Chapter 99

The strangely lustful gaze was suddenly gone, and it just straightened to a normal one. Which, in Si-Jin’s case, was his usual cold-looking look.

“…What shall I talk about?”

“You can start with whatever you want.”

The movie was still playing, yet they sat looking at each other with not a single care. After Si-Jin leaned on the sofa and made his suggestion, Na-Yool pondered for a moment, then spoke up.

“Hm… Alright, family, sounds good. Both my Mom and Dad are ordinary civil servants, and fortunately they are still in good health. Or rather, excessively so. Every weekend, they go mountain-hiking together. It’s their hobby.”

“Then why are you…”

Si-Jin meaningfully peeked at her while leaving out the end. But its meaning was clear ‒ “Then why are you not the same” or “Why are you so sluggish”. It felt similar to how he would often nag her with a “You’re too weak” because of her eating habits or for how she turned completely exhausted after sex. Did he think he was some military training instructor or something?!?

Na-Yool understood the meaning of the omitted part at once, so she got a little peeved.

“Because I work overtime every day, thanks to someone—”

“I always leave work later than you.”

“……”

“And regularly exercise 4 times a week—”

“You are a machine, Mr. President. But I am human.”

“Finding excuses again?”

“That’s not excuses—”

“If you want to improve, you must be pragmatic. Not rationalize everything.”

“I do not wish to improve further… When I’m not working, I want to rest, and when I am resting, I just want to lie in bed.”

“I do like you lying down, too.”

“……”

How could a proper discussion about family turn into harassment so easily? Na-Yool shook her head and returned to the topic to save it from the suspicious pit it had unceremoniously been pushed into.

“…Anyways. My parents get along so well that they have little interest in their children’s business. They are too busy acting lovey-dovey to each other. I once thought that if I could live like them, it would not hurt to get married, but…”

“But?”

“But it’s not like people who get married are all lucky people like my parents. I cannot live like my mother. Neither like my father. I value myself over anything else, so when I think so, I really don’t feel up to it.”

“Hm.”

“Obviously, other husbands wouldn’t be people who wash the dishes and do household chores without being asked just like my father, and they wouldn’t be sweet to their wife like from the very first day despite growing old… My aunt said so too. That I am right. That my father is kind of an oddball.”

Si-Jin laughed lightly.

“…She says that a typical husband is usually a bit lacking, so his wife has to follow him for the rest of her life to take care of his every minor matter. That this is what marriage is, and this is how all women are supposed to live. That’s why I say that if this is what ‌being married is like, then I refuse.”

As Na-Yool unconsciously blurted it all out, the sight of Si-Jin who was listening caught her eyes, and she choked for a moment. He would not think her words held a meaningful message within, right? Such as, telling him to marry well, or hinting that she was thinking about marrying him and under which conditions…

So many trivial and ridiculous thoughts had run through her mind since yesterday that she could not count them. Just like Si-Jin did not look like someone who confessed his feelings for less than a day, she, too, did not look like a woman who started dating yesterday.

Only after finding no trace of perplexity on Si-Jin’s face did Na-Yool feel relieved.

“Could living like this really be called living? My older sister said that, if it is so, she would rather live like an unwanted wench, and our relatives all thought she was crazy and let it go. They pestered her since childhood, so it was expected she would explode… But then it was my turn to fall victim.”

“You also have a sister?”

The interrogative tone was filled with laughter. Na-Yool nodded with a calmer expression.

“Because of this, my parents do not have time to care about my marriage. Because my sister comes first. She is also a civil servant, you know. They deplore, ‘men should line up for her, but alas…’ In this world, my sister truly is a person of her own. Anyway, thanks to her, I don’t get managed by my parents.”

“Because she is your shield?”

“She really hates being called so, but it is a fact. Ah, and I have a younger brother too. He is a real headache, but how peaceful it is now that he is doing his military service! It’s a miracle that he went to college. I thought he would only ruin his life if he kept going this way.”

“I’m sure he will come to his senses.”

“A daughter, another daughter, and then a son. Anyone can tell how much effort my parents put into having a son. Naturally, he grew up spoiled rotten. They originally were satisfied with two daughters, but my grandmother kept nagging them for a grandson… Aren’t you bored? This kind of topic.”

“No, I like it.”

“…You are the real Kwon Si-Jin, right?”

Si-Jin burst into chuckles at the unexpected suspicion of identity. Na-Yool silently stared at his curved eyes and the soft arc of his lips, then suddenly asked in a seemingly nonchalant way:

“So, when did you like me?”

“……”

“Hm?”

The beautiful smile sculptured in his face abruptly stiffened.  Was it because it was too sudden? But then, could it be that he was feeling bashful about being faced by her surprise attack?

Na-Yool first was taken aback by his reaction. But when the possibility brushed her mind, her eyes imperceptibly opened wider. Just as she was about to go on, Si-Jin got up from the sofa, leaving her behind.

Certainly, it was not the right timing to admire how sexy even the back of his head was. Na-Yool was foolishly staring at his head when something caught her attention. She got up and followed him.

The tip of Si-Jin’s ears were flushed red like yesterday. Really?! It can’t be…

“Since when.” She asked again.

“……”

“Don’t be cute, how unlike you. Just tell me when—”

She closed in and tried to grab his arm from behind, but instead got pulled forward by her own arm. Si-Jin roughly bumped his lips on hers as if to shut her up and pulled off a short instant after. Na-Yool blinked non-stop at him then squinted her eyes again.

“It can’t be that it has been a while?”

“……”

“Are you maybe feeling shy? For real?! Is that why—”

Their lips met again. This time, his tongue broke through her lips and brazenly swept into her mouth. Surprised by the sudden strike, her tongue kept retracting, only to get hooked back by Si-Jin amidst wet sucking sounds. His aim to shut her up was long forgotten, their mouths passionately entangled for a while. Dazed as Na-Yool was, Si-Jin had already walked off before she even realized his lips had left hers.

She chased after the shoulders that had turned away from her, seemingly satisfied to have achieved their goal.

“How can you act shy!”

“……”

“When you do more shameful things yourself!…”

Their lips met once more. Each time their lips parted, Na-Yool stubbornly teased him — but Si-Jin being above her in terms of stubbornness, their mouths would inevitably crash into each other.

Si-Jin kissed her like a starving beast, and Na-Yool twisted her head for an opportunity to somehow raise her voice. Completely unaware that the kiss was getting deeper and deeper for this very reason.

“…Is it okay?”

A confusing question fell on her face. Still unsure about how she ended up lying back on the sofa, right under his body, Na-Yool met his eyes with a muddled look. His deep dark eyes looked fierce, but his patient restraint to not take things further was also reflected in.

Instead, his gaze brought Na-Yool a complete sense of relief. She found her answer. Nothing would be possible if she did not trust him. She nodded in a daze. As soon as permission was granted, Si-Jin took off her T-shirt and buried his lips in her pale neck.

The day lasted longer than any night.