Shall I?
"Aren't you going to close your eyes? Then I won't give you the good thing."
"Fine. I'll close them."
I had no idea what she was planning, but Seorin kept urging me to shut my eyes. Something mischievous sparkled in her gaze, and I felt my heart pick up speed without meaning to.
I squeezed them shut at last, and she leaned in to murmur near my ear.
"From now on, you stay still until I tell you to open them. Eyes closed. Don't move. Okay?"
"Okay."
"If you open them halfway through? Then the reward never happened."
"I won't open them. Hand on my heart."
Just how good was this thing she wanted to give me?
Scenes from countless anime, dramas, and movies flickered through my mind unbidden. A street dusted with falling cherry blossoms, or a quiet beach at night. In some romantic setting like that, the heroine turns to the guy and says, Close your eyes. He does—and she presses her lips to his. Then she smiles, bashful and glowing, and says something like, I did it.
…No way she was actually going to do that.
I couldn't help hoping, though. She'd called it something good. I was a guy, Seorin was a girl, and we were already that kind of couple. At this point, not expecting it would have been the weird part.
I clutched my racing heart and waited for whatever she was about to do.
A moment passed.
Then a little more time slipped by.
What? Why wasn't anything happening?
If she'd meant to do something, there had been more than enough time. Nothing changed. Maybe she was still hesitating out of embarrassment. If that was it, it would actually be kind of cute.
Then again, Seorin had said she'd never dated anyone before. She'd probably only ever seen this kind of thing in media too. Even if she'd steeled herself to actually go through with it, pulling it off right away might not be so easy.
I spoke to her silently. …It's okay, Seorin. I can wait as long as you need.
That thought settled me. I could be patient with her hesitation.
I don't know how long I sat there after that. Afraid I might lose the reward, I kept my eyes obediently shut just as she'd told me—until something touched my cheek.
It was nothing like the soft, warm, moist contact I'd been hoping for. It was alien and cold. Metal.
"Hyeek!"
Still blind, I nearly vaulted off the bench with a yelp at the freezing thing against my face. Seorin's muffled snickering followed immediately, and then her voice.
"Did I scare you?"
"What is this… a drink?"
I cracked one eye and turned my head just enough to see. A blue can. One of those famous Korean sports drinks plastered all over the commercials. Where had she suddenly gotten this? She must have bought it while my eyes were closed.
Disappointment washed through my whole body.
"You sweated a ton. You need to hydrate."
"Please tell me the 'good thing' wasn't this."
I stared at her with pure desperation. There was no way Seorin would be that cruel. Please say no. Please. Even if it wasn't the kiss I'd hoped for—anything else.
But Seorin only smiled, as if my expression was adorable.
"It is, though? What were you thinking it was, Ijun?"
And with that finishing blow she drove a knife straight into my chest. It really had been a sports drink.
I'd thought this was going to be some heart-fluttering moment that pushed our relationship forward. But I didn't want her catching me red-handed for drinking the kimchi soup before the meal even arrived, so I bluffed.
"No. I wasn't thinking anything special. You just told me to close my eyes, so…"
"I've always wanted to try this. That prank where you press something cold against someone's cheek."
"Ah…"
"But if you knew I was going to the convenience store, you wouldn't have been surprised, right? That's why I made you keep your eyes shut."
She pointed. Right there in front of us sat a little convenience store. She must have slipped over and bought the canned drink while I was waiting with my eyes closed.
I did my best to act like I wasn't disappointed. Like I'd seen it coming all along.
"Ah. I see."
"What's with that reaction? What is it? Your face is screaming that you were definitely expecting something."
"No. Not at all."
"Nuh-uh. Right now your face has I am so disappointed written all over it, Ijun."
There was no hiding it. She'd already seen through me bombing the interview today; there was zero chance I could conceal something like this.
"I'm not disappointed in the slightest. This is exactly the good thing I imagined. Haha. Man, sports drink sounds amazing right now. Thanks, I'll enjoy it."
I cracked open the can she handed me and gulped it down. Just that much cooled the scorched feeling inside me a little. Heavenly, honestly, after working out.
I understood why she'd called it something good. That didn't fill the hollow letdown still sitting in my chest, though.
She studied my face carefully from the side, then asked with a wicked little smile,
"Want me to guess what you were hoping for?"
"What."
"Don't tell me… a kiss?"
"Pffft—!"
I sprayed the last mouthful of drink at her single sentence. How did she know?
I'd known Seorin was sharp, but this sharp? Was she wiretapping my brain or something?
"Looking at how flustered you are, I'm right, aren't I?"
"I—I—I—absolutely not? You completely missed. Wrong."
"Oh my~ Ijun, you dirty boy. I just told you to close your eyes and you went all the way there by yourself~"
Mortifying. Having my filthy inner thoughts laid bare by Seorin sent heat flooding into my face before I could stop it.
But Seorin had fully entered mischief mode and was clearly having too much fun teasing me.
"Then shall I? The thing you were hoping for?"
Her cheeks pinked as she said it. Was she serious or not? That sly little pose made me stare at her like I was under a spell. The smile on her lips looked genuine and fake at the same time, and it left me torn.
If I blurted out yes again, I'd just become her next punchline. But I was still a guy. Desire won. In the end I gave a quiet little nod.
"Then want to close your eyes one more time?"
Seorin grinned and suggested it again. Damn it. I wasn't so stupid I'd fall for the same trick twice.
Even as I thought that, I already knew I'd lost. So I closed my eyes tight, deciding to take the bait. If she actually did it, I won. If she didn't, well—I'd just be an idiot one more time. I'd already been an idiot once. Being one again wasn't hard.
The second I truly shut my eyes, I felt Seorin's presence this time. Before, the space in front of me had been so empty I couldn't tell if anyone was there at all. Now I could sense her drawing closer and closer.
The soft rustle of her clothes. The sound of her footsteps closing the distance little by little. And then Seorin's familiar scent, and strands of her hair, whipped by the wind, brushing against my cheek.
…Is the real thing coming? Is it actually happening this time?
I let out a tiny breath through my nose at how violently my heart was hammering and squeezed my eyes even tighter.
Seorin leaned in—and
"Hoo."
—a warm puff of air brushed my ear.
I snapped my eyes open at the sudden hot breath. She was blowing gently into my ear. It had looked like she was coming for my cheek, then she'd changed course at the last second toward my ear instead.
"S-Seorin?"
I stared at her, flustered and completely lost about what she was doing. Seorin only giggled.
"Just kidding~ That's enough for today."
And with that alone, my already-flushed face went tomato-sauce red. I couldn't meet her eyes anymore and hung my head. Finding that cute, Seorin smoothly changed the subject with a straight face.
"There was just some dust on your ear and I blew it off. Is there a problem?"
"…Liar. I'm going to hate you. Just watch me ever trust you again."
I grumbled like a child, and Seorin laughed and apologized at once.
"I'm sorry. Your reactions are just too fun. I teased you again. Will you forgive me?"
How do you spit on a smiling face? Whatever sting I'd felt for a second evaporated completely under one of those smiles of hers. I was clearly suffering from some terminal, terrible disease.
"No. I'm not forgiving you."
"Aww~ Why~ I'm sorry. Please forgive me~ Ijuuun~"
"No amount of aegyo is going to get you forgiven. Just so you know."
Even as I said it, the corners of my mouth had long since ascended to heaven from a single dose of her charm. The way she clung to my arm and pouted was so devastating I felt like I'd been hit over the head with a hammer. How was anyone supposed to withstand that? It was unfairly cute.
My mouth held out to the bitter end, but my body had surrendered to Seorin ages ago—forgiveness wasn't even on the table anymore.
Sensing my mood had thawed, Seorin spoke in a half-joking voice.
"I actually was going to do it for real. But it just didn't feel right right now."
"…What about it didn't feel right."
Let's hear the excuse at least. I let her keep going.
"You and I both sweated way too much. And if we're being technical… this would be my first kiss. Having your first kiss right in the middle of the street is a little much, don't you think? People are walking by."
It wasn't an unreasonable reason. A first kiss was a pretty precious memory. Girls cared more about mood than guys did, and she probably didn't want to do it here, like this.
"So."
"So?"
"Next time, when a proper moment actually comes up—I'll really do it then."
"Really?"
"Yeah. For real. It's a promise. Since you put up with so much of my teasing today."
That was all it took to mollify me. I was such an easy man I almost felt disgusted with myself. Like a dog that sulks because it didn't get its walk and then instantly wags its tail the second you offer a treat.
If I didn't do something about that wicked mouth of hers, my heart wasn't going to survive. Once again I ducked my head, thoroughly defeated by her words.
…But I didn't know it then.
I had no idea how easily the kind of atmosphere she'd mentioned would actually come together.