Chapter 34 : It’s true

“What is this?”

Right now, Kim Dohyun hid under the blanket.

And then, he pretended to sleep diligently.

I still couldn’t quite grasp the situation.

“Why is he sleeping in our house?”

I looked at my older sister.

But my sister, with a rather indifferent expression, said, “Mom told him to stay over.”

“…What?”

“It’s dangerous to go out at that time. I brought him home like that.”

“But it was daytime, wasn’t it?”

“I waited until you woke up, and then it happened.”

I was at a loss for words.

“No, I mean, even so… how could…”

Even in that situation, Kim Dohyun didn’t move at all.

My sister crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“Thanks to that, something good happened.”

That’s true, but…

No, no! 

What is she saying?!

I messily ran my fingers through my hair.

What is this? 

What is going on?

I recalled that scene from earlier.

I had collapsed on the sofa, Kim Dohyun had pulled me in, and then…

Thud.

On the sofa, a breath away from each other.

That moment was still vividly imprinted in my mind.

The warmth.

The sound of breathing.

And, those very close eyes.

I absentmindedly brought my fingertips to my lips.

Had it been that close?

No, it was close.

Really, really close.

Thud.

Thud thud.

The distinct sound of my heartbeat.

I took a deep breath.

Even so, my chest wouldn’t calm down.

It wasn’t something I was suddenly realizing now, but why was my heart so—

Why was it so overwhelming?

I clenched my hand, slowly opening and closing it, reflecting on the sensation left at my fingertips.

This tremor… somehow felt precious.

I hoped this tremor would never disappear.

I, really…

To the point of no return,

I like him.

Just as my mind was becoming more and more complicated, my sister glanced at the clock and said,

“Mom went out for a little while.”

“….What about you? Where are you going?”

I asked urgently.

But my sister gave a strange smile and shrugged lightly.

“I know when to step aside. I’ll just leave.”

The moment I heard that, I instinctively shouted,

“Don’t you know the saying ‘men and women should not sit together at seven’?”

Then, my sister stopped at the door, a meaningful glint in her eyes.

“So, you smell like gym clothes…”

“Ahhh!”

“So that’s why earlier…”

“Stop it!”

I quickly covered my sister’s mouth.

She grinned mischievously, looking at me behind.

Following her gaze, I turned my head and saw the blanket over the sofa.

“And if I stay here too long, I think he won’t wake up.”

“He’s not a sleeping beauty.”

“So, what’s the way to wake him up?”

My sister suddenly looked at me with a meaningful smile.

What’s with that expression?

I really hate it.

It’s the same expression she always makes when she’s teasing me.

And—

“Then, the prince will wake him up?”

“What?”

I was momentarily stunned.

And then, that scene automatically replayed in my mind.

The calm morning light flowing in.

A man deeply asleep on the sofa.

I carefully lowered my head,

And softly…

Thud.

In an instant, my face turned red.

I bit my lip tightly.

My ears burned with heat.

The blanket even seemed to twitch, but it was probably just my imagination. Probably.

My sister casually threw out the last line.

“Do you know how to play hard to get? Don’t just pull away, you have to push too.”

Then, she closed the door and disappeared.

I stood there, staring blankly.

And then…

I muttered softly.

“No…”

If I push, it might fall.

It might disappear into the abyss.

I lowered my head.

My heart felt strangely uneasy.

I was still standing at the door, carrying complicated emotions.

My thoughts were a mess.

Slowly, I turned my head toward the sofa.

Kim Dohyun was still hiding under the blanket.

Why?

Why does that sound from earlier keep coming back?

The sound of our heartbeats intertwined,

The beats mixed together, so I couldn’t tell whose was whose.

Was Kim Dohyun’s heart racing too? 

Was that trembling as precious to him as it was to me?

I bit my lip tightly.

And quickly shook my head.

No this isn’t the important part.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Again, I glared at Kim Dohyun, who was still hiding under the blanket.

But, when is he coming out?

“….Hey.”

The blanket twitched.

Ah, seriously!

I took a short breath.

Then,I swiftly pulled the blanket off.

“Hey! What are you—”

My hand froze.

And then, my heart—

Thud.

I quickly turned my gaze away.

An awkward silence.

Unlike the emotions that were boiling just a moment ago, now everything felt excessively quiet.

I didn’t know how to handle the situation.

I couldn’t speak.

We just sat there, staring blankly at each other.

This stillness felt even more awkward.

Kim Dohyun, as if trying to change the subject, pointed to something nearby and asked,

“…What’s this?”

On the table.

There was a small, round device.

A lie detector.

I glanced at Kim Dohyun.

And then, pretending to be indifferent, I answered.

“A lie detector.”

Kim Dohyun asked again, with a blank expression.

“…Why is that here?”

I shrugged and responded.

“It’s a toy. My sister came in drunk and made a fuss saying she’d find out your lies.”

“Jihye noona? I can’t even imagine that.”

“Jihye noona? When did you two get so close?”

“We became close by bad mouthing you.”

I shot him a small glare, and he quietly averted his gaze.

Then, he quickly changed the subject.

“…You made something like this into a toy?”

“You put your hand in, press a button, and it makes a beep sound and tells you whether it’s true or false.”

Kim Dohyun still had a confused look on his face.

I added, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“It’s just for fun.”

He glanced down at the device again.

I picked up the lie detector from the table.

“Do you trust it?”

Kim Dohyun asked cautiously.

I grinned and answered.

“It’s about 50% accurate.”

He responded, sounding baffled.

“…Then it’s useless.”

“Believe it or not.”

I playfully flicked the device with my finger.

Then, Kim Dohyun silently looked down at me.

“So? How about it?”

I asked with a sly smile.

“Want to try it?”

A brief silence.

Kim Dohyun still stared at the lie detector.

His eyes stayed fixed, unable to look away out of curiosity.

“Okay.”

I stared intently at Kim Dohyun, holding the lie detector in my hand.

After a moment of hesitation, he slowly reached out his hand.

I seized the opportunity and swiftly placed his hand into the device.

Kim Dohyun pressed the button with a nonchalant expression.

A short beep sounded from the device.

Good, now let’s begin.

I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed.

“First question.”

I deliberately lowered my voice and asked, like an interrogator.

“Tell the truth. Why did you hide under the blanket earlier?”

The answer was probably because he was embarrassed or awkward.

I wanted to hear him admit it with his own words.

Kim Dohyun glanced at me briefly.

He pursed his lips slightly before slowly responding.

“Just trying to get my mind straight.”

Truth.

I froze, staring at him.

Then Kim Dohyun, as if it was nothing, looked down at the device and said,

“This is more fun than I thought.”

What?

Is it just me, or is my heart pounding faster than before?

“Kim Dohyun, when you bumped into me on the sofa earlier…”

I mischievously raised the corner of my mouth.

“Did your heart race?”

A brief silence.

Kim Dohyun blinked quietly.

His finger hovered over the button for a moment.

At that moment, I subtly held my breath.

And then….

“…No.”

Lie.

I froze.

Kim Dohyun also stopped.

In the brief silence,

My heartbeat echoed loudly.

Kim Dohyun quietly extended the lie detector toward me.

“What… What is it?”

“You have to do it too.”

“Why me?”

“Don’t you know the phrase ‘give and take’?”

I quietly placed my hand into the lie detector.

“What are you going to ask?”

Kim Dohyun looked down for a moment, as if thinking, then spoke.

“Hmm, did you smell my gym clothes?”

I reflexively tried to pull my hand away, but then realized it was already too late.

“…No.”

Beep—

Lie.

“This thing is broken.”

I hurriedly put the device down.

Kim Dohyun flinched, looking at the device before giving a slight smirk.

“Hmm…”

His reaction somehow bothered me.

“No, I just thought it might smell. You know, it was raining, and I was sweating, so what if it smelled?”

“It doesn’t look broken to me.”

Kim Dohyun, with his arms crossed, spoke slowly.

“You’re confessing so easily.”

“Ah.”

I froze for a moment, then closed my mouth.

Was I being wronged?

I glanced at Kim Dohyun.

His expression was annoyingly smug.

I wanted to say something more, but it felt like I shouldn’t lose this argument.

So, impulsively, I rolled up the sleeve of my gym clothes and shoved it right in front of Kim Dohyun’s face.

“Hey, hey, what—”

He flinched and stepped back.

But I didn’t give up.

“Smell it! It doesn’t smell! I really didn’t smell it.”

However, at that moment, I felt Kim Dohyun freeze up for a second.

The playful glint in his eyes from earlier, suddenly wavered.

His breathing slowed a bit, and even blinking seemed slightly delayed.

I suddenly felt like the sleeve of my gym clothes in my hand had become strangely heavy.

“….Hey?”

I blinked and carefully observed his face.

But, Kim Dohyun, with his lips slightly clenched, didn’t say a word.

“…Hey, what’s wrong?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

Wait, does it really smell?

I suddenly panicked and put the sleeve back to my nose, sniffing.

But… it doesn’t smell?

Then…

“Enough.”

Kim Dohyun quietly reached out and gently grabbed my wrist, lowering my hand.

“Seriously, stop.”

His voice had lowered a bit.

“…?”

I felt a strange sensation.

In front of me, Kim Dohyun took a slight breath.

And,he blinked faster than usual.

I couldn’t understand why he was reacting like this at all.

However…

“…”

The fingertips lightly holding my wrist were shaking ever so slightly.

Tilting my head, I again extended the lie detector toward Kim Dohyun.

“We take turns doing it, right?”

‘You’re dead now.’

What kind of question can I ask that will make him embarrassed or struggle to answer?

After a moment of thought, one question came to mind.

“That drink wasn’t a one plus one, right?”

Kim Dohyun answered in a calm voice.

“Yeah.”

Beep—

Truth.

I tried to calm my fluttering heart and asked.

“Then why did you give it to me?”

“That’s for another time. It’s my turn now.”

Kim Dohyun pulled his hand away from the device and spoke.

I bit my lip.

He hesitated for a moment, then quietly asked.

“Were you joking that time?”

“What do you mean?”

“The thing you said to me at first.”

At first, I didn’t quite understand, but then I realized.

That time.

The words exchanged while playing catch.

I took a deep breath and answered.

“Do you think it was a joke?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry, but it wasn’t a joke.”

Truth.

Kim Dohyun froze.

I watched his reaction and bit my lip.

For some reason, my heart was beating faster.

“That’s why I invited you to go see the fireworks too. You said it was your first time seeing them.”

Beep!

Truth.

He quickly turned his head. However, he couldn’t hide the redness creeping up to his ears.

Now it was my turn. I asked him a question.

“Why did you give me the drink?”

Kim Dohyun answered after a short silence.

“You looked like you were feeling down.”

Beep—

Truth.

“I was too embarrassed to say it, so I just gave it to you.”

Beep—

Truth.

I reluctantly turned my gaze away.

However, even after saying that, Kim Dohyun had a calm expression on his face.

For some reason, it felt a little annoying.

Beep.

At first, I could laugh it off, but as the sound repeated, the atmosphere started to feel strange.

I chuckled playfully and asked the next question.

“Do you still have the video of me singing?”

At that moment, Kim Dohyun laughed.

“Are you really going to ask that question? You’re going to regret it.”

“Just answer!”

He said with an annoying voice.

“Yeah. It worked well.”

Beep—!

Truth.

“Sigh. Why is this the truth?”

I covered my face.

Now, it was my turn to turn red.

But then, Kim Dohyun suddenly made a strange expression.

His face became a little more serious.

“Can I go watch the competition this time?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. He was asking such a question but being so serious about it.

“Of course, you can. Honestly, I’d like it if you did.”

Beep—

Truth.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

“Hey, that was too obvious of a question. Ask me something more fun.”

And I immediately regretted giving him the opportunity.

“The day you first called me.”

I flinched.

“You didn’t hang up right away, did you?”

I was momentarily speechless.

And then—

“…Yeah.”

Beep—!

For a brief moment, the light air seemed to twist strangely.

Kim Dohyun’s gaze wavered, and I swallowed dryly.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Something felt off.

The question he asked kept echoing in my mind.

Did he hear what I said back then?

“…Why? Why are you asking?”

“…I was just wondering if you snored.”

He returned to his usual indifferent expression. His reaction made me feel foolish for being so nervous.

I set the device down as I thought.

Was he telling the truth? Or was he lying?

I watched his reaction, but didn’t say a word.

And then, quietly, I threw one more question.

“Do you like Nayul senior?”

Beep—!

The device gave a small sound.

The air seemed to freeze.

I had asked it as a light joke, but I was holding my breath too.

Before Kim Dohyun could answer, I realized I was more nervous than I should have been.

It was my question, but my heart was racing.

Kim Dohyun slowly looked at me.

Without even realizing it, I tightened my grip on the device.

And then he answered.

“No.”

Truth.

It was just a simple toy. A toy with only a 50% chance of being accurate.

For some reason, it was hard to look him in the eye, so I lowered my head.

I couldn’t stop smiling.

Maybe it wasn’t a crush after all.

I wondered if my first love might include him.

“Ah?! Really? Sorry. I must have misunderstood.”

My voice came out awkwardly.

When I turned my head, I saw the mirror.

In the mirror, he was looking at me and smiling softly.

It felt like I was seeing him for the first time.

His gaze was full of kindness as he looked down at me.

It was strange.

My heart started to beat strangely.

I buried my face in the gym clothes I was wearing.

The smell that seeped from the clothes made my face turn red for no reason.

I covered my face with the clothes. I didn’t want him to see the foolish expression I was making.

“Really?”

I peeked out, only showing my eyes, and asked Kim Dohyun.

Kim Dohyun burst into laughter as he looked at me.

“Really.”

In that instant, the sounds that had brushed past my ears began to fade away.

The sounds of cars from outside, the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, and the distant ticking of the clock.

One by one, they grew faint, and eventually, they completely disappeared.

It felt like I was floating in zero gravity, my body rising.

As the sounds faded, my senses became sharper.

Even the air seemed to ripple gently.

My gaze was fixed on him.

He was looking at me too.

His eyes seemed deep.

Though his expression was the same as usual, strangely, the warmth felt different.

My chest started to beat faster.

No, I didn’t even realize it was beating.

It just felt like the place where my heart was was getting warmer.

I even forgot to breathe.

In the quiet, it felt like only the two of us remained in that moment.

When I blinked, I was back in reality.

For just a moment, it felt like I had been in a surreal space.

A space where only Kim Dohyun and I existed.