“I’m honored.”
Ding-.
As soon as I said that, the elevator arrived.
“Why did you come early?”
“I guess one of them had something urgent. They asked if it was okay to leave first, so we all just got up together.”
Long fingers pressed the 24th floor first. No one else got on until the elevator door closed.
“I thought you came early because you wanted to see me.”
“Why does your character keep changing day by day?”
“You don’t like it?”
“What if I don’t?”
“I’ll have to change back. Can’t dump you.”
I wonder if there’s anyone in this world who could dump you.
An affectionate hand swept down my head. Even the touch that was so awkward at first was now quite familiar.
As soon as we arrived home and went inside, warmth immediately touched my shoulder. Even though I hadn’t taken off my shoes yet, Kang Sehyun hugged me right from the entrance. He trapped me with his heavy body and rubbed his face all over my nape.
I understood why Kang Sehyun was like this today. Since seeing each other’s faces briefly on Monday morning until today, Thursday, we hadn’t seen each other—so it had been three days since seeing each other like this. While it might be just three days to others, it was an incredibly long time for us who saw each other every day. If I hadn’t gotten out of work today, Kang Sehyun definitely would have waited at my apartment by now even if I told him not to come.
“Are you a dog…? Should we at least go inside first?”
When I raised my hand and patted his back a couple times, lips touched my cheek then fell away.
“Dogs don’t go into heat for their owners.”
I laughed, dumbfounded.
Kang Sehyun, who seemed to have no intention of giving up, kissed me for quite a while longer before finally letting go of his arms at my words that I was hungry.
We ordered pizza for dinner. Neither of us particularly wanted to eat anything, and that seemed like the fastest option, so we could decide easily. The exam period was merciless, and even the time to go out and eat dinner felt wasteful. It was better to spend that time looking at each other’s faces or talking even a little more.
“Ah.”
Kang Sehyun’s forehead crumpled severely when he opened the pizza box that arrived.
“Why?”
“They got it wrong.”
I could tell at a glance it wasn’t the pizza we ordered. Pineapple, which we both hated, was placed here and there on it.
“Let’s just eat it.”
“But you hate it.”
“Waiting again is a bit much too. I’m hungry.”
“Are you really okay with it?”
“Are you okay with it?”
“I ate a lot before anyway.”
If Kang Sehyun had just stayed still after giving that answer, I wouldn’t have known, but for a moment, embarrassment flashed across his grimacing face.
Ah. His ex-girlfriend liked pizza with pineapple.
I found out a fact I didn’t want to know. At times like this, being quick-witted was a bit regrettable.
Well, he was someone who did his best until the end even while dating for over five years. If it was Kang Sehyun, he would have clearly matched his partner’s tastes even if he disliked it himself.
Whenever Kang Sehyun was good to me, I would suddenly get a sense of superiority that he was especially better to only me. Since I hadn’t actually seen him dating his ex-girlfriend next to me directly, sometimes I thought he was treating me better than back then. So occasionally, when I found out facts I didn’t know like this, I became embarrassed about having that misconception that wasn’t a misconception.
Now I’m even comparing myself to his ex-girlfriend.
I’m really in deep.
It was fascinating to think back to the beginning when I was unfazed even hearing the words “girlfriend,” since now I was jealous enough of a person who didn’t even exist anymore.
Kang Sehyun still had an apologetic face.
“Should I pick out the pineapple for you?”
“It’s fine. Why would you go that far?”
I tried to act like nothing was wrong, but instead my tone came out blunt. Before he could notice my mood, I picked up a slice of pizza. The fact that the drink was cola instead of beer was very disappointing.
“Do you still have a lot to do?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe it’s already Thursday.”
“You told me not to come, so I deliberately didn’t go. What did you do while I wasn’t there?”
There was exactly one reason I hadn’t met Kang Sehyun for the past few days. Because I couldn’t concentrate. Because I could no longer study together as we habitually did as if nothing was wrong.
I already knew from experiencing it once last semester. That when I was with Kang Sehyun, I couldn’t demonstrate even half my usual concentration. Even if we sat at desks to study together like before, in the end, we’d wake up on the bed together.
It was the same this time. The exam studying that started on Sunday ended before even two hours had passed. In the end, when I opened my eyes, it was Monday, and feeling responsible, Kang Sehyun agreed to my request to study alone for a few days.
“What did I do? I studied. But there’s just a lot of it.”
“Hmm…”
“You’re talking as if you have nothing to do? You said you have a thesis to submit too.”
“I submitted that today. I have two subjects left to study for now.”
“We play the same amount, so why is the result so different?”
“I did it while you weren’t there.”
“That’s what I mean—we were given the same time, so why did you finish all of it?”
A playful smile appeared on Kang Sehyun’s lips.
“I missed you so much that I only studied like crazy.”
Lie. Who was the one sending messages every thirty minutes?
Rather than getting used to these embarrassing words from Kang Sehyun, it was more accurate to say I endured them because I didn’t dislike them. Words that I would have really hated if someone else said them were fine when Kang Sehyun said them because of his blunt tone.
Sweet words like missing me or wanting to hear my voice strangely felt plain when Kang Sehyun said them. Words he blurted out always felt sincere whenever I heard them.
“Kang Sehyun.”
When I called his name, he slowly turned his head. “Why.” I heard a low voice.
“The reason you’re going back to Korea this vacation too—you said it was because of work, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That work, it’s the family business, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So about that.”
The gaze that had been soft until just now became quite serious. It was like that every time he brought up family or work talk.
“What will you do after graduation?”
“Like, are you talking about getting a job?”
“Including that and this and that. I feel like I’m asking something obvious, but I’m asking just in case. We’ve never talked about this kind of thing before. Still, I thought that since we’re dating, we should at least know where each other will be.”
“You just need to know?”
“…I should try to match it as much as possible.”
His serious face quickly smiled looking at me.
“I’m proud that you thought that far.”
“About what?”
“When I asked you before, you said you’d see when the time came. That even after graduation, you didn’t know if you’d go to Korea or stay in America. So I didn’t expect you to ask first.”
“That was before we started dating.”
“Still, I didn’t expect you to say you’d match it.”
Kang Sehyun looked somehow happy.
“After graduation, I’ll be in Seoul for a while.”
“For a while means you might go somewhere else.”
“It probably won’t happen, but I might go on business trips fairly often.”
I imagined it in my head. Kang Sehyun going on business trips in a neat suit. For a moment, it seemed like it would suit him enough to gasp.
“What about you?”
“I said I’d match it. I was going to be in Seoul anyway.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I was relieved that for now we could get along well without any problems, but still, just in case, I asked.
“What if one of us ends up going somewhere else?”
“Then it becomes a long-distance relationship.”
I felt oddly bad at the answer he gave as if it were so obvious. Was he answering like that because he had the confidence to do it well since he’d done it before?—because of thoughts like that. While dating Kang Sehyun, my mind seemed to have become too narrow to the point I hated myself.
“I said that because I can never break up with you. Don’t misunderstand strangely.”
It was a problem that I was too quick-witted, but it was more of a problem that he was quick-witted. The expression management I thought I was doing well always failed in front of Kang Sehyun, and this time too, whether this mood showed on my face, Kang Sehyun was the first to say it wasn’t like that.
Thanks to that, perhaps because misunderstandings didn’t pile up each time, Kang Sehyun and I had never once fought until now. While we might not have as friends, after becoming lovers, even perfectly matched partners could fight, but we didn’t even have trivial quarrels.
According to Gijae hyung, even between lovers, there needs to be a moderate amount of push and pull to last long, but nothing like that existed between us. We didn’t know how to do that in the first place, and we didn’t want to. So there was no need to read each other’s mood or maintain pride. If most reasons for couples to fight were because of such things, there was no way for a fight to be created between us.
A long finger pressed firmly on my forehead.
“Unfurrow your brow. It makes me anxious.”
Right. What kind of push and pull would this guy do?
I smiled without realizing it. Then this time, Kang Sehyun’s straight forehead folded slightly.
“That doesn’t mean I was telling you to suddenly smile.”
“I smiled because it was smile-worthy.”
“What’s so good?”
“I thought you’re really worth dating.”
“Ha.”
I think I like Kang Sehyun’s occasionally flustered face after all.
“Kang Sehyun.”
When I called his name once more, his sullen face asked bluntly what else was left.
“Do you have anything you want from me?”
“I do.”
It didn’t even take one second for an answer to come out of Kang Sehyun’s mouth. I asked thinking I’d seriously listen if he had any complaints or wishes from meeting me, but when the words “I do” came out without hesitation, this time I was the one flustered.
“You asked if I had something I wanted, so why aren’t you asking what it is?”
Because somehow it felt like I didn’t need to hear it.
But seeing his expectant gaze, I finally asked.
“What is it?”
His refreshing eyes curved softly.
Instead of answering, Kang Sehyun carefully approached and kissed me.
I’m not going to study today either. Even though I knew it in my head, my body wouldn’t follow my will. Even as time passed, I was still weak to Kang Sehyun’s smiling face.
