The Result of the Confession
“Sua?”
“......”
“Sua!”
“Uh… yeah? I’m listening. Why are you yelling, Suho?”
“It’s because you… Ah, never mind. Sorry for yelling.”
Jeong Sua, who had been sitting with a dazed look in her eyes, barely managed to snap back to reality at the sound of Kang Suho calling her name from beside her. Even though she couldn’t pull herself together at all while she was at home, stepping outside and letting the cold wind hit her face made her feel like her mind was finally starting to clear a little.
Jeong Sua glanced toward Suho’s house, which wasn’t far from the playground. That house… Ijin Oppa must be inside. If I called him, would he come out? I wonder what he’s doing right now…
She gasped. What on earth am I thinking right now…?
Sua had unconsciously been searching for Kang Ijin again. The sudden thought had gripped her tightly. She felt like something had possessed her. It had already been an hour since she parted ways with Ijin Oppa. After taking a shower at home and lying in bed, she still couldn’t calm down. That was when Suho contacted her, and she ended up coming out to the playground near his house.
She had thought meeting Suho would help her regain her senses. It didn’t. If anything, the mere thought that Ijin Oppa was in that house made her heart pound wildly.
This is all because of Ijin Oppa.
The kiss she had shared with him still lingered vividly in her mind.
“Mmm…”
“Sua?”
Just thinking about it made her breathing quicken and her face grow hot. The mature scent of the cologne he had worn since morning filled her nose again, and she could feel his soft lips pressing against hers. Then his tongue slowly pushed into her mouth…
“Aaaah!”
“S-Sua? Are you okay?”
His tongue had slipped fully into her mouth. He must have been considerate, because he only lightly grazed her teeth before pulling back, but for Sua, who had tasted an adult kiss for the first time, even that was enough to leave her completely dazed.
Do lovers really do such embarrassing things without a second thought?
Just like Oppa had said, she really was nothing more than a child. She couldn’t even handle a single kiss without losing her mind.
But Oppa seemed so used to kissing…
He was tall and handsome. He must have been with plenty of women before. She hadn’t seen it herself, but from the way he looked at the bar that time, he clearly seemed comfortable in those kinds of places. A wild, foul-mouthed, thuggish man. Absolutely not her type. The kind of person she should hate most. And yet…
As Sua recalled the apology Ijin Oppa had given her right before the kiss, she clenched her pants tightly in her fists. His usual pleasant low voice had been laced with such gentleness that it brought her a sense of emotional stability, and her fear of the approaching kiss had decreased far more than she expected. It was strange how just his voice could change her feelings so much.
The kiss that followed honestly hadn’t been bad at all. It was soft, tender, and carried a reliable, masculine steadiness. It was completely different from the kind of kiss she would have expected from someone she claimed to hate.
While remembering that gentle kiss, Sua suddenly grew curious.
I wonder how it was for Oppa…
It couldn’t have been terrible for him, right? She didn’t want to be remembered as giving him one of the worst kisses he had ever experienced. That would be awful.
“Now that I think about it…”
She realized she had eaten popcorn and a chocolate frappuccino right before the kiss, and her expression crumpled. I’m doomed. What if the oily taste of the popcorn mixed with the sweetness of the frappuccino and created a weird flavor? If he had only lightly brushed her teeth and pulled his tongue back because it tasted terrible…
“Aaaah, I’m ruined…! How am I supposed to face him tomorrow…?”
“S-Sua, get a hold of yourself, okay? You’ve been muttering to yourself this whole time, why are you—”
“Be quiet. I’m trying to think!”
In her confused state, Sua had been clutching her head when the constant noise from beside her made her dizzy, and she unconsciously snapped at him.
“S-Sua?”
Suho flinched, watching her nervously.
“Ah… I-I’m sorry, Suho… I didn’t mean to… I was just thinking about something and… I didn’t realize I—”
Seeing his reaction, Sua realized what she had done and apologized.
“It’s fine. You look like you’re thinking about something serious. Sorry for suddenly calling you out. I’ll wait until you’ve sorted your thoughts.”
“No, no. I’m done thinking. That was a real mistake just now. I’m sorry.”
To think she had been lost in her own thoughts with someone sitting right next to her… and she had even snapped at Suho? She was losing her mind.
This is all because Oppa just left after finishing what he wanted…!
Ijin Oppa had kissed her and then immediately gone back to his house. It was probably because she had been spacing out for a while, but Sua didn’t like it. She felt like a toy that had served its purpose and been tossed aside. It made her furious. He had been so eager to kiss her, but the moment it ended he went straight home. It pissed her off.
But if we kissed… does that mean I’m dating Oppa now?
She wasn’t sure. Usually, when one person confesses and the other accepts, they start dating. Then they naturally hold hands or kiss. But that wasn’t what happened with them. Oppa had confessed, but she hadn’t given him a clear answer. She had simply been swept up in his seductive atmosphere. When she sensed he was about to kiss her, she had closed her eyes as if drawn in by the mood…
Wait… is this my fault for closing my eyes back then?
She had no excuse! In a situation where she could have easily refused, she had closed her eyes as if giving permission…
“Sua, did you have fun today?”
Just as she was about to fall back into her racing thoughts, Suho asked about her outing with Ijin Oppa, snapping her back to attention. Why was he asking about that now? There was no way he could know about the kiss between her and Ijin Oppa.
“Well…”
When she thought about it, the time she spent with Oppa had actually been… more fun than expected. It felt different from the carefree, planless playing she did with her childhood friend Suho. There had been a slight tension created by Ijin Oppa’s mature aura. The perfectly flowing course of events. The relaxed confidence and steady lead he exuded. It gave her a sense of security, like being inside a cozy tent.
Objectively, it felt a little like a date, and Jeong Sua didn’t find that feeling unpleasant at all. No, she liked it. But if she said that, Suho would probably feel hurt since it would sound like she had fun without him. So she answered vaguely.
“It wasn’t particularly good or bad.”
However, she caught a faint smile on Suho’s lips.
Did I see that wrong?
It was such a brief moment that she could have dismissed it as nothing, but Suho’s smile kept floating through her mind. It left a bad taste in her mouth. It was as if he was pleased that she hadn’t enjoyed herself without him.
It feels a bit unpleasant…
She wondered how Oppa would have reacted. He would definitely get angry and demand why she was being so vague. She could already picture it clearly. Without realizing it, Sua let out a small laugh.
Even if Oppa got mad, she didn’t think it would actually bother her. It was fascinating how the two brothers could have such completely opposite personalities.
“Hyung didn’t hit you or do anything rude, right?”
“What are you talking about, Suho? You know Oppa isn’t the type to swing his fists around, even if he looks like that.”
“Is that so? He often hits me on the head at home, so… I can’t really relate.”
“That’s probably his way of showing brotherly affection. Ijin Oppa isn’t very good at gentle expressions.”
“If you say so, then I guess that’s what it is.”
When she defended him, Suho made a displeased face. But Sua wasn’t particularly interested in Kang Suho right now. She just wanted to go home and calmly organize her thoughts. She had thought seeing Suho would calm her heart, but after seeing that unpleasant smile, she actually felt uncomfortable.
“Oh? I’ve never seen that bracelet before?”
“This? Do you think it’s pretty?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty. Did you buy it recently?”
“Ijin Oppa gave it to me as a gift.”
“H-Hyung…?”
Suho’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe it. Why was he so surprised? She could guess the reason. The two of them had said they didn’t exchange gifts on birthdays. It must be strange to him that Ijin Oppa had given her a present at all.
He looks upset.
Since she had received a gift that Suho himself had never gotten. From a younger brother’s perspective, it was understandable that he would feel hurt. She would have to be more careful not to let Suho know about things like this in the future.
“Suho, so why did you call me out?”
“Ah, that’s… Hoo… Calm down, Kang Suho. You can do this.”
Slap, slap.
Suho muttered to himself and suddenly slapped both his cheeks with audible smacks before looking at her with a determined expression.
“Sua!”
“Yes?”
“I-I like you. P-Please go out with me!”
At the sudden confession, Jeong Sua was left stunned. Suho had confessed to her. The boy she had liked since childhood, the one who had been harboring a one-sided crush, had just confirmed that he felt the same way. The realization was so moving she felt like she might cry.
His hand was extended politely as he bowed at the waist. If she took that hand, she could become the girlfriend of Suho, the boy she had wanted for so long.
But… the face that came to mind wasn’t Suho’s. It was another man.
Sua knew that foolish man who had stubbornly waited over seven years to confess. His speech was rough, yet no one was kinder on the inside. His appearance was intimidating, yet he showed such a gentle side. A man who didn’t know how to give up. A man worthy of respect.
The moment she took this hand, it would be over with Ijin Oppa. Just thinking about it made her heart feel heavy. The moment she started dating Suho, Ijin Oppa would never look at her again. That was the kind of person he was. He had even said that just seeing her caused him pain. He was the type who would rather cut off even a long-standing connection than suffer.
“C-Can you give me some time?”
“Time?”
“It’s too sudden… I can’t make a decision right now. I’m sorry, Suho.”
“Ah… haha, it was too sudden, huh? I’m fine. You can take your time answering.”
Suho smiled, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, but his face was clearly filled with disappointment and hurt. Sua noticed it but deliberately chose to pretend she hadn’t this time. No matter what she said now, it would only wound him further.
“Thank you for understanding. Suho, just in case… no matter what my answer is, we’ll still be friends, right?”
“O-Of course… You’re my most precious friend.”
Suho was kind. Unlike Ijin Oppa, he wasn’t the type to cut ties just because he was rejected. Some might call his personality weak, but for some reason, right now she was truly grateful for that. Because Suho would still remain her friend even if she turned him down.
“You’re my most precious friend too, Suho.”
With those forced words, they awkwardly and bitterly made their way back to their respective homes.