The Abandoned Restroom
He had never known a place like this existed in the park until today.
Following the student down the path, he found himself standing before an abandoned public restroom. With the sun still up, he could look at it with a measure of calm—but if he had come after dark, it would have been a place he did not even want to imagine.
If humanity ever went extinct and enough time passed, this was exactly what the world would look like.
Weeds choked every inch of the surroundings. Vines had nearly swallowed the building whole. Every crack that could form in the walls had formed, and the place had gone so long unused that the men-and-women signs had worn away past any hope of telling them apart.
Every incident the news reported seemed to happen somewhere just like this…
S-surely she isn’t… me?
It felt like too wild a fantasy—and yet, the whole way she had led him here, she had kept glancing around as if watching for witnesses. One thought chased another through his head until his imagination was running riot.
Honestly, Jeon Hanbyul! What is wrong with you? Get a grip…!
It still was not too late. He called out to the student, meaning to turn back.
“H-hey—I think we should head back. There’s no one around, and you can barely hear anything out here… Once the sun goes down, you won’t be able to see a thing…”
The retriever—no, the dog-faced college girl—stopped dead in her tracks.
A sudden, prickling sense that she was about to change completely made him want to bolt without even looking back.
Then—
Her hand closed around his wrist.
“Hwaaah~♡”
She yanked him straight into her chest.
Th-this is a princess carry…♡
Jiwoo used to do this all the time when they were dating… His heart hammered as if he had been flung straight back to high school.
“Mister…”
Her voice dripped over him, thick and sticky, wrapping his whole body—and with it, one arm slid around his waist.
He swallowed hard.
Certain something was about to happen, he squeezed his eyes shut and pleaded, however faintly, for mercy.
“G-go easy… on me…”
“I’m so sorry!!!”
She bent at a perfect ninety degrees and bellowed it so loudly that she clearly had not heard his strange little request. Well—at least it yanked him free of his ridiculous fantasy…
He had enough sense to know what she was apologizing for, but the fact that he had been spinning those weird scenarios all by himself left him burning with embarrassment.
“Mm-hm? Sorry for what…?”
He was not usually like this, but to cover what he had just done—and to tease the student in front of him—he dragged his fingers slowly across his lips and offered her a sultry little smile.
She was built like a mountain, yet everything about her screamed puppy. Borrowing a little courage from his heat, he pushed a bit harder than usual.
“Uh? Eh? Ah…?”
“Sorry for what, exactlyyy~♡”
He took one of her arms in both hands and rocked it back and forth, laying on the coquettish charm until her face flushed like a perfectly ripe persimmon and she could only stammer, unable to string a sentence together.
Was it because he was holding her arm…? The moment he let go, she let out a soft little “ah…” and her eyes darted every which way, unable to stay still for even a second. It was unbearably cute.
“I-I… I’m sorry…”
Pssshhh. Steam practically rose from the top of her head, like heat escaping a rice cooker, and the adorable student hung her head.
Seeing her so dejected reminded him of his daughter when she was little, and the mischief in him surged right back up.
“Ah. Or is it about that?”
He tugged down the zipper of his tracksuit top, caught the fabric at both shoulders, and slipped it off in one smooth motion. It caught at his elbows, turning what had been perfectly wholesome clothing into something far more suggestive.
“About grabbing me and running off?”
His white T-shirt came into view, the shape of his nipples faintly visible through the fabric as he twisted his body in a deliberately languid, seductive little writhe.
“U-uah… uwaah… I’m sorry. Really. I don’t think I was in my right mind back then…”
“Hnn~?”
The way she reacted was far too cute. She had come at him like she meant to devour him whole, and now she was tucking her tail and whining—the very picture of an innocent kid.
Ah… maybe not entirely innocent? Anyway!
Hwaah… she’s way too cute…♡
Any more teasing and she looked ready to cry, so he stopped and stepped in to pull her into a hug.
The height difference meant he ended up nestled against her chest, but…
“There, there. It’s okay. Mister understands completely. I was in a rush that day too—that’s why I went out dressed so… provocatively.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“I said it’s fine. Look at me. Hey.”
He cupped her face in both hands and made her meet his eyes.
The tears welling in her gaze were precious, and her small, neat features only made her look even cuter.
“So—work out with me.”
“Nweh!?”
With her cheeks still squished in his hands the sound came out mangled, but the look on her face was pure, unmistakable joy.
“F-for real…?”
“Of course! My wife’s away on a business trip, so I’ve been looking for someone to exercise with.”
He gave her shoulder a light tap and arched a brow, as if asking whether she would do it.
“I-I’d love to! Then starting today—!”
“No. Starting tomorrow.”
“Ah… y-yes! Okay!”
It seemed settled, and he was about to head back when a voice floated up from behind him.
“Um, Mister… you’re not being abused at home, are you?”
“Hnn?”
“Ah—never mind. I’m sorry if that was out of line.”
“No, it’s fine. But why? What made you think of domestic violence?”
“Well… looking at your body…”
She went shy and fidgety again, unable to hold his gaze, so he glanced down at himself to see what on earth she was talking about.
“Hyeiiit~!”
The kiss marks Jia had left. He scrambled to cover himself. How far had she gone? There was barely a spot without one.
They had not looked this bad when he changed earlier… They must have swollen in the meantime.
The situation was a little awkward, but he tried to play it off as nothing.
“O-oh, these… These are just kiss marks my wife left me~”
“Huh? Didn’t you say your wife was away on a business trip?”
“Uwah…”
That wide-eyed look of hers seemed to pick up a faintly darker hunger underneath—or was he imagining it?
“Ah, come on, let’s go! We’re late, we’re late!”
“Hnn. Okay.”
The mood had shifted, just a little. Walking side by side, he changed the subject and offered his thanks.
“Hey. Thank you.”
“…”
“If it hadn’t been for you, I really would have been done for…”
“Come on, ‘done for’… You’d have been hauled off to the ER, that’s all.”
“Same difference. Anyway—I mean it. Thank you.”
After that they walked in silence, and before long they were out of the park.
“Oh—right! I don’t even know your name. Hey. What’s your name?”
“Ah—I’m Seo Yerim.”
“Even your name suits you. It’s pretty… Really cute.”
“Nwaaah…”
“All right, take care! See you tomorrow~”
Yerim lingered, clearly reluctant to let him go. Then something enormous seemed to occur to her; she dug frantically at her waistband.
“P-please give me your number!!!”
She thrust her phone right up under Hanbyul’s nose.
“Ah~ right. We did say we’d start working out together tomorrow…”
A little flustered, he took Yerim’s phone and saved his number under the name Hanbyul Oppa.
He was going to be exercising with a younger friend now, so he figured he might as well feel a little younger himself and put “oppa.”
That isn’t too forward… is it?
“Here you go! Really, thank you for today. Yerim~”
“Ah! I had a good time too…! Ha… Hanbyul… Oppa… pa…”
Hanbyul did not catch the rest; he hurried off toward home. Yerim stood staring blankly after him for a long moment.
And watching their awkward parting from a distance was someone else entirely…
“What the fuck is this? Hah, seriously—you into little brats now?”
It was Jung Haeseo.
“Dad, you’re home~”
He had already spotted her shoes in the entryway and knew his daughter was back, so he tried to ease the morning’s awkwardness by acting as if nothing had happened.
“Oh—yeah… Dad’s home?”
Jia, for her part, seemed just as unwilling to let things stay strained; she slipped back into their usual rhythm.
“Jia, you hungry?”
“Mm… not really? I’m not that hungry yet.”
“Okay—then is it all right if Dad showers first and we eat after?”
“Of course.”
“Got it. I’ll be quick~”
He went into his room, stripped off his clothes, and was just about to step into the bathroom when—
♪~♬~♩~
Incoming call…
His wife was calling. Delighted, he picked up in high spirits.
“Hello? Honey?”
“What are you doing?”
“I just got back from a workout—I was about to shower?”
“A workout? Hey. Are you out of your mind?”
“A-ah, Jiwoo, why are you like thiiis…”
Apparently he had done something wrong again.
“By yourself?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Hah… fucking hell. What is wrong with you? The second I’m gone you decide to just run wild?”
“No, Jiwoo. Why are you even—”
“You’re seriously asking?! When other women start wagging their tails at you!!! Ah—wait. You’re the one wagging, aren’t you?”
Her voice had been heated and sharp—then it cut off cold, and something icy slid down the line. They were not even face to face, and still a chill ran through him.
“I said I’m not. Really…”
“You’re not working out. Fuck that. You gonna sculpt that body so you can rub up against a bunch of young bitches?”
“Why would you say it like that…!”
“Shut up. No working out. I’ll fucking kill you, you hear me?”
“A-all right…”
“Hah… you really know how to ruin a mood.”
“I’m sorry, honey.”
“Whatever. A nude photo isn’t going to cut it today. Film a video and send it.”
“Huh? A whole video?”
“What? You don’t like that either?”
If he pushed back again, this conversation would never end. He dropped straight into submission.
“All right, honey…”
“The word.”
“Q-Queen…♡”
“Good. Send it before midnight.”
“Okay…”
Click—.
His spirits sagged a little—but for the wife he loved, he could manage this much without complaint.
She worked so hard bringing home the money. The least he could do was keep the house in order… and do as she said, right…?
Ah! While I’m at it, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I tried earning some money myself…?
“First things first—better film that video.”