No Way Someone Like You Likes <em>Half Half Island</em> (1)
I'm hopeless with science subjects. Math is a mystery, and science is even more baffling. So I couldn't wrap my head around how Do Ha-min's shadow—smaller than mine—was completely engulfing my body right now.
Had I finally crossed the point of no return with my teasing? The vibe was nothing like the usual Do Ha-min. Even if this was his response to the heated atmosphere, his face was dark, his tone ice-cold, and the air around him felt downright scary.
"Aha ha... U-um, maybe we should cool our heads a bit? Nothing cools you down like Zero Lime Cola, right?"
He was the one who'd dragged me out here, but now that Do Ha-min was coming at me so aggressively, I instinctively backed away in fear, reaching for the balcony door.
-Grab
But the long arm of Ban Do-young, stretched out to open the balcony door, was suddenly seized by Do Ha-min's stubby little arm coming from the opposite side.
"Wh-when did you...?"
My arm was definitely longer, but his speed was so quick I hadn't even noticed him reaching out.
"W-wait... We said no intense physical contact, remember? This is breaking the rules!"
"It's not intense. I'm not even using much strength right now."
"H-hey, if you're not using strength, then why can't I move my arm at...?"
It had been just under three weeks since we started kendo lessons with Do Ha-min. Not long ago, this kid couldn't even stand up from his desk under the weight of my leg. But now, he was completely overpowering my hand with a grip that barely took any effort.
Yeah, even if he was short and scrawny, his hands were bigger than mine. No matter how much smaller than Ban Do-young he was, he was still a healthy guy with basic muscle and bone mass built in. Do Ha-min's arm strength had already surpassed Ban Do-young's—even if his legs were still weak.
But I couldn't go complaining to anyone about it. After all, I was the one who'd trained his arms to this level.
"Close your eyes. You won't last 10 seconds otherwise."
"... "
Do Ha-min was trapping me, throwing my own words back at me, slowly enclosing me with an invisible wall built from everything I'd said to him. This is all your doing. That's what it meant.
Ah. So I'm finally stepping onto that staircase.
Well, if we're heading toward the ending, it's a necessary step we'd have to pass through anyway. We'd have to clash head-on at some point, one way or another.
I'd laid out the whole game, and I'd provoked him relentlessly until he made his move. All true. But now that the moment had arrived, my entire body was freezing up with some inexplicable sensation.
I could tell because I'd been teetering on the edge of Ban Do-young's boundaries, acting the part of the main heroine all this time. This physical contact was unmistakably an event that crossed the fragile line we'd maintained between Do Ha-min and Ban Do-young.
And the one who had to stand at the center of that change, experiencing the event, wasn't the real main heroine Ban Do-young—it was me, the fake one possessing her body.
To return to my original world, I had to reach the ending. To reach the ending, I had to connect with the protagonist, Do Ha-min. And to connect with Do Ha-min, like it or not, I had to carry on a serious relationship with him.
Just grab one guy and make him do the dishes. It seemed so simple.
Way simpler than possessing an otherworld hero and defeating the demon king, or jumping into the martial world for revenge against the demonic cult that harmed your master.
So why was my body trembling like this?
The answer was simple. Even if it was simple, I was the one who had to do it.
'I... I really have to do this now? No running away, right?'
Should I curl my lips inward before Do Ha-min's mouth touched? No, it was too late for cheap tricks like that.
Scream to call my dad downstairs? No way—that would ruin my relationship with Do Ha-min forever. Even if Ban Do-young's dad raised his daughter tough, he couldn't stay calm seeing what looked like his little girl getting manhandled by a guy right in front of him.
This was a game I had started. I couldn't slap unfair shackles on Do Ha-min now.
Besides, even with my provocations, he'd faithfully kept his promised penalty. So it was only right for me to respond in kind.
"...Closed them."
I shut my eyes as Do Ha-min demanded. I'd thought I could play the pure, demure girl casually closing her eyes and waiting for him—but my eyelids clenched shut with surprising force. Probably to avoid accidentally opening them when contact happened and locking eyes with the guy.
"...Stay still just like that."
"...Y-yeah."
Even with my eyes closed, I could tell. Do Ha-min's upper body was inching closer to my face. I could hear his breathing growing louder.
The army taught me that sounds at night carry much farther than during the day. I forget why—humanities major brain—but yeah, that's what they said.
A little closer, and I might've even heard my heart pounding.
Do Ha-min's breaths were that ragged.
'Ah, his breath is on me. He's right in front of me now, face-to-face.'
He's coming. This total nerd is finally claiming Ban Do-young, the webtoon's top beauty.
What do I do after it's over?
'Got me good. Haha.' Flash a hearty, awkward grin and laugh it off like nothing?
'That was my first time too.' Slip in a line to subtly stir his heart?
Of course, I knew Ban Do-young was a virgin, but whether she'd even kissed a guy before was anyone's guess.
-Tap
As I pondered opening lines, a thin, stubby sensation touched down on me. Not lips, not cheek. The contact came from my forehead.
'Forehead... Yeah, that's so Do Ha-min.'
I was a bit startled by the unexpected spot, but it made sense coming from him. He probably didn't have the guts to go for the lips or cheek. I get it. For him, this was his first skinship with the opposite sex. What might be nothing to others was a huge step for Do Ha-min.
'Phew...'
I let out a deep sigh of relief from deep inside, hidden from Do Ha-min. A mix of disappointment and reassurance, I guess.
Even if I'd set the whole stage, Do Ha-min never crossed lines rashly. Yeah, if the school's top beauty was standing there with eyes closed, someone with the balls to smash right into her lips would've claimed their first kiss and more ages ago.
'Still, Do Ha-min, why are your lips so cold? I was the one drinking the Zero Lime.'
Maybe our body temps had dropped outside. The forehead touch felt slightly cool and moist, like it held some dampness.
Was spring nights still chilly? Or had he just woken up, so his temp regulation was off?
No, Do Ha-min ran hot. That first meeting, he sat unfazed in near-winter morning wind. Sprinting to the vending machine once left his shirt soaked in sweat.
Even fresh from sleep, he'd been under my blanket right up to dozing off—warm and fuzzy, no way it felt cold.
So what was this chill?
-Squish
As I fretted over the eerily cold touch and Do Ha-min's health, the sensation on my forehead slid downward.
'Th-this guy isn't writing his name on my forehead with a peck, is he...?'
The gliding line felt unnaturally sleek—not human at all. Even a pinky toe pressing down would feel blunter than this.
No way this was lips. 'What the hell is it... thin and sharp... moist, cold, with a faint fishy smell...'
It didn't hurt or sting, but definitely alien. As it filled my forehead's senses, the 10 seconds Do Ha-min set ticked by.
"...Hey."
The moment I opened my eyes, I spotted the object in Do Ha-min's hand—the source of that sensation on my forehead.
"...What the hell is this?"
"...Uh. What was it called? Forgot the name, but it was some challenge."
"... "
"S-self-inflicted! You started the game, and it was your penalty!"
Startled by my low growl, Do Ha-min pocketed the marker pen and yelled back at me.
"N-now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end? Don't think I'll keep getting dragged into your pranks forever...! From today, it's n:n for wins and losses...!"
"Haa..."
"S-sorry... Was I too harsh? But it's water-based, not oil, so it'll wash off with a face scrub..."
"You fucking idiot, I said kiss!"
"Eek!"
Aw, this damn nerd for real.