Chapter 23 : Apologize with your body

“The concept I just mentioned applies here, here. Like this. This much is fine, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

It’s good, but… Could you button up your shirt a bit…?

Just five minutes.

That was enough to completely break my focus.

‘Don’t tell me… you got excited over something like this?’

The competitive spirit that had surged to the top of my head vanished without a trace.

A defenseless woman with her shirt slightly undone, revealing a glimpse of skin.

Earlier, she definitely said she loosened it because she was hot, but…

‘This is obscene…’

The same outfit looks completely different when worn by someone you like.

This is clearly meant to tempt me.

I always thought she had a great figure, but seeing her flaunt it so openly makes it hard to resist.

“…The formula applied here is the same. Want to try solving it?”

“Yeah…”

The sharpened pencil appeared before my eyes.

After passing it from hand to hand, I stared blankly at the textbook.

Between the lines, the scene from earlier flashed in my mind.

Soft flesh that I could stare at for a lifetime without getting bored.

Even now, those curves linger in my vision.

What would it feel like to bury my nose between them and take a deep breath?

If I just reached out, slid my hand under her shirt, and pulled her chest out…

“…Is this too hard for you?”

“Huh?! N-no?!”

The sudden voice in my ear snapped me back to reality.

Only then did I properly look at the problem.

“Uh… this… like this?”

“Right. Good job. You should at least manage this much, right?”

“Hahaha… What’s with you all of a sudden…”

Why is she so calm?

Unlike me, who’s desperate to touch her tempting skin, she’s just teasing me leisurely.

‘This doesn’t make sense.’

Why is she so hot all of a sudden?

Does it even make sense to only unbutton the top part if you’re really hot?

It’s obvious she’s trying to seduce me.

I’m 100% sure, but I don’t have solid proof.

“Now then—”

Yena starts explaining something again.

With an ambiguous expression, I sneak a glance at her cleavage.

Every time she moves her pen, her arm presses against her chest.

The way it shifts is… obscene. Hard to resist.

I could just hypnotize her and grope her right now, but…

‘Feels like I’d be losing somehow…’

I don’t even understand my own feelings.

Now that an easy path has opened, I don’t feel like taking it.

Maybe because easy paths can be walked anytime.

Or maybe it’s just my competitive side.

Just showing me a pink screen turns me into her puppet, and she keeps trying to dominate me.

I don’t like that.

“…”

Yena, diligently explaining something next to me.

I rest my chin on one hand and watch her quietly.

Unfazed, she continues her explanation.

‘It’s a little embarrassing, but…’

My other hand rests near her collar.

…You started this.

A few days ago, when I was pinned beneath her—

No, wait.

The command I gave.

Thinking back on it—

‘Think of me as your slave—’

Maybe Yena wants my body too…

She was lukewarm to other commands, but when I allowed her to touch me, she suddenly changed.

“About this much? If you understand up to here, the lesson won’t be a prob—”

“…”

“What are you doing?”

“I-I’m hot too! Yeah, so I’m gonna undo mine…!”

Why am I stuttering…?!

Anyway, as planned, I undo two buttons.

A slight sense of freedom, the warm air touching my bare skin.

I can feel her gaze boring into my exposed chest.

‘How’s that? You wanna touch it too, don’t you?’

A counterattack, so to speak.

I don’t know why she tempted me, but her challenge succeeded—

It was so distracting I couldn’t focus on studying.

But what goes around comes around.

To make her suffer like I did, I bared my chest.

The composition is a bit weird, but it’s a perfect counter.

A little embarrassing, though. Ahem.

“Oh? That’s fine. Let’s continue.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Yena smirked, as if pleased.

For a moment, her sticky gaze lingered on my chest, but that was it.

‘This isn’t working…?’

Is she really unaffected?

Yena turns her eyes back to the textbook.

This feels unfair. Who do you think you are?

At this point, studying—my original goal—has fallen to the bottom of my priorities.

Now I just want to see this woman flustered because of me.

What should I do to make her panic…? Hmm…

‘…I don’t know.’

“How would I know how to seduce a woman?”

Until now… she just did everything for me without me having to move.

I racked my brain, but there was no real progress.

The same situation from earlier just kept repeating.

Me stealing glances at Yena,

And Yena diligently teaching me.

Around the time I started feeling drowsy—

“Hayul, should we stop here for today? Let’s take a break and go home.”

“…Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure!”

“Slow response. Still hot?”

Thud— The textbook closed.

Yena started fanning me with her hand.

A cool breeze brushed over me.

“Not really. I’m fine now.”

“Oh? Well… actually.”

“…A-actually?”

A shiver ran down my spine.

Her playful eyes locked onto mine.

Experience told me that whenever she looked at me like this…

“Student. You keep losing focus. What’s on your mind?”

“N-no, it’s just… Ugh…”

“It’s worse today. Hayul, what’s wrong? Hmm?”

Her teasing questions were killing me.

‘Your chest is too distracting…’

I could never say that out loud.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake off the thoughts, trembling slightly.

After a moment, I sighed and relaxed.

I just wanted to rest like this for a while.

“No answer…? What sinful thoughts are you having, student?”

Her smug tone annoyed me, so I muttered back.

“…Why ask if you already know?”

…I shouldn’t have said that.

“Know what? That you keep staring at my chest?”

“Wha—?!”

S-she knew the whole time?!

My eyes widened, unease creeping up my spine.

I thought she didn’t notice after the first few times.

Panicked, my words tangled.

“S-since when…?!”

“The whole time. I thought you’d burn a hole through me.”

What does that even mean…?

She acted completely unaware—or so I thought.

Ahem.

I coughed awkwardly before speaking again, my voice shaky.

“If you knew… why didn’t you…?”

“At first, I thought it was accidental. I came here to teach, after all. But…”

“…”

“It got worse over time. Eventually, you were just… sigh.”

I scrambled for an excuse.

“…W-well, it’s your fault—!”

“My fault?”

“You tempted me first—”

“Tempted you? Since when?”

“Y-your shirt…”

“Unbuttoning it? I said I was hot. You did the same later. Right?”

She really had just loosened it because of the heat.

I’d misunderstood, thinking she was seducing me.

And then I’d undone mine too, as a counterattack.

“Y-yeah. Right.”

“Did I stare at your chest? Or get distracted while teaching?”

“W-well, no…! But, ugh…”

She was right.

Aside from that one time at the start,

Yena never even glanced at my chest.

I thought she was avoiding it on purpose, but maybe not.

Maybe she really was just cooling off.

I was the one who misinterpreted it as seduction.

“Shouldn’t you be apologizing for peeping?”

“…”

Now that she said it, she had a point.

Her confident tone scattered my thoughts.

She showed skin first, but I was the one who kept staring.

And I’ve heard women are sensitive to gazes.

She probably felt every look.

‘Was she… really upset?’

Yena pressed on, not letting me think.

“Aren’t you going to apologize?”

“…”

“Hmm… My heart hurts… I tried so hard to teach you, but you kept thinking about other things.”

“…”

“Is this why I came here? Sniff…”

She wasn’t wrong.

I couldn’t control my desires…

Yena came here to teach me.

And I’m just a hopeless student…

“A student who keeps staring at my body… Next thing you know, you’ll—”

“KYAAAH…! S-stop! I’ll apologize!”

“Oh? Finally feeling sorry?”

“…”

I slid off the chair, kneeling on the floor.

Hands on my knees, I bowed my head and pleaded.

“Yena, I’m really sorry… I was wrong…”

But she wasn’t satisfied.

“That’s it?”

“Uh, uh…! I’m sorry for staring at your chest…!”

She probably wanted me to confess every sin.

I racked my brain, listing my crimes.

“…”

“I tried so hard to teach you, but you kept getting distracted, and then—”

“Enough.”

Silence.

That one word froze me in place.

Staring at my knees, I couldn’t see her.

Rustle— Fabric brushed against the floor.

Yena stood and slowly walked behind me.

A soft breath tickled my ear—she must’ve leaned in close.

I held my breath.

How long did I wait?

When I finally exhaled, shallow and silent,

The air filled my lungs, soothing my tense body.

Just as I started to relax—

“…Are you only apologizing with words?”

“Eek?!”

“Apologize… with your body.”