Chapter 45: No-Panty Commute – What Country's Work Style Is This Anyway?
I woke up first the next morning and carefully slipped out of bed so I wouldn't wake Chae-ah.
"Sleep well."
I gazed at her peacefully sleeping face, planted a quick kiss on her cheek, and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.
"Ah, time for coffee."
I threw on whatever clothes were in sight and headed to the kitchen to start brewing some.
This was my morning routine.
While waiting and inhaling the rich aroma, my body, stiff from sleep, slowly loosened up.
"In thirty minutes, I'll wake Chae-ah, we'll wash up, and head to work together."
Sipping my hot coffee slowly, I checked the weather. Precipitation was at 80% in the afternoon.
Rain meant fewer customers, as usual.
If it kept pouring until evening, maybe I'd close the store early today.
"Summer's just around the corner."
Warm spring sunlight was now streaming through the windows.
Time always slips away in the blink of an eye—before I knew it, we'd be in the heat of midsummer.
I imagined how Chae-ah and I would treat each other by then, savoring the leisurely morning.
I set my empty coffee mug in the sink and was about to go wake her when—
"Unniiii…"
Chae-ah appeared behind me, calling out in a sleepy voice and wrapping her arms around me.
"Sleep well, Chae-ah?"
"Yeees… Did Unni sleep well…?"
"Unni slept great too."
"Hehe… Good…"
She rested her chin on my shoulder, blinking her drowsy eyes.
She was so adorable that my lips curled up into a smile on their own.
Today, once again, I was reminded why I loved dating someone younger.
"Unni, smooch…"
"Why are your hands heading there?"
Her arms, which had been around my waist just moments ago, slid up to my breasts and started groping naturally.
For hands belonging to someone still half-asleep, they were way too precise.
"Waking up in the morning and getting to grope Unni's boobs feels like heaven~"
"How about waking up fully before you grope?"
"I'm waking up while groping Unni's boobs~"
"Pfft, so cute."
As her cuteness intensified with time, I leaned in for a kiss, but she slowly shook her head side to side.
"No kiss?"
"Haven't brushed my teeth yet…"
"It's fine."
"Not fine for meee~"
I stood there quietly for a while, watching her chase away the sleepiness by fondling my breasts.
Her eyes gradually gained some spark—whether from actually waking up or from the groping, I wasn't sure.
"Unni."
"Yeah, Chae-ah."
"I wish there were days when Unni greets me wearing just this shirt."
"At Unni's place?"
"Yeah, like if I open the front door and Unni's dressed like this."
Well, if that's what she wants, I could indulge her sometime.
-Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt!
"Phone's ringing. Whose is it?"
Even as I headed to the bedroom to check the vibrating phone, Chae-ah stuck to me, still kneading my breasts.
"It's yours, Chae-ah. Call from your little sister."
"Don't have to answer."
"Stop groping Unni's boobs and pick up."
"Her calls are always so pointless."
I handed her the phone, and she answered her sister's call with an annoyed look.
"Yeah, what."
Her voice changed completely.
"Huh, tomorrow? Can't tomorrow. Gonna spend it with my girlfriend."
She'd mentioned her sister lived with their parents at the family home, so she must have gotten an invite for her birthday.
"Yeah, got a girlfriend. She's older. Seven years older than me."
[Eeeeeek?!]
I wanted to hear her little sister's voice over the phone, and for the first time, I did—sounding utterly shocked.
She seemed startled by the seven-year age gap.
Not that it was weird to be surprised by that difference.
"Ah, you crazy bitch. Why'd you scream like that? Nearly burst my eardrum."
She snapped harshly at her yelling sister, then met my eyes and looked sheepish.
That must be what real sisters were like—I'd only heard about it before.
"Anyway, I'll go the day after, so tell Mom and Dad that."
And with that, Chae-ah ended the call with her sister.
Throughout the conversation, her face screamed annoyance—her lips, her eyes, her voice, her tone.
It was nothing like the Chae-ah I knew.
"Unni, um… could I maybe go home for just a bit the day after tomorrow…?"
She tossed the phone onto the bed and reverted to the familiar Chae-ah.
It was fascinating to me, an only child, how a single call from blood family could trigger such a shift.
"Sure, that's fine. But wouldn't it be better to spend your birthday with your family?"
"Nah, my Unni's more precious!"
Seeing her lift one leg playfully while hugging me, I let out a deep internal sigh.
I could practically hear my impression in her unseen parents' minds plummeting from here.
*
As we finished getting ready and I pondered what to wear, Chae-ah hovered around me.
"I wanna see Unni in a skirt."
"I don't wear skirts often, so it'd feel awkward."
"Just once…"
She held up one finger, bringing it close to her lips, gazing up at me with sparkling eyes.
She knew exactly what got to me.
Devious, but cute, so I'd let it slide.
"Pfft, alright. I'll wear a skirt."
In the end, I coordinated a long frilly skirt just like she wanted.
"There, the skirt you wanted."
"Waaaaaah!"
Seeing the outfit I'd matched with the skirt she craved so badly, Chae-ah screamed loud enough to ring in my ears and jumped around excitedly.
"That big a deal?"
"Insane! How are you this pretty?! Amazing! Unni, you're a total goddess!"
"Pfft! What're you saying."
"But why all black again?"
"All black's comfy?"
"What even is all black to lesbians."
This time, I had to agree with Chae-ah.
The last time I met up with my lesbian friends after ages, we were all in all black—including me.
No one had even suggested coordinating outfits.
We'd said the exact same thing she just did.
"Is all black the lesbian uniform? I hate all black, though."
"Should I wear something else?"
"No, it suits Unni perfectly! I'm just not a fan of wearing it myself."
"Pfft, get dressed quick, Chae-ah. Gonna hit the bathroom."
"Okay, Unni!"
By the time I got back from the bathroom, Chae-ah was fully ready, and we headed to the store in my car.
The ordinary commute felt incredibly special just because she was with me.
It was like going on a drive date with her.
"I wanna go on a drive with Unni sometime."
"Unni was just thinking that."
"Whoa, really? We're so in sync!"
"Let's go when we have time next."
"Yay!"
We pulled into the parking lot near the store, parked, and got out together.
Chae-ah immediately ran over and linked arms with me.
"Let's have fun at work today, Boss!"
"Yeah."
I usually found even things I liked annoying if they involved work.
But thanks to Chae-ah, I felt energized for the day ahead.
As we arrived at the store and started cleaning for opening, Chae-ah tossed out a question.
"Boss, do you have a lot of lesbian friends?"
"Not a ton, but some. Why?"
"Oh, well… could you maybe introduce me sometime…"
"Wanna make some lesbian friends?"
"Yesss! I have some online, but I want real-life ones!"
She shot her hand up and nodded vigorously—it was more than just a casual want.
"Got it. I'll text my friends."
"Yesss! I'm finally getting real-life lesbian friends."
She was beaming, showing every bit of her joy, when her expression suddenly turned serious, like she was deep in thought.
Then she narrowed her eyes at me.
"Huh?"
"Boss, um… just super duper curious, okay?"
"What?"
"Among those lesbian friends… any ex-girlfriends?"
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
Her so-very-Chae-ah question had me clutching my stomach in laughter.
"Why… why laugh…?"
"Pfft! It was just so you, I lost it."
"Huh?"
"Nope. If we'd broken up, we couldn't be friends."
"Oh, phew, good…"
"Good?"
"Yeah, I imagined making friends and ending up in a jealousy standoff."
I patted her head, then pulled her into a tight hug.
"Whoa… First time Boss hugs me in the store."
"We're not open yet, so it's fine."
"Hehe, love it."
"Grab the vacuum from the staff room."
"Yes, Boss!"
Just from the hug, her mood soared even higher, and she skipped off with light steps.
Meanwhile, I checked if there were any products to restock at the counter.
-Pouring rain!
"Huh?"
While checking the counter, the sound of rain grew intense.
Looking out the window, the sky that had been clear moments ago had darkened in an instant, and it was pouring so hard I could barely see ahead.
"Wasn't it supposed to start in the afternoon?"
Korean weather forecasts were unreliable, sure, but not this bad.
I hoped it was just a shower, but with 80% precipitation in the afternoon, it'd probably keep going.
"Ah, business is screwed today."
Even on a Friday, no one would brave this downpour for adult toys.
I pictured spending the day chatting alone with Chae-ah until closing.
"But seriously, why's she taking so long? Did she go make a new vacuum?"
Fetching the vacuum from the staff room shouldn't take this long, so I went in to check.
"Chae-ah, what're you doing?"
"Oh, Boss. There was some dust built up, so I was cleaning."
She looked up at me while bending over.
That's when I saw it—her ass, covered only in black stockings.
While I was in the bathroom, she'd changed into a gray oversized turtleneck knit.
I'd assumed she was wearing pantyhose under shorts hidden by the knit.
But no.
Chae-ah wasn't wearing pants. Or panties.
"…"
"Boss? Oh… B-busted!"
"'Busted'?"
Her reaction confirmed she'd done this behind my back.
What the hell was I supposed to do with her?