Our heads seemed to gradually get closer. And after a moment.
“Ah!”
I let out a short, sharp scream without realizing it.
Because I got a thump on the head while waiting for a kiss.
“What kind of kiss talk when you can’t even make eye contact.”
“Me?”
I didn’t avoid my eyes just now though? I was looking straight at you…!”
It was even quite a heavy thump. I rubbed my head and looked at hyung-nim with aggrieved eyes.
“Why are you hitting me! You just said you’d do anything!”
“This wasn’t in the premise. Let’s go home now. You have to go to school tomorrow.”
This doesn’t make sense, we’re going home like this? Without a kiss or romance?
Hyung-nim didn’t continue speaking, and the car moved. The atmospheric and secluded park was getting farther away. I unconsciously put my hand on the car window.
Right there, it was perfect as a kissing spot to decorate the end of a real date.
I looked at the receding park with feelings of regret overflowing. I bit my lips tightly because it was so disappointing.
“I don’t know what’s inside your head. When I look closely, it seems like that’s all you think about.”
Hyung-nim’s exasperated voice rang out.
“Originally, it’s natural not to know what’s inside others.”
Even though he was blatantly saying ‘is that all you think about,’ I didn’t deny it. Not only that, my voice naturally came out crooked. As if exasperated once again, hyung-nim let out a hollow laugh.
We arrived at the officetel in an instant. After smoothly finishing parking, hyung-nim turned off the engine and only then looked at me.
“You grew up too cunningly, different from how you look.”
“…”
I couldn’t refute those words. I kept my mouth shut tight.
“Originally, when you tell someone not to do something, they want to do it more.”
I suddenly had that thought. Perhaps because of this curiosity, something really big might happen.
Hyung-nim’s words that I grew up cunningly were right a hundred, a thousand times. I actually did grow up cunningly. Even now I’m barely holding back from wanting to press my lips against hyung-nim’s.
I couldn’t even count the days I masturbated thinking of hyung-nim. Even before moving in, I already had a history of doing cunning things in hyung-nim’s bathroom. Hyung-nim, who couldn’t possibly know all this, seemed quite flustered by my current appearance.
“You can be curious, but do that kind of thing after you make a lover. A trustworthy lover you get to know over sufficient time.”
“I just want to do it again because I liked the kiss from last time, but the conditions are too strict. Most of all, what if I keep not getting a lover? What if I don’t get one until I die? What about my curiosity?”
“You’ll have no choice but to recall the memory as much as possible. Since you did it once.”
What a cold-hearted person.
“I might end up asking my friend in the end. You’ll understand then, right? Since you’re the one who refused.”
“Small as you are, heading straight for disaster.”
Hyung-nim’s sharp gaze landed on me. I instantly covered my head in case I got another thump.
Watching me like that, hyung-nim shook his head.
But my words weren’t finished yet. I had to say what needed to be said.
“But earlier you clearly said, rather than causing trouble elsewhere, do everything in front of you…”
Somehow I felt a strong desire not to back down this time.
“We already made a pinky promise, so you can’t take it back.”
After that, I opened the door and got out.
It was supposed to be a challenge toward a perfect date, but only my cunning intentions got discovered.
Starting today, I was planning to attempt a second kiss. The result was a failure, but it’s not over yet.
***
To Yoo Jeongwoo, Lee Hajin had now become an unexpected colt that was not only unexpected but also cunning.
The image I had carefully cultivated step by step was crumbling down in less than half a year of becoming an adult.
The next morning when I came out to the living room, hyung-nim was peaceful as always. My feelings watching such a hyung-nim were surprisingly very calm.
So, I was half in a state of desperation. I didn’t even feel embarrassed about yesterday.
“Hyung-nim, did you sleep well?”
After politely greeting, I approached hyung-nim sitting at the dining table.
“You’re going to work in the afternoon today, hyung-nim.”
His appearance in a white shirt and black slacks as usual was neat. Hyung-nim put down the mug with coffee on the dining table and said.
“Yeah, I’ll make breakfast quickly, so want to eat before you leave?”
“…”
I blinked for a moment. I said in a calm voice.
“If you do what you said yesterday, I’ll eat.”
Hyung-nim laughed briefly at my words. That laugh was, how should I say, almost like a sneer. As if saying ‘look at this kid.’
“Then Hajin will be going to school hungry today.”
“It’s okay. I have friends to eat with at school.”
“Who? Who are you going to eat with? Sorry, but today I’ll have to ban you from buying meals for friends.”
Huh?
I stood there dumbfounded with my mouth open without realizing it. That’s how clearly hyung-nim’s tone was annoyingly spiteful.
“Who leaves warm home-cooked food and buys food outside? Hyung didn’t raise Hajin like that. Give back the card.”
Wh-what. I was so dumbfounded my mouth wouldn’t close.
So right now, not only did I suffer the humiliation of being rejected for a kiss last night, but I’m also getting my card usage banned by hyung-nim?
“I-it doesn’t matter. I can use my card. I just won’t buy for my friend today.”
No matter how much I was a bit unreasonable yesterday, to be petty about food like this. If it’s like this, I can’t help but feel rebellious.
“Really? What’s today’s date.”
But hyung-nim wasn’t an easy opponent.
“You must have spent all your allowance going to the salon. Then you can barely buy one cup of coffee at a time until next month?”
“…”
“Especially if you want to eat a cookie crumble strawberry shake, it’ll be quite tight.”
How on earth does hyung-nim know my financial situation? I quietly bit my lip. For a college freshman facing their first semester, allowance was actually quite tight.
“Won’t it be a big hit if you buy food today?”
“…”
When I closed my mouth, hyung-nim pointed to the dining table chair. It meant to sit down and eat breakfast without more words.
I had no choice but to approach the dining table, but I couldn’t help feeling indignant.
“You said you were surprised I grew up too cunningly… I didn’t know hyung-nim was such a petty adult either. I’m really shocked right now.”
Words mumbled out of my mouth. Hyung-nim turned his head while putting the frying pan down on the induction cooktop with a thud.
“What are you mumbling? If you’re going to grumble, come here and do it.”
At those words, instead of sitting at the dining table, I immediately approached hyung-nim’s side.
Had I ever dared to criticize hyung-nim in my life? But today I was too wronged.
“I didn’t know hyung-nim was someone who says two different things with one mouth either…!”
Although my voice trembled, at my boldly shouted words, hyung-nim had an expression as if doubting his own ears. It was probably shocking. To criticize hyung-nim so honestly like this.
It was the first time in Lee Hajin’s life.
“My goodness, look at Hajin’s speech habits. Kids these days are too scary.”
Hyung-nim, who had been frozen as if shocked for a moment, soon shook his head. Then he tapped eggs to crack them, put them in a bowl, and whisked them.
“When Hajin was seven years old, you didn’t rebel and were really cute. Those times were good. Now you’ve become an ungrateful twenty-year-old. But throwing tantrums is exactly the same as when you were seven. If it’s going to be like this, I wish you’d go back to being seven.”
“Wow, how can you say such things…!”
Right now, hyung-nim was pretending to complain to himself while saying the story I hate the most.
First of all, I don’t want to be treated like a baby by hyung-nim anymore, and going back to seven years old and living as a high school senior twice is horrifying just to imagine.
“Nothing lasts forever. Then you should go back to that time and live. And back then, hyung-nim didn’t lie to me either. I like hyung-nim from back then much! better than hyung-nim who lies like now.”
“Sorry, but hyung lied a lot back then too. Every time we went to the store, when I said they only sell one ice cream per child, Hajin believed it well.”
I flinched without realizing it. An unexpected memory from the past flashed by.
“Was there really such a thing…”
There was. There really was such a scary thing in the past.
Because I believed hyung-nim’s words so well, at that time I even requested a friend to buy ice cream for me as if obtaining smuggled goods.
After so much time passed, I hadn’t thought about it this way.
Occasionally when I remembered those times, I just thought it was hyung-nim’s consideration hoping I wouldn’t get a stomachache. But now I felt like I’d gained some important realization.
“You also believed that if you slept without brushing your teeth, a monster would come and pull out Hajin’s teeth. Honestly, Hajin is the easiest type to deceive.”
This can’t be!
I felt like I’d realized something too huge.
The person called Yoo Jeongwoo had far less conscience than I thought.
