The Ex-Girlfriend Is Jealous
The ex-girlfriend was jealous of the two of them.
"This kiss doesn't count, right? No take-backs?"
Yerin's utterly shameless move left Sihyun frozen solid. His face flushed deeper by the second. Gazing down at him with eyes full of sultry allure, she gently rested her hand against his chest.
Thump. Thump.
Sihyun's heart was racing just as wildly as her own. The realization made Yerin's lips curl into a full, triumphant smile as she leaned forward. Their chests pressed together.
"What the hell are you doing? Move already...!"
The soft, yielding sensation against his chest, the familiar scent of her that he had always known—everything felt different now. Normally nothing Yerin did could shake him, yet every little word, every tiny gesture of hers was stirring something dark and hungry inside him.
Why is she doing this...?
Sihyun had always thought of Yerin as family. So why was he suddenly so aware of her?
There were two reasons.
First, after dating Chaeyeon and starving for affection, Yerin's temptation had become the thing that filled that emptiness.
Second, the CPR, the terror that she might die—that fear had carved her presence deep into his heart, making her impossible to ignore.
"Sihyun, your heart's pounding like crazy."
Having seized the initiative, Yerin had evolved from gentle lamb into a nine-tailed fox. Bewitching enough to enchant every man around her, she whispered right against his rigid ear.
"Want to... do it again?"
Hot breath brushed the shell of his ear. Sihyun shuddered with pure embarrassment.
He finally snapped back to himself, ready to fight off her spell and say something—
Smooch♡
Yerin, fully expecting a scolding, sealed his open mouth with her soft lips instead. Their eyes locked from inches away, both pairs of pupils trembling wildly.
"Hey, you little—!"
Startled, Sihyun shoved her away. Having already taken everything she wanted, Yerin retreated with a mischievous little grin. She brushed her fingers over the lingering heat on her lips and murmured,
"So this is what a kiss feels like..."
It was only their mouths meeting, yet it felt as if they were connected. The way their affectionate gazes met, the way they shared the same breath...
While Yerin was lost in the afterglow, Sihyun asked, half-incredulous,
"You did all that just because you wanted to know?"
"Of course not!"
Indignant, Yerin shook her head hard, then wriggled her fingers as she continued.
"I would never do something like this unless it was with someone I like..."
She was being so blunt that even Sihyun couldn't miss the confession. He let out a long sigh and asked quietly while still lying there,
"How long have you liked me?"
"I don't know either. We were always together, and somewhere along the way I just... started watching you with my eyes."
"You could've told me sooner..."
"You think it's that easy? I'm not brave like you."
Yerin's cute little pout made Sihyun smile. He sat up, faced her properly, and gently brushed her hair back behind her ear.
"Anyway... I'm sorry I realized how you felt so late."
Yerin looked away, sulking.
"If you're sorry, then just date me starting now..."
"That's a little awkward."
"What? After we already did everything, you're backing out now?"
"You forced that part."
The atmosphere screamed rejection. Yerin's heart clenched; she wanted to run away that very second.
Sihyun scratched the back of his head and spoke carefully.
"It's not that I don't like you. I just... don't understand my own feelings yet. I want to be sure before we start dating."
"So then...?"
"Just give me a little time. The moment I'm sure, I'll be the one to confess."
Yerin froze, lips parted. Moments later tears slid down her cheeks—because he had finally noticed her heart and was willing to take it seriously.
"Okay... I'm used to waiting."
She gave him a salty little bird-kiss and added,
"I'll be looking forward to it this time!"
Her smile was brighter than ever, as if she had gathered every happiness in the world into one expression. Seeing it, Sihyun found himself smiling too.
"Yeah. It won't take long."
Sihyun and Yerin returned to the pension. Inside was pure chaos—their classmates were busy praising Yerin's safe return and Sihyun's heroics.
But he needed to sort out his thoughts, so he excused himself to rest and slipped into a room.
"Yerin likes me, huh..."
The unexpected confession made him clutch his head.
His childhood friend, the one he had spent more time with than anyone except his parents. The girl who had comforted him after the breakup with Chaeyeon, who always pulled him forward with her positive energy.
If she herself didn't know when it started, she must have been hiding those feelings for years at least.
And all that time he had been dating Chaeyeon, keeping his distance. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much that must have hurt her.
I don't want to accept the feelings she's held onto for so long with some half-hearted attitude.
Sihyun still couldn't shake the idea that Yerin was just a friend.
Love was supposed to be mutual. As long as he only saw her as a friend, that kind of relationship could never form.
"Maybe I should message her after all this time..."
Back when he was dating Chaeyeon, there had been someone who always guided him through his worries. Sihyun decided to ask his relationship counselor about this latest mess.
Sihyun poured everything out to his relationship counselor—how he had always seen Yerin, how they usually spent time together, and every detail of what had happened today.
He had gotten a positive answer from the counselor—the complete opposite of how she used to push him to break up whenever he talked about Chaeyeon.
As a member of the opposite sex...
Sihyun scratched the back of his head and dug through his memories.
The way his heart had raced to its limit from Yerin's surprise kiss.
Judging by today's experience, it was clear he had started seeing her as a woman.
But can I really call this "liking" her?
Whether it was love or not, a man's heart raced when he got intimate with a pretty girl—that was pure instinct.
Sihyun had already loved Chaeyeon to the point of madness, yet he still couldn't tell if what he felt now was the same thing.
Creak—
The door suddenly opened. Chaeyeon stepped inside and looked at Sihyun.
"The others want you to come out for drinks."
Why was Chaeyeon the one delivering that message? Sihyun wondered, but he simply nodded.
"Got it. Be right there."
He thanked Aloe for the counseling session, exchanged a few more polite goodbyes, and stood up—
Why is she still here?
He had thought Chaeyeon already left, yet she was still standing by the door, staring at him. Her eyes fixed on his smartphone; she clenched and unclenched her hands behind her back as she asked,
"...Who were you texting?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"Just curious... Was it Yerin?"
Not wanting to waste time on pointless questions, Sihyun brushed past her and left the room. The savory smell of grilled pork belly immediately hit his nose.
He plopped down in an empty seat; Chaeyeon sat right beside him.
Why does she keep sticking to me?
Annoyed, Sihyun snapped a pair of wooden chopsticks apart and said,
"Don't kill my appetite. Sit somewhere else."
Chaeyeon's body flinched. She clenched her fists on her knees and answered in a defeated voice,
"I can sit wherever I want..."
"Ugh... Fine. Do whatever you want."
Not wanting to be petty, Sihyun decided to just ignore her. He was handing out chopsticks and paper cups to the others when—
"Sihyun!"
Yerin arrived carrying a disposable plate piled high with meat and sat down on his right. She pressed her body against him without the slightest shame, beaming brightly. Sihyun made an embarrassed face while Chaeyeon glared at her as if she wanted to murder her.
"Look at this meat. Perfectly golden, right?"
"Yeah..."
Sihyun's shy reaction slowly gnawed at Chaeyeon's heart. Wasn't this exactly how he used to act when they were dating? The more time passed, the more his heart seemed to tilt toward Yerin, and Chaeyeon felt a restless anxiety she couldn't even name.
Yerin, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying that reaction. She wrapped a piece of meat in lettuce and held it out to him.
"Here. Say ah. Ahh~"
"I'm good. I can eat by myself. What's with this..."
"Come on, hurry~ My arm's getting tired."
Under her relentless urging Sihyun reluctantly opened his mouth, and Yerin quickly popped the wrap inside.
He was too flustered to even taste it. Having decided to tear down every last wall around him, Yerin kept the temptation going without pause.
"Ah, I got ssamjang on my fingers."
Slurp. Slurp.
Right in front of him, Yerin brazenly sucked on the very fingers that had just been inside his mouth.
That seductive display made Sihyun's face flush to its absolute limit even though he hadn't touched a single drop of alcohol.
Sihyun, you're way too cute...
His honest reaction made Yerin blush too. Clutching her own chest and smiling shyly, she held out the plate of meat and said,
"Feed me too."
"Alright..."
While Sihyun slowly wrapped another piece, Yerin opened her mouth wide, flashing her pearly teeth. Just as he finished and was about to place it inside—
Shove.
Chaeyeon, sitting right beside them, forced the wrap she was holding straight into Yerin's mouth.
"Mmph!"
Yerin's face crumpled. The wrap Chaeyeon had fed her contained not a single scrap of meat—only chili peppers and garlic packed full.
Unable to swallow it, Yerin grabbed several tissues, spat everything out, and demanded in a voice thick with resentment,
"What the hell was that for?!"
"You said you were hungry, so I made you something tasty."
"Ha. Why don't you just admit you were trying to mess with me?"
"If that's how you want to take it, fine."
A full-blown war of nerves erupted with Sihyun stuck in the middle. The moment the ex-girlfriend and the prospective girlfriend clashed, every classmate's eyes locked onto them.
But Yerin didn't care. She laughed as if the whole thing was ridiculous and declared,
"So you want to go at it? Fine. Bring it on."
She cracked open a bottle of soju. A girl who passed out after just a few shots, all bluster and no tolerance—exactly the same as Chaeyeon. Yet neither of them could back down now, so Chaeyeon picked up a soju glass as well.
Glug, glug...
The goddess of the Tourism Management Department and another Al-sseu—two lightweights—faced off in a drinking battle.