NOVEL NEXT #066
#066
As I sat there dumbfounded, Sun Woo tightened his grip on my hand. It seemed like he didn’t like that his presence had been erased. Kim Shin moved away from my side with a satisfied expression. He lowered his head, trying to hold back his laughter, and Sun Woo looked like he wanted an explanation for what was going on.
‘Sorry, but I can’t say this out loud.’
My mind was hazy at the thought of kissing a friend… No. That shouldn’t be a big deal, right? I’ve kissed Sun Woo many times. Yeah. In this webtoon world, a kiss between friends is nothing. It’s such an open-minded world.
Damn… That’s nonsense.
“Ugh…”
Groaning, I dropped my head on the table. Then I turned my head and glared at Kim Shin.
“Kim Shin. Take your jokes only so far.”
With Ha Jin’s crazy personality, why would I kiss you?
“Huh? I may be exaggerating, but it’s not a joke. You really are my first kiss partner. Hmph-“
I reached out and covered Kim Shin’s mouth as I lay there.
“Are you drunk? Kim Shin. Do you really want to die? Why are you lying?”
“I’m not lying.”
Kim Shin turned his head to escape my hand and quickly spoke. In response, I firmly covered his mouth with my hand again. Even with his mouth covered, Kim Shin looked relaxed. As if he could escape anytime but was letting me do it, he obediently stayed under my touch.
“What did he say to make you like this?”
Sun Woo frowned, looking at my hand.
“Nonsense. Crazy talk. Anyway, weird stuff.”
“Who’s his first kiss partner?”
Sun Woo started to get strangely curious.
“You don’t have to answer that. You. You drank.”
I sternly told Kim Shin. Then Sun Woo, who had been quietly watching what I was doing, grabbed the soju bottle and rolled it. As if rolling it would make the bottle point to Kim Shin again.
Huh? It’s pointing to Kim Shin?
The soju bottle that had been spinning around stopped exactly facing Kim Shin. Damn it…
“Kim Shin. Who’s your first kiss partner?”
At Sun Woo’s question, Kim Shin, with his mouth covered by me, squinted his eyes and laughed, even shaking his shoulders. I was covering his mouth very firmly, afraid he would escape like before. But I couldn’t cover his eyes. Kim Shin kept pointing at me with his eyes. I shrugged my shoulders with a dumbfounded face.
“Why is he looking at me?”
When I tilted my head as if I didn’t know, Kim Shin pushed my hand away and burst into laughter.
“Since I answered, I don’t have to drink, right?”
Either because of Kim Shin’s words or the lingering hot weather, sweat trickled down my back.
“…Aren’t the kids coming back?”
Ah… I’m doomed. I’m doomed.
I awkwardly left that spot, looking around as if searching for the kids. And when I thought I was out of sight, I suddenly ran.
‘Ha Jin, you blockhead. Tell me. Did you really kiss Kim Shin? When? Why? Are you crazy?’
I could tell from Ha Jin’s behavior that I had witnessed that there was no way that would happen. But Kim Shin wasn’t the type to make up a story that didn’t exist just for fun. Kim Shin definitely wasn’t lying. And Ha Jin wasn’t that kind of person either.
So why did he answer that I was his first kiss? Why?
Then a dizzying assumption came to mind.
“Fuck… That’s right. Alcohol…”
If it was Ha Jin’s drunken habit, it was possible. Whenever he got drunk, he would stagger and lean on the people around him, being clingy. Beyond my control.
I was running, not being able to get over Ha Jin’s karma, when suddenly a firm arm wrapped around me and stopped me.
“It’s dangerous. Ha Jin.”
At the gentle whisper, I turned my head to see Sun Woo frowning and catching his breath.
“You run fast. Ha Jin.”
Sun Woo, who was breathing roughly, stretched his lips and tightened his arm around me. Am I the only one who finds Sun Woo really scary right now?
“Why are you here?”
“You ran away, Ha Jin. I was already in a bad mood. It’s getting worse.”
“…”
“I thought it would be like this. Ha Jin. You lived quite a promiscuous life? But you should hide such facts. I’m not a saint, so I get angry and hurt by things like that too.”
Sun Woo’s face was smiling kindly as if he had never frowned. That definitely wasn’t a smile with good intentions.
“Promiscuous? Me? Sun Woo, you’re killing me.”
“I didn’t expect you to have kissed Kim Shin too.”
“That’s not true.”
As I stammered, my voice was turned upside down. I have to insist. There was no evidence for this, and no one would believe it. I’ll have to make excuses that Kim Shin is just playing around by himself.
“Is it really not true?”
Instead of immediately nodding my head at Sun Woo’s question, I raised my eyes diagonally and belatedly nodded my head with an atmosphere of ‘Could it be?’
“Ha Jin. I don’t intend to blame your past either.”
“I told you it’s not…”
My voice lost strength towards the end. Why am I so bad at lying? No, it’s not a lie, I just don’t remember. Why can’t I be confident?
“Turn your head.”
“Huh?”
“Turn your head for me. Ha Jin.”
As if enchanted by Sun Woo’s words, I turned my head to the side, and he puckered his lips from behind. His hot lips, exhaling rapid breaths, lightly touched and then parted.
As I felt frustrated by his teasing kiss, Sun Woo buried his head in my back and let out a big sigh.
“The past is the past. But I still feel bad.”
“The past? I told you it’s not.”
“Yeah. You keep denying it like that, Ha Jin. I prefer that.”
“Ah, seriously… I said it’s not.”
While Sun Woo was leaning on my back like that, Min-ha appeared in front with surprised eyes.
“Is Sun Woo drunk too?”
She seemed to have misunderstood seeing him leaning on my back. Sun Woo did drink, so let’s just say he is.
“I think he’s a bit drunk.”
“Wow. Does Sun Woo get drunk too? Well, he doesn’t come to drinking gatherings often, so drinking itself must be unfamiliar. Let’s go. Beom-jun changed his clothes and Mi-eun will bring him.”
“Why the change of clothes?”
“He ended up throwing up. Mi-eun will take good care of him, so don’t worry. Even though Mi-eun may not seem like it, she really cherishes Beom-jun. Where’s Kim Shin?”
“Probably at the table?”
“Alone? He must be bored.”
As Min-ha walked quickly with concern, I tried to follow, but Sun Woo grabbed my hand.
“Hold my hand.”
His tone sounded like he still wasn’t in a good mood. Seeing him act like he was throwing a tantrum, I found it strangely cute and smiled, tightly holding his hand.
“Are you very drunk?”
When I asked playfully, Sun Woo’s eyes narrowed.
“You two seem quite close when I see you together like this. It seemed like you were together during the vacation too.”
Min-ha laughed and looked down at our held hands.
* * *
And at the table we arrived at, Kim Shin was smiling while looking at his phone.
Everyone sat back in their seats, and soon Mi-eun and Beom-jun appeared.
Beom-jun, who sat down with a pale face, groaned.
“I can’t drink anymore.”
“I won’t give it to you because it’s dirty. I’ve really seen all sorts of things in my life.”
“Sorry. Mi-eun.”
“Drink in moderation. Don’t drink everything just because I give it to you.”
“Okay…”
After Beom-jun answered with a sullen face, Mi-eun glanced at him once and then shifted her gaze towards Kim Shin.
“Right. It was Kim Shin’s turn to answer. Tell me. Who was your first kiss?”
“Kim Shin drank.”
As I quickly intervened, not only Mi-eun but also Beom-jun and Min-ha widened their eyes and looked at me.
“Ha Jin. I didn’t know you cared for Kim Shin too.”
“What’s this, Ha Jin? You’re being affectionate. You even held Sun Woo’s hand earlier because he was drunk.”
“Kim Shin must be happy? How does it feel to have Ha Jin take care of you after only having one-sided love? Huh?”
At Mi-eun’s words, Kim Shin opened his mouth with a smile.
“Does a first kiss have to involve tongue?”
“Ugh, how vulgar. Really, look at Kim Shin talking. Why are you asking that? Isn’t it obvious? It can only be called a real kiss if there’s a perfect deep kiss.”
“Then I don’t have one.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Really?”
Everyone expressed their surprise one by one. Among them, only Sun Woo and I kept our mouths shut.
As expected, it was a lie that we kissed. I made a fuss for nothing.
“Kim Shin, what are you? You’re saying you’ve never had your first kiss?”
“That’s right.”
When Kim Shin answered with a smile, Beom-jun clasped his hands with a moved expression.
“I’m so relieved. I wasn’t the only one. Kim Shin has been single all this time too.”
“Wow, this is quite shocking.”
Thinking that Kim Shin had never kissed anyone until now felt strange. With that handsome face and body, he’s never done it even once? He seems popular.
Kim Shin slightly nodded his head, looking pleased, and reached for the soju bottle on the table. No way? I thought, but he spun the soju bottle with all his might. The soju bottle that had been spinning stopped in front of Sun Woo.
What? Until now, it kept pointing only to Beom-jun.
Kim Shin had a pleased smile on his face, thinking about something. Mi-eun’s eyes sparkled again as she alternately looked at Kim Shin and Sun Woo.
“Ah, this is so fun.”
Everyone was waiting for the question that would come out of Kim Shin’s mouth, and Kim Shin seemed to enjoy the attention, swaying to the rhythm of the music and slowly leaning his body towards Sun Woo. I couldn’t even guess what question Kim Shin would ask.
‘Come on, he wouldn’t ask about the first kiss, right?’
“Sun Woo. Who was your first kiss partner?”
Damn it. Kim Shin was returning what he had been subjected to. Feeling anxious, I grabbed the soju bottle and poured it into Sun Woo’s glass. Just like the soju that overflowed beyond the capacity of the glass, I was overwhelmed with uneasiness.
“Drink.”
At my words, Sun Woo slightly curled the corners of his lips.
Ah, I’m anxious, anxious. Why is he smiling?
“Ha Jin, stay still and watch. I was curious about this too.”
Mi-eun pulled out a napkin and placed it on the floor where the overflowing soju had flowed. As the napkin absorbed the soju and gradually became wet, Sun Woo opened his mouth with a slow smile on his face.
“My first kiss partner is here.”
At Sun Woo’s answer, everyone’s gaze unanimously focused on one spot.
Why is everyone looking at me?