Kang Ikwon smiled leisurely and grabbed my left ankle. Then he folded it in one motion and pushed it toward his body.
My knee and pride crumpled together nicely.
“Why do you provoke me?”
“I didn’t… stop pressing.”
“Then is it innate…”
Driving people crazy. Kang Ikwon didn’t release the pressure and bent his upper body. As the distance closed, my leg completely folded and touched my chest. I was sandwiched between the window and Kang Ikwon like ham in a sandwich.
“Where exactly is your focus right now?”
“We had a monumental first fight. I heard you like me enough to go crazy with jealousy, and that you want to seduce me anytime because I’m your type.”
Kang Ikwon recited quite a self-serving interpretation, then grabbed my ankle and lifted it up sharply, making my waist collapse and my legs float. He draped it over his shoulder as is and bit down hard on my peach bone.
“Can I let you go nicely on a day like this?”
Ah, I threw a frisbee to distract an excited dog’s gaze and ended up being chewed like dog gum.
“Kang Ikwon.”
I tried to speak as dignifiedly as possible.
“Even patience has limits.”
“My limit has already passed.”
Want to touch it once? Kang Ikwon didn’t even snort and struck down my pathetic threat. His lips gradually lifted the pant leg and climbed up my calf. At that moment, my eyes met with an older man passing in front of the car. Ack!
“Don’t! You crazy bastard.”
I tried to hit his shoulder with my leg but ended up—bam!—kicking his jaw. Kang Ikwon grimaced and fell away.
“Ah.”
“Are you okay?”
Startled, I quickly approached and looked at his face. Kang Ikwon covered his jaw and squinted.
“Are you okay coming that close? What if people misunderstand and think we’re kissing?”
“Hey… I was wrong.”
Look at that nice guy being sarcastic. Looking back, it’s been a day of suffering for Kang Ikwon. On an unprecedentedly gloomy day, he got a bit upset from my insensitive words, then got paid back with more words, and though his mood cleared with a few apologies and he even gave me a foot massage, this time he got kicked for getting a bit turned on. Listing it out, guilt washed over me like waves. Come to think of it, he wouldn’t be able to see properly anyway because of the tinting, so why did I overreact like that?
“Should we go to the hospital? What if I ruined this perfect jawline?”
“My jaw is fine.”
Kang Ikwon chuckled.
“I just bit the inside of my mouth for a moment. My fault came first, so don’t be so discouraged.”
Look how sweet he is even in this situation. I was moved by his thoughtfulness, comforting me first not to feel hurt even though he bit his tongue. I cupped Kang Ikwon’s jaw with both hands and rubbed it carefully. His eyes closed pleasantly at the affectionate touch. His slightly tilted head leaned against my palm as if acting spoiled. I approached him with his eyes slowly closed and pressed my lips to his. And I kissed him deeply, whether anyone was watching or not. Dear citizens of Han River Park. I’m sorry. But hey, at least it’s better than car sex, right?
My tongue searched for the wound as it thoroughly swept over the soft flesh. After circling around his mouth and licking it meticulously, I gently rubbed tongues as a final greeting and pulled out. Smack, the sound of lips parting was moist and cute. For once, Kang Ikwon obediently kept his eyes closed and received my kiss until the end instead of rushing at me. The eyes that had been closed as if savoring opened.
“You can’t imagine.”
“What?”
“How lovely you are.”
Kang Ikwon smiled, and because that smile looked so happy, I smiled along with him. And we kissed again. A very quiet, gentle kiss with no heat or desire.
But,
But still, that kiss was really…
“…Kang Ikwon.”
I whispered with our lips still touching. And I asked that blindingly passionate face.
“Can you go out… and buy me something to drink?”
Because at this rate, I’m going to be the one reclining the car seat at the Han River first.
After sending off Kang Ikwon who didn’t want to leave, I opened the console box while calming down my clueless lower half. Actually, it wasn’t really a surprise or a secret, but now I’d raised expectations while trying to divert his attention.
“Geez. Now it’s harder to give it to him for no reason.”
I should’ve casually handed it over like I just picked it up on the way to look cool. As I grumbled and pulled out the ticket, something caught my eye. Not just appeared—literally caught.
It was a lighter.
Silver, heavy-looking, sitting neatly in a transparent case.
Hmm.
First. Kang Ikwon doesn’t smoke.
Second. It has a simple, plain exterior with the initial J engraved on it.
Third.
“Then is this my present?”
I rationalized my unauthorized snooping with the most convenient speculation, saying it aloud while turning the box around. I don’t know if this itself is the packaging or if it’s pre-packaging, but it definitely looks like a new product kept nicely. Oh my, oh my, doing pretty things without me knowing again. Give one and he returns two.
Or.
I lightly tossed and caught the box.
“So is this for that lover, or is it for me?”
Coincidentally, he and I have overlapping initials.
Come to think of it, unlike Kang Ikwon who was thinking of commemorating with car sex, our first fight definitely became a kind of turning point. At least in looking back at my own feelings. Staring at the lighter, I seriously thought for the first time. Let’s have a proper conversation with Kang Ikwon, and—let’s definitely wrap up the story about his lover too.
To think I’d be doing this kind of love triangle drama.
Just at this moment, the pathetic memory of an ex-boyfriend who shamelessly insisted why do I have to choose just one when I like both flashed by like a revolving lantern. Ah. Karma. I think I cursed the hell out of that bastard who screwed me over, but now I’ve reached a situation where I, who willingly took on being the second, want to demand to become the only one.
Another Cha Gyujin inside me popped out. Is it really possible?
I answered myself half-heartedly.
It should be possible. Kang Ikwon clearly likes me, at least for now.
But what about you?
I like Kang Ikwon too.
Are you prepared?
Prepared for dating? Except for the existence of a lover, we’re already ordinary lovers anyway.
But the strict Cha Gyujin I didn’t even know existed inside me shook his head.
Is it sincere enough to be prepared to steal him away? Whether the lover is a bastard or not, you’re trying to tear apart the long time those two people built together. Can you take responsibility? For the weight of that plunder. You’ve always failed because you couldn’t even handle the weight of your own relationships.
I don’t know why I’m losing my words when I’m asking and answering myself.
I see Kang Ikwon approaching from afar. I quickly threw the lighter back in and closed the lid.
“There was only a vending machine.”
Kang Ikwon held two coffees gathered in one hand and opened the door. I pretended to be oblivious and quickly received them.
“Your hands are really big.”
“Because I’m tall.”
“It doesn’t sound annoying when you say it.”
I savored his elegant, tall figure that made even vending machine coffee look picturesque for a moment. Right, to get a man like this, I should at least have that much resolve.
“Classical music has concerts and stuff too. Do you go watch them often?”
But let’s do it tomorrow.
I sipped the coffee and opened a new topic. And even before an answer came out, I fumbled to pull out the ticket again.
“Yes. Though I don’t really enjoy it.”
An unexpectedly firm answer I hadn’t anticipated at all came back. I blinked while clutching the envelope tightly in both hands.
“Why not…?”
Isn’t it human instinct to want to fan over things at the actual venue?
“For me, it was like a kind of monthly event.”
Rare irritation appeared in his narrowing brow. What do I do? He really doesn’t like it.
“Your sister and your maternal family all did music, right? Then you must’ve gone so much you got sick of it…”
“That’s not all.”
The deepening furrow between his brows smoothly relaxed when our eyes met.
“—Anyway, there’s that.”
This can’t be. But I didn’t give up and held up the envelope.
“I got tickets not even knowing that!”
I confidently say I don’t have the virtue of quietly sacrificing my efforts out of consideration for others. What’s wrong with that? What’s the point of digging your own grave? At least let him know the fact that I put in pointless effort for you.
“I heard this is really popular.”
“Is that the present?”
“Yeah, some famous…”
Famous who is performing? I trailed off, not having even taken out the ticket yet. What if the reaction is ‘just that?’ I suddenly got worried. Of course Kang Ikwon would pretend to like it because he’s nice. But I really wanted to make him genuinely happy…
“You got it thinking I’d like it.”
But Kang Ikwon once again easily rendered my worries useless. He stared quietly, then gathered both the envelope and my hand holding it.
“I’m really happy.”
I felt even more embarrassed by the purely moved eyes.
“I really didn’t know… Sorry. Next time I’ll get something different—”
