NILWM - 31

“I guess you can’t really call it a part-time job... because I’m tied to it 24/7. I’ll tell you the details later.”

“What is it? You can just tell me now...”

Ah. Now that I think about it, he said he was helping his cousin with her online shopping mall website. Is it something like that?

“I’ll tell you everything the next time we meet. Right now... I don’t want to talk about work.”

I just want to focus on you.

His gaze met hers head-on, as if he had said those very words. Ye-seo was about to pick up a piece of meat, but a sudden hiccup made her cover her mouth with a napkin. Even in the middle of all this, the meat that the server had grilled and served was melting in her mouth.

“Are you okay? Did it go down the wrong pipe? Here, some water.”

“Oh, I’m fine...”

“Eat a lot.”

He pushed all the well-cooked sirloin onto her plate. She remembered the time he had given her all the drumsticks when they ate chicken. It was then that she remembered the things she had been putting off asking.

“Senior. Why did you tell Song Yoo-young everything earlier? Even though the semester is over, the rumors will spread. By the time the next semester starts, it’ll have spread all over the department.”

It would have spread not just within the department but throughout the entire school. How much the whole campus had buzzed when his cousin, who had unknowingly concealed her identity, came to pick up Han Joo-hyuk for a week. All sorts of speculation had been rampant even though he had consistently refused to comment.

“Of course, I said that so the rumors would spread, didn’t I?”

“What? So you did that on purpose...”

“I was annoyed when she asked if you were dating Choi In-ha. But I never had any intention of hiding it from the start. It’s not an affair, so why would I?”

Ye-seo’s heart began to pound again. When he had openly declared to Song Yoo-young that they were dating, the last of her doubts had indeed vanished. She was surprised by how sudden he was, but at least she was now sure that he wasn’t just toying with her.

“But... why did you say you were the one who asked me out first? That’s not true.”

She was the one who had confessed first. Not only that, she had confessed three times and been rejected all three times.

“Just because.”

He said casually as he poured wine only into her glass.

“It’s been about a month and a half since then. I guess you could call it a reset period... Anyway, I’m the one who reached out again.”

“...”

“I didn’t quite hear your answer earlier.”

A faint hint of mischief crossed his eyes.

“I can take that as a yes, right? We can’t help it now. We’re a publicly recognized couple.”

“...”

“Ye-seo.”

“Okay. Then, for the winter break...”

Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and spoke again.

“I hope we get to know a lot about each other.”

She felt her heart flutter again at the thought that she could now contact him whenever she wanted and have endless opportunities to go on dates with him like this.

I can’t believe I’m actually dating Senior Joo-hyuk. That he’s my boyfriend.

She still couldn’t believe it. Apart from her pounding heart, she felt like her stomach was going to burst.

Dinner ended on a warm note with a pleasant feeling of fullness. It was the most wonderful meal she had ever been treated to with such care in her 22 years of life.

Han Joo-hyuk was hesitant to talk about the work he was doing in a separate office alongside his studies, but he was quick to talk about his personal life. He had been living with his uncle and aunt ever since he had lost his parents.

“My uncle and aunt cherish me like their own son. Perhaps because their daughters are all married and living abroad, they treat me like their youngest son.”

He also added that his retired grandparents were living a kind of country life, moving between their villas in Gangwon-do and Pangyo. But he didn’t say anything about how his parents had passed away.

Ye-seo didn’t pry for more information. She was also curious if the work he was doing alongside his studies was completely unrelated to his family’s pharmacy business, which she had heard about, but she didn’t ask. She believed he would tell her everything when the time was right.

The cozy and fluttery atmosphere took an unexpected turn as they went up to the cafe on the top floor.

________________________________________

The atmosphere was fine until he mentioned that he had been busy since his first year of university with work he was doing independently, unrelated to the family business.

“When I’m really busy, I can’t go home for days. It can be for over a week, and I’m often unreachable. The elders are used to it by now, but I felt like I should let you know in advance.”

“Oh... okay.”

“In reality, work will often take priority over our relationship. You might feel disappointed, but I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“I won’t. A relationship can’t always be the top priority. There will be times when I’m busy and can’t answer your calls, and you won’t be my number one priority either...”

His eyes, which had been holding a teacup, changed for a split second. And he mumbled under his breath, barely audible.

“Still, I wish I was always your number one priority...”

“Huh? I didn’t hear that.”

“Nothing. Okay, I’ll take that as you understanding. You’ll cancel your plans for tomorrow, right?”

Ah. The plans she had made to meet with Oppa In-ha. It was a dinner plan, but she thought it would be better to move the time to an earlier slot.

“It’s difficult to cancel, and I’m planning to meet him.”

“You’re going to meet him?”

His gentle eyes sharpened again. He seemed to not understand why she would meet Choi In-ha after he had just seized the opportunity before their planned meeting tomorrow.

“It could be for something else. He also offered me a part-time job... And if it’s what you’re expecting, I’ll handle it well.”

“A part-time job? What are you talking about?”

While she was talking about Choi In-ha’s father’s company, Han Joo-hyuk’s face did not soften. It became even colder.

“You’re not going to do that part-time job, are you? And speaking of part-time jobs, what if I just...”

He stopped speaking. Seeing his contemplative attitude, Ye-seo started to speak again.

“Still, I think I should hear what Oppa In-ha’s reason for meeting me is. If it wasn’t a proposal to date or anything like that, there’s no reason to cancel the plan. Besides, Senior. You just said, ‘what if I just...’ What were you going to say after that?”

“Nothing.”

The words, What if I just give you an allowance and living expenses so you don’t have to do anything but study and focus on me? had been on the tip of his tongue. But he thought that Ye-seo, with her personality, wouldn’t agree to it. He was afraid that she might even start to have doubts about his view on relationships and dislike him, so he changed the subject again.

“Even if it was for something else, I hope you don’t do that part-time job and firmly reject it. I’ll introduce you to a trustworthy tutoring job.”

“What? You will?”

“So I hope you’ll cancel your plans for tomorrow and not meet him.”

“Like I said, I should at least hear what his reason is. Now that Oppa In-ha is graduating and going to graduate school, you don’t have to worry too much...”

“I don’t want to interfere with your personal life, but I wish you would stop calling him ‘Oppa In-ha.’ He’s not really your older brother.”

“We’ve been calling each other that since we were kids because our families are close. He’s like an older brother to me, even if he’s not my real brother.”

“Just call him Choi In-ha or Senior Choi In-ha.”

“...”

The atmosphere became subtly twisted from that moment on. Han Joo-hyuk seemed to have turned into a brick wall. Why? She thought he was a rational and cool-headed person, so why was he being so unreasonable?

“Okay, I get it. But I think I should still go to the meeting tomorrow. I’ll... handle it well with Senior In-ha.”

“If you’re so insistent, then I guess I can’t help it.”

His voice was impatient, but he finally backed down a step.

“Instead, you have to tell him that we’re dating. And let me know what happened right after you get back from meeting him.”

“I will.”

The atmosphere became calm again. One thing seemed to be clear now. Han Joo-hyuk was the type to be very jealous and possessive. If he had insisted on her not meeting Choi In-ha at all, she would have found his controlling nature a little scary.

She didn’t realize how much time had passed until it was almost midnight. After a long while, they left the cafe and got into his car in the building’s parking garage. As soon as she sat in the passenger seat, Han Joo-hyuk’s hand reached across her chest to pull the seatbelt. At that moment, their eyes met.

Their lips were so close they were almost touching. His breath had never been this close before. Han Joo-hyuk tilted his head slightly. Only a small gap, just enough for a piece of paper, remained between their lips.

His faint breath made the corner of her lips tingle. Ye-seo instinctively closed her eyes tightly and squeezed the hand that was holding hers under her abdomen. Her heart was beating like a drum, loud and clear. She seemed to have instinctively felt the premonition of her first kiss. But no matter how long she waited, his lips didn’t get any closer.

“...”

She slowly opened her eyes and saw his long eyelashes. They seemed to be even longer than hers. A dark wave was rippling in his usually calm eyes. He kept his gaze fixed on Ye-seo’s face and reached out to press the red ignition button. The inside of the car was once again enveloped in a quiet darkness.

The next moment, a large hand reached out and cradled the back of her head. His lips immediately touched hers. It was warm. Unbelievably soft and moist. A shiver went down her spine when she felt the sensation of his lips lightly biting and tugging on her lower lip.

She didn’t have time to savor the thrill. His hot, soft tongue immediately pushed its way between her lips and began to explore her teeth. She was so surprised that she almost bit his tongue. As she was flustered, unsure of how to react, his tongue gently wrapped around hers and gave a firm squeeze.

Her eyes closed, and her consciousness grew hazy. An indescribable sense of euphoria washed over her, and she felt like her whole body was floating in midair. It was a sensation she had never felt before in her life.