Seo Ah-hyun (1)
There were countless buildings scattered across the Cheonun Academy campus, and tucked away inside them were just as many rarely used lounges. Nominally, they were meant for the resident staff... but students in the know frequently abused them for their own private purposes.
"...Achoo!"
"Geez, I knew that was coming."
After bringing her inside and sitting her down on a cot, I grabbed a clean towel from the bathroom and began drying her off. Just as I was gently shaking out her black hair, which was holding the most moisture, she let out a sneeze.
It was easy to predict. After all, she had been caught in a downpour that felt like the monsoon season. It might have been different when she was mentally numb, but by now, it was only natural for her body to react. Seo Ah-hyun curled her petite frame even tighter, her shoulders starting to tremble.
"H-Han Taeyang... I'm c-cold..."
"...Sigh."
It felt strangely like I was babysitting. Did her mental age drop after crying her eyes out?
Seo Ah-hyun looked back at me with a pitiful expression, and I reluctantly picked up the remote control.
Beep.
Only after I turned on the heater did her trembling begin to subside.
I couldn't help but smack my lips, feeling a slight pang of conscience.
If we get caught, a simple scolding won't be the end of it.
In reality, this was just one of the many hideout-like lounges scattered across the campus that students in the know used. However, if we used too much water or electricity without permission, the staff would definitely give us hell. I could only hope that since it was Friday before the weekend, the staff would be a bit lax and cut back on their patrols. Besides, it was raining. They were only human, so I was sure they'd take it easy. Anyway.
"There, all done."
"..."
After drying her hair, I went ahead and tied her black hair neatly. It might not look as perfect as when she did it herself, but it was much better than her walking around with disheveled hair like a crazy person. I draped her ponytail over her shoulder with a satisfied expression, and she toyed with her hair, pursing her lips.
"...You're surprisingly good at this, Han Taeyang. Do you have a sister?"
"Huh? No, I don't."
"..."
Drying my own wet hair with a new towel, I answered casually. Sister? As far as I knew, 'Han Taeyang' didn't have any family. He was an orphan by birth.
That part is similar to me.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons why I was able to adapt to this body better than expected. With that sudden thought, I threw the used towels into the laundry hamper and walked back.
"..."
"...What's with that rebellious look?"
For some completely baffling reason, Seo Ah-hyun was staring at me with a sullen, pouty expression. I asked in disbelief, but she didn't answer.
"...Hmph."
"Huh?"
She simply snorted for no reason and whipped her head in the opposite direction. Even when I raised an eyebrow, she still looked highly dissatisfied.
What's wrong with her all of a sudden? Again.
I pondered the reason for a moment, but soon decided I didn't need to care and dropped it. Rather than worrying about such a trivial matter, I brought up the urgent issue at hand.
"Anyway... Seo Ah-hyun, you should stay here today. I heard that bastard Kim Min-jun has one of your dorm keys?"
"..."
"You seem to have calmed down a bit, but it's still not a good idea to run into him. Put off breaking things off with him until later..."
Although my shock therapy seemed to have worked reasonably well, there was no way it solved everything. I didn't underestimate Seo Ah-hyun. This red panda-like, legendary coward. Honestly, how could her attitude toward me, whom she treated as an equal, be the same as her attitude toward someone she had been subservient to in a submissive relationship for nearly a year? Naturally, standing up to Kim Min-jun would be much harder than hitting me.
"Anyway, your personality is the problem, Seo Ah-hyun. I've always told you, right? You need to fix that as soon as possible so you don't get taken advantage of in the future."
Because of that, I ended up nagging her the entire time. Setting aside whether it was actually helpful or not, I pointed out her flaws, suggested directions for improvement, and gave practical advice for the process. I talked about all of this inside the lounge, which was gradually warming up from the heater.
"Alright, you get it, right? If you do this, you can evolve from a red panda into a honey badger... Hey, are you even listening to me?"
I was so absorbed in my lecture that I was a bit slow to notice. For some reason, Seo Ah-hyun seemed to be letting my words go in one ear and out the other. Just as I was about to frown at her insolence—even though her eyes were wide and staring straight at me—she spoke.
"Yeah, I'm listening. I'll do exactly as you say, Han Taeyang. I think that's the right way for me to live from now on, too."
Seo Ah-hyun replied in a calm tone, completely unbothered by my sharp glare. I paused for a moment, then narrowed my eyes.
"I told you, I did. But in return."
"?"
Seo Ah-hyun added, looking up at me with an unusually calm and quiet attitude. "I have a condition. If you agree to it, I'll live however you tell me to from now on."
"...What did you say?"
However, her condition was so absurd to my ears that I let out a dumbfounded laugh. Condition? What condition?
"Hey, I'm saying all this for your own good, and you're setting conditions? You've got some nerve..."
"Hold me."
"...?"
I was just about to launch into a harsh scolding. Even though she must have seen my expression hardening, Seo Ah-hyun casually added those words. For a moment, a question mark popped up over my head, and I couldn't say anything more. It was like I forgot what I was going to say because I was thinking, What did I just hear? After standing there with a blank expression for a moment, I forced myself to snap out of it and asked.
"...Uh, hold you? You mean, a hug? No, we hugged plenty earlier."
"..."
"If you're asking me to hold you more, that's a bit much. Honestly, I'm not your counselor..."
"You know what I mean. Why are you pretending not to?"
"..."
I was left speechless once again. Seo Ah-hyun looked up at me calmly and spoke.
"Hold me. Not some soft hug, but hold me like a man."
"...Hey, Seo Ah-hyun."
"Do you want me to be more direct? Sleep with me."
I shut my mouth and pressed my hand to my forehead. My head was spinning. What kind of conversation was this? Then, a sudden suspicion crossed my mind, and I narrowed my eyes.
"No, you idiot!"
Thud!
Sitting on the bed, Seo Ah-hyun suddenly kicked my shin with an angry expression. I let out a short groan at the sudden blow and had to take a step back. Seo Ah-hyun glared at me with a slightly grumpy look and continued.
"I'm going to... break up with Min-jun. Like you said, I need to snap out of it."
"...Really? But if that's the case, why..."
To be honest, it was a welcome answer. Judging by her unwavering eyes, she wasn't just saying it. However, setting that aside, I couldn't understand why she was asking me to sleep with her even more. I asked with a lingering sense of unease, and Seo Ah-hyun crossed her legs with a relaxed hum before answering after a moment.
"I guess I just lack the courage. I want someone to give me a little push. And you happen to be right in front of me."
"..."
"Isn't this a good excuse... I mean, a good motivation? Alright, happy? Now, hold me."
"Did you just say 'excuse'?"
"What are you talking about? You must have misheard, Han Taeyang."
This was an unexpected variable. Perhaps as a rebound from my shock therapy, her shamelessness had doubled. I rubbed my eyes as Seo Ah-hyun casually lay down on the bed and glanced at me. ...Honestly, while it was true that I wanted to induce some change in her, I hadn't wanted such a radical transformation or an unexpected development like this.
This is driving me crazy. Seriously.
What's more, there was another problem. As you know, Seo Ah-hyun had been completely drenched in the rain and had only just come inside to warm up. Even though I had dried her off as much as possible with a towel, her clothes couldn't possibly be completely dry. In other words, her current appearance was, in many ways, quite erotic. Her school uniform shirt was soaked through, virtually failing to function as clothing at all. And through it, her bra—which happened to match the color of her amethyst eyes—caught my attention. I tried my best not to look there and made one last attempt to resist.
"...Seo Ah-hyun. A lot happened today, right? Yeah, the shock must have been so great that you're saying such random things to me. I understand."
"..."
"But you might really regret this later. If you don't want to kick your blankets in embarrassment, you should just get some sleep now..."
"Ah, whatever. Shut up and hold me already."
It didn't seem to have much effect. Far from being persuaded, Seo Ah-hyun went a step further and sprawled out on the bed. She spread her arms wide and flailed her body like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Hold me. Hold me right now. I'm absolutely not breaking up with Kim Min-jun until I sleep with you."
"...Wait, are you crazy?"
"Why are you backing out? Am I not attractive? Is it because my chest is small? But my face is pretty, isn't it? Or what, are you impotent? A loser? A minute man?"
A barrage of dizzying questions that made it hard to stay sane. Seo Ah-hyun kept pouring out words, dealing mental damage to me. I had to press my temples at her childish tantrum, which made me sigh.
"Let me ask you the opposite. Why should I hold you? What do I even get out of this?"
And even though I knew it was pointless, I reluctantly asked that cliché question. It was a predictable exchange. She'd probably say something like, "Because I'm pretty." Honestly, I wouldn't be able to deny that. Seo Ah-hyun really was a beautiful girl. Even now, she was completely soaked, and her curves were visible through her clothes. The fact that I kept turning my gaze away because I couldn't bring myself to look directly at her proved it. You could tell I was trying my best not to lose my mind. Paradoxically, that was why I asked the predictable question—to buy time. To think of a clever way out of this situation while exchanging these scripted-feeling questions. That was the best response I could think of right now. But.
"Hmm... What you get?"
Unexpectedly, Seo Ah-hyun didn't give the predictable answer to that predictable question. She just placed her index finger on her chin and thought seriously for a moment. Then, as if something came to mind, she spoke softly with a strangely shy blush.
"My... love, maybe...?"
"..."
Oh. Oh...
I hadn't expected that at all, and because of that, it was the most fatal answer she could have given me. Seo Ah-hyun had uttered those very words.
I'm screwed.
I could feel it.
"...Ah."
I wouldn't be able to hold out any longer.
Sure enough, as if embarrassed by her own words, Seo Ah-hyun's face flushed hot, and she fixed her amethyst eyes on my lower half. She seemed to have noticed the change that had occurred there. She let out a silly, foolish giggle, and by the time I snapped out of it... I was already on the bed with her.