A Winter Duet in Korea

Hello readers, and welcome to the second chapter of this story. I'm sure you can guess by the title of how many chapters in total there will be. I would strongly recommend reading my previous story, An Autumn Duet in Korea, before this chapter, since I did not label these as part 1 and 2. So if you are coming in fresh and random, you'll have to come back after reading the first part. Don't worry, it's a good story!

Any comments are very much appreciated, and please follow me if you enjoyed the story and would like to know when the next chapter is released.

With that in mind, enjoy!

MaiaEmpire

The first sensation I experienced when I woke up that morning was that I was naked. I lay on my back with the blanket pulled down to my navel, and through the haze of my hangover I felt my bare breasts exposed to the air. I brushed a tuft of my long brown hair from my face, and with a wince I rubbed my head as it throbbed slightly. I felt sticky in a few places, and my skin was dried out from sweat.

The second sensation that came to me was that I was not alone. There was a shifting of weight to my left, and I turned my head to inspect. My friend Hye-Jin lay on her stomach, her face and arms hugging her pillow. She was as nude as I was, with the blanket pulled down to her waist and her flawless back on display. Her wavy black hair poured over her shoulders, and she softly breathed in and out as she continued to sleep.

I sharply gasped in alarm, and a sudden jolt shot through me. The previous evening's activities flashed through my head, followed immediately by the previous night's.

"Oh my god," I thought to myself, "I had sex last night! I had sex with Hye-Jin!"

I clutched at my chest, suddenly feeling very exposed. She kept sleeping soundly next to me, and I shyly and intently watched her. She was so beautiful facing away from me, so peaceful. I had the urge to scoot close to her and hold her like I had last night.

"Fuck. Like last night," I thought, "when we had sex."

My brain was simultaneously in disbelief and awe that she was laying next to me like this, and involuntarily I pressed my knees together. I licked my lip as I gently stroked my nipple, and simply watched her sleep. I rubbed my legs together ever so softly, slightly embarrassed that I was gazing at her like this. I let out a sigh of pleasure, and suddenly I saw her head twitch upwards. I immediately stopped, and Hye-Jin turned to face me, pushing her hair out of her face. Her brown eyes were opened wide, and she bit her lower lip as if trying to read the expression on my face.

"Good morning, Hye-Jin," I muttered, dumbly. It was the only thing I could think of.

"Good morning, Ella," she said, still searching my face. "Are you...okay?"

"I'm good," I sighed. "I'm...really good."

"I'm good, too," she replied. Still laying on her stomach and looking at me, she buried her cheek into her pillow and gave me a bashful smile.

"That was crazy last night," I stammered. "I wasn't expecting, I mean I didn't think --"

Hye-Jin turned on her side facing me, propping her head on her hand. Her breasts jiggled softly, and my words got lost in my throat.

"Last night was wonderful, Ella," she smiled.

"Yeah...it was."

I turned on my side towards her, mirroring her pose. I should have been embarrassed that my own breasts were bare, but I wasn't. We lay there opposite each other, both of us smiling and looking into each other's eyes, and occasionally other body parts, for several minutes. My panic began to wear away, and I slowly felt relaxed just laying there with Hye-Jin.

"Have you ever done that before?" I eventually asked her.

"Yes," she answered, "once when I was in New York. Have you ever been with a woman?"

I shook my head. "I've never been with anyone," I admitted.

Hye-Jin gave me the sweetest smile, and reached over to rest her hand on my cheek. "You're so beautiful, Ella," she whispered. I closed my eyes and inhaled, loving her touch.

"Does this change things?" I asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are we still friends?"

"Of course we are."

I suddenly got a little worried. "I mean, do we just forget what happened? Is this just a one time thing, and just ignore --"

In a flash Hye-Jin leaned forward, and her lips met mine. Her hand went to my shoulder as we kissed, and I moaned into her mouth. My heart pounded, and my hand rested on her hip as our kiss lasted for several minutes. Slowly pulling her mouth from mine, we lay with our bodies touching and our faces inches away.

"Change is sometimes good," she said as she stroked my hair from my ear. "I wanted this for a long time."

"I think I did too," I confessed, catching my breath.

Hye-Jin held my shoulder firmly. "But Ella, this is Korea. People in Wonju are very traditional. It would be bad if people know."

"I understand," I replied as my hand stroked her side. "This is really new for me, and I don't know what I want to say to anyone, or what they would say. But this feels so nice."

"It does," she replied.

We kissed one more time, as if affirming that we understood each other. I didn't know what to think, but I knew that here with Hye-Jin is where I wanted to be. There was no reason it had to be anything more than that for the moment, even if it was just a secret between us. I wanted privacy as well, at least until I processed this. When we finished our kiss we held our foreheads against each other, our hands still caressing each other.

We lay in each other's arms like this for a long time. Periodically, one of us would lay a kiss on the other, and gradually our kissing became more fervent. I guided Hye-Jin onto her back as she spread her legs, and I settled between them as we continued making out. She wrapped her legs around me as I felt the heat of her pussy against mine. We became so wet as we grinded against each other.

I decided I wanted to give her the same pleasure she gave me the night before, so I began to move down her body. I started with her neck, and then moved downwards in a trail of kisses to her dark nipples. They were very hard, and she sighed as I sucked them, one after the other. Soon Hye-Jin gently nudged me downwards, and I dragged my tongue down her smooth stomach.

Finally, my face hovered over her pussy, her lips engorged in delicate folds. The warmth emanating from her was profound, and the smell was earthy and filled my nostrils to the point of dizziness. I tried to do what I thought would feel good, and I started with dragging my tongue up and down her folds, as slowly as possible. When I found her clit, I circled it with my tongue and sucked it into my mouth, making Hye-Jin squirm. I took my time nursing her sweet pussy, as Hye-Jin stroked my hair and guided me on what felt good to her. I was utterly obsessed at this point with eating her out, and Hye-Jin groaned loudly as she burst into orgasm and into my open mouth. Two more climaxes followed, but I kept going, unable to resist devouring her.

"Ella!" she pleaded and panted, "Stop, stop! It's too much! I need to breathe!"

Reluctantly, I pulled off of her pussy and crawled to her side. She kept shaking and gaping at the ceiling. I rested my hand on her tummy.

"Was that okay?" I asked. "Did I do it right?"

Hye-Jin regarded me wildly, her eyes wide and still shaking. "God, Ella! That was so good! I just...need some time. Just kiss me. Please just kiss me."

I leaned over to kiss her, and she kissed me back even harder, her hand reaching behind my neck as she desperately worked her tongue into my mouth. Just knowing that I worked her up to that degree that much gave me tingles everywhere. I rubbed my knees together while our tongues writhed together, and once Hye-Jin calmed down, she took notice. She nudged me onto my back, and smiled at me.

"It's my turn," she whispered to me as she slid down my body.

We spent most of the day in bed like this, and when we drove each other to an orgasm, we laid back recovered until we were ready to go again. We simply couldn't get enough of each other. I was so relieved that it wasn't just a one night drunken fling; I guess we really had wanted to experience each other like this. There was never any discussion of getting dressed, though eventually hunger forced us to order some delivery. But as soon as we finished eating, we threw off our clothes and got right back into the sheets.

Over the next few weeks, I was surprised at how little things had changed between us. We just practiced our music together in the evenings after work like normal, though sleeping together afterwards was a new and welcome routine. We still often socialized with the expat crowd, though we kept mum on this expansion of our relationship as lovers. Despite having separate apartments, before it felt as if we were close roommates. However, now that we were regularly sleeping together, as silly as it sounded, it was as if we were married or something. I don't know how I managed to get to sleep at night without Hye-Jin in my arms before.

Homesickness wasn't as much of an issue anymore; I was probably happier than I had ever been before. Maretha, Richard, and the other foreign teachers at my hagwon often remarked that I was much more cheerful these days, and if they suspected why they kept it to themselves. During our teacher meetings, I often daydreamed blissfully while our manager Mr. Lee spoke, and a couple of times I got snipped at for not paying attention because I happened to be thinking about Hye-Jin. I was like some lovesick teenager.

One Saturday in November, Hye-Jin had a tooth appointment, so I decided to take a day trip to Seoul with Richard. He was seeing a younger guy that he met at a gay bar in the big city recently, so I decided to tag along and hang out with him for the day. It had been a while since I spent time with my adopted gay uncle Richard. We were sitting next to each other on the bus as it barrelled down the highway, just chatting with each other about our plans for our day in Seoul and life in general.

"I'm meeting Jim down at Itaewon around five," he explained, "and if things go well -- which I'm sure they will! -- I'll end up staying overnight at his place."

"That sounds fine," I replied. "I was just going to check out the bookstore and maybe look at some jackets. I wanted to head back to Wonju in the afternoon so I can meet up with Hye-Jin. We're gonna do bimbimbap tonight and maybe catch a movie."

"How is Hye-Jin? I hardly see you two these days. Granted, I'm always running off to Seoul," he laughed.

"Oh, we're good. Still just rocking the violin and piano together. She has a dentist appointment today, the poor thing."

"I bet she's been in a good mood as well for the past few weeks, too," Richard casually mentioned.

"Oh, yeah! She's been really --" I cleared my throat, "Er, she's been fine lately."

Richard gave a quiet grin as I looked away awkwardly. It was quiet for a few minutes, but Richard sat patiently as if waiting for me to say something. Honestly, since me and Hye-Jin had started seeing each other secretly these past few weeks, I was dying to tell someone. I figured if anyone would understand, Richard would.

"Richard, can I tell you something?" I whispered.

"Of course, darlin'."

"But this stays between us, do you understand?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh god." I took a deep breath. "I think...I might be gay."

"Aw, sweetie, welcome to the club!" Sensing my discomfort, he reached over and gave me a Texas-sized hug. I squeezed back, as relief washed through me. This was the first time I had said something like this out loud.

Richard smiled knowingly as we broke apart "Figured it was something like that! Does Hye-Jin know?"

I blushed furiously. "I've been sleeping with Hye-Jin since Felix's going-away party last month. Like, in secret."

Richard clapped his hands. "I knew it, I knew it! No wonder you've been floating on air this month! Ella, I'm so happy for you. Who else knows?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "You're the first person I've told. I thought I could tell you because --"

"Because I'm your fairy godfather?"

"Something like that," I laughed. "I'm just worried about people knowing about Hye-Jin and me. You know how traditional and conservative Koreans are."

Richard snorted. "Right. Gay people existing in Korea? Scandalous!"

"I haven't even told my parents. And with the foreigners in Wonju, I'm nervous about how they would see me differently. I mean, hell, Maretha is like my aunt, but she's so Christian and everything..."

"Listen, darlin', Richard asserted. "First of all, don't you be worryin' about what other people think. You are who you are. An' hell, Maretha and I are good friends, and I'm the biggest fag in Wonju! She'd be more accepting than you give her credit for."

"I'm just worried people will just think of us as 'those lesbians over there' or something."

Richard waved me off. "They'll just see you for you. No more, no less. And darlin', you'd be surprised how perceptive everyone is. Hell, this just confirmed what I was thinkin' this whole time!"

I covered my face. "I thought we were discreet..."

"Oh, you're fine. No one is actively looking, hun. Besides, my gaydar might be so good that I can sniff out lesbians! An' you know what, I think you two make a pretty cute set of girlfriends."

I squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Richard."

The two of us had an enjoyable day wandering around Itaewon, the so-called "foreigner district" in Seoul. We did a bit of shopping together and had brunch as Richard grilled me for any details about me and Hye-Jin. When the afternoon was winding down, RIchard got a text from his friend Jim and took off to meet up with him after giving me a final hug. I headed back to Wonju via bus, and managed to get home in the early evening. I heard Hye-Jin bumping around in her apartment, so instead of heading into my room I rapped on her door. The second she opened the door, I practically jumped and assaulted her lips. Suffice to say, we didn't make it out of the apartment that evening.

At the end of November, Richard decided to host American Thanksgiving at his place for the English teachers at our school. Considering that he and I were the only actual Americans he invited, it was more of an excuse to have a party than an actual celebration. It wasn't a large group; Maretha was there, along with Stuart, Jasper, and Fiona. Naturally, Hye-Jin was invited as well. Richard's friend Jim had come in from Seoul and had somehow tracked down a full turkey, and they had spent most of the day trying to figure out how to prepare it in a tiny, oven-less Korean kitchen. They eventually settled on deep-frying in on a giant pot.

Richard had a decently sized apartment, though the eight of us were pretty packed in since he had set up a long table to eat at. As per tradition, each of us brought something for the table; Hye-Jin made a Korean dessert calledsongpyeon, which were little rice cakes, and I brought a can of cranberry sauce that my mom sent in this month's care package. Since we had such an international table, we had a pretty unique Thanksgiving meal.

In my family, we had a tradition of saying what we were thankful for before we started eating, which I explained to everyone and politely requested from our table while Richard carved up his deep-fried turkey. Maybe it was a lame Midwestern thing, but it was tradition, damnit! We went around the table in turns; Maretha thankful for her sons, Stuart thankful the Wellington football team beat Auckland, Fiona thankful her contract was up in a couple of months. It was Hye-Jin's turn next, and she gave me a nervous smile before she spoke up.

"I'm thankful for my wonderful girlfriend, Ella."

Thankfully I wasn't taking a drink otherwise I would have choked in shock. My eyes shot wide as I scanned the table, seeing a collection of surprised faces regarding me. Hye-Jin reached down and squeezed my hand. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at her. I exhaled, and turned to the table.

"I guess I'm also thankful formy wonderful girlfriend, Hye-Jin," I sighed as I threw up my hands. "Yes, everyone, I'm gay."

The table collectively roared with laughter, Maretha in particular gasped happily, while Richard and Jim hooted and clapped. I definitely went red with embarrassment, and Hye-Jin grinned at me, still holding my hand under the table. She had been the one to insist we keep our relationship a secret, but I think she at least felt comfortable with non-Koreans knowing. And I'll be damned if it didn't feel good to say it out loud.

"Well then," added Jasper, "I'm thankful I never tried to hit on Ella!"

After another round of laughing, we tucked into the food. The meal was a triumph, and we all worked together afterwards to clean up and fold the tables to make room for us in his tiny sitting room. We crashed in the living room socializing and drinking, with Hye-Jin and I sitting close to each other on the couch and openly holding hands. It felt like a weight off my shoulder, and privately Maretha told me how happy she was and what a cute couple we made. I should have known she'd be so sweet.

Later, Hye-Jin and I were laying in bed after a very fervent sex session. The whole time we joked, teasing and calling each other girlfriend. When we finally settled down, we ended up with Hye-Jin spooning me from behind, as she gently traced my side with her finger.

"You know, my girlfriend, I was thinking," she said.

"What is it, my girlfriend?"

Her finger went up to my hair, as she started twisting and playing with it. "Christmas is coming in less than a month," she began.

One surprising aspect about Korea was that Christmas was very popular and very different from the way it is celebrated back home. And not just because Santa Claus is an Asian guy here. In the States, you spend Christmas with your family and then spend New Year's partying with your friends. In Korea it's the opposite; Christmas being a day off that you go out and party with New Year's being a solemn holiday with your family.

"So I had an idea," she continued as she fingered my hair. "Maybe we could do a performance together. Maybe play some Christmas songs?"

I rolled over so that I was facing her. "Hye-Jin, that's a great idea! It's been so long since I played live for an audience!"

"Me, too," she smiled. "We've been practicing together so much, I think everyone would like it. I can talk to the owner of Blues Sanjo; he likes having live music there."

"We could have it be a whole Christmas thing! I know like five songs off the top of my head we could play!" I sighed. "God, this will be my first Christmas away from home. Maybe organizing an event like this will hold off the homesickness."

Hye-Jin snaked her hand around my back, pulling me against her. "Don't worry, Ella. You'll have me for Christmas this year."

I smiled, gently touching her cheek with my hand. "Absolutely," I whispered as I kissed her softly. "You know, Hye-Jin, this little plan of ours may turn into quite the thing."

I was not wrong there. The next day, Hye-Jin contacted the owner of Blues Sanjo, a shaggy-haired Korean bohemian by the name of Mr. Hyun. That afternoon we met with him about our proposal. We gave a short demo, to assure him that we could actually play, and he was very enthusiastic. He decided to promote it as a Christmas event, and started coming up with ideas for catering and drink specials, with us as the entertainment.

Word quickly spread that there was going to be a Christmas performance at Blues Sanjo, starring Hye-Jin and me. The majority of the Wonju expats were not going home for the holidays, so everyone collectively decided to make this the party of the season. Everyone seemed surprised that I actually played violin; I suppose I never really talked about my music when I was out and about. I was suddenly the talk of the town, with everyone looking forward to the show!