Chapter 56: Discovery

 

The moment Han-gyeol’s lips touched mine, I froze in place.

 

But as I felt the softness of Han-gyeol’s lips, my stiff body began to relax gradually.

 

When Han-gyeol gently grasped my chin, I found myself lightly holding his waist in return.

 

Kissing the one you love was an incredibly joyous act.

 

Despite it being an improbable thought, it felt as if I could feel Han-gyeol’s warmth even more now than when we hugged.

 

Eventually, our lips parted.

 

“Eun-ha, aren’t you going to open your eyes?”

 

Despite Han-gyeol’s gentle voice, I kept my eyes shut.

 

I was too embarrassed, and my heart was pounding too hard for me to look directly into Han-gyeol’s eyes.

 

“Does it feel lacking?”

 

“No! It’s more than enough...!”

 

At Han-gyeol’s words, I snapped my eyes open.

 

If we kissed any longer, I feared my heart might literally burst – ‘bang!’

 

But Han-gyeol’s lips were already so close, almost upon me again.

 

In a panic, I jerked my head back and tumbled down beneath the sofa.

 

“Argh!”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Ouch... That hurts...”

 

Han-gyeol grabbed my fallen arm and pulled with all his might.

 

Back on the sofa, I stared intently into Han-gyeol’s face.

 

He grinned broadly and gave me another quick kiss on the cheek.

 

“I love you.”

 

I fiddled with my cheek where Han-gyeol’s lips had been.

 

I didn’t want to lose this vivid sensation that lingered.

 

I slowly narrowed the gap between us, still on the sofa.

 

“I love you too.”

 

“Yeah. I know.”

 

“So this time, I want to be the one who goes first.”

 

“Huh...?! But you just said it was enough-!”

 

“That was a lie.”

 

I quickly pressed my lips against Han-gyeol’s.

 

After winding my arms around his neck, I kissed him, longer than before, enveloping myself in the scent of his shampoo. When I grew accustomed to the fragrance, I slowly pulled away.

 

“Eun-ha, if we keep this up, my heart might just burst.”

 

“Me too. It’s incredibly embarrassing.”

 

“Eun-ha.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“No, I mean... I just really like you.”

 

Han-gyeol, seemingly bashful, scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. I wanted to hear more of his awkward love confession. So, I threw a cheesy, all-too-common question his way.

 

“How much do you like me?”

 

“Just wait. I’ll come up with a creative answer.”

 

“Really? I’ll be looking forward to it.”

 

“Isn’t ‘as much as the sky and the ground’ just too cliché?”

 

“Yeah, skip that one. Try something else.”

 

“Um... How about twice as much as you like me?”

 

“What-?! That’s more cliché!”

 

Although I put on a dissatisfied face, Han-gyeol countered.

 

“So how much do you like me, Eun-ha?”

 

“Half as much as you like me, why-!”

 

At my shout, Han-gyeol smiled and quickly kissed my forehead.

 

“I like you enough to want to kiss you all day.”

 

My face heated up at Han-gyeol’s words.

 

“Eun-ha, I want to see your childhood photos. Can you show me?”

 

“Childhood photos? I was so chubby back then, it’s a bit embarrassing.”

 

“The more you say that, the more I want to see them.”

 

“Just wait. I’ll go get the album from my room.”

 

I returned to the living room, album in hand, from the bookshelf in my room.

 

I hesitated to hand it over to Han-gyeol, who looked eagerly expectant.

 

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

 

“Yeah, I won’t laugh. Show me already.”

 

“You’re lying. You’ll definitely laugh, Han-gyeol.”

 

“I’ll try my best to hold it in. Come on, show me. I’m curious about the young Eun-ha.”

 

“Fine...”

 

As I handed over the album, Han-gyeol began flipping through it, one page at a time, gazing at the photos of my childhood with such fondness.

 

“How old were you here?”

 

“Ah- this was when I was in kindergarten.”

 

“You look cute in the yellow kindergarten uniform, like a little chick.”

 

“Don’t my cheeks look weird though? They’re so puffy. My brother used to tease me, calling me a steamed bun.”

 

“It’s nothing but cute. So cute, I almost want to bite them.”

 

Han-gyeol kept his gaze fixed on the younger me in the album.

 

At some point, he became silent, just looking at the pictures.

 

“Really, it’s just too cute.”

 

“Which picture is that cute? Let me see.”

 

“This one. You’re clutching a doll and sitting on the floor crying.”

 

“Eek-! Give it back now! That’s such an embarrassing photo-!”

 

As I tried to snatch the album away, Han-gyeol quickly lifted it out of my reach.

 

“No way, no way. I have to see Eun-ha’s childhood like this.”

 

“Argh-! No! There might be more weird photos.”

 

“Eun-ha is adorable no matter what she’s doing, it’s all good.”

 

“Give it here-! Hand it over-!”

 

As Han-gyeol tried to snatch away the album, I leaned forward, and my body tipped.

 

I ended up falling right into Han-gyeol’s chest, my face buried in it.

 

“If you wanted a hug, you could’ve just said so. You didn’t need to stage an accident—I would’ve hugged you anyway.”

 

“Ugh... an accident, huh.”

 

“Are you not going to get up?”

 

Despite his words, I didn’t rise from Han-gyeol’s embrace. Instead, I pressed my ear against his heart.

 

“Yeah. I want to take this chance to listen to Han-gyeol’s heartbeat.”

 

“Uh-uh-?! That’s really embarrassing.”

 

“Stay still. I won’t listen for long...”

 

Thump-thump-thump—Han-gyeol’s heart was beating wildly. It felt like his heartbeat was telling me how much he loved me.

 

“Is your heart going to burst?”

 

“When I’m holding you, Eun-ha, it’s always like this.”

 

“Hehe... that’s nice.”

 

His heart was thumping even louder than the time I had accidentally hugged him before.

 

“What’s so nice?”

 

“I really like you, Han-gyeol. Look at me.”

 

I slowly lifted my head to meet Han-gyeol’s gaze. Seeing his face turn a deep shade of red, I subtly shifted my position.

 

I propped myself next to Han-gyeol, who was lying on the sofa, supporting my upper body with my hand. My long hair curtained us off from the world, leaving Han-gyeol with no view but into my eyes.

 

“Eun-ha?”

 

“Han-gyeol.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Still gazing at Han-gyeol’s lips, which looked so soft and inviting, I asked,

 

“...Can we kiss just one more time?”

 

In response to my question, Han-gyeol said nothing.

 

Taking his silence as consent, I cautiously leaned in toward Han-gyeol’s lips. Just as I was pushing my hair back to kiss him...

 

Beep-beep-beep-beep-!

 

The untimely sound of the door lock interrupted us, and I quickly pulled away from Han-gyeol. He too sat up hurriedly from the couch. In a fluster, we both got up and headed to the front door.

 

“Did you come out all this way to greet me?”

 

My brother was standing there, taking off his shoes, with two pizza boxes in his hand.

 

“You got here faster than I thought.”

 

“I couldn’t let our Han-gyeol wait too long for pizza.”

 

‘This annoying bastard.’

 

‘Why does he have to show up so fast just at times like this?’

 

‘I was having such a good moment with Han-gyeol-!’

 

I felt a twinge of irritation.

 

“Ah, Hyung. Give me the pizza.”

 

“As expected Han-gyeol is the only one constant. But what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“Your face is all red.”

 

“Oh, it’s just a bit warm inside the house.”

 

“Is it? Hey, Shin Eun-ha. Han-gyeol’s feeling hot. Don’t you manage the temperature?”

 

I felt like punching the smug look off my brother’s face.

 

“You look after yourself.”

 

“Eh? Now that I look at you, you’re pretty red too. Did you and Han-gyeol kiss or something?”

 

His words were flippant, but Han-gyeol and I froze on the spot.

 

During that brief silence, my brother seemed to catch on to something and irritatingly curled his lips upward.

 

“Ahwahaha-! Just kidding! A joke! Anyone would think you two actually kissed!”

 

At my brother’s words, Han-gyeol hurriedly objected.

 

“No, not at all-! It was just a surprise because of what you suddenly said.”

 

“Right~? Even though you clearly knew I was coming, it wouldn’t happen, right~?”

 

“Ye-yes, of course-! Kissing while alone at home? That’s absurd. The pizza smells great, though!”

 

“Alright. I’ll go change my clothes and come out, so Eun-ha, you set the table, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’ll take my time changing.”

 

“Hyung-!”

 

My brother then went straight to his room and closed the door behind him.

 

“We’re definitely caught...”

 

I approached Han-gyeol, who was looking a bit disheartened.

 

“It doesn’t really matter. We’re a couple after all. It’s my brother who’s oblivious.”

 

Then, I pulled Han-gyeol’s head down and planted a quick peck on his lips.

 

“I’ll set the pizza, so you just sit on the sofa, Han-gyeol.”

 

“Ah... Okay.”

 

Just as I was about to take the pizza from Han-gyeol, my brother came out of his room.

 

“I said I’d be slow, but came out quickly instead!”

 

“Be quiet...!”

 

“Ah~ I thought I’d witness an interesting sight~ What a pity.”

 

My brother raised his eyebrows as he passed by Han-gyeol and me. He headed straight to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water to drink. But then, his gaze suddenly dropped to beneath the table, and he let out a shocking statement.

 

“Mom. What are you doing hiding there?”

 

Han-gyeol and my eyes widened, and we rushed to the kitchen.

 

“Mom’s here?!”

 

“Was Aunty actually here?!”

 

I hurried to check under the table, but Mom wasn’t there.

 

“Puhahahahaha-! Mom’s at work! You two really did something while I was gone, huh?!”

 

“You... you crazy jerk-!”

 

I threw a punch right into my brother’s gut.

 

“Die! Just die quickly!”

 

“Ouch-! Hey, it really hurts! I think you hit a bone! Seriously, it’s painful! Han-gyeol-! Save me!”

 

If it were the usual Han-gyeol, he might have helped my brother, but today he was completely on my side.

 

“Eun-ha! Hit more! Hit the same spot again!”

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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