Chapter 60: Obstacle

 

“You are beautiful. Now, let’s stop crying and go eat something tasty. How about we go for some spicy tteokbokki that you like?”

 

It was Han-gyeol who wiped my tears and gave me a warm smile. My heart fluttered because Han-gyeol said even my crying face was pretty.

 

The emotions inside me kept overflowing, and I had to somehow release them. My face was flushed, and my heart was pounding, but that wasn’t enough to release these feelings. I cautiously grabbed Han-gyeol’s face.

 

“Huh? Eun-ha?”

 

It felt a bit embarrassing to kiss in such a place, but there was no time to think.

 

“I love you... really... more than anyone in the world.”

 

“Ah, you’re making me blush. I also love Eun-ha the most in the world—”

 

I went ahead and kissed Han-gyeol’s lips. How much more could my love for Han-gyeol grow?

 

I kept thinking I couldn’t love him more each day, but I ended up loving him even more.

 

The more we talked, the more time we spent together, the more uncontrollable my feelings became.

 

I wanted to be with him every single day. I loved him so much that I couldn’t control my feelings.

 

Han-gyeol was all over my mind and heart. I loved and adored him so much that it felt like my rationality was crumbling.

 

With those emotions, I pressed my lips against his more firmly. But then, our teeth accidentally clashed with a ‘clack.’

 

“Ah-”

 

“Ah-! I’m sorry...! Did it hurt a lot?”

 

I quickly pulled back and looked at Han-gyeol. It wasn’t a hard enough hit to break anything, but my front teeth felt slightly sensitive.

 

“Eun-ha, at this rate, you might devour me.”

 

“Sorry. Right now, I feel like I could devour you.”

 

“That’s scary. Are you a beast?”

 

“What kind of beast is a girlfriend...! There are so many cute little animals.”

 

“Right. You look like a cute little animal, but your actions are like a beast.”

 

“Then, can I continue to ‘devour’ you?”

 

“If this keeps up, I really will be devoured. Save me, please.”

 

It still wasn’t enough. My emotions were still in turmoil.

 

“Han-gyeol, do you know this?”

 

“What?”

 

“A beast never lets go of its prey once it bites.”

 

“Sounds like you’re telling me to let myself be devoured.”

 

“Right. Let yourself be devoured.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

Han-gyeol chuckled softly and then kissed me. I closed my eyes, lost in the intensity of the kiss, which was deeper than usual.

 

I loved the kisses I initiated, but those given by Han-gyeol were just as wonderful.

 

Physical affection... It was embarrassing, but it seemed incredibly wonderful. It felt like the easiest way to affirm our love for each other.

 

After our deep kiss, we just looked into each other’s eyes and laughed.

 

“Are you satisfied now?”

 

“Only a little... but remember, this is a public place, even if there’s no one around.”

 

“That’s a shame... If we were alone, we could have kissed more.”

 

“Uh, Eun-ha, you’re being too explicit. It’s embarrassing.”

 

“Yep! But with Han-gyeol, I have nothing left to hide.”

 

Because Han-gyeol always accepted even the emotions I didn’t want to show. And I, too, could accept all of his emotions.

 

“Eun-ha, how about we go on a short date before heading back?”

 

“Sure. What shall we do?”

 

“We can’t go too far right now. How about watching a movie?”

 

“Sounds good. Ah- I’ll go home to grab my phone and wallet. And I’ll put the flowers in a vase.”

 

“Okay. Let’s hurry then.”

 

We stood up from the bench and held hands. Excitedly, I swung our joined hands back and forth with great enthusiasm.

 

“Eun-ha, my arm is going to fall off.”

 

“It won’t fall off just from this.”

 

“Shall we watch a movie and then have dinner?”

 

“Let’s check the movie timings and decide.”

 

“Alright. While you’re at your house, I’ll book the tickets.”

 

“Don’t do that. Sit on the living room sofa at my place. It will take some time to put the flowers in the vase.”

 

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

 

We arrived at the front of my house and took the elevator up. Inside, we continued to hold hands tightly, not letting go.

 

I wished we could hold hands like this all day long. I wanted to glue them together.

 

“Han-gyeol, just sit in the living room.”

 

“Alright, I will.”

 

We entered the house after punching in the door lock code. But I had completely forgotten that my brother was home.

 

“Ah? The crybaby’s back?”

 

“Crybaby?!”

 

“Seriously. I was trying to ignore it, but I couldn’t help noticing you two hugging as you opened the door.”

 

“You saw that?! Why did my brother have to see us hugging!”

 

I felt my face heat up at the thought of my brother witnessing that scene.

 

“Han-gyeol. Please take good care of my little sister, even though she’s a crybaby.”

 

“Don’t worry. Even her crying face is incredibly pretty.”

 

“What-?! What exactly has enchanted you about this girl?”

 

“Her beauty played a big part.”

 

Han-gyeol’s compliments made my face grow even hotter. In the end, I let go of Han-gyeol’s hand and ran into my room.

 

“Hey~ crybaby! If you’re embarrassed, just say it!”

 

“Shut up!”

 

***

 

“Really... teasing me about being crybaby.”

 

Grumbling, I walked with Han-gyeol toward the cinema. With about twenty minutes left before the movie started, we decided to have a drink at the cafe next to the ticket booth.

 

“Your crying face was pretty, too. Look, there’s Hallabong Ade.”

 

Han-gyeol handed me a Hallabong Ade after picking up our drinks from the counter.

 

Without even having to say it, he knew what I liked... I really adored Han-gyeol to death.

 

I was worried my heart might literally burst from all these feelings.

 

“I’ll enjoy it... But please forget about me crying earlier.”

 

“It seems like your tears left a mark on my clothes.”

 

“Leave it at my place then. I’ll wash it for you.”

 

“You don’t have to go that far.”

 

Embarrassed, I just drank my Hallabong Ade. I couldn’t even remember the last time I cried in front of someone.

 

“Ugh, it’s still so embarrassing. I always wanted to show only my prettiest side to Han-gyeol.”

 

“I told you, even your crying face was pretty. It was so pretty, I might want to make you cry sometimes.”

 

“I want to see Han-gyeol cry too. When was the last time you cried?”

 

Han-gyeol sipped his coffee, seemingly trying to recall. After finishing his reflection, he set his coffee down on the table.

 

“I can’t really remember? It must have been a long time ago since I last cried.”

 

“If you ever feel like crying again, make sure it’s in front of me, okay?”

 

“As a boyfriend, that’s not really a scene I want to show.”

 

“I didn’t mean to pressure you. But if you cry in front of me, I’ll do my best to comfort you.”

 

“Alright. Next time I cry, I’ll make sure it’s beside Eun-ha.”

 

“Yeah. I’m always on Han-gyeol’s side, you know?”

 

“That’s reassuring.”

 

“I want to be someone Han-gyeol can rely on too!”

 

I didn’t want to be just a weak girlfriend who only depended on him. Just like Han-gyeol gave me comfort and stability, I wanted to give the same to him.

 

I wanted to be someone who could be his strength when he was down or sad.

 

“Thanks for saying that. Shall we slowly head to watch the movie now?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m so excited to watch a movie with Han-gyeol.”

 

“Did you feel this excited when you first went to a movie with me?”

 

“First time going to a movie with Han-gyeol?”

 

I tried hard to recall the memories of that day.

 

The movie might have been somewhat boring for high school boys and girls. Maybe that was why... all I could remember was Han-gyeol, intently watching the movie.

 

The image of him, mature and calm, facing the screen, came naturally to my mind.

 

“What the...?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Did I only watch Han-gyeol that day too?”

 

I couldn’t recall anything about the movie; only Han-gyeol’s profile remained in my mind.

 

“What-? Eun-ha, you were the one who wanted to see that movie.”

 

“Right~? But now that I think about it, watching Han-gyeol was better than watching the movie.”

 

I grinned sheepishly and linked arms with Han-gyeol.

 

“Han-gyeol, back then we were just friends. But today, we’re lovers?”

 

“Yeah. Being here as lovers feels so much better.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I also like it unbelievably much.”

 

“We don’t need cola and popcorn, do we?”

 

“Right. We’ll have dinner after the movie.”

 

We took the escalator up to the cinema. After showing our tickets to the attendant, we entered the theater and took our seats.

 

But the armrest between Han-gyeol and me was really bothersome. Without it, I felt like we could watch the movie much closer together.

 

Quickly, I lifted the armrest up.

 

“Huh?”

 

As I lifted the armrest, Han-gyeol looked at me.

 

“Now that we’re a couple, we don’t need this, right? I want to be closer.”

 

“That’s true. We don’t need the armrest anymore.”

 

“Yep, yep. It’s just an obstacle now.”

 

I linked my arm with Han-gyeol’s again and snuggled up to him.

 

Now, we didn’t need anything else between us.

 

All I wanted was to be closely embraced.

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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