Loss always strikes without warning.
"Hoo…"
Dad had been swept up in a monster disaster and died.
If only I'd known, I would've taken better care of him.
Mom had been taken by a monster disaster too, so Dad and I had stuck together thick as thieves, just the two of us.
Even after the funeral, the sense of loss crashed over me without any time to prepare, clinging to my heavy heart like it had no intention of letting go.
Sitting alone in the silent living room, staring blankly at the ceiling, the harsh reality of being truly on my own began to sink in, slow and steady.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Kang Ihyeon, a 21-year-old college student.
That was all I had going for me.
A total greenhorn who'd barely dipped a toe into the real world.
I could scrape by for now on the inheritance Dad left behind and the compensation from the monster disaster, but that didn't make the future any less daunting.
As the waves of reality battered me and I tried to look away for a moment, a cheerful doorbell chime yanked my mind back to the present.
"Huh? Who's that?"
Ihyeon dragged his sluggish, sinking body toward the door to check.
"Se-ah sister?"
There, on the intercom screen, stood the woman who was pretty much the closest thing to family outside of blood—my neighbor.
Yoon Se-ah.
Four years older than me, she was the shut-in next door who rarely left her room, but our families had gotten along well enough.
She'd lost both her parents to monster disasters too, so we bonded over that shared pain. And for me, having lost Mom, I'd always craved that maternal warmth—four years wasn't much of an age gap, and she was a woman, so I naturally gravitated toward her.
Dad had quietly looked out for her too, knowing she was out here facing this brutal world alone. That's how we'd ended up in this comfortable, casual rhythm.
[I-Ihyeon? You in there?]
"Ah… sorry, Se-ah sister. Got lost in thought there. Hang on, I'll open the door right now."
Ihyeon shook off the fog from days of sleepless funeral arrangements and hurriedly swung open the front door to let her in.
"S-sorry. Was I waking you?"
Even though she'd done nothing wrong, she approached with her usual timid air, hesitant and gloomy, mumbling awkwardly.
After so long cooped up like a total hermit, she'd even started stuttering.
"Nah. Come on in. For you, I'd jump out of bed even in my sleep."
Ihyeon welcomed Yoon Se-ah warmly, treating her like a benefactor.
"E-excuse the intrusion."
She slipped off her shoes with the caution of someone afraid of breaking something fragile and stepped inside.
Ihyeon guided her to the living room sofa and, as always, got started on some coffee.
"What brings you over so suddenly, Se-ah sister? You must be tired too…"
He set down the coffee loaded with milk, just how she liked it, his voice soft and laced with gratitude as he asked what was up.
And no wonder—Yoon Se-ah, who was awkward and scared around people, had shown up at Dad's funeral and stuck by my side for a full three days.
She'd trembled at every stranger who came through the doors but still done her best to show respect and help out wherever she could. If that didn't make her a lifesaver, what did?
I'd vowed to repay her somehow, even as I shoved down the fresh, tender feelings she stirred in my chest.
"Th-thanks… Hoo… hoo~ hoo~"
Se-ah hadn't slept properly in days either; she looked even more disheveled and shadowy than usual.
Ihyeon's gaze habitually swept over her as she blew on the hot coffee I'd made.
They say all women smell nice.
Even though the funeral had just wrapped and I hadn't properly showered myself, a faint, oddly intoxicating body scent wafted from her, stirring something deep in my chest.
Maybe it was the long black hair reaching down to her waist intensifying it. The split ends looked ragged, though—he resolved to gift her some good conditioner.
Is Se-ah sister just naturally womanly? Or is that two-tone dye job the trend these days?
Her hair looked like spilled ink at first glance, deep black on the outside, but the inner strands shimmered with a subtle purple hue.
It hadn't been like that before; probably some adult urge to spruce herself up after hitting adulthood. He'd never pried.
Droopy eyes with violet irises like violets, skin so pale it was the perfect fit for the word "ghostly," and that perpetual troubled half-smile always playing on her lips.
That was Yoon Se-ah.
This must be what they mean by love is blind.
Ihyeon was into Yoon Se-ah as a woman.
We'd hung out since I was a kid, and over time, her kindness and gentleness had snuck up on me until I realized I liked her.
He'd been careful, slowly closing the distance to respect her shyness… and then this happened.
"Hoo…"
"Tired?"
As Ihyeon let out a heavy sigh, facing the void of his future, Se-ah looked at him with concern from across the sofa.
"Nah. Just feeling lost."
Did she sense my worry?
Yoon Se-ah fidgeted with her hands, then stood and shuffled over to my side.
And without warning, plopped right down next to me.
"Se-ah sister?"
"..."
Her trembling hand gripped mine tightly.
The faint warmth seeping from her palm chased away my worries for a moment.
"U-uu… uuuu…!"
As I savored her touch, a strange groan leaked from her lips.
I glanced over, wondering what it was, and saw her face flushed like it might burst, her whole body rigid.
She'd tried to comfort me in her own way, but the tension and embarrassment had overwhelmed her limits.
Ihyeon nearly burst out laughing at how earnest she was, but now wasn't the time. He leaned into her kindness instead.
Grateful for the shared warmth, he gently patted the back of her hand.
"Thanks."
Just those two words.
After all our years together, nothing more was needed.
Se-ah bolted back to her seat across from me like a wild animal touching fire.
Her body, padded just right from years as a shut-in—like perfect rice cake dough—jiggled right in front of my eyes.
He barely held back from staring at those full breasts that'd feel heavenly squeezed tight or the way her ample hips spread out, squished against the sofa.
Of all days, she shows up in an outfit that hugs her curves. It's even harder to look away than usual.
Ihyeon wrestled down the surge of desire sparked by clothes that traced every line of her figure.
The sexy dress that "new town housewives" supposedly wore—a nonsense gift he'd forced on her, claiming it'd suit her.
She'd screamed she'd never wear it if her life depended on it.
No clue why she'd chosen today to put it on, but damn if it wasn't a feast for the eyes.
He forced his lecherous gaze away from her plump thighs and calves peeking from under the skirt and asked again about her visit.
"Se-ah sister, thanks for everything. You really gave me a boost. I'll pay you back someday, promise."
"Ah, uh… y-yeah. No need to th-thank me."
"So, what's really up? Here to cheer me up?"
"W-well… um… it's… ugh, uuuum…"
Se-ah stuttered worse than usual, trembling as she groped for words.
Her eyes darted everywhere, sweat beading on her skin—it was clearly something big.
The heat radiating from her tension practically rippled the air.
"Nothing you can't tell me, right? Come on, spill it."
Like she'd done for my gloomy ass earlier, he gently took her fidgeting hand as she squirmed in nerves.
"Eek?!"
She jolted like he'd touched something forbidden but didn't pull away, just shivered.
Maybe she saw me as more than a neighbor kid too—but I couldn't be sure.
Terrified she only thought of me that way, he'd put off confessing under the excuse of "being considerate" of her shyness.
He knew he was pathetic, but everything had its order.
At least, that's what he told himself.
"Ah, uh… aaah, ah, aaa…"
Her voice broke like a glitchy machine, so he dropped the teasing and looked at her seriously.
Feeling his earnest gaze, Se-ah worked her mouth, picked her words, and finally spoke.
"Ihyeon."
"Yeah, sister. I'm listening."
No stutter—she'd clearly made up her mind.
Her violet eyes shook like an earthquake, limbs twitching uncontrollably, but there was no calming that.
Yoon Se-ah gathered every ounce of courage in her life and laid her heart bare to the man before her.
"Be my husband."
"...…Pardon?"
Polite speech slipped out unbidden.
Before the pain of loss had even faded, the girl next door dropped a bombshell straight out of a dream on me.