Vol. 1 Chapter 19  

The inside of the movie theater was, of course, dark. There were not many people because the movie had a long running time. It was also because it was midday on a weekday. Lim Dae-han and I sat in the center seat, quietly watching the movie. Lim Dae-han tossed and turned several times because the chair was uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sit in one spot for a lengthy period of time, even in class.

I took a sip of my drink and slid it into my seat. Lim Dae-han, who was staring at me with his arm resting on the middle armrest, raised his chin and pointed to my drink.

“Give it to me too.”

“…”

You’ve already drunk all of yours!

I muttered to myself as I handed my drink to Lim Dae-han. He didn’t even look embarrassed as he sipped through the straw that I had in my mouth. He returned it to me once he was finished.

I thought he would ask for another drink, so I put the drink in the center of us. I was holding a bucket of popcorn. Lim Dae-han said he doesn’t eat popcorn when he watches movies. I? wasn’t able to eat much because I was also full.

Soon, the movie came out after the advertisement that was coming out day and night. I watched the movie curled up like a loser because Lim Dae-han took both armrests. I was unable to concentrate. Because…

“…”

“…”

When I finished a drink and set it down, Lim Dae-han grabbed it and put it into his mouth. I thought it was a coincidence at first, but when I got into the middle of the movie, I tried it on purpose, and sure enough, he put it in his mouth right away. I don’t think he was hungry…

As the film drew closer to its climax, I ended up grabbing my head. Lim Dae-han seemed to have purposefully drunk all of his drinks before the movie began to use my straw and abruptly took what was mine.

I’m certain of it because I’m not stupid. Then I realized why there wasn’t any skinship. He could do it if he worked hard enough, but I’m not sure why he was only doing an indirect kiss.

I sneak a glance at Lim Dae-han while covering my face with both hands. I moved my gaze slowly toward Lim Dae-han. It turns out he was staring at me, not the movie.

When our eyes met, I hurriedly avoided him, but Lim Dae-han held my hand. Then he slowly climbed up, grabbed my wrist, and put it on the armrest together. It felt more strange than holding hands. It was stimulating that Dae-han’s hot hands slowly climbed up and wrapped around my wrist.

Maybe the perv was me, not Lim Dae-han. It couldn’t have been this agonizing.

We went to a cafe together after watching the movie. It was the cafe where Dae-han and I first came together. A pink-themed cafe room. When I first came, I couldn’t do anything because I was just staring at Lim Dae-han’s eyes, but today it was different.? I locked my gaze on Dae-han’s lips, and when he noticed me, I lowered my gaze.

I know why Lim Dae-han brought me here. Room cafe was a representation of such a place. Students who don’t have money don’t care, and they’re promiscuous and lewd…

I raised my gaze to the soda drink that Lim Dae-han was vigorously stirring with a straw. His legs trembled distractedly as he hurriedly threw the straw. Look at that. He’s doing it because he wants to kiss me. I was willing to make an effort. I also applied lip balm. Contrary to my expectations, Lim Dae-han stood up and tapped his convex pocket.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

It’s nothing more than a cigarette. I nodded and pretended to play with my phone. My brother sent me a message.

Hyung: [Hey, what are you going to eat for dinner?] 16:57 Hyung: [Exam is over.] 16:57

Hyung: [Did you do well?] 16:58

Me: [Yeah, I think so. I just did it as usual…] 17:06

Me: [I don’t know what’s going to happen in the evening. I’m out now.] 17:07

Me: [Where are you, Hyung?] 17:07

I used to argue and fight with my older brother at home, but he never hit me. It was a clear-cut relationship. When my brother joined the army, it was the most peaceful time of my life. It was peaceful back then. My parents were sad, but I actually enjoyed it. I slept in my brother’s bed and played with his computer. Anyway.

Hyung: [At home. Where are you? Are you stupid?] 17:09

Hyung: [Then eat dinner outside tonight.] 17:09

Me: [Yes…]

After I sent a reply, I ignored it afterward. I pursed my lips and put the phone down again. I didn’t have time to calm down because of my brother. I ate the whipped cream piled up on top of a green tea latte with a straw. It was sweet and delicious. Is this how a first kiss feels like? I waited for Lim Dae-han with ridiculous thoughts.

Has Lim Dae-han kissed a lot? As it turns out, he was savvy. What the boys did in the downtown area was obvious. Eat, then go to the arcade, play some games, eat some more, go to karaoke,? and then break up. Or maybe they just met for a reason. Shopping is shopping, and movies are movies. But, to be honest, it was nothing more than a dating course. Eat, watch a movie, or visit a cafe.

Because of his fiery temper, schoolboys avoided Lim Dae-han, but girls liked him. He was not as flirtatious as other gangsters, and to be honest, he was very tall and had a perfect appearance.

Therefore,

I’m sure he has been in a lot of relationships?

It’s been about a month since I’ve known Lim Dae-han, and he was good at relationships, just as I cared about Dae-han and gave him a little heart. I’m sure he’s had a lot of relationships. He seems to be very popular, and he looks likely to have a large number of friends around him…

My excited heart just sank. I was biting my fingers and biting my lips at the same time. By wiping away the water on the surface of the cup, I was able to calm my heart.

Of course, I never wanted a novel’s fateful love or sweet and sentimental first love. First and foremost, I disliked such pure and submissive love. No one wants that kind of love in this day and age.

But…

That’s right, but…

“…”

There was no way to soothe my gloomy heart.

If I think about it, Lim Dae-han is now holding hands well, playing pranks well, and eating quickly in front of me, but I was the only one tormented and suffering. Even if Lim Dae-han starts to go forward a little bit, I will be surprised.

How stupid would he think I was if he looked at me?

A sigh came out on its own.

I rested my chin on my hands and gazed at Lim Dae-han’s empty seat. The curtain was raised at that precise moment, and Dae-han entered the room. He was supposed to be sitting in his seat, but he was still standing. He shifted his gaze to his seat and turned his head to the side. Lim Dae-han said this while tapping the table’s corner.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“…”

There was a brief silence. I quickly took my bag.

“… You can sit here.”

Lim Dae-han took a seat next to me. When I was sitting alone, it appeared that two people could sit there, but when Lim Dae-han sat down, it became cramped. I was the original owner of the seat, but with the current situation, I felt like I was stuck next to Lim Dae-han.

I took a deep breath. I tilted my head and smelled Lim Dae-han. I liked the smell of cigarettes that had been slowly infiltrated. I never intend to smoke, but it was nice to smell it from Lim Dae-han. It was cool, and there were no smokers around me, so it was a smell that was hard to experience. I took a deep breath and sniffed Dae-han’s scent a few times.

“Hey.”

My shoulders flinched in response to his voice.

“Stop sniffing. Why would you smell it. It makes me feel embarrassed.”

“Ah, no…”

“I can’t sit with you because you act like a perv.”

Lim Dae-han stood from his seat after speaking. Damn it. I was a little disappointed, but I had no excuse. Lim Dae-han eventually returned to his seat on the opposite side. I protested with frustration.

“It’s because you smell of cigarette.”

“You said it’s okay to smoke once in a while. The smell was going to hit your nose.”

A mischievous smile spread across Lim Dae-han’s lips. I was the only one who was frustrated. It was embarrassing, humiliating, and shameful. It was because I looked like I was scolding him by sniffing at him, despite the fact that I told him he could smoke every now and then.

Perhaps other children liked this aspect of Lim Dae-han as well. He’s quite humorous, and he’s holding onto his words. It wasn’t because of a joke that made me feel bad. I pursed my lips and cautiously opened my mouth.

“Have you had a lot of girlfriends?”

Lim Dae-han, who was drinking lemonade on his side, set the cup down and looked at me strangely.

“What?”

I added some words in case he avoided answering. Avoid answering?! For a moment, I was agitated and said something Lim Dae-han didn’t even ask.

“I also dated when I was in middle school. So, you don’t have to avoid it like that.”

Of course, it’s a bit embarrassing to say we’re dating, but…

I haven’t even begun to speak properly. The guys at the academy are dating blah blah blah. Even if I said blah blah blah, they remained silent in their respective positions. Lim Dae-han made a dishonest face at me and avoided looking at me. I asked again, suppressing my voice.

“Have you dated someone?”

“…”

“I told you I’ve been in a relationship, but why don’t you answer me? Today, we eat well, watch movies, and go to cafes. I’m asking because you are so good at it. So answer me.”

I was pleading for his answer without realizing it. As soon as I finished speaking, I bit my lip. Lim Dae-han burst out laughing as if he was overjoyed. Of course, I was dissatisfied.

“Ki Young-hyun, are you jealous?”

I pressed my lips firmly against the words. I responded slowly and carefully.

“…No, I’m not.”

However, my face already heated up. I thought I wasn’t on the jealous side. It was the same with having friends, and I’ve never been jealous of my older brother who has relatively more than me. However, the thought of Lim Dae-han playing with other guys like this made my stomach churn. This is all because of Lim Dae-an. Because Dae-han treats and looks after me better than the others…

I still had my dry shoulders tucked. Crumpled. It squirmed as if it were a crease on the bulldog’s face.

I took a deep breath. Lim Dae-han laughed lowly. I raised my head in anger, then lowered my gaze as soon as I came into contact with Lim Dae-han’s face, or more precisely, his lips.

I was annoyed with all of this.

Rather than kissing on the first date, Lim Dae-han made me angry, horny and teased me.

I leaned against my back like a deflated balloon. Unlike my pouty lips, Dae-han’s lips drew a nice line to look at. Nonetheless, this was the most relaxed conversation we’d ever had. I’m hoping he doesn’t feel sorry for me because I looked strange. I became anxious at the time, but when I saw Lim Dae-han, I realized I wasn’t the only one who had become flustered. I didn’t think it was necessarily the case.

***