T/N :
{ } for Hye-won’s messages
[ ] For Jaeha’s messages
__________˚ ˚ ༘.𖥔 ݁ ｡𓆩⚝𓆪 ֶָ.________
Lying in bed staring at the ceiling, Hye-won suddenly kicked the blanket off in frustration. She was too annoyed to sleep.
I mean, why the hell did his face turn bright red at that moment?
For a brief second, she wondered if he’d done something weird. But Hye-won quickly shook her head. Sure, Yoon Jaeha had become bolder compared to before, but he was still Yoon Jaeha.
She remembered the day of their first kiss.
Even back then, there had been something strangely off about him. It wasn’t like he’d changed completely, but there was a subtle, irritating distance.
She couldn’t forget that impression—as if he was drawing an invisible line between them and pushing her away, determined not to cross it.
Jaeha, Yoon Jaeha. Just wait thirty minutes. I’ll finish cleaning.
Sorry, I promised Dongbae I’d go somewhere with him. I’m heading out first.
What used to be natural started feeling awkward. She even had to be cautious when making plans.
Hye-won, let’s study separately today.
The daily routine they always shared quickly started disappearing.
And then, finally… that day came.
__________˚ ˚ ༘.𖥔 ݁ ｡𓆩⚝𓆪 ֶָ.________
They were walking home together after school for the first time in a while. Unlike Hye-won, who was in a good mood, Jaeha looked distant.
Unable to hold back any longer, Hye-won blurted out her frustration.
“Hey, what’s your problem these days? If you’ve got an issue with me, say it!”
“There’s no problem.”
“Don’t lie. You’ve been acting weird. Why won’t you hang out with me? Is this about moving to Seoul?”
If everything went well with early admissions, Jaeha would go to Korea University, and Hye-won to Women’s University.
But not much would change between them—or so she thought. Her mom and Aunt Misook had already decided. Hye-won would stay at Han Joong-won’s place, and Jaeha would find a place in the same neighborhood.
“Even after we move to Seoul, nothing will change. We’ll still live nearby, see each other every day—”
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Jaeha suddenly cut her off.
He had been staring straight ahead this whole time, avoiding her gaze, but now his eyes dropped to meet hers. His Adam’s apple bobbed as though he was swallowing down everything he couldn’t say.
“We’re adults now.”
“So what?”
“I can’t hold back anymore, Won-ah.”
“Hold back what? How am I supposed to help you if you won’t tell me?”
Hye-won clung to his arm, pleading.
But Jaeha only stared at her with cold eyes, refusing to answer. Then he sharply shook her off.
“When I move to Seoul, everything changes. I’m not planning to live in the same neighborhood.”
“What?”
“I need time to think.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away. Watching him leave, Hye-won’s vision blurred with tears.
She resented him for pushing her away. They’d been fine up until now. So why suddenly…?
“Yoon Jaeha! Stop right there! I said stop!”
Even though he clearly heard her yelling, Jaeha didn’t stop. One step. She chased after him. Another step. And another.
Hye-won didn’t know the reason behind Jaeha’s sudden change. But regardless of the reason, she wasn’t going to let him drift away from her.
The year they entered high school, Hye-won had already fallen for him.
Seeing how much taller he’d gotten kept her awake at night, and his insistence on treating her like just a friend had left her wiping away tears.
She had hidden those feelings deep down for so long. She couldn’t just let him go now—not out of pity for herself, not for any reason.
“Wait!”
When she finally caught up, Jaeha turned around, his expression twisted with frustration.
“Let go.”
“No.”
“I said let go.”
“Not a chance.”
“Let me go!”
“Let go? You sure? Because the second I do, I’m running straight into the street, grabbing some random guy, and kissing him.”
She had no idea why those reckless words came out of her mouth. Maybe it was desperation disguised as boldness—she just wanted to see what he was really feeling.
“You really want me to let go, Yoon Jaeha? Is that what you want?”
“…”
“If you don’t want that, follow me. Every first in my life has always been with you. So your first kiss? That’s mine too.”
Gripping his wrist, she dragged him behind the apartment complex. Jaeha didn’t pull away—and that alone was enough of an answer for her.
They slipped into the empty alley. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. Then, without anyone making the first move, they embraced.
Their clumsy, inexperienced kiss left them bumping teeth and making a mess of it—but the dizzying thrill made up for everything.
Even the awkward, fumbling way their hands explored each other made her toes curl. Her pounding heart echoed in her ears, making her head spin.
From that day on, Yoon Jaeha was no longer just a friend to her.
__________˚ ˚ ༘.𖥔 ݁ ｡𓆩⚝𓆪 ֶָ.________
“That day… I practically forced him to come with me. So why did his face turn red just now? At that timing, of all things? Wait… come to think of it, he started pushing me away even before the kiss.”
Hye-won grabbed her phone from the bed.
Her thick, blunt fingers were far too clumsy for the tiny keyboard, but she carefully corrected her typos as she typed.
{What are you doing?}
– 10:52
[I’m just hanging around.]
-10:52
{Hey, about earlier. You said you showered… so why did you smile like that?}
– 10:53
[How did I smile?]
– 10:53
Trying to deny it, huh?
The question made Hyewon momentarily forget her earlier suspicions. Maybe being laid-back really was the key to forgetting things.
{Like a pervert. Super creepy.}
– 10:54
For the first time, his usual rapid replies stopped. She could practically see Jaeha’s face, struggling to come up with a response.
{Hey.}
– 10:56
[I’m sleepy, Won-ah.]
– 10:56
{Great. Then how about you sleep forever?}
– 10:57
[It’s not what you think.]
– 10:57
{Then what exactly is it?}
– 11:00
Biting her lip nervously, Hye-won recalled that she’d showered herself earlier that morning.
Which made her even more anxious.
What if Jaeha had done… what she feared?
[Won-ah, can’t you trust me? I really just showered because I was sweaty. That’s it. I didn’t… do anything else.]
– 11:03
{If you didn’t use your hands, did you shower with your feet? What kind of crap excuse is that?}
– 11:04
[I swear! It’s the truth!!!]
– 11:04
What a liar. There are ways to make someone confess—the carrot and the stick.
She’d already used the stick, so now it was time for the carrot.
{Because I already showered too, Jaeha.}
– 11:06
[Really?]
– 11:06
{Yeah… if you’re gonna shower, can’t be helped. I understand.}
– 11:08
[Hye-won, I’m serious. I didn’t even look down. I just stared at the ceiling the whole time.]
– 11:09
Is that so?
She’d tried every trick to get him to slip up, but the fact that he wasn’t cracking… maybe he really was telling the truth.
Well, if it was Yoon Jaeha, she supposed it was possible.
Unlike her, he actually followed rules, upheld boundaries, kept himself in check.
{Fine, I get it.}
– 11:11
[Thanks for trusting me.]
– 11:11
{Your face just turned so red, I couldn’t help but be suspicious. I’m sorry.}
– 11:12
[It’s okay. Given the situation… I understand completely.]
– 11:13
{Thanks for understanding. Keep that attitude going, alright?}
– 11:14
[Haha, sure.]
– 11:14
{And maybe cool it with the showering.}
– 11:15
Suddenly, her phone stopped buzzing with replies. Instead, her ringtone blared urgently.
Seeing ‘Wonnie‘ pop up on the screen, Hye-won picked up and pressed the phone to her ear.
“What?”
— “Hyewon-ah, how long am I not supposed to shower for? It’s still hot, you know? And I’ll smell if I sweat too much…”
“Smell?”
— “No, no, listen. You always smell good. To me, you really do. But you know… your image… we’ve got school Monday and all…”
“You’re talking so fast. You sound like a speech coach having a breakdown.”
Did he catch the sarcasm? His babbling cut off immediately, and silence filled the other end.
What the hell was this? A whole lecture over a stupid shower? She could’ve just said “okay” and ended it… but here they were.
Still, she could feel his stubbornness radiating through the phone. He was determined not to lie.
Her trust in Yoon Jaeha spiked sharply.
“Fine, I’m kidding, it’s a joke.”
— “Oh, I see…”
“But! Like I said, keep your head up when you shower, okay? And… try to use just the loofah! Got it?”
— “Okay, I’ll do what you say.”
His cheerful tone sounded completely at ease now, his earlier frustration finally washed away.
Hye-won threw out one last bait.
“Oh, by the way, there’s a blue birthmark on the inside of my right thigh.”
— “It’s on the left thigh.”
“…”
— “…!”
“You little—Yoon Jaeha!”
