Rendezvous
Shin So-hye had two younger siblings.
A younger brother and a younger sister. Unlike Shin So-hye, the two of them were born a year apart and constantly fought, but that did not mean their relationship was poor.
If anything, the bond between those two was probably stronger than the one either shared with Shin So-hye. Of course, that did not mean they shut her out.
They were family, after all, and as the eldest she had looked after them both.
Yet at a fundamental level, those two and Shin So-hye simply did not match. Where they were thoroughly extroverted and sociable, Shin So-hye preferred to hide in an empty room at home—one no one would disturb—and lose herself in books.
She liked locking herself away in a space even family could not invade, immersing herself in hobbies rather than conversation, drawing closer to books than to people. Even Shin So-hye herself had no idea how she had become such a person.
Whenever she came to her senses, she was always drifting on the fringes of any group. Of course there were those who clung to her because she was the child of a well-known company president, but they quickly grasped the true nature of the person called Shin So-hye and fled as if from a plague.
She had probably been born that way. Not because of her environment, but because she had come into the world as someone who could only live in that manner.
Even so, Shin So-hye never felt any sense of doubt or regret about the life she had lived so far.
Thanks to her reliable father’s background she had never been bullied, and the family business would be inherited by one of her younger siblings, so she could simply continue living as she always had until they introduced her to a suitable marriage partner, at which point she would go silently.
“You will enroll in Private Acacia Academy.”
If not for her father’s words, she would surely have lived that life. But Shin So-hye neither rebelled nor questioned them.
She simply lacked the courage. All she could do was hang her head low and answer “Yes” in a trembling voice.
And so Shin So-hye enrolled in Private Acacia Academy.
It would have been better if she had caught a cold or some other illness on the day of the entrance exam and been forced to miss it, but her body, which had never weathered any particular storms, was far too healthy to be felled by mere anxiety, worry, or stress.
Then, on the day of the entrance ceremony, Shin So-hye met both a devil and an angel at the same time.
The devil bore the name Yoon Seo-a. Unlike everyone else who had ignored her until then, she actively tormented her.
She had even tried to forcibly cut off the bangs that protected Shin So-hye from the world—truly a wicked human being.
But an angel appeared to block that devil’s deeds.
Yu Ha-eun. She was so small that her height only reached about Shin So-hye’s neck, and her build was frail to the extreme.
Yet the way she stood against Yoon Seo-a shone brighter than anyone else present. With a slight exaggeration, she felt like a saintess from a novel—a saintess raising a shining cross against the devil who oppressed the common folk.
The academy uniform being entirely white only reinforced the impression. In any case, because of that incident, Shin So-hye came to hold infinite goodwill toward Yu Ha-eun.
Moreover, whenever she mustered the courage to greet her, Ha-eun would respond with a smile, making it impossible not to like her even more.
But at the same time, endless guilt accompanied it.
Because she had blocked Yoon Seo-a’s actions, all the bullying that should have fallen on her was now directed at Yu Ha-eun.
In her heart she wanted to tell Yoon Seo-a not to bully the innocent Yu Ha-eun and to torment her instead, as originally intended—but it remained only a thought.
Being bullied was frightening. But watching her benefactor, the person she liked, being bullied was also painful.
She did not want to take the bullying in her place either. Yet she wanted to help.
Conflicting emotions swirled all day long, and whenever Yu Ha-eun could not hide her distressed expression, her heart ached even more.
But at the same time, if she thought of that appearance as what she herself would look like if she took her place, she forced herself to look away.
It could not be helped. Shin So-hye—she herself—was that kind of person.
A cowardly human who was full of fear, lacked the courage to save her benefactor, and was only concerned with her own safety. A despicable human who pretended to self-flagellate in order to lessen her guilt.
Yet even such a human seemed to possess a conscience, for she went to Yoon Seo-a, bowed her head, and made a request.
Please stop bullying Yu Ha-eun. Instead, as you originally intended, bully me.
Of course, after doing so she regretted it over and over, wondering why she had done it, but mustering the courage of a lifetime was not entirely a bad thing.
At least the guilt that had been crushing her chest since the entrance ceremony had disappeared.
In its place, however, her heart filled with anxiety about the future and fear of the bullying that would come.
But contrary to her worries, the bullying never returned. Instead, a few days later, word reached her that Yu Ha-eun had slapped Yoon Seo-a’s cheek.
She wondered if it had happened because of what she said, but the timing did not match, and above all it was a sudden incident that no one knew the reason for.
Except for the two parties involved, that is.
Ssshk— The sound of a door opening broke her reverie.
Shin So-hye turned her head toward it. Not only she, but everyone in the class looked that way.
The class desks were already nearly full with young ladies who had arrived for school—except for Yoon Seo-a and Yu Ha-eun’s seats.
With the two figures of the hour appearing, it was only natural that gazes would gather. And soon Shin So-hye and the other young ladies of the class wore surprised expressions.
Because the two of them had entered with their bodies pressed tightly together.
Moreover, Yu Ha-eun’s usual pure white face was nowhere to be seen; it was flushed bright red as she leaned against Yoon Seo-a, as if she were not feeling well.
Does she have a fever? While Shin So-hye worried, Yoon Seo-a, who had come inside, helped Yu Ha-eun to her seat before heading to her own.
Only then did her followers come to their senses and gather around, offering greetings and chattering like birds, but Shin So-hye approached Yu Ha-eun, who was lying face-down on her desk, breathing shallowly.
“Um, um… Miss Yu Ha-eun…? Are you all right?”
“Haa, h-yes. I’m fine, Miss Shin So-hye….”
Though her face looked anything but fine, Yu Ha-eun answered with her usual smile, though it was somewhat distorted.
Normally, Shin So-hye would have been satisfied with that answer and returned to her seat to exist as if she were not there, but she was not so shameless as to leave someone with a pained face alone.
Moreover, after bowing her head to Yoon Seo-a, a strange “come what may” attitude had taken root, allowing her to muster some courage.
So she could do something like this.
“I’m sorry, Miss Yu Ha-eun. I’m going to touch your body for a moment.”
“Eh…?”
Of course, touching her body did not mean touching anywhere improper.
It was merely the lightest of physical contacts: placing the back of her hand against her cheek.
Perhaps the sensation of a hand cooler than most people’s felt good; the face of Yu Ha-eun, who had been looking puzzled at Shin So-hye’s words, became a little more at ease.
Even while pretending to be fine, the fever rising in her head must have been distressing.
Separately from that thought, as expected, Yu Ha-eun’s face was truly like a hot furnace.
To someone with cold hands like herself, it felt as if she might get burned.
“Y-you have a huge fever, Miss Yu Ha-eun…! You shouldn’t be in class—y-you should go to the nurse’s office…!”
“I’m really fine. So you don’t have to worry so muuuch…?!”
“M-Miss Yu Ha-eun?!”
The face of Yu Ha-eun, who had been forcing a smile, twisted for an instant into an expression Shin So-hye had never seen before.
Startled by the sight, Shin So-hye wrapped her arms around Yu Ha-eun’s shoulders, but instead of lifting her face, she buried it in the desk, clamping her mouth shut and swallowing her moans.
The occasional voice that inevitably leaked out was clearly that of someone enduring pain.
What do I do… She’s suddenly in so much pain—could she have caught some serious illness…?!
As Shin So-hye fretted and stamped her feet, a single word flashed through her mind.
Come to think of it, it had already been nearly a month since enrollment.
So… it would not be strange at all for people who experienced “that day” which visited ordinary women every month to start appearing one by one.
Realizing a fact that should have been obvious but that she had not immediately recalled, Shin So-hye’s face flushed bright red.
As a woman herself, she knew that trying to help on that day was meaningless, so she realized that her actions had instead been a nuisance to Yu Ha-eun.
“I-I’m sorry, Miss Yu Ha-eun! I was m-meddling unnecessarily…!”
After hastily apologizing, Shin So-hye immediately returned to her seat, cooling her burning cheeks with her hands and hanging her head low.
Even if she had meant to help, trying to interfere even in something so personal was quite the unsightly behavior.
I only wanted to show Miss Yu Ha-eun my good side…!
Shin So-hye silently stamped her feet.
Really, just stop already.
I exhaled silently, recalling the object inside that had finally quieted down somewhat.
Once I had calmed down to some extent, I took out a handkerchief, wiped my face that was a mess of sweat and tears, then laboriously raised my head to look toward where Yoon Seo-a was.
She was chatting with a smile among her followers, and when our eyes met, she waved her hand as if in greeting.
In reality, she was merely showing off the small remote in her grip to me.
I wanted to snatch it and smash it, but given Yoon Seo-a’s personality, she would surely carry a spare remote, so it would be meaningless.
The retaliation that would follow was also a problem.
But still, having to stay like this all day today? That was ridiculous. How was I supposed to go around wearing this? I covered my face with my hands at the rising despair.
My panties had long since gone beyond damp to completely soaked. There was no need to state the reason.
I wanted to change right away, but even if I did, a few button presses from Yoon Seo-a would surely make it the same again.
Really, why does a young lady have an adult toy like a rotor…! Did she use it herself? Is that it?!
When I glared at Yoon Seo-a with eyes full of resentment, she immediately pressed the button.
“Ughk…!”
At that signal, the two rotors inside began vibrating wildly, and another wave of pleasure washed over me.
Once in front of Su-ryeon, once just now when Shin So-hye approached. Having experienced climax twice already, the third came quickly.
I-I’m coming…!
Along with the sensation of more wetness adding to my already soaked panties, I bit down hard on the back of my hand and held back my moans.
The approaching morning classes felt terribly frightening.