2.2

The restaurant was decorated with elegant antique furniture.  

A feast far too large for just three people was spread across the round table. She instinctively took pictures of the various salads, pastas, risottos, and pizzas.  

“Let’s eat well.”  

“Enjoy your meal.”  

Alright, let’s just eat…  

She took small portions of the various dishes onto her plate and began to eat.  

“Yebom, are you okay after staying up late last night?”  

“……!”  

Her eyes widened as she looked at Hyunho.  

Was he indirectly referring to my self-pleasure? Or was he just talking about how I had mentioned my insomnia in the living room earlier?  

After a brief pause, she nodded.  

“Yeah, I slept in this morning, so I’m fine. How about you? Did the surgery go well?”  

Not knowing his true intent, she chose to assume the latter explanation.  

“Yeah, the cat’s surgery went smoothly.”  

“Wow, that’s great.”  

She awkwardly smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.  

“Thanks. Oh, by the way, Yebom, you don’t have a smartwatch, do you?”  

“A smartwatch? No, I don’t.”  

She rarely wore wristwatches because she found them bothersome.  

“We should get one soon. You can set it up to contact the police or a pre-registered number in case of emergencies. Hopefully, nothing will happen, but it’s better to be prepared. I’m still worried about the stalker issue not being fully resolved.”  

“Wow.”  

She nodded in admiration.  

“I didn’t know they had features like that. Alright, I’ll get one soon.”  

She was touched by how much both Juhan and Hyunho cared about her safety regarding the stalker issue. It made her feel less alone in dealing with something so troubling.  

“There are too many crazy people in this world. You’ve had weirdos following you since you were a student.”  

Juhan frowned deeply.  

“Yeah…”  

She had dealt with similar issues during her school days, but things had improved when she became a homebody freelancer after graduation. And yet, here she was again.  

“Maybe I shouldn’t have participated in that fair.”  

“It’s not your fault. The problem lies with those lunatics who obsess over pretty women.”  

“Haha…”  

Hearing Juhan call her a “pretty woman” made her feel shy. It would’ve been embarrassing if anyone had overheard, but thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t crowded.  

“That’s right, Yebom. Don’t blame yourself. You’re the victim here.”  

“Still, I’ve been fine because you two have always helped me. Even back when we were students.”  

Some men’s kindness or attention could be violent. For example, a senior asking for her number and getting angry or badmouthing her when she refused. In such cases, Juhan would confront them head-on, while Hyunho would mediate calmly and effectively.  

Both tall and handsome, Juhan and Hyunho were popular themselves, but the women who approached them were never aggressive. It was always the men who acted that way.  

Though it felt unfair, she had no choice but to rely on their help to fend off unwanted attention. When she was with them, men didn’t dare to bother her.  

“It’s only natural. We’ll help you this time too, Yebom.”  

“Yeah, thanks.”  

“Here, have some pizza.”  

Juhan placed a slice onto her plate.  

Just as she was starting to feel more at ease in the lighthearted atmosphere, Juhan crossed his arms and stared at her intently.  

“Are you done eating?”  

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”  

“Then let’s talk about last night.”  

“……!”  

Her heart dropped.  

No way, no way…  

“Did you see it too?”  

“Yeah.”  

Her jaw dropped in shock.  

She had thought only Hyunho had seen her, but Juhan too?  

Or was it just Juhan, not Hyunho? 

She turned her head toward Hyunho, who looked shy.  

Realizing that both of them had witnessed her self-pleasure, she felt like her soul was leaving her body.  

“……”  

Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly before she finally exploded.  

“Why… why did you watch?!”  

Sure, she had been careless, but it wasn’t like she had done it in the living room. She felt unfairly wronged that both of them had seen her in her private space.  

“Why did you even come into my room?!”  

Though she was living with them temporarily, she shouted like a sulky teenager. If they hadn’t entered her room, none of this would’ve happened.  

“Oh, I heard strange noises and thought Chapssal was crying.”  

“I’m sorry, Yebom. I thought you were hurt. It sounded like you were in pain.”  

“…You’re worse.”  

“I’m really sorry, Yebom. Really sorry…”  

She shook her head, not wanting to hear their apologies.  

“Even if you heard something, you could’ve ignored it! You didn’t have to come in…! It’s not like I was doing it in the living room…”  

“With how loud you were, you’ve got some nerve. Under the same roof, weird noises were coming from your room—how could we not check?”  

“……”  

Tearing up, she looked at Hyunho for help. He quickly reached out to rub her back and gestured for Juhan to stop.  

“Even if you came in for a moment, once you saw what I was doing, you should’ve left immediately…”  

“I did leave right away.”

Juhan’s explanation didn’t sound convincing at all, and Hyunho’s subtle avoidance of eye contact only deepened her suspicion.  

Then why had the d*ldo been cleaned and neatly placed?  

She didn’t know when they had entered her room, but someone must have been there long enough to wash the d*ldo and leave it on a handkerchief. She wanted to ask about the exact sequence of events but couldn’t bring herself to mention the d*ldo out loud.  

“…I have something to say about last night.”  

“Go ahead.”  

After agonizing over it all day, she finally voiced the excuse she had prepared.  

“I’ve had insomnia for a long time, so I’ve tried a lot of ways to sleep better. I read somewhere that doing… that before bed helps you sleep, so I gave it a try. I couldn’t fall asleep at all last night.”  

“It’s not insomnia; it’s compulsive lying. I’ve never seen anyone sleep as much as you do.”  

“……”  

“Don’t make Yebom cry, stop it.”  

Hyunho pulled his chair closer and tried to comfort her. His gentle pats on her back helped her suppress the tears that were threatening to spill.  

“It’s because she’s saying nonsense. What’s the big deal about an adult m*sturbating? Did anyone criticize you for it?”  

She quickly looked around, worried someone might overhear. Thankfully, their table was in a secluded spot, and she wondered if they had chosen it on purpose.  

Strictly speaking, Juhan was right—there was nothing inherently wrong with m*sturbating. But having someone else, especially two people, witness it was a completely different matter.  

It was mortifying and humiliating, and she couldn’t bear to face them.  

Hesitating with a tearful expression, she finally brought up the last resort she had been holding onto.  

“I looked at some real estate apps earlier. Because of the stalker, I don’t feel safe going back to my old place, so I’ll start looking for a new place to move. Thanks for letting me stay these past few days…”  

“What?”  

“Yebom.”  

Both of them looked genuinely shocked.  

“Why are you taking it in this direction? Moving out? What are you talking about?”  

“There’s no problem with you staying here. Why are you making it so upsetting, Yebom?”  

No problem?  

“I only planned to stay temporarily from the start. And after what happened… I can’t face you two anymore.”  

“What do you mean, ‘can’t face us’? I wanted to talk about this, not to tell you to move out, but to ask if you’re feeling lonely. If you are, just tell me.”  

“…Huh?”  

She was dumbfounded. Feeling lonely? And if she admitted it, what would they do about it?  

“Yebom, are we making you think this way because we saw you doing it alone?”  

Hyunho’s words made more sense than Juhan’s.  

“Mm.”  

“If that’s what’s bothering you and making you consider moving, how about this? The two of us will do the same thing in front of you.”  

“What…?”  

“Yeah, that works. If we both jerk off in front of you, then we’ll all be in the same situation. That way, you won’t feel ashamed or think about moving out anymore, right?”  

They were essentially saying they’d m*sturbate in front of her.  

Stunned by the absurdity of the suggestion, she alternated her gaze between the two of them. Both of them, perfectly normal-looking men, were calmly proposing this with straight faces.  

“……”  

“If we all share the same experience, no one will have anything to be embarrassed about. I don’t even know why you’re so embarrassed in the first place, but we’ll make sure we’re in the same boat as you.”  

Juhan somehow managed to make the idea of m*sturbating sound romantic.  

Her heart pounded in shock, and she felt utterly confused. They were both waiting for her response, leaving her no time to think carefully.  

On quick reflection, it didn’t seem like a bad solution from her perspective. Her current lease hadn’t ended yet, and moving to a new place would be a hassle. She didn’t really want to move.  

Even if she did move, it would only be a temporary escape. In the long run, it seemed better to face the situation and resolve it properly with the two of them.  

Though the method they proposed was… bizarre.  

“W-When…?”  

Unable to withstand their intense gazes, she asked hesitantly.  

“Right now. No need to drag it out. If we’re done eating, let’s head back.”  

“Let’s go home and do it right away, Yebom.”  

“……”