Spaghetti Kiss Challenge
Spaghetti Kiss Challenge. ………… Cream spaghetti arrived.
"Whoa, that looks delicious!" Kang Haneul's eyes sparkled.
Two plates of steaming cream pasta. I twirled some noodles on my fork and popped them into my mouth.
"Tasty, right?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Yujin."
Kang Haneul suddenly pulled a playful expression.
"Wanna do the spaghetti kiss challenge?"
"Huh?"
"You know, that one. Where you both bite the ends of a strand of spaghetti and eat toward each other until you kiss."
She grinned mischievously at me.
"Sounds fun, doesn't it? Come on, right?"
"Uh... you're joking, yeah?"
"I'm dead serious. Let's do it once."
"……."
Kang Haneul's eyes didn't look like she was lying. So she meant it. But this was Gangnam, smack in the middle of a famous pasta joint. It was packed with customers. Sure, they weren't here to gawk at us—they were all focused on their own meals. Still, a spaghetti kiss would draw eyes instantly. No doubt about it.
"Haneul, that's a bit..."
"Why?"
"Place is full of people. You're an EX-rank Awakener. What if someone snaps a pic and posts it online?"
"So what? We're both adults. EX-rank Awakeners aren't idols. I can mess around with my manager."
"No, but still..."
I dropped my gaze to the spaghetti strands on my plate. Kang Haneul was beautiful. Body, face—the works. Her personality... well, we'll set that aside for now. It wasn't that bad. But this spot was way too public. She said it was fine, but was it really?
It's not. There's a 99% chance a dating scandal article hits the net by tonight. ...Wait, no way. Is she aiming for that?
"...Don't wanna?"
"No, it's not that I don't want to... just not here."
"Not here?"
Kang Haneul's voice dipped subtly. In that instant, a chill froze my spine. Something was... there. An indescribable something. The air grew heavy. The kind of overwhelming pressure only a transcendent EX-rank Awakener could emit. This wasn't a joke—breathing got hard.
I shifted my eyes from the spaghetti to her. Maybe she was glaring like she wanted to kill me. But no. Kang Haneul just had a slight pout, lips pursed and cheeks puffed out. It didn't quite fit her usual vibe, but her base looks were so killer it came off kinda cute.
...What the hell?
What was that creepy sensation from a second ago? Hallucination? Or just me overreacting?
"If Yujin doesn't want to, we won't."
Kang Haneul said.
"I really wanted to, though... oh well, if Yujin hates it, nothing I can do."
She speared some noodles with her fork and ate them. Confusing as hell. But one thing was clear: refusing now would be bad. From Moon Yujin's memories, Kang Haneul held grudges subtly. At least with him. Better to give in on demands right away.
Is she faking the pout?
Suspicion crept in. But logically, it didn't add up. Why would she fake a sulk just to get skinship with Moon Yujin over something trivial?
...Screw it, whatever.
Anyway, killing the mood more wasn't smart. I squeezed my eyes shut and decided.
"Let's do it."
"What?"
"Spaghetti kiss challenge. Right now."
Kang Haneul's face lit up again.
"For real?"
"Yeah. But just once."
"Deal! Just once here!"
She set down her fork and picked a single noodle strand.
"Here, this one. You bite that end."
I bit one end, and she took the other.
This is embarrassing as hell.
But the spaghetti kiss challenge had begun. Kang Haneul started eating slowly. I followed. The strand shortened, her face drew closer. Ten centimeters, five. Our lips neared. Her face filled my vision. I felt her breath. And just as our lips touched—
KRRRUMBLE!
A massive vibration shook the entire building.
"Kyaaaa—!"
"What the—!?"
"Earthquake!?"
Screams erupted around us. KRRRUMBLE— the shaking continued. Kang Haneul scowled like it pissed her off.
"Ugh. A villain right when it's getting good? What a joke."
"Huh?"
"Villain sighting. Super close. Look over there."
I glanced out the window where she pointed. People were sprinting down the street. All in one direction. Fleeing from something.
…………
BOOM—! Explosions rang out one after another, jolting the building. Glasses on the table tipped, spilling water.
"Kyaaak—!!"
"Let's get out, hurry!"
Customers screamed and rushed the exit. Servers looked panicked, fleeing with them. The TV on one wall switched feeds abruptly. Breaking news.
The monster whose name flashed on the news ticker—Madness Bulldozer—smashed a building's outer wall with his fist. Concrete shattered, a pillar collapsed.
This guy's nuts.
Tiny text scrolled at the TV's bottom.
An A-rank Villain. Tough for anyone short of a similar rank to handle.
"Haneul, that guy's—"
I couldn't finish. Kang Haneul was still seated, ignoring the window and TV. She stared at me.
"Yujin, let's do it again."
"What?"
"Spaghetti kiss challenge. We got interrupted. Let's go again."
Unbelievable. Buildings collapsing outside, people screaming and running. And she's on about the kiss.
"In this situation?"
"Yeah. We barely touched lips for three seconds. By the three-second rule, it's invalid."
Kang Haneul seemed dead serious. No joke.
Ah, for real.
My head throbbed. This woman wasn't right in the head. I'd known that from the start, though.
"Haneul, who's stopping that villain?"
"Awakener Association HQ is a ten-minute walk. Someone from there'll come."
"What if people die first?"
"Well..."
Kang Haneul pouted again.
"But we were in the middle of our kiss."
She's totally lost it.
Irritation surged. But yelling wouldn't help. I needed logic, not emotion.
"Haneul. Think. If you stay here kissing me and someone posts it online while an A-rank Villain's rampaging nearby—what happens?"
"……."
"'EX-rank Awakener right next to A-rank Villain just chills in restaurant flirting with manager.' Imagine the headlines."
Kang Haneul's face hardened.
"Your rep. What the Association says, what the public outside says."
She didn't reply. After about ten seconds.
"...Annoying."
Kang Haneul muttered.
"Hate getting cockblocked when it's good."
"Still—"
"Fine, fine."
She stood.
"I'll go smash him in three minutes flat."
Three minutes?
An A-rank Villain... in three minutes? Insane. But as an EX-rank Awakener, maybe Kang Haneul could.
"But."
She leaned toward me. Her blouse strained over terrifying cleavage.
"When I get back after dealing with him, we do more than what we were gonna."
"More?"
"Yeah. Not just spaghetti kiss... more than that."
Not hard to get what she meant.
Th-this woman...!
My face burned.
"Wh-what do you... this is a restaurant. Go handle the villain first—"
"No dodging. Promise."
Her voice lowered.
"No promise, I don't go."
A villain was wrecking downtown outside. No choice.
"...Okay."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
Total lie, of course. Once she dealt with the villain and came back, I'd figure out how to dodge. Priority was getting her out now.
"Sweet!"
A bright smile bloomed on Kang Haneul's face.
"Be right back!"
With that, she moved.
BOOM!!
Glass shattered, shards flying everywhere. Fifth floor. Kang Haneul just jumped from the fifth floor.
"...She's insane."
I rushed to the window and looked down. She stood fine on the street. Jumped from five stories, no big deal.
"Stay put and wait—!"
She waved once, then leaped huge toward the explosions. Her body soared higher than nearby rooftops, arcing through the air.
Thrillingly.
"………."
Kang Haneul's silhouette shrank as she charged the disaster. Or maybe she was the real disaster.
Made a deal with the devil.
That's what it felt like. Sold my lips to save the city.
Was this right?