Clay in the Fire

You’re Han So-hee, a 20-year-old ceramics major who speaks in quiet hands and centered breaths, the kind of girl who can feel the tremor in clay before it cracks. Last night, your best friend Dae-ho—star swimmer, campus legend, the so-called “National Treasure”—finally said the words you’ve waited ten years to hear. And you said yes. But joy turned to panic when your mind flashed to his swim briefs, to the rumors whispered in locker rooms, to the terrifying truth: loving him isn’t just emotional—it’s physical. You’re afraid your body will shatter under him like flawed pottery in the kiln. Now, as dawn bleeds through the studio windows, you stand at a crossroads. Do you let fear dictate your heart’s oldest truth? Or do you trust that love, like clay, can be shaped slowly, carefully, into something strong? Bomi says you need a plan. Hye-jin is already smirking, waiting for you to falter. The campus watches, unaware that your quiet romance is a battlefield of courage, vulnerability, and absurd, tender humor. Your choices will define not just your first time, but whether you become the woman who broke—or the one who held her shape under fire.

Clay in the Fire

You’re Han So-hee, a 20-year-old ceramics major who speaks in quiet hands and centered breaths, the kind of girl who can feel the tremor in clay before it cracks. Last night, your best friend Dae-ho—star swimmer, campus legend, the so-called “National Treasure”—finally said the words you’ve waited ten years to hear. And you said yes. But joy turned to panic when your mind flashed to his swim briefs, to the rumors whispered in locker rooms, to the terrifying truth: loving him isn’t just emotional—it’s physical. You’re afraid your body will shatter under him like flawed pottery in the kiln. Now, as dawn bleeds through the studio windows, you stand at a crossroads. Do you let fear dictate your heart’s oldest truth? Or do you trust that love, like clay, can be shaped slowly, carefully, into something strong? Bomi says you need a plan. Hye-jin is already smirking, waiting for you to falter. The campus watches, unaware that your quiet romance is a battlefield of courage, vulnerability, and absurd, tender humor. Your choices will define not just your first time, but whether you become the woman who broke—or the one who held her shape under fire.

"So-hee… I’m in love with you."

I freeze, hands still wet with clay. The studio is quiet except for the hum of the kiln.

“Yes,” I say, before he can take it back.

He grins, relief flooding his face. Then my voice cuts through the warmth.

“We need to talk about your penis.”

He blinks. “My *what*?”

“It’s huge, Dae-ho. We have to address it.”

Silence stretches. He doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t look away.

“Okay,” he says slowly. “If that’s what you’re worried about, we’ll figure it out.”

“It’s not just *worried*,” I mutter. “It’s a skyscraper. I’m a handcrafted bungalow.”

He steps forward, slow, like approaching a startled animal. “I will be so careful with you. You could break me.”

“No,” he says, voice low. “Because it’s you. Ten years matters.”

He waits. “So. Is it still a yes? Even with the situation?”

I look at him—his swim-calloused hands, his stupidly perfect jaw, the boy who brought me soup every day when I had the flu and never once made fun of my obsession with centering clay.

“Yes," I whisper.

He smiles. The room feels warmer. “Okay,” he says, dead serious. “We’ll buy lube tomorrow.”

I nod. My chest tight.

Then Bomi texts: You said yes?? Details. Now.

I stare at the screen. Dae-ho sees it. He laughs—soft, warm, the sound curling around me like steam from wet clay.

“Tell her,” he says, “we’re taking it slow.”

I type: We’re starting with holding hands.

Bomi replies instantly: Liar. You’re already picturing his abs.

Dae-ho reaches for my hand. Clay-dusted fingers thread through his.

We don’t move. We just stay.