The First Signs of Affection

...It was a bit awkward, but she kept staring at me without letting her guard down. It might be a weird thing to say in this situation, but Seoyeon, still groggy from sleep, was actually quite charming.

"Breakfast...?"

"I haven't made it yet. Should I boil some ramen?"

"No, I mean you. Didn't you eat?"

"I had cereal."

"I see..."

She scratched her messy, sleep-tousled hair, looking somewhat disappointed. There didn't seem to be any major changes yet. If her affection had gone up, wouldn't it be okay to try some skinship? Let's experiment, even if I get cursed at a little.

"You've got some sleep in your eye."

"Huh?! Oh, where? On the left?"

"Want me to get it for you?"

"Yeah... well. Do whatever."

"!"

I didn't think she'd actually say yes!

"Why are you just standing there? Wipe it off."

"Ah... right."

As I pulled out a tissue, she squeezed her eyes shut. She was so pretty I wanted to kiss her, but I held back and gently dabbed at her eye.

"Is that it? Okay. Heh, I'm going to go wash up now."

"Oh... yeah."

"...And thanks for making breakfast every day."

Seoyeon’s tone had changed, as if she’d eaten something wrong. Only then did I understand the message that had appeared on my phone. Her affection really had gone up. I might actually be able to have sex with her sooner or later.

While boiling the ramen, Seoyeon's face kept popping into my head. I wish she'd go back to sleep soon. Then I could grind her affection with a handjob. Should I put sleeping pills in her food so she sleeps soundly? Wait, no, I don't have any sleeping pills anyway. I'll just have to make something good for insomnia.

While rummaging through the office pantry, I suddenly remembered a conversation between the CEO and Seoyeon.

While the ramen boiled, I took out an Omija tea bag from the kitchen drawer. Ramen and Omija—what a bizarre combination. Just then, the scent of fragrant shampoo wafted through the air. I turned around and saw Seoyeon approaching me, drying her hair.

"Mmm~ smells good. What kind of ramen are you making?"

Usually, she would have stayed far away, but she walked right up to me, close enough to touch. I started stuttering because of the intense shampoo scent.

"M-mild ramen."

"That's my favorite. Thanks."

I suppressed the urge to get a hard-on and thought about how to get her to drink the Omija.

"Oh, and that..." How should I say this naturally? "She said there's a lot of Omija left, so you should drink some."

"Who? The CEO?"

"Yeah."

"That old lady should drink it herself. I'll just drink coffee..."

She shouldn't drink coffee. Ah.

"Still, maybe just one cup? Since I'm making it for you."

"Really?"

"Why are you so happy about it?"

"Ah, no, I'm not."

Don't show that I'm excited for nothing. Afterward, I set the table with the finished ramen and the Omija tea. While Seoyeon ate breakfast, I started my daily mobile game quests.

"Why are you staring at that so intently?"

"Just a phone game."

"What kind of phone game?"

"A game I'm a little embarrassed to talk about."

Is it because her affection has built up? She shows interest in me more often now.

"...That's why you're a virgin, playing stuff like that."

She's a virgin too, though. But because her tone was gentler than usual, I didn't argue back and just let it slide.

"Haven't the others arrived yet?"

"It's only 8 AM. They'll be here soon."

"Honestly, they're not as diligent as I am..."

Didn't she just fall asleep after a 24-hour non-stop stream?

"You just thought something weird, didn't you?"

"No way~."

Seoyeon finished the Omija I gave her and went into the studio. A thought suddenly occurred to me: what if it wasn't thanks to the affection grinding, but she just decided to be nicer? I decided to check her stream immediately.

Seoyeon was still maintaining her original personality. She even went a step further ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and said this:

"Guys, the game won't turn on this time. Should I just end the stream?"

During the stream, a text message arrived.

A longer message than before. I couldn't help but chuckle. She was all smiles just a moment ago, but when she entered the studio, she put on a stoic face.

"I'm here. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠What's wrong?"

"Oh, you're here? The game isn't working this time."

I checked the cables here and there. The computer seemed fine.

"What's the problem?"

"You don't know? That's a big problem..."

...

The attitudes of the others hadn't changed, but only the way she treated me had become gentle. I kept wanting to laugh.

Whether this method was right or not, the game ran smoothly.

"Oh... as expected of my manager."

"I'm everyone else's manager too."

"When I say that, you're supposed to just agree..."

I stepped out of the studio and burst into the laughter I'd been holding back. Now, I just had to wait for the right moment.

***

About an hour later... Seoyeon was still playing the game she'd been playing yesterday. However, she looked much worse than usual. She was probably forcing herself to stream even though she was tired.

"Ah, fuck, I pressed it, you idiot game!"

"I don't know. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think I have a fever, so I'm going to rest."

Instinctively realizing that my chance had come, I swallowed hard. It would take time for her to fall asleep, so I couldn't act too hastily.

"Consider that my stream ending."

After some time had passed, I entered the studio without making a sound. If she happened to be awake, I'd already thought of an excuse, so it would be fine. Inside the studio, she seemed too lazy to even lay out her bedding, so she was sleeping with her head on the studio desk. A smile spread across my face as things seemed to be going smoothly. First, I had to make sure she was sound asleep.

"Seoyeon! Seoyeon!"

"..."

She was completely out. At this rate, she wouldn't even know if I carried her away. Maybe it was because I'd done it once before, but my movements felt lighter than the first time. However, when I went to give her a handjob, I couldn't use my hands because she was sleeping with her head on her arms.

'What should I do?'

Just then, what caught my eye was her black hair, which was draped down to her waist. Hair is a bit... but I had no choice. It was for the sake of affection grinding. I approached Seoyeon and began to touch her hair.