3. Do You Dislike Me?
Episode 3. Don't You Like Me?
Jin-hyeok's kiss was incredibly clumsy.
His lips merely bumped against hers, his hands fumbling without knowing what to do next. Eun-ju found the corners of her mouth lifting unconsciously. She almost pulled away but instead quietly accepted his awkward attempt.
Just an inexperienced, bumping kiss.
"W-wait a second."
In the end, Eun-ju was the first to break the kiss.
"Haa... haa..."
Jagged breaths brushed against Eun-ju's cheeks. His flushed face, his eyes trembling with uncertainty. To think he'd get this worked up from just pressing lips together once. Eun-ju's chest tightened inexplicably.
"Was that... your first kiss?"
"...Yes. My first."
Jin-hyeok answered in a voice that seemed to shrink into itself. His gaze darted around helplessly before settling on empty air.
Eun-ju slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. Bringing her lips close enough to brush his ear, she whispered:
"I'm sorry. That your first time had to be with an ajumma like me."
"N-no, I..."
Before he could finish, Eun-ju's lips softly covered his again.
Jin-hyeok froze. Then his hands—which had been hovering uncertainly—tentatively found their way to Eun-ju's waist. The embrace was awkward yet firm.
Between their joined lips, Eun-ju's tongue gently pressed forward. Jin-hyeok stiffened in surprise but clumsily parted his lips to accept it.
"With... your tongue," Eun-ju murmured against his mouth between shared breaths.
Jin-hyeok cautiously moved his tongue. Following Eun-ju's lead, he hesitantly tangled with hers. At first, their rhythm and direction were mismatched. Each time, Eun-ju slowly guided him with her own tongue. Following her lead, Jin-hyeok gradually found his rhythm.
Schlurp. Schlup.
The sounds of mingling saliva and entwining tongues filled the confined darkness. Between them, heated gasps escaped in ragged bursts.
Jin-hyeok's grip tightened. He clutched Eun-ju's waist, then her buttocks with sudden urgency. The pressure resonated heavily through her lower abdomen.
"Haa..."
"Haa."
Foreheads pressed together, they slowly caught their breath. Jin-hyeok's rapid breathing gradually steadied.
"Do you understand now?"
"Yes."
This time, there was no hesitation. Jin-hyeok captured Eun-ju's lips again, sucking, nibbling, tentatively recreating what he'd just learned. Eun-ju quietly accepted his eager yet inexperienced attempts.
Jin-hyeok's body pressed closer. In that moment, something hot and heavy nudged against her lower stomach.
As they broke apart briefly to breathe, Eun-ju noticed—the distinct bulge in Jin-hyeok's pants pressing insistently against her.
"Ah—"
Only then did Jin-hyeok realize and flush crimson. He scrambled to pull away.
But Eun-ju couldn't tear her eyes away. That firmness pressing against her... for some reason, it only made her more curious.
Then—
"Mom, are you home?"
Na-eun's voice carried from the living room. She must have seen the grocery bag on the table. The heated atmosphere dissipated instantly.
Eun-ju urgently whispered to Jin-hyeok:
"I'll go out first. Come out after me."
"Ah... y-yes."
Eun-ju straightened her clothes and opened the study door. Assuming an expression of perfect normalcy, she stepped into the living room.
"Huh? Why—"
Na-eun tilted her head at seeing her mother emerge from the study.
"I'm hungry."
"What? It's late—what are you going to eat now?"
"It's fine. Exam repeaters are always hungry."
As Na-eun quipped shamelessly, Jin-hyeok also emerged from the study, having composed himself. His face was considerably calmer now.
"You'll gain weight like that."
"Ah! Oppa, you're still here?"
Na-eun startled, looking between Jin-hyeok and Eun-ju in surprise. Jin-hyeok responded nonchalantly:
"Your mom asked me to help find some materials in the study."
"What book?"
"Something about medical references. She said your dad asked about it, but she didn't know where to look, so she asked me."
Eun-ju smoothly backed him up:
"That's right. I didn't know anything about it, so I asked Jin-hyeok."
"Really?"
Na-eun eyed them both suspiciously. Before her gaze could deepen, Jin-hyeok changed the subject:
"By the way, I think you've gained some weight lately."
"I have not!"
Ignoring her indignant shriek, Jin-hyeok slipped on his shoes by the entrance.
"Next time, I'll have to check your weight along with your homework."
"Just go already!"
Na-eun growled again. Jin-hyeok's laughter faded as the door closed behind him.
"Ugh..."
Left alone, Na-eun slumped at the table muttering:
"Did I really gain weight?"
Eun-ju watched her daughter from the corner of her eye, swallowing a sigh of relief. Yet a corner of her heart remained unsettled. She couldn't remember the last time her body had burned like this.
Jin-hyeok's touch from earlier kept resurfacing in her mind.
———
Fifteen years ago.
Eun-ju followed the guide into the kindergarten classroom.
Today was parent observation day. When the youthful woman in her early twenties entered the classroom packed with mothers in their mid-thirties, all eyes immediately turned to her.
"Hello. I'm Na-eun's mom."
Eun-ju forced a smile as she greeted them. Above her, gazes filled with envy and curiosity converged.
"So young."
"Did she have an accident and get married?"
"Her husband looked much older when I saw him."
The whispered comments reached Eun-ju's ears clearly. She pretended not to hear, keeping her eyes fixed on Na-eun. The judgmental stares for "marrying an older man" were something she'd long grown accustomed to.
It was nothing new now.
Na-eun, sitting at the front, turned and spotted Eun-ju. She waved her small hands excitedly. Eun-ju waved back.
When observation ended, Na-eun came running.
"Mom, mom! I did good in my presentation, right?"
"You did great."
Na-eun beamed at the praise. Hand in hand, they left the kindergarten.
Then Na-eun suddenly looked around and shouted:
"Oppa!"
While Eun-ju glanced around, Na-eun ran toward a boy, waving. She soon returned holding his hand.
"Hello. I'm Park Jin-hyeok."
"Hello."
He was a handsome boy. Na-eun gazed up at him with lovestruck eyes, sticking close. Seeing the adorable pair, Eun-ju couldn't help but smile.
Facing that smile, Jin-hyeok's face turned slightly red. Na-eun immediately puffed her cheeks.
"Oppa, where are you looking!"
"Ah, sorry."
"Oppa's gonna marry me when we grow up. Got it?"
"Got it."
"You're already talking about that?"
At Eun-ju's teasing, Na-eun puffed out her chest as if it were obvious.
"Of course. Someone like me is perfect to be oppa's bride."
Jin-hyeok scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Now I see who Na-eun takes after."
Eun-ju burst out laughing at that.
"Thank you."
———
"Haa... haa..."
Between ragged breaths, Jin-hyeok's tongue delved deeper into Eun-ju's mouth.
Schlurp... schlup.
"Mmph... mm."
Schlop, schlop... schlop.
Their sticky kisses continued—sucking, licking at each other's lips. Jin-hyeok's hands pulled Eun-ju's waist tighter against him as he drank her in.
"Pah..."
They exhaled simultaneously.
"You need to go back now."
"...Ah. Right."
Reluctantly, Jin-hyeok broke the kiss. They'd been stealing these moments in the narrow space between the kitchen and living room. Straightening his disheveled clothes and erasing traces, Jin-hyeok headed toward Na-eun's room—though his backward glance was full of longing.
Eun-ju quietly touched her swollen, burning lips.
Since that first kiss in the study, they'd been stealing kisses whenever possible. Especially during Na-eun's tutoring sessions, Jin-hyeok would make excuses to seek Eun-ju out. She'd never been able to refuse his touch. Far from rejecting him, she only fell deeper under his spell.
Her lower abdomen burned.
"Haa..."
Eun-ju exhaled, touching her lips again. Her mind screamed that this was wrong, yet her body couldn't stop burning under Jin-hyeok's touch.
At first, his kisses had been so clumsy. But under Eun-ju's guidance, he improved daily. Now he could skillfully entwine their tongues, stoking Eun-ju's desire instead. And each time their kisses deepened, that firm heaviness in his pants pressed against her, making it unbearable even for Eun-ju.
She touched the ring on her left hand. This shouldn't be happening. Yet Jin-hyeok's scent and breath lingered stubbornly in her mind.
———
Na-eun glanced at Jin-hyeok as he returned, pushing her completed workbook toward him.
"Grade this."
"Sure."
Jin-hyeok picked up a pen and began checking answers. Na-eun studied his profile, lost in thought.
'Does oppa not like me?'
She pouted, scrutinizing him. Handsome face, tall stature, perfect body. Top of his class too. The boy she'd claimed as her future husband since childhood.
Throughout middle and high school, she'd worked tirelessly to chase away girls confessing to him. Despite her obvious signals, Jin-hyeok always laughed off declarations of love. Each time, Na-eun burned with frustration, wondering when he'd finally confess.
Maybe he saw her as just a younger sister? But then he went out of his way to indulge her every whim, so that couldn't be it.
Using exam prep as an excuse, she'd started wearing revealing clothes and brushing against him. He definitely reacted. At least he didn't dislike her.
Now she wanted him to confess first, rather than having her feelings dismissed. They weren't minors anymore—both proper adults now.
Na-eun subtly pressed her chest against Jin-hyeok's arm as he graded. The sensation made his gaze waver. Catching this from the corner of her eye, Na-eun smiled inwardly.
'So oppa is just a man after all.'
Then a familiar scent tickled her nose.
'This smells like mom's perfume?'
Na-eun frowned briefly before dismissing it.
'They must've talked in the living room earlier.'
Thinking nothing of it, she pressed closer.
Just then, Jin-hyeok slightly relaxed his arm, upsetting her balance.
"Ah—"
Squelch.
Na-eun's hand landed squarely on Jin-hyeok's crotch. Something firm filled her palm.
'T-this is... huge.'
The distinct hardness swelling between his legs was unmistakable. Na-eun froze. Jin-hyeok also stiffened, holding his breath at her touch.