Chapter 102
His complaint, muttered to himself like a soliloquy, drifted over. For a moment, my heart softened, but I shook my head inwardly. If I gave in this time and let it slide next time, we’d get caught in no time.
“A walk after eating should be okay, right? There aren’t many people today.”
I nodded in agreement. Even when we were just ordinary classmates, we had done that much. As long as we didn’t hold hands, there probably wouldn’t be a problem.
After finishing our meal, we bought drinks from a vending machine and walked toward the acacia tree. The cooler evening breeze pleasantly tousled our hair. The darkness, falling earlier each day, was fighting against the lights emanating from the dormitory.
Over the summer, the acacia blossoms had all faded, and the trees now only draped their lush green leaves. The four benches surrounding the tree were, as always, empty.
We sat with our backs to the dormitory, facing the thick trees. This was the spot where I had been hiding when Ryu Eun-seok cried here.
The man, without fail, pressed his firm thigh against mine as he sat down. I scooted away. When the space between us widened enough to fit a small child, the corners of Ryu Eun-seok’s mouth drooped.
“Not even here?”
“Nowhere at school.”
“What about in the car?”
I was about to say no right away, but then I hesitated. His car had dark tinting, so wouldn’t it be okay? We couldn’t go an entire semester without even holding hands. And later, I might be the one who felt deprived, so I decided to leave a little loophole.
“We’ll see about that when the time comes.”
“At this rate, we’ll be waiting until winter just to kiss.”
Ryu Eun-seok grumbled, pointing out my strict rules. The sound of a heavy sigh mixed with the cheerful pop of a soda can opening.
Rules are bound to loosen over time. As time passes, you add this excuse and that exception. So I needed to get used to enforcing them strictly from the start.
But there was another reason I wanted to be strict, especially in the beginning.
“Don’t you think we’re moving a little fast?”
I blurted out what I had only been thinking to myself.
“What do you mean?”
“We just started dating, but… we seem to spend so much time just in the car.”
The cola Ryu Eun-seok had been drinking caught in his throat. His loud coughing spread in all directions. I patted his back, helping him calm down.
“What, what do you mean, spending too much time in the car?”
Finally recovering, Ryu Eun-seok asked back with a flushed face.
“We’ve been around a lot. We go on walks often, go volunteering, see pandas.”
“Not lately. Put your hand on your heart and be honest.”
It was just an expression, but Ryu Eun-seok actually placed his hand on his left chest.
“Then since we can’t do it outside, what are we supposed to do?”
The conversation continued without directly naming the act.
“Even when we keep it short, you get so nervous that you can’t even focus on me. The car is safe, the position is comfortable, and a little noise is okay…”
As Ryu Eun-seok murmured in his defense, I kept glancing behind us. Despite having been caught before, he still had a tendency to be careless.
“My dad said he’ll get me a separate place next year.”
At first, I thought it was some random boast.
“When that happens, comfortably…”
The red tint spreading across Ryu Eun-seok’s face grew deeper.
“Come over to my place and sleep over, mmm.”
I hurriedly clamped my hand over Ryu Eun-seok’s mouth. His hot skin was transmitted fully to my palm.
“Can you please be aware of your surroundings? This is why strange rumors start about you. Do you think everyone in the world is as loyal as I am?”
I let loose a stream of nagging.
“You know how much attention people pay to you. Even when you do nothing, rumors get exaggerated, so why are you feeding them with your own mouth?”
Already someone who attracted more than his fair share of attention, Ryu Eun-seok would casually say things that would make even a third party’s ears perk up. A hundred warnings wouldn’t be enough.
Ryu Eun-seok, who had been spouting embarrassing things even while blushing, fell quiet for a moment. His straight gaze fixed on me seemed to be focusing on my advice. It appeared he was finally reflecting on his careless behavior.
But that was a misunderstanding.
His lips, hidden by my hand, pushed out into a round shape. Then he made kissing sounds against my palm, smack, smack.
“Ah, what are you doing?”
Startled, my voice came out too loud. I quickly shut my mouth and tried to pull my hand away, but it wasn’t easy. Ryu Eun-seok had grabbed my palm firmly and started rubbing his lips against it.
“Hey, let go.”
“Eun-seok, let go.”
The man’s low voice was muffled by my hand. He was correcting my address.
“Don’t say ‘hey, hey.’ Call me by a pretty name.”
Ryu Eun-seok’s eyes, visible above the back of my hand, crinkled beautifully. At his smiling eyes, I unconsciously swallowed dryly.
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