Episode 56: Choi Si-eun Went to the US
Episode 56: Choi Si-eun Went to the US
56 — Choi Sieun Went to America
Our tangled breaths slowly unraveled.
"Haa... oppa..."
Nara looked up at me, her moist lips quivering, her eyes brimming with deep reluctance.
I steadied my ragged breathing and ached to press my mouth against hers again, but this was still just a lounge attached to the department office in the school building.
Even if we'd locked the door, we couldn't stay like this forever in a place where anyone could walk in at any moment. And with the new semester approaching — unlike the dead of vacation — far too many people were around.
"Aren't you hungry? Let's go get some food."
At my words, the hazy look in her eyes instantly went wide and sparkly.
"Really? I want meat! I've been craving beef like crazy! I've only been eating rabbit food during promotions — I seriously felt like I was going to keel over."
"Alright, today I'll stuff you with beef till you burst. But first, change your clothes and come down to the parking lot."
"Okay."
Nara fidgeted on the bed, got up, gave me one more quick peck on the lips, and slipped out of the office.
While she was gone, I tidied up the office and lounge, double-checked that nothing was left behind, and stepped out.
I set the navigation and waited for Nara. Soon a person with a small face meticulously hidden behind a black mask hopped into the passenger seat.
"Aren't you hot?"
"It's hot..."
As if the black mask was too stifling, Nara took it off the moment she got in.
"If you're gonna do that, why wear it at all..."
"I'm an idol, you know..."
"You only remember you're an idol at times like this."
She never acts like an idol otherwise, but when it's convenient, suddenly she demands the treatment. Once again deploying the car's latest technology, I darkened the window tint and pulled out.
As soon as we started moving, Nara naturally grabbed my right hand and interlaced her small fingers with mine.
"I need to drive."
"Just drive with one hand. I was sleeping in your arms until just now — I still need more warmth."
Her whining voice was so cute that I just chuckled and drove slowly with one hand on the wheel.
The place we arrived at was a Korean beef specialty restaurant with private rooms. Following the staff, we settled into a suitable one.
When the meat arrived, Nara gasped in admiration and immediately started taking pictures.
"Wow, the marbling is insane! It's so beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah, now hand it over."
"No, let me take a few more."
Only after taking photos until smoke began rising from the grill did she finally pass the meat to me.
I picked up the tongs and started grilling. The moment the meat hit the heated grill, a cheerful sizzle filled the air along with the savory aroma of fat, flooding the room in an instant.
(The staff offered to grill it, but we wanted to enjoy our meal privately, so I said I'd do it myself.)
"How did you stand this smell for two whole months of promotions?"
"Honestly, I couldn't! So I secretly sneaked out at dawn and was eating a hot bar from the convenience store when my manager unnie caught me and I got scolded like crazy. I almost cried, it was so unfair."
"What are you, a trainee..."
"You think only trainees eat sausages?"
Nara, chopsticks in her mouth, stared intently at the meat, waiting for it to cook.
When I placed a piece of meat — lightly seared with juices beading on its surface — onto her side plate, she didn't even blow on it before popping it into her mouth and chewing delightedly. Her cheeks puffed out, looking exactly like a hamster.
"Slow down. You're gonna choke. The meat isn't going anywhere."
"Mm, it tastes even better 'cause you grilled it. Oh, oppa, say 'ah' too."
Nara dipped a piece of meat deep into the ssamjang and thrust it toward my mouth. I pretended to reluctantly accept it, and she flashed her trademark crescent-moon smile, laughing happily.
"The ssamjang is good too, but beef is best with salt."
"You're so talkative while eating my food... Ah, well, you're paying for it. Next time, I'll dip it in salt for you."
"Okay."
Playing along with our silly banter, we turned our attention to the next batch of meat.
"Earlier you said you were upset because I didn't tell you beforehand."
As I carefully broached the subject again while laying fresh meat on the grill, Nara's chewing cheeks paused for a moment.
"I was upset, but what can I do? Last time you told me you'd be seeing other women even while holding onto me, so I kind of sensed it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but I didn't expect it to happen this fast..."
"So how was it?"
"I was really nervous, but they treated me well... Sieun unnie even told me to try acting, said I have talent."
Nara recounted her meeting with the noonas much more calmly than I expected. It wasn't a big deal after all, and I felt relieved.
"But... you can't abandon me. I really only have you, oppa."
Nara's eyes trembled faintly as she looked at me across the grill.
I set the tongs down on the table and reached over to stroke her soft hair.
"Who would abandon you? You're this pretty, you shine brightest on stage, and on top of that, you're a great eater."
"Really? I'm trusting you, oppa?"
"Yeah. Stop thinking about useless stuff and eat more meat."
Nara's pout dissolved and she grinned again, her chopsticks moving busily once more.
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"It feels kind of awkward."
I stared blankly at the empty corner of the sofa and muttered to myself. Beside me, Eunhwi noona rested her chin on her hand and nodded deeply in agreement.
"I know. How can the house be this quiet?"
Sieun noona had left for America much earlier than originally planned.
Ordinarily, she would have stayed in Korea for at least another week, glued to my side.
But a celebrity's schedule is always subject to sudden upheaval.
The cause this time was an eccentric director.
While post-production was proceeding smoothly, he suddenly claimed a burst of crazy artistic inspiration and demanded an immediate reshoot, scrapping the existing scenes entirely.
As she packed in a rush, Sieun noona's litany of complaints still echoed vividly in my ears.
"I mean, if you were going to burn your artistic soul, you should've done it sooner! Why, when someone's finally getting a proper rest, do you have to go crazy now? Are you out of your mind, for real? I'm not going! I said I'm not going!"
The sight of her snapping peevishly at the world-renowned master and kicking her poor suitcase with swift kicks.
The elegant and lofty national actress Lee Sieun of the screen was nowhere to be found; she was just a girl throwing a cute tantrum because she didn't want to spend even one more day apart from her boyfriend.
"If you lay eyes on anyone else while I'm gone, you're dead! Actually, you already laid one eye on others, so if you lay two eyes you're dead! Got it? I've told Eunhwi, Haru, Nara — ugh, why are there so many? Anyway! I've got them all watching you, so don't you dare even dream of doing anything stupid!"
Right up until she entered the departure gate, she clutched my collar and issued a fierce warning. Her menacing yet affectionate face was already flickering before my eyes.
Just a few hours ago, the house had been bustling with her nagging and whining. Now that the typhoon of a woman had blown through, I hadn't expected the air to feel this hollow and still. It was like a huge hole had been punched into my familiar daily life.
"Want a drink?"
"Ah, thanks."
Still staring blankly at the TV screen as channels flipped meaninglessly, I absently reached out and accepted the cup.
Clink. The clear ice cubes clattered against each other inside the glass, making a pleasantly cool sound.
As soon as I took a sip and set the cup on the table, Eunhwi noona dove into the empty space on the sofa, pressing herself tightly against my side at an oddly slanted, suggestive angle.
The sofa sank under her weight, and her distinctive cozy-yet-mature skin scent hit me all at once.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Her gaze was so blatant and scorching, as if it was piercing right through my face, that I involuntarily turned my head away.
The moment I looked at Eunhwi noona, I couldn't help but hold my breath.
This wasn't the usual gentle, amiable noona's gaze or the look of a comfortable housemate. In her slightly flushed cheeks and languidly unfocused eyes, a thick and sticky desire was simmering.
I didn't know how, but it seemed her switch had been flipped on.
Instead of answering, she gave a languid smile and reached out to gently cup my cheek and chin. Then, giving me no chance to escape, she slowly leaned in and pressed her red lips perfectly against mine.
"Smooch... shluurrp... mmm... mwah..."
Because I'd just drunk cold water, my lips were chilly. She pulled back for a moment after kissing, but soon seized my lips again as if devouring them.
As time passed, the slick, dense sounds of our mouths meeting began to fill the living room's stillness with a strange intimacy.
As our breaths mingled and grew heavier, my reason gradually melted into a haze.
"Mwah... haa... Is this... okay?"
Taking advantage of the slight parting of our lips, I gasped for a shallow breath and barely managed to murmur.
Just minutes ago, we'd been talking about how Sieun noona's departure had left the house feeling hollow and awkward — how her absence felt so vast. That lonely conversation was still fresh.
I wondered if it was really okay to engage in such passionate love-play on this living room sofa, where Sieun noona's scent hadn't even faded yet.
But my body accepted her affection without any objection.
Eunhwi noona had already stripped off all her clothes except her bra and climbed on top of me.
"Sijun."
"Yeah?"
"Love me."
"I'm loving you right now, though?"
"Then love me more."
Eunhwi noona ran her hands down my body, slowly pulling off my pants and underwear as well.
"Oh my, teacher, you're moving way too fast."
"Today, let's do it a little fast..."
But I had no intention of rushing, so I slid my hands under Eunhwi noona's armpits, gently lifted her to sit on top of me, and kissed her again.
"I'm in a hurry, Sijun... mwah! mwah! mwah! shluurrp."
"You know the saying, 'Haste makes waste.'"
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Choi Sieun Airport Fashion?
