Netkama Punch!!!

“Hey, where are you going?”

He said he’d buy me chicken, but next thing I knew, Shin Heejae had driven past the city center and merged onto the highway. I sat there spacing out, only realizing once we were speeding along the expressway that he was up to his bullshit again. I glared at him.
“Don’t tell me we’re going to fucking Donghae or something?”
Heejae burst into snickers like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. But when I raised a fist, he quickly added in that smug-ass voice:

“Just need to swing by home for a bit.”
“Where, Seoul?”
“Yeah.”

“Then go by yourself!”
“I’ll buy you chicken at home.”
Even as I stared at him in disbelief, he just kept smiling like a goddamn idiot. And then, just to top it off, he cranked up some obnoxious pop song so loud I thought the speakers would explode.

‘God… I fucking hate this.’
But the second I plugged my ears, he turned down the volume and started singing along off-key. Unlike me, he looked like he was in the best mood in the world. I turned away from him, leaned my forehead against the window, and stared out.
‘Still… it’s been a while since I’ve ridden in a car like this.’

I think the last ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ time was in middle school—one of those rare family road trips with my dad driving. After that, we never went anywhere together. No long trips, no vacations. So looking up at the wide open sky and watching the cars rush past… it wasn’t boring.
Fwwsh.
As I sat dazed, Heejae cracked the window. A rush of cool, fresh wind blew in. I pretended not to notice and closed my eyes, letting my body relax.

Heejae spoke up.
“Noona, you don’t get carsick, huh.”
“I do. Every time I see you.”

“Does your heart race and everything?”
“Yeah. Makes me wanna beat the shit out of you.”
I kept my eyes closed as I answered, and heard him let out a deflated laugh.
Thankfully, he stopped bothering me after that, so I actually dozed off a little. By the time I woke up from the bumps of speed bumps, we were already entering the city.

After passing through some busy downtown streets, we arrived in a residential neighborhood. A little later, a sleek white building came into view, and Heejae pulled into its underground parking lot.
“Noona. We’re here.”
“…”

I silently followed him out of the car. We passed through a parking lot filled with fancy-looking cars and entered the building. Heejae used a digital key on his phone to get in and pressed the button for the third floor.
‘He really lives here…?’
As we got out of the elevator, I realized that it connected directly into his apartment. I was even more surprised. Just the entryway alone was easily half the size of my entire room. Heejae casually kicked off his shoes and opened the door to the main space.

“…”
I followed him in, quietly stunned by how tidy and spacious the place was. An open-plan living room, a nice sofa, and a ridiculously large kitchen came into view. Heejae stopped in front of a door at the back of the living room and looked at me.
I couldn’t help but ask the obvious.

“You… live here alone?”
“Now I’m gonna live with you.”
“Oh, fuck off. Quit joking around.”

Heejae chuckled and turned around. Then, with that unmistakably calculated tone, he opened the door and gestured.
“This is our bedroom.”
“Get lost.”

I caught a glimpse of the master bedroom through the open door. The whole room had a clean, gray tone. It was dark thanks to the blinds, but it didn’t feel claustrophobic. The space was just that wide.
Heejae strode right in and disappeared into what looked like another room connected to the bedroom. The way he moved around made it clear this was his home. But even then, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being lied to.
‘Why…’

Why the hell was he mooching off someone else’s semi-basement when he lived in a place like this?
A moment later, he came back out after changing out of his jacket and called to me awkwardly.
“Noona, are you really hungry?”

“...Not really.”
“I’m starving. Should I order?”
“…Yeah, whatever.”

He looked at his phone, probably checking a delivery app.
While he was distracted, I glanced over at the kitchen again.
Everything looked custom-fitted and sparkling clean. Built-in appliances, marble countertops in a sleek C-shape layout, a coffee machine, a water purifier, and some other machine I didn’t even recognize—all lined up neatly.

Then our eyes met. I’d been staring again without realizing it.
“Do you drink coffee?” I asked.
“Coffee? Nah.”

“Then… why do you have that machine?”
“Someone gave it to me as a gift.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that, so I clammed up. Heejae walked over to me and asked:

“Wanna drink some?”
“No.”
“Cola? I think we have some.”

He passed me and opened the fridge. Inside, it was packed with booze and soda.
‘Jesus Christ, he must drink like a fish.’
I stared at him, slightly horrified. He just squinted at the fridge, disappointed.

“No cola, huh.”
“...I said I’m good.”
“Don’t they usually give you one with chicken? Just drink that.”

With that, he walked over and grabbed my wrist. I nearly jumped. Even when I tried to twist away, he didn’t care and dragged me straight into his room.
So that’s how I was forcibly led into his bedroom.
“Why the hell are you yanking me around?!”

“You kept looking around, so I figured I’d give you a tour.”
“When did I?!”
His guess had hit the mark, which pissed me off even more. Heejae just kept smiling, and started talking without even being asked.

“Noona, this bed is amazing.”
“…”
“Wanna try it?”

“Didn’t I tell you to cut the pervy shit?”
“So you did catch on?”
I smacked him a few times, but he still managed to get me to sit on the bed. Then he kept nudging me to lie down.

I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but it was obviously a super expensive bed. And it was massive—exactly the kind I liked. So, reluctantly, I laid back. Of course, I was ready to kick him in the gut if he so much as leaned in.
‘Holy shit…’
The moment I laid down, it felt like my whole back just melted. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt. I instinctively widened my eyes at how soft it was. Compared to my old creaky mattress? Not even close.

Heejae read the surprise on my face and smirked.
“Nice, right?”
“…Hey. How much was this?”

“Want me to buy you one?”
“…”
That actually got me thinking for a second. And Heejae, noticing my hesitation, sat down next to me and watched my expression.

Then—
“Wanna sleep over tonight?”
He asked.

I stared at his annoyingly nonchalant face, then shot upright.
“No.”
“Why not?”

“I can’t sleep in other people’s houses.”
He nodded like he understood. And for a second, my suspicion toward him actually eased a bit.
‘I thought he was trying to use the bed as bait to trick me into staying over…’

Maybe he wasn’t that much of a piece of shit? Ever since that day he pinned me down and groped my chest, I’d gotten tense whenever I was alone in a room with him.
But this time, he backed off so easily I let my guard down and laid back down. Heejae just stood a step away, watching me quietly.
Ding-dong―.

The intercom buzzed from the living room.
“Chicken’s here.”
“…”

Heejae left the room, picked up the food, and came back to the kitchen. I sluggishly got up and sat down at the table where the chicken boxes were spread out.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge—my favorite brand, of course. The chicken was spicy, which made it perfect for beer. Damn it.
“Want a beer?”

“Huh?”
“You’ve been staring at it.”
I hesitated, but Heejae handed me the one he’d already opened and grabbed another. I held the can and threw out a random question.

“Are you good at drinking?”
He scratched his cheek and answered.
“Not really. One drink and I’m out.”

“Liar. Your fridge is a whole damn liquor store.”
“That’s all my friends’ stuff. You told me to quit drinking, remember? Now I don’t even know what to do with it.”
“…”

“How much can you drink?”
“About two bottles of soju?”
“Whoa. That’s solid.”

I figured drinking with him wouldn’t be much fun if he was that much of a lightweight.
I cracked the beer open and poured it slowly into the glass he offered. He only filled his own glass halfway and clinked it against mine in a slightly awkward toast.