Ch.5454. Yearning Heart

“…Siwoo, how do you feel about me?”

At Hwa Nabi’s unexpected question, my mouth, which was about to open confidently, snapped shut.

Hwa Nabi’s eyebrows were forming the shape of the number eight (八).

Looking at her expression, it seemed like she hadn’t thought deeply before asking… Nevertheless, I had the intuition that I shouldn’t answer carelessly.

“…”

While secretly swallowing my nervousness, Hwa Nabi’s emerald eyes stared at me as if trying to see through me.

Blink, blink.

After blinking her large eyes a couple of times, she looked at me and said.

“I won’t let go until you answer.”

There was no need to ask ‘what won’t you let go of?’ Before I could ask, Hwa Nabi had already wrapped her arms around my neck.

Just as she said, her eyes conveyed her determination not to let go until she received a proper answer.

Hwa Nabi’s green eyes looked like they might pull me in if I kept staring.

After gazing blankly for a moment, I carefully chose my answer.

What kind of response would not seem like a joke but would also cheer up the sulky Hwa Nabi…

After pondering for a while, I finally spoke.

“I think it’s cute when you act like this with me.”

To be honest, rather than cute, I felt more that she was lovable… but I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

At my answer, Hwa Nabi’s body trembled slightly.

“D-don’t joke around. I’m being serious!”

From her trembling lips, no less nervous than my pounding heart, I could tell she was just as tense as I was.

“I’m not joking.”

Thinking she might not believe just words, I muttered with an extremely serious voice while looking into her eyes. Hwa Nabi visibly became embarrassed.

With flushed cheeks, she tried to avoid my gaze… but we were still face to face.

Smiling lightly, I moved my face even closer. To see her more clearly.

“Your actions are cute, and your eyes are beautiful. Your lips look so soft that I want to touch them, and I want to smell your hair. And…”

“S-stop! I get it. I understand, so stop talking now, Siwoo!”

Perhaps because of my increasingly explicit desires, Hwa Nabi’s face turned bright red as she looked at me. But I had no intention of stopping.

Now that I’d started, I wanted to express my true feelings completely.

“There’s one most important thing left. Can I just say that?”

“W-what is it?”

Hwa Nabi asked me with slightly trembling eyes. It was essentially permission. So, all I had to do now was speak.

“…”

My mouth wouldn’t open as easily as I thought. The reason must be that what I was about to say was quite embarrassing.

How should I convey this to make it less embarrassing for me? As I fell into contemplation, only moving my lips slightly, Hwa Nabi looked at me with puzzlement in her eyes.

“Siwoo…?”

Since it seemed impolite to keep her waiting too long, I decided to be direct.

I took a deep breath to calm my trembling heart.

And then, I expressed my feelings without filtering.

“…I cherish you the most.”

At my words, which came out in a seemingly indifferent yet not quite flat tone, Hwa Nabi looked at me with wide eyes. She probably didn’t expect me to say something like this, but for me, it was only natural.

After all, Hwa Nabi is the person with whom I’ve shared the deepest emotions since falling into this world without any connections or anything.

No… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she’s the only person I’ve shared emotions with. Such a person couldn’t be anything but precious to me.

In fact, if it were up to my feelings…

“…”

Let’s stop these strange fantasies. Coming back to my senses, I observed Hwa Nabi’s reaction. After hearing my hidden feelings, what kind of answer would she give?

I hoped she wouldn’t laugh and ask what nonsense I was suddenly talking about… As I was thinking this and slightly avoiding her gaze, that’s when it happened.

“…Really?”

Suddenly, a plaintive voice flowed from Hwa Nabi’s delicate lips. I was startled and met her gaze.

Hwa Nabi was looking at me with a face that seemed like the world had collapsed. Since I hadn’t expected such a reaction, my heart pounded violently for a moment.

“Yes… really.”

“…Really, really? Not a joke?”

Hwa Nabi demanded the truth with a trembling voice, and I quietly nodded to indicate that it was true.

But Hwa Nabi didn’t seem to believe it. Though she didn’t say anything, I could feel it in her eyes as she stared at me.

“…”

What her eyes demanded was not just verbal truth but something else. Eyes that seemed to desperately desire something, strongly appealing.

I felt the urge to see those moist eyes up close.

“…What would make you believe me?”

With my self-control half gone, I whispered in her ear. Her earlobe, touched by my breath, instantly turned red.

I gently caressed her ear, chin, and nape in order, and whispered once more.

“If you don’t tell me now, I’ll do as I please.”

I don’t know what confidence made me utter such words when I myself didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do.

As if mocking my declaration, Hwa Nabi, looking up at me, muttered softly.

“…As if you have the courage to touch me anyway.”

It was an ambiguous sound, whether provocation or seduction, I couldn’t tell. But it didn’t matter what it was.

An honest desire, surprising even to myself, welled up from deep within my chest.

I want to touch her. I want to get closer. And…

“See, Siwoo can’t do anything even now, right?”

She says something annoying while looking straight at me. It was obviously said for me to hear, a clear provocation. But it was enough to ignite my heart.

I wrapped my arm around Hwa Nabi’s waist and carefully caressed her cheek. As if soothing a disobedient cat, I moved my hand to gently stroke under her chin, causing a red flower to bloom on her cheeks.

“You shouldn’t say such things to a man so carelessly.”

“Looking at Siwoo… I think it’s okay?”

“Do you really think so?”

There was no answer from Hwa Nabi. No, I made it impossible for her to answer.

Just before she was about to say something.

I slightly lifted her chin and covered her lips with mine.

“…!”

At that moment, Hwa Nabi was so surprised she didn’t know what to do. Her lips still pressed against mine, she looked at me with wide eyes. I gently stroked her cheek, conveying a message to calm down.

Soon, Hwa Nabi naturally surrendered herself to me. Slowly closing her eyes, she also moved her hands to a position where she could wrap them around my waist.

With consideration for her, I pressed my body closer and explored her lips.

A warm, soft sensation. It felt like electricity was running through my entire body, making my hands and feet tingle.

Just as my body was gradually heating up…

“Haa…”

Perhaps because she was out of breath, Hwa Nabi suddenly separated her lips and let out a heated sigh. While she caught her breath, I kissed her cheek and the corner of her mouth in order.

“…Mmh.”

The sweetest sound in the world flowed from her red lips. Hwa Nabi’s breathing was still rough.

But I had no intention of being considerate. If she provoked me, shouldn’t she pay the price? I thought she had rested enough. I embraced her more strongly and brought my lips closer.

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“…How can I not?”

You’ll have to figure that out yourself. After saying that, I pressed my lips against hers again. To punish her for her impudent provocation, I brought my hand to her earlobe.

When I pressed her soft earlobe firmly, Hwa Nabi’s eyebrows trembled.

Then she slightly opened her closed eyes and glared at me. It was like a look reproaching me for playing around, but while kissing, it only made her look more lovable.

After pressing her earlobe firmly a few more times, a sweet sigh escaped from Hwa Nabi’s lips that were pressed against mine.

Then she tried to pull her head back slightly and separate her lips. It seemed like she was out of breath again… but I had no intention of letting her stop.

I held her so she couldn’t break away from me and continued to kiss her. Whether her breathing became rough or not, I explored her one-sidedly without caring. Eventually, she gave up trying to separate and obediently responded to my demands.

“Whew…”

Only after a long time did I, satisfied, finally let her go.

Looking at Hwa Nabi, who was still looking at me with a bright red face, I wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and asked.

“Will you believe me now?”

There was no answer to that question.

Instead, Hwa Nabi quietly buried her face in my chest.

“…I don’t know, you idiot.”

I did it so she would understand, so she can’t say she doesn’t know, right? I gently stroked the back of Hwa Nabi’s head to make her look at me.

“You have to know.”

When I said this with a playful smile, Hwa Nabi’s face turned sulky. Something seemed to displease her.

“…Really, always just joking around.”

“This time it wasn’t a joke, but sincere.”

My previous actions weren’t jokes either, but I felt I should say it this way for now.

Hwa Nabi, with her face buried in my chest, sighed deeply.

“Sigh… how did I end up with a man like this.”

“No returns allowed, customer.”

That’s enough joking, I embraced Hwa Nabi again and gently stroked her back. Then, Hwa Nabi also smiled slightly and hugged me back.

“Why are you hugging me?”

“What about you, Siwoo? Why are you suddenly hugging me?”

“I just felt like it. Is that not okay?”

“It’s not that it’s not okay, so I’ll just stay like this too.”

“Sure, do as you please.”

After this playful exchange, there was no more conversation between us.

Instead, we embraced each other even more strongly, as if competing.

Both me and Hwa Nabi. Though we didn’t say it out loud.

As long as time allowed, we just wanted to stay like this endlessly.

“By the way, Siwoo. Can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Why are you so good at kissing?”

“……”

“…Siwoo?”