How about Cosmic Horror? Chapter 17

She hadn’t realized it last night, but his lips were big enough to completely cover hers. It made sense, considering the size difference, but now it struck her anew.

Unlike last night, he didn’t dive in immediately. Instead, he played with her lips—licking them, nibbling just hard enough not to hurt, fitting them between his own like he was measuring them. And when he’d had his fill of that, he slowly parted her lips and slipped in.

The sweet scent and tickling touch of his lips turned her brain into mush. Her body, remembering the strange pleasure, quickly heated up.

When she came to her senses, she was on top of him. Nestled in his arms and resting on his body—there was no other way to describe it. But that didn’t last long. They flipped, and she was soon lying beneath him on the bed. Now clearly taking the lead, his kiss turned rougher than before.

It was a spacious bed, meant for three people at most. On it, the world spun several times as they kissed. When their lips finally parted, there was no winner or loser; they simply lay there, facing each other, holding one another in their arms.

“This feels nice.”

He muttered something she didn’t quite understand.

“No, it definitely feels nice.”

***

After their first kiss, everything progressed rapidly. He would kiss her at every opportunity, and his touches became noticeably bolder. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had once been satisfied with just pecks and fiddling with her hands.

Now, hugging and caressing her waist, sides, and stomach had become routine. He hadn’t yet ventured higher or lower, but it was only a matter of time. At this rate, she figured it would happen soon.

Feeling a rising sense of alarm, she stood in front of the drawer. She opened it at least once a day, but every time, it managed to shock her anew. She had nearly fainted when she first saw it on the day she was discharged. Even this morning, she’d half-squinted to pull out only what she needed. But now, she resolved to take a proper look. She had to know what was in there.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the drawer. Each section was filled with underwear. The problem was, the colors and designs were far from ordinary.

She recalled the first day, casually pulling out a pair of panties, only to find the crotch completely split and shoved them back in horror. She still didn’t know their purpose. That flimsy strip of fabric covered nothing. Could they even be called underwear?

Let’s go in order. Left to right.

The first set she pulled out was black mesh and lace. Relieved to see something relatively normal, until she noticed she could see her fingers through the bra. She froze and quickly returned them to their place.

The second set was ridiculously tiny. The bra was just thin straps with scraps barely covering the nipples. The panties—if one could call them that—were shaped like the letter C. She knew about T-back thongs, but this… What even was this? There weren’t even strings to tie it on. How was it supposed to stay in place? The physics of it was a mystery she didn’t want to solve.

Hastily returning the second set, she pulled out a third—and sighed heavily.

“Hah…”

It was the set she’d seen on her first day in this house. The crotchless panties.

She poked her finger through the slit and sighed again. Calling this “underwear” was an insult to real underwear. It was like… a failed attempt at clothing.

“At least the bra is normal…”

It wasn’t. What seemed plain at a glance was actually split down the middle so that the nipples would poke through. Eyes shut tight, she buried her face in the bra and groaned,

“Yoo Irae, Yoo Irae…”

What kind of life did you live before losing your memory?

She was genuinely afraid of her past self. The woman who wore lingerie this bold, seduced a handsome CEO, and actually married him—was that… her?

“What are you doing, honey?”

Startled by his sudden voice, she instinctively slammed the drawer shut. Only then did she realize she was still holding the scandalous bra and panties. As she fumbled to reopen the drawer, she sensed him approaching. In a panic, she crumpled them into her hands.

Today, his head was geometric—a rotating orthoplex, like a 4D shape stripped of its faces, leaving only vertices and edges. It resembled a great stellated dodecahedron. There might have been a formal name for it in mathematical terms, but this was her best description.

Tilting his orthoplex head, he asked,

“What’s in your hands?”

“Trash! It’s trash. I was going to throw it away.”

“Give it to me. I’ll throw it away.”

“No! I’ll do it!”

“Really? The bin’s right there.”

He pointed to the trash can in the room. She reluctantly walked towards it, glancing back to see him watching her. Even without visible eyes, she could feel his gaze. She’d become sensitive to his gaze recently.

Turning her body to hide what she was doing, she quietly opened her hands.

The ridiculous lingerie. It felt wrong to throw it away, considering it was practically brand new, but she’d probably never wear it, so it was fine to let it go, right? She wished it a better life in its next reincarnation… as normal underwear.

Just as she was bidding it a short farewell and about to toss it in the trash can,

“You’re throwing that away?”

His voice in her ear made her jump. She turned to find the orthoplex right beside her.

“Why do you sneak up like that?”

“You were taking too long, so I came to see what was going on.”

Before she could react, he reached out and plucked the lingerie from her hands, examined it, then tilted his head.

“It’s perfectly fine, why are you throwing it away?”

Public humiliation, thy name is Yohan. Her cheeks burning with embarrassment, she tried to snatch the underwear back, but he was faster.

“Give it back!”

“Why? You were going to throw it away, so I might as well keep it. Consider me your trash can.”

“It’s my underwear! Why would you keep it?”

“If you relinquish ownership, you can’t claim your rights anymore, honey.”

“I didn’t relinquish anything! Give them back!”

She went on tiptoe, trying to grab the lingerie he held above her. Just when she nearly reached it, he lifted it even higher. Realizing she was being toyed with, she bit her lip in frustration. 

All the more determined now, she strained higher on her toes, overstretching—and promptly lost her balance, toppling into him.

He, who’d been busy teasing her, quickly dropped the underwear and caught her in his arms.

“You alright?”

Embarrassed by his gentle concern, she grumbled.

“You shouldn’t tease me like that. That’s just mean.”

“That was an act of God. You do the same thing when you see a cute puppy or a soft toy, don’t you? You poke their cheeks with your finger.”

“I’m not a puppy or a toy.”

“You’re cuter.”

Losing the will to argue, she spotted the bra and panties strewn on the floor. She slipped out of his embrace, quickly gathered them, and shoved them into a drawer.

“Not throwing them away?”

“I’ll deal with it myself, so mind your own business.”

She was worried he’d claim ownership again if she threw them in the trash can.

Eyeing him warily, he shrugged and made an unexpected suggestion.

“Wanna go out?”

“Where to? It’s not time for my hospital checkup yet.”

She’d barely left the house since she was discharged. The doctor had advised her to be cautious for a while.

Her body was surprisingly fine, considering the hard fall. Nothing was broken. Even her internal organs were fine, according to the tests. The doctor had called it a miracle, and she agreed. Memory issues and seeing her husband oddly aside, she was lucky.

The doctor still cautioned her to avoid strenuous activity or outdoor exposure, just in case delayed symptoms showed up. So she’d obediently stayed home.

Some might find it stifling, but she enjoyed being home. Even before the accident, she’d been a homebody, rarely leaving the house unless absolutely necessary.

“I thought you’d been cooped up at home too much. You still need to be careful, but how about we go out and get some fresh air?”

He tapped his wristwatch lightly, like a dog owner worried about a housebound pet needing a walk.

She rolled her eyes in introspection. When was her last outing? The visit to his company office, probably. She hadn’t left the house since. No wonder she was being treated like a pet that needed walking.

She had no reason to refuse, so she nodded.

“Okay.”

“No overdoing it, so how about a drive?”

“A drive? Sounds good.”