Midterm Exams Over, School Festival Begins (1)
For some, it was a day when school ended quickly. For others, it was a day of extreme tension. And for still others, it was a completely ordinary day. It was the day the first high school midterms, which had run for three days straight, finally came to an end.
Each day after the tests, the entire class—including Jihyeok and Yuna—had done their preliminary grading. Using Jihyeok’s test paper.
An answer key would have solved everything neatly, but they decided his paper was better. It was cleaner, and even the process of arriving at the answers looked flawless.
“Aack! I got number sixteen wrong!”
“Huh? Isn’t the answer for eighteen number two?!”
“Let me see… Hmm. You wrote the number wrong here. You should’ve double-checked after finishing.”
“Wow! I guessed on twenty-three and actually got it right!”
Jihyeok checked over the problems his classmates had solved and pointed out where they fell short. All while keeping a tight hold on Yuna’s hand, of course.
While everyone was looking at his test sheet and grading their own, the class president spotted the ring and necklace Jihyeok was wearing.
“Huh? Is that necklace the one Yuna gave you?”
Jihyeok glanced down at the pendant around his neck.
“Yeah. I wear it all the time except when I’m sleeping or showering.”
“Ooh~ So Jihyeok actually likes accessories?”
“I don’t have any particular taste, but since Yuna gave it to me as a gift, it’s an accessory meant for me. I have to wear it no matter what.”
“Then what about that ring? Yuna isn’t wearing one.”
“Huh?”
The moment Yuna saw the ring on Jihyeok’s right ring finger, she squeezed the hand she was holding with surprising strength.
“…Yuna, just listen to me first.”
“Huh? I’m not mad~”
Despite her words, a tiny devil seemed to be breathing behind Yuna’s smile. If this atmosphere lasted all the way home, Jihyeok knew he would be overwhelmed by her affection bombing and probably collapse.
He emphasized the ring and began what could barely be called an explanation.
“My little sister gave it to me for my birthday. So don’t misunderstand. The only one I love is you, Yuna.”
“…Ugh, that cringey couple.”
“…I just got goosebumps.”
“…My demon resistance isn’t strong enough to stay here any longer…”
When the grip of their interlocked fingers loosened, it was clear Yuna’s anger had eased a little. Jihyeok let out a quiet sigh of relief, gathered up his test paper, and waited for the teacher to arrive.
And soon enough—
“All right! The teacher has arrived!”
“Your entrance scenes get more over-the-top every single day.”
“Isn’t it better this way? Raises the tension, right?”
“That’s true, but are you happy the midterms are over too, sir?”
“Of course, you idiot! Teachers have it just as rough as the students! Checking for errors in the questions, watching for cheating—there are tons of things we have to worry about.”
“Yeah, that would be pretty serious if it happened.”
“Luckily everything went smoothly, so I can finally breathe easy!”
The teacher, who looked genuinely delighted, stood at the lectern and began homeroom.
“Everyone worked hard on the exams. We finished testing on Wednesday so you could rest comfortably on May fifth, so don’t cause any trouble by getting too excited!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Hey! The teacher isn’t finished speaking yet!”
The teacher caught the students trying to bolt for home and scolded them with, “Listen to someone until the end, you brats!” Everyone sat back down.
Yuna, curious about what the teacher still had to say, whispered to Jihyeok.
“What else could there be?”
“Well… Could it be that?”
“Huh? You know what it is?”
“Not exactly, but before the last competition the teacher called me to the principal’s office.”
“Ah, that time?”
They had gone to the staff room to write the recommendation letter and participation form. While he was there, Jihyeok had glanced around and accidentally seen this year’s schedule. Thanks to his exceptional memory, even a quick look was enough for him to memorize the entire school calendar.
So Jihyeok had a pretty good idea what the teacher was about to say. He looked at Yuna.
“From what I remember, right after midterms… the school festival was scheduled.”
“School festival?”
“Yeah.”
As if to prove Jihyeok’s memory was flawless, the teacher spoke up.
“You all worked hard on midterms, so the school is throwing a festival for you.”
“A school festival?”
“Is it the kind we’re thinking of?”
The festival most students pictured meant experiencing the various booths each class ran, playing games on the playground or pathways, and enjoying street food. The profits would be donated somewhere—a win-win event for everyone.
“It’s exactly the festival you’re imagining. So during the upcoming holiday and next Monday, think about what kind of booths we should run. I heard the music club and band club are teaming up to compose a piece. The performance will obviously be held in the gym.”
“Wow. If I don’t enjoy this properly, it’s going to scratch my pride. This is that kind of information.”
“Are there any separate events in the gym?”
“Oh, good question.”
The teacher glanced at his phone, reading what seemed to be a detailed schedule message.
“The principal sometimes patrols the whole school. Apparently he’s spotted at least one or two couples in every class during those rounds. Uh… Jihyeok, how do you read this Chinese character? I’m terrible with hanja.”
“…Just a second. I’ll be right back, Yuna.”
“Okay~”
At the teacher’s call, Jihyeok walked up to the lectern and looked at the phone.
School’s Best Couple Selection Contest
“It says ‘School’s Best Couple Selection Contest.’”
“They really gave it a dumb name. Thanks. You can go back to your seat.”
“Ah. Yes.”
The moment Jihyeok sat down, he naturally took Yuna’s hand again.
“Just like Jihyeok said, they’re selecting the best-matching couple in the whole school. There’s only one couple in our class, right?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Jihyeok and Yuna.
“Participation is voluntary. What do you want to do?”
“…There’s nothing to think about, is there?”
“You feel the same, Jihyeok?”
“Probably.”
Jihyeok and Yuna spoke at the same time.
“We won’t participate.”
“As expected?”
Everyone except Jihyeok, Yuna, and the teacher spoke with obvious curiosity.
“If you entered, first place would basically be guaranteed.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m curious, but… well, it’s not our place to butt into their relationship.”
Jihyeok looked at Yuna.
“Want me to explain?”
“No. I’ll do it.”
“Okay.”
Yuna must have been exhausted from grading so many students’ tests. She had even graded his, and because she was holding his hand the whole time, she had worked with only one hand. She had every right to be tired. Understanding that, Yuna began to explain.
“It’s true I want everyone to know that Jihyeok is my boyfriend. I’d love to enter the contest and show off how well we get along, how much we like each other, and that we’re one loving couple. But—”
She continued, acknowledging the students who thought they should enter if that was the case.
“Of course there will be prizes since it’s a contest. But we’re not dating to win prizes. What we want is for the care and respect we have for each other to never change. If we entered, we’d start worrying about how to present ourselves to get higher scores. We might disagree and end up fighting. I hate that. I just want to keep dating Jihyeok happily, exactly like we are now.”
After listening to Yuna’s explanation, the classmates nodded with understanding looks.
“Well, we can’t force you if you don’t want to.”
“Ha. I’m so jealous of Yoon Jihyeok for having a girlfriend like that.”
“Being jealous means you lose, but I’m completely defeated.”
“Haha. Even the teacher has a hard time convincing the whole class, but you’re amazing as always.”
After she finished speaking, Yuna looked at Jihyeok.
“…Was I a little cool?”
“…I’ll give you a reward when we get home.”
“Hehe… With your lips?”
“…I won’t let you breathe.”
“I’m looking forward to it~ Boyfriend sir♡”
Yuna pulled their joined hands toward her chest and hugged Jihyeok’s arm. The sudden soft sensation made his ears turn red with embarrassment.
“…Um. I can feel everything.”
“Huh? Feel what~?”
“You’re pretending not to know?”
“Yuna has no idea what her boyfriend is talking about~”
“Ha…”
On the way home, Jihyeok resolved to show Yuna exactly what happened when he got serious through plenty of skinship.
The teacher wrapped up homeroom.
“Since there are many classes, some booths will overlap—cafes, game booths, that sort of thing. For costumes or concepts, I know you all worked hard, so I won’t restrict you too much. But don’t forget your duty as students.”
“Yes!”
“Good! I’ll send the details by message, so check that or just ask Jihyeok. He’ll probably know just about everything.”
The teacher glanced at Jihyeok and gave him a meaningful look. Jihyeok understood and gave a short nod.
“Everyone worked hard! I’ll try to hand out the report cards on paper next Monday. They’ll probably be posted on the school website Friday. Check those. Now go home!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
As soon as homeroom ended, students and the teacher poured out of the classroom in a rush. Jihyeok looked at Yuna.
“Let’s go too.”
“Yeah!”
Since their houses were so close, they rarely had to part ways on the walk home. The couple considered themselves very lucky.
While chatting about the school festival, they arrived home before they knew it.
On the way home from school. The time had come to keep their promise for just the two of them. Without a word, Jihyeok and Yuna headed to their usual spot.
Confirming once again that no one was around, they carefully slipped behind the house.
Their hearts pounded. Even though they kissed every day, the moment before always made their hearts race like this. It had become a promised skinship after their first kiss, but they never grew tired of it. In fact, both Jihyeok and Yuna found themselves hoping school would end quickly because they were so excited for the kiss they would share today.
“…Hurry. Do it already.”
When midterms drew near, they had temporarily stopped their after-school kisses so they could maintain their grades. They believed that if thoughts of kissing their lover filled the minds that needed to focus on studying, it would definitely affect their scores.
Jihyeok remembered everything after seeing it once, so he was fine. Yuna was different. She had difficult subjects, so during exam period he had tutored her at her house. Of course, after nearly two weeks without kissing, mild withdrawal symptoms made concentration hard. As a temporary measure, they had replaced Cross Kiss with Bud Kiss to ease the craving a little.
Now that the tests were over, Yuna was staring only at Jihyeok’s lips.
Seeing how eagerly she had waited for his kiss, Jihyeok wanted to reward her. But—
“Yuna.”
“Huh? Should I close my eyes?”
“No. Not that.”
“Huh?”
Jihyeok brought up the skinship from school.
“You hugged my arm and subtly pressed it against your chest, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Did I~? No I didn’t~?”
“I definitely felt it. The sensation is my evidence. Are you going to lie?”
“Mmm~ It’s really not~”
Watching Yuna tease him with her obvious lie, something snapped inside Jihyeok’s head.
“Sigh… Looks like our Yuna hasn’t seen me when I get serious~”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Remember the promise we made on our hundredth day?”
“Yeah! I could never forget it!”
On the hundredth day of their relationship, Jihyeok had promised to give her a Deep Kiss first.
Let’s do that right now.
Having made up his mind, Jihyeok told Yuna,
“Looks like there’s something on your tongue?”
“Huh? No way! I brush my teeth three times every—”
Jihyeok covered Yuna’s mouth as she opened it to check.
“Mmph—!”
Startled by the sudden kiss, Yuna tried to push him away, but she didn’t have the strength to shove a male student. Annoyed that she was trying to push him off, Jihyeok pushed his tongue into her mouth.
“…Hup.”
Yuna, who had been resisting hard, seemed to give up and began eagerly tasting Jihyeok’s tongue.
Their tongues tangled. They licked every part of each other’s tongues as if savoring candy.
“…Slurp.”
The Deep Kiss the two wanted to enjoy even longer ended when dizziness hit them both at the same time.
A thin string of saliva stretched between their lips after they had shared so much love, then snapped.
“…Haaah♡”
“…Phew…”
Feeling their lover’s warm breath on their face, they smiled in satisfaction, thinking how excited the other had become.
Jihyeok stroked Yuna’s hair and asked,
“Will you lie next time? Or not?”
“…I-I won’t…”
“Good. Our Yuna is such a good girl.”
He hugged Yuna, who still couldn’t regain her senses after the sudden Deep Kiss, and gently stroked her head until she calmed down. Having seen a side of Yuna he had never witnessed before, Jihyeok felt quietly satisfied.