#29: Charge Me Not (2/2)
Being busted got Soojung so restless it contaminated her mood. It made her feel like she didn’t do her job well. And it sucked, because she’d actually given a double effort for this compared to her previous assignments. And it was perturbing to be around Sooyoung since that scene, because she couldn’t help feeling like Sooyoung was observing her, like Sooyoung was reading her out of the pages of a crime report. And it was even more perturbing that she had to be in the same room with her tonight. How was she to pretend in front of a person who knew she was pretending?
When everyone had finally disappeared into their own rooms to sleep, Soojung knew she had no reason not to do the same. Sooyoung was making the bed when she entered, and she gave a kind smile to greet her presence. But Soojung was feeling so screwed to not deem her smile into something else. Even so, she smiled back, and then she went for her bag to take her nightwear.
“We need extra pillows,” Sooyoung spoke as she finished smoothening the bed. “And an extra blanket.” She added. “Lemme ask my brother if he has-“
“I’ll do it.” Soojung offered, and Sooyoung paused before nodding her head. “Okay.”
She changed into her pajamas first before heading to Jongin’s room which was located on the left end of the house which separated him from the other bedrooms. She knocked twice and opened the door, seeing him lying on his back against the headboard of his bed while talking with someone on his phone. He immediately sat up from her visit, and Soojung didn’t know why the familiar photo she’d glimpsed from his screen got her instantly pissed. For the record, she was already pissed.
Jongin whispered something to his callmate, something like calling him back after five minutes, and stared back at Soojung. “What’s… up?” He asked reluctantly.
“Do you have an extra pillow and a blanket here?” Her voice came out impassively no matter how she’d controlled it not to be. She was never the type to infect her ugly moods to other people, but maybe deep down inside she was a little upset with Jongin. Maybe partly, though she’d been trying to refute it, Jongin had a share on why they got busted. She thought it wouldn’t stress her out anymore that he was oblivious as hell, but getting caught was an alarming signal. What if tomorrow his parents would finally notice that they weren’t a couple? What if they’d already noticed but weren’t just saying anything?
Jongin stood up and went to his closet and grabbed a cottony blanket. On his bed were two pillows, and he grabbed one and gave it to her along with the blanket. Soojung wanted to give him back the pillow because the remaining pillow he’d left for himself was small and scanty but she didn’t feel like melting from his kindness right now.
She turned around to leave, but her frustration was just frying her up and she couldn’t take it anymore, so she whipped back and said, “I heard what you and your sister talked about at the terrace earlier,”
Jongin got a bit shocked, but it didn’t really bother him as much as it bothered Soojung. Sitting back on his bed he said, “Don’t worry, noona wouldn’t say anything.”
“That’s not my point,” She said, “We got busted! I never got busted!”
Seeing the fury on her face, Jongin froze. He blinked down, looking like a kid who had gotten a scold from his mother, and shied away. “I’m sorry.” He said, “It’s not your fault, it’s my fau-“
“Of course it’s your fault!” She exclaimed in a whispering way, “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re on an act here.” She said, “You treat me nicely but I’m not just a common friend you brought here, okay?! I’m your girlfriend! You have to act like you’re in love me too! You can’t just make me do all the work here!”
Jongin was startled from her abrupt anger that he couldn’t speak. Soojung released a heavy breath, staring at him hopelessly.
“You know what, you’re gorgeous and all, but now I can totally understand why you’re still single.”
As she’s finally putting her observations into confirmation, just suddenly, something popped inside her head and erased everything back.
“Oh my god,” She gasped, “Are you asexual? Do you even have sexual urges? Does it even stand?”
Jongin furrowed so hard. He opened his mouth, but he couldn’t construct his perplexity into words. The silence was loud, as though a barrel drum was being pounded in a heavy rhythm between them or at least for Soojung, because she wouldn’t accept the possibility of her thoughts.
If that’s the case then maybe he just needed some activation?
Pushed by an impulsive idea, she strode towards him and pushed him down the bed. She crawled on top of him and clasped him in between her legs, not minding that he might see her breasts from the camisole that she’s wearing. Jongin was too stunned beyond reaction as he only stared at her face with wide bulging eyes. When he’s perfectly trapped, his lips started to shake, like he wanted to say something but his words were struggling to come out. “W-W-Wha-“ He started, and he looked terribly lost and cute and flustered altogether. “What are you doing??”
“Teaching you intimacy,” She said, and kissed him full on the lips.
The first thing that entered her mind was how soft his lips were. He wasn’t just kissable; he’s delectable, and she knew she wouldn’t break away so soon. She could feel his immobilized body underneath her, and she gloried from the absence of his reflexes to push her away. She totally had him unguarded. She didn’t waste time and moved her lips, softly sucking and tugging on his lower lip which felt so squishy by the way, making it even more irresistible and enjoyable to devour in spite of his rigidity.
She grabbed one of his frozen hands and placed it on her waist, her chest rubbing at him slow and sexy and feeling the briskness of his heartbeat hitting her own and stimulating her to make him nervous even more. Her hands were secured on his beautiful jaws, and she kissed him the way she felt about him, the way she imagined herself kissing him from that very first time they’d met; slow, but steamy; relaxed, but demanding.
Eventually the euphoria had completely consumed her head, and she just kept kissing him senselessly that she hadn’t noticed the first time he’d stuck his lips out and kissed her back. It must have been the hypnosis of the moment that had him reciprocating, but sure as hell that he too was loving it. There was a surprising hotness with the way he kissed, and it had sweetness too, and tenderness, that were deliciously bind.
She started deepening the kiss, trying to dip her tongue inside his mouth with which he caught on instantly, opening his mouth under hers and slowly, deliciously, delving into hers instead. She sucked on it, impelling his hot mouth to keep going as she reveled on the taste of bliss she’d never imagined to be intensely powering.
Jongin wasn’t stiff anymore, and his hands were on her hair, her face, her neck, holding her for himself and making her blood flame in an unexplainable way. The Jongin that was kissing her now wasn’t the clueless one, but the sexy one, hidden in the deepest part of him that had just been waiting to come out. He was starting to seek for control, impressing her with how fast he learned.
Her hand went down to grip the lower hem of his t-shirt, sliding it up and exposing his stomach, stroking her fingers on the smooth blocks of his abdomen and teasing at his groin that had him hardening, announcing his sexual functionality.
And despite her intoxicated state, something rejoiced within her, yet she was just too high to conceive it.
The man underneath her was hot and aroused; the sensations she’d caused him had him even more generated. His hands were now running through her waists, slipping through her clothing and leaving goosebumps on wherever he’d touched. Oh he had a power for this. His body heat was overwhelming. His kiss was reverential, raw, and somehow soothing her. She wanted him to completely take over now, but the sound of the opening door smacked them both to their senses.
At the doorway was a petrified Sooyoung, staring at them like she’d just intruded something she shouldn’t have intruded. Both Jongin and Soojung had their heads turned to her, their bodies still pressed on the same intimate position as though their reflexes got buried underneath the cloudiness of their heads. The room was filled with dead air till Sooyoung finally found her mouth. “I-I’m sorry,” She tried to make it sound casual, but she was clearly embarrassed. She moved her eyes to Soojung and said, “I noticed you were taking so long so I-“ She trailed off, “Yeah um, sorry for interrupting.” She reached for the doorknob. “Please continue,” Then the door was shut.
Soojung stared at the closed door for a few seconds before staring back at Jongin. He was so red in the face. Once again he was frozen, and he’s back to his original innocent self just excluding the thing inside his boxers that was still hard against her hip. She smirked about it, and she gazed at his cute bashful eyes. How lovable. She slithered against him naughtily, making sure she’d rubbed on his noteworthy erection which got him inhaling sharply. Oh how she wanted to celebrate.
“I guess we aren’t busted anymore,” She whispered. This was such a great turn. Not only had she scored a kiss from Jongin, it had also fixed the problem they’d just had. It was a blessing in disguise. And the best thing about this blessing was finding out that Jongin wasn’t totally insensible about intimacy! He knew; he just didn’t know he did. Now her job was to open his eyes in that world and make him aware that he wanted it, so that he’d finally see her the way she did about him. She never thought liking a person this fast could be real, but she, as much as she didn’t want to validate it, really liked him. Even though she believed that it was a no-no for a girl to like a boy more, this boy was an exception. While they kissed, some fucking thing just popped. She needed no time to say that this was it.
While she was reeling about her newly found certainties, something beside them started vibrating, and she turned, seeing Jongin’s phone flickering with the image of a pink-head on his screen. What little happiness she felt was instantly reduced, and she scrunched her face, thinking that maybe this had contributed to the reasons why Jongin was so imperceptive.
Irritated, she removed herself from him and grabbed the ringing phone and placed it on her ear. The person on the line started speaking the minute she’d answered, and she instantly dropped her jaws from the voice she’d heard. Dumbfounded, she slowly removed the phone away and showed it to Jongin’s face.
“This is a boy?” She asked in disbelief.
Jongin moved and sat down first before nodding at his phone. “Yeah,” His voice was uncomfortable, as though he’d yet to recover from what just happened between them but was going along. “He’s my bestfriend.”
“His name is Minnie??”
“It’s Taemin, but I call him Minnie.”
Soojung was too speechless to describe the explosion that occurred inside her chest.
“Ohmygod,” It was all she could say. “Ohmygod!” She jumped at Jongin so suddenly that he hadn’t anticipated it and they’d fallen on floor with her hands on his face and her lips on his lips once again.
*
“That girl is vicious.” Jongin seethed against his phone, standing far off the yard where his father’s birthday celebration was being held. A few of their neighbors were there, seated around the long table and making themselves busy with food and drinks and joyful talks. But Jongin wasn’t too comfortable to join the feast, not when he needed to sit next to that vicious girl who had been making his heart beat like crazy he didn’t know the hell it could.
“Why, what’s up?” Taemin asked on the line.
“She kissed me!”
Taemin made a choking sound, “What?! Really?”
“Yes!”
“That’s good news man! Congratulations!”
Jongin creased and scoffed, “Didn’t you feel the tone of my voice?” He exclaimed, “She kissed me!” He repeated in a louder, spiteful voice.
“I know! Did you kiss her back?” Taemin asked so promptly that it had cornered Jongin from the next rants he’d set to say. His heart ticked, popping some scarlet warmth to his face that all his words melted in his throat. After a small gap of silence, he bashfully admitted, “Y-Yeah,” his cheeks going hot all the more, “but she ki-“
“So you kissed each other?”
Again, he was struck, and it felt like he got served or something. “Y-Yeah but that wasn’t what I was-“
“Ohohohohomygod!” Taemin exclaimed, “With tongues??”
Now he was totally speechless. He could feel his embarrassment swallowing his entire head.
“Oooooh boy…” Taemin’s teased when he didn’t speak.
“You don’t need to know that.”
“But I gotchaaaa..”
Jongin released a frustrated breath. “Why do I always bother talking to you?”
“Hey there’s no need to be ashamed, French Kissing is like the most pleasurable of all the kisses invented,”
“But don’t you know how much that French Kiss would cost me?! Do you even have an idea why she did it?!” He took a big breath, “So she could earn more!” There was no other reason he could think of aside from this. “It’s a charge, Minnie! It’s a business strategy!”
Taemin giggled, “How much?”
“Forty-thousand won! I could still buy like 5 boxes of fried chicken with that amount!”
“Well at least in that amount you already have your first kiss. That’s a step forward.”
“Excuse me but that is not my first kiss,”
“Monggu is not your first kiss, Nini.”
“It’s not Monggu!”
“Then who?”
“Janggu.”
“Damn you.”
Jongin laughed despite his frame of mind, “No seriously I kissed a girl when I was 6; I can still remember her name.”
“What’s her name?”
“Soojung.”
“You just made that up.”
“No I didn’t,” Jongin said, “I met her at the Zoo.”
“At the Zoo? Was Soojung a dog there? A girl dog?”
Jongin clenched his teeth.
“Damn you.”
*
All Jongin could think about was how spiny he was that he’d have to pay an extra charge of forty thousand tomorrow. He didn’t have to be told that he’d be charged for it; he’d already figured out that woman’s scheme. He didn’t know how she’d planned it so smoothly, but she’d definitely intended to take advantage of that issue about his sister, and she’d used it so that she could get more earnings. Now he didn’t know how he could manage his remaining money if he were to pay for it. The only cash left in his wallet now was just enough for him to pay for the five bookbindings he’d had made for one of his major subjects, and he’d learned his lesson not to borrow from Taemin ever again because that guy’s a wastrel who would ask for the money back the next day after that. Most likely he’d starve till his next allowance.
The preoccupation would have been manageable if only his heart wasn’t just adding to it. It felt like the untamable beating of his heart had created an unidentified disc that was inserted in the vacant outlets of his head that made him hyperaware of things he’d never really given a close attention to before, like: a girl’s anatomy.
He’d been trying to brush it, but for some reason, his eyes would always find a way to stare at Krystal… and her body.
It’s like he could notice everything about her now. He could notice the way her coffee-colored dress followed her curves. He could see the traces of her bra on its thin fabric. He could notice how flat her stomach was, and how slim her waists were. He could notice the way her hips moved when she walked, the whiteness of her legs glowing above ground. He couldn’t stop regarding her anymore. Even if he tried to look away his subconscious was still monitoring her presence.
And being aware of these things made him feel like he wasn’t in his right soul. He was too distracted about her in a way he couldn’t understand. In point of fact, he’d been distracted about her from the moment they’d first held hands. But he’d managed to forget about it after some time. It was dumb because he’s supposed to know how things would be like, but when he got here it felt like he’d entered a different dimension. Suddenly there’s a person here who was showering him with a different kind of affection, and he wasn’t used to it. He had no idea how to handle it, and he had no idea how to treat it differently than the casual connection he had with people. He realized he didn’t know how it worked. It was so foreign, and at the same time, it was scary, because it was producing some tiny discomforts in his chest he didn’t know where the hell were coming from.
And the kiss triggered it all the more. He didn’t even know he could kiss like that, and touch a girl like that, as if he knew what he was doing. He would tremble every time he recalled about it; how he moved and tasted her lips while running his palm through the length of her waists, how he smoothly slipped his fingers inside her shirt and yearned to touch the sensitive parts of her body-how he wanted to get them both naked. It shocked the hell out of him, but at the same time, it actually felt good.
But then he shouldn’t view it like this. It wasn’t on the arrangement. They weren’t supposed to kiss. It was a scheme, and he was required to pay for it.
After the celebration, the young ones like him were tasked to clear the table and do the dishes. After sending the first batch of dishes at the sink, which were to be washed by the girls, he went outside again to take the remaining ones. Once cleared, he wiped the table and dragged it back to the terrace where it was usually placed. He piled the chairs and carried them batch per batch to the back of part of their house where a small storage room was located that was keeping the stuff they didn’t usually use.
Going back to the front yard, he saw his dogs lying on the grass so he decided to join them for a while. Janggah, the youngest of the three dogs, rested her chin on his leg the moment he’d sat down, followed by Monggu who chose his lap, and then Janggu, who simply laid on his right. Somehow, brushing their furs had a way of relaxing him, like it could cloud his thoughts and send him in a thoughtless daydream.
He was late to notice the presence that had taken the space beside him, when Janggu moved away and laid down upon the person's lap and beckoned to be belly-rubbed. With sluggish gentleness, a hand started rubbing though the dog's frame, and Jongin moved his head up to stare at the owner of such slender fingers. There, sitting comfortably was the girl whom he kissed so fervently last night, her brown hair blowing with the wind and giving her a mesmerizing quality.
She’d changed into her pajamas, he noticed, and a fresh rosy scent emanated from her skin. She looked dainty, like she could make him forget his views. She released a sigh as she continually petted Janggu, not removing her gaze away. "Hey doggie.” She suddenly spoke, and she sighed once more. “Why is it that your owner is avoiding me? Does he feel so off about last night that he can’t stand being near me?”
Jongin caught a breath. He froze, watching her pretend like she couldn’t see him. Silence fell again, and he could feel her sensing him out. She was making it obvious though she wasn’t staring. She could really be cunning.
Feeling the need to answer back, he said, “Come again Monggu?” He stared at Monggu who opened his eyes when he heard his name. “Me? Off about last night?” He tsked, “How about I’m just aware of her business tactic that’s why I’m keeping my distance.”
“Business tactic?”
“Yeah? Isn’t it called business tactic that she got him to pay for that extra charge?”
The statement brought her to stare at him, and he made sure she’d see the seriousness on his face. He was actually muddled, because the thing in his head and the thing in his chest weren’t meshing together, but he concentrated on the detail he might be sure about. The girl beside him was taken-aback, and he thought she’d try to explain, or try to deny, but what came next was a choke, followed by a loud fit of laughter.
He scoffed disbelievingly.
“Oh she thinks it’s funny.”
“No,” She giggled, “She just thinks he’s really cute.”
His heart stopped from what she said, and it affected his entire system that his body got immobilized too. For how many times for the past two days, this had been happening to him, and she was always the cause. And this time it tripled, and it was ringing some undesignated alarms inside his head. He was aware that she was just staying into character, but her actions, her words, were like drumbeaters that could easily poke his heart and catch him off-guard.
The moment he detected the certain irritating heat arising on his face, he instantly scrambled up.
“It’s late, we should sleep.”
He turned around for escape and walked toward the house.
“So he’s just gonna part with his girlfriend like this?” He heard her say behind him, making him stop on his tracks. “He won’t even send her to her room and say goodnight?”
The point of her words got him squeezing his eyes in frustration. She was right. No matter how discomfited he was with her, they’re still in an ongoing roleplay and they had to keep going. And it’s very necessary now because his family was still in the living room. So he turned back around, only to see her smiling so cunningly at him while reaching out her hand.
Of course. He even had to increase the discomfort that he was feeling by holding her hand. It felt like being lightly electrocuted, but the real impact happens in the chest. He released a heavy breath before walking back to her and locking their fingers together.
When they entered the house, they greeted the folks meekly and proceeded to Sooyoung’s room right away. He could feel their eyes watching them based from the sudden silence that diffused in the house. Even as they made it to the doorstep of Sooyoung’s room they were still watching. They’d never been this curious the past days, why were they now? Or maybe he just didn’t notice they were?
He finally let go of her hand. And for some ridiculous but truthful reason, it felt empty. But he ignored it. He had always been trying to ignore it. Scared of staring into her eyes, he looked sideways and said “Goodnight.” so quickly before turning around.
But he hadn’t even taken a few steps away when Krystal said, “You forgot my goodnight kiss, bae.” so loud and clear that everyone had heard it.
His heart lurched that instant and his eyes widened impossibly. He faced her slowly, disbelievingly, his eyebrows forming a crease, and what greeted him were twinkles of mischief in her eyes. There was a quirk of naughtiness behind the sweet smile on her lips, and he refused to believe that she was real.
Indeed, she was professional. Professionally cruel. And she wasn’t faint about it anymore.
He tried thinking of ways to evade it, but his family was closely watching and he had no other choice but to kiss her… and be charged again.
Well he could kiss her on the forehead, it wasn’t so expensive. Or the cheek. But wasn’t it signature that lovers kiss on the lips?
He hissed. There was that peck on the list that costed like two boxes of fried chicken. He decided that it’s the best choice he had. He sighed and told himself to stop depressing over the amount of fried chicken he could’ve bought with the amount that he’d (and was about to be) spent for this cruel girlfriend.
He approached her and shot her a scornful look, but she didn’t even look fazed, or the slightest bit of guilty of her antics. Her face was relaxed and gleaming, and she went closer to him that there bodies were almost touching. His heart skipped a beat, and her proximity did something within him. It’s like he lost control of his body because his hands were reaching up to her face, cupping her jaws, as though they’d always wanted to touch her face like this, like they’d always wanted to be there. Her lips curved in a small smile, and she tipped her head up, and slowly closed her eyes.
What the hell.
His heart was pounding so hard, but somehow he liked it, and he didn’t know why. He stared down at her waiting lips, and it felt like she was pulling him in. So he leaned in, slowly, and captured her lips in a chaste kiss. His plan was a peck, the quickest of the pecks he could manage, but he couldn’t pull away.
She tasted so sweet and divine and better than fried chicken but he couldn’t breathe anymore.
So he broke away, and from that small distance, he met her eyes sparkling at him. He stayed standing there, gazing at her face, her natural beauty so potent he hadn’t seen from anyone else.
It’s getting ridiculous now. To him she was wicked and cunning, and aggressive… but all he wanted to do now was just to kiss her again. And kiss her again, and again, and again after that.
*
Unlike yesterday, Jongin wasn’t being detached anymore, but he’s being silent more than ordinary. He’d actually spent a longer time with his parents that morning, but he hadn’t much spoken a thing. Everyone could notice that he was trying to entertain himself by hanging around, but he’d just only made it obvious that he was enormously preoccupied.
He’d become even more absentminded when it was time for him and Soojung to start packing. It was like he didn’t want to move, like he didn’t want to leave yet. It would be ironic to say this because last night he just looked absolutely like he couldn’t wait for all of this to be over, but now he just looked strangely… downhearted.
And it became even more apparent when his family dropped them at the bus station and showered them with words of support and blessings about their relationship. He smiled about it but there was no genuinity in it. He was really acting weird. He should actually be glad that despite their uncoordinated partnership they still got their subjects convinced, but he was as low-spirited as a prisoner who got sentenced into lifetime jail.
What could be his problem? Was it the charges that had him frowning like this? But that’s so shallow. It’s true that he started acting differently after the first time they kissed but he was more like peeved than gloomy. Was it because she pulled it again last night? Was it too much that he really had to be this crestfallen? Well if it really were the reason then sorry but she wasn’t sorry. She liked those kisses. She liked them very much that if she were to do them all over again, she’d still do them all over again.
Actually she should be the one sulking now because she’s the one who was having fucking feelings. After today she’s sure that Jongin would never want to see her again and it really sucked because she was so into him. She liked every atom of him. She liked his whole physicality and existence, even his naivety. He’s beautiful, he’s adorable, he’s huggable, he’s kissable-he’s just everything she wanted and more.
But he didn’t see her the same way.
But it’s also okay because she already knew.
They didn’t talk the whole bus ride. Jongin was surprisingly awake yet his eyes were on a distance space. The silence was really unpleasant, and Soojung wanted to break it but the person next to her was just evidently spiritless. She hadn’t encountered this part of him yet, so she didn’t know how to place herself so she chose to keep silent too.
It was already evening the time they reached Seoul, and Soojung thought of going to a karaoke bar and maybe sing her heart out there. As they stepped down the station, she faced Jongin and stared at his handsome face for the very last time. Surprisingly, he was staring at her too. His eyes were somehow trembling and somehow saying something, but she grew to know that Jongin would never purport anything deeper.
She thought of not pissing him tonight so she simply bowed, took a quick shot of his face in her memory box, and said Thank you and Goodbye.
But then the moment she turned around, Jongin dashed her way and held her wrist. She froze at the painful expression on his face, and watched him breathe rapidly.
“I still have 5 hours,” He said difficultly.
She creased, “What?”
“I still have 5 hours till the service expires so we aren’t done yet,”
Once again she stared so seriously at his face, and she became confused. “Do we still have another pretending business to attend to?”
“No,” He said, his lips kind of pouting. “I just don’t feel like dismissing you yet.. so you can’t go… yet.”
“Wow,” She paused briefly. “That’s surprising.” She bent back, “I thought you’re dying to get rid of me.”
“Did I make you feel that way?”
“Why, isn’t it true? You’re disgusted of me because of my business tactic,”
“I’m not disgusted of you,” He said, looking down and letting her hand go. “I’m just broke.”
His honesty made her chuckle. She pressed her lips and tipped her head to the side. “Is that why you’re so gloomy today?”
He twitched in surprise, as though he wasn’t expecting anyone had noticed it. He stared at her once more, and there was a flicker of concealment in his eyes.
“No.. it’s not.” He said.
But Soojung wanted to know. She’d been dying to know what that sadness was on his face, what that frown was on his lips. “Hmm, let me guess… is it because you’re away from your family again?”
“No.”
“Your dogs?”
“No,”
“Something school related?“
“No,”
“Is it because of your frie-“
“It’s because of you okay?!” He exclaimed, cutting her off. His chest was heaving rigorously, like he’d said something so hard for him to say.
Soojung froze, and she watched as his face exposed the dilemmas of his heart. He stood there, staring at her, making her lost. He dropped his head down and exhaled with difficulty.
“It’s because of you..” He repeated. “I’m sad because I probably won’t see you again and I don’t understand why I feel like this because I’ve never even been comfortable with you but I don’t want to lose sight of you. You’re something that will just cash me out but I can’t seem to dislike you.”
The veracity of his confession had Soojung’s heart exploding with happiness. He looked so cute, blabbering like that. He was so objective that he couldn’t recognize his own emotions when they were brightly there.
“You think all I’ll ever do is to cash you out?” She asked, hiding the smile on her lips. Jongin looked up briefly but didn’t speak. He was blushing like a tomato, and Soojung couldn’t believe she’d fallen for a wimp-an exceptionally gorgeous wimp.
“What if I told you that I’ve never charged you, will you get the hint immediately?”
“What?”
Of course. He wouldn’t get it. “The kisses are for free, Jongin. With you I am exclusively for free.”
“What-“
“Ohmygod do I have to say the L-word first for you to get it?” She groaned hopelessly. She could see that he was still trying to process her words, but she was never the patient type of person, so she turned slightly and said, “Just hit me up when you finally-“
But Jongin grabbed her back and sealed her mouth with his mouth until fireworks danced before her eyes. Oh he got it. He got it just fine.
#
When everyone had finally disappeared into their own rooms to sleep, Soojung knew she had no reason not to do the same. Sooyoung was making the bed when she entered, and she gave a kind smile to greet her presence. But Soojung was feeling so screwed to not deem her smile into something else. Even so, she smiled back, and then she went for her bag to take her nightwear.
“We need extra pillows,” Sooyoung spoke as she finished smoothening the bed. “And an extra blanket.” She added. “Lemme ask my brother if he has-“
“I’ll do it.” Soojung offered, and Sooyoung paused before nodding her head. “Okay.”
She changed into her pajamas first before heading to Jongin’s room which was located on the left end of the house which separated him from the other bedrooms. She knocked twice and opened the door, seeing him lying on his back against the headboard of his bed while talking with someone on his phone. He immediately sat up from her visit, and Soojung didn’t know why the familiar photo she’d glimpsed from his screen got her instantly pissed. For the record, she was already pissed.
Jongin whispered something to his callmate, something like calling him back after five minutes, and stared back at Soojung. “What’s… up?” He asked reluctantly.
“Do you have an extra pillow and a blanket here?” Her voice came out impassively no matter how she’d controlled it not to be. She was never the type to infect her ugly moods to other people, but maybe deep down inside she was a little upset with Jongin. Maybe partly, though she’d been trying to refute it, Jongin had a share on why they got busted. She thought it wouldn’t stress her out anymore that he was oblivious as hell, but getting caught was an alarming signal. What if tomorrow his parents would finally notice that they weren’t a couple? What if they’d already noticed but weren’t just saying anything?
Jongin stood up and went to his closet and grabbed a cottony blanket. On his bed were two pillows, and he grabbed one and gave it to her along with the blanket. Soojung wanted to give him back the pillow because the remaining pillow he’d left for himself was small and scanty but she didn’t feel like melting from his kindness right now.
She turned around to leave, but her frustration was just frying her up and she couldn’t take it anymore, so she whipped back and said, “I heard what you and your sister talked about at the terrace earlier,”
Jongin got a bit shocked, but it didn’t really bother him as much as it bothered Soojung. Sitting back on his bed he said, “Don’t worry, noona wouldn’t say anything.”
“That’s not my point,” She said, “We got busted! I never got busted!”
Seeing the fury on her face, Jongin froze. He blinked down, looking like a kid who had gotten a scold from his mother, and shied away. “I’m sorry.” He said, “It’s not your fault, it’s my fau-“
“Of course it’s your fault!” She exclaimed in a whispering way, “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re on an act here.” She said, “You treat me nicely but I’m not just a common friend you brought here, okay?! I’m your girlfriend! You have to act like you’re in love me too! You can’t just make me do all the work here!”
Jongin was startled from her abrupt anger that he couldn’t speak. Soojung released a heavy breath, staring at him hopelessly.
“You know what, you’re gorgeous and all, but now I can totally understand why you’re still single.”
As she’s finally putting her observations into confirmation, just suddenly, something popped inside her head and erased everything back.
“Oh my god,” She gasped, “Are you asexual? Do you even have sexual urges? Does it even stand?”
Jongin furrowed so hard. He opened his mouth, but he couldn’t construct his perplexity into words. The silence was loud, as though a barrel drum was being pounded in a heavy rhythm between them or at least for Soojung, because she wouldn’t accept the possibility of her thoughts.
If that’s the case then maybe he just needed some activation?
Pushed by an impulsive idea, she strode towards him and pushed him down the bed. She crawled on top of him and clasped him in between her legs, not minding that he might see her breasts from the camisole that she’s wearing. Jongin was too stunned beyond reaction as he only stared at her face with wide bulging eyes. When he’s perfectly trapped, his lips started to shake, like he wanted to say something but his words were struggling to come out. “W-W-Wha-“ He started, and he looked terribly lost and cute and flustered altogether. “What are you doing??”
“Teaching you intimacy,” She said, and kissed him full on the lips.
The first thing that entered her mind was how soft his lips were. He wasn’t just kissable; he’s delectable, and she knew she wouldn’t break away so soon. She could feel his immobilized body underneath her, and she gloried from the absence of his reflexes to push her away. She totally had him unguarded. She didn’t waste time and moved her lips, softly sucking and tugging on his lower lip which felt so squishy by the way, making it even more irresistible and enjoyable to devour in spite of his rigidity.
She grabbed one of his frozen hands and placed it on her waist, her chest rubbing at him slow and sexy and feeling the briskness of his heartbeat hitting her own and stimulating her to make him nervous even more. Her hands were secured on his beautiful jaws, and she kissed him the way she felt about him, the way she imagined herself kissing him from that very first time they’d met; slow, but steamy; relaxed, but demanding.
Eventually the euphoria had completely consumed her head, and she just kept kissing him senselessly that she hadn’t noticed the first time he’d stuck his lips out and kissed her back. It must have been the hypnosis of the moment that had him reciprocating, but sure as hell that he too was loving it. There was a surprising hotness with the way he kissed, and it had sweetness too, and tenderness, that were deliciously bind.
She started deepening the kiss, trying to dip her tongue inside his mouth with which he caught on instantly, opening his mouth under hers and slowly, deliciously, delving into hers instead. She sucked on it, impelling his hot mouth to keep going as she reveled on the taste of bliss she’d never imagined to be intensely powering.
Jongin wasn’t stiff anymore, and his hands were on her hair, her face, her neck, holding her for himself and making her blood flame in an unexplainable way. The Jongin that was kissing her now wasn’t the clueless one, but the sexy one, hidden in the deepest part of him that had just been waiting to come out. He was starting to seek for control, impressing her with how fast he learned.
Her hand went down to grip the lower hem of his t-shirt, sliding it up and exposing his stomach, stroking her fingers on the smooth blocks of his abdomen and teasing at his groin that had him hardening, announcing his sexual functionality.
And despite her intoxicated state, something rejoiced within her, yet she was just too high to conceive it.
The man underneath her was hot and aroused; the sensations she’d caused him had him even more generated. His hands were now running through her waists, slipping through her clothing and leaving goosebumps on wherever he’d touched. Oh he had a power for this. His body heat was overwhelming. His kiss was reverential, raw, and somehow soothing her. She wanted him to completely take over now, but the sound of the opening door smacked them both to their senses.
At the doorway was a petrified Sooyoung, staring at them like she’d just intruded something she shouldn’t have intruded. Both Jongin and Soojung had their heads turned to her, their bodies still pressed on the same intimate position as though their reflexes got buried underneath the cloudiness of their heads. The room was filled with dead air till Sooyoung finally found her mouth. “I-I’m sorry,” She tried to make it sound casual, but she was clearly embarrassed. She moved her eyes to Soojung and said, “I noticed you were taking so long so I-“ She trailed off, “Yeah um, sorry for interrupting.” She reached for the doorknob. “Please continue,” Then the door was shut.
Soojung stared at the closed door for a few seconds before staring back at Jongin. He was so red in the face. Once again he was frozen, and he’s back to his original innocent self just excluding the thing inside his boxers that was still hard against her hip. She smirked about it, and she gazed at his cute bashful eyes. How lovable. She slithered against him naughtily, making sure she’d rubbed on his noteworthy erection which got him inhaling sharply. Oh how she wanted to celebrate.
“I guess we aren’t busted anymore,” She whispered. This was such a great turn. Not only had she scored a kiss from Jongin, it had also fixed the problem they’d just had. It was a blessing in disguise. And the best thing about this blessing was finding out that Jongin wasn’t totally insensible about intimacy! He knew; he just didn’t know he did. Now her job was to open his eyes in that world and make him aware that he wanted it, so that he’d finally see her the way she did about him. She never thought liking a person this fast could be real, but she, as much as she didn’t want to validate it, really liked him. Even though she believed that it was a no-no for a girl to like a boy more, this boy was an exception. While they kissed, some fucking thing just popped. She needed no time to say that this was it.
While she was reeling about her newly found certainties, something beside them started vibrating, and she turned, seeing Jongin’s phone flickering with the image of a pink-head on his screen. What little happiness she felt was instantly reduced, and she scrunched her face, thinking that maybe this had contributed to the reasons why Jongin was so imperceptive.
Irritated, she removed herself from him and grabbed the ringing phone and placed it on her ear. The person on the line started speaking the minute she’d answered, and she instantly dropped her jaws from the voice she’d heard. Dumbfounded, she slowly removed the phone away and showed it to Jongin’s face.
“This is a boy?” She asked in disbelief.
Jongin moved and sat down first before nodding at his phone. “Yeah,” His voice was uncomfortable, as though he’d yet to recover from what just happened between them but was going along. “He’s my bestfriend.”
“His name is Minnie??”
“It’s Taemin, but I call him Minnie.”
Soojung was too speechless to describe the explosion that occurred inside her chest.
“Ohmygod,” It was all she could say. “Ohmygod!” She jumped at Jongin so suddenly that he hadn’t anticipated it and they’d fallen on floor with her hands on his face and her lips on his lips once again.
*
“That girl is vicious.” Jongin seethed against his phone, standing far off the yard where his father’s birthday celebration was being held. A few of their neighbors were there, seated around the long table and making themselves busy with food and drinks and joyful talks. But Jongin wasn’t too comfortable to join the feast, not when he needed to sit next to that vicious girl who had been making his heart beat like crazy he didn’t know the hell it could.
“Why, what’s up?” Taemin asked on the line.
“She kissed me!”
Taemin made a choking sound, “What?! Really?”
“Yes!”
“That’s good news man! Congratulations!”
Jongin creased and scoffed, “Didn’t you feel the tone of my voice?” He exclaimed, “She kissed me!” He repeated in a louder, spiteful voice.
“I know! Did you kiss her back?” Taemin asked so promptly that it had cornered Jongin from the next rants he’d set to say. His heart ticked, popping some scarlet warmth to his face that all his words melted in his throat. After a small gap of silence, he bashfully admitted, “Y-Yeah,” his cheeks going hot all the more, “but she ki-“
“So you kissed each other?”
Again, he was struck, and it felt like he got served or something. “Y-Yeah but that wasn’t what I was-“
“Ohohohohomygod!” Taemin exclaimed, “With tongues??”
Now he was totally speechless. He could feel his embarrassment swallowing his entire head.
“Oooooh boy…” Taemin’s teased when he didn’t speak.
“You don’t need to know that.”
“But I gotchaaaa..”
Jongin released a frustrated breath. “Why do I always bother talking to you?”
“Hey there’s no need to be ashamed, French Kissing is like the most pleasurable of all the kisses invented,”
“But don’t you know how much that French Kiss would cost me?! Do you even have an idea why she did it?!” He took a big breath, “So she could earn more!” There was no other reason he could think of aside from this. “It’s a charge, Minnie! It’s a business strategy!”
Taemin giggled, “How much?”
“Forty-thousand won! I could still buy like 5 boxes of fried chicken with that amount!”
“Well at least in that amount you already have your first kiss. That’s a step forward.”
“Excuse me but that is not my first kiss,”
“Monggu is not your first kiss, Nini.”
“It’s not Monggu!”
“Then who?”
“Janggu.”
“Damn you.”
Jongin laughed despite his frame of mind, “No seriously I kissed a girl when I was 6; I can still remember her name.”
“What’s her name?”
“Soojung.”
“You just made that up.”
“No I didn’t,” Jongin said, “I met her at the Zoo.”
“At the Zoo? Was Soojung a dog there? A girl dog?”
Jongin clenched his teeth.
“Damn you.”
*
All Jongin could think about was how spiny he was that he’d have to pay an extra charge of forty thousand tomorrow. He didn’t have to be told that he’d be charged for it; he’d already figured out that woman’s scheme. He didn’t know how she’d planned it so smoothly, but she’d definitely intended to take advantage of that issue about his sister, and she’d used it so that she could get more earnings. Now he didn’t know how he could manage his remaining money if he were to pay for it. The only cash left in his wallet now was just enough for him to pay for the five bookbindings he’d had made for one of his major subjects, and he’d learned his lesson not to borrow from Taemin ever again because that guy’s a wastrel who would ask for the money back the next day after that. Most likely he’d starve till his next allowance.
The preoccupation would have been manageable if only his heart wasn’t just adding to it. It felt like the untamable beating of his heart had created an unidentified disc that was inserted in the vacant outlets of his head that made him hyperaware of things he’d never really given a close attention to before, like: a girl’s anatomy.
He’d been trying to brush it, but for some reason, his eyes would always find a way to stare at Krystal… and her body.
It’s like he could notice everything about her now. He could notice the way her coffee-colored dress followed her curves. He could see the traces of her bra on its thin fabric. He could notice how flat her stomach was, and how slim her waists were. He could notice the way her hips moved when she walked, the whiteness of her legs glowing above ground. He couldn’t stop regarding her anymore. Even if he tried to look away his subconscious was still monitoring her presence.
And being aware of these things made him feel like he wasn’t in his right soul. He was too distracted about her in a way he couldn’t understand. In point of fact, he’d been distracted about her from the moment they’d first held hands. But he’d managed to forget about it after some time. It was dumb because he’s supposed to know how things would be like, but when he got here it felt like he’d entered a different dimension. Suddenly there’s a person here who was showering him with a different kind of affection, and he wasn’t used to it. He had no idea how to handle it, and he had no idea how to treat it differently than the casual connection he had with people. He realized he didn’t know how it worked. It was so foreign, and at the same time, it was scary, because it was producing some tiny discomforts in his chest he didn’t know where the hell were coming from.
And the kiss triggered it all the more. He didn’t even know he could kiss like that, and touch a girl like that, as if he knew what he was doing. He would tremble every time he recalled about it; how he moved and tasted her lips while running his palm through the length of her waists, how he smoothly slipped his fingers inside her shirt and yearned to touch the sensitive parts of her body-how he wanted to get them both naked. It shocked the hell out of him, but at the same time, it actually felt good.
But then he shouldn’t view it like this. It wasn’t on the arrangement. They weren’t supposed to kiss. It was a scheme, and he was required to pay for it.
After the celebration, the young ones like him were tasked to clear the table and do the dishes. After sending the first batch of dishes at the sink, which were to be washed by the girls, he went outside again to take the remaining ones. Once cleared, he wiped the table and dragged it back to the terrace where it was usually placed. He piled the chairs and carried them batch per batch to the back of part of their house where a small storage room was located that was keeping the stuff they didn’t usually use.
Going back to the front yard, he saw his dogs lying on the grass so he decided to join them for a while. Janggah, the youngest of the three dogs, rested her chin on his leg the moment he’d sat down, followed by Monggu who chose his lap, and then Janggu, who simply laid on his right. Somehow, brushing their furs had a way of relaxing him, like it could cloud his thoughts and send him in a thoughtless daydream.
He was late to notice the presence that had taken the space beside him, when Janggu moved away and laid down upon the person's lap and beckoned to be belly-rubbed. With sluggish gentleness, a hand started rubbing though the dog's frame, and Jongin moved his head up to stare at the owner of such slender fingers. There, sitting comfortably was the girl whom he kissed so fervently last night, her brown hair blowing with the wind and giving her a mesmerizing quality.
She’d changed into her pajamas, he noticed, and a fresh rosy scent emanated from her skin. She looked dainty, like she could make him forget his views. She released a sigh as she continually petted Janggu, not removing her gaze away. "Hey doggie.” She suddenly spoke, and she sighed once more. “Why is it that your owner is avoiding me? Does he feel so off about last night that he can’t stand being near me?”
Jongin caught a breath. He froze, watching her pretend like she couldn’t see him. Silence fell again, and he could feel her sensing him out. She was making it obvious though she wasn’t staring. She could really be cunning.
Feeling the need to answer back, he said, “Come again Monggu?” He stared at Monggu who opened his eyes when he heard his name. “Me? Off about last night?” He tsked, “How about I’m just aware of her business tactic that’s why I’m keeping my distance.”
“Business tactic?”
“Yeah? Isn’t it called business tactic that she got him to pay for that extra charge?”
The statement brought her to stare at him, and he made sure she’d see the seriousness on his face. He was actually muddled, because the thing in his head and the thing in his chest weren’t meshing together, but he concentrated on the detail he might be sure about. The girl beside him was taken-aback, and he thought she’d try to explain, or try to deny, but what came next was a choke, followed by a loud fit of laughter.
He scoffed disbelievingly.
“Oh she thinks it’s funny.”
“No,” She giggled, “She just thinks he’s really cute.”
His heart stopped from what she said, and it affected his entire system that his body got immobilized too. For how many times for the past two days, this had been happening to him, and she was always the cause. And this time it tripled, and it was ringing some undesignated alarms inside his head. He was aware that she was just staying into character, but her actions, her words, were like drumbeaters that could easily poke his heart and catch him off-guard.
The moment he detected the certain irritating heat arising on his face, he instantly scrambled up.
“It’s late, we should sleep.”
He turned around for escape and walked toward the house.
“So he’s just gonna part with his girlfriend like this?” He heard her say behind him, making him stop on his tracks. “He won’t even send her to her room and say goodnight?”
The point of her words got him squeezing his eyes in frustration. She was right. No matter how discomfited he was with her, they’re still in an ongoing roleplay and they had to keep going. And it’s very necessary now because his family was still in the living room. So he turned back around, only to see her smiling so cunningly at him while reaching out her hand.
Of course. He even had to increase the discomfort that he was feeling by holding her hand. It felt like being lightly electrocuted, but the real impact happens in the chest. He released a heavy breath before walking back to her and locking their fingers together.
When they entered the house, they greeted the folks meekly and proceeded to Sooyoung’s room right away. He could feel their eyes watching them based from the sudden silence that diffused in the house. Even as they made it to the doorstep of Sooyoung’s room they were still watching. They’d never been this curious the past days, why were they now? Or maybe he just didn’t notice they were?
He finally let go of her hand. And for some ridiculous but truthful reason, it felt empty. But he ignored it. He had always been trying to ignore it. Scared of staring into her eyes, he looked sideways and said “Goodnight.” so quickly before turning around.
But he hadn’t even taken a few steps away when Krystal said, “You forgot my goodnight kiss, bae.” so loud and clear that everyone had heard it.
His heart lurched that instant and his eyes widened impossibly. He faced her slowly, disbelievingly, his eyebrows forming a crease, and what greeted him were twinkles of mischief in her eyes. There was a quirk of naughtiness behind the sweet smile on her lips, and he refused to believe that she was real.
Indeed, she was professional. Professionally cruel. And she wasn’t faint about it anymore.
He tried thinking of ways to evade it, but his family was closely watching and he had no other choice but to kiss her… and be charged again.
Well he could kiss her on the forehead, it wasn’t so expensive. Or the cheek. But wasn’t it signature that lovers kiss on the lips?
He hissed. There was that peck on the list that costed like two boxes of fried chicken. He decided that it’s the best choice he had. He sighed and told himself to stop depressing over the amount of fried chicken he could’ve bought with the amount that he’d (and was about to be) spent for this cruel girlfriend.
He approached her and shot her a scornful look, but she didn’t even look fazed, or the slightest bit of guilty of her antics. Her face was relaxed and gleaming, and she went closer to him that there bodies were almost touching. His heart skipped a beat, and her proximity did something within him. It’s like he lost control of his body because his hands were reaching up to her face, cupping her jaws, as though they’d always wanted to touch her face like this, like they’d always wanted to be there. Her lips curved in a small smile, and she tipped her head up, and slowly closed her eyes.
What the hell.
His heart was pounding so hard, but somehow he liked it, and he didn’t know why. He stared down at her waiting lips, and it felt like she was pulling him in. So he leaned in, slowly, and captured her lips in a chaste kiss. His plan was a peck, the quickest of the pecks he could manage, but he couldn’t pull away.
She tasted so sweet and divine and better than fried chicken but he couldn’t breathe anymore.
So he broke away, and from that small distance, he met her eyes sparkling at him. He stayed standing there, gazing at her face, her natural beauty so potent he hadn’t seen from anyone else.
It’s getting ridiculous now. To him she was wicked and cunning, and aggressive… but all he wanted to do now was just to kiss her again. And kiss her again, and again, and again after that.
*
Unlike yesterday, Jongin wasn’t being detached anymore, but he’s being silent more than ordinary. He’d actually spent a longer time with his parents that morning, but he hadn’t much spoken a thing. Everyone could notice that he was trying to entertain himself by hanging around, but he’d just only made it obvious that he was enormously preoccupied.
He’d become even more absentminded when it was time for him and Soojung to start packing. It was like he didn’t want to move, like he didn’t want to leave yet. It would be ironic to say this because last night he just looked absolutely like he couldn’t wait for all of this to be over, but now he just looked strangely… downhearted.
And it became even more apparent when his family dropped them at the bus station and showered them with words of support and blessings about their relationship. He smiled about it but there was no genuinity in it. He was really acting weird. He should actually be glad that despite their uncoordinated partnership they still got their subjects convinced, but he was as low-spirited as a prisoner who got sentenced into lifetime jail.
What could be his problem? Was it the charges that had him frowning like this? But that’s so shallow. It’s true that he started acting differently after the first time they kissed but he was more like peeved than gloomy. Was it because she pulled it again last night? Was it too much that he really had to be this crestfallen? Well if it really were the reason then sorry but she wasn’t sorry. She liked those kisses. She liked them very much that if she were to do them all over again, she’d still do them all over again.
Actually she should be the one sulking now because she’s the one who was having fucking feelings. After today she’s sure that Jongin would never want to see her again and it really sucked because she was so into him. She liked every atom of him. She liked his whole physicality and existence, even his naivety. He’s beautiful, he’s adorable, he’s huggable, he’s kissable-he’s just everything she wanted and more.
But he didn’t see her the same way.
But it’s also okay because she already knew.
They didn’t talk the whole bus ride. Jongin was surprisingly awake yet his eyes were on a distance space. The silence was really unpleasant, and Soojung wanted to break it but the person next to her was just evidently spiritless. She hadn’t encountered this part of him yet, so she didn’t know how to place herself so she chose to keep silent too.
It was already evening the time they reached Seoul, and Soojung thought of going to a karaoke bar and maybe sing her heart out there. As they stepped down the station, she faced Jongin and stared at his handsome face for the very last time. Surprisingly, he was staring at her too. His eyes were somehow trembling and somehow saying something, but she grew to know that Jongin would never purport anything deeper.
She thought of not pissing him tonight so she simply bowed, took a quick shot of his face in her memory box, and said Thank you and Goodbye.
But then the moment she turned around, Jongin dashed her way and held her wrist. She froze at the painful expression on his face, and watched him breathe rapidly.
“I still have 5 hours,” He said difficultly.
She creased, “What?”
“I still have 5 hours till the service expires so we aren’t done yet,”
Once again she stared so seriously at his face, and she became confused. “Do we still have another pretending business to attend to?”
“No,” He said, his lips kind of pouting. “I just don’t feel like dismissing you yet.. so you can’t go… yet.”
“Wow,” She paused briefly. “That’s surprising.” She bent back, “I thought you’re dying to get rid of me.”
“Did I make you feel that way?”
“Why, isn’t it true? You’re disgusted of me because of my business tactic,”
“I’m not disgusted of you,” He said, looking down and letting her hand go. “I’m just broke.”
His honesty made her chuckle. She pressed her lips and tipped her head to the side. “Is that why you’re so gloomy today?”
He twitched in surprise, as though he wasn’t expecting anyone had noticed it. He stared at her once more, and there was a flicker of concealment in his eyes.
“No.. it’s not.” He said.
But Soojung wanted to know. She’d been dying to know what that sadness was on his face, what that frown was on his lips. “Hmm, let me guess… is it because you’re away from your family again?”
“No.”
“Your dogs?”
“No,”
“Something school related?“
“No,”
“Is it because of your frie-“
“It’s because of you okay?!” He exclaimed, cutting her off. His chest was heaving rigorously, like he’d said something so hard for him to say.
Soojung froze, and she watched as his face exposed the dilemmas of his heart. He stood there, staring at her, making her lost. He dropped his head down and exhaled with difficulty.
“It’s because of you..” He repeated. “I’m sad because I probably won’t see you again and I don’t understand why I feel like this because I’ve never even been comfortable with you but I don’t want to lose sight of you. You’re something that will just cash me out but I can’t seem to dislike you.”
The veracity of his confession had Soojung’s heart exploding with happiness. He looked so cute, blabbering like that. He was so objective that he couldn’t recognize his own emotions when they were brightly there.
“You think all I’ll ever do is to cash you out?” She asked, hiding the smile on her lips. Jongin looked up briefly but didn’t speak. He was blushing like a tomato, and Soojung couldn’t believe she’d fallen for a wimp-an exceptionally gorgeous wimp.
“What if I told you that I’ve never charged you, will you get the hint immediately?”
“What?”
Of course. He wouldn’t get it. “The kisses are for free, Jongin. With you I am exclusively for free.”
“What-“
“Ohmygod do I have to say the L-word first for you to get it?” She groaned hopelessly. She could see that he was still trying to process her words, but she was never the patient type of person, so she turned slightly and said, “Just hit me up when you finally-“
But Jongin grabbed her back and sealed her mouth with his mouth until fireworks danced before her eyes. Oh he got it. He got it just fine.
#