To me, all the buildings looked the same, but somehow, she seemed to know exactly which one was ours.
By the way, "we"? Well, she lives next door, so it's not exactly wrong.
"And from the balcony of the house, if you look down, this is the spot you see. But where are you headed, Areum?"
"I need to make something for dinner, but I can't find a mart nearby. Do you know where one is?"
"A mart?"
Yeoju furrowed her yellow eyebrows, staring at me. Even through her heavily tinted sunglasses, I could tell she was bewildered.
"You don't know? There's a shopping center in the basement. Why go to a mart? I mean, it's not a big deal, but…"
She sniffed again and glanced at me.
Oh, so that's why I couldn't find a supermarket around the complex. Places like this have everything in the basement.
"No big deal. I need to grab something from the basement anyway. Since we're here, let's go down together."
"Sure, let's do that."
So, Yeoju and I turned back, went through the first-floor entrance, and waited for the elevator.
Wait, isn't the basement usually for parking?
I had no idea there was a massive shopping mall down there. How the hell does a shopping mall end up in the basement? Is this normal in Seoul? Or just here?
"You haven't been living here long, have you, Areum?"
"Uh, yeah… not really."
It wasn't a lie. I don't know about the Han Areum of this parallel world, but I've only been in this house for two days. So, I wasn't lying. Not that anyone would believe me if I told them the truth. I'm just lucky I haven't been carted off to a mental hospital.
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside. Yeoju pressed the button for the basement third floor. B3, got it.
I stared silently at the LED display in the elevator, while Yeoju seemed lost in thought. Even if you're neighbors, when it's just the two of you, it gets awkward. We're basically strangers.
Sniff, sniff…
Yeoju pulled her hand out of her pocket and started sniffing. I glanced at her, puzzled by her odd behavior.
She was sniffing earlier by the security office too. Does she have allergies or something?
Then I felt her gaze through those dark sunglasses. Our eyes met briefly, and both of us quickly looked away.
"Uh… Areum, I'm really sorry, but… no, never mind."
"What? What's wrong?"
"No, it's just… I don't know how to say this. Forget it. I'll head out first. And… it's cold, so take a hot shower when you get home. You'll catch a cold."
"Don't leave me hanging like that. Just say it."
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. As Yeoju tried to rush out, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside.
"What kind of guy has this much strength?"
"Just say it already. Don't make me curious and then clam up."
"…Okay, but… can I really say it?"
"I hate it when people start something and don't finish."
"I'm really going to say it."
"Just say it!"
The elevator doors closed. I pinned Yeoju against the wall, looking up at her.
She turned her head, avoiding my eyes, her lips trembling before she finally spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"…It's me."
"I can't hear you. Speak up."
"…It smells."
"Louder! You're pissing me off."
"It smells like semen!"
"What?"
Her words made my lips go dry, and my head turned cold.
What the hell is that smell?
My head spins as if I'd been punched by a professional boxer. The moment she finishes speaking, it feels like all the air in this elevator has been sucked out.
Her words leave me so stunned that my breath catches in my throat, making it impossible to breathe properly.
I try to steady my shaking vision and look at her. Her face, deeply tanned, flushes redder by the second, as if she hadn't meant to say something so bold.
Her head, hidden behind sunglasses, begins to tilt downward.
Her gaze fixes on the floor, and seeing her reaction makes my head spin even more, as if all the blood has drained from my brain.
The elevator, still on the third basement floor of the shopping mall because no one pressed a button, remains motionless. With trembling hands, I press the button for our floor.
I'm utterly flustered.
The smell of semen?
Her shocking statement leaves me at a loss for words. I can't think of how to explain this situation to her.
All I can do is stare at the elevator's LED display as it slowly climbs, floor by floor. I glance at the floor, then back at the LED, then back to the floor again—there's nothing else I can do.
Her comment about the smell of semen fills me with a deep sense of humiliation.
Sure, I'm largely to blame for her saying something like that in the first place… The awkward silence fills the elevator, suffocating me.
It's not even hot, but my palms keep sweating. I rub them against my pants, desperately wishing this moment would just end.
…I never imagined something like this could happen.
In this gender-reversed world, is the semen produced by a man's body different from what it was in the original world?
I don't know. If I'd known this would happen, why didn't I think to check what male masturbation is like in this world or investigate the properties of semen after I did it at home earlier?
A tiny bit of carelessness has led to a massive mistake. On one hand, I resent her for saying something so reckless, but what can I do?
It's all my fault, my mistake, my error.
The best course of action is to ride this elevator up without running into anyone else, go our separate ways, and retreat to our respective homes.
I pray fervently that the situation doesn't get any worse. If there's a god out there, please, let my prayers be answered.
But no god answers my plea.
The elevator reaches the first floor, and the doors open. I lift my head slightly to see who's getting on, and I realize the situation is spiraling into something far worse than I could have imagined.
Standing at the entrance is Yejin, with long black hair cascading down to her waist, an expressionless face, and a beige Chinese-collar coat over a black suit.
What must we look like through Yejin's eyes?
Two young people—me and her—standing awkwardly in the elevator, faces flushed red.