttered inwardly. "Hey, Kim Mingyu. You're making this person weird right now..."
He pulled himself together and carefully asked,
"Uh... but if you just joined today, senior, you probably haven't prepared a swimsuit yet..."
Eun-kyung, still looking out the window, smiled faintly and tilted her head slightly.
"Ah... if it's about the swimsuit... I have one..."
"...What!?"
"Aran said our body types are... a little similar... so she lent me one... Aran is about a C-cup...? I'm a full D... but since that was high school... it might have gotten... bigger..."
Eun-kyung lightly hugged her own chest. Even while speaking, she never once looked at Mingyu. She simply clasped her fingertips together, pausing at the end of each sentence.
"It might be a little tight... or the underboob... might peek out..."
"..."
"Ah... probably... it feels kind of like... a monokini... so if I insist... maybe... underboob or..."
Mingyu couldn't say a word. His eyes didn't even blink, and a strange high-pitched ringing echoed in his ears.
"What... what did she say...? Underboob...? Monokini...? Why is she saying things like that so calmly...?"
He just stared at her blankly with his mouth half-open like a fool. Eun-kyung seemed unaware of his reaction and continued staring out the window, as if thinking, "This is just normal conversation, isn't it?"
Mingyu repeated inwardly. "No, seriously... what is this...? Why does she keep saying such lewd things in such a quiet tone...? She's really confusing people..."
Eun-kyung took a breath and continued nonchalantly.
"And... the bottom part might be... really tight..."
"...What?"
"But... for women's swimsuit bottoms... you know... camel toe...? To prevent that... there's padding inside, right...? So... the embarrassment should be... somewhat prevented..."
Even while pausing at the end of each sentence, she asked without changing her expression.
"...Don't you think so...? Mingyu...?"
Mingyu froze completely.
"Aaah!! Why are you asking me that!!! How would I know the structure of swimsuit padding!!! I'm a guy!!! Just a guy, okay!!!"
His mind burned white, but a false calm came out of his mouth.
"Ah... aah... I see... That's a relief... yes..."
Mingyu stared down at his own fingers, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
"...Seriously, what is this noona... underboob, monokini, camel toe... and she says it all so seriously!!! Even in a gentle tone! Like choosing a coffee menu!!"
Mingyu finally realized. "This is the type who blurts out lewd things without any self-awareness... and in an extremely detailed, informative tone... otherwise it wouldn't make sense..."
She stutters, avoids eye contact, and speaks softly... but the content is horrifically lewd. It was strange. Strangely... it turned him on even more.
"...I wonder if it's too small... since swimming involves rough movements..."
She muttered to herself, then carefully added after a pause.
"...Should I... try it on now...?"
"Wha—!?"
Mingyu reflexively jerked his head back.
"No! No! It's fine! We probably won't be getting in the water today anyway!"
Eun-kyung lowered her head deeply again, pressing her lips together with a somewhat disappointed expression.
"...Ah... really...? So... we're not getting in the water today..."
Her voice carried an even deeper disappointment than before. Mingyu felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
"...Did I do something wrong?"
"Ah, no, actually... I don't really know either, haha... We probably need to wait for Aran to come back!"
"...I... guess so...?"
Eun-kyung's face finally regained some color. Her previously slumped shoulders lifted slightly.
"Then... how should I put it..."
She stammered again as she continued.
"...I don't know how to swim... so..."
"..."
"Since you started the club first... Mingyu..."
She raised her gaze slightly to look at him.
"Then... teach me..."
"......"
"And... like... hee..."
"...Huh? Hee...?"
Mingyu held his breath. "What... what do you mean...? If you cut off there... it sounds weird, senior!!"
While screaming inwardly, he forced a calm expression on the outside.
"Ah, seriously... why does she keep cutting off like that...? She could just say 'help me'... why does she have to end with '...hee...'...? Now I'm having dangerous thoughts..."