Episode 27. Fastening 4
Episode 27. Fastening 4
The delivery person called, and Seyeon went downstairs to get the food.
Since there was no separate dining table, we just brought over another chair and sat at the desk.
When I opened the plastic lid, steam rose in soft puffs. Sesame seeds and seaweed flakes were sprinkled nicely over the thin porridge. It had a fragrant aroma.
5
"What kind of porridge is this?"
"Abalone porridge."
Seyeon said, flicking her finger. The wooden chopsticks floating in the air split perfectly in half.
"Abalone porridge? Isn't that a bit expensive?"
"No, it's not that much."
I'd vaguely heard that abalone porridge was the most expensive menu item at most places.
Well, if Seyeon says so, then it must be true.
The porridge, which I was trying for the first time, was much more delicious than I expected, maybe because I was hungry. The sticky texture was a bit peculiar, but that actually made it slide down my throat easily. Since it was almost like a liquid, it seemed like it would digest well even if I just swallowed it. So that's why they give it to patients.
"It's really delicious."
"Really? I'm glad it suits your taste."
Seyeon replied, picking up some soy-braised side dish with her chopsticks and eating it.
After cleaning the bowl and finishing the cleanup together, I plopped down on the soft bed.
But as soon as Seyeon sat down, she immediately got up and approached the refrigerator. It was a compact refrigerator that didn't even reach up to her waist.
After rummaging through it for a moment, she pulled out a box with a handle.
Seeing me tilting my head, Seyeon spoke.
"Yubin-ah, want some cake?"
"Ca, ke...?"
The three-letter word 'cake' flew like an arrow into my chest and lodged itself deep in my heart.
Is this... what they call a heart-throb?
I was already craving sweet things like crazy, and then she makes such an offer......
"Yeah!"
I had no choice but to nod my head and answer cheerfully like this.
"Okay. Then let's eat together."
What came out of the box was a large chocolate cake. It was decorated with various colored macarons and heart-shaped chocolates on top.
"I had a little yesterday, is that okay?"
"Yeah, of course."
As Seyeon said, one slice of the cake was missing. But such a trivial thing couldn't possibly bother me.
As if hypnotized, I just stared blankly at the cake. My mouth was already starting to fill with thick saliva.
Soon, Seyeon brought plates and forks and placed them on the desk, and even poured milk into mugs.
By the way, the milk was from a brand I'd never seen before. It wasn't Seoul Milk, Maeil Milk, or Geonbuk Milk. Moreover, it was in a glass bottle, not a paper carton.
"Hmm......"
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
It's in these trivial details that I keenly feel I've possessed a body in an unfamiliar world.
Anyway, I stabbed the cake with a fork and put it in my mouth, *nyam*.
"Wow......"
"Good, right?"
"Yeah, it's so good......"
A taste that made me sigh in admiration. An intense sweetness spread, making me feel goosebumps tingling on my tongue. Even though the cake was a day old, the layers were fluffy and moist. The sweet chocolate coating on the cake seemed to cling pleasantly to my mouth. For some reason, I stifled the urge to cry.
"Eat as much as you want. Here."
Seyeon cut another slice of cake and placed it on my plate.
"But, why the cake? Is it your birthday, Seyeon-ah?"
"It's not that... I just like cake. So I buy it to eat for breakfast every day."
"I see."
I answered while munching my mouth.
'What kind of life is it to eat cake every morning......'
Is this the life of the upper class?
I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and thought about it.
Fancy cakes and cookies for breakfast every day. A house that's either a large mansion or a penthouse on the top floor. Cool in summer and warm in winter with 24/7 heating and cooling, able to eat beef whenever I want, with a housekeeper at home......
'Surely a dog raised in such a household would live better than me.'
Hmm.......................
Should I just be Seyeon's dog?
"Yubin-ah, why are you spacing out so much today."
"Ah, sorry."
Snapping back to my senses at Seyeon's voice, I just kept eating the cake.
While eating, we chatted amiably. Seyeon said she finishes a cake she buys within two days. When I asked, 'By yourself?', she blushed slightly as if embarrassed and said yes. That means half a cake for breakfast.
She seemed to have quite an appetite, surprisingly. Well, she also took more than me during school meals or dinner. It was amazing how she maintained such a pretty figure while eating that much.
Thinking it was amazing, I realized I was the same. Or rather, Eun Yubin's body. The effects of exercise didn't seem to show externally. How should I put it... I could feel my cardio endurance and flexibility improving, but my body shape didn't seem to change?
Moreover, it wasn't just limited to exercise. Compared to the times when I used to make do with a meal and tap water, even though I now eat all my meals including dinner, I don't seem to show any signs of gaining weight.
When I asked Seyeon about it, she just laughed, seeming slightly flustered.
While I found that reaction strange, I was just silently swallowing my cake when Seyeon spoke to me.
"You got cream on the back of your hand."
Oh, really. Did I eat too hastily?
As I reached out to grab a tissue, I felt my wrist get grabbed with a *thud*.
'...?'
The moment I was about to ask what she was doing, Seyeon *licked* the cream off the back of my hand with her tongue.
"Hhk?!"
Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, I jerked my hand back.
When I glared at her with panicked eyes, Seyeon instead tilted her head and looked at me as if asking why I was acting like that.
I wanted to argue about something, but somehow my energy drained away and I just picked up my fork again.
'Anyway, this must be normal for girls, right...?'
If I said something to Seyeon here, I'd just seem like the weird one. Here, Seyeon is the real, active high school girl. She'd know best about things between girls.
I sighed inwardly. The soft yet sticky sensation of the tongue still seemed to linger on the back of my hand.
It's okay to get a massage wearing only panties. It's okay to lick the back of a hand. I don't know where the line is drawn. Because I don't know, I feel like I'm being led around.
Perhaps because of that, I finished the meal with a strange feeling.
I even brushed my teeth with the toothbrush Seyeon lent me.
"Yubin-ah, let's sleep now."
I nodded at Seyeon's words. With my empty stomach filled, sleepiness hit me fiercely. I changed to a large pad and lay down on the bed.
The mattress was so good it was on a completely different level from just a futon laid on the floor. It felt like my body was sinking right into it. It was warm.
>
Just as I was about to close my eyes, I saw Seyeon rummaging through something and putting on her coat.
"Seyeon-ah, where are you going...?"
"To the library to return a book."
"Ah......"
Hearing Seyeon's answer, I unintentionally let out a sigh that sounded regretful.
To be honest... I just wanted Seyeon to stay here with me.
Probably because it was the body of an emotionally sensitive girl and I was even sick, the feeling of loneliness grew unbearably large. Being alone when you're sick is the saddest thing.
But I couldn't tell her not to go. I didn't want to bother Seyeon unnecessarily, and crucially, I was embarrassed. How could I, at this age, ask someone to stay with me while I sleep?
So I just kept my mouth firmly shut, blinking as I looked at Seyeon.
After a moment of silence between us, Seyeon approached me.
"What, do you want me to stay here?"
"Ah, no......"
"Really? Then should I go?"
"......"
Not knowing what to say, I just moved my lips.
Seyeon seemed to find my dilemma amusing and giggled before poking my cheek.
"I'll stay here."
Saying that, Seyeon sat on the bed.
After staying quiet for a while, I pulled the blanket up to my lips and nodded meekly. My face quickly turned red from embarrassment.
Seyeon was looking at me lying down while swinging her legs. Was she planning to watch me until I fell asleep?
I thought that, but suddenly Seyeon lifted the blanket and tried to slither inside.
"Wh, what are you doing?!"
I reached out my hand instantly, but it happened in a flash. She took off her coat and just tossed it aside, and before I knew it, Seyeon was lying neatly beside me.
Since it was a single bed, the space was narrow, so we became so close that our arms were almost touching.
"Se, Seyeon-ah."
"I want to take a nap too."
"Do, do you have to sleep so uncomfortably like this?"
"Uncomfortable? Then I should get down and sleep on the floor."
"Ah, no! Don't do that. Just stay."
When I said uncomfortable, I meant it was cramped and my heart ached because Seyeon was too close, but she seemed to have understood it differently.
I hurriedly stopped Seyeon as she tried to get out from under the blanket.
Personally, I wanted to either go down and sleep or sleep leaning back on a chair, but there was no way Seyeon would allow that.
I just gave up.
Well, anyway, sleeping with a pretty girl is a win for me. Let's just think of it that way.
Even though I steeled my mind so coolly, my heart was pounding like crazy, to the point where it felt like it would burst.
All my senses felt heightened. Seyeon's soft breathing sounds from beside me, the sensation of the blanket moving smoothly as her stomach rose and fell, our body temperatures transmitted through our blouses—everything felt more intense.
Something twitched and fidgeted under the blanket. As if hesitating, it weakly scratched the bed sheet before tightly grabbing my left hand.
'......!'
Instantly startled, my body jolted and trembled, and my eyes flew open.
I tried to cautiously pull my arm away while checking her reaction, but Seyeon gripped my hand even tighter, as if telling me not to run away. A stifling pressure, *kkuuk*, seemed to start from my hand and press down on my entire body. I could distinctly feel the slightly sweaty, soft texture of her skin, her smooth nails, the slightly bumpy fingerprints, and even the warm heat. Seyeon's hand squirmed and wriggled like an independent living creature. It pressed each of my fingers, leaving nail marks, changed positions to interlock our fingers, then let go again.
A breath, heated and lightened, rose from within and escaped through my mouth. My legs twisted on their own, and the nylon of my stockings made a *swish* sound as they rubbed.
Sweating profusely, I opened my mouth with difficulty, my voice trembling.
"...Seyeon-ah."
"......"
"Is, is this... also something we shouldn't be embarrassed about because we're both girls...?"
"......Yeah."
Seyeon answered while staring into space, not looking at me.
I couldn't just nod and say 'I see'.
Because Seyeon's voice was trembling as much as mine.
Then what.
If it's something to be embarrassed about even between girls, what emotion did Seyeon have when she grabbed my hand?
Thinking that, I gently closed my eyes.
The atmosphere seemed like sleep would never come, but fatigue made everything possible.