Our First Date, Complete with Skinship (2)
Yuna clung to Jihyeok like she'd been glued on with instant adhesive, and they arrived at the bus stop without separating even once. He was curious where they were headed, but since Yuna had taken the lead on planning today's date, Jihyeok simply followed wherever she guided him.
It was a Saturday, yet the bus stop wasn't crowded at all. Well… that wasn't too strange, since a lot of people in this neighborhood tended to drive their own cars for longer trips instead of taking the subway or bus.
In the quiet bus stop, only Jihyeok and Yuna occupied the space.
"Which one do we need to catch?"
"Hmm… looks like we're a bit late. We have to wait seventeen minutes."
"Seventeen minutes…?"
"Yep! Only seventeen minutes left!"
"…Only?"
Jihyeok thought seventeen minutes was actually quite a long time, but Yuna seemed to have plans to make good use of the wait.
"Jihyeok. Can you sit down for a second?"
"Huh? Sure."
Yuna, beaming with excitement at the chance to put her idea into action right away, guided Jihyeok toward the bench at the stop.
"Huh?"
"The bench isn't for moving around~"
"No, I meant I'm not the bench…."
She plopped straight down onto his legs, using them as her seat. Whether she'd prepared thoroughly for a satisfying date or not, Yuna's clothes carried a lovely, fragrant scent. Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Jihyeok could only flail around in flustered panic after breathing it in.
…If I leave all the skinship progress to Yuna, I feel like I'll end up getting completely devoured…
He did like Yuna, but since they were a brand-new couple who'd only started dating recently, Jihyeok wanted them to be the cute kind who whispered sweet nothings to each other and kept things wholesome, rather than a hot couple diving straight into all sorts of physical affection.
"If you keep squirming like that, I'm really going to turn around, you know?"
"…I'll stay still."
At Yuna's declaration of war, Jihyeok let out a small whimper and decided to follow her instructions.
Using Jihyeok's body as a backrest, Yuna—who wanted to feel even a little more of his warmth—whispered to him.
"…You can hug me if you want."
"…Okay. Got it…."
Since rejecting even this would probably lead to who-knows-what from Yuna, he quietly accepted her request. The only hugs Jihyeok had ever given in his life were to Jina, so he naturally wrapped his arms around her lightly, the same gentle way he'd embrace his little sister.
"Jihyeok."
"…Yeah?"
"I'm not your little sister, I'm your girlfriend~"
"…It's because the only girls I've ever hugged in my life are Jina and you."
"Oh really? I wonder who this Jina person could be~?"
Hearing Yuna's voice grow slightly thinner, Jihyeok realized a beat too late that he'd left out the most important detail.
"Yoon Jina. She's my younger sister. It's definitely not what you're thinking, so don't worry."
"I know~ I was just curious who Jina was~"
Jihyeok thought that since he'd somehow triggered Yuna's jealousy right at the start of their date, today probably wasn't going to be easy.
"Hmm… but why didn't you tell me you had a little sister?"
"…Huh? I didn't think you'd be curious…."
"She's your boyfriend's family. Of course I'd be curious, right?"
"I guess so… Does that mean we're doing a full background check today?"
"Only if you want to tell me~"
Checking the bus stop display, he saw they still had twelve whole minutes before their bus arrived. While they waited, there was nothing to do but get to know each other better.
Before the bus came, Jihyeok and Yuna spent the time learning about each other's families—how many members there were, what their parents did for work, how many siblings they had. They'd thought they knew a decent amount from talking during school lunch, but there was still so much they didn't know about one another.
It had only been three days since they started dating, so it was only natural. Still, Jihyeok wanted to know almost everything about the girlfriend he was currently seeing. There might be things she wanted to hide or didn't want to share, but aside from those, he wanted to learn it all so he could support her and match her pace no matter what happened.
"So you were the oldest, Yuna…."
"Yeah. That's why I'm going to take care of my boyfriend in all sorts of ways. If you don't like it, I'll try to hold back as much as I can, but… it might be a little hard. I've been living like this for twelve years, after all."
"Hmm… I don't mind you taking care of me at all. Actually, I'd be grateful if you did."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The clothes I'm wearing today were actually picked out by my older brother. He lent me these precious clothes that he only wears when he goes on dates with his fiancée."
"Wow… I should thank him later."
"Yeah, you should."
"No. I said I should thank him."
"…Huh? Why you?"
Jihyeok grew curious when Yuna, who had no direct connection, said something like that. He was the one who'd received the help, so why was she the one saying thanks?
"Because he helped my boyfriend. Strictly speaking, you and I are still separate people, but I want to spend my whole life with you. I want us to become one family and build a happy life together. To do that, I need to make a good impression on my boyfriend's family too, right? That's why I want to give my thanks."
His parents had once told him that dating wasn't measured by how many days you'd been together, but by how much you liked and loved the other person through your actions. Hearing Yuna speak so earnestly made him remember how he'd been avoiding things by bringing up the fact that they had just started dating, all because he wasn't used to skinship. He felt pathetic.
Maybe that was why Jihyeok decided he would get used to skinship during this date. His older brother had already made marriage plans at twenty-three. So maybe it was fine for him to move a little faster, he thought.
Once he'd made up his mind, Jihyeok began putting more strength into the arms wrapped around Yuna.
"Jihyeok? Your hug feels stronger all of a sudden…?"
"It's because I'm so grateful. I'd never thought about our relationship that deeply before. But after hearing what my girlfriend said, I was really moved."
"…That much?"
"Yeah."
"Then… you can hug me even tighter if you want…?"
"You said it. Don't regret it later."
"Huh…? Whoa—?!"
He pulled her into a tight embrace, determined not to let go. Jihyeok pressed his upper body against Yuna's back, savoring her body heat. He was so thankful that she'd prepared this much for their date. He was grateful for Yuna, who thought about their future and said she wanted to spend her whole life with him. There must have been plenty of better guys out there, yet she'd chosen him, and he was thankful for that.
For this Yuna, Jihyeok whispered with all his heart.
"…I love you, Yuna."
"—!"
The sound of her racing heartbeat grew louder. He could feel Yuna's heart pounding through the arms wrapped around her. Jihyeok found her reaction to his confession incredibly adorable. He wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer.
But then—
"…The bus will arrive shortly."
It was a bit disappointing to know their bus would reach the stop soon, but their date had only just begun.
"…Shall we get going, boyfriend?"
"…Yeah."
Yuna, who had been sitting on his lap, stood up and caught the bus approaching the stop. Following her, Jihyeok also boarded and moved toward the very back seats.
"You were sitting there for quite a while. Are your legs okay?"
"Yeah. You're so light, it didn't bother me at all."
"Don't lie to me… Are you really okay?"
When he saw Yuna worrying about him and massaging his legs, Jihyeok asked her not to worry.
"I'm really fine. If you're that concerned, just lead the way properly during our date. So we can both enjoy it to the fullest."
"…Okay. Since it's my boyfriend's request, of course I'll listen! Just trust me!"
"I'm so lucky to have such a reliable girlfriend."
"I'm lucky too, to be dating a boyfriend who trusts me this much~"
Anyone watching from the back of the bus might have thought they were causing a scene, but there were actually four other couples besides Jihyeok and Yuna. The driver seemed used to it too, smiling warmly as he drove.
The road was paved, but there were apparently a lot of speed bumps, because the bus jolted quite often. It was a relief that neither Jihyeok nor Yuna got motion sickness. The shaking would have been an annoyance for passengers trying to rest, but for the two of them, it became just another thing to enjoy.
"It's kind of like riding an amusement park attraction in here."
"You had the same thought as me, boyfriend?"
"What? Are we that in sync?"
"Looks like it~ We've only been dating for a short time, but I wonder if it's okay for us to be this compatible already~"
Even though it was just small talk, the smiles never left Jihyeok and Yuna's faces. For the two of them, even moments like these were part of enjoying their date.
After spending a fun time inside the bus, they somehow arrived at their destination.
"Jihyeok! We need to get off here."
"Really? Okay."
Following Yuna off the bus, Jihyeok looked at his phone and spoke to her.
"My parents asked me to take some pictures with my girlfriend and show them. Where should we take them?"
"Your parents did?"
"Yeah. I'm not that good at taking photos… so I'm not very confident."
"It's okay."
Taking Jihyeok's hand and leading him along, Yuna continued.
"If we walk a little further from here, we'll reach the place I planned for our date, so let's take them there!"
"Okay."
Seeing the stylishly decorated streetlamp signs and character boards along the sidewalk, Jihyeok figured their destination must be an amusement park.
Just like when they'd left for the date, Yuna clung to one of his arms as they arrived at the entrance. As expected, it was indeed an amusement park. Yuna pulled out the tickets from her eco-bag and handed them to the attendant.
"Tickets confirmed. Have a wonderful time~"
"Yes! Okay, let's go in!"
"Yeah. I'm counting on you today."
Once inside the amusement park, what greeted them were all sorts of character merchandise, souvenir shops, and food trucks busily moving around to serve hungry guests. Compared to the playgrounds Jihyeok had often visited as a child, the scenery was on a completely different level. He couldn't close his mouth, letting out sounds of awe.
"Whoa…."
"What's with that reaction? Is this your first time here?"
"Not exactly here, but… it's my first time at a place like an amusement park."
"But your brother said he takes you on dates often."
"We mostly just go out to eat together, so I've never been to a place like this…."
"…So this really is your first time?"
"First time in my life."
Wondering what kind of life he'd been living, Yuna looked at Jihyeok.
"Then…."
Releasing the hand she'd been holding, Yuna stood in front of him and said,
"It looks like I get to claim both your first date and your first amusement park experience, boyfriend?"
"Yeah… I think I'll have to rely on my girlfriend today."
"Really? Got it."
Yuna reached out her hand toward him with a confident expression.
"You can leave everything to me today. I'm good at this kind of thing, so don't worry."
Taking the hand she offered, Jihyeok smiled as he looked at her face.
"I'm in your care today, girlfriend."
And so, Jihyeok and Yuna's amusement park date officially began.