A Fresh, Innocent Kiss
After hearing everything she had to say, I crossed my arms and sank into serious thought. …Yeah, right. That was a lie. I was actually trying my hardest to hold back the laughter threatening to burst out of me.
To sum it up, this is what happened: That bastard Kang Suho had noticed the strange vibe between me and Jeong Sua on the day we met up alone. He confessed to her, and she put him on hold. That’s basically the same as rejection, isn’t it?
‘Holy shit, this is so funny I’m losing my mind.’
He was already feeling like absolute crap, and on top of that, she told him we’d kissed? Damn, Suho. This is legally justified suicide at this point. I’ll make sure to visit your grave with Sua and all the kids she’ll have with me to pay our respects.
Still, Kang Suho’s pretty lucky. Jeong Sua isn’t the only heroine in this story. The other heroines will probably show interest in him on their own. It really is such an unfair world.
Some people study like crazy, train their bodies, and rack their brains trying to look as good as possible. Meanwhile, that guy just stands there doing nothing and women still flock to him. Well, whatever. The other heroines are all going to end up stolen by me anyway.
I’m definitely better than a guy who just expects the heroines to fall into his lap without any effort. In the past I was just a pathetic loser, but now anyone can see that I’m the superior version of him.
Alright. Instead of Kang Suho’s boring, cliché love-comedy happy ending, I’ll work hard to create my own special Kang Ijin-style happy harem ending.
With my motivation reignited for the day, I turned to Jeong Sua, who was still sitting beside me looking grumpy.
“I’d love to comfort you, but there’s something I really need to ask. Can I?”
“What is it?”
“Why didn’t you accept his confession? Wasn’t that what you wanted all this time?”
I’ve been watching Jeong Sua for a long time because I liked her. I saw exactly how much she liked Kang Suho. Honestly, if I hadn’t saved her from that bar before he confessed, if we hadn’t gone on a date, if we hadn’t kissed… I hate even imagining it, but I would’ve had to hand her over to him. That’s how deep their connection was.
But she didn’t accept his confession. To be precise, she put it on hold. Which probably meant…
“Is it… because of me?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Do I really have to spell it out for you… geez…”
Sua hugged her knees and scolded me. How cute, getting all shy. She didn’t give a clear answer, but her intention came through loud and clear. In her heart, I had taken the place that used to belong to Kang Suho.
If that’s the case… maybe I could get an answer to my own confession right here? The one we never finished after that kiss.
When I scratched my head, Jeong Sua finally looked at me.
“Are you troubled?”
“How did you know?”
“Oppa, you always scratch your head when you’re troubled. It’s bad for your scalp, so stop.”
“You’re nagging even in a situation like this. And you were the one bawling your eyes out just a minute ago, you crybaby.”
“Hic… huu…”
“Wait, are you actually crying again just because I called you a crybaby? S-sorry… I’m sorry. So please stop crying, okay?”
“Hic… heh… heehee. Heeheehee.”
“Hey, you little—”
Seeing my shocked reaction, Sua had gone from fake-crying to laughing. I narrowed my eyes and glared at her. In short, I’d fallen for her crying act.
“Oppa, you’re more innocent than I thought. Kkik. Did you really think I’d cry just because you called me a crybaby? I’m not that much of a crybaby.”
“Tsk. Just wait until next time I comfort you.”
“Aw, why~? You have to comfort me when I’m sad. The first time I really was crying, you know.”
Jeong Sua clung to my arm, shaking it and acting spoiled. Seeing her full of energy again was a relief. Thank god. I really thought she was crying because of me.
I’d been terrified that my thoughtless teasing had lowered her affection points. After a moment of comfortable silence, the living room grew quiet. An awkward atmosphere began to rise.
‘Now that the nuisance Kang Suho is gone…’
I scooted closer until our legs were pressed together. Jeong Sua’s eyes widened. She seemed surprised by my sudden approach, but the fact that she didn’t try to scoot away told me this much was okay.
“Can I… touch your shoulder? I want to comfort you.”
“……”
At my bold flirting, a blush began to bloom on Jeong Sua’s cheeks. It started there and quickly spread across her entire face, all the way to her ears. She fidgeted, twisting her body this way and that, clearly not knowing what to do with herself, before finally looking at me with shy eyes.
“O-okay…”
The moment I got permission, I reached out and gently grabbed her shoulders. I applied just a bit of strength and softly pulled her toward me. Embarrassed, Jeong Sua reflexively glanced around. Once she confirmed no one else was there, she slowly leaned her head on my shoulder.
The awkward atmosphere gradually turned sweet.
“I know your mind’s a mess after fighting with Kang Suho, but I’ll be honest with you, kid.”
“Yeah…”
“When I heard you fought with Suho, I was happy.”
“That’s so like you, Oppa.”
“Are you mad?”
Jeong Sua shook her head.
“I think it makes sense. Oppa likes me so, so, so much, after all.”
“You’re saying that with your own mouth? That’s called having a massive ego, you idiot.”
“Then… do you hate me?”
“Yep.”
“R-really?”
Her eyes flew wide open in shock at my firm answer. It was incredibly cute. But if I did it too often she’d probably start crying for real, so I couldn’t make a habit of it. It was obviously a joke, but she couldn’t tell and was getting genuinely hurt.
“I’m kidding.”
“You really have zero sincerity and you’re so mean. Hmph!”
She whipped her head away, clearly showing that she was sulking. I slowly leaned down toward her and—
Chu.
I planted a kiss on her cheek.
Jeong Sua looked up at me in surprise, her eyes wide.
“O-oppa, what did you just…”
“Now you get it, right? That I really do like you.”
“No… I still don’t really know…”
Jeong Sua dragged out her words and tilted her head slightly to the side, offering me her cheek again. The secret little gesture asking for another kiss was so adorable that a smile naturally bloomed on my lips.
“Just say you want more.”
“W-when did I say I wanted more… seriously… what are you even saying… that’s what you’d call having a massive ego.”
Embarrassed by my point, she scolded me while fidgeting with her lips. Whatever.
“Huh…?”
I released the arm around her shoulders and brought my face closer. Her eyes widened again.
“Hey.”
“Y-yes…?”
“We’ve already crashed our lips together before. Don’t you think it’s funny to get this shy over a single kiss?”
The moment I openly brought up what happened that weekend, Jeong Sua practically had a seizure trying to play dumb.
“W-we…? Did we…? I don’t really remember…”
“What, you don’t remember? Then I’ll help you remember. Come here.”
“W-wait…!”
At my aggressive flirting, Jeong Sua had no idea what to do. She twisted her body this way and that before looking at me with those innocent eyes again.
“A-are you… really going to… do it right now?”
It was obviously half a joke, but our pure little Sua took everything seriously. She looked a little tempted, and there was no way I was going to miss this second chance that had fallen into my lap.
‘She must be really curious about kissing, huh?’
Without hesitation, I lowered my hand and wrapped it around her waist. I leaned my head toward her.
“Yeah.”
“But… what if Suho comes back…”
We weren’t about to have sex. If someone walked in, we could just pull our lips apart. I knew this was just her cute little excuse because she was embarrassed now that we were actually about to do it.
“Stop saying weird stuff and hurry up. My neck hurts. It’s hard to match heights with someone as tiny as you.”
“I’m not tiny! I’m average height for a girl. You’re the one who’s huge…”
Even while grumbling at my provocation, she shut her mouth when she saw how serious my eyes were.
“……”
She tilted her head at a slight angle, licking her lips while sneaking glances at me. It meant she was interested. After staying like that for a while, she finally spoke.
“C-can we… do it… standing up…?”
“Sure, why not.”
It seemed she wanted to experience that feeling from last time again. She must have liked it when I held her while we kissed. I gladly wrapped my arms around her waist just like before.
Our faces drew so close that our noses were almost touching. We stared at each other. Then she looked into my eyes with a gaze full of firm resolve. She even went up on her tiptoes a little so I wouldn’t have to bend down. The way she was practically announcing that we were about to start was so funny I thought I’d die, but I held it in. If I laughed in such a serious moment, Sua might get sulky and stop.
“It’s embarrassing… C-can you close your eyes?”
“You’re taking the lead?”
“…Yes…”
Her voice was smaller than a mosquito’s. I closed my eyes as she wished, handing over control.
A moment later, Jeong Sua’s sweet scent grew stronger. It was proof that her head was getting closer. Right when her nervous breathing started tickling my ear—
Chu.
Soft, moist lips touched mine.
We stayed like that for a long time, completely still. Without slipping our tongues in, just feeling the sensation of our lips pressed together. The fresh, innocent kiss event that the protagonist of a love-comedy story should have had with the heroine had instead fallen into the hands of a mere delinquent like me.