Chapter 13: Unintended Peeping
The whole incident started from a single thought.
On my way back home from the Research Institute.
"Hmm... On-duty shifts are lonely."
Due to the nature of the Research Institute, the biggest enemy during on-duty shifts was boredom.
And the loneliness that came with it.
There wasn't much to do—just patrolling the fixed route every two hours to check if any 24-hour equipment had shut off unexpectedly, or to reset a malfunctioning fire alarm if needed. It was all mind-numbingly dull.
But since you had to patrol every two hours, you couldn't even sleep properly. You'd nod off in blinks, then force yourself to move again, repeating the cycle. It was exhausting.
'She probably won't be asleep already.'
I checked my watch: 9:50 PM.
After my last coworker whined about wanting to patrol together on my way out, I'd done a round with Seoyeon. So until 11 PM, there'd be nothing to do.
'Which means...'
She'd probably eaten dinner by now. Maybe she'd doze off to the white noise of the incubators, or watch a movie or drama to kill the boredom. Something like that.
Researchers tended not to hear well when focused on something. If she was sitting in her chair watching a video, she wouldn't notice me approaching.
'That's when I sneak up from behind and—wah! Scare her.'
It was terrifying, by the way.
The time she got me, I thought my heart was going to stop.
'I really thought a ghost had appeared.'
In this ridiculous world, who knew—maybe ghosts were real. I'd frozen solid, too scared to even turn my head, when suddenly something popped out from behind and covered my eyes.
"Ehehe... I'm the Research Institute ghost."
A muffled woman's voice had whispered right in my ear.
But thinking back, it was a familiar voice I knew well, so I'd whipped around and flicked her forehead hard.
'Time for revenge.'
Recalling that day, I pressed the cold double-shot latte I'd bought at the convenience store against my cheek, planning to show her what real fear felt like.
Imagining her startled, hilarious reaction, I carefully got out of the car.
"Are... all the lights on...?"
On-duty protocol required leaving all lab lights on.
It prevented accidents during patrols and provided some security deterrent. That's how it was set up.
"Hm...?"
But looking closely, one light was off.
The room next to the duty room, no less.
Seeing that, I thought:
'Is she sleeping with the lights off?'
It happened sometimes. People trying to nap on duty had patterns, but they all shared one trait: turning off the lights to sleep.
I cautiously headed toward that dark room.
'Nodding off is one thing... but actually sleeping is not okay.'
What if a machine malfunctioned and stopped? Or if security called about an intruder? You had to respond, and sleeping made that impossible.
Especially since we handled biotech—leaving it unattended could spell real disaster.
'If she's asleep, I need to give her a good scolding.'
With that in mind, I climbed the stairs, and the duty room soon came into view.
I stepped into the duty room. She was short, so the partition might hide her, but even checking her desk...
'No Seoyeon.'
The leather chair had a fresh imprint, like she'd just gotten up.
'Did she just head off to sleep?'
If so, I'd go easy on her. Scolding someone actively sleeping was harsher than catching them about to.
'If she's not asleep, just a light reprimand.'
To wake her up fully, I grabbed some coffee and jelly, then tiptoed to the next room and stood at the door.
'This is the one.'
The door was slightly ajar.
Perfect—no handle noise. I could scare her even more. Carefully, I pushed the door open and slipped in.
'Huh?'
And that's how I ended up in this situation.
The room's machines emitted light that scattered off the flasks, creating a soft, illuminating glow like a light festival.
Those beams spotlighted a silhouette in the center—a familiar back.
Yellow hair. A high ponytail on the back of her head.
It was Seoyeon.
Up to here, it was the usual Seoyeon I'd seen before.
But below that... completely different from what I knew.
First, her eyes.
Usually wide and round, now half-lidded from fatigue.
Her yellow irises caught the machines' white light, glimmering faintly. It gave them an unusual sheen, like golden eyes with a strange allure.
Next, her expression.
I'd always seen her vibrant, full of life, energizing everyone.
Even today: smiling, angry, sad, embarrassed. All those lively faces.
But blank? In the years we'd worked together, I'd never seen it. First time now.
Watching this calm side of my junior...
It felt strangely sensual.
'Always smiling so brightly... I never noticed.'
Combined with the blank expression, it amplified it.
'She has this side too.'
Seeing the usually clingy, noisy girl so still felt awkward.
Naturally, my gaze drifted downward, and checking her state... my breath caught.
'H-huh.'
Swish.
Her white lab coat hung on a nearby chair. She'd taken off her pants, tugging them down her thighs with both hands—they seemed to stick a bit.
"Nng... Did I really gain weight...?"
As she pulled them down, maybe recalling our lunch chat, she muttered that.
Then she started kneading her thighs, talking to herself.
"Haa... What should I do? I feel like I've really gained weight..."
"... "
"What if sunbae starts hating me like this? That can't happen..."
"... "
She pinched her belly skin hard with thumbs and index fingers.
"Haaah... This feels like it's gotten fat for real?"
"... "
She squeezed and released her belly fat a few times, then half-removed her turtleneck, exposing her chest.
A beige bra supported what looked like heavy breasts.
"My chest feels bigger too, somehow..."
Seoyeon grabbed them with both hands and kneaded.
"What if my swimsuit doesn't fit anymore? I was planning to go to the water park with sunbae this summer... If I look ugly from gaining weight..."
"... "
"No. I can just ask sunbae to teach me how to exercise. His body's amazing..."
She kept mumbling, then suddenly dropped her head.
"Haa... No, that's impossible."
"... "
"Ayoung... went to Hanam University..."
She sighed deeply, reached behind her back to unhook her bra. But with such large breasts, her hands flailed awkwardly.
"Argh... Why won't this come undone?"
"... "
Frustrated, she turned her head back to check.
And then.
"Huh?"
"... "
Silence fell.
My brown eyes met her golden ones. We both blinked, unable to believe the situation.
I snapped out of it first.
'What the hell are you doing staring like an idiot, Park Seongchan!'
Not only had I peeked on my junior changing, but I was just standing there gawking without a word?
I whipped my head away and stumbled back in panic.
Thud.
Maybe too hard—my sneaker scraped the floor with a friction sound.
That noise seemed to jolt her back to reality.
Her dazed expression turned panicked.
Her pale white skin flushed apple-red, and she fumbled to cover her chest and privates, mouth agape.
"... "
Seoyeon stared at me, face burning, speechless. She twisted her body to minimize exposure, but those huge breasts didn't cover—they just...
Jiggle.
She hadn't anticipated the bounce and froze. I tried to apologize first.
"Uh... uh... I mean! I mean!"
But too flustered—words wouldn't come.
Watching me like that, Seoyeon approached, pressing down her jiggling breasts as best she could with her hands.
"... "
She said nothing and shut the door.
Slam.
A bit rough, but I understood. No—this was my fault, so it was only natural.
'Haa... damn.'
This damn body always reacted like this in erotic situations.
Normally, seeing a junior change, I'd quietly back off. But my brain went numb, flooded with lust.
"Haa... How do I explain this?"
I knocked. No response from Seoyeon.
Of course. What sane reply could she give?
I spoke calmly from outside the door.
"Seoyeon. I'm sorry."
"... "
"I was checking if you were asleep on duty. Didn't expect you to be changing."
"... "
"I know it sounds like an excuse, but I want you to know it's not. Either way, I did peep, so I won't say more. Really sorry."
"... "
"Won't happen again. Leaving coffee and jelly by the door. I know you're upset, but hang in there for the rest of duty."
"... "
"One more apology. Sorry. I'm going."
Heavy-hearted, I forced myself to walk away, dry-washing my face all the way to the car, thinking:
'Haa... How do I face her at work tomorrow?'
Years of close friendship with my junior, ruined by one stupid mistake. My vision darkened at the thought.
Back home, 11 PM.
Click.
I quietly opened the door and entered.
'Whew... exhausted.'
Overtime plus the Seoyeon fiasco.
The late night made my eyes heavy, and for morning workouts, I needed to sleep now.
'First, check on Ayoung.'
Dragging my wrecked body, I peeked into my daughter's room.
The blanket was pulled up to the pillow's edge.
'She's properly covered tonight.'
Nights were still chilly, so her face was tucked in too.
Relieved, I quietly closed the door and went to my room.
'Hm? Room smells fresh today?'
Like Ayoung's room—faint and sweet.
'Did Ayoung clean?'
But the rumpled bedsheet suggested otherwise.
'Whatever.'
Too tired for that. No time to care—I stripped haphazardly, didn't even wash, and collapsed into bed.
The pillow smelled like Ayoung.
'So cozy...'
And with that, I fell asleep.
"Grooo... "
Twitch.
Park Seongchan, utterly spent, hadn't noticed the rumpled blanket beside him on the bed shift when he lay down.