All of My Days

4

December 31, 2006

Seri bit a tiny piece of meat and put the chopsticks down on the table, lowering her gaze at the pristine white tablecloth.

"Now why would you bring this up, you know I hate it when you brag," her mother said coldly.

For a few moments, only the sounds of the spoons and metal chopsticks clattering against dinnerware were heard in the room. As usual, Seri lost appetite before she could even chew her third bite of food.

Her brothers spent a good 20 minutes before and at the start of the dinner talking about their exams, so she thought it was fitting to mention that she was, in fact, also done with hers, having gotten on top of her class yet again. Apparently no, this was not a good time to talk about this, judging by the displeased look on her mother's face, a loud puff from Se Jun, and a roll of Se Hyung's eyes in her direction. Her father, who seemed to be listening, averted his gaze and stared at his own plate, chewing slowly.

With no one to turn for support, Seri nodded, pressing a cloth napkin to her lips.

"Sorry, I am done," she informed her family.

"Will you be joining us for the party?" Her father asked suddenly.

Seri looked up around the table, seeing how her brothers' attention been caught by that question. She knew exactly what they were thinking.

"No, I think I am all partied out since Christmas. I think I am just going to call it a night," she said and noticed how both her brothers and her mother visibly relaxed hearing her answer. She knew they were hoping she wouldn't join them, especially after what happened at the Christmas party at their friends' mansion.

"Are you sure?" Her father checked again and Seri nodded. "OK then. Have a good night. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Seri got up from the table, bowed slightly in no one's direction in particular, and hurried to her room. She really did not want company tonight. Jeong Hyeok said he might be able to login that evening and he was the only company she craved.

Dropping by the kitchen to grab a soda and some snacks, she headed to her room with a slight bounce in her step.

The past few months have been better for her than the beginning of the year. She focused on school, and luckily her brothers got busy with their lives and stopped pestering her, at least for a little while. She spent a beautiful autumn in Seoul enjoying her now more frequent runs (she joined the track team eventually, running solo this time around) and occasional walks along the streams connecting different parts of the city through a water web, all eventually leading to the Han river. She took photos of the city and sent them to Jeong Hyeok, wanting to share the views. A couple of times he convinced her to send him a selfie, showering her with compliments for days afterward.

They spent a lot of time chatting and writing short letters whenever they couldn't find each other online for more than a day or two. Seri, never one glued to her phone before, now never let it out of her hands. Unfortunately, she had to turn her phone in during her classes, but otherwise, it was always in her hand, with data turned on in case Jeong Hyeok can suddenly login without warning.

They've shared a few other steamy conversations, always with her being shy at first, but him encouraging her to open up more with his eloquent words and romantic innuendos. These chats always left her wanting more, so she took a habit of thinking about him, about them, every night before she went to sleep. Every once in a while she would wake up in the middle of the night, flushed with red cheeks, breathing heavily, with mental images of his lips in hers, his hands gently caressing the parts of her body that she was only starting to become brave enough to explore herself. A couple of times when she woke up the throbbing between her legs so strong that she would stuff a pillow between her knees and press her thighs tight together, remembering his words and his elusive touch, until a bright ray of pleasure coursed through her entire being bringing sweet release.