Chapter 93: Pepero Day (2)

At first, I thought it might be So-yul’s own kind of joke. I expected her to chuckle and offer me one if I waited a moment.

But no matter how long I waited, So-yul just quietly munched on her Pepero.

It makes me happy just to see my beloved girlfriend enjoying something delicious, but couldn’t she spare just one for me?

After a while, So-yul must have swallowed all of the snack in her mouth and let out a soft “hoo-hoo” laugh. As if teasing me, she added, “It’s delicious,” which only made it worse.

Then she took out another Pepero stick and, just like before, went “ahm” as she put it in her mouth.

But for some reason, So-yul kept her adorable mouth still.

Just like when I first arrived, she only silently looked up at me.

Her face was slightly flushed. Her eyes seemed to hold a strange expectation.

Her alluring expression that stimulated a man’s impulses, and her occasionally trembling body.

And on top of that… her pale pink lips that naturally drew my gaze.

By this point, even I couldn’t miss the hint.

“Don’t tell me you want us to eat from opposite ends and nibble toward the middle?”

When I whispered this question, So-yul hesitated briefly before gently moving her pink lips.

The Pepero stick in her mouth nodded slightly, as if responding on her behalf.

…Really, my girlfriend had quite an unusual way of giving Pepero to her boyfriend.

Well, since she had no reason to rely on anonymity, direct delivery was probably better. If she got caught placing Pepero at my desk, there would be no room for excuses.

But still, was it necessary to use the mouth-to-mouth method?

Or maybe I should think of it the other way around.

Perhaps So-yul had prepared the Pepero with a different purpose in mind from the beginning.

Earlier, So-yul had mentioned “an opportunity I didn’t want to miss.” At the time, I wondered what opportunity she was referring to, but facing this situation, I could easily infer.

So-yul intended to attempt our first kiss by giving me Pepero… that must have been her plan.

If that was the case, I had no intention of backing down. If So-yul wanted it, I would be more than willing to do it right now.

Since my girlfriend had made the first move, a true man should accept the challenge, not avoid it.

Therefore, I.

“Okay.”

I answered quietly and brought my face in front of So-yul.

Just this much made So-yul flinch and her shoulders jerk with surprise.

Then I gently bit the opposite end of the Pepero stick that So-yul was holding in her mouth.

This Pepero would be our excuse for a kiss. The moment it broke, our excuse would disappear. I needed to be careful not to accidentally bite and ruin the opportunity.

And so, So-yul and I were connected with a stick between us.

Through the Pepero, I could see So-yul’s lips trembling from nervousness.

The pounding heartbeat in my ears—I couldn’t tell if it was mine or So-yul’s, or perhaps both.

Even though our lips hadn’t even met yet, it felt like electricity was already running through my entire body.

So-yul’s face, which I saw every day, looked even more beautiful up close like this.

Her white, soft skin. Cheeks so bouncy they seemed like they would spring back if touched. A small but prominent nose. Long eyelashes reminiscent of a beautiful doll.

Along with her scent sweeter than chocolate… and her lovely lips showcasing their moistness.

Every aspect of So-yul put me to the test.

Since So-yul had initiated this, there was no reason for me to hesitate any longer.

I slowly bit into the stick and moved toward So-yul’s lips.

So-yul, who had been silently waiting for me with the Pepero in her mouth, finally seemed to have made up her mind and began nibbling on the snack too.

And so the distance between us gradually narrowed.

A sweet fragrance continuously wafted from So-yul.

Her fluttering eyelashes evoked a strange impulse in me.

Her occasional exhales made my mind hazy.

I wanted to press my lips against hers all at once because it was getting unbearable… but if I did that, the Pepero would break.

Controlling the surging desire, I inched closer to So-yul.

It seemed the same for both of us, as So-yul was also approaching me very slowly.

Our lips, moving to taste each other, were both incredibly slow.

Crunch, crunch. Only the sound of biting into the Pepero echoed in my ears.

In front of me, my pretty and cute girlfriend’s face filled my vision.

Eventually, as we got close enough to feel each other’s warmth, our eyes gently closed.

As the distance between So-yul and me gradually decreased.

Finally, when there was almost no Pepero left…

“…Hnn.”

A delicate sigh, as if she couldn’t hold out any longer.

And a snap sound that resonated like something solid had broken.

What had happened was painfully obvious.

When I opened my closed eyelids, as expected, So-yul had broken the Pepero and escaped far away.

With a completely reddened face, she pressed herself against the wall and caught her breath. She even fanned herself with her hand, as if her cheeks were burning.

Her moist eyes conveyed a level of embarrassment I had never seen before.

Truly, a girlfriend who didn’t deviate one bit from my expectations.

From deep within my chest, a chuckle involuntarily leaked out.

“D-don’t laugh…”

So-yul whined like a child, getting angry.

Sorry, but hearing this only made me smile more.

“I had a feeling this would happen. There’s no way my girlfriend would be this forward.”

“W-what can I do about being shy… I don’t think I’m mentally prepared yet…”

In response to my teasing words, So-yul defended herself with a voice mixed with breaths.

Of course, there was no strength in her defense. She had initiated this first, then ran away ahead of time. Even reflecting on it herself, she must have found it absurd.

Why did she attempt something like this when she wasn’t mentally prepared?

If she had told me after she was fully prepared, I would have jumped up even from sleep to do it.

Honestly, I felt like I was going crazy because she was so cute.

Without thinking, I reached out and stroked So-yul’s hair. I also added, “What should I do? You’re too cute.”

Even this seemed to backfire for So-yul, who was immersed in embarrassment, as her cheeks flushed even more.

Eventually, she tried to pout but quickly stopped herself—perhaps worried that I might pounce on her.

That too was such a lovable response that I simply couldn’t suppress my laughter.

Laughing openly, I asked:

“How about it? It looks like there’s some Pepero left, want to try again? If you try once more, are you confident you won’t run away?”

“…I don’t know! I won’t do it!”

Oh dear, did I cross the line?

After teasing her one more time, So-yul seemed genuinely upset.

She immediately turned her head with a “hmph” and took out all the remaining Pepero sticks from the box in one go.

Then she began to chomp on them with her tiny mouth.

This looked exactly like a hamster gobbling down sunflower seeds indiscriminately, which made me burst into laughter once again.

As So-yul’s mouth was nearly emptied:

“…Ah.”

After swallowing all the Pepero in her mouth, So-yul checked her fingers and let out a short sound.

Glancing over, I saw chocolate smeared on her fingers. It must have gotten there while she was hastily pulling out Pepero sticks in her anger.

After contemplating what to do for a moment, So-yul eventually brought her fingers to her lips.

Then with a light “chu” sound, she gently licked the chocolate off her fingers.

Watching this, I had an interesting thought.

I gently held the finger So-yul had just licked.

“…W-what?”

So-yul tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand what was happening.

Ignoring this, I slowly bent down and…

Softly placed a kiss on So-yul’s finger.

Then came a faint sweetness around my lips.

A thrilling current flowing from where my lips had touched.

And So-yul’s body instantly heating up.

When I raised my head, I saw So-yul with her face completely flushed red.

Her soft-looking cheeks, her small ears—all had a red tinge now.

“W-what are you doing…?”

So-yul blinked her widely opened eyes repeatedly, as if in shock.

Bringing my mouth close to her ear, I said with an infinitely playful smile:

“I thought this might count as a kiss, in a way.”

“…W-what.”

So-yul seemed to have lost her words at my whispered answer.

No words came out of her mouth. She only moved her lips continuously, letting out incomprehensible sounds.

Finally:

“Y-you’re crazy, really, such a dummy…”

So-yul repeated these complaints while starting to lightly hit my chest.

But what could I do?

So-yul didn’t seem to know that receiving such adorable attacks made my heart ache instead of my body.