Playing with Fire
I don't even remember how the morning chores passed.
Lunchtime, suffocating as it was, was even more of a blur.
I hadn't set foot near the Cultivation Area at all.
I just killed time mowing the lawn in the garden and wiping down the living room floor on the first floor.
Haru unnie only came out of her room to prepare meals; otherwise, she stayed shut away behind her closed door.
Seonyu took care of Jiha instead of me and vanished toward the exploration zone.
Hari seemed glued to the corner of the Cultivation Area, tending only to her plants.
No one exchanged a single word with anyone else.
A heavy silence blanketed the Mansion.
The old grandfather clock on the wall chimed one in the afternoon.
The time I'd promised with Woohee unnie.
'Operation start time...'
I set down the rag I'd been holding and swallowed hard.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor.
Creak, creak.
Each step made the old wood groan louder than usual.
Finally, the second-floor hallway came into view.
Woohee unnie's door was ajar, just as she'd said.
A chill draft seeped through the crack.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, then cautiously peeked my head through the opening.
"Unnie... I'm here."
"Yeah, come in."
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, taking in the room.
Bookshelves lined the walls, papers cluttered the desk.
And there, in the middle of the narrow bed, sat Woohee unnie.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed... Was she nervous too?
"Ah, close the door."
Woohee unnie gestured toward it with her hand.
I reached back awkwardly and shut it.
Click.
The space sealed tight.
Just the two of us.
The cool, dry scent of paper—unique to her room—filled my nostrils.
"You're really... gonna give me a massage?"
I stood awkwardly by the door as I asked.
Woohee unnie rose slowly from her seat and approached me.
"The massage is just an excuse."
Her cool fingertips brushed my upper body.
Tap.
"Take off your shirt, Woohyun."
"Huh?!"
I flinched back in shock.
"Even if it's acting, why the clothes...?"
"You think Haru unnie's an idiot?"
Woohee unnie's eyes stared up at me intently.
"If we just sit here doing nothing, you think she'll get jealous? We need sweat, skin slapping sounds—loud enough for her to hear outside the door."
Her hand slipped under my shirt...
"U-Unnie, wait."
I grabbed her wrist in a panic.
Her skin was cold, but the moment her fingertips grazed my bare chest, the impact was devastating.
"You're not... actually gonna do anything to me, right?"
At my fearful question, Woohee unnie let out a short, scoffing laugh.
"Don't be scared. I'm not some animal in heat."
She shook off my hand lightly and yanked my shirt off.
My toned chest and abs came into view under her touch.
Her gaze slowly roamed over my bare skin.
"Now, lie face down on the bed. I'll give you a real massage. And make some pained noises—for Haru unnie's imagination outside!"
Confusion and a strange defiance surged through me.
Instead of obediently complying, I wrapped my arms around her slim waist and pulled her in.
Whoosh!
Her body crashed helplessly against my solid chest.
Through her thin fabric, I felt the softness of her breasts and the curve of her hips.
I lowered my voice provocatively.
"Unnie, is this really just acting?"
My eyes locked onto hers.
"Your eyes look kinda dangerous..."
At my sudden move, Woohee unnie's body went rigid like a log.
I could feel her usually cool body temperature heating up rapidly where our skin touched.
Her eyes widened slightly, losing their usual detachment.
She was clearly flustered.
No matter how much she planned logically in her head, she was still just a twenty-one-year-old woman with zero experience pressed skin-to-skin like this.
"Hah..."
A short, irregular breath escaped her lips.
Her heartbeat against my chest was far faster and rougher than normal.
The thin fabric of her clothes brushed my stomach and thighs, creating a pleasurable yet lewd, dangerous friction.
I tightened my arms around her waist a bit more.
I'd started the provocation, but with her fully in my embrace, my own heart began pounding like it would burst my eardrums.
"Hah... hah..."
The cool mint scent from her hair mixed with a hidden sweet, fleshy aroma, messing with my reason.
Woohee unnie stiffened in my arms for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and curled her lips up.
"...Woohyun, not bad."
Her voice was a tone lower, husky.
Instead of pushing me away, she gripped the waistband of my pants with both hands.
"If my eyes look dangerous, what're you gonna do about it?"
This time, she rose on tiptoes, bringing her face right up to my chin.
"If it's not acting—if it's real—and I'm saying I'm ready to ditch the Haru unnie plan and breed with you right here, what then?"
Zing—!
Her blunt counterattack made me gasp and twitch my shoulders.
Her cold fingertips trailed down my bare chest, slowly toward my navel.
My lower abs clenched at that precarious path scraping my skin.
I tried to pull my hips back in panic, but she let out a soft chuckle.
"See? You pick a fight when you're scared anyway."
Woohee unnie released me and slipped naturally out of my arms.
"Hurry up and lie down. If we drag this out, Haru unnie might not even come."
My ears burned red as I bit my lip hard.
It felt like a total defeat in our little power play.
And losers follow the winner's orders quietly...
I flopped face down onto the narrow single bed obediently.
Squeak!
The old mattress springs groaned under my weight.
"Hooo—"
I buried my face in her pillow, scented with her, trying to steady my ragged breath.
Then, the mattress dipped behind me as Woohee unnie climbed on.
Rustle, swish.
Her knees pressed down on either side of my thighs, settling in.
A heavy, soft weight pinned my hips and lower back.
She'd fully straddled me.
"Hngh... U-Unnie."
The sensation of her lower body transmitted straight through my back, drawing an involuntary groan.
Just one thin layer of fabric between us, her intimate area teasingly close to my tailbone.
Our body heat mingled unnaturally, like my skin was burning.
"Relax. I'll start with a real massage."
Her hands pressed near my shoulder blades.
Start with? What does 'start with' even mean????
Squeeze, press.
But before I could dwell, her strong grip dug into my knotted muscles.
"Ah..........."
So good...
The tension from hauling fertilizer bags yesterday instead of Hari melted away refreshingly.
But the problem was... the tension outweighed the pleasure by far.
"Ah, ah... that hurts a bit."
I turned my head, letting out a pained sound.
Woohee unnie leaned forward slightly, bringing her lips to my ear.
"Good. Make it natural like that. A little louder."
Her hot, moist breath tickled my ear.
"Mix in words that could be misunderstood outside. 'It hurts,' 'feels good,' stuff like that."
It was insane, but it was the plan.
To fool someone outside the door, we were staging this freakish sex play in secret.
"Hah... W-Woohee unnie... that hurts too much. Go easy..."
My forced voice sounded embarrassingly explicit even to me.
But Woohee unnie seemed satisfied, sliding her fingers down my spine.
"Hang in there, Woohyun. It hurts at first. It'll feel good soon."
Squeak, squeak.
Every time she kneaded my waist, her hips rocked rhythmically, turning into mattress creaks.
To anyone listening, it sounded like a man and woman furiously entwining on the bed.
That's when it happened.
Thud.
A faint scrape on the floorboards outside the closed door—in the second-floor hallway.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
Someone was at our door.
Someone pressing their ear to it, silently eavesdropping!
Probably Haru unnie?
'As the head of the household, she'll step up to protect you—even if she has to force herself.'
Woohee unnie's words from earlier echoed.
The plan was working perfectly.
But... I wasn't happy at all.
Imagining Haru unnie outside, heart shredding as she heard our fake lovemaking, a heavy guilt crushed my chest.
I wanted her heart—not her pain and sorrow.
"Hngah... hah......"
But Woohee unnie didn't stop.
She'd clearly noticed the presence too.
She pressed her lips closer to my ear and started letting out sticky moans herself.
"Hoo... Woohyun, your back's so hot. Look at all this sweat."
Rustle, swipe.
Her palm trailed down my waistline, dipping just slightly into my waistband.
"Ngh...! Unnie, what're you—!"
I twisted in real shock, but she clamped my hips with her knees, pinning me.
"Stay still. Acting needs realism."
Her voice was a whisper in my ear, but the obsession in it was terrifying.
Was she immersed in the role, or swept up in the mood and actually aroused? Her breaths came rough.
"Hah... Woohyun, my body's feeling weird. Like you're filling me up inside..."
It was clearly scripted for the act. Had to be.
But I felt her deliberately grinding her hips against my tailbone.
A faint dampness and scorching heat seeped through her clothes onto my skin.
N-No way... Is this... what I think it is?
No, right?
Was Woohee unnie getting genuinely aroused in this fake seduction?
My lower body swelled painfully, straining against my pants.
Even after draining myself with Jiha yesterday, my young, healthy male body reacted honestly to the new female's sticky friction.
Dick, keep it together...
"Hah... Woohyun, make some noise♥ She's listening outside."
Woohee unnie nipped my earlobe ever so lightly with her teeth.
"Hah... hah... Unnie, hngh......"
I finally let out a real moan mixed with pleasure and bewilderment—not acting anymore.
The bed's creaks, our ragged breaths, the deep slaps of flesh filled the room.
This wasn't for fooling Haru unnie anymore...
Woohee unnie and I were both devoured by the primal stimulation of each other's skin.
Thud, patter-patter!
Suddenly, a dull drop outside the door, followed by frantic footsteps fleeing.
They raced toward the stairs and faded away.
"......"
"......"
Even after the sounds died completely, Woohee unnie and I stayed frozen in position for a long while.
The bed springs went quiet; only our gasps lingered in the air.
Mission accomplished.
Haru unnie must've misunderstood what was happening in here and fled in shock.
But instead of triumph, a horrific emptiness and shame flooded my heart.
"...She's gone."
Woohee unnie murmured lowly as she slowly lifted her upper body off my back.
As her weight lifted, cool air suddenly enveloped my back.
Only then could I exhale the breath I'd held and roll onto my side.
Woohee unnie sat on the edge of the bed, visible now.
One hand on her forehead, she panted roughly.
Her usually porcelain-pale face was flushed red down to her neck; her thin clothes clung damply to the curves of her full breasts.
The ever-cool, rational Woohee unnie now panted like a bitch in heat.
Seeing her like that stirred something strange in me...
"Unnie."
I called in a cracked voice.
She slowly turned her head to look down at me.
Her eyes were different—glistening wet.
Maybe...
Maybe she'd realized it too?
How playing with fire without thinking... can sometimes turn into a wildfire.