Chapter 21
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 7/25 (1)
Two days later, on Wednesday.
I met Cha Ji-hyuk at the same time and place as Monday.
He was already there, having grabbed a seat just like before.
"You're here?"
He spotted me approaching and greeted me first.
I ignored his greeting, crossed my arms, and sat down across from him.
He had the nerve to smile like nothing was wrong and greet me as if he knew absolutely nothing, even though he should have been apologizing on sight. It pissed me off to no end.
Cha Ji-hyuk had ignored my texts for an entire day, then casually sent a follow-up the next day: You're not forgetting about tomorrow, right? Thinking back on it made my blood boil all over again.
Sure, I'd been ignoring him ever since I got that message, but he was the one who'd started it.
"Aren't we studying today? Come sit next to me."
"Hmph!"
I snorted instead of answering.
As if. He was just looking for an excuse to grab my hand again.
These past two days, my palms had been itching constantly, and I'd suffered for it. Today, I absolutely wouldn't allow any contact.
"Hey, Kang Seo-ah."
"!!..."
His low voice calling my name made me flinch for a moment, but I kept up my attitude.
If anything, I turned my head away from him and pulled out my phone to fiddle with it.
The deal was just to meet three times a week for two hours each. Sure, studying was the main point, but if I wasn't having it, what could he do?
Drag.
Cha Ji-hyuk stood up at my attitude.
I reflexively stood too, reaching out toward him.
"Don't come closer. If you do, I'm out of here."
I backed away slowly, making it clear I could bolt anytime.
But he didn't waver at all.
He smirked down at me instead.
"Go ahead."
He jerked his chin briefly, then continued with a confident smile.
"But if I catch you, you're on your own."
"...On my own?"
I asked what he meant, and he replied with an even more mischievous expression.
"I'll leave that to your imagination."
The moment those words landed, chills raced down my spine.
A cold shiver crawled over my back for no reason, freezing my legs briefly.
By the time I snapped out of it, Cha Ji-hyuk was right in front of me.
Close enough that I could touch him if I stretched out my hand.
He tilted his head slightly to look down at me.
"Sit."
"......"
"Sit down."
"Fine, I get it, so stop rushing me!"
In the end, I couldn't escape and sat back down.
"You trash... resorting to threats."
I muttered it loud enough for him to hear, but he sat next to me like he didn't care.
I dragged my chair a bit to put some distance between us.
But.
Thud!
"Where do you think you're going?"
He noticed like a ghost and grabbed my chair, yanking it closer. The gap vanished.
I swatted at his arm pulling my chair.
"Let go! You pervert..."
"Pervert, what?"
The word slipped out before I knew it, and he latched onto it, smirking.
Then he leaned in even closer.
Just like on Monday.
"You calling me a pervert?"
"No! That's why—don't touch me. And stay back!"
I yelled in a panic, blocking him.
At my frantic response, he looked disappointed but sat up straight.
Before I could even exhale in relief, Cha Ji-hyuk spoke up again.
"Hey."
"..."
"Hey."
"What?!"
I whipped around with an irritated voice, meeting his steady gaze.
"Why didn't you reply?"
The sheer audacity choked me up.
He was the one who'd ghosted first, and now he asked so casually?
I let out a disbelieving scoff.
"Seriously? Do I have to reply every single time you text?"
"Yeah."
"...What?"
I asked again, thinking I'd misheard, but his attitude was unchanged.
"That's how it's gonna be."
His tone was pure command.
No apology, no excuse—just that it was obvious.
Whoa... My temper flared hot.
"You ignored me first! Do you know how long I waited? I couldn't even sleep because of you—"
Oh...
Damn it.
Emotions surged, and I'd blurted out something I shouldn't have.
I clamped my mouth shut, but the damage was done.
Cha Ji-hyuk grinned wickedly, as expected.
"Aw~ You were sulking about that?"
"No!"
I even leaned back in my chair, lacing my fingers behind my head.
"So you saw the notification but pretended not to and didn't reply."
"You're the same! You trash...!!"
It was all because of him, and his attitude pinning it all on me was infuriating.
"Whatever. I'm done for today, so figure out tomorrow yourself."
I couldn't take it anymore and stood up.
The emotions boiling up were more important than his earlier threat.
I didn't want to keep looking at his face like this.
As I grabbed my bag to turn away—
Grab.
Cha Ji-hyuk caught my hand.
"Wh-what... Hey!! Let go ri—"
"Sorry."
His apology hit right as I was about to yank free and snap at him.
His unexpected attitude left me stunned, and I had to ask.
"What...?"
"I'm sorry. You looked mad, and I didn't know what to say."
"...Don't lie..."
"I won't do it again, so forgive me, okay?"
He looked up at me sincerely, apologizing.
Seeing his face made it hard to stay mad.
As my inner anger eased a bit, that ticklish sensation returned to my left hand.
"Fine, whatever, let go."
The weird feeling made me try to shake him off.
But he was persistent.
He blocked my attempts to pull away and gently scratched my palm with his index finger, like last time.
"Remember what I said earlier?"
"Eek...! What one...!?"
"I won't let go until you do."
"Hngh!? Okay, fine, I'll read your texts properly now!!"
Only after wringing a satisfying answer from me did Cha Ji-hyuk release my hand.
I rubbed the spot he'd grabbed and glared at him.
"Trash..."
He just grinned at my low mutter.
Then he stood up like nothing happened.
"I'll get today's. Same as last time?"
Somehow he knew, mentioning the Einspänner I'd had on Monday.
I nodded slightly at his question.
Confirming, he took my tumbler and headed to the counter.
"How'd he know...?"
I'd ordered it myself and poured it straight into my tumbler, so he shouldn't have seen what I got.
It felt strangely off.
"Weirdo anyway..."
As I muttered and watched his back, I flashed back to when he'd grabbed my hand earlier.
That sensation that had bugged me the past two days, and his big, warm hand.
"Heup...!!"
Realizing my thoughts were veering weird, I shook my head quickly.
"What're you doing?"
Cha Ji-hyuk had snuck up beside me, looking puzzled as he peered down.
He must have finished ordering; a vibrating pager was in one hand.
"None of your business."
I couldn't say the truth, so I guiltily averted my gaze.
But he sat in the chair I'd turned toward and kept talking.
"We already made up, right? Stop sulking."
"Wh-who said I was sulking?"
"Not?"
"No! That's your problem—you assume whatever and act like it's fact."
I'm not some girl who'd sulk over this.
What made him think I was anyway? It was ridiculous.
Cha Ji-hyuk backed off like he got it, then pulled a candy from his pocket.
"Here."
"...What's this?"
"Reconciliation gift. And a reward for showing up today."
The lemon candy from Monday.
Remembering the taste, I hesitated, but it felt off to accept easily.
"You said only for solving problems right."
"You kept the promise today, and like I said, it's a peace offering."
"Take it back. I wasn't mad."
"Still take it."
"......"
I gave in to his stubbornness and took the candy.
It'd be rude to keep refusing when he got it for me.
Crunch.
I unwrapped it and popped it in my mouth.
The tangy sweetness spread.
I'd noticed last time, but this candy was seriously good.
Looked like any ordinary one, but how was it this tasty?
Cha Ji-hyuk watched me eat it, then grabbed his bag and pulled out the textbook.
"Shall we start?"
His question to begin studying.
I nodded.
The whole reason I was meeting him during break was to study, after all.
.
.
.
.
Thus began our study session.
But while Cha Ji-hyuk focused on the textbook, I couldn't concentrate on the workbook at all.
The faint tickle in my left hand.
I glanced at the hand that had held mine—Cha Ji-hyuk's.
Like the first time I'd noticed, his hands were huge.
Nothing like my woman's hands now.
He could probably cover my fist completely with one hand and then some.
Wonder if he could... It made me curious.
"Hey."
I called to him as he studied, holding out my left fist.
He looked puzzled at my action.
"Try gripping it with one hand."
"...Out of nowhere?"
Acting all shy now, after groping like a perv earlier.
His hesitation annoyed me, so I prodded.
"Argh, just do it!"
At my urging, Cha Ji-hyuk wrapped his right hand around my fist. The warm, thick skin covering my knuckles.
"Eut...!"
A short sound escaped against my will.
A thrilling pleasure sparked through my ticklish skin.
His hand swallowed my fist entirely and more.
Admiring that, another curiosity hit, so I pulled away and opened my palm.
"Your turn."
At my words, he opened his palm too. Pressing them together brought an even stronger jolt.
Up close, the difference was stark. My hand barely reached the second knuckle of his fingers.
As I felt that gap...
"Done touching?"
Cha Ji-hyuk's voice snapped me out of it.
Pulling my eyes from our touching hands, I saw his sly, curved smile.
His crude wording made me backpedal.
"T-touch? I just..."
"Just?"
My voice trailed off, and his gaze intensified, relentless. No room to escape.
"...Just comparing hand sizes."
"Suddenly?"
Not a question—pure suspicion.
His attitude irked me, so I glared and shot back.
"If I'm curious, why not? Can't friends do that much?"