The Sound of the Heart (5)
After leaving the infirmary, Yoon Seo-a and I stepped completely outside the academy buildings and headed for Acacia Hall—the largest dormitory Private Acacia Academy had to offer.
“So this is Acacia Hall…”
The overall exterior wasn’t all that different from Lily Hall, yet its sheer scale and the way it gleamed with materials that looked luxurious even at a glance made it stand out unmistakably. On top of that, the garden blooming with every kind of flower and the fountain made me wonder whether this could really be a dormitory that existed inside the same academy.
“Miss Ha-eun. Stop gawking like some country bumpkin and follow me. It’s embarrassing just watching you.”
“E-embarrassing?”
As I stared blankly at Acacia Hall, Yoon Seo-a spoke without ever slowing her steps.
It’s not like staring at the scenery for a bit deserves being called pathetic. I grumbled inwardly, but when I turned my head at the gazes prickling around me, I understood at once. Young ladies who were clearly residents of this place were whispering among themselves after seeing my earlier behavior. That meant what I’d done stood out that much here. Flushing, I hurriedly followed after Yoon Seo-a with my head bowed low. Then, from ahead, came a soft “fufu” of laughter as Yoon Seo-a said,
“You’ll be coming here often from now on, so try to get used to it.”
“…I’ll be coming often?”
Why would I come here again? Of course the rules didn’t forbid traffic between dorms, but after today I had no intention of setting foot here unless there was a special reason. And even if there was, I planned to push for meeting somewhere else.
I asked back in a puzzled voice, yet instead of answering, Yoon Seo-a rummaged through her bag at the main gate we had just reached and pulled out a card. She held it up to the reader attached to the pillar beside it, and a mechanical voice rang out as the door opened.
Welcome. Miss Yoon Seo-a.
…They use electronic access here too? Lily Hall didn’t have anything like this.
As I stood silently surprised, Yoon Seo-a slipped the card away and said,
“This is Acacia Hall, after all. Keeping out those without the qualifications is only natural.”
“Those without the qualifications?”
“Well, the so-called riffraff.”
Riffraff…? At those words I thought of my roommate Su-ryeon. Her father was a National Assembly member, yet she had been assigned to Lily Hall and shared a room with me—someone classified as a commoner. If even she counted as riffraff, then what kind of people were the parents of those living in Acacia Hall?
Following Yoon Seo-a inside, the corridor alone was different from Lily Hall where I stayed. That place was fairly spacious in its own right, but the hallway here was wide enough that, exaggerating only a little, a car could easily pass through. Even more shocking was how far apart the doors were. After passing the first door in sight, we had to walk quite a ways before the second appeared. Our feet finally stopped when the fourth door came into view.
Using the same card from the main gate once more to open the door, Yoon Seo-a said,
“This is my room.”
“Your room?”
It looks more like a house than a room. I stepped inside and looked around. The interior was a duplex. Stairs led up to the upper floor, and downstairs there was a wide sofa, living appliances like a television, exercise equipment like a treadmill—anyway, there was a lot. Of course Lily Hall had exercise equipment too, but that was classified as shared facilities; it wasn’t placed inside the rooms like this. There was a small table for tea time, though.
“How long do you plan to keep looking around like that?”
As I examined the room in a daze, Yoon Seo-a spoke as if I were pathetic. Only then did I come to my senses and, with a slightly embarrassed face but forcing myself to sound confident, raised my voice.
“So, why did you bring me all the way here? You clearly said to nurse you…”
“They said to apply cold compresses for the whole day today, but I can’t stay in the infirmary until tomorrow, can I?”
Hmm… Hearing that, it might make sense. Given the nature of Private Acacia Academy, people who frequent the infirmary are rare, but still, it’s a place where someone might come. So she brought me to her room. To keep from being interrupted by others midway… Wait? To keep from being interrupted?
Something about that wording felt off. As I muttered inwardly, Yoon Seo-a had already vanished. I looked around for her and suddenly my gaze fell on the sofa set in one corner of the living room. It looked so fluffy at a glance that I approached it as if entranced.
“Ohh…”
Without putting much force into it, pressing with my hand made it sink right in. There was resistance, but not too strong, so if I sprawled out it would definitely feel good.
Should I? After all, I’d already poured everything out on Yoon Seo-a without restraint back in the infirmary. The aftermath was scary, but since I’d already done it, the fear wasn’t as strong as before. Is this what they call a give-up attitude? After a very brief hesitation, I flung myself onto the sofa.
“Uooo…”
I-I’m being sucked in. With the sensation of being swallowed by the sofa, I completely relaxed my whole body and sprawled out. If I just gave it a little time like this, I felt I could fall asleep right away.
“…What are you enjoying on your own like that, Miss Ha-eun?”
“Eek!”
The moment I heard Yoon Seo-a’s incredulous voice, I hurriedly sat up.
“Th-that’s…?”
I quickly turned my head to pour out excuses to Yoon Seo-a, but the sight before my eyes left me speechless. As I stopped mid-sentence with my eyes wide open and stammered, Yoon Seo-a put her hands on her hips with a puzzled face and asked,
“Why did you stop talking?”
“…Wh-what is that outfit?!”
Yoon Seo-a was wearing a black negligee. And a see-through type that showed her skin underneath! Thanks to that, her figure was fully visible through the clothes. I thought I glimpsed a pink tip for a moment, so I covered my eyes with my hands without thinking and shouted,
“P-please change into something normal!”
“No. This is my room—what I wear is my business, isn’t it?”
“Th-that may be true! But that’s when Miss Yoon Seo-a is alone! This time I’m here! In front of a guest, dressing modestly is a young lady’s etiquette, isn’t it?!”
“A guest…?”
At my words, Yoon Seo-a muttered that, then smirked and approached closer. Thud thud— As the indoor slippers made sounds approaching, I let out a “hiiik” and lowered my head. Regardless, the approaching Yoon Seo-a grabbed the hands covering my face and yanked them away as she said,
“You seem to be under some misunderstanding, Miss Ha-eun.”
“Wh-what?”
“Miss Ha-eun wasn’t invited to this room as my guest.”
Not invited as a guest… Then why did she bring me all the way here? As I looked on with puzzled eyes, Yoon Seo-a continued again.
“What did I say in the infirmary?”
“…You said to nurse you for the day today.”
“That’s right. For today, Miss Ha-eun must nurse me here and also wait on me. That is my demand.”
I never thought it meant that. As I couldn’t say anything, Yoon Seo-a smiled sweetly.
“And that means Miss Ha-eun becomes my servant, you see.”
“S-servant?”
“So calling you a guest isn’t right. Because you’re my possession. And no master would feel embarrassed about wearing comfortable clothes in front of their possession, right?”
Possession?! I never heard it would turn out like that! As I tried to protest Yoon Seo-a’s words, a finger pressed down on my forehead.
“Ah, for reference, it’s better not to say things like you don’t want to or whatever. If you refuse my proposal, you’ll pay a price several times greater than now. To put it simply… First, Miss Ha-eun might end up in the Discipline Room?”
“The Discipline Room…”
At those words, I forced shut the mouth that had popped open to protest. The Discipline Room. It was the reform program for delinquent young ladies that existed at Private Acacia Academy. I’d known of its existence to some extent from information I’d looked up before enrolling, but I didn’t know exactly what happened there. However, people who came out after going in all mechanically displayed perfect young-lady-like behavior, or so they said. It came with all sorts of harsh talk, so I’d thought I’d never get involved with that side, but when it came from Yoon Seo-a’s mouth, cold sweat flowed on its own.
As I stiffened without being able to say anything, Yoon Seo-a smiled and brushed my hair behind my ear as she said,
“Of course, if you listen well to what I say, there won’t be any going to the Discipline Room.”
“Follow me.” At Yoon Seo-a’s words as she turned her back, I slowly followed after her. She went up to the upper floor via the stairs, and there a large bed decorated with lace sat alone. No other furniture at all—just that one thing.
“It’s gotten lukewarm, so bring another one.”
“Huh? Whoa!”
Yoon Seo-a tossed me the ice pack wrapped in a towel as she said that. I hurriedly caught it and looked at her with dazed eyes. But regardless, Yoon Seo-a just lay her body down on the bed.
Did she really call me just to work me as a servant without doing anything else? As I looked on with puzzled eyes, Yoon Seo-a, perhaps misunderstanding something again, spat out those words.
“If it’s the fridge, it’s inside downstairs, so hurry and go get it. My cheek is starting to sting again.”
“Ah, yes.”
It wasn’t that I was standing still because I didn’t know the kitchen location. I stopped my hesitation and quickly went down the stairs. I put the ice pack in the freezer, rummaged through the kitchen to find a zip bag, then filled it full with ice. I roughly hung the wet towel near a sunny window, then brought a new towel and wrapped the zip bag with ice. Unlike the ice pack it might be a bit uncomfortable, but this was the only thing I could substitute right away, so it couldn’t be helped.
Carrying the finished product back up to the upper floor, I saw Yoon Seo-a with her eyes closed, hands neatly folded on her stomach. She wasn’t covered by a single blanket, so her body was exposed blatantly, and I blushed and turned my head away. Years had passed since possessing Yu Ha-eun’s body, so looking at my own body didn’t stir even a bit of lust, but for another’s—especially a beauty ranked among the top—it was different.
Even in this body, still getting excited over a woman’s body is proof that I was a man, I suppose. As I thought that inwardly, somehow knowing, Yoon Seo-a said,
“Don’t just stand there—come closer.”
“Ah, yes…”
I hurriedly approached the bed. Then held out the ice pack wrapped in the towel.
“Here…”
“That’s not it, Miss Ha-eun.”
“Huh?”
“Come to my side. Onto the bed.”
Come onto the bed. I hesitated for a moment, then carefully climbed onto the bed. Approaching her on my knees, my gaze kept going to her chest where her jade-white skin was visible. I shook my head and continued as many negative thoughts about Yoon Seo-a as possible.
Even if she looks this attractive, she’s the one who tormented me. She’s trying to torment me even now!
Repeating that like brainwashing myself, the lust that had risen slightly subsided. Good. At this level, at least I won’t blush. As I nodded in self-satisfaction, it was then.
“Miss Ha-eun. Lie down next to me.”
…What did you say?