“What I want to have is you.”

At Ji Ho’s words, Yi Soo was taken aback and at a loss for words.

What should one say at times like this?

As she hesitated, Ji Ho gently held Yi Soo’s chin and lowered his head.

As their lips met, a sweet sensation washed over her.

As their hot breaths intertwined and her thoughts began to scatter, Ji Ho slightly parted his lips and said.

“I told you what I want…”

Ji Ho’s lips curved into a slight smile, then gently touched hers again before pulling away.

With their lips nearly touching, Ji Ho asked.

“Will you give it to me?”

When Yi Soo opened her eyes, all she could see was Ji Ho.

Breathing heavily, Yi Soo just blinked her eyes.

“Hmm?”

As Ji Ho smiled brightly and asked again, Yi Soo slowly closed and opened her eyes.

With her eyes full of Ji Ho, she answered

“Yes.”

At that short response, Ji Ho felt a tingle down his spine.

As he gazed at Yi Soo quietly, he felt as if he was being drawn into her eyes.

“Thank you.”

Feeling overwhelmed, he captured Yi Soo’s lips again.

Thinking he wanted to possess all of Yi Soo, he savored her lips greedily, kissing her over and over.

He delved deep inside, thoroughly exploring as if to devour everything.

At the intense kiss, Yi Soo raised her arms and clung to Ji Ho’s neck.

Ji Ho’s hand slipped under Yi Soo’s loosely open blouse.

As the cool air of the room rushed in, his warm, soft hand gently caressed her bare skin.

It felt like electricity coursing through her body with each touch.

As always, it was a kiss so sweet it felt like her whole body was melting.

**

Ji Ho took two cans of beer from the refrigerator and came to the sofa.

With the sound of opening the can, a cool mist rose like smoke.

Yi Soo, her throat parched, gulped down half in one go.

The cold beer cooled her heated body instantly, making her feel refreshed all over.

“Ah. That’s refreshing.”

“You must have been thirsty.”

Ji Ho smiled at Yi Soo, then tilted his head back slightly and drank his beer.

Yi Soo watched him entranced, thinking even his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed was attractive.

When their eyes met, Ji Ho put down his beer and kissed her lightly.

The taste of beer on his lips felt refreshing.

Yi Soo smiled shyly.

Being with Ji Ho sometimes felt like dreaming even with her eyes open.

It felt like sitting in a luxurious high-rise hotel, taking in the faint pleasant scent and looking down at a fantastic view.

Moments that don’t feel real even though they are.

This was one of those moments.

“It’s pretty.”

Ji Ho said, looking down at the bracelet Yi Soo had put on him.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes. I think I’ll think of you every time I see this.”

“Me too.”

Yi Soo gently touched her necklace.

The necklace Ji Ho had given her hung around Yi Soo’s neck, visible in her deep V-neck blouse.

The sharply sparkling diamond suited Yi Soo well on her slender, white neck.

“Seeing this, I think it would be nice if we got matching ones.”

Yi Soo just smiled quietly at Ji Ho’s words.

Ji Ho lay down with his head on Yi Soo’s lap.

His soft hair cascaded down onto her bare legs exposed under her short skirt.

Yi Soo flinched slightly at the ticklish sensation.

Yi Soo stroked Ji Ho’s hair and said.

“The sales clerk told me when I bought it that a bracelet gift means ‘you are precious to me’.”

“That’s nice.”

Ji Ho turned towards Yi Soo and slipped his hand inside her clothes, embracing her slender waist.

His large hand gently caressed her smooth skin.

“Do you know what a perfume gift means?”

Yi Soo suddenly asked, as if she’d just remembered.

It was a bit ambiguous to call it a gift, but the first thing she’d received from Ji Ho was perfume.

It was also an unforgettable gift considering what Yi Soo had gone through because of that perfume.

“I wonder.”

“Do you remember the day you gave me perfume?”

“Of course. I remember.”

Ji Ho nodded as if it were obvious.

“Why did you give me perfume that day? We barely knew each other then.”

Yi Soo gently stroked Ji Ho’s head resting on her lap.

“I’m not sure why I did it then, but… I think I wanted to give it to you because you said you remembered me because of the perfume. I wanted you to keep remembering me.”

Ji Ho reminisced about the feelings and atmosphere of that day.

He couldn’t have imagined then that a day like this would come.

He chuckled.

“Is that really why you gave it?”

“Yes. I think that’s how I felt.”

“I remember you gave it so casually and nonchalantly…”

Yi Soo narrowed her eyes with a disbelieving expression.

“Did I?”

“Yes. Totally.”

Yi Soo nodded seriously with wide eyes, and Ji Ho burst out laughing.

It seemed like he might have wanted the faded scent in Yi Soo’s memory to be remembered more vividly.

Though he couldn’t explain exactly how he felt, it was clear he had been drawn to Yi Soo as if bewitched by something.

“So what’s the correct answer?”

“It means ‘remember me’.”

“Wow, I gave it with perfect timing then.”

Ji Ho said with a laugh.

Ji Ho’s hair felt soft as it brushed between Yi Soo’s fingers.

“I want to make a perfume of your scent.”

Yi Soo laughed in disbelief.

Ji Ho pulled tightly on the hand wrapped around Yi Soo’s waist.

Yi Soo caught her breath as Ji Ho’s sharp nose pressed against her soft flesh.

Ji Ho buried his face a little deeper and took a deep breath before pulling away.

“I wish I could smell this all day. I love it so much.”

Ji Ho said, turning his head to look up at Yi Soo.

He loosened his grip on her waist, then slowly sat up.

“I got it right, so give me a reward.”

“What kind of reward?”

Ji Ho smiled and lowered his head.

He kissed her lips deeply while watching Yi Soo’s eyes widen.

**

It was midsummer with a deep blue sky and fluffy white clouds floating above.

The days were long and the nights were short.

They had finished their park date, eaten lunch, drank beer, and shared sweet kisses, yet it was still midday.

“What should we do?”

Ji Ho asked.

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

Yi Soo couldn’t think of much they could do inside the hotel.

She thought it would be nice to just sit quietly and look out the window.

It was enough just like this, even if they didn’t do anything.

“We could go up and swim, or go out for a walk, or drink more.”

Ji Ho looked at Yi Soo with an expression that said anything would be fine.

Looking at Ji Ho, who seemed like he would do anything she wanted, Yi Soo almost forgot whose birthday it was.

Yi Soo smiled and said to Ji Ho.

“Do what you want to do. That’s what we agreed on today.”

“Anything?”

Yi Soo nodded and said, “Yes.”

She thought Ji Ho looked cute as he pondered seriously with a thoughtful expression.

There weren’t that many options, but after hesitating for a while, Ji Ho finally spoke.

“What I really want to do has to wait until night… For now, I’d like to take a nap first.”

Ji Ho said honestly.

Yi Soo blushed a little, taken aback.

‘What on earth does he really want to do?’

She couldn’t take back her word since she’d said she’d go along with anything.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, let’s do that. Oh, but we need to buy a cake. We couldn’t earlier when we suddenly came to the hotel.”

“We can buy that in the evening.”

“Right. Then.”

The thick blackout curtains turned the bright daytime into perfect night.

The sweat from outside had already dried, leaving their skin feeling fresh, but they showered as if in ritual before lying down.

As soon as their bodies touched the cozy bed, drowsiness washed over them like a lie, with the slight tipsiness from the beer and the refreshed feeling after showering.

“I’m getting sleepy now that we’ve lain down.”

Yi Soo said, wrapping her arms around Ji Ho’s waist and burying her face in his chest.

Ji Ho said “Sleep well” and pulled Yi Soo close.

When Yi Soo reminded him in a drowsy voice not to forget to buy the cake, Ji Ho patted her back, saying he understood and to just sleep for now.

“Make sure to wake me if you get up first.”

Yi Soo reminded him one more time before closing her eyes.

Nestled against Ji Ho’s broad chest, Yi Soo drifted off to sleep, intoxicated by his pleasant scent.

**

Yi Soo woke up feeling empty as she turned in her sleep.

She blinked slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.

But Ji Ho was nowhere to be seen.

‘Sleep well.’

The last thing she remembered was Ji Ho’s whisper as he pulled her close.

‘I asked him to wake me when he got up, but where did he go alone?’

Yi Soo thought, looking at the empty space beside her.

The darkness was identical to when she fell asleep, making it impossible to tell if it was real night or not.

‘What time could it be?’

Just as Yi Soo was about to get up to look for her phone.

Click.

The sound of the door and movement could be heard.

The sound of slippers dragging got closer and closer.

Yi Soo turned her gaze towards the sound.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes. Where did you go?”

As soon as she heard the familiar voice, Yi Soo felt relieved and pushed back the blanket.

Ji Ho sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Shopping.”

“What kind of shopping?”

Yi Soo asked with widened eyes.

She was puzzled about what kind of shopping he had suddenly gone to do alone after saying they would nap together.

“Buying the cake and some other necessary things.”

Ji Ho answered with a playful smile, his thoughts unclear.

“Why didn’t you wake me to go together? How can you buy your own birthday cake?”

“What’s wrong with me buying it? I got the one I wanted to eat in exchange.”

Ji Ho gently stroked Yi Soo’s frowning face.

Ji Ho pressed the curtain remote on the bedside table.

Beyond the curtains that parted with a soft whirring sound was the real night.

“We slept for quite a long time. You should have woken me up.”

Her voice was regretful, feeling like all the time had passed while sleeping.

I should have set an alarm.

“Why wake you when you were sleeping so well?”

“But it’s your birthday, how can I just sleep through it?”

Yi Soo looked at Ji Ho with an apologetic face.

“Since you slept well during the day, you can stay up at night.”

Thinking of Yi Soo who had been sleepy from early evening for several days, Ji Ho had deliberately suggested taking a nap.

He had lain quietly beside her, just patting her back so she could sleep soundly.

Now that she had woken up at this hour, he thought they could spend a long night together.

The thought alone made Ji Ho smile.

“You must be hungry, let’s have dinner now.”

While waiting for room service, Yi Soo was languidly leaning against Ji Ho’s chest on the sofa.

“Looks like we’ll just end up sleeping here and going home.”

With less than 4 hours left until midnight, all they had done since meeting in the morning was their usual park date, besides eating lunch and taking a nap.

Yi Soo sighed, holding her forehead with one hand.

“The day is almost over, and we haven’t done anything.”

“We can do things from now on. Don’t worry.”

As Ji Ho smiled brightly, the doorbell rang.

“That must be room service.”

Sirloin steak, vongole pasta, grilled scallops and mushrooms ordered through room service were placed on the table by the window with the night view.

It felt like renting out an entire high-rise restaurant with a great view.

“Let’s eat quickly. Then we can do all the things we couldn’t do because we were sleeping.”

Yi Soo, who had been taking a sip of wine, looked at Ji Ho with a tense face.

“What are we going to do now?”

“What I want to do.”

Ji Ho said with a chuckle.