♀x♀
"So that's everything that's happened so far. What do you think?"
"Not even a one-night stand — you decided to date your closest friend while wearing her skin? That's way too dangerous."
"Why? Doesn't it sound fun? When I get bored, I invite my friends over and wear them all the time."
Late Friday night, I was on Discord seeking advice for the second date with Chiwon, coming up in two days. Or rather, I had planned to seek advice. I'd meant to say I only knew him casually, but somewhere along the way the conversation flowed, and I ended spilling every last detail. That my friend had confessed to me, that we'd become a couple — and that we'd already slept together once.
"That's just you and your friends being weird. Normally people don't go that deep with someone they're close to."
"She's right. What you're doing, Yerim, is basically walking a tightrope. If your friend ever discovers the skin — could you really keep things the way they are now?"
Most people tend to react negatively. Haruka... well, she's always been that type. When you work at a soapland while wearing someone else's skin, dating a friend must not seem like anything at all.
"Anyway, be careful. If the skin gets found out, things will get complicated in all sorts of ways."
"I know. If any other problems come up, I'll reach out again."
In the end, I never got any advice about the date itself. I appreciated everyone worrying about me, but what I needed right now was help with the day after tomorrow... Nothing I could do about it, though. Worst case, I could just wing it like I did at Lotte World. I was about to turn off my phone when it buzzed against my palm.
Looking at the screen, I saw an incoming call from Sooin. I hurriedly slipped into the 'Park Yerim' skin before answering. I wanted to keep as much of my real self hidden as possible. Nobody could identify a person by voice alone, but anxiety was anxiety.
"Hello?"
"Yerim, do you have a minute?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Since you're going on a date Sunday, I'm guessing you're free Saturday?"
"What, were you in your room? You were so quiet I assumed you were out like usual."
"Crowded places aren't really my thing."
"Crowded places? It's not like we'd be talking face to face with a bunch of strangers. Anyway, why Saturday?"
"I just haven't seen you in a while, so I wanted to meet up. And I figured I could give you some advice about your date while we're at it."
"Hmm... okay, sure. I've got nothing planned Saturday. Where and when?"
"Around lunchtime, in front of that motel we went to?"
"...So you're calling me over for sex."
"No point acting coy about it at this stage, is there?"
"Not really. It just makes me feel stupid for daydreaming, even for a second, that it might be something like an actual date."
"Think of it as a date with sex on the side. Oh, and could I ask one more thing?"
"What?"
"When you come, could you bring the skin you just bought with you?"
"...Why?"
"I'll tell you when you get here."
I asked, but I had a rough idea of the reason. We were meeting for sex, and being told to bring another skin along — that could only mean... that kind of play.
"Fine. See you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah. Have a good night, Yerim."
I hung up and sank into thought for a while. I hadn't seen Sooin once since that day in Sinchon. We'd only exchanged the occasional Discord message to check in on each other — I never expected him to be the one reaching out first. Could it be because I'd told him I was going on a date with Chiwon?
'No way. There's a limit to overthinking, you know.'
That couldn't be it. When I met Chiwon, I was 'Yu Haeun.' When I met Sooin, I was 'Park Yerim.' He must have just called because he wanted to try something new with the skins. I settled on that reasonable-enough explanation, pulled the covers over myself, and went to sleep. I'd be heading out in this skin tomorrow anyway — no sense in bothering to take it off just to put it back on later.
...
"Phew, it's starting to get hot out here..."
It was 11:49 in the morning, and I was wiping sweat from my forehead as I walked down the tree-lined street toward the motel. Last time I came, flowers were blooming everywhere along the path; now all I could see was fresh green foliage. I'd need to buy some summer clothes too. A swimsuit... might be pushing it, what with the zipper.
"Yerim!"
A voice called out to me from somewhere far off. I turned my gaze slightly, and there in the distance was Sooin, running toward me — dressed in a casual short-sleeve shirt and light, breezy pants. So even the most ordinary clothes can look good on a handsome man, I thought, a small idle observation as I went to meet him.
"You're early."
"Early? By that logic, you only just got here too."
"Fair enough... Did you bring the skin?"
"Yep, right here."
I opened the small bag I'd been carrying on my arm to show him. Inside lay the folded, layered skin of 'Yu Haeun.'
"Thank you. There's something I've really been wanting to try."
"We've met now, so can you tell me?"
"Once we're inside the room."
"...You're serious?"
"Dead serious. And don't make that face — I'm still not telling you yet."
"Hmph."
"Are you sulking?"
"No."
"You sure seem to be... Look, if you get all pouty over a little thing like this, you know who won't like it? That's right — Chiwon."
We made our way slowly toward the motel, trading silly little banter. It was only our second meeting, yet the words came so naturally. There was something about this easy comfort that I rather liked.
"Haah... sooo cool..."
The lobby of the motel we arrived at was filled with a wall of air conditioning. I was spinning in place, basking in the cold air, when I spotted someone waving at me from a corner of my vision. Ah — Ms. Soyeon.
"Ms. Soyeon!"
"Long time no see, Yerim. And you — it hasn't been long at all, has it."
"It's only been two days since we saw each other, and you're not even happy to see me?"
"Two days? Oh, for f—'s sake, that's long?"
"Ms. Soyeon, do you work here every Saturday?"
"Nope. On weekends, our crew takes turns covering the desk on rotation."
Had she noticed my puzzled look? Sooin chimed in with an explanation.
"You don't have an ID, right, Yerim? That's why Sooin deliberately scheduled our meeting for when Soyeon's working."
"Ahh..."
So that explained why I'd seen her back then and was seeing her now — he'd called me over specifically during his friend's shift to solve the ID problem. Fair enough; that was a better plan than forging a fake ID.
"Same room as last time. How long?"
"A few-hour stay today. Yerim's busy tomorrow, you see."
"It's really been a while since you booked a short stay..."
Ms. Soyeon made a mildly surprised face as she handed the keycard over to Sooin.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Yeah. See you in a bit, Ms. Soyeon."
We waved our goodbye and headed to the room. When the door opened, the familiar scenery greeted us — it had only been a few weeks, but it felt remarkably homely. I perched on the edge of the bed, set the bag down at my feet, and spoke to Sooin.
"So, can you tell me now?"
"That curious, huh?"
Oh, right. He drops the honorifics when we're about to have sex.
"Of course I'm curious, yah. I have a rough idea, sure."
"It's probably exactly what you're thinking."
As he answered, Sooin began undressing. Shirt, pants, then everything down to his underwear. The naked Sooin pointed a finger at my bag. Asking if it was okay to touch, I suppose?
"Do whatever you like."
Backing out now would be pointless, and besides... that kind of play was something I'd been curious about too. Sooin nodded and pulled the skin from the bag, starting to put it on. Wait — he was wearing it over the skin he already had on?
"You can wear skin over skin?"
"Hmm... honestly, this is my first time wearing it like this, but it should be fine, probably?"
He paused to think for a moment, then shrugged and went back to concentrating on working himself into the skin. Watching a man don a skin and transform into a woman from the sidelines... it sent an absolutely delicious shiver through me. Especially the moment he got it up to his hips — that sight was truly uncanny. Far more lopsided than anything I'd imagined in my head.
"Ah, aah... ah, yeah. Doesn't seem to be any problem."
Having pulled the skin over his head and zipped it up, Sooin looked over at me. Or no — should I be calling him 'Yu Haeun' now?
"So I can call you Haeun now, right?"
"Oh, so this skin's name is Haeun? Haeun... that's a pretty name. Family name?"
As she asked, Haeun was busy running her hands all over the body. She stroked her belly, pinched and pulled at her cheek, caressed her breasts and her sex with her fingertips — every gesture of it so lovely, so adorable. No wonder Chiwon fell for her at first sight.
"Yu. Yu Haeun."
"Yu Haeun... got it."
"So then, Haeun — what exactly are we doing here?"
"What are we doing? You already know the answer."
Haeun licked her lips as she closed in on me sitting on the bed. Then she pushed me down onto the covers and pressed her lips against mine.
"Mmmph... chuu, slurp... hn♡, haaah... nnh, haah..."
Our tongues intertwined, we explored every corner of each other's mouths, until at last we parted with a long, glistening strand of saliva trailing between us. Before my eyes was Haeun's flushed, melting face.
"Haa, ahhh... lesbian sex. You're into it too, aren't you, Yerim?"
"...Yeah♡"