Eighteen’s Bed Novel Completed - Chapter 189

Seeing my tongue’s eager welcome, Go Yohan wore a satisfied expression and lightly ate the whipped cream on his index finger.

“Sorry to interrupt your concentration, but take the gift, and I’ll give you my fingers back.”

“……”

“I didn’t know you’d like it this much.”

Go Yohan bent down and unfastened the anklet. Kneeling at my feet, he lowered his body. The thin, cold metal wrapped around my ankle. Go Yohan stroked my ankle bone, and my toes twitched. After a few clicks, Go Yohan lifted his head. A bright smile, one no one else had ever seen, greeted me.

“Beautiful.”

“……Thanks.”

“The anklet I chose.”

“Yeah, I said thanks.”

At my reaction, Go Yohan squeezed his eyes shut and laughed silently. My gloomy heart, strangely enough, melted at that face. Right. What was there to worry about, when it was already exposed? There were guys like Go Yohan who lived life without a care in the world, after all.

I watched Go Yohan, who couldn’t stop laughing, and shook the gold anklet on my ankle.

“Here, look at all the pretty things.”

“You didn’t give me anything, but I take care of all this for you. You should be glad you have such a good boyfriend, you trash.”

Those words felt a bit unfair to me. I had tried to prepare something, too.

…But an unexpected tribulation in life struck, and I failed. I forced a smile, enduring the persistent headache. Well, it wasn’t like I gained absolutely nothing.

“Yohan.”

“What.”

“Should I grill you sausages instead of cake?”

“Am I a preschooler?”

Go Yohan furrowed one eyebrow. Then, he lightly moistened his dry lips and, this time, lowered his voice to ask,

“Vienna?”

Ha— I burst out laughing in exasperation.

Yes, I had already crossed the Sahara Desert. It was only natural to encounter a sandstorm or two along the way. But I wouldn’t walk backward like Ostung Blue. Because I had a camel.

I stretched my arm back and watched my camel, who was laughing at something not even funny. A melancholic smile spread across my lips. If we leaned on each other even on gloomy nights, we would someday reach Egypt. It would be better than drowning in a sand pit from which we could never escape. At least I had a camel. I didn’t want to die regretting for the rest of my life that I hadn’t chosen Go Yohan back then.

Our eyes met naturally. I felt it again: Go Yohan really looked like a snake.

Snakes mate for four weeks, they say. Just like Go Yohan. Could the animal crossing the desert with me not be a camel, but a snake? It made sense.

The unidentifiable Go Yohan strode across the bed and stood over me. I lifted my chin and naturally closed my eyes, and Go Yohan grabbed the bed frame with his hands and bent down. We both still smiled as our lips met. Our laughter and breaths intertwined.

Go Yohan and I tilted our heads as if by prearrangement. Go Yohan to the right, me to the left. Our noses didn’t bump. We opened our mouths and welcomed each other’s tongues. We didn’t suffocate either.

Heavy sleep slowly drifted away on the shallow breeze coming through the open window. My stiff eyelids opened as if they’d been hit by a desert wind. Feeling the bright light filter through my intertwined eyelashes, I unconsciously thought it must be morning.

“……”

The strange thing was, I even felt a sense of unfamiliarity. At first, it was a feeling of stuffiness pressing on my lower abdomen, but as my blurry mind cleared, the pressure became more distinct.

To wake myself up, I rubbed my face against the pillow. The ends of my disheveled hair tickled my dry skin, and at that moment, an unfamiliar warmth pressed heavily against the back of my head. Huh. As I blinked blankly, I heard the sound of low breaths spreading at regular intervals.

My mind always returns at strange moments. Like now.

“……What the.”

My eyes snapped open, and I scanned the room. Lying on the pillow, I quickly searched my memories.

So, it was evening. It was evening, and Go Yohan and I, who had been kissing until our lips were chapped, suddenly bought a can of beer and a crushed slice of cake from a convenience store. I think I impulsively bought a few packs of frozen Vienna sausages too. I just suddenly felt like it. I must have been out of my mind even then.

And when we got home, we poured beer into dusty wine glasses that had been shoved into some corner.

…After that, I don’t remember anything.

“Ugh, ah!”

As I tried to sit up, my lower abdomen was pressed so hard that I let out a groan and toppled sideways. I barely managed to lift my upper body, let alone get up. At the same time, I noticed the unfamiliar warmth.

“Damn it.”

I quietly chewed on my lip, then carefully pulled back the blanket.

A back pressed tightly against mine, an arm draped across my side, and two large hands crammed into my underwear. He couldn’t even fit all of them in; the three fingers on his right end couldn’t even get inside the underwear.

The breathing, which I hadn’t heard when I woke up, now thundered behind my ears.

Crazy, why is this guy sleeping with his hand in here?

I tried to push Go Yohan away but quickly gave up without even trying. Because my lower half, vigorously awakened by the morning’s energy, was subtly hooked on Go Yohan’s thumb.

“Ha, please.”

The hand buried in my underwear wiggled, then touched the crease of my thigh. C-crazy. I covered my face with both hands and despaired for a long time. After a sigh, I grabbed Go Yohan’s unsettling wrist. Hmm—. A small hum rubbed against the back of my head.

At that moment, I suddenly got scared and quickly bent my head forward. Had I washed my hair before sleeping?

Damn it, I gritted my teeth in embarrassment. And I pulled hard on the grabbed wrist, pulling out the long intruder that had invaded my underwear. When his weakened fingers brushed against my tender skin, I truly felt my face burn and wanted to die.

Finally, when I pulled it out to my pelvis, I pushed his hand away as if throwing it and scrambled out of bed.

“Isn’t this guy crazy? Why are you sleeping with your hand in there?”

After covering my flushed face with my arm, I glared at the tall body shamelessly lying on my bed. And with a feeling like crying, I looked at my own aroused lower half. I saw it sticking out, almost bursting through my underwear.

Wow, this is the worst.

Unaware of my situation, his abandoned fingers brushed against the wrinkled blanket. He was probably doing it in his sleep. What was even more ridiculous was that he grabbed the blanket with his hand, shook it up and down, and then made a pained face.

“Where’d you go-o-o?”

“What do you mean, where did I go?”

I threw a pillow at Go Yohan’s face. In the meantime, Go Yohan turned his head and easily dodged it. This bastard, isn’t he awake?

My face was burning, as if it would explode. I figured I should at least wash my face and turned to escape, almost tripping. Ugh, ah. I swallowed the scream that was about to escape and looked at what I had tripped on. There, my pajama pants, which I didn’t know when they had fallen, were down to my thighs. It was pure wretchedness. Of course, the habit of taking off clothes while sleeping couldn’t have appeared overnight. Then it was obvious.

I glared even more intensely at Go Yohan, who was making a pained face with a facade of innocence and constantly grabbing at the empty blanket.

“I’m really going to kill that bastard…”

I pulled up my pants in an awkward posture. Faint light seeped through the still unclosed curtains. I stood by the bed, watching Go Yohan’s hand fumbling aimlessly in the space beside him for a long time, then walked to the opposite side of the bed. The rough surface, perhaps due to the carpet, tickled my feet. My gaze remained on Go Yohan, who was still closing his eyes and breathing heavily.

I stood there, looking down at Go Yohan for a long time, then hid my hands behind my back and bent over. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Go Yohan’s white downy hair smelled of blue. Like sky blue. I bent my head deeper, bringing my nose almost to the point where my dry skin would touch. As the scent tickled my nose, an unintentional laugh escaped.

“You and I are both carefree. Really.”

But why does my lower back hurt so much? I pressed hard on the throbbing area above my tailbone with my palm. Was it because two grown men slept crammed together in a narrow bed? Sometimes my whole body felt sore like this, so it seemed my sleeping posture had been rough lately.

I pressed hard on my throbbing back and looked at the mess. This was all the aftermath of last night. The empty cake box, the squashed cake, beer cans, and a wine bottle were scattered on the floor. And even the small box I had hidden under the sink.

“……Damn, why is that there?”

I didn’t remember it at all. Crazy. I groaned and covered my forehead.

“What on earth did I do…?”

I clutched my throbbing head and searched for my phone among the scattered items on the floor. It was set to vibrate, so I had no way of knowing if messages were coming in. As expected, it was Kang Soohyun.

“Why… are you ignoring me?”

I guess I really need to block him now. It’s truly time. Not a lie, truly.

Once the decision was made, my actions were resolute. I swiped Kang Soohyun’s name sideways and pressed the red button. Anticipating a period of quiet, my mind felt much more at ease. I should have done it sooner. Was a nightmare that had lasted half a year really ending this simply? With my mind at ease, my steps felt lighter.

As I aged, mind control became a bit easier. Not losing my temper alone over meaningless words from others, resenting those who didn’t understand me but not showing it, and pushing bothersome bastards out of my life. Ah, this is what it means to be an adult.

While Go Yohan fell back asleep, I tiptoed to the kitchen and drank water. I always liked drinking cold water after waking up because it felt like it cleared my head. Just then, my phone vibrated at an inopportune moment. It was an unknown number. I hesitated for a moment, then answered, just in case.

“Hello?”

-Wow, you really did block me?

“Kang Soohyun?”

No, how can he call me right after I block him? I unconsciously looked around and rubbed my arm. Does this guy have some kind of spiritual power?

-I read your message, so I called, but you didn’t answer? Did you really put “perhaps” before my name just now? How can a person be like that? They say rural hospitality is harsher.

“What’s this number?”

-It’s my friend’s… number… so you’d answer… you…

His voice was dripping with injustice. The whining of a man in his mid-180s was utterly disgusting. I reflexively hung up the call immediately. He called again, and I calmly answered.

“I’m sorry. I accidentally pressed the end button while lowering the volume.”

-Oh dear, be more careful. I thought you hung up because you didn’t want to see me, and I was about to get hurt.

“Is that so?”

-You did block me, right?

“No.”

How could I say ‘yes’? At least, that’s how social life works. Unfortunately, Kang Soohyun completely missed my intention and moved on. Instead, he asked with an excited voice,

-Did you go? Did you go to the amusement park with your friend?

“You told me to go with him.”

-Jun’s friend. Aren’t you being too much? This makes my conscience prickle too much. You really went just because I told you to?

“Huh?”

-Why does a friend like this still not have a lover? Is it because he’s so pure? I thought he was a philandering scumbag, but he was so pure that he was setting traps. Oh my god. Good Jun’s friend. I would have sold that ticket to someone else. I really didn’t think you’d go. I’m so rotten.

What, this dog…

I swallowed to suppress the rising heat.

“No. I wanted to go once anyway.”

-Woooooong…

A disgusting, whining sound crawled out of the speaker. I was genuinely flustered. Genuinely.

“What? Why, why are you like this?”

-There wasn’t even an amusement park? Cheongsong apples are delicious, but it must be a bleak town for growing boys.

“How many times do I have to say it? I didn’t live in Cheongsong.”

-Please stop now. Don’t deceive yourself anymore. I know you don’t want to send free apples. They say rich people are worse, but your service is really stingy.

“……”

He’s not listening to a word I say.

It’s surprising to see Kang Soohyun, who fits my parents’ description of a “friend of the right caliber,” and it makes me wonder if a human archetype can really be defined by a few words.

-Living in such a rural town, you probably never had a proper relationship. You came to Seoul to study and spend all your blossoming youth. Ugh, control.

“Soohyun, I’m busy, can I hang up now?”

-Woooooong…!

“……”

-I love you. Please. Actually, I lied to my friends that I’m dating someone these days, but now they’re at the peak of suspicion, so I’m pretending to get an urgent call. Jun’s friend, just a moment. Just a moment!

A rustling sound came from the speaker. And I was looking down on Kang Soohyun. Given Kang Soohyun’s personality, it was obvious. He must have boasted about things going well with Park Soyeon and was now getting a taste of life’s bitterness. He was probably at a karaoke bar, judging by the singing. I only heard pig-squealing songs.

-Ooh, I miss you too. My heart aches because I can’t see you today! My Jju! You absolutely have to meet me at the end of the year! Got it! If you got it, give me a kiss! Mwah! I did it first! Jju’s a fool!

“Fuck.”

A voice with half its tongue cut off disgustingly defiled my ears. I was so nauseated that I dry-heaved alone, while Kang Soohyun shamelessly continued the call.

-Ugh! Almost got caught.

“Ugh.”

-Jun, I heard you. Fuck? You don’t know the life of an average man, so you just blurt out such harsh words, don’t you? You have so many women around you that everyone would believe you even if you told an obvious lie about meeting sixty women a day, but I’m not like that. I doubted from the start.

“You deserve to be doubted…”

Who would like a guy like you?

“And I don’t have women around me. Really.”

-Yeah, that seemed to be the case. If you had women, you wouldn’t have gone to an amusement park to watch fireworks with a guy on Christmas. You’re out of your mind.

“Is that so strange?”

-It is strange. I believe Jun’s friend when he says he doesn’t have women, you know? Jun’s friend seems strangely uninterested in women? But your friend, he’s a bit… If it were him, he’d definitely be having a wild sex party in a motel. Drinking, doing drugs, smoking… Playing club music, and on the sofa, three women, just him, alone, just…!

“……Haven’t you watched too many movies?”

-Well, still, didn’t he have drinks, cigarettes, and that… party?

Kang Soohyun whispered lowly, making a sound as if his mouth was pressed against the receiver, as if he were saying something profound.

-I mean sex. Sex.

“……”

…He did have a sex party. The problem was that I was the target. I fiddled with my tailbone, which was once again feeling heavy, and mumbled defensively.

“Go Yohan isn’t like that. He’s very straight-laced. He doesn’t like those things.”

-Aw, are you jealous? Hey. Jun’s friend. Eh-eh.

“What are you talking about? No. I’m not.”

-I can’t help it. Your friend has a somewhat cold look, the kind you’d want to take a gamble on and try once. It’s natural for women to swarm him. It’s like, if you dated him, you’d feel thrilled for your whole life? Like, before you die of old age, you’d tell your grandchild, ‘This old lady dated Go Yohan,’ until the grandchild gets fed up and tells you to stop? Like, on your tombstone, it would say, ‘Achievement: Dated Go Yohan for 3 months.’ It feels like a great achievement, doesn’t it?

“An achievement, really…”

But as I carefully replayed Kang Soohyun’s words, they sounded quite plausible. There was something to it. If I dated Go Yohan, beyond looks or conditions, I’d be intoxicated by the pride that this man liked me. Go Yohan does evoke that kind of feeling, just a little.

-Jun’s friend, hey. Friend. And don’t be discouraged. Money is the best for a man. You know that, right?

“I keep telling you, I’m not that rich. Why do you keep not believing me?”

I was rich, alright. I felt no pang of conscience as I lied. Because, if I said I was rich, only troublesome things would happen. Like being taken for a cash cow. Or becoming a pushover. That’s just how the world of men works.

-Lies! Friend, don’t you remember our first meeting? When we first did that group project. That classmate of yours. That gloomy-looking kid. That weird person said you were rich!

“That was with him… No, I’ve always had a bad relationship with him. We even had a subtle power struggle over grades…”

-What? So that bastard screwed you over back then? No way?