A week since I started dating Kim Do-hoon.
I still can’t get used to it.
"Hey."
"What."
"That’s mine."
"I know."
"Then why are you eating it."
"Just one bite."
Do-hoon naturally snatched the ice cream from my hand and ate it.
I took it back again without thinking much of it.
It was exactly the same as always.
Meet after class.
Eat together.
Snatch each other’s food and eat it.
Stick together until we went home.
It was the same thing we’d been doing for twenty years.
The problem was.
"But you two."
Our friend sitting across from us looked back and forth between us and asked.
"Are you really dating?"
"...We are."
"I can’t tell at all."
"..."
Do-hoon, who was sitting next to me, also stopped eating his ice cream.
"Why?"
"It just looks like two childhood friends eating a meal."
"..."
"..."
Do-hoon and I looked at each other at the same time.
Come to think of it.
They were right.
Before we started dating.
Nothing had changed.
*
That evening.
Do-hoon walked me all the way to my place.
That was also something we used to do.
"I’m going."
"Yeah."
I naturally tried to enter the building code for the apartment entrance.
But then.
"Yeojoo."
"...What."
When I turned around, Do-hoon was still standing there.
"Why aren’t you going?"
"..."
Do-hoon hesitated for a moment.
Then he asked out of nowhere.
"We really are dating, right?"
"...Are you crazy?"
"No."
"Did you get amnesia in a week?"
"That’s not it."
Do-hoon scratched the back of his neck.
"What that guy said earlier."
"..."
"It’s been bothering me."
I felt the same way.
I just hadn’t said it.
"...Then what are we supposed to do."
"I don’t know."
"..."
"It’s my first relationship too."
The moment I heard that.
My face got hot for no reason.
Relationship.
It was weird hearing that word come out of Kim Do-hoon’s mouth when it usually meant nothing to me.
"...Go in first."
"Okay."
Do-hoon turned around.
One step.
Two steps.
"...Hey."
He stopped again.
"What."
I’d called him without thinking, but I had nothing to say.
"..."
"..."
When you’re dating.
What do people usually do when saying goodbye.
‘Sleep well.’
We said that even before.
‘Text me.’
We said that all the time too.
Then.
...
I looked at Do-hoon.
Do-hoon looked at me too.
Weirdly, it felt like we were thinking the same thing.
"...Should we kiss."
"..."
"..."
I wanted to die after saying that.
Do-hoon’s eyes widened.
"What?"
"No."
"What did you just say?"
"If you didn’t hear it, fine."
"I heard it."
"Then why ask."
"Because I want to hear it again."
"...Get lost."
I was about to open the front door when Do-hoon smiled and grabbed my arm.
"Wait a sec."
"Let go."
"No, you brought it up first."
"It was a slip of the tongue."
"Does a kiss just come out by accident?"
"Kim Do-hoon."
"Yeah."
"I’m really going inside."
"Got it."
Do-hoon let go of my hand.
But then.
He didn’t leave.
"...Why."
"You said you’d kiss me."
"..."
Is he actually insane.
"I never said I would."
"You asked if you had to, though."
"Is that the same thing?"
"Pretty much."
Do-hoon laughed.
Normally I would’ve hit him and gone inside.
Today.
I couldn’t.
Because.
He suddenly looked like a man.
I’d been looking at that face for twenty years.
But today it felt strange.
"..."
Do-hoon also stopped joking around.
The air between us suddenly went quiet.
A distance close enough to reach in one step.
It hadn’t felt like anything a moment ago.
Now I couldn’t even meet his eyes properly.
"Yeojoo."
"...What."
"I don’t know if I can do it too."
"...Do what."
"...Kiss."
I must be crazy.
This time my face really got hot.
"Why are you asking me that."
"Because I have to do it to you, so I’m asking."
"..."
That was true, which made me even more annoyed.
"I don’t know."
"What do you mean, you don’t know."
"Just figure it out yourself."
"If I just figure it out myself, I feel like I’ll get hit."
"..."
That was true too.
We stared at each other for a long time.
In the end, Do-hoon was the first to snort a laugh.
"Forget it."
"...What."
"Let’s do it later."
"..."
"You’re really nervous right now."
"I’m not?"
"Your face is red."
"It’s because it’s hot."
"It’s 15 degrees today."
"..."
"Go inside."
Do-hoon ruffled my hair once.
It was such a familiar gesture.
My tension suddenly eased.
"...I’m going."
"Yeah."
I opened the front door.
And just before it closed.
Something felt unfair.
Like he was the only one acting normal.
"Hey."
"Hm?"
I opened the door again.
The moment Do-hoon turned around.
I went ahead and kissed his cheek.
Smack.
"..."
"..."
I froze too.
Do-hoon froze too.
"...I’m going."
I shut the door.
Bang.
Then I sank down right there.
‘I’m crazy.’
What the hell did I just do.
I covered my face with both hands.
My phone rang.
It was Kim Do-hoon.
[Hey]
[Kim Yeojoo]
[Open the door]
No.
Absolutely no.
[Why]
The reply came right away.
[I don’t think I can go home right now]
"..."
Another one came.
[Because of you]
And then.
[🔥]
A laugh burst out of me before I knew it.
Seriously.
He’s impossible.
*
The next day.
I met Do-hoon in front of the school.
I tried to wave like usual.
But then.
I remembered what happened yesterday.
"..."
"..."
We both lowered our hands at the same time.
Do-hoon cleared his throat first.
"You here."
"...Yeah."
"Did you eat?"
"Yeah."
"..."
"..."
A relationship that had never once been awkward in twenty years.
Eight days after we started dating.
It had become the most awkward relationship in the world.
Do-hoon moved closer to my side.
And carefully held out his hand.
"...Can I do this?"
I looked down at his hand.
"...Do what."
"Holding hands."
"..."
"We’re boyfriend and girlfriend."
That made my heart feel weird again.
I held out my hand, pretending not to care.
"...Then hold it."
Do-hoon smiled and took my hand.
Our fingers laced together.
"..."
"..."
A hand I’d held my whole life.
But this was the first time holding it like this.
How many steps had we walked.
Do-hoon said quietly,
"Yeojoo."
"What."
"I’m kind of nervous right now."
"..."
Me too.
I didn’t want to say it.
So I just squeezed his hand a little tighter.
Do-hoon squeezed back too.
The person who had been my friend all my life.
Became my boyfriend.
For now.
It was a little awkward,
and very weird,
but still,
I felt like I’d get used to this soon too.
We were always
used to doing everything together.
- End of side story -
