Are You His Girlfriend? / What Kind of Relationship Do You Have with 'Our Dajun'?
I want to be devoured by a woman.
That was the thought crossing my mind as I received the ministrations of the stylist at the hair salon. I had even forgotten that Lee Yurim was supposed to come pick me up, finding myself wishing only for her hands to keep touching me.
The sensation was so intense that it made my skin crawl, and I felt like I could turn around at any moment and beg her to continue. The only thing that stopped me was the sight of the women who had just opened the door and walked in.
"Dajun?"
"Unnie?"
Lee Yurim spotted me the moment she stepped inside. Looking over at the sound of her voice, I saw she was wearing the same outfit as yesterday—a padded jacket, a mask, and a skirt with stockings underneath. It looked like she had snuck out of school the moment she found an opening.
"Did you finish the haircut? Let me see."
"Right here."
"Oh, not bad. It actually looks pretty good."
Lee Yurim’s eyes curved softly. She was beaming, offering endless praise with a gentle smile on her face.
'Her smile is pretty.'
It was a face that made anyone looking at her smile, too. Just as I was meeting Lee Yurim’s gaze, the girl who had walked in with her chimed in a beat late. It was the girl who had asked for my number—Chae Riji, with her beige hair and sparkling golden eyes.
"Hey, Dajun!"
"Oh, hey..."
I had turned down her invitation to hang out, so I hadn't expected to run into her here. On top of that, with Lee Yurim giving me subtle, pointed looks from the side, it was hard to meet Chae Riji’s eyes.
'Is she jealous?'
Lee Yurim had pouted slightly before tucking her lips back in. Seeing the corners of her eyes twitch every time Chae Riji called me by my name, it seemed she wasn't happy about someone else calling her childhood friend so familiarly.
Chae Riji, oblivious or perhaps indifferent, approached me without hesitation, acting like we were old friends. If I left things as they were, I feared Lee Yurim might do something reckless.
The one who broke the subtle tension between us was the stylist.
"You two seem to know my younger brother?"
"Unnie, he's my friend! We met at school."
"Oh my, is that so? Please take care of him."
"Yes, you too..."
I was wide-eyed at the social prowess of these "insiders" that I could never hope to match. This was only the second time they had exchanged numbers and seen each other's faces, yet they had already become friends.
'We really did become friends.'
I had gained a friend other than Lee Yurim. Even though only the intimacy level was displayed, it seemed like there was potential for the relationship to develop further.
I listened as my new "friend" chatted with the stylist. According to Chae Riji, she was the younger sister of Chae Gayeon, the owner of the salon. Looking at the two of them, they did share a resemblance. However, Chae Gayeon definitely carried herself with more maturity.
"Hehe."
Whoa, you scared me.
While her sister was looking at me, Chae Gayeon poked her tongue out from behind her and licked her lips. Both of them were looking at me, but the sister and the younger sibling had such different gazes that I had to swallow hard.
'She looks like a woman who knows how to play.'
As she looked down at me, I could feel the ease of an older woman who had played with many men before. On the other hand, the younger sister, Chae Riji, was doing her best to talk to me and act close.
"Dajun, you got a haircut. Did you come here because you had plans?"
"Oh... well, yeah."
"Aww, I wanted to hang out with you, that's a shame."
She was so lively, laughing it off without showing any sign of disappointment. Seeing her smile so brightly, I felt guilty for having told her I was busy when I had actually just taken a nap.
"I, uh, I'm sorry."
"Hm? No, no! We can just hang out next time. And..."
Chae Riji leaned in toward me where I was sitting and whispered.
"It suits you well. Hehehe."
I flinched as her hot breath touched my ear. I looked at Chae Riji with a surprised expression, my fine hairs standing on end. She was smiling with a look of genuine sincerity, and seeing her like that, I couldn't help but smile back. That was when—
"Da, Dajun!"
Lee Yurim cut in between the two of us again.
"Why?"
"The, the hair."
"Yeah."
"I, that, um, I..."
"...?"
She was hesitating, unable to continue her sentence. I raised an eyebrow, curious as to why she had stepped in front of me, pushing aside both Chae Gayeon and Chae Riji.
"I, I, I...!"
"Yeah, okay."
"I... you cut your hair because of me! Wow!"
'...?'
Lee Yurim shouted loud enough to burst my eardrums. Her face turned as red as a tomato. Chae Gayeon, Chae Riji, and I all stood there with our mouths agape, eyes wide with shock.
"Ha, haha... I want to die..."
Lee Yurim covered her face and muttered, sounding like she was sputtering. It was actually kind of cute.
'You silly girl...'
I couldn't just leave my childhood friend after she'd committed social suicide. We’d been friends for years; I couldn't let her feel embarrassed, so I played along.
"...How is it? Does the haircut suit me?"
"Oh, oh... yeah, yeah! It suits you so well!"
She brightened up, approached me, and placed her hand on my head. She stroked it carefully, as if she were afraid of ruining the styling.
'Hnn...'
It tickled having a girl run her fingers through my hair. Lee Yurim, oblivious, poured more and more emotion into her touch. It went beyond showing off a close friendship; it looked like she was petting something precious that belonged to her.
"Oh my..."
Chae Gayeon covered her mouth in admiration. Even though Chae Riji was watching us, Lee Yurim continued to act like my girlfriend. It felt like an older sister patting me on the head and saying, "Good job."
After a long while, Lee Yurim finally stepped back. Chae Riji, who had been staring with round, rabbit-like eyes, looked between the two of us and approached Lee Yurim cautiously.
"Excuse... me..."
"Yes?"
Lee Yurim turned her head slowly to answer. She had a confident expression, as if she had nothing to hide. Chae Riji hesitated, then looked at the hand that had been on my head and asked carefully.
"Are you, by any chance... Dajun's girlfriend?"
Lee Yurim’s mouth fell open. She looked like she’d been hit while off guard. She had been acting incredibly intimate with me, but when Chae Riji actually asked what our relationship was, she couldn't even answer properly.
"Oh, that..."
Lee Yurim dragged out the words. Her face was twisted to one side, showing clear signs of panic. After a long pause, she spoke in a slightly demure voice, but the answer she finally managed to squeeze out wasn't exactly impressive.
"...Why are you asking something like that?"
'Haha...'
I guess she felt a bit guilty herself. Instead of a yes or no, she deflected by asking why she was being asked such a thing. In Lee Yurim’s mind, that must have been the best answer she could scrape together.
"Um, it’s just that you two look very close."
"Do we... look like that?"
She rubbed the back of her neck, looking shy. Conversely, Chae Riji touched her finger to her lips and spoke fluently in a relaxed, confident tone.
"Yes, you came over and touched his hair, and... what else was it? You cut your hair because of me? You two don't seem like just friends."
"Aha..."
Lee Yurim, who had been struggling until just a moment ago, brightened up significantly. She had been listening carefully to what Chae Riji was saying, and it felt like she had finally found a clue. She crossed her arms and shrugged, looking a bit shameless.
"Well, we aren't exactly 'just' friends, are we? Hehe."
"Oh..."
"We visit each other's houses often, our families know each other, right, Dajun?"
Look at her. She looked at me to pass the baton, her intentions obvious. She couldn't say it outright, but in front of others, Lee Yurim was acting like a full-blown girlfriend.
'It's not bad.'
Far from disliking it, every word and action of this girl named Lee Yurim just looked cute to me. But that was one thing, and the truth was another. I would have to treat both women in front of me fairly if I wanted to achieve my desires.
I looked back and forth between Lee Yurim, who was watching me with a desperate expression, and Chae Riji, who had her eyes sparkling.
"Dajun..."
"Dajun?"
The two girls waited for my answer. I made eye contact with each of them once before opening my mouth.
"I don't have a girlfriend."
The fortunes of the two shifted simultaneously. It was easy to tell because their expressions changed so noticeably.
"Hehehe."
"...Sigh."
*
The hair salon, where the fortunes of Lee Yurim and Chae Riji had crossed. In truth, Chae Riji had been filled with a sense of regret until she arrived at the salon. It was because she had taken a liking to the boy she happened to run into while going to school to take an exam—Yang Dajun.
She had spent a long time looking at him with her friends, admiring his appearance and whispering to each other. That was why Chae Riji, who was the best among the girls in both looks and personality, had stepped up.
'Yes!'
Having exchanged numbers with Yang Dajun, Chae Riji was excited at the thought of getting close to him as soon as possible.
However, Yang Dajun had turned down her invitation to hang out. It was a shame she couldn't make plans, but seeing Yang Dajun’s face, it wasn't something she couldn't accept.
'He must be popular... he probably has a lot of plans.'
He had a charm that tugged at a girl's heart just by looking at him. Her chest felt a sting because she wanted to talk to him even once. Chae Riji had decided to give up, thinking she would ask him again next time, even though it was a shame.
...She had intended to, but then she met Yang Dajun at the hair salon.
'Oh!'
It was a salon opened by her older sister, who used to be a bit of a delinquent back in the day. Yang Dajun was getting a haircut there.
"Hey, Dajun!"
Chae Riji had greeted him first with a bright face. She was lively enough to express how happy she was to see him without any hesitation. Of course, it was still a shame she hadn't been able to make plans.
'Ugh, I guess he's going to meet someone.'
Well, a boy this cute couldn't possibly have no plans. Seeing him come to the salon to get his hair done, it was certain. Just like he’d said in his text, he really did have a prior engagement today.
'Then, by any chance?'
Chae Riji looked at the girl who had come in with him. Seeing her act like she knew Yang Dajun, they seemed quite close. Could it be that the "plans" he had meant going out with her?
Chae Riji became curious if Yang Dajun had a girlfriend.
"Are you, by any chance... Dajun's girlfriend?"
"...Why are you asking something like that?"
However, the girl in front of her, Lee Yurim, wouldn't give her a straight answer. 'It kind of looks like she might be his girlfriend.' It was confusing. Given the distance between Lee Yurim and Yang Dajun, it didn't seem like a normal relationship, so Chae Riji tilted her head.
The one who put an end to that dilemma was Yang Dajun.
"I don't have a girlfriend."
'He's so cute...'
Even while pretending to be indifferent, he couldn't hide his natural tone of voice. Her heart fluttered when she found out he didn't have a girlfriend. Chae Riji found herself smiling without even realizing it.
"Hehehe..."
*
"Bye, Dajun! I'll contact you again!"
"Yeah, bye."
Chae Riji waved her hand vigorously as she saw Yang Dajun and Lee Yurim off. The sight of him turning around, even with his short stature, to wave back at her made Chae Riji smile.
'I keep liking him more and more.'
She was so excited she wanted to start dating her first boyfriend. She wanted to get close to him quickly, confess her feelings, and if their relationship deepened, she wanted to share love with him, too.
Chae Riji thought about that as she recalled the question from a moment ago.
[Dajun, did that girl do anything weird to you?]
[Oh, no...?]
'Seriously, he's so cute.'
Is he really that immune to a girl whispering to him? She only asked because she knew about her sister Chae Gayeon’s past behavior, just in case something had happened. But he gave such a cute reaction.
"Hehe, I hope we meet often."
Chae Riji was falling for Yang Dajun more and more.
*
Meanwhile, outside the salon.
Lee Yurim stared at Yang Dajun.
"Hey."