No One Can Predict Riyeon (1)
Riyeon ordered Vietnamese pho for breakfast.
I'd told her there was nothing better for a hangover and asked her to get some for me. The moment the hot, rich meat broth hit my stomach, everything settled. That was about all I managed, though. My head hurt so badly that the noodles themselves barely made it into my mouth.
"Ahh~ That hits the spot."
Whether I ate or not made no difference to her. Riyeon slurped hers down with gusto. Even the way she ate was pretty. Having a beauty give high marks to a menu I'd recommended put me in a good mood.
"You're not eating more, Oppa?"
Even so, my blocked-up stomach refused to accept any more food. Between the bloated feeling and the ominous sense that anything else would come right back up, I barely finished the broth and left almost all the noodles behind. It made a stark contrast to Riyeon's plastic bowl, which she'd scraped completely clean.
"Hangover. It's not going down well. The broth was good, though, so I ate plenty. Thanks."
"Thanks for what?"
"You bought it for me."
"I said I would, didn't I? Is that really something you need to thank me for?"
First thing in the morning, an opportunity had presented itself to straighten out Riyeon's twisted sense of social etiquette. No friends since the second year of middle school, and her manners had clearly stalled right there.
"Buying someone a meal isn't something that just happens automatically. So you say thank you."
"Why? I already said I would buy it, and then it happened."
"Whether it's before or after, you buying it for me isn't a given. If you do, saying thank you is basic manners."
"This is hard."
"It's not hard. It means you should meet people who feel grateful when you do something for them. And when someone does something for you, don't take it for granted—feel grateful and say thank you."
"I get it."
Riyeon pushed her empty container aside and suddenly leaned her face right in front of mine. She'd stretched her whole body across the table, so the front of her pajamas gaped open and the bare skin of her breasts, subject to the full force of gravity, came into view. A few bluish veins were faintly visible—another reminder that these were natural large breasts. The beautiful, harmonious sight added years to my lifespan.
"Thank you, Oppa."
Her smile was dazzling. For someone so lacking in social skills, Riyeon could smile with pure, unguarded warmth. She was a rare breed. Clearly a type of woman that didn't fit any pattern in my big data. That was exactly why I wanted to teach her the parts she didn't know. For now, though, I was still the one keeping my guard up.
"Thank you for what?"
"Because you don't feel like the things I do for you are automatic, right?"
"Not just you. Anyone."
"I don't like that. Just do it for me."
"Manners aren't something you apply only to specific people."
"Hmph~."
Riyeon looked displeased and stuck out her lower lip.
"Then you should take the things I do for you as a given."
"What?"
"That way, you'd only be treating me as a given."
"No."
"Why not!"
"Not knowing how to be grateful means you're dismissing the other person's kindness or devotion."
"How does that work?"
"You buying me this pho means you're giving me permission to eat with you, right? It also means you see me as someone decent enough to share a meal with. Which means you like me that much. So I have an obligation not to take that kindness lightly—I have to thank you properly."
"Obligation, even…."
She looked embarrassed, yet she declared it without the slightest hesitation.
"You're right. I like you, Oppa. That's why I wanted to eat with you."
Her smile bloomed far brighter than before.
"Thanks for eating with me."
"No, that's what I should be saying. Thanks for buying it."
"You ate with me because you like me too, right?"
She was already applying the lesson at an advanced level. It was impressive. Teaching her actually felt rewarding. The smile that deepened as she pressed me for an answer made my heart race.
"Yeah."
"Say it yourself."
"Say what?"
"That you did it because you like me."
"…I ate with you because I like you. Obviously."
"Thank you, Oppa."
A guilty feeling flickered through me—was it even allowed for a smile this beautiful to be directed at me? That was a lie. Curiosity was stronger than guilt. This was a little awkward. I seemed to be applying far too much of the "why?" I'd never directed at the previous her onto Riyeon. Not that I had the slightest intention of reducing the count.
I cleared away the leftover delivery containers, grabbed my bag from the living room, and headed for the front door.
"Where are you going!"
An unexpectedly loud shout blocked my path. The eyes looking at me were trembling hard.
"Home."
"Why? Is there something urgent you have to do at home?"
Looking at it this way, Riyeon asked me "why?" a lot too. I was going to hear that a lot more in the future. And through those questions, I planned to inject some social skills into her.
"Even if there isn't, I can't just camp out in someone else's place forever."
"You can stay longer. It's fine."
"Everyone needs their own time."
"We can each do our own thing on the sofa. Ah!"
Riyeon clapped her hands as if she'd realized something. That single sequence of motions made her chest bounce short but dramatically. Another pure jiggle that only natural large breasts could produce.
"You want to roll around on the bed, don't you? It's okay, Oppa. You can."
"I'm not okay with that. I may not look it, but I'm a territorial animal. I have a hard time staying long in unfamiliar environments."
"We just ate together. What's unfamiliar about it?"
"Even you take time to get used to a new place after you move, right?"
"Then just stay here until you're used to it."
Riyeon was desperate. That didn't make it easy for me to yield either. Weekends were the only real break in a working adult's week, and rest was critically important. And I was the type who simply could not relax properly unless I was in my own home, my own territory. I wanted to bluntly say her place was uncomfortable and leave, but some instinct told me I shouldn't. The image of a dejected Riyeon rose in my mind and made me even less willing.
"Look, my clothes are the same as yesterday. It feels gross."
"I'll buy you some. Let's rest a bit, clear our heads, then go shopping together. Do you have a brand you like?"
"Riyeon. Why would you buy that for me?"
"Because I like you. All you have to do is say thank you. You like me too, after all."
Her eyes asked, Right? Through those eyes I looked straight into the abyss. At the root of this stubborn behavior sat a second-year middle school girl who couldn't stand being rejected by someone she liked, or being apart from them for even a moment. She wasn't easy either. Then again, when had my life ever been easy? That was exactly how my career had gotten this twisted.
"Riyeon. Even if you like someone, you can't just keep doing everything for them. It's burdensome."
"Why is it burdensome? My middle school friends only ever liked it when I bought them things."
"Did they say thank you?"
"…No."
Riyeon lowered her head. In front of me, she was surprisingly expressive and honest. The fierce glare she usually wore, and the flashy, intimidating piercings she plastered all over her ears, might have been her own way of protecting herself from society. A strong feeling hit me that she was sincerely like a cute little sister. She clearly wanted to stop me but couldn't find the right words, so she just watched my face for cues. I lightly stroked her head.
"Riyeon. In a healthy relationship, one side doesn't just keep giving."
"Giving what…?"
"Whether it's buying something, or understanding and being considerate—anything. If you buy once, I buy once. If I go along with what you want sometimes, then other times you understand me and go along with what I want. We don't have to split it perfectly one-for-one, but still."
"But I want to keep doing things for you because I like you…."
"There will be times when I want to do things for you because I like you too. If that feeling never comes up, then you're just freeloading off your kindness. Without a scrap of gratitude."
Just like those middle school friends of hers. I didn't say it out loud, but they must have been fake friends built entirely on her material wealth.
"And if we go to my place, I already have clothes there. Why buy new ones? Waste of money. Use that money to buy yourself something delicious or do something you want to do."
"Okay."
At last she accepted it. I stroked her head one more time and turned toward the front door, only for Riyeon to call me back again.
"Oppa, wait a second."
"Yeah."
She hurried into a room that wasn't the bedroom. There seemed to be at least two more rooms besides the bedroom. Hmm, isn't a living room, kitchen, and one bedroom enough? I was idly thinking nonsense when Riyeon, now changed into outdoor clothes, stepped out the front door ahead of me.
"Let's go. The subway is this way. Or do you want to take the bus?"
"I don't know the bus routes around here, so let's take the subway."
What was this? Was she planning to walk me to the stop or the station? I was impressed with Riyeon. I never expected her to show this kind of consideration in a place like this. See? She wasn't a completely hopeless case. There was still room for reform and education.
Or so I had thought fifteen minutes earlier.
"This is the station."
"Yeah, okay."
We arrived at the station and she walked in first. I wondered if she was going to see me as far as the ticket gates. Given that it was Riyeon, after all.
"Which direction are you taking, Oppa?"
"This one."
"Okay."
Beep.
She tapped her phone on the gate and walked through first. By this point I was starting to feel something was off.
"Riyeon. Hey, why are you going through the gate?"
"What do you mean why? We're going to your place."
"Yeah, I'm going. And you're going back to yours. You were just walking me this far."
"What are you talking about? We're going together."
"What?"
Riyeon planted both hands on her hips and scowled.
"You said if one side does something, the other side has to do something too, right? So I'm being considerate of you—I'm giving up my place and going to yours so we can rest there today."
"……."
"Ah! I bought breakfast, so you buy lunch or dinner."
Then she gave a thumbs-up all by herself.
"Just this once I'll understand first and let it go! You don't even have to say thank you!"
"……."
I forgot what I was going to say. I simply had no idea what words to use.