SIDE STORY 14
Terms used in this side story:
Hanbok – term used for traditional Korean clothes.
Confucianist – a person who adheres to Confucianism, a belief system that focuses on the importance of personal ethics and morality.
Doujin writer – A fan who writes or draws fan-made works (or doujinshi) for a certain series
Bathhouse – Also called as ‘jjimjilbang’ in Korea, these are sex-segregated public bathhouses equipped with hot tubs, showers, saunas, and massage tables. It also has other facilities where you can eat, sleep, play games, etc.
SIDE STORY – TO EARTH (7)
Kang Jin-ho opened the door.
The unlocking sound of the electronic door seemed to be louder today.
Badump, badump.
His heart was beating.
It was not just beating as it was pounding.
His mouth was dry.
When he unconsciously swallowed his saliva, he made a loud gulping sound.
‘What am I doing now?’
I brought home the girl next door, Norfolk.
She was drenched, so I invited her to my home to use the bathroom and take a shower. I would also have to prepare a change of clothes for her, and wash her used clothes including underwear… I b-bro-brought into my home, and in my room, and at such a late hour, not a man, but a woman, and even the girl next door, that Norfolk, that Hong Yoo Hee…
‘Alexei, Alexei. Tell me, Alexei.’
What should I do?
I’ve never felt this way even when I was alone in the enemy camp.
What should I say now?
It feels like I’m going to fight alone a fully-armed battalion.
No, it’s more like I’m infiltrating a base full of booby traps while bare naked.
‘C-Calm down, Kang Jin-ho.’
Think of the victory conditions.
What are the conditions for winning this battle?
He could not think of it.
So the Kang Jin-hos in his head gathered and held a military meeting, but they could not even clearly define their operational goal.
“Captured! We’ve captured Hong Yoo Hee!”
One of the Kang Jin-hos shouted in his head, and the Kang Jin-ho who was in charge of this meeting shouted back.
“Get him out!”
“Mmph! Mmpf!”
The Kang Jin-ho who spoke nonsense was dragged out with his mouth blocked by another Kang Jin-ho.
Now that I see it, the Kang Jin-ho who imagined the naked Natasha was that guy.
“General, can I speak?”
Just then, the glasses-wearing Kang Jin-ho raised his head and asked.
As the eyes of the other Kang Jin-hos focused on him, General Kang Jin-ho gave him the right to speak.
“Speak.”
“I think objectively. Why did we invite the target to our house in the first place? Because it’s quite inhumane to leave a drenched target alone outside.”
Most of the Kang Jin-hos nodded their heads.
The glasses-wearing Kang Jin-ho was emboldened and spoke again.
“After we bring her home, wash and change her clothes, what should be our future measures? I think this should be our operational goal!”
“Oooh.”
The Kang Jin-hos agreed again.
But one of the Kang Jin-hos who was listening to the story, specifically, the housewife Kang Jin-ho who was in charge of housekeeping, raised his hand and said.
“What do you mean by future measures?”
Future measures.
What would they do once Hong Yoo Hee was brought home?
“Naughty stu- mmph! Mmph!”
“Get him out too!”
The Kang Jin-ho who was saying strange stuff was caught by another Kang Jin-ho and dragged out of the tent.
General Kang Jin-ho said after clearing his throat.
“First of all, the cause of this situation is that the door of Hong Yoo Hee’s house is locked. So we invite her into the house, and help her wash. Next is we dismantle the door ourselves or call a contractor to eliminate the cause.”
“Then it would be better to call a contractor. Because if we had to break the electronic door, we have no way to replace it.”
“Okay, we’ll consider that.”
After answering the glasses-wearing Kang Jin-ho, General Kang Jin-ho looked back at everyone and said.
“Don’t be too afraid. Don’t get nervous. This is not a big deal. A neighbor is in trouble, so we should help as a neighbor. That is all, so no need to be nervous about it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir!”
All the Kang Jin-hos answered loudly, and General Kang Jin-ho was satisfied.
However.
“Miss, would you like to wash up?”
“…Excuse me?!”
At the entrance.
Hong Yoo Hee turned red and panicked at the question of Kang Jin-ho.
Kang Jin-ho was flustered too because of that, and hurriedly spoke.
“I-I mean! B-Because! Y-You’re drenched, right?”
It was an objective statement of a fact.
But Kang Jin-ho was even more embarrassed, and Hong Yoo Hee was the same.
They both turned red.
It felt hot.
Very hot.
However, Kang Jin-ho took a deep breath. He somehow continued speaking as he recalled a battlefield with raining bullets.
“It’s because you’re drenched. Uh, so I have a washer and dryer at home. Your clothes are few, so it will dry up quickly. I think it will take two hours from washing to drying? So, uh… that… Since you’re drenched. You have to take a shower…”
“T-Take a shower?”
Hong Yoo Hee was newly surprised, and so did Kang Jin-ho.
A shower.
Shower.
Shower.
‘No, why a shower!’
But isn’t this normal?
If she’s drenched, she should take a shower.
Yes, a shower.
She’ll be naked while showering.
‘Get him out!’
At the moment when General Kang Jin-ho kicked out the Kang Jin-ho who was possessed by a lewd demon, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth again.
“No, that… Uh… Yes… You need to wash up first. You’ll catch a cold.”
A cold.
It was a good reason.
His reason finally came back.
While Kang Jin-ho was sweating and feeling satisfied with his own logic, urgent voices were coming and going in the head of Hong Yoo Hee.
“W-What should we do?”
“Can we take a shower?”
“But we’re really drenched.”
“We might catch a cold like this.”
“That’s right, that’s right. It already feels cold as we talk.”
“I don’t feel good.”
While the Hong Yoo Hees were talking, a Hong Yoo Hee wearing a hanbok widened her eyes and said.
“What are you all saying now! Aren’t we in someone else’s house now? All men are wolves! They’re wolves! Wo- mmph! Mmph!”
“Get that b*tch out!”
The Hong Yoo Hees agreed at the order of Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee, and the ‘Confucianist Hong Yoo Hee’ dressed in a hanbok was kicked out of the guild house.
But it was then.
“Leader! We have a serious problem!”
‘Soldier Hong Yoo Hee,’ who was very active in raids, raised her hand and shouted, and everyone focused their attention on her.
“What’s the problem? Huh?”
What’s a more serious problem than going to the house of oppa next door while drenched, and wondering if we should take a shower or not? What in the world is it!
The Hong Yoo Hees nervously looked at Soldier Hong Yoo Hee who said with a grim expression.
“Raid leader, our underwear’s different today. It’s not a matching pair!”
“EH?!”
Unmatched pair?
The top and bottom are different?
“T-That’s not a problem!”
When Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee turned red and shouted, Soldier Hong Yoo Hee spoke again with a grim expression.
“It’s a problem! It’s the laundry! The dryer would spin our clothes! So! Our underwear will be exposed to him!”
“KYAAA!”
The Hong Yoo Hees screamed in unison.
But that was not the only problem.
“On top of that, Raid Leader, our underwear is a bit sexy today.”
The bottom was just plain, but the top was black with a lot of lace. It slightly gave off the impression of a net.
At the omitted explanation, Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee cried out in panic.
“No! Why do I have sexy underwear!”
“Because I was curious… hehehe.”
When the High School Girl Hong Yoo Hee, who was the curious one, scratched the back of her head and said, Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee angrily shouted.
“Get that b*tch out!”
“That’s unfair! Unfair!”
But High School Girl Hong Yoo Hee was kicked out of the guild house like Confucianist Hong Yoo Hee.
“Haa… Haa…”
Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee roughly breathed and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
And Soldier Hong Yoo Hee who had been watching the entire process raised her hand again.
“Raid Leader, we have one more serious problem.”
“More?!”
“That’s right. A really, really, serious problem.”
As Soldier Hong Yoo Hee emphasized it again and again, Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee looked like she was about to cry at any moment, and the same was true of the other Hong Yoo Hees.
Soldier Hong Yoo Hee felt a heavy burden and explained in a low voice.
“According to Outbo… or oppa next door, the time needed for washing and drying is around two hours. Two hours. That is by no means a short time.”
She was right.
Two hours was not short.
So what did she mean by that?
Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee could no longer think because of too much embarrassment, and the other Hong Yoo Hees were the same, so Soldier Hong Yoo Hee sighed.
After shaking her head once, she narrowed her brows and said.
“Two hours. What in the world are we supposed to wear in those two hours?”
“KYAAAA!”
Screams broke out again.
And one Hong Yoo Hee blinked and unknowingly said.
“W-We’ll stay naked?”
“Get that b*tch out!”
“T-That’s unfair!”
Her excuse did not work.
When the slightly lewd Hong Yoo Hee was dragged out, the glasses-wearing Hong Yoo Hee raised her hand and spoke.
“It’s impossible for us to stay naked. If we use common sense, we’ll be wearing something else. Perhaps… the clothes of oppa next door?”
“T-The clothes of oppa next door?”
“A big white shirt… without a bottom… That kind of fashion.”
The moment the glasses-wearing Hong Yoo Hee, also known as the Doujin Writer Hong Yoo Hee, smiled and said again, screams broke out among the Hong Yoo Hees.
“KYAAAA!”
“N-No way! You’ve read way too many perverted comics!”
“That’s right, that’s right! That’s right!”
In response to the strong backlash of the Hong Yoo Hees, Doujin Writer Hong Yoo Hee snorted, while Soldier Hong Yoo Hee narrowed her brows even more and spoke.
“Anyway, Raid Leader, the change of clothes is a serious problem.”
That was why Raid Leader Hong Yoo Hee nodded her head, and the Hong Yoo Hee in reality cautiously spoke.
“U-Umm… Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“I-If my clothes are being washed… what should I wear then…”
“Eh? Uh… Uh… Well…”
Kang Jin-ho was perplexed.
He could keep thinking rationally even on a battlefield where bullets rained, but he could not this time.
He stuttered and forced his brain to work.
“T-shirt… Yes, that. T-shirt. I have some new ones. Underwear too. Yeah… maybe that?”
“I-Is it new?”
“Oh, it’s new. Everything is new. It’s still in its package. The shorts aren’t new, but…”
“T-That will be fine with me…”
Because it was new.
Because it was not worn yet.
And T-shirts are common for both sexes.
The underwear was also brand new, so she could wear it for now even if it was for men.
Shorts were what one wore over the underwear, so it was fine.
‘Yes, it’s fine. It will be fine!’
That was what Hong Yoo Hee thought at that time.
‘What do you mean by it’s fine!’
At the bathroom.
To be exact, at the bathroom next to the living room.
The structure itself was familiar.
Because it was the same as the bathroom in her home.
But that alone did not calm her mind.
The structure was the same, but the appearance was different.
First of all, the color of the light was different.
‘That’s not what’s important!’
There was something else that was really, really important.
The T-shirt was really new and the shorts had an elastic waist band, so there was no problem in wearing those.
The real problem was the underwear.
‘I-Is this the so-called drawers?’
A tight-fitting underwear for men.
There was a recent trend of unisex drawers, so women could also wear it.
Anyway, about that.
“Eueueue…”
She had never observed male underwear so closely.
Hong Yoo Hee inspected the drawers here and there with a blushing face, and could not help in imagining one thing even if she did not like it.
She imagined the oppa next door wearing nothing but drawers.
‘Aueueue…’
S-Should I say that it’s cool? No, rather than cool, what should I call it?
Something that makes me drool?
‘Am I crazy? Why am I drooling!’
It was the moment Hong Yoo Hee yelled at herself.
“Uh, I’ll be somewhere else for a while, so please leave the clothes to be washed outside the door.”
Hong Yoo Hee raised her head and shouted in response to the voice from outside the bathroom door.
“Y-Yes!”
She had to put her clothes outside.
Which meant, she had to take off her clothes first in order to do that.
She had to do that in the house of someone else.
And in the bathroom of the oppa next door.
‘Euaaaaaaaa.’
Hong Yoo Hee grabbed her head and took a deep breath.
She felt and thought that it was strange.
She tried to take a step back, calm down, and think about it.
‘But it’s still weird!’
Uwaah.
I hate you, mom. I hate you, dad.
Why did you go on a trip?
Why is the door broken?
Hong Yoo Hee was in tears as she took off her clothes and sniffled. She restlessly moved in her agony before placing her clothes outside the door.
‘I can no longer marry! I can no longer marry!’
Hong Yoo Hee sobbed as she slowly began to wash herself.
And 20 minutes later.
It actually took her less than 10 minutes to wash herself, but it took her another 10 minutes to wear the clothes prepared by Kang Jin-ho.
A big and oversized white shirt, and shorts she reluctantly shortened.
Inside was a male drawers.
Hong Yoo Hee stepped out and faced Kang Jin-ho who turned his gaze away and dryly coughed again.
“Ehem, ehem. Uh… well… Miss Yoo Hee? Have you… contacted your parents?”
In fact, she had no time to do it. As soon as he brought her home, he gave an explanation and sent her to the bathroom.
But it was an important matter, so Hong Yoo Hee came to her senses at his words and quickly grabbed her cellphone.
“I-I’ll do it now!”
Hong Yoo Hee wanted to call right away, but saw Kang Jin-ho and changed her mind. She then used KakaoTalk.
She went into the family chat room and told about the current situation, that is, that the door was broken and she could not get in, and not the situation of her going to the house of the oppa next door while drenched wet, taking a shower, and putting on his clothes. So the reply of her mother was simple.
[It’s already late, so call the key man tomorrow morning. Go to the bathhouse instead of the internet café. Okay?]
Perhaps because Hong Yoo Hee had stayed in the internet café several times before, her mother was relaxed even though her daughter would be staying overnight outside.
‘Because it’s our neighborhood.’
It was not just any other town as it was the town they had lived in for more than 10 years.
The reaction of her mother would definitely be completely different if she had known where her daughter was now or the current situation.
‘L-Let’s not talk about useless things.’
And she deeply inhaled.
Hong Yoo Hee took a long breath before raising her head and saying.
“M-Mom says to call the key man tomorrow morning.”
“I-Is that so? Then today…”
Silence fell again between Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yoo Hee.
But that silence was not a still silence.
Because a heated discussion was going on in the minds of Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yoo Hee, and a red alarm began ringing in their minds.
Ten seconds passed like that.
A few minutes passed.
“Uh… Miss Yoo Hee?”
“Yes?”
Hong Yoo Hee looked at Kang Jin-ho with a red face and some anticipation she was unaware of.
And at that gaze, Kang Jin-ho swallowed hard and uttered completely different words from what he had originally intended.
“Do you… want to play games?”
“G-Games?”
“Uh, yes. A game. Yes, games.”
Games.
To have fun playing.
Hong Yoo Hee blinked at the suggestion of Kang Jin-ho, but soon nodded as if she had been possessed.
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