Ch.115115. Inheritance

Kissing was still an unfamiliar act.

And it was always something that came without warning.

Suhyeok’s eyes widened.

Once again today, he froze at an unexpected action.

The warmth still lingering on his lips.

“H-Hana.”

“Seo-eun unnie told me.”

“…Huh?”

“Seo-eun unnie said that it’s okay to kiss before dating.”

Suhyeok wore a confused expression at her attitude, which seemed to be asking him not to question her.

He tried to make sense of the situation.

He was suddenly summoned late at night.

After a few twenty-questions-like inquiries and hearing that she liked him, he was kissed.

What on earth did Juyeon say to her to make her…

“Still, this is a bit…”

“Aah. Why are you being reluctant! You said you like me!”

“If you keep doing this.”

Suhyeok firmly gripped Hana’s shoulders.

Hana flinched, seemingly startled by his gesture.

As he lowered his head, his bangs fell forward.

“You’re making the difficult decision I made disappear.”

-Until Spirit ends, let’s focus on our activities rather than dating.

He thought that was the respectful thing to do for the band that had given him so many good memories.

Also, he believed it was the best way for everyone to get along well until the end.

“So no. I’m not saying I want to date you right away.”

Hana decided to be bold instead.

They had already kissed, so what was there to fear?

“Besides, frankly speaking, you could reject me anytime if you wanted to. If you pushed me away with force, I wouldn’t be able to do anything, right?”

Kissing is certainly not something one can do alone.

Just as it takes two hands to clap, a kiss cannot happen if one person firmly refuses.

“Look. Lee Suhyeok.”

A provocative smile formed on Hana’s lips.

She wrapped her arms around Suhyeok’s neck.

“You’re not doing anything to stop me even now.”

Suhyeok, who had been woken from sleep, was troubled by the trial before him.

Was this even a trial to begin with?

After he had confessed that he liked her, the level of Hana’s advances had risen to an unbelievable degree.

As if wanting to prove how much she liked Suhyeok, she was bold and daring.

“If you’re so hung up on having a relationship defined as ‘dating,’ you can just think of this as me doing whatever I want.”

Formality is important in relationships.

But Hana believed that what was inside mattered more than the form.

While declarations like “Today is our first day as a couple!” would certainly be joyful and wonderful, what mattered more to her was the underlying emotional connection.

An emotional bond that could be felt without words.

Without being bound by the shackles of language.

Hana wanted to draw out more of Suhyeok’s emotions.

She wanted him to show it.

That burning affection he held inside.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

“…Yeah.”

“Want to kiss one more time?”

The dim streetlight illuminated Hana’s light pink lips seductively.

The summer of their 21st year.

Perhaps the hottest season of their youth.

When Suhyeok didn’t answer, Hana gave him another deep kiss.

* * *

The night Hana disappeared.

More precisely, the moment Hana ran out.

Seo-eun and Juyeon, who remained in the room, were having a serious conversation.

Seo-eun persistently asked what the two had talked about.

Juyeon thought about letting it slide, but unable to resist the president’s inquiry, she surrendered.

“So I just told her like that.”

Juyeon calmly recounted what had happened to Seo-eun.

“…Juyeon. You could have just let it go. Did you have to tell Hana that? Suhyeok might not have wanted that revealed.”

It wasn’t necessarily wrong, but Seo-eun had hoped the kids wouldn’t have any conflicts during the trip.

“Unnie, I probably…”

Juyeon gazed at Seo-eun thoughtfully.

“I probably won’t end up dating Suhyeok.”

Seo-eun, who was about to suggest handling things amicably, swallowed her words.

“Come on… You never know about these things. Why go that far?”

“If Hana truly has feelings for Suhyeok, I probably won’t get a chance.”

Juyeon was cold.

A dry self-assessment.

That was the area where she, having lived as an outsider, was most confident.

“But you know, unnie.”

“Yes?”

“When I think about it.”

Juyeon pulled the pillow from her lap toward her face.

“My heart feels so pitiful.”

“I really like Suhyeok too.”

“Maybe I like him even more than Hana does, to an incomparable degree.”

Juyeon paused briefly.

“This feeling is just an obstacle. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Seo-eun moved closer to Juyeon and stroked her back.

“Does it have to be that way?”

“My first love is… just a stumbling block… I like him so much, but I’m just a nuisance…”

Juyeon began to sob.

Seo-eun hurriedly grabbed tissues and wiped her eyes.

“No, Juyeon. That’s not true, okay? Why would you say that?”

Once the tears started, they couldn’t be stopped.

“But unnie… you’re saying the same thing. You’re telling me to just endure it…”

“Always endure… always give in… always yield…”

“Unnie… I’ve spent my whole life… giving in…”

The timid girl had always lived a life of taking one step back.

She always got the last choice that others left behind, and she had lived diligently according to what others wanted her to do.

“…Don’t I deserve to be selfish just once?”

She had planned to let go if Hana and Suhyeok officially became a couple.

That was something she had told Suhyeok as well.

But if the two weren’t officially dating yet.

If she was still allowed a little time.

Juyeon wanted to try everything she could before letting go.

“Yeah… that’s right…”

Seo-eun couldn’t force her anymore.

Seeing her so distressed, saying “Just endure it anyway” was simply not the right thing to do.

“But Juyeon.”

“Yeah.”

“Please stay with Spirit until the very end.”

No matter what happened between those three, Seo-eun wished for everyone to be present on the last page of the 23rd generation.

“…Okay.”

“Ahaha. Then should I teach you how to win Suhyeok over?”

It was meant to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

But through her muffled voice came a response.

“…Yes. Please teach me.”

“Ah…?”

“If you know how to win Suhyeok over… please tell me.”

For Juyeon, she had already been quite proactive and put in considerable effort.

But it didn’t seem to have yielded any significant results.

She decided to learn guitar.

She tried to get closer to him.

But that alone seemed insufficient.

Balancing the scales that had already tipped toward Hana was an incredibly difficult task.

“Hmm…”

Seo-eun had to be careful with her advice.

The kids tended to follow her suggestions quite well.

“First of all, for someone like Suhyeok, it’s good to compliment him a lot.”

“…Compliments?”

“In a way, you two have very similar personalities. You and Suhyeok.”

“Yeah.”

People who often receive compliments and praise don’t place much significance on such words.

Like a model hearing “You’re so handsome.”

Similar to how a student from a prestigious university might just laugh off comments like “How are you so smart?”

But those who aren’t accustomed to compliments tend to cherish them greatly.

Naturally, affection tends to gravitate toward those who frequently offer compliments.

In a way, it was the most basic method of showing goodwill, but Juyeon had never specifically thought about it.

“Wait… *sniff* Let me get my phone…”

Juyeon began to write down Seo-eun’s words.

After noting everything, she looked up at Seo-eun with round eyes.

“Umm…?”

“…Is that all?”

A look that suggested she’d be disappointed if there wasn’t more advice.

Although Seo-eun wondered if this was the right thing to do, she shared some universally applicable tips.

“Hmm… Natural skinship is important too, in a way.”

“Like putting an arm around the shoulder, or creating situations where your hands overlap.”

Instead of responding, Juyeon just moved her thumbs diligently, typing.

“…What else?”

“And also, umm… for guys like Suhyeok, it’s better to take the initiative. Rather than waiting for him to suggest something…”

How long had she been sharing her know-how?

By the time Hana returned from her secret meeting with Suhyeok, she found her spot had been taken.

Seo-eun was asleep on the queen-sized bed with disheveled hair.

In her arms, Juyeon was nestled against her chest as if she were her daughter.

Hana looked down at Juyeon sleeping in Seo-eun’s embrace.

The eyes that gazed at her had changed quite a bit over the past year.

“Only until winter.”

After the winter performance, Hana had no intention of tolerating Juyeon’s cunning advances.