Ch.7979. I Really Like You [Illustration]

As I held Hwa Nabi in my arms, my true feelings naturally flowed out. It was a confession made partly on impulse, without any particular mood or setting. For a moment, I worried about what would happen if she rejected me, but fortunately, no such misfortune occurred.

It’s awkward to say it myself, but Hwa Nabi felt the same way I did. When she nodded at my confession and told me she liked me too, my whole body tingled with excitement. Of course, I tried not to show it too much, afraid of looking foolish.

Well… up to that point, everything was good. Confessing our feelings that we’d been hiding from each other, and sharing a kiss to confirm those feelings—it couldn’t have been more perfect.

But usually after confessing like this… aren’t there certain things that should follow?

You know, like going back to our respective homes, thinking about what just happened, kicking the blankets in excitement. Or clutching our phones, eagerly waiting for the other person to contact us, hearts fluttering—that sort of thing.

“…But why am I here?”

Lost in thought for a moment, I came to my senses at the sound of movement from the dressing room and looked around.

Inside the dark bedroom with the lights off, in a world illuminated only by the soft glow of mood lighting… I was sitting on a bed.

And not just any bed, but the one Hwa Nabi usually sleeps in.

“Ah.”

I don’t know how things ended up like this. According to my plan, I should be back home by now, clutching my phone and sharing those fluttery feelings with Hwa Nabi.

Exchanging our usual conversations but with hearts pounding, getting excited over every little thing said… that’s how it should have been. Because that’s what I considered the textbook version of fresh romance.

But looking at the situation now, that wasn’t the case. We seemed to be skipping several steps ahead. I couldn’t explain exactly what those steps were, but still.

-Creeak.

Just then, the closed bedroom door opened. With her pink hair still damp, wearing not pajamas but a shower robe, Hwa Nabi peeked through the door.

“Siwoo, I finished showering.”

I could see that. But why was she in a shower robe instead of pajamas? Before I could ask, the door closed behind her.

“Ah, I’m tired. You must be tired too, right?”

Perhaps because of the tightly fastened waist belt, certain parts of her body seemed more pronounced than usual. Especially the front part that I couldn’t put into words.

“Y-yeah.”

While my gaze was captivated by her waistline, she slowly walked over and carefully sat down beside me.

“Shall we go to sleep now?”

“Ah… sure.”

The lights were already off, and we’d both finished washing up, so we could just lie down and sleep. I waited for Hwa Nabi to lie down first. I thought I’d feel more at ease once I saw her getting ready to sleep.

But Hwa Nabi didn’t lie down right away. Sitting with her thighs modestly together, she just stared at me with her large eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I don’t have a pillow.”

“If that’s not a pillow, then what is it?”

I pointed to the pillow at the head of the bed, and Hwa Nabi’s face immediately turned pouty. Then she gave me a very peculiar look, staring at me intently…

It seemed like she was asking, “Are you really that clueless?” Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat.

“What exactly do you want me to do?”

“First, lie down here.”

Saying that, Hwa Nabi patted the spot next to her at the head of the bed. Arguing would just prolong the conversation, right? I obediently lay down on the bed.

“Heh.”

With a slight smile, Hwa Nabi lay down beside me. She nudged my right arm and added coyly:

“Oh, here’s my pillow.”

Ah, so she wanted me to be her arm pillow. Finally understanding, I carefully extended my right arm. Hwa Nabi, as if she had been waiting for this, happily slipped my arm under her neck.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“Not at all. It feels nice and comfortable.”

Hwa Nabi looked genuinely comfortable. It seemed she wasn’t just saying it to be polite.

Well, it might be a bit uncomfortable for me having to keep my arm extended, but if Hwa Nabi likes it, that’s what matters. While I was quietly thinking, Hwa Nabi turned to face me.

“Siwoo.”

“What?”

“So, are we dating now?”

Without any warning, that key question suddenly emerged, leaving me momentarily speechless. I wondered what she was trying to get at—she’s really unpredictable.

After calming my surprised heart and thinking for a moment, I responded.

“Weren’t we already engaged? Isn’t ‘dating’ a bit redundant?”

Actually, couldn’t we already be considered half-dating? We hadn’t officially confessed before, so we weren’t officially dating, but we were something just short of that.

That’s what I thought when I said it, but Hwa Nabi suddenly turned serious and poked my cheek.

“Siwoo, what are you saying? Our engagement was only a superficial relationship.”

“Are you saying our internal relationship was different?”

“Of course. In reality, we weren’t anything to each other until now.”

“…”

Well… objectively speaking, she’s not wrong. As Hwa Nabi said, our engagement was forced by our parents, and neither of our opinions were considered.

That’s true, but having it pointed out so bluntly left me at a loss for words. I don’t think I reacted this way when similar things were said before… hmm, why am I like this now?

I should have brushed it off smoothly as usual, but complex emotions prevented me from doing so quickly. Perhaps my inner feelings showed on my face, because Hwa Nabi’s voice rose slightly.

“…Siwoo, you’re not angry, are you?”

‘Angry’ isn’t quite the right word. If I had to label my current emotion, it would probably be ‘hurt feelings.’

“Um… Siwoo, I’m sorry. Are you really angry? That’s not what I meant…”

Hwa Nabi approached slowly with a genuinely apologetic expression. Thinking this might lead to a misunderstanding if left alone, I smiled and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

“Eek!”

Hwa Nabi’s body was light, making it easy to pull her in. She let out an adorable squeal as she fell into my arms. Looking up at me with trembling eyes, she asked:

“S-Siwoo? You weren’t angry?”

When did I say that? —saying that would ruin the mood. Instead, I gently kissed her forehead.

“…Ah.”

Hwa Nabi lowered her head shyly. Yet with flushed cheeks, she kept glancing at me, which I found incredibly endearing.

“Come here.”

I pulled her closer, trapping her in my arms. She seemed surprised for a moment, but soon relaxed and leaned against me.

With my free left arm, I stroked the back of her head and said:

“So what if we weren’t anything until now? We can be something special from now on.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

Perhaps out of extreme embarrassment, Hwa Nabi, with bright red cheeks, kept her lips tightly sealed and avoided my gaze. In our current position with our bodies pressed together, this only made her look cuter.

I gently stroked the exposed skin around her back. Her upper body trembled slightly. Success! Pleased with my teasing, I laughed softly. Hwa Nabi lightly tapped my chest.

“…Y-you’re always teasing me.”

“Sorry, you’re just too cute.”

“Geez, really… Don’t play these kinds of pranks on anyone else. I’m the only one who puts up with it.”

“Don’t worry, you’re the only one I want to tease.”

“…What kind of confession is that?”

Muttering as if in disbelief, Hwa Nabi reached out and brushed my bangs. I closed my eyes to make it easier for her to touch me.

Her gentle touch, those delicate fingertips left my bangs and settled on my face. She carefully caressed my cheek, then moved to press her index finger against my lips.

Once, twice. After touching my lips as if examining them, she said:

“Siwoo, you need to apply some lip balm.”

“How can you tell?”

“How wouldn’t I know? I can see it. You have drier lips than you appear to have, so don’t ignore me and make sure to apply some. Okay?”

“Alright, but…”

If my lips are dry… they should be moistened.

After answering leisurely, I gazed at Hwa Nabi. Her cheeks, bathed in the crimson mood lighting, looked redder than usual. Meeting my gaze, she quietly closed her eyes.

The intention behind that action was clear. Without further hesitation, I kissed Hwa Nabi. I tightened my grip around her waist and held her entire body firmly.

“Mmm…”

Sweet breath escaped through her parted lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and eagerly reciprocated. Pleased by this, I explored her lips even more.

After craving each other for a while, we naturally found ourselves in an embrace. I moved my hand to her earlobe. When I gently pressed her reddened earlobe, a lovely moan immediately escaped.

“Ahh…”

She opened her eyes wide and glared at me. It seemed she wanted to say something, but with our lips still pressed together, she couldn’t speak. She conveyed her message only through her cutely narrowed eyes.

‘I told you not to touch there!’

That’s what she seemed to be saying, but isn’t it human nature to want to exploit weaknesses? So I’m not at fault. Pretending not to understand, I continued caressing her earlobe.

At first she protested, but as I persistently targeted her ear, I could see her face gradually turning red. This was the reaction I had secretly intended, and I inwardly rejoiced.

“Haaa…”

When our lips finally parted, a deep, sweet sigh escaped from Hwa Nabi’s mouth. She looked at me with a thoroughly flushed face.

“Siwoo.”

Hwa Nabi called my name in an incredibly yearning voice. I held her tightly.

And after a slight pause, with an excited expression, she said:

“…Do you want to?”