Love Can't Be Hidden
The dormitory was bright on the morning of the entrance ceremony. Even though I'd just woken up, I couldn't stop grinning as I thought about what happened yesterday.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
Jack doesn't hate me. Or to be precise, he still does a little. But his heart is gradually tilting in my direction. And after saying that, he made this little-devil face and told me that if I didn't stop clinging to him, he'd end up becoming obsessed with me...
'Isn't that more like a reward?'
The idea of someone interfering in my relationships and forcing their feelings on me should have felt wrong, but strangely, my heart was pounding. I usually dislike obsessive people, but imagining Jack like that felt incredibly attractive. Was this what people meant when they talked about bad boys?
'He's usually so gentle and kind, but then suddenly shows this intense side... that contrast makes him even more attractive.'
He was the type who'd push me away while saying he hated it, yet still quietly take care of me in small ways. And then, the moment night fell, he'd transform completely and threaten to claim me entirely if I approached him. In the end, his words were so thrilling that I couldn't hold back and ended up pinning him down right then and there.
'That flustered expression he made back then...'
He'd warned me that if I kept clinging to him, he'd devour me. Yet when I pushed him down onto the grass, he just lay there dazed. Straddling him and looking down at his face gave me an overwhelming sense of conquest and a thrill no other man had ever made me feel.
'His talent for bewitching people is no joke...'
Actually, what I felt back then might have been closer to lust than excitement. I'd seriously considered just taking him right there on the spot several times.
'Maybe I should have kissed him after all.'
I licked my lips at the memory of that moment when I could have stolen one so easily, then quietly shook my head. If I'd given in and kissed him then, he probably would have pushed me away in complete disgust. He still hated me, after all. He wouldn't enjoy being kissed by a woman he disliked. The kind of skinship he could accept while still feeling some flutter of attraction toward me was probably limited to hugs for now.
'So I'll have to take it slow and steady.'
I'd make him like me a little more, create a more intimate atmosphere, and instead of pushing him down in the grass like yesterday, I'd make him want to kiss me on his own.
'...But will that actually work?'
I was worried I'd get too excited and end up devouring him first. His blushing face and heated breaths were more than enough of an aphrodisiac to drive me wild.
'No, it won't come to that.'
No matter how tempting Jack was, it would be ridiculous if I couldn't even control one little urge. As long as he didn't end up pinned beneath me like yesterday and call me a 'beast' again, I should be able to hold back just fine.
Come to think of it, I still didn't know how I'd managed to restrain myself after hearing those fox-like words yesterday. I think I'd just been satisfied with holding him tightly while he squirmed in embarrassment.
'But why is he so weak to physical contact when he wags his tail like that?'
His vulnerable reaction right after such a deliberately seductive display of skinship was almost enough to make me suspect he was doing it on purpose to bewitch women. I remembered how, when I'd undone a few buttons on his chest, he'd lost his composure completely and kept darting his eyes everywhere. He'd been so cute then. Honestly, part of why I'd clung to him even more was because his reactions were just that entertaining.
I used to think he was some kind of seductive demon, but remembering that side of him, he was nothing but an awkward dork.
'Jack doesn't even seem to realize he's seducing people...'
Based on my many trials and errors, I'd come to the conclusion that he wasn't intentionally doing things to shake a woman's heart. It was more like he acted without thinking, and I was the one getting excited all on my own.
'Does that mean he's genuinely weak to skinship?'
A man who unknowingly seduces people left and right while still being kind turns into a blushing mess the moment skin touches skin? That was just...
"...Slurp."
A thin silver strand of drool stretched from my gaping mouth. Just thinking about how he'd react to skinship once we started dating had been enough to make it happen without warning.
"I guess I've really fallen hard."
They say people who have never been in love before tend to hide it desperately when they suddenly fall for someone.
'...I can't hide it at all.'
Was I just a special case? Or had I been suffering from it for so long without realizing it? The emotions bursting out of me were so overwhelming that controlling them felt impossible. I wanted to hear his voice, hold his hand, hug him, and take him for myself.
'Am I turning into a pervert?'
I pinched my cheeks hard to calm the slightly lewd thoughts, but it had no effect whatsoever. If something like that could calm me down, the fire wouldn't have started burning in the first place.
"Thinking about him like this just makes me want to see him more."
Suddenly, I found myself missing him again. It was already morning, and he'd mentioned he'd be bringing his close friend with him. If I waited at the main gate, maybe I'd get to see him just a little sooner.
With my heart fluttering, I took out the academy uniform.
Time flowed on, and soon it was the morning of the entrance ceremony.
"Haah..."
Even though I should have been busy double-checking my plans, yesterday's events kept circling in my head no matter how hard I tried not to think about them.
-Crunch!
I crushed the candy rolling around in my mouth into tiny pieces, trying to suppress those thoughts. But the lemon scent that burst from the shattered candy only stimulated my memories even more.
That dangerous outfit clinging to her body, that serious expression as she confessed her feelings... Damn it, stop. She wasn't even being sincere.
"Is something troubling you?"
Even Grayson, who had been quietly following me, asked in his usual flat tone. I responded with a laugh instead of an answer. Had my expression been that bad? He wasn't the type to speak first unless someone asked him a question.
"It's nothing."
After ending the conversation there, we walked in silence for a short while until the academy entrance came into view. Since we'd chosen lodging close by from the start, bringing Grayson in the morning hadn't been an issue.
"Jack! Good morning!"
Yes. If only the main culprit currently shaking my heart—the Geumtaeyang herself—hadn't been waiting right in front of the academy gates, I really could have calmly and peacefully reviewed my plans without any problems.
"Please stop clinging to me."
The moment I saw Lucia, I felt heat rising to my face. We'd been that close yesterday, yet she seemed completely unaffected.
"Aww, just let me for a bit...!"
No way. Who knew what she'd do if I let her keep sticking to me? Every single incident I'd suffered because of this Geumtaeyang had happened in exactly these kinds of super-close situations. So I absolutely couldn't let her get any closer—
"Hup."
The moment I accidentally glanced at the clothes Lucia was wearing, I quickly looked away. The buttons on her academy uniform were only fastened starting from where she'd undone them yesterday. She definitely left them like that on purpose, didn't she?
"Hmm?"
Lucia soon noticed where my gaze had gone. She smiled seductively, pressed her chest lightly against my arm, and asked,
"You called me a beast yesterday, but it looks like the real beast is you, doesn't it?"
She let out a few more mocking laughs, then poked my chest and added,
"Staring at my chest the moment we meet in the morning... How perverted can you get..."
"That's sexual harassment, Lucia."
She grinned again and yanked on my tie however she pleased. At this point, I was starting to think lemons and ties were her main weapons. Every time this happened, something slightly embarrassing always seemed to occur...
"So, did it feel good?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
When I tried to turn my eyes as far away as possible, Lucia grabbed my face and said,
"You said you're a guy, so you'd get shaken up if I did this. Are you shaken right now?"
To be honest, yes, I was shaken. No—extremely shaken. No matter how much of a Geumtaeyang she was, when a beautiful woman came at you this aggressively, who wouldn't be affected? But everything she was doing was all...
"I'll say it again. I'm being sincere right now."
"...Your friend is right behind us. Aren't you embarrassed?"
Lucia glanced lightly behind her, then put her index finger to her lips and made a shushing sound. Grayson nodded quietly as if he'd understood. Why are you nodding?
"At first, I really did confess just to tease Heidi."
Unlike her usual self, she wore a slightly serious expression as she took a few steps closer and said,
"But now, I genuinely want to date you."
As if she really meant it, she looked at me with a firm expression, waiting for my answer. Facing her trembling eyes, I felt myself getting shaken along with her.
'Haah...'
I'd criticized her so harshly for not being sincere, yet she claimed she was. Even while convinced that those words weren't genuine either, the fact that I kept wavering annoyed me to no end.
Lucia watched me for a moment as I hesitated with a complicated heart, then let out a small laugh and said,
"You're not rejecting me so easily anymore. Does that mean you've started to develop some feelings for me?"
She hesitated a little, then lifted my left hand and rubbed her cheek against the back of it.
"I'll keep waiting for you, so you can take your time with your answer."
For some reason, the way Lucia looked in that moment reminded me of a rabbit nibbling on grass. Before I knew it, I was gently stroking her cheek.
"...Hic."
Lucia matched the pace of my hand, slowly rubbing her cheek against it.
I hated myself for having absolutely zero self-control.