What If a Kiss Is Okay in Real Life?
I stepped out of the restaurant after a lavish, delicious dinner that had left my stomach pleasantly full. Even though I had personally experienced the joy of finally eating to my heart's content at an omakase restaurant—the kind of day I'd only ever dreamed about—I still couldn't quite believe it was real.
“Jjaehee, should we head home now?” Hajin asked, her voice light and teasing as always.
“Hmm, since I have no classes tomorrow, I’ll stay at your place until the weekend, eonni.”
“Great! Then let’s have a drink together?”
“I just ate a lot. I’m not going to have anything else.”
I wasn’t someone who ate lightly, but the moment my stomach was full, I never touched even a simple snack until everything was properly digested.
“Fine, then! Let’s walk until you digest everything!”
“Yes, sure.”
Our hands clasped and swung back and forth with cheerful energy. When I felt especially lively, I even hummed a little tune under my breath, letting my current mood pour out honestly.
“Hajin eonni, what’s so fun about you?” I asked.
“Being on a date with Jjaehee is the best part.”
“Then that’s good. I was worried we might not be a good match.”
“What nonsense. Don’t you remember the karaoke room earlier?”
“Puhup!”
Thinking back to how much fun I’d had shaking my head wildly in the karaoke room, my worry had been completely unnecessary.
“Hajin eonni’s throat still hurts from all that?”
“My hair’s long, so it shakes easily.”
“It’s all because Jjaehee made it fun for you. Hajin eonni isn’t the type to go around playing like this anywhere else.”
For a moment our clasped hands loosened, and Hajin eonni stepped in front of me.
With the same gentle smile, she began carefully buttoning up the shirt I was wearing one by one.
“Now that dinner’s over, you might catch a cold. Let’s button you up properly.”
“Yes, sure.”
“You listen to eonni so well, Jjaehee. You’re going to be the death of me.”
As she worked her way from the bottom, her gaze lingered on my abs.
“Hajin eonni?”
“Seriously, you’re too sexy. Chuuu…”
It sounded like she was complimenting my abs, but…
Why was she licking her lips?
“I want to lick them… mmm, all done. Let’s head out, Jjaehee.”
I thought I’d heard something weird just now.
“Hajin eonni, do you like exercise?”
“Pilates only. The rest is too hard.”
“Then how about exercising together? I can teach you something fun.”
“I have my own thing I like. Want to do it together?”
“Yes, sure.”
“Then we need to pick a place first.”
When she said that, I figured she meant something like swimming, where you can do it anywhere. But then I noticed something odd.
I stopped walking and looked around.
I’d assumed there would be a spot nearby perfect for whatever exercise Hajin eonni loved, but all I saw was a motel. And her eyes were fixed on the motel sign.
“Where should we go? The best facilities would be perfect for Jjaehee too.”
“It’s better not to exercise with eonni.”
“Eh? Why? You said we’d do it together!”
While Hajin eonni pouted, she showed me the screen where I’d dialed 112.
“… N-no, just kidding. Eonni, you wouldn’t actually do that. Perv, Jaehee!”
Why did I suddenly become the pervert?
“Do you like that?”
“You can be honest? Just promise you won’t report me.”
I wondered if she was about to say something that would require a no-reporting promise.
“Yes, sure.”
“Right now, let’s go to the motel… no, better take you to eonni’s house, feed you, raise you, put you to bed, and then—mmph!”
I suddenly clamped my mouth shut when her words suddenly exploded, letting out a deep sigh.
It was the first time someone had poured out their feelings so honestly to me.
Normally they stopped at “I like you.”
“Hajin eonni, are you… needy?”
“That’s Jaehee’s fault too.”
“What did I do wrong?”
“You’re too handsome!”
“Then I’ll scold Mom right now. I’ll call her…”
Just as I was about to delete the 112 and input my mom’s number, Hajin eonni grabbed my wrist firmly and shook her head vigorously.
“Hajin eonni is sorry, Jaehee. Let’s stay close.”
“Ahaha, so you’re going to scold Dad then. You look more like him. Wait a sec.”
“No no no no! That’s not it! I’m sorry, okay?!”
“Puhuhu! Eonni has a fun side.”
“Haha, being teased by a twenty-year-old kid like me.”
“Baby.”
“Obviously not a baby, but still.”
It was downright embarrassing.
I was twenty years old, yet why did no one ever treat me as such?
Back in high school, when I took the bus in casual clothes, I’d been called an adult while being charged student fares more than once.
“You’re twenty, eonni.”
“At your age, you usually still have baby fat, but Jjaehee’s face was fully formed from when?”
“It’s the same face I had in high school.”
“… High school?”
“Yeah, surprisingly so.”
It looked like she didn’t believe me, so I showed her the old photos from my high-school gallery.
“Waaah!”
People turned to stare in shock as I shouted and snatched the phone back.
“This… is Jjaehee from high school? For real?!”
“Yeah, for real.”
“No way… how is this high school? You’re not even wearing a uniform!”
“Our school’s uniforms were simple, so just a shirt and pants gave off a suit vibe.”
“But who took this photo?”
“I think it was… my ex?”
“Clearly you were into Jjaehee.”
We’d been in the same class from first to third year, and I got confessed to at graduation.
Even though I turned down that brave confession politely, and the contact naturally stopped after that.
“Can I send this to eonni?”
“Yes, sure.”
“Yay! I’ll have to look at Jjaehee whenever I miss you.”
Why does eonni seem younger than me?
“What are you doing, Jaehee?”
When I unconsciously stroked her hair while she was deep in thought, she noticed.
“Ah, sorry. It just… looked cute?”
“Have you done this to other girls before, Jaehee?”
“I guess I’ve patted heads if they looked cute.”
“The problem was you. The problem was here.”
Another arrow flew straight at me.
While I was still processing her words, she suddenly leaned in and lightly tapped my nose.
“Jaehee, if you keep flirting like that, people will keep falling for you.”
“I haven’t flirted at all. Pat-heads are normal between friends.”
“But you’re the one doing it. That’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“With this face, doing that to someone would turn them straight or make them lesbian.”
The more she explained, the deeper my confusion grew.
So other people could do it, but I doing it was the issue?
“Then… did I flirt with eonni just now?”
“I flirted with you from the very first meeting, and that head-pat was the final confirmation.”
“Then what should I do? Just keep my distance?”
Looking back on high school, I treated everyone as friends, and inevitably someone confessed.
I rejected them all, and the relationships always ended.
If I said I didn’t mind, it would have been a lie.
“You think rejecting a confession will break the connection?”
“If I said no, it would be lying.”
“Don’t worry, Jaehee. Eonni will confess a thousand times.”
“Eh?”
“There’s no tree that doesn’t bear fruit after ten thousand hits, right? And eonni has something those guys don’t.”
As I tilted my head in confusion, Hajin eonni swept her hands from my hips up my waist and then my chest. She then showed me her phone again, checking her bank balance.
“With this much, it should be enough.”
Her confident tone was so believable I didn’t even feel unlucky.
“When was your last relationship, eonni?”
“Um, I don’t even remember. It wasn’t great. Haha, that blonde chick.”
“Eh?”
“It’s nothing. Do you like alcohol, Jaehee?”
“I don’t like getting drunk, but I do enjoy drinking in general.”
It was my dad’s influence.
Dad loved alcohol so much he even got a bartender license.
Because of him, I’d known a lot about alcohol since childhood. I wasn’t aiming to become a bartender, but I did enjoy savoring it.
“Oh, so you’re studying to be a bartender now?”
“Yeah, I’m taking the test during summer break so I can work at a bar.”
“I don’t know which one, but you look like you caught a golden pig.”
“That’s not quite it. I’ve never done part-time work before.”
“You don’t have to work. Just being there will make customers flock.”
As we talked, my full stomach slowly digested and felt lighter. And we arrived in front of a liquor store.
“How’s it? Want to drink?”
“Yes, let’s. Do you know this place, eonni? I’m used to coming here.”
“Yeah, so come in comfortably.”
Inside, a rather upscale atmosphere greeted me.
“Welcome. Oh, it’s Hajin.”
“Hi, eonni.”
“Long time no see.”
“I came with my little brother.”
Two women who greeted Hajin eonni affectionately were clearly running the place.
It really suited the bar vibe.
They both had very mature appearances.
“Wow! You’re so handsome!”
“Stop.”
“Kek!”
“He’s going to win against Ajin.”
While I scratched my head and tried to figure out the situation, Hajin eonni grabbed my hand and introduced them.
“Meet Jaehee. This is Eonji eonni, and the one who rushed over the moment she saw you is Yumi eonni. Eonji eonni is straight, and Yumi eonni is lesbian.”
“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you. I’m Chu Jaehee.”
“You’re so handsome… Hi, Jaehee! Come often. Eonni will give you free drinks whenever you want.”
“Whatever you say. Just don’t get in trouble with Haena eonni.”
“Yumi eonni has a girlfriend named Ajin, who’s five years younger than her.”
While I waited quietly for the cocktails to arrive, I noticed something unusual.
Normally people reacted one-way—either shocked or impressed by my appearance—but these two showed zero reaction.
“You don’t seem particularly surprised by me.”
“Ah, the owner back then was Eonji eonni. She’s also albino like you.”
It was only natural I was curious, since I’d never met anyone like me before.
“By the way, this is a lesbian bar.”
“Oh, really?”
“It’s not my day off today, but I called and they opened up for me.”
“You’re the reason we can’t even rest on our day off.”
“Why, eonni? It’s not like we’re getting it for free.”
While I watched the two women chatting in a familiar, easy-going atmosphere, a cocktail was placed on the table.
“Enjoy your drink.”
“Hajin can be a bit bothersome sometimes, but the kid’s really nice.”
“What? I’m not bothersome at all. Right, Jaehee?”
Instead of answering, I took a sip of the cocktail.
“Not bothersome?”
“I’m not! Jaehee, if you say that, eonni will be really troubled.”
“It’s a joke, eonni. Cheers.”
*clink!*
When I lightly clinked my glass against hers, Hajin eonni smiled gently and leaned close.
“Do you drink well, Jaehee?”
“I drink moderately.”
“Really? You said you have no classes tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“Nothing. Let’s drink happily.”
She wrapped her hand around my cheek and gently stroked my thumb.
“You drink well too, eonni?”
“Yeah, I drink a lot. Way more than you.”
“Just don’t drink too much. Getting drunk is rough.”
“Ehh? You think eonni will get drunk first?”
She picked up a cheese cube from the service and fed it to eonni with a fork.
Looking at her in surprise for a moment…
“Jaehee, can I kiss you?”