Cold Coffee Confessions
The day after their promise, Eun-ho sat in the campus cafe with Ye-rin. Afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows, casting diagonal shadows across the table. It was the weekend, so students were scattered sparsely around, and soft jazz drifted from the speakers.
Ye-rin couldn't meet Eun-ho's eyes. She kept fiddling with her coffee cup, tracing circles around the rim with her finger, gripping and releasing the handle over and over. The coffee had long gone cold.
"Does your pussy just throb whenever any guy climbs on top? Can't hold back, huh?"
"I'm sorry... Eun-ho..."
"Let's just be honest here. We've known each other forever. It's time to come clean."
"I'm sorry..."
"Be real—don't you get more turned on fucking guys other than me?"
"Huh?"
Ye-rin's hand froze. She lifted her head slightly, peering up at Eun-ho. Her pupils trembled.
"That's it, right? Yesterday too—you looked like you were dying of pleasure with Tae-yoon way more than with me..."
"Ah... sorry..."
"So yeah, that's a yes?"
"..............Yeah."
Ye-rin's voice was so faint it was barely audible. She bowed her head again, cradling the cup in both hands. Her fingertips had gone white.
"Knew it. I was wondering how Woo-hyun with his small dick could satisfy you, but it turns out any guy works—as long as it's not me."
"No... I can't do it without you... It's true..."
Eun-ho knew it wasn't a lie. Separate from getting excited and satisfied by other men, she found stability with him. You needed a home to always come back to if you wanted to play outside.
"You say that, but you'll spread your legs for some other guy again. You're like a wild berry anyone can just pick if they ask nicely."
"That's... hic... sob..."
Ye-rin started crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. She wiped them with the back of her hand, but they kept coming. The tip of her nose turned red.
"I hate myself too. I don't even know why I'm like this. When guys push, I can't say no properly. My head knows it's wrong, but I end up giving in without thinking, full of regrets. Sorry, Eun-ho... for being this kind of girl... cheap and easy... sob..."
"Hoo..."
Eun-ho sighed. He already knew. He knew everything. But hearing it straight from Ye-rin's mouth was a different story. There was an uncrossable river between imagination and confirmation.
"Fine, then from now on, just fuck other guys besides me. Might as well switch to Woo-hyun while you're at it."
At that, Ye-rin slid off her chair and knelt before Eun-ho. Her knees hit the cafe floor with a thud. The hard tile sent a dull echo through the room.
"Sob... hic... sob... I'm really sorry, Eun-ho... I was wrong... I won't do it again... Don't throw me away..."
Eun-ho pulled Ye-rin to her feet. Eyes from nearby tables turned their way. A male student who'd been tapping at his laptop looked up; two girls across from them started whispering.
"Why pull this in public? You trying to make me the bad guy? And you think you can really never do it again?"
"Yeah... Eun-ho... I won't, I promise..."
"Our little Ye-rin... why make promises you can't keep?"
Eun-ho lowered his voice. It was heavier than if he'd yelled in anger.
"Be honest—yesterday wasn't the first time, right? After I started training, who else did you fuck?"
"Huh? That..."
Ye-rin's eyes shook. The fingers gripping her coffee cup turned white again.
"From now on, tell me everything honestly. If you hide shit, I might really lose it."
Ye-rin's fingers hovered over the cup handle. Her lips quivered. After a long hesitation, she finally spoke.
"It was... Woo-hyun..."
"Yeah, Woo-hyun. And?"
"Huh?..."
Ye-rin looked up. She seemed flustered that Eun-ho wasn't shocked by Woo-hyun's name. Her wide eyes stared at him. But Eun-ho's gaze was ice-cold, and she bowed her head again under its weight.
"And... Min-gyu sunbae... and the swimming club seniors too..."
"Ah, those three. So how many times with the swimming club?"
"O-one time..."
"One? With three guys??"
Eun-ho mulled over her words. Three guys, one time. His mind quickly did the math.
"Haa... heh heh heh..."
Laughter bubbled up. Absurd, disbelieving laughter. The cafe's soft music seeped through the gaps.
"You took all three at once? You fucking taxi slut."
"S-sorry..."
Ye-rin's shoulders hunched. Tears splashed into her coffee, rippling outward in circles. The droplets spread across the brown surface.
"One thing, though—Woo-hyun's dick isn't that big. But you still liked it more than mine?"
"Ah! No! It can't be better than you. You're the best... I can't live without you."
Ye-rin snapped her head up. Her eyes were wet, but her gaze was desperate. Her hands reached across the table as if to grab him.
"Then why keep fucking Woo-hyun?"
"I don't know... With Woo-hyun, I just get so excited. Something sparks in my chest, and I can't hold back."
That sparked something in Eun-ho's mind. That sharp thrill rising from the chest, uncontrollable excitement. It felt like what he experienced watching Ye-rin fuck other men. The electric surge from his gut when he'd seen her grinding on Tae-yoon. Maybe Ye-rin felt the same twisted sensation. The forbidden thrill of cheating on her boyfriend Eun-ho—it worked the same way for her.
Eun-ho filed that thought away and moved to the next question.
"So, when did it start with Woo-hyun exactly? First time?"
"Well..."
Ye-rin stopped. She bit her lip. This was something she really didn't want to say. Her fingers on the cup alternated between white and flushed.
"When you went to that national sports training camp in high school..."
Eun-ho blinked at "training camp." Donghae Sports University didn't do those. Even vacation intensives were done commuting from the dorms. Then it hit him—high school teams always did pre-competition camps.
"Haa... right... what year?"
"That... sorry... second year..."
Eun-ho's mind went blank.
"Fuck!!! Not even a month after we started dating!!!"
Eun-ho shot to his feet, shouting. The shock toppled his chair with a crash onto the tile floor. Metal legs scraped sharply. Everyone in the cafe stared. The laptop student looked up; the counter staff gaped; a couple in the corner whispered.
But Eun-ho couldn't hold back his rage. He'd confirmed his feelings with Ye-rin during second-year summer break. Woo-hyun had even helped make it happen—playing messenger, giving him the courage to confess, even sounding her out first. They'd been childhood friends, so realizing their feelings took forever. Always together, she felt like a given. It had taken ages to see it as love. They'd just started dating, and not even a month later, she'd cheated—with Woo-hyun, of all people, who'd hooked them up.
"So you two have been fucking nonstop since then."
"Sorry..."
Ye-rin's voice trembled faintly. Tears dripped onto her dress, staining it.
"That bastard Woo-hyun dates Seo-yeon but keeps banging you on the side..."
Ye-rin had nothing to say. She just hung her head lower.
"So when did the three of you start?"
"What? Three? The swimming seniors?"
"Haa... no, you, Seo-yeon, and Woo-hyun... fucking without me."
"Huh? That..."
Ye-rin's eyes widened again. Her face drained white at Eun-ho knowing that too. Her lips parted, then closed.
"I know everything, so spill."
"........ Freshman summer..."
Eun-ho pressed his forehead, chuckling. He couldn't stop laughing. It was too ridiculous.
Seo-yeon had said a few months ago—but freshman summer was a year back. She'd lied to him.
"Seo-yeon that crazy bitch—barely dating Woo-hyun and she not only watches him fuck another girl but joins in?"
"No... Woo-hyun and I got caught... he begged..."
"Still, you went along with it. Is this normal? Even if this place is a fucking zoo, have some limits, goddamn it!"
Ye-rin shut her mouth and bowed her head. She didn't even wipe the tears on her hand. No more excuses.
"Haa... whatever, it's in the past."
Eun-ho sighed. He righted the chair and sat back down. Eyes still lingered, but he had no bandwidth for them.
"No, fuck—you'll keep doing it! The more I think, the madder I get..."
"Ugh... Eun-ho... sorry..."
"Hoo... no, it's fine."
Eun-ho sipped the cold coffee. Bitter taste swept his tongue. He set it down and looked at Ye-rin.
"But next time, bring Seo-yeon. I need to fuck you both at once to cool off."
"Huh? Seo-yeon? How am I supposed to..."
"Figure it out yourself."
"Okay... I'll try..."
Ye-rin's voice lacked strength. She knew she couldn't refuse. This was a bargain for her sins. Seo-yeon didn't know, but Eun-ho had already wrapped things up with her. One word from Ye-rin, and she'd agree without much fight. And he'd make sure Woo-hyun watched him fuck them both. Eun-ho wondered what face that bastard would make seeing his girl get railed.
"Listen up, Ye-rin."
"Yeah."
"I get you can't quit other guys. But I can't stand you lying to me."
"Sorry..."
"From now on, if you're gonna fuck someone else, tell me first. Or right after if you can't. Got it?"
"No... I really won't do it with anyone else..."
"Cut the bullshit. You said it excites you more. My girlfriend likes it that way—gotta be a big-hearted boyfriend and grant her wish, right?"
"Sorry... Eun-ho... I really won't..."
"Hoo... I'm serious. You'll definitely fuck someone else again. You want me grilling you like this every time? Don't you get how that pisses me off more?"
Ye-rin bowed her head again. No words. She knew Eun-ho was right—better than anyone. Her body reacting before her mind said no. Repeating the same regrets over and over.
"So tell me who, where, what you're doing—or did. Got it?"
"Ah.... Got it."
Ye-rin murmured softly. And she knew too. Someday, she'd cave to another guy's temptation. That's why this promise weighed heavy—not to not do it, but to report if she did.
"And confirm when you're bringing Seo-yeon and let me know. Fuck, leaving me out... shit, the more I think, the angrier... What makes Woo-hyun so much better than me?"
"No... you're cooler, you fuck better..."
"Then why?... Never mind. Just bring Seo-yeon."
"I'll handle it... somehow."
Eun-ho drained the last of his coffee. Outside the window, the afternoon sun was tilting low.