Sudden Pop Quiz, But It's Okay (1)

Two weeks had passed since they successfully wrapped up their first date. During that time, thanks to Yoonah's bold advances, Jihyeok—who had zero immunity to skinship—had begun initiating kisses of his own accord without her needing to say a word. Yoonah found this side of him so adorable that she tried to make their kisses last longer, but it seemed that was still too much for him; Jihyeok would always pull away at the last second.

"You can handle pecks so easily now, so why won't you kiss me properly?"

"...Because it feels like my heart is going to explode."

"Tsk... You're so mean."

"Cut me some slack... I feel like I'm actually going to pass out..."

Yoonah felt a flicker of annoyance at Jihyeok for blocking her from taking things further, but his shy reluctance toward skinship quickly melted her frustration away. The couple, who were spending such blissfully happy days together, remained just as lovey-dovey at school. Of course, Jihyeok stayed focused on his studies during class like a proper student. Yoonah, however, would pretend to listen to the lesson while sneaking in little pranks on him—rubbing the eraser at the end of her pencil against his cheek, scribbling [My Boyfriend ♡] on a sticky note ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and sticking it to the back of his hand, or lacing her fingers through his left hand while he was taking notes. It was her way of letting him know she was bored.

Jihyeok was confident he could accept any prank his girlfriend threw at him. As long as it didn't cross the line or become something that would draw disapproving stares from others, he was more than happy to greet it with a smile. But as her teasing gradually shifted toward more physical contact, Jihyeok grew worried they might get caught. He scribbled a message on the post-it note she had stuck to his hand.

Even while they were exchanging notes, Yoonah kept teasing him between messages. Finding her antics rather cheeky, Jihyeok paused his studying, leaned in close to her face, and whispered.

"If you keep messing around instead of studying..."

"Then what?"

"...I won't give you any more kisses."

"What if I just kiss you first?"

"...Huh?"

Watching Yoonah lick her lips with a seductive glint in her eye, as if ready to kiss him right then and there, Jihyeok realized he had chosen poorly. He tried to raise his hand to call the teacher, but Yoonah had already grabbed his other arm, completely foiling the plan.

"Where do you think you're running off to?"

"...You've been initiating skinship way too often lately."

"What's so bad about kissing the boyfriend I love?"

"I'm scared I won't be able to hold back and might end up overwhelming you..."

In truth, with her idol-level beauty and a figure that could easily land her a modeling debut, no man could resist if she pressed for skinship with everything she had. Jihyeok was one of them, but his desire to cherish his girlfriend made him unwilling to hurt her with his own selfishness.

Yet Yoonah pretended not to notice his considerate heart and said, "You'll be gentle, won't you? I don't mind at all."

"No... that's not the issue... There are too many people here. At least let me do it on the way home, in front of the house?"

"So it's okay as long as no one's around?"

"Yes. If it's just the two of us, I'll keep going until you're satisfied."

"You promised, right? No running away?"

"...Got it."

Having secured this promise of daily kisses on the walk home, Jihyeok thought he had successfully dodged the crisis.

"You had math for sixth period, right?"

"Yes."

"The math teacher has to step out then, so we've switched subjects for sixth period with me."

"Wait, so sixth period is Korean too?"

"That's right. Opportunities like this don't come often, you know. Your Korean teacher has prepared a little surprise for you all."

This time, the crisis had shifted to Yoonah.

"What?!"

Every student except Jihyeok let out a collective wail. Having near-perfect recall after seeing or hearing something once, Jihyeok had never missed a perfect score on a pop quiz. The others, lacking his exceptional memory, felt their confidence crumble at the sudden announcement. Even Yoonah's visible panic suggested the current unit was particularly challenging. Their kind Korean teacher probably wouldn't include overly difficult questions, but one could never be sure.

Imagining himself walking home alone made a wave of loneliness wash over Jihyeok. He turned to Yoonah with a gentle smile.

"You okay?"

"This is so sudden..."

"Don't worry too much."

"If I can't get at least six right, I won't be able to go home early... I wanted to walk home with my boyfriend and kiss..."

Though the prospect of those walks home still made Jihyeok nervous, he couldn't stand seeing his girlfriend look so distressed.

"I'll help you, so don't worry. You know me—I never miss a single question on pop quizzes."

"But how do you know what they'll ask..."

"Don't worry about that. Just trust your boyfriend."

"...Thank you, Jihyeok. ...I love you."

"Yeah. I love you too."

As the bell signaling the end of class echoed through the school, Jihyeok's one-on-one tutoring session for his girlfriend began in earnest.

"Why does the Korean teacher have to pick questions from this unit of all things..."

"Don't worry. Just trust me."

The unit causing countless students to writhe in agony was an old Goryeo-era song—yes, the very one commonly known as Cheongsanbyeolgok. It was packed with archaic words rarely used in the modern age, strange punctuation, and ancient characters that were nearly impossible to decipher. It felt less like Korean and more like an alien language. For Jihyeok, who could memorize most things after seeing them once, it was no different from any other unit. But watching Yoonah struggle like this made him want to help as her boyfriend.

It was 12:17 p.m., right after the lunch period had begun, when Jihyeok started teaching her. They quickly finished eating at their usual spot, then dove straight into the one-on-one lesson.

"I just can't understand this part... How am I supposed to interpret it?"

"Textbooks usually include both the original text and a modern translation. The workbooks do too, so comparing them side by side makes it easier to figure out."

"King Sejong created Hangeul for us, yet even though we're the same people, why is it so hard to understand?"

"I was confused at first too. The Hunminjeongeum starts with 'Nara smal ssami,' but it translates to 'The speech of the country.' Old Korean has changed a lot over time."

"It must have been tough for you too, boyfriend..."

"I'm not sure if my method will click for you, but I'll explain it step by step."

"Okay!"

With Jihyeok's encouragement, Yoonah tackled her preparation for the pop quiz. Whenever she hit a snag, he would explain it and offer extra interpretations, clearing away the confusion like a fresh breeze.

"Wow... When you break it down like that, it actually makes sense."

"The Korean from back then is very different from modern Korean, but the core hasn't changed. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If you memorize by comparing the pronunciations between the old and new versions, reading and interpreting it becomes much easier."

"How on earth did you study this, boyfriend? My grades are good too, but even I struggle with these."

It was true—Yoonah was also a model student who had never fallen from the top ranks. But Jihyeok's memory was on another level. While others spent time reviewing to commit things to memory, he would already be previewing the next section. That meant his understanding of the material was always far ahead of everyone else's.

"If it weren't for my memory, I would've had to learn everything from you. The way you catch on so quickly to my explanations is impressive too."

"It's like... you explain everything so clearly and break it down one piece at a time that it just sinks right in. Are you doing tutoring as a side job or something?"

"I'm not old enough for that yet... Remember Jina from our first date? I guess helping my little sister with her studies has sharpened my teaching skills."

"How old is your sister?"

"Fifth grade in elementary school. There's a five-year gap between us."

"Aha~ She must be adorable!"

"She's about as cute as you are. ...Though you're definitely cuter, Yoonah."

"...Jihyeok, close your eyes for a second."

"Huh? Okay."

The moment he closed his eyes at her request, a familiar warm sensation pressed against his lips, making him flinch in surprise.

"...Sorry. You were explaining so patiently, but I couldn't hold back anymore..."

Seeing Yoonah's face flushed bright red as she breathed out hot, shaky breaths, Jihyeok realized a simple peck wouldn't be enough to calm her excitement. He had wanted their first real kiss to happen in a more romantic setting, but there was no helping it now. After quickly checking that no one was around, he carefully lifted his hand and gently cupped her cheek. Yoonah seemed to understand what he intended; she closed her eyes and offered her lips.

Swallowing hard against the sudden rush of nerves, Jihyeok slowly captured her mouth with his own. The first kiss between them—which had been planned for the walk home—ended up happening much sooner than expected. Their lips simply met without any bold movements, yet the happiness blooming between them was beyond words. After ten seconds, Yoonah pulled away first. She touched her lips with her fingertips, looking stunned.

She had planned to take the lead, but she never imagined Jihyeok would kiss her first. His earlier words about it being fine when no one was around clearly hadn't been empty.

Looking at him, she whispered, "...Thank you. I'm so... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so happy I feel like I might lose my mind..."

She hadn't meant to cry, but knowing better than anyone how little immunity Jihyeok had to skinship, the fact that he had initiated the kiss filled her with such overwhelming joy that tears threatened to spill if she wasn't careful. To soothe her, Jihyeok set aside the textbooks, notes, and writing tools that were in the way and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"You've been working so hard. I wanted to praise you. It's easy to give up when things get difficult, but you kept going because you wanted to walk home with me and... kiss, right? Think of what we just did as an extra-long peck. I'll give you the real kiss you've been wanting on the way home, just like I promised."

Yoonah felt herself falling even deeper for Jihyeok, who was willing to set aside his own studies to do anything for her. She was already completely smitten, and his words made her feel like she couldn't handle any more love without bursting at the seams. His arms were so warm that she wanted to forget about studying altogether and stay like this, but they had come this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠far to avoid failing the quiz. Reluctantly, she pulled away from his embrace.

"Feeling better now?" Jihyeok asked, his expression full of concern.

"...Yes. Thank you so much for doing all this..."

"I'm your boyfriend. It's only natural."

"Yeah... because you're my boyfriend..."

After taking several deep breaths and finally regaining her composure, Yoonah looked at him with renewed determination.

"Then! Let's get back to studying!"

"That's the spirit. Just trust your teacher and follow my lead!"

"Yes! Teacher!"