CEBF Ch 1 part 1

PR by neji

Love bloomed out of trivial things, but it also cracked due to trivial matters.

It was trivial. According to the Korean dictionary, it was defined as ‘incredibly small or tiny’. 

“Daon, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Let me at least know the reason, please. We were good up until last week. Right? Daon.”

Incredibly tiny…

It was really small…

Even though it was small, it was too small…

Daon turned her head away from the man and sighed.

Just three days ago, this guy was her boyfriend. He exercised regularly, and his physique was well-muscled. He was quite tall and looked like he’d dominate all the guys in the neighborhood, but in front of Daon, he was docile and acted like a lamb. That was part of his charm.

Of course, he had his faults as well, but no one was perfect. Therefore, Daon was determined to embrace his shortcomings and continue forward.

Judging from his bulging biceps, she had been looking forward to it. Everything about him was large. He was tall, he had a big physique, and his well-sculpted muscles were large. He had a big nose, and he even had big feet. So she thought that part of him would be big as well.

The problem began one week ago. To celebrate their one-hundredth day as a couple, they decided to go on a staycation. She uncovered it at ten o’clock that night.

At her age, she had only come to know about what went on between men and women through mass media alone. She was full of imagination. It would be beautiful and sacred. She was finally going to experience the ultimate form of love. She was very excited.

She was even worried about it being too big and how much pain she’d be in. She put a bathrobe on in the bathroom and came out to him with a flushed face.

Not five minutes later, as she stood in front of him, she vowed to remain a virgin until marriage.

‘N-No. I don’t think this is it… I don’t think this will work out. I’m going to wait until my parents meet my future husband’s, then we’ll get married, and on our first night… I want to do it then.’

He stared at Daon’s dazed expression before awkwardly looking away and adjusting his robe.

‘When will you get married? You’re going to do it with me, right?’

It seemed that he had not realized why she had just vowed to remain chaste until marriage. He wasn’t very bright. That was one of his flaws that Daon had been willing to accept. However, she was not willing to accept the reason why her heart had cooled.

“KyungChan, I don’t want to hurt you. You’re a good guy. You’d be wasted on a kid like me. That’s how kind and good you are. So you should meet someone who likes and treasures you.”

“You don’t like me?”

KyungChan fumed as he drew in a raged breath. She looked into his eyes and saw that tears were starting to well up. She felt guilty seeing such a pitiful side of him.

KyungChan was kind. Although he wasn’t very observant, he wasn’t great at spelling, and his memory wasn’t very good. Because he hadn’t decided on his career, his future was also very vague. But he was still kind.

Now that she had taken a closer look, she realized that all he had going for him was his kindness and his sturdy physique.

Because she wasn’t able to give him the answer he wanted, Daon slowly looked away.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Yu Daon! Did you even like me at all?”

If he was talking about the past, then yes. Love… She wasn’t sure about that, but she did like him for his kindness and how well he matched her. That’s why she had dated him for a hundred days.

However, Daon kept her mouth shut. She didn’t want him to get his hopes up. Even if she became the bad guy, she felt that breaking up should be clean, like cutting radish with a knife.

“Don’t come to my house again. Whenever you do this, it makes me uncomfortable. Just accept that we’re over.”

Daon’s heart hurt as she spit out the biting remark. Even if she was no longer interested in him, she still had some affection for him due to the time they had spent together.

Daon turned around and was about to leave the lobby of the apartment, but KyungChan quickly blocked her way.

“No. I can’t accept it. Give me a reason so that I can except it.”

“…‘Accept’, not ‘except’, KyungChan.”

Daon slightly frowned. There was a time when she had thought his stupidity was a bit cute, but today, it was humiliating.

“Is that important right now? The important thing is the reason why you’re suddenly breaking up with me! I at least have a right to know that!”

KyungChan’s thunderous voice rang throughout the apartment complex.

Truly… Everything about him was big except that.

The ahjumma from downstairs passed by them and looked back and forth between Daon and KyungChan. It looked like she had come out to throw away the recyclables. Daon smiled awkwardly at her and bowed in greeting. She wanted so badly to just hide away in a hole.

Daon lifted her hand and slightly hid her face and quietly replied to KyungChan.

“Can you lower your voice? Do you want to embarrass me in front of the entire neighborhood?”

“I won’t leave until you tell me why you want to break up!”

Because his wiener¹ was trivial. Because it was tiny. Because it was very small. Even though it was small, it was too small.

The words were on the tip of her tongue. She had to swallow those words back down. Daon closed her eyes and suppressed the urge.

KyungChan had a stubborn streak to him, but she never knew it was this bad. She could already tell that no matter what reason she gave him, he wouldn’t let go of her.

But that didn’t mean she could tell him the truth. Because it wasn’t KyungChan’s fault that he was small over there. If he could make it better through sheer effort, she would have told him already. That’s why she felt bad for him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have anything left to say.”

“Yu Daon. What are you doing over here?”

Daon felt a thick forearm rest on top of her shoulder. The sturdy weight felt familiar. Daon looked up with startled eyes.

Sure enough…

Na WooHyun draped his arm around Daon’s shoulders and leaned down on her. She felt frustrated. Of all people, why him…

“Wh-Who are you? Daon, who is he?”

WooHyun apathetically glanced at KyungChan and slightly narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you?”

KyungChan had never heard anyone call him small, but this unfamiliar man was about half a hand’s width taller than him. He was a bit flustered.

Unlike the bulging muscles that he had cultivated, this man had a well-built physique that could only be obtained from birth. He had a rather small head, and it was almost fascinating how all his facial features fit on such a small surface. He had the visuals of a celebrity, and he had alarmingly long legs.

KyungChan observed the man in front of him and seemed to be at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Daon jabbed WooHyun with her elbow and whispered.

“Go inside first.”

“G-Go inside? Go where? Daon! Are you living with this bastard?”

“Please be quiet!”

Daon wanted to be done with KyungChan. Although she felt guilty, she couldn’t continue this relationship just because she felt sorry.

Having caught onto the tense situation, a carefree smile stretched across WooHyun’s lips. He pressed his chin onto the crown of Daon’s head. He slowly blinked his eyes and began to speak to KyungChan.

“Ah, so you’re Daon’s boyfriend.”

Daon and KyungChan replied at the same time.

“Not anymore. We broke up.”

“And who are you?”

Pfft, WooHyun chuckled before responding in a low voice.

“I’m Daon’s oppa.”

“Ah…!”

KyungChan’s face suddenly grew pale.

“I’m sorry! Please excuse my behavior, Hyung-nim.”

“No, that’s okay. It could happen.”

“Not at all, Hyung-nim! It was my mistake. Pleased to meet you. My name is Kim KyungChan. Daon and I have been seeing each other for over one hundred days, and…”

“But Daon said you guys broke up.”

WooHyun tilted his head. Under his chin, Daon let out a sigh and glared at KyungChan.

“If you know it was your mistake, just leave already. My patience has reached its limit.”

She had clearly told him that she wanted to break up three days ago. Although she hadn’t expected him to find closure right away, this was too much.

Doing this where all the neighbors, her family, and now even Na WooHyun could hear was disgraceful and humiliating. She felt like she was going to lose her mind.

WooHyun kept his chin on the top of Daon’s head and hummed. Then he opened his mouth again.

“Coming to someone’s home without their permission and annoying them can be reported to the police as stalking. You know that, right?”

“No, Hyung-nim. I’m not stalking her. I only came here to talk to Daon for a minute.”

“Do you have anything left to say to this guy?”

WooHyun looked down at Daon and asked. Daon frantically shook her head.

“No, I don’t.”

“That’s what she said, buddy.”

KyungChan closed his mouth tight. WooHyun grinned at him before walking away.

“Then we’ll head inside. The night’s getting a bit chilly, so you should head home, too.”

With his arm hanging around Daon’s shoulder, WooHyun began to head towards the door with Daon.

Daon turned her head and looked back. KyungChan hadn’t moved an inch and was standing there with his head hung low. She felt sorry, and he looked so pitiful that her heart twinged.

“What is it? Do you want to go back to him?”

She could hear his gruff voice whisper close to her ear. Daon shrugged and shook her head.

“No, I just feel bad.”

“I guess. I don’t know about anyone else, but being dumped by you is quite pitiful.”

Daon glared up at WooHyun.

When they reached the elevators, she could no longer see KyungChan. WooHyun looked down at Daon’s gloomy face full of guilt and smirked.

“You sure are shooting a movie over here, aren’t you?”

“I was just standing, okay?”

“Same thing.”

“How long have you been watching us?”

“KyungChan, I don’t want to hurt you. You’re a good guy. You’d be wasted on a kid like me…!”

“…Enough. Seriously.”

Daon lightly punched his stomach. His hard abdomen caused her hand to throb. He didn’t seem affected by her punch at all. His shoulders merely shook from laughter.

“You’re the one who asked me first.”

“By the way, why are you always over at our place, Oppa?”

Daon hid her fist with her hand to hide the fact that it hurt.

Na WooHyun was her older brother, JaeOn’s friend. She couldn’t remember if they had been friends since middle school or high school, but he lived in the apartment complex right across from them. She recalled that he had always come over to their place to play. Back then, Daon was in elementary school.

After he was discharged from his mandatory military service, WooHyun declared that he wanted to be a pilot and went to the United States to study abroad. Because Daon had been in high school and studying frantically, she didn’t care whether WooHyun went to the military or left the country to study abroad. He could have emigrated for all she cared. By the time she realized that the person who was always here was no longer around and asked JaeOn, he had already been studying abroad for almost two years.

After a few more years, WooHyun returned from abroad and things returned to the way they had been ten years ago. Whenever he got the chance, he’d come and leave their home as if it were his own. Back when they still wore school uniforms, the two boys had been interested in games, their entrance exams, and their friends. But now, they only cared about work, exercise, and stocks.

“Because Yu JaeOn wanted to eat chicken.”

Daon finally saw the box in WooHyun’s hand. It had the logo of Daon and JaeOn’s favorite chicken shop stamped on it.

When they got in the elevator, the fragrance of the chicken began to fill the small space. Daon looked up at him with anticipation.

“How many did you get? You got mine, too, right?”

“Three. I don’t have any for you. Yu JaeOn said he’d eat two.”

“Then why don’t we share one together, Oppa? How does that sound?”

“Don’t wanna.”

As always, she felt like she had two older brothers. Yu JaeOn and Na WooHyun were exactly the same jerks.

* * *

“Huh? Why are you both coming in together?”

Yu JaeOn was lying on the sofa in the living room. When he heard the front door open, he sat up. WooHyun placed the chicken on the table and answered.

“We met out front.”

“You should have come a little sooner. We could have eaten it all behind Yu Daon’s back and hid the evidence.”

“That would be impossible. I can smell chicken from a mile away.”

Daon was already wearing plastic gloves and cracking open a can of beer. She was ready for battle. After tying her long hair up into a ponytail, she tapped JaeOn’s thigh.

“Move.”

When he slightly raised his leg, Daon quickly pulled out the remote control that had been buried into the couch and held it up. She changed the channel to a variety show that she watched every week without fail. Then she sat down and began to rip into the chicken.

As thanks for buying the chicken, JaeOn handed WooHyun a drumstick. Then he placed his own drumstick into his mouth.

“That guy comes out a lot these days. He must be popular.”

“He has a movie coming out next week. He’s going around and promoting it.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

WooHyun watched Daon in awe as she chuckled while watching the variety show. After she had finished half of her chicken, he cautiously spoke up.

“You’re quite happy for someone who just broke up.”

“Huh? What happened?”

“……”

Her appetite now lost, Daon began to chew on her lip.

JaeOn looked back and forth between Daon and WooHyun in confusion. WooHyun’s eyes slightly widened.

“Why are you glaring at me like that? It’s not like I said something I shouldn’t have.”

“Why are you bringing it up all of a sudden? I had forgotten about it, but now it’s back on my mind.”

“No reason. I just thought it was interesting.”

“What’s so interesting about…!”

“Yu Daon, were you… dating someone? A guy?”

JaeOn cut her off and immediately charged in for the question. Judging from his smirk, he was very excited to have found something to tease her about.

Daon was even more annoyed at WooHyun for throwing the bait out in the first place. Daon glared at the two of them before giving them her reluctant answer.

“Why are you so curious about someone else’s private life? Did you think I wouldn’t date?”

“Not that you wouldn’t date but that you couldn’t. Honestly, I’m just surprised there’s a guy out there who’d be willing to date you. Ah, no, that’s not right. WooHyun just said you were dumped before you came home, right? Okay, just think of it as a good first and last experience.”

She wanted to smack that smug expression off his face. Her fists were trembling. She could feel the back of her neck growing stiff. Even though she knew that if she talked back at his level, it would be immature and inappropriate for someone her age, but she couldn’t help it.

“That’s rich. Who said I was dumped? I dumped him. And I’ve been keeping this to myself because I didn’t want you to lose face, but last month, I heard the sound of crying coming from your room. I heard someone go, ‘Waa, waa, SoYoung, I’m sorry. Give me one more chance. I’ll be really good’. Mom and Dad said they heard it, too. You didn’t know about that, did you?”

“…Enough!”

“What do you mean, ‘Enough’? I’ve always thought that SoYoung-unnie is amazing for being with you for over six years. I also find it fascinating that all your begging and clinging actually works on her. Next time you see her, take a look at her back. Check to see if there are any wings on it.”

Seeing Yu JaeOn’s face grow bright red filled her with delight. She never knew why he always messed around when he knew he couldn’t win.

Daon smirked. She still had many things left in her arsenal, but she decided to hold back and use them later.

“Mom and Dad… they really heard it all?”

“Yeah.”

“Ha, fuck. How humiliating.”

She glanced at WooHyun sitting next to them, looking like he was having a great time as he listened to their conversation.

She wanted to land a satisfying blow on him, too, but she had tried many times before. He wasn’t the type to crumble easily. If Yu JaeOn’s level was ‘Beginner’, then Na WooHyun’s level was ‘Inaccessible’. 

“What are you laughing about?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? Cry?”

“……”

He would always talk like this and make her unable to reply.

When the variety show ended and only a few pieces of chicken were left, Daon looked around and slowly got up.

“Finish the rest and make sure to clean up after. Nng, I’m tired.”

“Tsk, tsk, look at her. She doesn’t want to clean up, so she’s trying to sneak away.”

“Look who’s talking. I ate less so that you guys could eat more.”

“We’re good, so just eat the rest and clean up.”

JaeOn stubbornly refused to let her off. Daon pouted and was about to sit back down when WooHyun waved his hand.

“Leave it. Just head in. I’ll clean up.”

“Hey, you’re the one who bought it, so why are you cleaning it up? You’re making me feel bad.”

“Cleaning up won’t take that long.”

When he said it like that, it made her feel bad to just wipe her mouth clean and head into her room. Daon held her head up and began to clean up.

“Are you going to eat more?”

“I said you can leave it.”

“No, well… Are you sleeping over today?”

Daon asked as WooHyun began to clean up the food.

Daon’s parents would go to their vacation home in the outskirts of the city for a few days every month. Today was one of those days.

WooHyun would always be comfortable whenever he came over, but whenever their parents weren’t home, he would often sleep over. His place was right across the street, so Daon didn’t know the point of doing this, but whatever.

“I don’t know. Should I?”

“Just sleep over. Why are you saying it like you never do?”

JaeOn spoke up before Daon could. WooHyun ignored JaeOn and kept his eyes on Daon.

It seemed that sharing a roof with a grown woman as a grown man was bothering him. Daon awkwardly shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t care.”

After telling them to sweep off the crumbs on the table, Daon went into her room. The screen of her phone was blinking on her bed.

As expected, it was KyungChan. 

[What did Hyung-nim say…?]

[I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?]

[Explain everything to Hyung-nim ㅠㅠ We only had a small fight ㅠㅠ]

[Your brother is very tall and handsome.]

[He doesn’t look like you at all.]

[Is he good at fighting?]

“What is this bastard saying?”

All of the messages were about ‘Hyung-nim’. She felt that KyungChan had mistakenly thought that Na WooHyun was her biological brother. Well, she could see how he thought that.

But anyways, he had completely ignored what she told him. Instead, he was going, ‘Hyung-nim, Hyung-nim’, and it was really starting to annoy her.

Possibly because he had been working out for a long time, he was very serious about seniority. So when he met Na WooHyun, who had a good physique and strong features, KyungChan perked up and listened to his every word. Because Daon was petite and small, he saw her as someone way below him, and she was realizing this now.

“Who does he think he is? He’s the one with the small wiener.”

He was weak to the strong and strong to the weak. When she saw this, the little trace of affection she still had for him vanished.

She had felt guilty for breaking up over something about his body that he could not change, but not anymore. Daon’s fingers moved quickly as they blocked KyungChan’s number.

She flopped onto her bed. She stared dazedly at the white ceiling and became lost in thought.

At this rate, would she never be able to date again? Well, she felt it wouldn’t be a bad idea to live alone for the rest of her life. But she felt a bit disappointed at the thought of never experiencing sexual pleasure. Is this why people bought sex toys?

‘Are my standards too high?’

Every man she undressed might have the same stuff as KyungChan.

Then were all the photos and videos she saw CGI? Had they used photoshop to make them look longer and give them a little tinge of pink? As her thoughts began to stray, she grew gloomy.

Suddenly, her phone rang. The only friend she could unload all these thoughts to. It was TaeHee. Daon sighed and answered the call.

“Yeah.”

— You said you were going out to get rid of KyungChan. How did it go?

“Well, you know… It went okay.”

— Did you really? Then why does your voice sound like that?

She had so much to say. However, her thoughts were so jumbled right now that if she just said everything she was thinking, it would be a salad of random words. She needed to filter them out a bit.

“It’s just… The more I think about it, the gloomier I feel.”

The day she returned from the staycation with KyungChan, when TaeHee asked her how it went, Daon declared that she would break up with him. When she persistently asked her why she had a sudden change of heart, Daon told her the honest truth. TaeHee clicked her tongue and began to console Daon.

— No need to feel gloomy. You can just meet someone big next time. Someone with a big heart and a biiiiig thing.

“How would I know if they’re big or small? You never know until you take their clothes off.”

She could hear TaeHee snickering on the other end. How could she be laughing right now…

— You liked KyungChan because of his body, right? You made a big fuss about how he went to the gym everyday and bragged about his muscles.

“…I did.”

As she listened to her shameful past through TaeHee’s lips, Daon was completely embarrassed. Her face even grew warm. Even though she didn’t know anything because this was her first time dating, she realized how naive she had been. If she knew that it would end this quickly, she wouldn’t have gone around bragging to everyone.

— That’s when I knew.

“How?”

— Usually, the kids who don’t have any confidence in their thing are the ones who desperately work out.

Daon burst up from the bed.

“Why are you telling me this now?!”

— How could I say this to a kid who was over the moon about her man?

She covered her warm forehead with her hand. If she had told her beforehand, then maybe she could have prepared herself. Even if it was small, she never expected it to be smaller than the lipstick from M. It had been too different from the image she had been picturing in her head.

Daon bit her lips before she reluctantly opened her mouth.

“TaeHee, by any chance…”

— Hm?

“Is it usually… that small? Were my expectations too high?”

The laughter suddenly came to a stop. Daon soon heard TaeHee’s voice flow out of the receiver.

— Are you kidding? If that were the case, we’d all have a platonic lovelife.

“……”

— Yu Daon, don’t be weak. And don’t be sorry either.

“Okay… wait, what?”

— Everyone has their own preference. There are plenty of men who like pretty women, and there are many men who like women with big breasts. Is it a sin to like men with big wieners? Are you seriously rethinking your preferences just because of one failure? Don’t be like that!

It was a fiery plea. Daon automatically nodded her head.

“Y-Yeah. That’s right. Yeah. You’re right.”

After that, TaeHee began to give her some honest advice. Without even stopping to breathe, she began her impassioned speech for almost three straight hours until Daon’s phone grew hot. Suddenly, the call ended.

“Hello? Yoon TaeHee? TaeHee?”

She tried calling TaeHee, but her phone was turned off. A few moments later, she received a message.

[Wait. My phone is charging.]

Daon tiredly sat up. She began to stretch her arms and legs. The side of her face that had been touching her phone was warm.

She opened the door to go to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. After walking through the corridor, she entered the kitchen. The living room light was on.

“They’re not asleep yet?”

Her slippers dragged against the floor as she walked towards the living room. The TV was blaring with a famous zombie movie that was almost over. She had heard a raucous noise in the living room not that long ago. It looked like it had been coming from the movie.

Na WooHyun was curled up on the sofa, asleep. Daon clicked her tongue.

“What the heck, Yu JaeOn. You should take care of your friend. Looks like he just crawled right back to his bedroom.”

Daon tiptoed to the TV and turned it off. The room became silent.

She picked up the crumpled blanket in the corner and lightly dusted it. WooHyun had barely managed to cram his large body onto the couch, and it looked pathetic. She planned on covering him with the blanket. It was her way of repaying him for saving her from KyungChan.

“If he’s going to sleep so uncomfortably, then why does he even sleep over? His house is right next to ours.”

Just as she spread out the blanket to cover him…

“……!”

Daon’s eyes widened.

Between his legs… She couldn’t pull her eyes away. She swallowed, but her mouth was dry.

She could see a clear outline of something long and thick along his right thigh. On his gray sweatpants, she saw a shadow being cast by this outline. From what she could see, it was as big as her forearm.

‘Does this… make any sense…?’

She wondered if he just had something in his pocket. However, she knew that was close to impossible. Who carried a Pringles can around in their pocket?!

Daon blinked a few times as she bit her lips. It was unbelievably big. It could not even be compared to the lipstick from M. She was impressed that he had managed to hide something like this for so long.

Her eyes began to travel up his toned body before stopping on his face.

His long eyes were beautifully closed. His sharp, arched nose contained no flaw. When her eyes landed on his lips, her throat closed up.

Even though she had basically grown up with him, there was no way she didn’t realize that Na WooHyun was handsome.

Back when they were in school, whether it was Valentine’s Day, Pepero Day², or any holiday at all, he would come home with his arms full of gifts. Because he didn’t like sweets, he would often give all of it to Daon.

When he came back from studying abroad, he exuded masculine beauty. The moment she saw him at their house for the first time in a few years, she was very surprised.

‘It’s been a while.’

When she saw his smiling face, her heart skipped a beat, but that was it. If she weren’t JaeOn’s little sister, she knew they would never have crossed paths or spoken a word to each other. Therefore, she always felt that there was a distance between them.

Oppa’s friend. No more, no less. Because of this fact alone, they had kept this distance for the past several years.

However, something was different today… Something was shining.

It was at that moment. WooHyun’s closed eyes slowly opened. His jet-black eyes met hers. She dazedly blinked, and his lips began to move.

“…Yu Daon.”

A sleepy voice flowed out of his lips. His raspy voice pierced her ears.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

“Y-Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

“……”

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Her heart felt strange. It was beating abnormally fast.

Even though she was currently looking at his face, all she could see was the outline she had just witnessed a few moments ago. The long Pringles can that had been running along his thigh up to the spot between his legs…

“B-Blanket… I was going to cover you…”

Her hands trembled as she held onto the blanket. Pfft, a short laugh escaped the seam of his lips. He stretched out his hand.

“Give it to me.”

Like a broken machine, Daon couldn’t move. Her entire body was tense. WooHyun gave her a strange look and tilted his head.

“Do you have something you want to say to me?”

“N-No…?”

“Then why are you just standing there?”

Why was she just standing here? This man was Na WooHyun. The man who was identical to Yu JaeOn. Yu JaeOn’s friend, Na WooHyun. She would see him more days than not, so why was she suddenly acting like this…

Daon blinked her eyes a few times before forcing herself to relax. She threw the blanket on top of him. Then she hurriedly turned around and ran into her room. She heard his steady, laughing voice behind her.

“Thanks.”

Bang. She shut her door and crouched onto the floor.

“I’ve finally lost my mind…”

Her heart beat so frantically that it felt like it would burst out through her mouth. She tried to compose herself, but her heartbeats did not slow down.