CEBF Ch 1 part 2

PR by neji

“Teacher, thank you so much. Thanks to you, our Jihyun’s mock exam results have gone straight up. We’ll continue to be in your care.”

Daon was a very popular private tutor in the neighborhood. She had tutored as a part-time job back in college, but it was a perfect match for her temperament.

She had worked in an office at one point, but getting to work at the same time everyday and meeting the same people at the same location was terribly stifling.

So when she gave up her monthly wages and began working as a private tutor in full swing, she felt like she could finally breathe again.

Every day, she’d enjoy meeting a different student and a different parent and talk about different subjects. Whenever a student’s score or grade would go up, the resulting sense of accomplishment was like a drug.

“Not at all. Jihyun was the one who did all the studying. I was merely a helper.”

“Exactly. This kid could barely sit still at a desk, so this is something to be grateful for. What’s your secret? You can just whisper it into my ear.”

As the parent whispered her request, Daon pretended to hesitate before chuckling as she waved her hand.

“I can’t tell you. It’s my business secret.”

“Jeez, you sure know how to tease a person. Ah, that’s right. Here. It’s what I promised you last time, so don’t feel intimidated and just take it.”

The woman held out a white envelope. She had promised Daon that if Jihyun had successfully passed a specific score, she’d give her a bonus. Daon did not decline her offer and politely took it.

“Aigoo, you really didn’t have to do this… I’ll gratefully receive it.”

“Please continue to take care of our Jihyun until she goes to college.”

“Of course. Don’t worry. It’s because Jihyun hasn’t done it until recently. Once she does it, she’ll do it well. She’s naturally smart, so she’s great at studying. She knows how to apply the things she’s learned. As a tutor, I have great expectations of her.”

Bonus! This sweet, sweet bonus that was the fruit of her labor! Thanks to the bonus warming up her heart, Daon’s footsteps were light as she walked home.

Because she had to match her students’ schedules, Daon usually returned home late.

She finished work at a time when everyone usually got ready to end their day. However, because she got home so late at night, no one could nag her about waking up late in the morning. She liked that a lot.

“Huh…?”

Just as she was about to enter the apartment building, she saw a familiar sedan parking in an empty spot. As the red tail lights turned off, Daon watched as the driver got out of the car. Her hands went up to her mouth in shock.

‘A uniform!’

More specifically, it was Na WooHyun in a uniform.

It was very different from how he looked whenever he came over to her family’s home. He usually looked unemployed. Daon had seen him in his uniform in public a few times, and every time she saw him like this, she felt like she was seeing a stranger.

His neatly swept hair. His clean, crisp shirt and immaculate jacket. The winged emblem on his left chest and the three golden ropes on his sleeves. Especially the epaulets on his shoulders that seemed to emphasize their broadness. That part drove Daon particularly insane.

Even though it was late at night, it was as if WooHyun’s face were illuminated by a spotlight. He opened his trunk and pulled out his suitcase with ease. For a brief moment, the muscles of his jaw tensed. It made him look incredibly sexy.

Gulp. Daon swallowed. She recalled the Na WooHyun who had been lying on the sofa in the living room.

So that was… How big was it, again? Yeah, probably the length of her forearm. It was probably the length of her forearm. She suddenly wondered what she was doing, and her face grew warm.

Meanwhile, WooHyun had disappeared.

‘Maybe I should have run over to him and said hello.’

The pointless sense of regret left a bitter taste in her mouth. Thump, thump. She dragged her feet as she walked inside. She turned around and looked at the eastern entrance of the apartment building across the street where he had disappeared.

* * *

“I’m home… Huh, what’s this smell?”

Daon sniffed the air as she walked into the kitchen. A sweet smell creeped into her nose.

“It’s japchae.”

She was right. Her mother had placed several empty tupperware on the table and was filling them with various side dishes. And the side dish that drew her eyes the most was the japchae.

“You have a dog’s nose. Try some. How does it taste?”

Her mother wrapped the noodle into a neat ball in her gloved hands and popped it into Daon’s mouth.

Mm, what was the point of saying it? She hadn’t eaten dinner yet and had an empty stomach. If she had been fed rubber, she would still have enjoyed it. However, Daon chewed on the japchae and gave her mother a thumbs-up.

“I want another bite.”

“Go and wash your hands before you eat. How old are you? Why does your mother still have to nag you? The first thing you should do after coming home is wash your hands. Do you want to go back to elementary school?”

She received a fat bonus, finished her work for the day, and was about to eat some delicious japchae. Everything seemed to fall into place today, so her mother’s nagging only sounded like the beautiful melody of a music box to Daon’s ears.

“But why are you putting everything into plastic containers?”

“Mm, I wanted to give some to WooHyun.”

“Who’s going to take it to him? You’re going to do it yourself?”

“I’m obviously going to send JaeOn. JaeOn!”

Daon’s mother raised her voice as she shouted in the direction of JaeOn’s room. However, there was no reply.

“Why isn’t he answering? Is he sleeping already? JaeOn, Yu JaeOn!”

Of course she wasn’t going to receive a reply. Because he was out of town for a business trip and was going to return tomorrow.

Daon snuck the plastic glove onto her hand while her mother’s back was turned and quickly put more of the japchae into her mouth. The savory flavors began to spread out on her tongue. Her eyes crinkled in delight as she looked at her mother.

“Mom, are you Na WooHyun’s mom or Yu JaeOn’s mom?”

“I’m Daon’s mom, of course. If you’re going to eat, go and wash your hands immediately!”

Slap! She felt a stinging pain on her back and arched her hips in shock.

“Ah, I’m going, I’m going. But Yu JaeOn said he’s going to go on a business trip.”

“Omo, really? Then what am I supposed to do with all of this? There’s not enough room in the refrigerator.”

“When you went to the vacation home, did you meet WooHyun-oppa’s parents?”

“Of course. We even had some barbecue for dinner in their garden. Your father had too much to drink again, and he got excited all on his own. His voice was so loud. Aigoo, how embarrassing.”

WooHyun’s parents had left the city altogether and began to live in a country house on the outskirts of the city. The air was nice, and the traffic was minimal. When Daon’s parents heard this, they built a small vacation house in the same neighborhood.

Both sets of parents had already been friendly neighbors in the city, but now they still continued to enjoy each others’ company in a more isolated location.

“WooHyun’s mom has been cultivating a garden in their yard lately. She planted some squash, tomatoes, lettuce, and even peppers. She’s raising them so well. She’s very diligent.”

P-Pepper…!

Daon was shocked for a moment, but she quickly fixed her expression and began to listen to what her mother was saying.

“Anyways, she packed a bunch of stuff for us to eat. But how can I just receive it empty-handed? I told her that since WooHyun is here all by himself, we’ll take care of him. I told them not to worry about him.”

“He’s a grown adult, so what’s there to take care of? He’ll live fine on his own.”

“That’s true, but still.”

“You didn’t even know that your own son wasn’t home because of a business trip.”

She agilely evaded her mother’s hand as it tried to land another slap on her back. She smirked triumphantly and looked at the table full of side dishes and containers.

“Should I bring them to WooHyun-oppa?”

Her mother’s eyes sparkled when she heard Daon’s offer.

“Would you?”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s right out front anyways.”

“What’s come over you? You usually slip into your room and tell us to send Yu JaeOn instead.”

Daon slurped some more japchae as a wicked smile stretched across her lips. Her eyebrows flashed up and down as she murmured in a low voice.

“I’m not sure. To check whether the Pringles can is doing well?”

Her mother clicked her tongue as she gave Daon an aggrieved look. What nonsense was she saying now? Five minutes later, Daon exited the front door while carrying two large bundles in both hands.

* * *

When was the last time she’d been to Na WooHyun’s house? Whenever her mother asked her to do an errand, she’d quietly slip away. In the past dozen or so years, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d visited his place.

‘I’m eating pig’s feet at Yu JaeOn’s place right now. If you want some, bring three bottles of soju. If you don’t get here within five minutes, the deal’s off.’

After Yu JaeOn’s sudden call, Daon had frantically grabbed three bottles of soju from their place and ran over to WooHyun’s apartment.

That was about half a year ago. She was standing in front of Na WooHyun’s door for the first time in half a year.

And most importantly, alone. Yu Daon was here without Yu JaeOn.

At this point, Daon had to acknowledge it. From the moment she saw the bulky outline between his legs, she began to look at Na WooHyun completely differently.

“If someone heard this, they’d think I was crazy about wieners.”

As someone who would have rather died than go on an errand, she had been the one to volunteer. She grumbled to herself as she banged her head against the front door.

Even if the way she looked at him had changed, the way Na WooHyun looked at her wouldn’t have changed at all.

His friend’s younger sister who ran over in one minute because she wanted to eat some pig’s feet, drenched in sweat. The younger sister who would only act sweetly when it came to food and talked back aggressively otherwise. The younger sister who was five years his junior.

“Why are you acting crazy in front of my door?”

“Ah, you surprised me.”

The familiar voice from behind startled her. Back to looking like an unemployed bum, WooHyun was sucking on a lollipop as he stared at her. Daon glanced at the black plastic bag in his hand. She gestured to it.

“Where are you coming from this late at night?”

“I went out to buy some beer. What are you doing in front of my place this late at night?”

“I have a delivery.”

She held up the tightly wrapped bundles in her hands. WooHyun’s agile fingers typed in the passcode to the door lock and opened the door. He took the bundles from Daon’s hands.

“Why didn’t Yu JaeOn come instead?”

“You should ask him yourself… Can I come in?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes and slowly blinked. His apathetic and slightly cold eyes calmly looked back down at Daon. Then he slightly stepped to the side and made a small space for Daon to squeeze through. Daon immediately pushed through and entered the apartment.

She thought this the last time she came here, but this place was too big for a man to live by himself. With the rest of his family having moved away, he was left alone in this apartment. She felt that it would feel lonely.

“Aren’t you lonely living here by yourself?”

“I’m not you.”

WooHyun scoffed.

“Tell your mother that I said thank you. I’ll eventually tell her myself, but just say it anyway.”

While he began to put some of the side dishes into smaller containers, Daon walked around the apartment.

There was not a speck of dust in sight. There was a minimal amount of appliances and furniture. It made the place look more desolate. She wondered if the neat, simple interior was his personal preference.

After finishing her walk around the apartment, Daon cautiously made her way to the kitchen. She glanced at WooHyun as his chopsticks precisely picked up the side dishes and placed them into the smaller containers.

It must not have been long since he’d washed up because the tips of his hair still looked a bit wet. Her eyes kept being drawn to the pale nape of his neck.

Daon cleared her throat and pretended like she wasn’t bothered at all.

“Oppa, do you have a girlfriend?”

WooHyun’s chopsticks froze in midair. He slowly looked up. After blinking a few times, he answered in a low voice.

“Why are you asking?”

Ah, was she being too obvious?

“No, I was just wondering… You look fine, so I was wondering why you don’t have a girlfriend. Could it be that you have one but I just don’t know about her? That’s right. That’s probably it. It’s not that you have some kind of hidden flaw or something… Right?”

She didn’t know why her eyes slowly traveled to the spot between his legs after she finished talking. She didn’t do it intentionally. Her eyes merely went there due to some uncontrollable force.

Thankfully, WooHyun hadn’t noticed. He merely changed the subject.

“Did you eat?”

“Not yet. I just got home.”

“Then eat before you go.”

“If you’re asking me that desperately, then I guess I can’t say no. Is it white rice? I don’t like rice with beans.”

“It’s rice with beans. Do you want to go home?”

“……”

Despite what he said, the bowl of steaming rice did not have any beans in it.

“Why are you joking around about food? It’s no fun at all.”

Daon whined with pouty lips. WooHyun sat across from her as his eyes gleamed.

“Because watching your face is fun.”

“It’s fun?”

“Yeah.”

“My face is?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

She thought that he’d inadvertently answer the question she furtively slipped in, but she had made a huge miscalculation.

WooHyun tilted his head. He glanced at Daon, who remained frozen in her seat. With eyes that seemed to be able to read her mind… Suddenly, he pressed his lips together and recited his order.

“Eat.”

Daon dropped her gaze to her bowl of rice. It was a mountain of rice. She could tell how he saw her. When did things start to go wrong? When she ran over in one minute to eat some pig’s feet? Still, how could he give her a mountain of rice so close to midnight?

“Make sure to eat it all.”

Daon bit her lips as she picked up her spoon and chopsticks.

“I’ll do my best.”

* * *

Her hesitation at eating the mountain of rice quickly melted away. WooHyun took Daon’s empty bowl to the sink. Daon thought she saw the slight smirk on his lips as he turned around… but she was probably mistaken.

“Should I do the dishes?”

“No, it’s fine. Just stay seated.”

“No, I’ll do it. Oppa, you sit down.”

“It’s because I’m worried you’re going to break my dishes.”

He really knew how to shut her up.

After diligently wiping the table down with a rag, Daon sat down on the chair and gazed at WooHyun’s back as he did the dishes. She forced her eyes up as they continued to creep down to the area between his legs.

“Uh… so…”

“Wait. I’ll wash the empty containers, so take them back with you when I’m done.”

He must have thought she was going to tell him she was leaving. He probably couldn’t even imagine that she actually wanted to stay here all night.

After he finished washing the dishes, WooHyun lightly swung the containers so that the remaining water droplets would come off. Daon furtively approached him and stood right next to him.

She could smell the scent of his soap and the unique scent that only belonged to him. It was such a tantalizing smell that she wanted to bury her nose against his skin and take in a deep breath.

WooHyun glanced down at Daon, who was now very close to him, as he wiped the dishes dry. His fingers were long and thick. When she saw his neatly trimmed nails, her mouth went dry.

Daon lightly bit her lower lip and told herself this would really be the last time. She gathered her courage once again.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

One end of WooHyun’s lips went up into a smirk. 

“What if I do?”

For a moment, her heart sank. She hadn’t heard of Na WooHyun having a girlfriend. Of course, Yu JaeOn wouldn’t have felt the need to inform her about something like that.

She couldn’t hide the disappointment from her face. Unlike the confident tone of voice that had asked the question, her reply sounded wilted and helpless.

“…Then I should go home.”

“What if I don’t?”

His voice was filled with laughter. He was definitely teasing her. Her eyes blazed in anger as she lifted her head to glare at him.

“……!”

Their eyes met. She wondered if this was what it meant when fireworks sparked between two people. Even though this apartment was large, they were the only two people inside. The only sounds she could hear were his breaths and hers.

The sound of her racing heartbeats. The sound of her tongue wetting her lips. The sound of her quickening breaths. All of these sounds seemed to pound in her ears.

“Answer the question.”

“……”

“What if I don’t?”

Na WooHyun’s eyes began to change. His scorching gaze felt warm against her cheek. The air grew tense around them. The tension wrapped around her and made it hard to breathe.

Gulp. Daon swallowed and looked him directly in the eye. 

“I was going to kiss you. Can I?”

As soon as she finished, WooHyun lowered his head. He lightly nibbled Daon’s lower lip before tugging on it as he sucked. A shiver ran down her spine. There was a faint pop as his lips pulled away from her damp ones.

“Do you even know how?”

He whispered as his lips lightly brushed against hers. He pressed his sharp nose against Daon’s flushed cheek.

Daon grazed her fingertips up his body. She passed the hard ridges of his abdomen, past his firm chest… She finally wrapped her arms around his neck that she had been so greedy to touch.

“Teach me.”

Huu, WooHyun let out a deep breath and picked Daon up by her hips. After setting her down on top of the table, he bent down and swallowed her lips.

A thick piece of flesh parted her lips and filled her mouth. He sucked and swallowed deep. His tongue rubbed against hers, and she felt herself grow sensitive to his every touch. Her back arched as their kiss deepened. She could feel something hot gather below her belly.

They continued to kiss frantically. As if they didn’t want to miss a single breath, they sucked and sucked. Their mouths tangled together, and the wet noises rang in the air.

Daon clung onto his neck and pressed up against him with all her might. She tilted her head so that he could reach deeper into her mouth as she stroked the nape of his neck.

With panting breaths, WooHyun pulled away. He bent down and his lips went to the side of her face. He began to tug and nibble on her earlobe before pulling it into his mouth and rolling it around his tongue like candy. He continued to tease the tender flesh with his mouth.

She could hear the smacking sounds slipping from his lips as he sucked. He continued to tease the nape of her neck before moving back to her lips.

“I-I can’t breathe, haa…”

Daon placed her hand on his shoulder. WooHyun continued to place his lips down on every place his breath touched.

“You asked me to teach you.”

Every time he spoke, the vibrations on her skin tickled.

“Is that enough?”

This was good enough for a kiss. Now it was time to head back home.

Daon looked down and nodded. WooHyun straightened up. She followed his lead and swept the hair that fell over her forehead.

“Huh…?”

What was this? Why was this happening all of a sudden? The mood had been shattered. What’s going on? Unaware of the reason, her wide eyes blinked in confusion.

WooHyun plunged his hands deep into his pockets and lowered his head. After calming his panting breaths, he began to chew on his lips.

“Then let’s head out. I’ll walk you home.”

He grabbed the jacket that was draped over a chair and began to walk towards the front door.