# Chapter 105
Once my body relaxed, I fell asleep at some point. Despite thinking my heart was pounding so hard I wouldn’t be able to rest, I slept quite deeply.
“Are you awake?”
I barely opened my eyes and sat up as I felt hands gently shaking me. Still unable to fully shake off my drowsiness, I hung my head low while steadying myself against the seat. Kwon Dojin cupped my cheeks with both hands.
“Tired?”
“Mmm… just a little, just a moment…”
I slowly blinked my eyes to regain my senses. Meanwhile, his fingers kneading my cheeks made me chuckle softly.
“What are you doing?”
“Your cheeks are so warm.”
“That’s probably because I just woke up…”
As I stretched with a groan, Dojin removed his hands. Looking through the window behind him, I saw that the car had already stopped.
“What? Have we arrived?”
“We arrived a little while ago.”
“You could have woken me up earlier…”
Dojin answered my soft mumbling with just a gentle smile. Though it was a brief gesture, it clearly conveyed that he wouldn’t have done that. It was so typical of him that I couldn’t help but grin.
“I’ve already moved all our bags, so we just need to head in. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
I slowly moved and got out of the car, following Dojin who had already opened his door. I hadn’t been awake long, so I didn’t have much strength, but I could move well enough.
“When do you want to go to the beach?”
“To be honest, I don’t feel like it right now. Let’s go after lunch, no rush.”
“Sure, we have plenty of time.”
Dojin walked one step ahead of me, as if trying to accommodate my unfamiliarity with the place. Since we usually walked side by side, it felt a bit strange once I noticed it, but I liked the newness of it.
“Habin, where do you want to have lunch?”
“What do you mean where? At the dining table, of course.”
I tilted my head, wondering why he was asking such an obvious question, and Dojin seemed momentarily lost for words. Then he suddenly burst out laughing.
“What is it? Why are you laughing?”
“Ah, my explanation wasn’t clear. Sorry. What I meant was, do you want to eat inside or outside?”
“Huh?”
I’m sure he thought he was adding an explanation, but amazingly, I understood even less. Hadn’t we clearly said we’d eat at the villa?
When I openly showed the confusion in my eyes, Dojin gently furrowed his brow. As if trying to figure out where our conversation had gone wrong, he habitually tapped his fingers together. After a moment, seemingly having found the right words, he spoke.
“There’s a terrace at the back of the building. Since the weather is nice, I thought we might eat on the terrace.”
“Oh, that’s what you meant. I thought you were suggesting we go to a restaurant.”
Only then did I notice the building and let out an exclamation. Even though he had called it a villa, I had only imagined something like a country house, so I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping at the completely different scale.
“It’s a random thought, but I feel like I’m on a European vacation.”
“Hmm? Europe?”
“Looking at the building, it just gives me that feeling. Like, you know, a rich family’s home in a quiet European countryside?”
“That’s very specific.”
“It just means your villa is impressive.”
I poked his side as he let out a hearty laugh. His laughter made me feel embarrassed, wondering if I had exaggerated. He smoothly caught my poking hand, interlaced our fingers, and gently pulled my arm.
Before I knew it, I was standing right beside him due to his fluid movement. Since my hand was trapped, I had no choice but to bump his shoulder to express my remaining dissatisfaction, and only then did Dojin’s laughter stop.
“So? Where are we having lunch?”
“If we’re going to set the mood, let’s do it properly. Let’s eat outside for lunch.”
“And dinner?”
“Inside, of course.”
I wondered why he was asking. For a moment, I even thought about skipping the beach and just exploring the villa, so there wasn’t much to say.
“Do you want to tour the villa after dinner?”
“Is that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? There are quite a lot of rooms so it might take a while, but you weren’t planning to go to sleep until after we’d seen everything, right?”
Dojin playfully tapped the bridge of my nose. The light touch was ticklish, making me furrow my brow and cup my nose.
“How did you know?”
“I can tell by looking at Habin’s eyes. It’s obvious.”
I wondered if I was really that easy to read, but since there was no way for me to know how others see me, I quickly dismissed the thought. More importantly, we had now reached the front entrance.
“Are you excited?”
“More curious, actually. So hurry up and open the door, okay?”
I eagerly swung our interlaced hands back and forth. He deliberately took his time, only opening the door when my gaze grew fierce.
“By the way, what about the lock?”
“This area is private property. I heard they only manage it with keys, but I don’t know the details.”
Dojin shrugged, saying he wasn’t the one managing it, so he didn’t know much. A gasp of admiration naturally escaped me at the glimpse of the interior beyond his back.
“I really feel like I’m traveling abroad.”
“Then let’s enjoy ourselves fully.”
I nodded vigorously at his words, accompanied by a faint smile.
* * *
Perhaps because of the cool breeze, the air didn’t feel stuffy or hot despite it being summer, making it easy to breathe. The lush trees and fully bloomed hydrangeas before me created a spectacular view.
“I think I could study well here…”
“Hmm, since we’re here to relax, how about putting thoughts of studying aside?”
Dojin appeared behind me and set down a glass of lemonade. The ice cubes clinked together, and I tapped the glass with my fingernail at the sound.
“I can’t help thinking about it.”
“That’s because Habin is so diligent.”
“You think so?”
I tilted my head far back to look at Dojin, and he responded by leaning forward with his hands on the chair’s backrest. After maintaining eye contact for a while, he brushed away my hair that was tickling my eyes.
I blinked in response. Regardless of my reaction, his touch traced the contours of my face down to my lips, making me flinch.
Without thinking, I rolled my lips inward and bit them. The part where his fingers had touched felt ticklish, so I pressed down on my lips firmly with my teeth.
A subtle silence followed this simple action. Thinking this atmosphere shouldn’t continue, I hurriedly blurted out something.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“Everything’s ready, I just need to bring it out. Rest here.”
When I straightened my head and half-rose from my seat, Dojin stopped me by placing his hand on my shoulder. As I sat back down, he stepped back.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Are you really sure you don’t need help?”
Dojin nodded with a smile and went inside. For a moment, I stared at the space where he had been, then turned my eyes back to the garden.
“Beautiful.”
Dojin had simply called it a terrace, but this space was a bit ambiguous to describe as just a terrace. He had mentioned it was private property, and not only was the house spacious, but the garden was extensive too. I should have guessed when he mentioned there was a swimming pool.
Anyway, sitting quietly in what seemed more like a gazebo than a terrace, drinking lemonade, it felt somewhat detached from reality.
Tomorrow, I would have to return to reality, studying again and keeping my distance from Dojin. But I had a strange feeling that tomorrow would arrive very late.
“I’d like to come here often.”
“Then let’s come often.”
An unexpected reply came to my casual remark. When I turned around, I saw Dojin holding plates in both hands.
Once, twice. As I slowly blinked, I gave a carefree smile to Dojin, who was standing still, looking at me.
“If I stay out overnight too often, my dad might ban me from going out.”
I said it jokingly, but it could possibly become reality. However, Dojin, not knowing my father’s temperament well, seemed to take it as a joke and acted nonchalant as he set the dishes on the table.
“I don’t want to be Romeo and Juliet, so I’ll have to hold back.”
At first, I didn’t think much of it, but when I properly understood his meaning, my eyes widened. Soon, I choked on my saliva.
“Are you okay?”
I felt somewhat annoyed that the culprit who made me choke was asking, but stopping my coughing was the priority. After finally regulating my breath, I patted my chest. The feeling of something stuck still hadn’t gone away.
“Here, water.”
Somehow Dojin had filled a glass with ice and water and handed it to me. I gratefully accepted and emptied it at once, shivering involuntarily from the coldness.
“Ugh, my head hurts.”
“Would lukewarm water have been better?”
“No. Cold water is still better.”
When I shook my head, Dojin smiled as if he had known. Thinking about it, he seemed to know too much about me.
“Next time we come, let’s stay longer.”
“Next time?”
“You don’t want to come again?”
I stared at Dojin, who was naturally planning for the next visit even though this trip wasn’t over yet. He tilted his head and met my gaze with questions in his eyes.
Though I knew his confusion would deepen with prolonged silence, I deliberately delayed my answer. I strongly felt I could resolve the doubts I’d had about his recent behavior.
What should I do? How should I draw out his reaction to know for sure?
I shifted from my proper sitting position, leaned forward slightly, and rested my chin on my hand. Tapping my cheek with my fingers while choosing my words, I tilted my head slightly like Dojin and smiled.
“Try to seduce me.”
“Huh?”
Even I thought it was a meaningless statement. More precisely, knowing it was an unexpected answer, I added an explanation.
“How about trying to seduce me so I’ll want to come again?”
He might find it offensive. Or maybe he wouldn’t feel the need to do so. But if not that, then…
I deliberately cut off my thoughts and maintained my gaze without pretending to be shameless. Dojin observed me for a moment before breaking into a refreshing laugh. It was such a clear, crisp laugh that it reminded me of his scent I had smelled earlier today.
After finally calming down, Dojin rested his chin on his hand and looked at me. This time, he was the one mimicking my pose.
“Alright. If that’s what Habin wants, I’ll try.”
He dragged out the end of his sentence and smiled with confidence. As I saw the corners of his mouth curving upward, I closed my eyelids to hide my trembling gaze.
The truth I had been pretending not to know had stepped closer.
