Rendezvous (12)
The stall was a little too cramped for two people to stand in, so I had no choice but to sit on the closed toilet lid and look up at Yoon Seo-a.
Even on ordinary days the height difference meant I was always looking up at her, but sitting like this made her feel even taller—and since she wasn't wearing her usual smile, the intimidation was doubled.
But why wasn't she saying anything? She'd dragged me all the way in here and was simply staring at me in silence.
Of course, it wasn't as if I didn't understand why. She'd just clashed with Su-ryeon at the front gate, so if she meant to take that frustration out on me, it wasn't strange at all.
Still—if she was going to take it out on me, why not just do it already instead of standing there without a word and making me anxious for no reason?
I was fidgeting with my clasped hands, eyes averted, when she finally spoke.
"Miss Ha-eun."
"Y-Yes!"
"Why so startled? Is someone going to eat you?"
When I jumped, the rigid set of Yoon Seo-a's face softened and she let out a small snort of laughter.
But is someone going to eat you—coming from you, that felt a little rich, didn't it?
I shot her a look that said as much, and she immediately fixed me with a cold stare as if she'd never smiled at all, so I dropped my eyes at once.
As I sat there, Yoon Seo-a let out a heavy sigh and went on.
"Miss Ha-eun. Honestly, I was disappointed this morning. We agreed to become friends starting yesterday, didn't we?"
"W-Well… we did?"
"Then do you remember what you called me when you greeted me this morning?"
"Uh…"
"…Miss Yoon Seo-a. Exactly in that tone."
She spoke before I could answer, mimicking my halfhearted delivery to the letter.
A cold sweat ran down my back. If even her imitation of it carried that awkward energy, how must it have felt for Yoon Seo-a to hear it from me directly?
How? Obviously it had hurt her feelings. After making that promise yesterday, acting on the very first day as if I'd seen something unpleasant was clearly my fault.
Even if that was how I truly felt, the one who'd initiated yesterday's promise was Yoon Seo-a herself. If I upset her, everything might go back to the way it was—and the fact that I hadn't considered that and acted like an idiot was an undeniable truth.
I looked up at her with a face full of apology.
"I-I'm sorry, Miss Yoon Seo-a. I'm still not used to it… mmph?"
But before I could finish, Yoon Seo-a caught my cheek in her hand and cut me off.
I looked up at her in confusion, and she pressed her free hand to her forehead as she spoke.
"See? Even now. You're still calling me Miss Yoon Seo-a. It's not that—it's Miss Seo-a, isn't it? You were pronouncing it just fine before we parted at the front gate. Why are you going back to the full name, Miss Ha-eun?"
…That was it?! My face went blank. Yoon Seo-a gave my cheek a light pinch, withdrew her hand, and folded her arms.
"Say my name again, Miss Ha-eun."
"Uh, um… M-Miss Seo-a…?"
"That's right. Not Miss Yoon Seo-a—Miss Seo-a. I'll let it slide this time, but next time I'd like you to say it with some confidence. My name isn't so light that you can call it with that much uncertainty. Understood?"
"Ah, yes."
"Good. Shall we move on to another matter?"
Huh? There was more? I'd thought it was over and was about to catch my breath, but her next words made my eyes go wide.
Regardless, Yoon Seo-a leaned in close and said,
"When Miss Hong Su-ryeon and I were arguing at the front gate, you took her side rather than mine, didn't you?"
"Ah, haha… D-Did I…?"
"You did. You jumped in as if you were protecting Miss Hong Su-ryeon and opposing me."
I hadn't particularly intended it, but maybe I'd done it instinctively because I found her threatening.
I said nothing and tried to avoid her eyes, so Yoon Seo-a seized my shoulder firmly.
"Hik!"
"Of course, you share a room with Miss Hong Su-ryeon and have been friends with her longer than with me, so I can understand that. But from now on, am I not also your friend, Miss Ha-eun?"
"Th-That's right…"
"Then going forward, when an argument arises between Miss Hong Su-ryeon and me, what attitude should you take? Tell me yourself."
At her words I rolled my eyes around, realized there was no escape, and let out a small sigh.
"Uh, um… Stay neutral and mediate the argument…?"
"That's right. Not taking someone's side the way you did today—you need to maintain a thoroughly neutral stance. Or take my side."
"Doesn't that contradict what you just said…?"
"Better than taking Miss Hong Su-ryeon's side and having things go wrong, don't you think?"
The warning, delivered with a sweet smile, made me clamp my mouth shut and nod.
"Just as I've decided to respect you, Miss Ha-eun, you need to show me the respect I deserve in return. That was the agreement."
"R-Right."
"But even so, that alone still leaves me uneasy. Let's establish one more rule going forward."
"A rule…?"
"Every time you fail to respect me, you'll receive a punishment. And since something like that happened today, I'll demonstrate."
"What? A punishment—what do you mean—"
In a flash, our positions reversed. Yoon Seo-a was sitting on the toilet, and I was standing awkwardly in front of her.
And that wasn't enough—she pulled my arm and settled me onto her lap.
In an instant we were face to face, bodies overlapping in a thoroughly indecent posture. Realizing this, I flushed bright red.
"Y-Yoon Seo-a—! This position is…!"
"There you go again, calling me Yoon Seo-a. Miss Ha-eun. I really will have to carve it into your body that you mustn't do that."
"Carve it— mmph?!"
Before I could even ask what she meant, Yoon Seo-a's face closed the distance in an instant and her lips met mine.
The soft sensation of her lips pressing and enveloping mine made my eyes fly wide open.
She placed a hand behind my head so I couldn't escape and kept kissing me. The wet sounds of our lips meeting and parting rang out one after another.
My hands, wandering in confusion, were guided to her waist by Yoon Seo-a, and she in turn wrapped her arms around mine.
"Haa—Miss Seo-a, wait, hup…!"
Whenever our lips parted for a moment I hurriedly tried to stop her, but she gave me no such chance and immediately pressed her mouth to mine again.
Compared to the forced kisses on the bed, this wasn't particularly violent or coercive—and yet somehow it left me more breathless and strained than those had.
Was it because back then I'd been half out of my mind, and now I was fully conscious?
But that didn't quite fit either—right now she was only pressing and nuzzling our lips together, not even slipping her tongue in. Even so, my breathing grew steadily more ragged, and I could barely keep my wits about me.
The sight of our lips fretting against each other, the labored breaths mingling—my mind gradually went blank, as if fog were settling over it.
Come to think of it, the experience of kissing someone as beautiful as Yoon Seo-a wasn't something you came by easily. Even if that first kiss had been stained with violence, looking back at the person I used to be, even that had been more than I deserved.
If it had been the me from right before possessing this body, I probably would have thought it was a good thing.
So what about now? Unlike those violent, appetite-filled kisses on the bed, Yoon Seo-a's kiss felt almost gentle.
"Ha… ah…"
When the long kiss finally ended, I found myself resting my head against her chest without meaning to.
But it couldn't be helped. Even prolonged kissing itself was unfamiliar to me—and regulating my breathing on top of that, even more so.
As I hung limp, catching my breath, I felt Yoon Seo-a's hand stroking my hair.
"Since it's the first time, I'll stop here for today."
"Th-The first…?"
If this was "the first time" and "this much," how much further would she go next time?
I thought blankly as I exhaled.
By the time I'd recovered some strength and returned to class, it was right before Senior Officer Maria arrived. The moment we opened the back door and sat down, the front door opened and Senior Officer Maria walked in.
But the instant she stepped up to the lectern, she fixed her gaze on Yoon Seo-a and me.
"Miss Yoon Seo-a, and Miss Yu Ha-eun. This is a warning for both of you. Even if you arrived earlier than your Senior Officer, this is clearly an entry past class time. If you accumulate one more warning, it will be recorded as a demerit, so keep that in mind."
"Understood."
"Very well."
Yoon Seo-a and I each answered in our own way. Senior Officer Maria gave a look to Yoon Seo-a for her flippant tone, then turned to me.
"More importantly, Miss Yu Ha-eun? Are you feeling better now? I heard you left early as you were."
"Ah, yes. Thanks to your concern, I'm fine now."
"That's a relief, then. Not just Miss Yu Ha-eun—everyone, please take care of your health. If you end up missing class or leaving early because you're unwell, demerits can accumulate and you may receive a penalty."
Senior Officer Maria cast her gaze over the young ladies seated around us as she said this, then was about to turn toward the blackboard to begin the lesson when—
"I-I'm sorry for being late…!"
The back door opened and someone came in, drawing every gaze in the classroom.
"Miss Shin So-hye?"
At the sight of who it was, I couldn't help glancing toward the seat beside me. Her bag was there, but the seat had been empty.
It wasn't as if she'd overslept, and yet she was late to class—and of all people, Shin So-hye. It was surprising. Wasn't she the one who always somehow ended up in her seat before anyone noticed, nervously reading the room?
As I stared at her in surprise, Senior Officer Maria spoke.
"Miss Shin So-hye. Why are you late?"
"W-Well… m-my stomach suddenly felt bad…"
"I was just telling everyone to take care of their health, and Miss Shin So-hye has kindly provided a perfect example."
A few people let out small laughs at her words. Shin So-hye's face turning red was a bonus.
"Return to your seat. Of course, since you entered late, I'll be recording a demerit."
"Y-Yes…"
"A young lady shouldn't trail off at the end of her sentences, Miss Shin So-hye."
"Y-Yes…!"
"Good. Then for today's period…"
The moment Senior Officer Maria finished speaking, Shin So-hye hurried back to her seat, sat down, and let out a small sigh.
Probably fretting over the demerit. Thinking of how kindly Shin So-hye had always treated me, I quietly offered some encouragement.
"Chin up, Miss Shin So-hye."
"Ah, um, thank you…"
But the answer that came back was somehow halfhearted, which left me puzzled. Normally she would have quietly made a fuss thanking me—maybe her stomach really was bothering her.
Maybe I should bring her something good for settling the stomach later. With that thought, I looked away from Shin So-hye, who still had her head bowed, and focused on the lesson.