After school, Jinwoo was walking to Sohee's school to pick her up.
He knew Daeho was the culprit but he didn't tell Sohee anything about it.
The diet method that Sinbi noona mentioned was something a regular high-class student wouldn't easily think of or pull off.
If that's the case, like Daeho said, there must be a ringleader, and Jinwoo figured this person must be connected to someone around Sohee or Sinbi noona.
"Sending you the address now, so come find this place!!"
Sohee hung up after dropping that line during the call and texted him the address.
He arrived at a dessert cafe near the school.
The cafe was cute with big windows that let you see everything inside.
Peeking inside through the window, Jinwoo saw Sohee and her friends sitting around a table.
One of her friends, who recognized Jinwoo, waved at him.
It was Sinbi noona.
Seeing Sinbi noona's face, Jinwoo felt relieved.
He walked in through the cafe door.
Sohee, Sinbi noona, and three other noonas he saw the other day at the park were sitting around a table forming a circle.
"Jinwoo, come sit here~"
Sinbi noona, sitting next to Sohee, scooted over to make space and called Jinwoo to the empty chair.
Jinwoo bowed to the noonas and sat down in the chair Sinbi noona had prepared for him.
"Jinwoo's here?"
"Hi~"
"Welcome~"
The three noonas greeted Jinwoo one after the other.
Because it was near the school, unlike in the park, they were neatly dressed in their school uniforms.
"Do you remember us?"
The noona sitting in the middle, who had her blouse buttons undone to reveal a bit of her underwear, spoke first.
"Uh... yes, from the park..."
Jinwoo stuttered in response, remembering his first impression of them.
"Oh, you remembered?"
The 'underwear noona' seemed pleased.
Her name was Yoon Sora, and the noonas sitting beside her were Kang Semi and Jung Saerom.
"So what's up, Sohee?"
After the introductions, Jinwoo awkwardly looked at Sohee and asked.
"Just thought we'd grab some cake since I'm here~"
Jinwoo continued to sit there, eating the cake and drink that noona bought.
It didn't seem like she had called him to the cafe for any particular reason.
The noonas would occasionally talk to him or include him in conversations, mostly about topics common among girls like high school boys, clothes, cosmetics, and celebrities.
Then, while Sohee went to the restroom,
Jinwoo waited for her to leave and quietly said to Sinbi noona, "I figured out the answer to that thing."
"Wow, really? I thought you'd call me about it, but you solved it on your own?"
Sinbi noona looked at him surprised.
"Want to write it on my palm?"
Sinbi noona offered her palm to Jinwoo, who slowly wrote the letters S E X on it.
"Right?"
Jinwoo asked nervously.
Sinbi noona blushed slightly and nodded with a smile.
"But is that even possible with that?"
"Who knows? I don't really know either, but since you got it right, I guess I owe you a prize?"
Sinbi noona spoke with a redder face.
"A prize?"
Jinwoo hadn't expected any prize talk.
Sinbi noona started fiddling with her smartphone.
Soon, a notification sounded like a message had been sent to Jinwoo's phone, and as he went to check it, "Not now, check it secretly later."
Sinbi noona stopped him.
"Later?"
Jinwoo asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, only by yourself, okay? You can't show it to Sohee, got it?"
Sinbi noona admonished him.
After that, Sohee returned, and after some more conversation on various topics, Sohee and Jinwoo headed home.
* * *
On the way home,
The sky was clear and sunny.
The fresh, snug air wrapped around them like a little afternoon gift.
Today, Jinwoo and Sohee walked side by side like close siblings or lovers.
"Who did you like the most at the cafe earlier?"
Sohee suddenly asked Jinwoo.
"What are you talking about?"
Jinwoo asked back, confused by the sudden question.
"Who looked the prettiest to you?"
Sohee rephrased her question.
"Obviously Sohee!!"
Jinwoo replied casually as if it was obvious.
Sohee looked slightly dumbfounded for a moment and then asked, "Not me, like if you were to date someone, who would it be?"
"Girlfriend? What are you talking about suddenly?"
"Just answer me quickly."
"Um... then Sinbi noona?"
Jinwoo seemed to ponder for a bit before responding.
"Sinbi?"
Sohee looked surprised for a moment.
"Do you like Sinbi?"
"It's not so much about liking, but you know, she's pretty, and she's close to you, Sohee. Her tone and personality seem to mesh well with me."
Jinwoo elaborated a bit more than necessary.
"You've known Sinbi for quite a while, haven't you?"
"It seems so..."
"No way?"
Sohee mulled it over to herself before nodding in agreement.
"I didn't know that."
"Why are you asking this?"
"It's nothing..."
Sohee suddenly adopted a teasing tone and expression.
Then she immediately smiled as if pleased and approached Jinwoo, "But the prettiest one is me, right?"
"Ah... um..."
Jinwoo, flustered,
"I'm tired today, so I need to lean on you a bit~"
Sohee linked her arm with Jinwoo's and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Jinwoo was just tall enough that her cheek could rest on his shoulder.
Her ample bosom pressed against his arm and elbow.
Jinwoo's manhood began to stir involuntarily.
Flustered, Jinwoo said,
"Just a moment, Sohee."
He pushed her arm away and turned his back to her, creating some distance.
He put down his bag, took off his jacket, and draped it over one arm to cover himself.
Then he picked up his bag again, slung it over his shoulder, and faced Sohee again with an embarrassed smile.
As all this unfolded, Sohee watched him and chuckled disbelief.
Jinwoo could distinctly hear his heart pounding.
"Men really have it tough."
Sohee said, sounding sympathetic as they walked arm in arm.
Then, suddenly thinking of something, she snapped, "But isn't it a bit too much how often you do that? Do you have some sort of illness? Shouldn't you see a doctor?"
"Jeez, I wouldn't be like this if it weren't for Mom or Minji being around!!"
Jinwoo raised his voice, feeling he too had something to argue.
He regretted mentioning Minji as soon as he said it.
"Hmm~?"
Sohee seemed to ponder this.
Did she catch on that Jinwoo might be infatuated with Minji as well?
Then, teasingly, she chuckled,
"So, Jinwoo, between Mom and me, who do you think is prettier?"
It was a bewildering question.
-I've never thought about it-
"What kind of question is that?"
Jinwoo stammered.
"You said I was the prettiest among your friends earlier, right? How about compared to Mom?"
Sohee was curious about a lot today.
"Mom's pretty because you look like her,"
Jinwoo replied, thinking he found a wise answer.
"Really?"
Sohee asked nonchalantly.
"That's just how it is..."
Jinwoo still looked troubled.
Sohee, unsatisfied with the answer, leaned in close and whispered playfully, "So, who do you think of more when you masturbate?"
Jinwoo blushed deeply and turned his head away.
"Jeez, don't know, who counts that sort of thing?"
As Jinwoo tried to hastily shrug her off, Sohee used her arms and chest to pin him down more firmly.
Her breasts changed shape as they pressed against Jinwoo's arms.
"You've thought about it with Mom and me? Countless times? Teehee."
Sohee teased him, finding it amusing.
"Ugh..."
Unable to do anything, Jinwoo bowed his head, swallowing his embarrassment and frustration.
Sohee's behavior, exerting dominance and teasing to the point of discomfort, deeply triggered an aggressive desire in Jinwoo that he himself didn't fully understand.
"Teehee. Jinwoo, I really need to find you a girlfriend soon,"
Sohee whispered quietly.
Hearing this, Jinwoo felt a vague sense of emptiness and loss.
The warmth and connection they shared seemed to snap and chill abruptly.
A sticky discomfort filled Jinwoo's chest