“A hand is fine between a married couple, isn’t it?”

Unlike Do Hyun who was immersed in the role of a married couple, Joo still couldn’t fully get into it.

With a single touch of his hand, her head felt dizzy and her breathing became unstable.

Amidst the sound of the waves, her own heartbeat could be heard intermittently.

‘Yes. Beat wildly as you please.’

It wasn’t strange for her heart to race a little at the touch of a man’s hand after so long.

Leaving her pounding heart be, Joo looked at the black sea with a rather refreshed face.

The sand crunching beneath their feet made a soft, snow-like sound.

“Let me ask you something.”

A question was posed over the rippling sea breeze.

“I’m not your first, am I?”

“What… first are you talking about?”

“I mean kiss.”

Ah. Only then could she understand what Nam Do Hyun was trying to ask.

Her steps, which had been stomping on the sand, abruptly stopped.

“If I took your first kiss in addition to being your first husband, wouldn’t I be too unscrupulous?”

She shouldn’t hesitate, but the words just wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Nam Do Hyun reconfirmed.

“No, not the first.”

Shin Joo had clearly said it wasn’t her first at the wedding.

Because she said it wasn’t her first, he kissed her without guilt or hesitation.

But why, after a year, was Shin Joo acting as if it had all been a lie?

He could feel Joo shrinking between their interlocked hands.

“You’re right, it was my first kiss.”

“……”

“You’re really too much for me, senior.”

The half-melted ice cream stuck to her hand in a sticky mess.

She had no time to care about that.

All she could see was the dumbfounded Do Hyun, unable to say a word.

“Don’t you feel wronged? Giving it all to me.”

An absurd tone was directed at Joo.

She had never once thought that the first time was important.

But thinking about it now, it seems she just didn’t care that much because it was Nam Do Hyun.

“I didn’t feel very wronged then. But I’m starting to feel really wronged now.”

Because it seems like this man is uncomfortable with having taken my first.

And that left a scar on me, so I feel wronged. So I wanted to pay him back.

Preferably double.

Pushing away the sand hitting her feet, she stood in front of Do Hyun.

The ice cream she was holding fell to the ground.

She tried to narrow the distance with Do Hyun by standing on her toes.

Even with all her effort, their lips were barely touching.

Just as Do Hyun was about to step back from the suddenly closed distance,

Joo, with her eyelids lowered, grabbed the black jacket Do Hyun was wearing.

She could stop now, but she didn’t back down anymore.

She didn’t want to be the one cornered anymore.

Even though she pulled the jacket down with all her strength, Do Hyun’s waist only bent slightly.

But this was enough to crash her lips against his.

Smooch.

Her thick, pink lips that looked like they were biting a flower petal were crushed against Do Hyun’s lips.

The lips that had touched for a moment parted, but she didn’t end it there and stood on her toes again.

Slightly parting her lips, she boldly bit Do Hyun’s lower lip.

The strawberry scent of the ice cream she had been holding spread to the tip of Do Hyun’s nose.

Even though it was just an artificial flavoring, the scent mixed with her breath made Do Hyun’s head spin.

Unlike Joo, Do Hyun, who had been keeping his eyes wide open, couldn’t even exhale.

Focused entirely on the soft sensation, he couldn’t even grasp the situation.

“You… what are you doing now?”

Only after Joo, who had completed her double revenge, stepped back did words finally flow from Do Hyun’s mouth.

From a distance, a popping sound was heard, and fireworks shot up into the sky.

Joo and Do Hyun’s faces were painted in various colors under the yellow and red fireworks drawn above their heads.

“I thought there was nothing more certain than skinship, just like you said, senior.”

It seemed like she was doing impure acts while having innocent eyes.

What on earth did I bring into my house a year ago?

“Kissing is fine too, right? Since we’re a married couple.”

We’re holding hands anyway, so what’s wrong with a kiss?

His head rang hollowly because of Joo who said it so easily.

“Do you really think they’re the same?”

“There’s no difference to me.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying right now.”

“I don’t want to know right now.”

Ha. What should I do with that mouth?

She’s grown a lot. In one year, she’s learned to talk back properly.

At the sound of the exploding firecrackers and the laughter of the staff, Joo turned her body.

“I’ll go first.”

Taking one step at a time, Joo was running before she knew it.

Her chest felt heavy with her quickening breath.

Raising her hand, Joo covered her lips with the back of her hand.

‘I’ve done it.’

I pounced. I did it.

Perhaps because her hand was cold, the lips touching the back of her hand felt hot.

Joo’s legs stopped moving before she could take a few more steps.

She could feel Do Hyun staring at her from right behind.

Pretending to be fine, Joo moved her legs again and looked at the fireworks embroidered in the sky.

The fireworks that shone more beautifully than the stars and crumbled remained in the dark background for a long time even when she closed her eyes.

The kiss she shared with her senior was just like fireworks.

The shining afterimage remained for a long time and wouldn’t go away.

So it seemed like it would be deeply imprinted in her memory and not be erased for a long time.

Just like the first kiss she had 7 years ago.

***

“Ah, I’m thirsty.”

Saying unnecessary words, Joo took out water from the refrigerator.

As soon as she entered the hotel room, Joo regretted kissing Do Hyun.

The awkward atmosphere circling the entire room made it impossible to comfortably make even the smallest gesture.

“Do you want to wash up first?”

Even the action of Do Hyun taking off the jacket he was wearing and throwing it on the bed made Joo’s ears perk up.

“Or should I wash up first?”

Joo, who was sitting at the table pouring water into a white cup and drinking it, made direct eye contact with Do Hyun.

Their gazes were tied together, so she couldn’t even pretend to be distracted.

Do Hyun’s low chuckling laughter echoed through the room.

“Why are you so nervous? You pounced on me without thinking twice?”

The hand that loosened his tie this time unbuttoned the dress shirt buttoned up to his neck.

As the buttons were released, the dress shirt that barely contained his broad shoulders opened up.

Nam Do Hyun’s long legs headed towards Joo.

“If you’re going to be scared now, why did you do such a thing?”

Do Hyun, who was leaning on the table with both hands, bent his waist forward.

Joo’s focus instantly wavered at the deeply locked eyes.

“I’m not scared.”

“You are scared.”

Is he a judge or something?

He’s making assertions like that.

However, the reason she couldn’t refute again was because her clenched hands were telling her.

Trembling so much that she was even having difficulty breathing.

“I was just worried that you might have been upset. That I kissed you.”

Joo, who had been hesitating, finally spoke.

“I’m sorry for kissing you without your consent.”

“Isn’t it too grandiose to call it a kiss?”

“What?”

“It was at the level of a peck that kindergarteners might get on their birthday, so you don’t have to be conscious of me.”

She understood exactly what he meant.

There was no more delicate comparison than this.

Your kiss was so childish that it was laughable, it didn’t even qualify as a kiss to me, that was what it meant.

Until just now, she thought it was a kiss that would linger in her mind for a long time.

The lingering feeling was still making her heart race.

It felt like the blood circulating quickly through her body had stopped.

No, it felt like her head had been pounded hard.

“I’ll wash up first.”

Not long after Do Hyun entered the bathroom, the sound of water pouring down could be heard.

Looking at the bathroom door with resentment, Joo grumbled.

“Why do you have to hurt me while saying it’s okay?”

Can’t you say it a little more kindly, a little more affectionately?

What more do I want?

I should be grateful that you’re not kicking me out of the hotel room.

Tonight, there was someone who couldn’t fall asleep in this hotel room again.

The surprising thing was, the one staying up all night this time wasn’t Joo, but Do Hyun.

Perhaps it was thanks to him saying her kiss was at a kindergartener’s level.

Unlike yesterday, Joo had fallen into a deep sleep with a peaceful mind.

“Haa.”

On the other hand, Do Hyun, who couldn’t fall asleep at all, turned on the bedside lamp.

The soft orange light illuminated the white bed.

The tip of the light reached Joo, who was sleeping without a care in the world.

Leaning his back against the headboard, Do Hyun let out a rather stuffy sigh.

“I can’t fall asleep because of you.”

Both yesterday and today, Do Hyun couldn’t sleep even for an hour.

It was all because of Shin Joo.

Until yesterday, he didn’t know the reason he couldn’t fall asleep.

But as of today, that reason became clear.

It started on the day he offered her a drink.

“Do you want to have a drink too?”

For some reason, Joo had refused once.

She had also said that he would regret it.

“Let’s do it, regret.”

He had spit out those words with bravado.

It was because he had never once regretted anything he had done in his life.

So he thought, what a big deal could happen from one drink that would make him regret it?

It was complacent.

“It’s because you kissed me, senior.”

He didn’t know he would hear the words that he had kissed her, so it was an arrogant complacency.

If only he could turn back the pages of that day, he wanted to.

He was regretting it, unmistakably. None other than himself.

“Mm.”

Joo, who had been lying with her back turned, tossed and turned, turning her body towards Do Hyun.

As Joo curled up slightly, her white pajamas, which were not buttoned up to her neck, opened.

Her pale, almost transparent skin could be seen between the tightly concealed clothes.

His hands touched the collar of Joo’s clothes, which were loosened.

But in case he woke her up and caused a misunderstanding, he couldn’t bring himself to button it up.

“I guess I won’t be able to sleep tonight either.”

Do Hyun, who had kept his hand on the end of Joo’s collar for a while, withdrew it and lowered his head.

The long shadow cast under the densely packed eyelashes.

The harmoniously positioned nose bridge under it, the red lips with upturned ends.

He didn’t want to know how soft those lips were, but she made him realize it.

Now I understand.

Why you’ve been so uncomfortable with me.

“I think I’m going to be very uncomfortable with you, Shin Joo.”