WooHyun looked at JaeOn and pressed down on his wounded lip with his thumb.
“I won’t let you hit me twice.”
“......”
“Because Daon will probably be worried.”
JaeOn’s worried expression gradually faded away, and he grumbled under his breath.
“Since when have you been fooling me?”
“It hasn’t been long. A couple of months?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
How should he explain this? WooHyun was slow to answer and tried to find the right words. There were many reasons, but the biggest one was actually ‘Was it necessary?’ As soon as WooHyun opened his mouth, JaeOn cut him off.
“If you say ‘Was it necessary?’, I’ll kill you.”
“Scary.”
WooHyun snorted and pretended to shiver.
“Nothing was for certain, so we didn’t think there was any need to tell you just yet.”
“What are you talking about? It’s obvious that Yu Daon was frequently going in and out of your place.”
“...That was for something else.”
JaeOn sank onto a bench in the smoking area. He gestured to WooHyun with his eyes, urging him to sit next to him. WooHyun slowly walked over. He ran over his wound with his tongue and sat down, putting his elbows on his knees.
A sharp gust of wind blew around them. However, the fiery air of their confrontation seemed to block it out, so it didn’t feel too cold. JaeOn leaned back and draped his arms over the back of the bench before looking up at the sky. A white mist left his mouth and disappeared into the air.
“I thought it was a bit weird from the very beginning.”
“The beginning of what?”
“When you first came over to hang out at our place.”
Hearing this, WooHyun became lost in thought. He shrugged his shoulders and snorted.
“It wasn’t since then, you idiot.”
JaeOn stared at WooHyun as he laughed while covering his eyes with his hand. He felt like his insides were going to twist into a knot. He suddenly felt an intense urge to hit him one more time. How could he call someone who might become his hyung-nim an idiot?
“If you’re only playing around with her, just end it as soon as possible. I don’t know about other people, but you can’t do that to my sister.”
WooHyun’s eyes suddenly flashed with a dangerous gleam. The laughter died from his lips, and his expression looked fierce. Feeling WooHyun’s eyes pierce through him, JaeOn flinched but continued talking.
“Well, you know… If you’re not going to marry her, just end it as soon as you can. Don’t you think that’d be for the best? It’ll only strain things between us.”
WooHyun pursed his lips as he continued to glare at JaeOn. However, his lips slowly stretched into a smirk. JaeOn felt a chill run down his spine.
“We might get married faster than you.”
“......”
“We might even make you a nephew before you have your own kid.”
“...Crazy son of a bitch.”
“I dare you to say I’m playing around with her again.”
It looked like JaeOn wouldn’t be called ‘hyung-nim’ in this lifetime. What could he possibly expect from a bastard like WooHyun? How did a guy he knew all these years end up falling for someone like Yu Daon? JaeOn was dying of curiosity.
WooHyun had seen how she’d eat her fill and try to sneak away so that she didn’t have to clean up after herself. He had witnessed her roll around on the couch and press a button on the remote with her toe. The two of them used to snicker whenever they saw her sleeping with drool running down her chin. Was this the same Na WooHyun he’d always known?
“Why do you like her?”
“Think about what you told me when I asked you why you liked SoYoung.”
“......”
JaeOn didn’t know what to say. He’d said that one couldn’t describe love in words, like a freaking boomer. And Na WooHyun had been the one who’d click his tongue and look at him like he didn’t understand.
“Then since when have you liked her? I can tell you exactly when I started liking SoYoung.”
“I’m not really curious about that, and as for when I started to like her… I’m not really sure.”
“See, I told you it was from the very beginning!”
WooHyun looked at JaeOn in disbelief. There was no way that was true. If he had had feelings for Daon from the very start, it meant that he’d held an innocent love for her for half of his life. There was no way he ever had such pure intentions like that. However, his certainty began to waver as JaeOn continued.
“Do you know that you always used to frown wherever you went? When other guys tried to get you to come out and play, you wouldn’t budge. But whenever I asked you to come over to our place, you’d glow, you bastard.”
WooHyun’s brow flinched.
“...I did?”
“Yeah, you jerk! And when you came to our place and couldn’t see Yu Daon, you’d look around as you searched for her. I saw it all.”
It was so long ago, so WooHyun didn’t remember it at all. The only memories he had of playing with a friend was when he’d go over to Yu JaeOn’s place to eat ramen and read comics. He didn’t know why he never bothered to go to PC cafes or go out for karaoke like other kids. Back then, he just felt like it was all bothersome.
“And you think that’s the only thing? What did you do with all the chocolate and peperos that the girls gave you? You gave all of it to Yu Daon. You said you didn’t like sweets. Now that I think about it, fuck. It was all bullshit.”
WooHyun could vaguely remember this. Ever since she was young, Daon loved to eat. She would eat so deliciously that anyone watching her would feel full. Whenever they were all sitting at the table, he’d enjoy watching her immerse herself in various dishes. That’s why he always passed her any food that came his way. He wanted to see her try this and that.
“I like sweets, too. Whenever I begged you to give me one, you never would…”
It was still the same now. Whenever he watched Daon eat, he’d feel full.
WooHyun stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. When he and Daon had kissed for the very first time, he’d never thought he did it without any feelings involved. When Daon asked to sleep with him just once after having seen his cock, he wouldn’t have accepted her request if he never felt anything for her. However, he could never figure out when those feelings had come about.
But those memories must have made an impression on JaeOn, because he still remembered them.
“I thought it was weird at first, but nothing happened. So I just thought that’s the way it was and stopped thinking about it.”
“......”
“If something was to happen, shouldn’t it have happened a long time ago? So why are you being like this now?! I was just so used to it, so I was blind. It wasn’t because I didn’t see the hints. Got it?”
JaeOn was very defensive regarding his powers of observation. However, WooHyun ignored him and became lost in thought. He was sifting through his memories about young Daon.
“Tada! This is the rare animal we’re raising at our home. Doesn’t it look funny?”
It was the first time he’d ever gone over to JaeOn’s place. JaeOn was snickering with a mini hotdog in his mouth as he pointed to Daon. Daon looked back and forth between JaeOn and WooHyun with a stunned expression on her face. Then her eyes narrowed into a glare.
“You guys look funnier than I do!”
She was an elementary school student that only came up to WooHyun’s hip. She stomped on the ground in a huff. With her hair parted down the middle, her braids shook. She was a striking young girl.
Although he had just been lumped with the funny-looking Yu JaeOn, rather than feeling upset, WooHyun was stupefied. When JaeOn said that he had a rare animal, he was expecting a hedgehog or a lizard. However, when he saw that it was actually a small, cute creature, he was shocked.
“Give that to me.”
WooHyun grinned and pointed at Daon. JaeOn suddenly stopped snickering and looked at WooHyun with a serious expression.
“You crazy bastard. How can I just give you my little sister?”
“She’s your sister?”
“Yeah. That’s why we’re raising her at our house.”
“If you weren’t going to give her to me, then why did you brag about it?”
“Who was bragging? I was only offering to let you see.”
JaeOn gestured to WooHyun and walked towards his room. With his bag over one shoulder, WooHyun began to follow him. Suddenly, an elementary school student ran over and kicked JaeOn’s bottom with her stubby legs.
“Agh! What the—.”
“Why are you running away after starting a fight?”
“When did I start a fight? And how can you talk like that to your oppa?”
Daon was so angry that her temple was throbbing.
“Then how can you talk to your little sister like that? Are you going around and telling your friends that I’m an animal?”
WooHyun watched the siblings bicker with fascination. Although Daon was much smaller than JaeOn, it seemed that they were at the same mental level. He was amazed to see the small fry answer back word for word, unwilling to back down. He even felt a bit excited to see what she’d say to him. So he slowly approached the child and poked her shoulder.
“Hey, move.”
Suddenly, as if she’d been frightened out of her wits, Daon frantically ran behind JaeOn and hunched over. She looked like she’d burst into tears at any moment as she gazed at WooHyun. Her hands clenched the hem of JaeOn’s clothes.
“Oppa…”
JaeOn laughed triumphantly as he stroked the crown of her head. Her hair began to stick out in all directions as he messed up her hairline.
“Hey, why are you scaring the kid? Once she starts crying, even our mom can’t get her to stop.”
WooHyun couldn’t believe it. Just a moment ago, wasn’t the girl full of rage as she fought against JaeOn? WooHyun felt like he’d become a charlatan who had just invaded an enemy base.
While JaeOn tried to console Daon with another mini hotdog, WooHyun walked into JaeOn’s room. It was a boring room with nothing interesting to see. A little while later, JaeOn entered the room and handed WooHyun a hotdog. He saw the elementary school kid eat it so deliciously, so he wondered if it had an interesting flavor. However, that was not the case.
“She’s funny, isn’t she?”
JaeOn tapped WooHyun’s leg as he grinned. WooHyun finally said what had been on his mind.
“She is a bit funny, but why is she acting like that with me? It’s not like I’m going to eat her or anything.”
“My parents said that it’s because she’s still young. She’s still shy when it comes to strangers.”
“Even if that was the case, how can she be so different when it comes to interacting with different people?”
“Are you envious?”
“As if.”
“If you’re envious, then you should tell your mom and dad to give you a little sibling, too.”
That didn’t sound too appealing. Even if his little sibling was to be born tomorrow, there would be a fifteen-year age gap. He would have to wait another ten years for the kid to be like Yu Daon.
JaeOn watched WooHyun calculate the ages in his head. As if he could read his mind, JaeOn smiled and spoke up.
“You can just come over often. Do you think she’ll be shy if she sees you every day?”
WooHyun nodded at the tempting offer.
This was probably why he and JaeOn had begun to go to school every single morning from then on. Just as JaeOn said, as WooHyun began to show his face every day, Daon’s timidness began to fade away. However, her first impression of WooHyun must have been scary because Daon never approached him first.
And like this, a few years passed by. WooHyun began focusing on taking his exams, and Daon entered middle school. She would run around the neighborhood in her new uniform.
As the exams came to an end, WooHyun finally found some time to breathe and decided to go to the movie theater with a few friends. There was still some time before the movie started, so he was sitting by himself at a table, waiting for his friends to come. When he turned his head, he saw Yu Daon. She was sitting at a table with five or six friends. When their eyes met, her eyes widened in surprise, and she looked away.
‘What is it?’
He hadn’t expected her to excitedly wave her hand at him, but when he saw that she was ignoring him, he felt strangely disappointed.
When it was almost time for the movie to begin, he heard the announcement on the intercom. However, Daon still hadn’t turned her head towards him and was continuing to ignore him. As if she didn’t even want to look at him, she kept her back to him.
People approached him countless times, being overly friendly with him. However, this was the first time he’d experienced the exact opposite. It was quite unpleasant.
WooHyun grabbed his bucket full of popcorn and stood up. As he approached Daon’s table, the other middle school girls widened their eyes and looked at each other. Finally, Daon turned around and looked up at him.
“Hmm?”
“Why didn’t you greet me?”
“Ah… I didn’t know. Hi.”
“Yeah, right.”
She knew that their eyes had met earlier.
“Daon, who is he?”
“Who is this?”
“Your older brother?”
Daon’s friends gestured to WooHyun and began to pour out their questions.
If JaeOn had been by her side, would she have acknowledged him and approached him first? They’d already known each other for several years, so it couldn’t be that she was still wary of him. Of course, he didn't expect her to be as friendly with him as she was with her own brother. However, knowing that his existence didn’t amount to even a small percentage of Yu JaeOn’s made him feel strangely upset.
“No. He’s my brother’s friend.”
WooHyun raised a brow. He lightly tapped the bucket of popcorn in her direction.
“Take it or leave it.”
Then he walked over to the theater entrance and joined his friends that were searching for him. Throughout the whole movie, he was in a sour mood. Even his friends glanced at him from time to time.
WooHyun himself didn’t know why he was so disturbed by Daon ignoring him.
Not that long after he had returned from studying abroad in the United States, JaeOn greeted him as happily as his own family had and invited him to his place. WooHyun felt as comfortable as if he had returned to his own home.
JaeOn announced that he’d wash up first and went to the bathroom. WooHyun sat on the living room sofa and was on his phone. He heard the front door open and turned his head.
Since it had been a while since he’d seen JaeOn’s parents, he prepared himself to greet them and stood up. But the person who walked through the long corridor and stepped into the living room was a woman.
“Huh?”
“......”
“Huuh?”
The woman thrust her finger at WooHyun and looked at him with wide eyes. WooHyun narrowed his eyes and assessed the woman. He finally noticed some familiar features.
“Yu Daon?”
When Daon heard her name, she grinned. Her baby fat had long melted away, and she looked very much like an adult. When they had first met, she had been shy and hid behind JaeOn. But now, WooHyun felt like he was the shy one and found it difficult to open his mouth.
Daon passed by WooHyun and walked towards her room as she murmured.
“Wow, you’re still handsome. Yu JaeOn’s only gotten older. Your parents must be so satisfied when they look at your face, Oppa.”
“Is that all you have to say to someone you haven’t seen in a long time?”
“Why haven’t I seen you around lately?”
“......”
He could hardly believe it. Didn’t this mean that during all these years apart, she had never once wondered where he was or how he was doing? It meant that, although their parents were close friends, she hadn’t thought about him at all.
He had treated her so well when she was just a snot-nosed kid.
“Daon.”
Daon came out of the kitchen with a glass of cold water and blinked. For a moment, WooHyun thought she was giving it to him, but she brought it up to her lips and gulped it down. After she emptied the glass, she licked the remaining droplets of water from her lips.
“You called my name. Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Do you know what it means to be ungrateful?”
“...What? What are you trying to say? Did I do something wrong? Do you want me to ask for forgiveness or something?”
Daon pouted and shrugged her shoulders. When WooHyun saw her bright, innocent eyes, he didn't know what to say.
Rather than feeling upset, the joy of seeing her again was greater. Pfft, WooHyun barked out a laugh and gave her a friendly look.
“How’ve you been?”
Daon flashed him a bright smile that reminded him of the refreshing weather of early summer.
It was gradually getting cold. JaeOn stared at WooHyun, who had a grave expression on his face. He didn’t move at all, and JaeOn wondered if he had turned into a block of ice.
Thinking this was his chance, he slammed his fist down on WooHyun’s thigh. But the blow only served to make his fist throb as it hit WooHyun’s muscled leg.
“Call me ‘hyung-nim’ just this once.”
“I’m not in the mood, so leave me alone.”
WooHyun felt like his entire existence had been turned upside-down. His feelings had been trickling down until it had completely overtaken him, pointing him in one direction. The one who was dull and slow wasn’t Yu JaeOn. It was him.
JaeOn shivered as he stood up.
“I’m about to freeze to death. I’ve said everything I had to say, so I’m heading inside.”
Not caring whether he left or not, WooHyun didn’t even bid him goodbye. JaeOn waved at the dazed WooHyun and smirked. It was quite fun seeing his childhood friend so flustered by something he’d said.
He walked over to the entrance of the smoking area and turned around. He waved at WooHyun once again. He even stuck himself to the opposite wall and wriggled his body against it. However, WooHyun merely stared off into the distance with dazed eyes.
Just as he was about to lose interest, JaeOn suddenly walked up to WooHyun and clapped his hands in front of his face.
“I don’t know about anything else, but at the very least, tell Yu Daon to come and sleep at home from now on. If not, I’ll just tell our mom and dad everything.”
WooHyun slowly raised his eyes. When their eyes met, WooHyun’s lips slowly stretched into a smirk.
“If you tell them ahead of time, I’d be quite grateful.”
Crazy bastard. JaeOn shook his head and turned his back on WooHyun. He wasn’t sure how he’d coaxed Daon into being his girlfriend, but he was definitely not your garden variety of crazy.
Either way, since he was the one who had introduced the two of them, JaeOn planned to ask for a car at their wedding*.
Not only did WooHyun make twice as much as JaeOn but his parents were also in the business of real estate and had already put several buildings under WooHyun’s name. JaeOn already knew all of this.
“If I can’t hear you call me ‘hyung-nim’, then I’ll give you my blessing if you buy me a Tesla.”
JaeOn walked into the apartment entrance, his giddy footsteps echoing in the halls.
After JaeOn had left, WooHyun stayed in his spot for a long time, almost as if he were rooted to the ground. He finally returned to his senses when he heard his phone ringing in his coat pocket. When he saw the name on the screen, he grinned.
“You woke up?”
— Yeah, not that long ago. I was waiting for you, but you didn’t come back. Where are you?
Daon’s voice still held traces of drowsiness. And it sounded like her throat was hoarse from crying out all day.
“I just stepped out front. Do you want to come down?”
— Why are you out front?
“I just thought I’d go for a walk.”
— Okay. I’ll be right out.
There was a halo around the moon in the winter night sky. Having forgotten about the cold, a laugh flowed out of his lips. Underneath the hazy moonlight, a shy smile formed on WooHyun’s face. A ripple had begun to spread out across his heart, and it wasn’t from the punch that JaeOn had thrown at his face.
Haa. Daon let out a large yawn as she got in the elevator. Her body felt limp from staying inside all day. It had been a while since she’d last exercised, so her entire body felt sore. Whenever she opened her eyes, WooHyun would feed her all sorts of snacks, but her appetite hadn’t gone away.
Well, it was only to be expected. She’d been tossed and turned all day, so it would be odd if she didn’t feel its aftereffects.
Once she zipped up her padded jacket, she put a cap backwards on her head and ran out as soon as the elevator doors opened. WooHyun was waiting out by the apartment entrance.
“Why don’t we go to the snack bar and order a bowl of udon… Why do your lips look like that?!”
After running into WooHyun’s open arms, Daon froze. She gently stroked the wound on his lips. WooHyun murmured softly, ‘Ah, that.’
“Did you meet with Yu JaeOn? Did Yu JaeOn do this to you?”
WooHyun stopped the smile from forming on his lips and did his best to look sad.
“...I let him hit me just once.”
When WooHyun covered his mouth with his hand, Daon grabbed it and brought it down with a sharp gleam in her eyes. It looked like she was very close to charging after Yu JaeOn and landing a blow of her own.
“For a guy whose weakness is being too nice, why did he hit someone? How dare he go around swinging his fists! Will he return to his senses once he’s in handcuffs?”
As Daon began to grow unruly, WooHyun wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. He bent down and brought his face up to hers.
“Blow on it for me.”
Daon’s eyes lowered. She stroked his pitiful face and blew. The white mist from her mouth flew away with the wind.
“Let’s head back inside and put some ointment on it first.”
“Later.”
“What if it gets infected?”
“You blew on it for me, so it’ll be alright.”
WooHyun rubbed his palms on Daon’s sullen cheeks. Then he entwined their hands together and put them inside his coat pockets.
“Let’s take a walk.”
There was a walking path behind the apartment complex. The ground was soft, and the landscape was nicely maintained, so a lot of the apartment residents like to walk there. However, because the weather was rather cold and it was late at night, it was very quiet.
Whenever she saw WooHyun’s busted lip, Daon’s heart filled with sadness. As they walked, she’d occasionally glance up at him before looking away in disappointment.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
“That makes me feel even worse. You’re not Yu JaeOn’s spokesperson, so why would you apologize on his behalf?”
He’d barely managed to get in between the two siblings, but wasn’t this just bringing them closer together instead? It didn’t sound very pleasing to WooHyun’s ears.
“Just punish Yu JaeOn in my stead, Daon.”
If she was going to be on someone’s side, it would be best if she were on his. Unaware of WooHyun’s ulterior motives, Daon pursed her lips and replied in a determined voice.
“Okay. When I go home, I’ll punish him real good.”
Yes, this was it. Having achieved victory, a bright smile formed on WooHyun’s lips.
As they held hands and walked down the path, the fact that they were truly dating finally hit home for Daon. Even though she threw in some lame jokes, WooHyun laughed and readily received them. Because of WooHyun’s sincere reactions, Daon continued to chatter throughout their walk.
They clicked so well, so how come she wasn’t aware of him until now? Daon came to realize that first impressions were very important.
To put it simply, the first impression she had of WooHyun was that he was scary. Although he was wearing the same uniform as JaeOn, his large physique and his gruff voice made him seem much older than his age. He already had a very cold aura about him, and he never smiled, so she found it difficult to approach him when she was young.
As they both grew older, the first impression she had of him faded away along with any prejudice she had against him. That was also probably why she was able to ask him to sleep with her.
She recalled the day she had discovered the thick thing between his legs. If she hadn’t seen it that night, what would have happened? If she hadn’t been disappointed by KyungChan’s small size, what would have happened between her and Na WooHyun?
Once she realized that her relationship with WooHyun had depended on her fixation with his penis, she burst out laughing.
“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”
WooHyun gave Daon a strange look as she buckled down in laughter. Tears began to form in her eyes as her shoulders shook. She wiped away the tears with her finger and looked up at WooHyun with gleaming eyes.
“Show me your wiener.”
WooHyun scoffed.
“I was wondering what you were thinking about.”
Although he replied in an indifferent voice, his face began to turn red. If it hadn’t been for WooHyun’s cooperation, she would have lived out the rest of her life avoiding his face. As if he were embarrassed, WooHyun scratched the end of his brow.
“Stop thinking about wieners.”
“I’m not thinking about wieners.”
“Then what are you thinking about?”
“If it weren’t for your wiener, I was wondering what would have happened to us.”
“You are thinking about wieners.”
WooHyun’s face was so red that it looked like it’d burst. This was the first time she’d seen him this embarrassed. Daon brought her hand to her lips and snickered.
They went to the snack cart and each ate a bowl of udon. Now that her stomach was full, the world looked so beautiful in her eyes.
“I heard Yu JaeOn’s getting married.”
“Yeah. They went to see some venues today. I wonder if they reserved one.”
They held hands and swung their arms as they walked back together. The tall street lights illuminated the couple. WooHyun cleared his throat as if he had something to say.
“Actually, we’ve known each other longer than they’ve known each other.”
“You’re right.”
Had the path behind their apartment complex always been this beautiful? Daon was dazed by the sudden thought and slowly reached inside her pocket and pulled out her cellphone.
“Then, before Yu JaeOn, shouldn’t we be the first ones to…!”
“Take a picture for me.”
She pulled up the camera app and handed her phone to WooHyun as she bashfully laughed. Daon decided to walk further away and look back so that it would look like the photo had been taken naturally. She was just about to explain her plan when…
WooHyun turned the camera to face the front, and their faces filled the screen. He stretched out his arm.
Huh? This wasn’t what she was going to do. However, before she could tell him, she felt something soft and plump touch her cheek. She heard a click, and a photo of them filled the screen.
“Didn’t it turn out good?”
WooHyun returned the phone to her as he asked. Daon’s startled eyes were looking at the camera as WooHyun smiled while placing a kiss on her cheek. The shot was a bit shaky, so the photo came out very natural and pretty. Although it wasn’t something she had planned, her heart felt full when she saw this couple photo. Daon quickly saved the photo and giggled.
“Can I make it my profile pic?”
WooHyun’s chuckle brushed the hair at the crown of her head.
“Do what you want.”
Now that JaeOn knew everything, there was nothing to hide. Daon wanted to brag to all her friends about her incredibly handsome boyfriend. Of course, the photo didn’t show even half of his body, so it didn’t do him justice. Daon opened her messaging app and changed her profile picture. Then she dropped her phone back into her pocket.
“Ah, that’s right. What was it you were saying earlier? We should be the first ones to do what?”
“Nevermind. The time has passed.”
“Aah, what was it? Tell me.”
A cold gust of wind blew past them, and Daon reflexively flinched as she shivered. Suddenly, WooHyun opened both flaps of his coat and embraced Daon from behind.
“It’s warm now, right?”
She felt WooHyun’s firm chest against her back. They shared his coat as if they were one body.
“It’s warm, but I think it’s a bit uncomfortable.”
Left foot, right foot. She waddled like a penguin as she matched his footsteps. She was glad no one was around to see them. If someone saw them, they’d click their tongues at them.
“You like me more than Yu JaeOn, right?”
Whenever WooHyun spoke, she could feel the vibrations against her back. His unique scent tickled her nose and gave her a comfortable sense of security. Not only did her body feel warm, but she also felt the warmth seep into the deepest corners of her heart.
“Of course. That’s not even a question.”
“If the two of us fell into the sea, who would you save first?”
Daon thought about it. The firm muscles of WooHyun’s body hadn’t popped out of thin air. She knew that he had to be trained to swim well to become a pilot, and she also knew that he often went to the nearby swimming pool to work out.
“You’re good at swimming, Oppa.”
“......”
“Yu JaeOn can’t swim.”
WooHyun suddenly stopped walking. Daon turned her head and looked up at him. His expression was cold as it looked back down at her.
“Huh? You’re mad.”
“......”
Pfft, Daon began to laugh and nudged her elbow against his abdomen.
“I’ll save you first, Oppa. I guess SoYoung-unnie will save Yu JaeOn.”
Only then did some relief return to WooHyun’s face. Why would he have such a scary look on his face over something like this? She was bad at swimming, too, so she knew that WooHyun would ultimately have to save her instead.
WooHyun bent down and bit Daon’s cheek as if he wanted to eat her up. Because his arms were around her torso, she couldn’t even wriggle away. His bites turned into kisses, and he began to pour kisses along her forehead and nose.
“Ugh, I-I can’t breathe…”
Daon scrunched her eyes closed, and WooHyun whispered into her ear.
“I don’t want to be your brother’s friend anymore.”
Poor Yu JaeOn. Na WooHyun was the only friend he met often. What was he going to do now? Tsk, tsk.
However, she was the one who was currently in a troubling situation. WooHyun had bound her body up tight. She didn’t think he had a wink of sleep, but he was still so full of energy.
“Do what you want.”
Daon tapped his elbow and surrendered. When he heard her reply, WooHyun finally loosened his grip on her. When Daon moved to escape, he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.
Underneath the street lamp, their eyes met. A strange tension began to rise between them. WooHyun stroked the stray hairs that had escaped her cap and opened his lips.
“Can I kiss you?”
They’d already tangled bodies countless times, so why was she blushing? She nodded, and WooHyun slowly lowered his head. When she felt his hot breaths against her skin, her eyes fluttered closed.
WooHyun swallowed her upper lip. A tickling sensation traveled down to her stomach, and her shoulders hunched. He gently tugged on her lower lip and laughed. He pressed his lips against hers and softly whispered.
“When did you grow up?”
“......”
“Now you even know how to make my heart flutter.”
Their lips fused into a deep kiss. They stuck close together so that not even a wisp of air could escape. Their hearts raced. The words of love they had not yet said aloud were delivered through their kiss.
Tiny snowflakes began to fall from the black sky. The small flakes began to dance underneath the light of the street lamps. They fell on their heads, cheeks, and shoulders. As if to congratulate them on the birth of their new love.