Across The Pornhwa Verse

Lee Ruri checked the paper and saw his number written neatly on it. Her fingers brushed over the ink as if confirming it was real. She looked back just in time to see him slipping into his car, the engine roaring to life. With a swift motion, he pulled away from the curb, his car disappearing into the evening traffic.

A warm flush crept onto her cheeks as she stood there, the paper feeling strangely significant between her fingers.

'I should probably hang on to this,' she thought, carefully folding the slip before tucking it into her pocket. She pressed her hand against it for a moment, as if to make sure it wouldn't disappear, before turning on her heel and heading inside.

Travis pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, the tires rolling over the pavement in a smooth glide before coming to a stop. He turned off the engine and exhaled, running a hand through his hair before stepping out. The night air was crisp, a slight breeze brushing against his skin as he locked the car with a beep and made his way inside.

Just as he was reaching the elevator, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a message from Yeo Juyeon.

Juyeon: Hey, can I talk to you about webtoons?

Travis stared at the screen for a second. Webtoons? That wasn't exactly his area of expertise. But after a quick search earlier, he'd gathered just enough knowledge to hold a decent conversation.

Travis: Sure, come over at 11.

He glanced at the time. 10:40. That gave him twenty minutes.

Stepping into his apartment, he immediately went to open the windows, letting in the cool night air. The sliding door to the balcony followed, the curtains swaying gently as the fresh breeze filled the space. He liked his apartment to feel open—less suffocating.

After that, he quickly tidied up, straightening the couch cushions and tossing a few stray clothes into the laundry basket. Satisfied, he changed into a more comfortable outfit—a loose-fitting shirt and sweatpants—before settling on the couch, checking the time again.

Next door, Yeo Juyeon stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the hem of her blouse. It wasn't like she was going anywhere fancy, but she still wanted to look presentable. Respectful. Even though she was just heading next door.

'Okay, just be casual. He's probably my age… or a few years older. So be natural. Be natural,' she reminded herself, staring at her own reflection with determination.

She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and nodded. That was enough hyping herself up. Grabbing her phone, she stepped out of her apartment and made her way to Travis's door.

Standing outside, she hesitated for only a second before knocking. Then, she took a step back, smoothing her shirt unconsciously as she waited.

Moments later, the door swung open.

Travis stood there, his expression shifting into a casual smile. "Wow, you're really on time."

Yeo Juyeon tilted her head up to meet his gaze, suddenly noticing how much taller he was.

'I don't remember him being this tall…' she thought, blinking.

"Yeah, first impressions last, right?" she said, offering a slightly awkward smile.

Travis chuckled. "Yeah, that's true. Well, come on in."

As she stepped past him, a subtle scent drifted between them, something clean and warm.

For a brief moment, they both had the same thought.

'He/She smells good.'

He closed the door behind him with a soft click and gestured toward the couch. "Go ahead and sit. I'll grab us some drinks."

She nodded, quietly making her way over to the couch, lowering herself onto it with a composed grace. Her posture remained proper, legs together, hands resting neatly on her lap. She barely moved a muscle, instead taking in the details of his apartment.

The place was impressively tidy. Everything was arranged with intention—minimalist but not barren, sleek yet comfortable. The furniture choices showed a level of taste that she appreciated. Even the small decorations, like the bookshelf filled with neatly arranged novels and a few framed pictures, hinted at personality rather than just functionality.

'Pretty clean and neat. I like how he furnished the place. He has taste,' she thought, her eyes trailing across the room before settling on Travis's back as he rummaged through his fridge.

His broad shoulders moved slightly as he reached for the drinks, his arm muscles flexing ever so subtly under his shirt. Her gaze drifted lower, following the natural shape of his back down to his arms.

'Does he work out?' she wondered, unconsciously tilting her head slightly. He didn't seem like a bodybuilder or anything, but he was definitely in shape.

Before she could dwell on that thought any longer, Travis turned around, holding two drinks in his hands. "So, you create webtoons?" he asked casually as he walked back toward her.

She straightened up slightly, snapping out of her thoughts. "Yes, I do," she replied, accepting the drink he handed her. She glanced down—it was just apple juice. Simple, but thoughtful.

Travis took a seat across from her, resting an arm on the back of the couch. "Do you also create them as well?" she asked, taking a small sip.

"You could say that," he said, leaning back slightly. "But I mostly write plots for them instead of drawing and stuff. Not that I can't draw, though."

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "Oh, so you're a writer. Do you have any popular works?"

Travis smirked slightly, taking a sip of his own drink. "Yeah, I did. It's called Netori is Life."

She blinked. "Wait, you're Notaking? The guy who wrote that?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, I never thought I'd meet an NSFW author. I'm also into tha—"

Her words caught in her throat as realization struck her.

She just admitted that out loud.

Heat immediately flooded her cheeks, her hands gripping her glass just a bit tighter. Slowly, she turned toward Travis, only to see him smiling at her with clear amusement.

"Ha, don't be embarrassed," he chuckled. "You know, 90% of the people who write Pornhwas are women from what I've noticed." He leaned forward slightly, his expression playful but sincere. "So, are you interested in showing me your work? Don't worry, I won't judge."

Her heart pounded a little.

'I wonder what he'll think…' she thought, biting her lower lip lightly. When she submitted her manuscript, it had been rejected for its lack of experience, something that had apparently been visible in her writing. She wasn't sure if Travis would see that flaw too.

Still, she swallowed her nerves and nodded. "Umm, sure. Let me go get my drawing pad."

She carefully placed her drink on the coffee table before standing up, smoothing her clothes as she walked toward the door.

Travis watched her leave, his fingers tapping lightly against his glass.

'Well, it seems to be going well,' he thought, his gaze lingering on her retreating figure. 'Just need to put more effort into making her interested in me.'

She returned with her drawing pad in hand, carefully settling back onto the couch beside Travis. Holding it out, she flipped through the pages, revealing her work. The illustrations weren't the most polished, but they had a distinct style—expressive and full of potential.

Travis leaned in, scanning the pages with interest. His eyes traced the lines, the shading, and the panel arrangements. The anatomy had minor inconsistencies, and some poses looked a little stiff, but overall, it was impressive for someone still growing in the field.

"Wow, this is great," he said, nodding approvingly. "I really love your art. You know, you could literally make money off this, right?"

Yeo Juyeon smiled, pleased by his reaction. "Yeah, I do know… I just never really knew how to go about that," she admitted, glancing at him. "Do you have any advice?"

Travis smirked, resting an arm on the back of the couch. "Oh, I have tons of advice. Let's talk about that first, then we'll get back to the webtoon."

He launched into an explanation, breaking down the steps she could take to establish herself. He told her about using social media as a tool to boost her popularity, encouraging her to post consistently and interact with her audience. He suggested having people repost her work to increase visibility and emphasized using every major platform except YouTube, which wasn't ideal for gaining traction as an artist.

Yeo Juyeon hung onto every word, nodding along as she absorbed the information. She hadn't expected him to be this knowledgeable, but hearing him speak with such confidence made her believe he had real experience in the industry.

'He really knows his stuff…' she thought, growing more and more interested in what he had to say. This was exactly the kind of guidance she had been searching for.

Once they wrapped up that discussion, they returned to her webtoon. Travis skimmed through her plot, reading over the way she structured her scenes, particularly the intimate moments. His brow furrowed slightly as he analyzed her descriptions of the sex scenes. Even though he had just lost his virginity yesterday, it was clear—painfully clear—that her writing lacked real-world experience.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I know this might sound rash, but… you're a virgin, right?" he asked, turning to her.

Yeo Juyeon froze. Her fingers clenched slightly around her drawing pad as her face heated up. She avoided his gaze, looking down at her lap before nodding silently.

Travis chuckled at her reaction, finding her shyness unexpectedly cute. He reached over and gave her a light pat on the back. "Hey, it's not wrong or anything. I was just asking," he reassured her.

She swallowed and nodded again, still a little flustered.

"So, you never had a boyfriend before?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah… from what I can remember," she muttered, her voice tinged with a slight melancholy.

Travis tilted his head. "Have you at least liked a guy before? Or had a crush?"

Yeo Juyeon hesitated, thinking back. "…Umm, I don't know. I guess I did, but I'm not sure if I'd call it serious."

Travis hummed, tapping his fingers against his knee. "Well, why don't we fix that?"

She blinked, looking up at him. "Huh?"

"Not officially," he clarified. "But we'll play a role. Then, once you've improved, I can introduce you to someone big in the webtoon industry."

Her brows furrowed slightly. "What kind of experience are we talking about here?" she asked, her voice soft. "Like… sex or something?"

Her face flushed deeper as she said it out loud.

Travis laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, no, nothing like that." He leaned forward, pointing at one of her pages. "I noticed in your story that your character goes on a date, but… it felt bland. Like, really flat. No chemistry, no tension. I'm guessing you haven't been on many dates yourself, right?"

Yeo Juyeon stared at the page, then back at him.

'A date, huh…?' She thought about it for a moment. It wasn't anything serious. Just a role-play scenario for the sake of improving her storytelling.

'I mean… if it's just a date, then I don't mind. What could go wrong?' she reasoned.

She exhaled and nodded. "Alright… let's do it."

—

Love: 6

Interest: 20

TO BE CONTINUED