Episode 67: The Second Farewell Is Always in My Heart
– Tweet. – Crack.
The dazzlingly bright light seeping in from the motel window pierced my eyes.
“Ugh…”
An unfamiliar bed.
The disturbing sound of birds.
A white blanket that I would never prefer.
Why do I avoid white blankets?
It’s simply one of the colors I tend to shy away from because it gets dirty easily.
As I opened my eyes, scattered clothes came into my view.
My pants, underwear, and a cotton t-shirt were crumpled and stuffed in a corner.
And a dress was carelessly draped on top of them.
“A woman’s dress?… Ugh, my head…”
‘I’m sure yesterday…’
I couldn’t quite remember what I had done yesterday.
I tried to compose myself and concentrate to recall what had happened last night.
Empty beer cans and liquor bottles, along with a half-full expensive alcohol bottle, were placed on a small round table.
Tiny droplets were clinging to the cap of that bottle.
But that wasn’t the important part.
The important part is that there was a black bra hanging on the chair next to those bottles.
That sight resurrected forgotten memories.
Yena and I had come to the motel together, bringing various drinks to celebrate becoming adults.
Up to this point, everything had gone smoothly.
We watched the ringing of the New Year’s bell together on the motel TV and shared our first drinks.
We taught each other about alcohol.
Wasn’t it said that you learn to drink from your parents?
If that’s the case, it’s a pity, as I have no parents to teach me.
Anyway, at that time, alcohol had entered our bodies, and we weren’t in our right minds.
There was one chair in this motel room.
So, I sat at the end of the bed while Yena sat in the chair.
– Cheers!
We were finishing our expensive liquor.
“Hehe, your face is so red!”
I laughed at the sight of Yena’s reddened face.
“… What, did you think I was fine? You’re also really drunk…”
Every time Yena spoke, her tongue would occasionally get tangled.
Today, she seemed to look even more enticing with her short tongue.
The dress’s strap had slipped down under her shoulder, revealing part of her black bra.
That glimpse was mature.
Her light makeup was seductive.
I instinctively felt that it was time to create history.
“Are you ignoring what I said?”
“Huh? What did you say? Sorry, I really didn’t hear you.”
The dress was so thin in this weather that it barely covered her backside.
Or maybe I was mistaking things because I was drunk.
One thing was for sure: I could see the outline of her panties.
“Ugh…”
“Huh?”
Yena suddenly got up from the chair and pushed me onto the bed.
“Y-Yena?”
“Our… Siwoo… my boyfriend… wearing just this thin black t-shirt, your collarbone is all exposed… Hmm? You look too sexy today… Are you doing this on purpose? It’s hard to hold back…”
“W-What are you saying… If that’s the case, your short skirt is more—”
She cut off my rebuttal by raising her index finger to cover my mouth.
“Shh… Just keep your mouth shut… Because every time your school uniform shirt sticks to your little muscles, it drives me insane…”
Her lively eyes continued to draw my gaze.
Yena’s enticing hands brushed over my chest.
I remained speechless, staring at her.
Perhaps pleased by my reaction, Yena smiled softly and slid her hands behind her back, unhooking the clasp of her bra.
Then she threw her dress aside.
Her bare skin was now visible.
Yena’s delicately formed breasts looked even larger as they were exposed.
“Hey, don’t just look…”
Yena took my hand and guided it to her breast.
I naturally touched her breast.
I carefully pinched the pink protruding part at the tip of her breast.
“Ugh…”
The shape changed with my force.
I had never felt such a soft sensation before.
My heart began to race beyond words.
“Hey… how does it feel? Isn’t it strange?”
“It’s not strange. It’s beautiful.”
“R-Really? Then that’s good.”
I could no longer contain my excitement and lifted Yena, who was sitting on me, into the air and switched our positions.
“… Are we going to do it?”
“… I can’t back out now.”
“Really?… Then, I… I’m already wet, so just put it in…”
It seemed that our drunkenness was fading, and our speech began to return to normal.
Perhaps these moments, newly experienced, were sobering us up.
I started to regain my senses and looked for protection.
“Oh, the condom—”
As I was about to get off the bed to retrieve the condom I had received from the motel owner, Yena blocked my way with her legs.
I could hear her labored breaths up close.
“… It’s our first time… I don’t want to do that…”
And so we shared love and explored each other.
That’s all I remember.
When I uncovered the white blanket, I found stains here and there.
In the place where Yena presumably lay, there were splotches of red blood.
Her virgin blood still retained its redness even after some time had passed.
– Click.
The bathroom door of the motel opened.
As the door swung open, steam that had built up poured out in a rush.
Then Yena appeared through the steam, wrapped in a bathrobe and towel.
“Siwoo? You’re awake? I can’t hold back my excitement, so hurry up and wash up!”
“Huh? Where to?”
“Where else would we go? Can’t you still think straight? It’s January 1st! We need to go to the Hunter Association for our ranking assessment!”
She seemed a bit more cheerful than usual.
‘Did I sleep well last night?’
“Come on, get ready quickly!”
“Ah, yes. I will follow your orders.”
D.
That’s the rank measured by the Hunter Association.
Damn it, the association is quick with this sort of thing and provides the assessment results on the same day.
At least it’s a relief that reaching D rank allows you to earn enough to live.
‘Better than E or F, right?’
Of course, the profession of a Hunter can be lucrative, but it comes with risks.
High risk, high return.
Isn’t that nice? We should secure as much as we can while we can.
“Siwoo~”
Someone hugged me tightly from behind.
“Ah, Yena. So, what was your rank?”
“Hehe… What about you? I wonder if your rank is the same as my breast size?”
“No, I think yours is bigger than this… but you have a rank that doesn’t cause any problems for living.”
“Really? I guess I’ll have to take responsibility for you then. I’m a D.”
“What? We’re the same rank.”
“Huh? You’re a D too? That’s even better! Let’s earn a lot and enjoy a happy old age together?”
“Already thinking that far ahead?”
I couldn’t help but smile at Yena, who was genuinely thinking about our future.
“Right, two D-ranked Hunters will earn a lot! We’ll be… together forever, so it doesn’t matter, right?”
“Exactly, I promise. No matter what happens, I won’t let go.”
“… Do we really have to keep that promise? I’ll also promise…”
We gradually brought our faces closer.
Yena stood on her tiptoes.
And then… we exchanged kisses at the front of the Hunter Association.
Unaware that time was flying by.
We continued to crave only each other’s saliva.
Yes, it has been one year since that passionate kiss, one year since we exchanged our first experiences.
Yena and I have enjoyed working as Hunters and making money during that time.
Of course, as a D-ranked Hunter, I fill in the manpower needs by clearing gates instead of serving in the military.
Then one day, Yena appeared on the news.
For what reason?
I stopped what I was doing and watched the TV.
Yena had reawakened to a rank of S, which is shocking even for someone who only emerges once every ten years.
Reawakening is a phenomenon that commonly occurs among lower-ranked awakeners with magical powers, such as D and C ranks; normally, it is standard to rise one or two ranks.
However, my girlfriend shattered that formula by reawakening from D to S rank.
Feeling a rush of urgency, I asked Yena to meet me anywhere.
It felt wrong to meet her empty-handed, so I took out the 4th anniversary gift I had prepared in advance.
If the real 4th anniversary comes, I’ll have to think about a different present for that time.
I arrived at the street 30 minutes earlier than the time I had arranged with Yena.
As I looked at my reflection in the nearby shop window, I tidied up my appearance.
Now she was no longer a D rank like me but an S rank.
I pondered how to present this gift to her.
How could I express this joyful feeling?
Like the stream of water gushing high from the fountain ahead.
As I stood there with eager anticipation of how to celebrate her, ten minutes had passed since our meeting time.
Yena was ten minutes late.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“No, I didn’t wait that long. It’s okay, Yena.”
Lee Yena.
“Yena, congratulations on becoming an S rank…”
“Wait, let me say this first. We should break up now.”
She unexpectedly announced our breakup.
“What?… What do you mean? Are you joking?”
Honestly, it wasn’t as surprising as I thought it would be.
“I know this is sudden.”
I had a feeling it would be like this.
Somehow, I felt like she might abandon me.
“Then why?”
“Well… you and I are now on different levels, right?”
Yet I hoped she would remember the promise we made… the promise to share our future together.
“We promised a future together…”
“Do you think I, as an S rank, should live with a D rank just because of a simple promise?… If there’s nothing else to say, I’ll be going now. Live well, Siwoo.”
“How am I supposed to live well without you…?”
My girlfriend… who was once Yena left like that.
My feelings were soaring high like the water jet from the fountain in front of me.
The heart that had once fluttered.
The high gush of water eventually falls back down.
With force.
And this was the breakup that brought me pain, causing me suffering since Minseong.
These experiences could become an unforgettable nightmare or a guiding experience for the future, or perhaps a turning point to meet someone better.
However, whatever it may become, these experiences will never fade from my heart and will forever stay deep in my unconscious.
For a lifetime.
