Playing with Fire (2)
“Unnie, you know who I ran into today….”
The moment Hye-mi got back late that evening she started chattering away at Zixu, who was sitting propped against the headboard wiping off her makeup. Zixu, carrying a guilty conscience, smiled more awkwardly than usual and even managed a few half-hearted responses while she listened. Only after Hye-mi disappeared into the bathroom did Zixu finally press a hand to her chest and exhale. …Yeah. People really shouldn’t live with secrets hanging over them.
Hye-mi emerged from the shower and slipped quietly outside. Zixu, who had been pretending to read, watched her sister’s back vanish through the door and let out a long sigh. Naturally not a single word of the book registered. She had been trying desperately to forget what had happened earlier that day, but it was a complete waste of effort.
Hye-mi returned almost immediately. The thick cream she had smeared all around her lips earlier was now completely gone—clearly wiped away with her sleeve in a frantic attempt to erase the evidence. Zixu understood the meaning at once. Normally she would never have paid attention to something like that, yet now it jumped out at her automatically.
“Unnie, I’m going to sleep first.”
It wasn’t physical exhaustion so much as mental fatigue. Hye-mi pulled on an eye mask and lay down beside her. Zixu’s gaze kept drifting toward her sister’s face. The old saying about a thief’s feet itching fit the situation perfectly.
Zixu lit up her phone screen. 10:39 p.m. She switched off the lamp and lay down as well. Even with her eyes closed, sleep refused to come. After tossing and turning a few times she finally settled into a rigid, corpse-like stillness and stayed that way for a full hour.
Hye-mi carefully sat up and peered over at Zixu. Confirming that her breathing was even, she slipped soundlessly out of bed so as not to wake her, then left the room like a thief, footsteps deadened. The instant the door clicked shut, Zixu’s eyes snapped open. Her heart hammered wildly. She knew exactly why Hye-mi had snuck out like that….
To claim she felt no jealousy would have been a lie. She had deceived Hye-mi, yet affection was an entirely separate matter. At the same time another thought crept in: Hye-mi’s out there enjoying herself, so why shouldn’t I enjoy myself a little too? After all, hadn’t she herself told Hye-mi they were nothing more than senior and junior?
Yeah… if I just play dumb and pretend I never knew, that’ll be the end of it.
Most of the guilt melted away. Zixu slipped back into her cold-beauty persona. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think of nothing at all. No matter how hard she tried to erase the images, though, the two of them tangled together kept replaying in her mind. Her body was already burning from the thick, wet kisses earlier that day. She had forced herself to leave it alone out of worry; now the dam had burst.
Her hand slid into her panties of its own accord. Hye-mi wouldn’t be back for at least an hour or two, so she could touch herself freely without fear.
Zixu lay flat on her back, spread her legs wide, and slipped her fingers inside her underwear. Slippery wetness had already soaked the fabric. She squeezed one breast with her left hand and let out a soft nasal moan. Pleasure flared from between her legs, raced up her spine, and slammed into her brain. She bit down hard on her lip, rubbing and scraping the parted folds before easing a finger inside.
For someone with no experience, even that was intense stimulation. A few thrusts later she came hard. …Yet the emptiness that followed struck her chest mercilessly. Her own situation suddenly felt pitiful enough to cry over. She heaved a long sigh and wallowed in self-pity until actual tears pricked her eyes.
After dampening the pillow a little, she carefully cleaned her wet sex and fingers to destroy the evidence, then lay still regulating her breathing. That was when Hye-mi slipped back in like a stray cat. Zixu pretended to sleep. Hot air washed over her face.
Hye-mi settled beside her and was out cold within seconds.
Zixu cracked one eye open, studied her sister’s profile for a moment, then drifted off herself.
From the next day onward the team threw itself into high-intensity training. They rose before dawn and headed straight for the private training facility.
Kang-jun was normally mild-mannered, but during training he became as ruthless as real combat. Mistakes born of ignorance he corrected patiently; mistakes made despite knowing better earned harsh scolding. And he made no exceptions. Zixu, Hye-mi, Ogernam—everyone received identical treatment.
“Hye-mi, what the hell are you doing without a heal?!”
“Zixu, get your head in the game! If you can’t put out damage we all die!”
“Kumba. If you can’t hold even this, what are we supposed to do? What happens when they break through?!”
The harsher the training, the tougher they became. Kang-jun worked them until the metallic taste of blood filled their mouths. Both Hye-mi and Zixu suffered mana exhaustion more than once.
“You have to push through even when it’s hard. That’s the only way your odds of surviving the labyrinth go up even a little. …I might seem cold, but it’s all for your sake.”
Kang-jun always wrapped things up that way at the end of a session. The team members would start to wonder if he was being too brutal, only for his explanation to melt their resentment away. The fact that he was so gentle outside of training made the contrast hit even harder.
After giving the team a break, Kang-jun called them into a private room one by one—praise where it was due, criticism where it was needed. Ogernam, then Hye-mi, and finally Zixu entered the room.
Zixu sat neatly across from him, hands folded politely in her lap. She had made an unusually high number of mistakes that day.
“Zixu… you know you were off today, right?”
“I’m sorry, Team Leader.”
Kang-jun sighed softly.
“Zixu. If it’s weighing on you that much, just forget about yesterday. If you die in the labyrinth, what good will any of it do?”
The moment the words left his mouth Zixu’s head snapped up.
“No! That’s not it! Today I just… made more mistakes than usual. I’m sorry. From now on I’ll make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Watching her clench her fists and declare it so fiercely, Kang-jun sensed a kind of hunger in her. He smiled darkly to himself but kept it off his face. She was cooking even better than he had expected.
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. I won’t give you any more reason to worry.”
She said it with the same crisp, decisive tone that matched her personality.
Kang-jun reached out and quietly took her hand. Zixu’s head dropped again, but she offered no resistance, simply letting him hold it however he wished.
“I believe you. …You’re incredibly talented. Polish yourself just a little more and you’ll become a beautiful gem for sure.”
“Yes. I won’t disappoint you.”
“Good.”
The atmosphere heated in an instant. Kang-jun gently pulled her closer. Her upper body came willingly. The kiss that followed was a little too heavy for a simple peck and a little too light for a full kiss. Even so, Zixu felt as if she could fly. This secret relationship was more than enough to shake her to the core.
“That’s enough for now. Let’s go.”
They left the room. The waiting teammates rose, brushing off their seats. They exited the sweat-soaked training hall, showered in hot water, and returned to the team house.
Exhausted Hye-mi face-planted onto the bed and was unconscious within seconds. Ogernam and the troll woman each disappeared into their rooms and fell silent as the dead. Sleeping three or four solid hours in the afternoon was normal for them.
Zixu, however, could not sleep at all. Her eyes stayed wide and bright for some reason. That was when the message arrived.
Zixu’s hands trembled slightly. Her heart pounded so hard her breath came short.
She set the phone down and slipped out of the room as quietly as Hye-mi had the night before.
The moment she raised her hand to knock, the door opened first. Kang-jun jerked his chin, telling her to come in. She folded her hands politely and stepped inside.
The two of them sat on the edge of the bed in a long, heavy silence. Zixu bit her lower lip now and then, caught between anxiety and anticipation. The worry that Hye-mi might wake was still there, yet she did not want to miss this chance. Moments alone with him were rare.
Kang-jun took her hand again. The sudden contact startled her, but she stayed still. He cupped her chin and slowly turned her face toward him, then kissed her once more.
This time the kiss was far denser and deeper than before. Tongues tangled. She was more aggressive than yesterday. Eyes closed, she surrendered completely to the moment.
Their breathing grew rougher. She still hadn’t mastered the art of breathing while kissing; inexperience was the culprit.
Kang-jun’s hands grew bolder. The hand stroking her side climbed higher and lightly cupped her breast. Zixu drew a sharp breath.
She toppled backward as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Lying beneath him, she was so focused on the crushing kiss that she didn’t even realize she had been laid down. Only when their mouths parted and their eyes met did she grasp the situation. Her face flushed scarlet.
Kang-jun kissed her again. His hand kneaded her breast more boldly. Overwhelmed by the dual assault, her hands could only clench and unclench the bedsheets.
Their lips separated once more. Zixu’s panting breath had grown sweeter; her half-lidded eyes were moist. …She looked ready for something more intense than kissing.
Yet Kang-jun did not push further. Or rather, he could not. The mission required her to ask for it first. Of course he could simply abandon the coupons and fuck her right then, but throwing away two hundred coupons just for one free fuck would have been pure insanity.
So he kept kissing her, never neglecting the caresses. If he wanted her to surrender first, this kind of teasing stimulation was essential.
Zixu, completely unaware of the reason, grew frantic as he circled endlessly without reaching the destination. Please just touch me deeper… yet he never went there. Asking for it outright, however, was something her personality simply would not allow.
She twisted restlessly in frustration. She couldn’t speak, only kept sending him those hazy, pleading looks, yet he pretended not to notice. Or maybe he genuinely didn’t understand. In her innocence she even considered that possibility.
At last Zixu mustered enormous courage and opened her mouth.
“Um… Team Leadeeer…”
“Mm.”
“That… place too… please do it.”
That place? Kang-jun widened his eyes slightly, as if telling her to be more specific.
“Th-that place.”
“Where?”
Zixu’s gaze flicked downward and then back up. Only then did Kang-jun whisper in a lewd tone,
“You want me to touch you there?”
“Yes.”
Kang-jun did not refuse. Since she had asked first, he moved willingly.
It was still over her clothes, yet the sensation was worlds apart from touching herself. Someone else touching her most private place? Just the thought made her juices threaten to spill.
Zixu burned up in an instant. She wanted him to dig a little deeper.
“Inside… just a little more… inside, please.”
Kang-jun smiled wickedly. He slipped his hand under her T-shirt and unhooked her bra. Through the loosened barrier he filled his palm with bare soft flesh. Zixu felt she might go mad.
Another deep, wet kiss followed. This time Kang-jun’s hand slid into her sweatpants. Her panties were scorching hot. She closed her legs a little. She wanted him to touch her, yet the stimulation there was no joke. A still-virgin girl could barely handle it.
Kang-jun, however, worked his fingers into that narrow gap and stroked. Nngh, kuhh. Zixu squeezed her eyes shut and moaned through her nose. The cold beauty was nowhere to be found. Watching her slowly crumble under the pleasure was endlessly entertaining to him.
Simply rubbing the groove over her panties with his middle finger was enough to drive her rapidly toward climax. And when she finally came lightly, she yanked her closed legs up toward her chest.
With no space left, he withdrew his hand from her pants. Her legs slowly returned to their original position.
That’s enough for today.
Kang-jun hadn’t gotten to enjoy himself properly yet, but he was satisfied simply with having laid sufficient groundwork on Zixu. She lay there with her legs limp, panting for a long time.
Once she recovered she slowly sat up and refastened her bra properly. A sudden worry that she might have looked lewd washed over her. Yet it never occurred to her that she had left her partner’s arousal unresolved. She was still far too ignorant in that regard.
“Um… I don’t normally do this. It’s just… only with you, Team Leader…”
“I know. I liked it too.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah.”
Kang-jun said it while glancing toward the door. Only then did Zixu suddenly remember she needed to leave before Hye-mi woke. She sprang to her feet.
“I should go now.”
Kang-jun readily agreed. Zixu hurried back to her own room. Hye-mi was sleeping the sleep of the dead. Zixu exhaled in relief and pressed a hand to her chest. The thought that she had completely deceived her sister sent an indescribable thrill through her—like riding a roller coaster up and then plunging down. The adrenaline lingered for quite a while, thumping in her chest.
Lying beside Hye-mi, Zixu replayed everything that had just happened. Her face flushed hot. …She was secretly overjoyed that she and Kang-jun had finally become “that” kind of couple.
And tomorrow, she hoped, things would go a little further. She lowered her heavy eyelids. For some reason her heart felt light and fluttery.