PB 5

Chapter 5

“Ugh…”

Yeon-shi opened her eyes on the slightly uncomfortable seat. Blinking to clear her blurry vision, she gradually saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Where… am I?”

Suddenly, a wave of tension and fear washed over her. She sprang up carefully and placed her feet on the floor.

Feeling along the wall, she flipped the switch, and the room lit up. White wallpaper covered the walls, and the only furniture was a simple bed.

“C-could it be… I’ve been kidnapped?”

She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around nervously. Her clothes were the same as yesterday, untouched. Still, her heart pounded anxiously.

She stepped back and carefully turned the doorknob, opening it gently. It swung open far too easily, leaving her a little startled.

Peeking outside, she saw the softly lit living area. The room beyond the bedroom was sparse, with just a sofa.

And there, she saw Ho-je lying with his eyes closed. She finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew… not a kidnapping. Well… is this still technically a kidnapping?”

Yeon-shi recalled the previous night. Though her limit was just one shot of soju, she had drunk two or three more to numb her sadness.

Fragments of memory made her frown. She had tripped walking alone despite saying she wasn’t drunk, cried over her small injuries, and embarrassed herself in front of a man she had just met.

Then a strange thought came to her mind.

“Boyfriend…”

Her eyes widened, and the memory of their kiss filled her mind.

Yeon-shi covered her mouth with both hands to stop a scream.

This is crazy. Totally crazy!

Determined to leave, she cautiously stepped beyond the threshold.

Ho-je lay still, breathing evenly, still asleep. After confirming this, she took a small deep breath and began to move.

Like a stealthy cat, she tiptoed quietly, leaving no trace. Just as she was about to descend the stairs, she froze.

A familiar scent brushed past her nose, sending chills down her spine. Slowly, she turned her head.

“Going somewhere?”

Ho-je had quietly positioned himself right behind her. Moving forward, he stood in front of her.

Frozen, Yeon-shi’s eyes followed his every movement, full of helplessness as she looked up at him.

Even with a tired smile, Ho-je looked stunning.

How could someone be this handsome?

Yeon-shi couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“What should I do… I have no intention of letting Do Yeon-shi go so easily.”

He stepped closer, and Yeon-shi’s pupils flickered nervously. She had never been this close to a man before—not even with her first love, Hyun-soo.

Swallowing dryly, she showed a flustered expression.

“Why… why are you doing this?”

Ho-je narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. She instinctively leaned back, keeping her distance.

“Pretending not to know, or truly don’t know?”

“I… I don’t know what you mean…”

Her hesitant reply showed her embarrassment. She glanced away briefly before looking back at Ho-je.

His eyes slowly drifted downward, and she immediately covered her lips, realizing where his gaze had landed.

Seeing her gesture, Ho-je chuckled softly and straightened his face.

“Ah, I think I remember now. Makes this easier.”

“I don’t remember anything,” Yeon-shi replied, feigning ignorance.

Ho-je smirked playfully and suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“I can help you remember. Want me to show you?”

Closing the distance, he brought his face near hers. Yeon-shi hiccupped, unable to calm her racing heart.

“Hic… hic…”

She tried to cover her mouth with both hands, but it was no use.

Ho-je released her wrist and stood upright. He fetched a bottle of water from the small kitchen and handed it to her.

“You were bold yesterday, now you look like an innocent little lamb. Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. I was just teasing you a bit for running away after causing trouble.”

Yeon-shi took the bottle and drank deeply, feeling a bit calmer, and then apologized.

“I’m sorry… So why make it complicated by saying ‘boyfriend’?”

“I apologize too. I just got carried away trying to help you.”

“Then let’s call it even since we both messed up.”

“Well…”

Ho-je took the water bottle from her hands, smiling slyly.

“Seems like it’s going to be tricky.”

Yeon-shi blinked repeatedly.

“Why tricky? You lied, and I did it to prove it, so… it was just a kiss. I think it’s simply an accident.”

“Simply an accident…? But it was my first kiss…”

“It was my first kiss too!”

Realizing what she’d just shouted, Yeon-shi’s eyes went wide. She covered her mouth with both hands, sulking.

“Oh… so it was your first kiss too. Then we really need to clarify our relationship.”

“What relationship?”

Ho-je moved closer and gently guided her toward the sofa, holding her by the shoulder.

Unaware of his hand, she was passively led, her attention fixed on his words and face.

“Now, I’ve been marked as Yeon-shi’s boyfriend in front of your friends.”

“That’s only because you said so.”

“Yes. But you went along with it too. You kissed me in front of your friends—so am I the only one at fault? No, right?”

“Right…”

“And it was my first kiss. Plus, it was your first kiss too. So what should we do?”

Ho-je sat her on the sofa, holding her hands firmly. He leaned over, pressing down gently to prevent her from moving, and asked.

Yeon-shi could only frown. There was no solution; it had already happened, and she still had a hangover from the night before.

“What… should we do…? I can’t think of anything.”

She looked up at him with moist eyes.

“There are two solutions…”

Ho-je crossed his arms, sitting seriously and scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Yeon-shi felt relieved—there were not one, but two solutions.

“Solutions?”

“Of course. But choosing won’t be easy.”

“Tell me.”

Ho-je sat beside her, and Yeon-shi turned toward him, concentrating on his words and face.

“The first solution is to be honest with your friends. Admit it was a mistake while drunk, and explain the momentary lapse.”

Though it sounded hopeful, Yeon-shi’s expression darkened instantly. It would be extremely embarrassing to admit she had lied due to a foolish mistake.

“And the other solution?”

“Actually become a couple.”

Yeon-shi froze.

“W-what? Us… really become a couple?”

“Yes. I don’t see any other viable solution.”

It wasn’t exactly comforting.

“That makes no sense! How can we become a couple? We just met yesterday. How can we date after one day?”

“Then, do you have another idea?”

“…No.”

Unable to think of any other solution, Yeon-shi sulked.

Ho-je pressed further, making sure she couldn’t escape.

“I’ll take responsibility for my first kiss, Yeon-shi.”