More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers (4)
By the time Han Mina finished her slightly prolonged shower, the clock hands were just pointing to 11 a.m. The house was spotless, not a single thing out of place that might raise suspicion. Household chores like dishes and laundry had already been taken care of. Even her own body was scrubbed clean in every nook and cranny. Now, all that was left was to wait for the one person who would satisfy her raging lust to arrive.
Sung Taekyung. A long-time friend from Hunter Training Middle School days, and the man who'd taken her virginity just recently. Even setting aside the fact that he'd torn through her worthless hymen, he was meaningful enough simply as the first person she'd ever shared her body with. And if that man was someone she'd secretly cared about for years? It would be weirder if she wasn't nervous.
Han Mina stepped out of the bathroom naked and pulled open the top drawer of her dresser, where her underwear was stored, to change into clothes. Something as natural-looking as possible. Nothing that screamed she was trying to catch a guy's eye. That was the plan as she prepared to greet Sung Taekyung—until she glanced inside the drawer and found herself plunged into a whole new dilemma, different from her shower-time frets.
"Argh, what the hell, why is this all I have...?"
Every piece of underwear in her drawer was plain or purely functional, utterly useless for anything like showing off. A few sports bras designed to keep her chest secure and wick away sweat during agile movements. The rest were cheap clearance-bin rejects from the mart. Most didn't even match top and bottom. Nothing fit to wear in front of someone she liked.
She'd always grabbed the cheapest options, figuring no one saw them anyway. That careless frugality was now biting her in the ass at the worst possible moment.
"Ugh, come to think of it, last time I must've had mismatched underwear on too when we fucked... Damn it, I'm such an idiot."
She'd come to her senses post-heat cycle already naked, so she hadn't noticed. But thinking back, she was surely wearing ill-matched undies that first time they'd tangled bodies. And Sung Taekyung must've been at least a little disappointed seeing her like that.
Leaning against the dresser, Han Mina clutched her head. In truth, her guess was half right, half wrong. She had been wearing mismatched underwear that day she first slept with Sung Taekyung. But since she'd stripped off every last piece of clothing the moment she saw him in her heat-crazed state, he'd never even gotten a chance to notice.
Of course, that was something Han Mina couldn't know—and more than enough fuel for her regret-fueled delusions to spiral.
"He must've thought it was a total turn-off seeing my mismatched undies last time... If it's the same mess again, what the hell's he gonna think...?"
Whether he openly smirked at her embarrassing display or politely averted his eyes out of consideration, either way it'd be mortifying for her. The matching sports sets were all plain and awkward for everyday wear. And wearing panties with a 'tail hole' prepped for transformation in front of someone? That took serious guts. Without shifting, it'd just look like she was some pervert airing her ass crack.
"Ugh, should I just wait for him in shifted form? Then he couldn't blame me, right?"
She was cornered enough to entertain that ridiculous idea. Of course, greeting him transformed was basically screaming her heat cycle from the rooftops—plenty shameful in its own right. Plus, with her libido at full throttle, exposing ears and tail might unleash instincts she couldn't hold back. One wild pounce-fuck was enough.
"Haa, shit... What the hell am I supposed to do...?"
Heading out now to buy new underwear would take too long. Even as she agonized, the appointed time for Sung Taekyung's arrival crept closer. In the end, as she debated cobbling together a somewhat color-coordinated set—
"...Ah."
A plausible idea suddenly sparked in Han Mina's mind. A way to skip the mismatched reveal and dive straight into sex.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
The appointed time to meet Mina was noon. They'd picked that awkward hour because the meeting spot was awkward too. If it were outdoors, they'd meet around 3 p.m., do a light date, grab dinner, then head to a hotel for leisurely sex. But Mina had set the spot as her house, killing that plan.
Why? Because her semi-basement villa wasn't just hers. It was shared with her two younger sisters, Jina and Seona. No way could they fool around late there. Last time, they'd gotten too relaxed and nearly busted by the twins—circumstances made it obvious what we'd been up to, even if they hadn't walked in mid-act.
Honestly, I didn't care much if caught. But for Mina, it'd shatter her big-sister dignity. Plus, no need to rile up the animal-awakened girls like her. They were nearly adults, but still minors by strict measure. Touching Jina and Seona crossed a line. Once they graduated next year and started hunting for real, maybe... But showing them me and Mina fucking now might stir urges I couldn't handle. That'd leave me feeling pretty guilty.
So, meet early at her place, sate her heat, clean up, and bail before the twins got home from school.
...Putting it like that, it really sounded like I was just going to her house to fuck. I didn't mind her seeing me as a living heat-relief dealer, but for me—where sex wasn't the only goal—this schedule felt a bit lacking. Date, fuck, crash together, wake up side-by-side: that full sequence was ideal.
Today, we'd only have a few hours. Next time, I'd strongly push for meeting outside.
With those thoughts, as I headed east into Gangdong-gu, Mina's villa neighborhood came into view. I descended the half-flight of stairs and rang the bell on her inner unit. A tense voice came from beyond the door.
"Wh-who is it...?"
We'd just been messaging on KakaoTalk, so she knew damn well who. Still playing cautious to the end, I stated flatly.
"It's me, Sung Taekyung."
"Oh, y-you... it's you..."
"You already knew that."
"B-but, just in case..."
She answered but wouldn't open up. I knocked impatiently.
"Hurry and open the door. We gotta finish before your sisters get back, right?"
"......"
A long silence. Then a click, the electronic lock disengaging on her semi-basement studio. The door eased open to reveal a stiffly tense Han Mina.
Plain black t-shirt and sweats. No real effort on her outfit for our meetup. Seeing that, one thought hit me first.
She really doesn't see me as a guy at all.
I'd figured she'd doll up a bit since we were sleeping together, but nope. Our bond felt more balls-to-the-wall bros than childhood sweethearts. She was avoiding my eyes, embarrassed by the intimacy despite the casual getup.
"I'm coming in?"
Her body jolted at my words.
"Y-you're really gonna...? If you're not into it, Taekyung, I-I can just take suppressants like before..."
"After dragging me all the way here? And what if you go feral from half-assed pills like last time?"
"Th-that was... um..."
"Better the sure thing than pricey meds with meh results. And I said I like it too."
"W-well, yeah, but... ugh..."
"Step aside and let me in."
"Okay......"
I grabbed her blocking form and slipped inside. Click. The door shut, followed by the lock engaging.