Sweet Suspicions
"So, did you give it to him?"
"W-what…"
The female student with a pure, refreshing look and a tear mole at the corner of her right eye. Kwon Yuri sent a sly gaze toward Baek Seoyeon. Her face was already flushed deep red from the alcohol.
"The candy, I mean. Did you give it to your fiancé?"
Baek Seoyeon turned her head as if she had no idea what Yuri was talking about, but Kwon Yuri clung to her persistently, refusing to let up.
"There’s no way our Seoyeon would just let an event like this slide…"
Kwon Yuri, who was practically her closest confidante, could not possibly be unaware of Seoyeon’s deep affection for her fiancé. Though her words were laced with mischief, they also struck precisely at Seoyeon’s true feelings.
It was simply impossible for her to overlook the Falling Star Day festival. The form might have been different, but it was one of the things she had dreamed of her entire life.
"I-I gave it to him a few days ago… so can you please stop asking…?"
"Hmm…"
Even after Seoyeon confessed, Kwon Yuri showed no sign of backing off. Instead, an even more mischievous smile began to curve across her lips.
"Did he like it?"
"O-of course he liked it…"
Seoyeon blushed and gave a small nod. The gesture looked somewhat timid, yet it brimmed with certainty. She recalled the sleepless nights she had spent making the candies over the past several days. It would be a lie to say it hadn’t been exhausting, but the finished product had been more than enough to wash away all that fatigue.
She had carefully adjusted the sweetness to suit his taste—he didn’t like things overly sweet. She had even enjoyed the fun of stamping out adorable shapes with different molds, then wrapping each one with sincere care. She was confident that if he took just one bite, he would quickly become captivated by what she had made. The only truly regrettable part was that she could not reveal she had made them herself… but simply imagining him eating her candy filled her with pure, fulfilling happiness. For now, that was enough. After all, she still had a long penance to endure.
"And then?"
"And then what?"
Kwon Yuri still had no intention of releasing her.
"You went through all the trouble of making the candy yourself and offering it to him, and he just let you leave?"
"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…"
Seoyeon shook her head vigorously from side to side.
"Don’t you think it sounds ridiculous even to you?"
Kwon Yuri asked in a near-whisper, her sticky expression clashing with her innocent features.
"You didn’t apply for an overnight leave this week, did you? So after you finish your work quickly…"
"S-stop it… I didn’t do anything like that…"
"Huh? I didn’t say anything at all. I wonder what ‘that’ could possibly be~?"
"Hauu…"
Seoyeon now squeezed her eyes shut completely and hung her head low.
"Yuri. Stop tormenting Seoyeon. You’ve had too much to drink."
The female student with glasses who had been sitting in the next row, Choi I-re, stepped forward and yanked Kwon Yuri back by the nape of her neck.
"Uee… I didn’t drink that much… it was only three glasses…"
"It wasn’t three glasses, it was three bottles…"
"Same thing…"
Beside the bickering pair of Kwon Yuri and Choi I-re, Seoyeon’s ears—still bowed in embarrassment—had turned a strange, vivid shade of red. Kwon Yuri’s overly provocative whisper had awakened a very specific fantasy in her mind. Before she realized it, Seoyeon was unconsciously imagining him embracing her with powerful, rough arms. It was also the future she longed for more than anything.
"Everyone, that’s enough… huh?"
Seoyeon, who had barely calmed her heated body, was about to intervene when her eyes suddenly caught sight of something across the banquet hall. She shot to her feet at once. Her expression had turned rigid and cold, as if the previous moment had never happened.
"Seoyeon? What’s wrong all of a sudden?"
"…I think I drank too much. I’m going to get some air…!"
"What? You didn’t even have one glass…"
Before Choi I-re could finish, she hurriedly chased after someone.
***
"I-I wasn’t going to give you anything… there’s nothing like that…"
Yeon Minha stammered, flustered by Lee Hyun’s sudden question.
"Did I… leave something with you…? What is this all of a sudden…"
"…"
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize her slip. His slightly drooping shoulders were answer enough. Even without seeing his face, she could tell clearly.
After agonizing for a long moment, she finally spoke with great difficulty.
"W-well… actually… there is one thing…"
Yeon Minha rummaged through the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small package, which she handed to Lee Hyun. Her slender fingers trembled the entire time.
The male student accepted it without a word.
"I-it’s nothing special… I just made it when I had some free time…"
Yeon Minha offered a stream of excuses even though no one had asked.
"The shape came out a bit ugly… b-but I definitely didn’t make it carelessly…"
Lee Hyun continued turning the small package over in his palm. He looked at her again and spoke.
"…May I open it now?"
"W-why are you asking me? Do whatever you want…"
Lee Hyun unwrapped it without hesitation and lightly turned the contents over onto his palm. Two or three indescribably ugly lumps rolled out helplessly.
"Ah…"
Seeing them, Yeon Minha let out an involuntary sigh and squeezed her eyes shut. She never should have given it to him. The alcohol had completely ruined everything. She could vividly picture his disappointed face without even looking. The image of someone else’s beautifully made snack box rose in her mind again, a cruel contrast to her own pathetic attempt. Her heart pounded violently, and tears began to well up behind her tightly closed eyelids.
-Crack!
"Huh…?"
But in the next instant, a sound cutting through the night air brought her back. Yeon Minha gently opened her eyes. One of the lumps that had been on his palm had vanished without a trace.
She looked up. The male student was biting into something and crunching away.
Feeling her gaze, he spoke with a hint of embarrassment.
"I usually bite my candy. It’s a habit from when I was young…"
"…"
Yeon Minha, who had been staring at him blankly, parted her lips with a stutter.
"I-is it… edible…?"
By now, her voice carried clear anticipation. Lee Hyun finished chewing the rest of the candy and swallowed.
Then he nodded slowly.
"It tastes good."
"Y-you’re lying…"
"It’s not a lie. It really suits my taste perfectly."
His voice was filled with genuine satisfaction. Before she knew it, Yeon Minha’s heart was racing with joy instead of tension. The words he added, somewhat hesitantly, delivered the final blow.
"And honestly, I was waiting for it."
"For what…?"
"The candy from you, senior."
"Huu…"
At his almost matter-of-fact reply, a sharp, involuntary moan escaped Yeon Minha’s lips. The sorrow she had been holding back threatened to burst free, so she hung her head low. He was clearly someone who did not understand the feeling of embarrassment. The fact that he seemed completely unaware of it only made him worse.
After remaining dazed for a while, Yeon Minha secretly formed a look of firm resolve. The night was still young and the strong liquor had not yet worn off. It was more than enough time for groundless courage to surge forth.
She immediately acted on her impulse.
"…Senior?"
"S-stay still…"
She pressed her body closer, then draped her leg over his knee. The pure white stockings hidden beneath her long skirt were fully revealed. The pale skin exposed between the gravity-lifted skirt and the stockings glistened smoothly in the moonlight.
She paused as if climbing over his knee, then pressed her thigh even closer to him, closing the distance. Unfocused red eyes, lips exhaling sticky, warm breath, and cheeks flushed—undoubtedly from the alcohol. Lee Hyun could see every detail clearly right before him.
"What are you doing right now…"
"…Open your mouth…"
Before he knew it, she had snatched one of the candies from his palm and held it to his lips.
"I’ll eat it. And get down—"
"Hurry… The tradition of the Falling Star Day festival is that the person who made it feeds you…"
"…"
Lee Hyun looked troubled, but Yeon Minha’s determination was unshakable. She pushed her finger even closer. Of course, he had never heard of any such tradition at the Falling Star Day festival. There was clearly no need for such an embarrassing position. Yet the passion and stubbornness burning in those eyes carried an iron will that refused to yield.
Lee Hyun reached a conclusion without difficulty. Accepting her drunken behavior was the fastest and surest way to end the situation.
"Hurry…"
"…"
After a moment’s thought, he slightly parted his lips beneath the mask. Yeon Minha brought her trembling finger closer. She could have simply dropped the candy inside. Instead, the alcohol-soaked girl chose a far bolder action. She pushed the candy into his mouth along with her slender finger.
"Senior? No matter what, this is a bit… mmp."
His final protest dissolved helplessly beneath the overwhelming sweetness that filled his mouth. The dual sensation of her soft, thin finger and the hard candy spread throughout. Yeon Minha did not withdraw her finger right away. She teased him—holding it there, pulling back slightly, tickling his tongue playfully. Only at the very last moment, just before it would become truly irritating, did she finally roll the candy onto his tongue.
"Ah…"
At the sudden feeling of warm mucous membrane, Yeon Minha let out a sweet moan without realizing it. This was a process governed by instinct rather than conscious will. Drunk as she was, she resembled something closer to a creature than a person.
Yeon Minha slowly withdrew her finger with leisurely movements. When it reappeared, a somewhat viscous, glistening liquid stretched from her slender digit.
"Uh…"
The newly freed Lee Hyun let out a slightly flustered voice. The continued stimulation finally pushed her alcohol-soaked mind past its limit. Yeon Minha’s body collapsed forward weakly, but a firm, warm presence soon enveloped her gently. The steady thump of someone’s heartbeat echoed in her ears like a lullaby.
With a voice mixed with intoxication and hesitation, Yeon Minha began her final confession before falling asleep.
"Next year… I’ll make it prettier for you…"
"…I’ll look forward to it."
"On Constitution Day… you know it’s your turn, right…?"
"I understand."
"And you… you’re really good at combing hair… do it for me again… every single day…"
"I will."
"You… you definitely promised, right…? To stay by my side every day… to never go anywhere…"
"…"
"Zzz…"
Her voice, growing thinner, suddenly cut off. Lee Hyun lowered his gaze slightly and confirmed that Yeon Minha had fallen asleep in his arms. She was breathing softly and evenly. Having keenly sensed the loneliness and sorrow hidden beneath her drunkenness, he had no choice but to accept all her whims.
Lee Hyun, who had been quietly watching the sleeping girl, reached out. He gently brushed the hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. Then he wrapped both arms around her securely, stood up lightly, and walked into the darkness of the night. Yeon Minha remained cherished in his embrace the entire time. It was the moment the long banquet finally came to an end.
***
"Ugh… no more, I can’t drink anymore… huh…?"
At the height of the banquet, Kwon Yuri—who had been blowing into a bottle like a trumpet—turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. A female student with black hair was staggering into Hwayang Hall. Her head hung low, and she clutched one trembling arm over her opposite shoulder.
"Our Seoyeon… why did it take you so long~"
"…"
There was no reply from Seoyeon. She silently returned to her seat, picked up her belongings with a limp hand, and spoke while seemingly staring at the empty space beside Kwon Yuri rather than at her.
"Sorry… I’m not feeling well today… I’ll head back first…"
Then she staggered out of Hwayang Hall once more. A terrible chill and loneliness wrapped around her.
***
"Huh?"
In the pale light of dawn, Yeon Minha’s eyes flew open. She bolted upright reflexively and looked around in confusion. The warm bedding embracing her, the familiar bed, the familiar ceiling, the familiar window—everything was as it should be. But the throbbing headache that followed made her grimace deeply.
"Ugh… my head… what is this…"
The pounding pain was enough to resurrect the memories she had forgotten. Realizing something, she froze.
"…Wait."
And then the memories from only a few hours earlier flooded her mind.
"Ah… ah… uuuugh…"
Yeon Minha let out a groan that sounded closer to the cry of a beast.