11. Gapbunbul (Suddenly Fireworks)
Written by Malranggong.
“……Because I like it.”
Yeonhwa was dumbfounded by those words, unable to answer or eat her hamburger. She just stared at Taehyung. Taehyung was embarrassed by Yeonhwa's silent reaction and just looked at him, so he started gnawing on his hamburger. Yeonhwa felt like she should say something, but somehow she missed the timing, so she followed Taehyung and continued eating her hamburger, remaining silent. And so, the mealtime ended with only an awkward atmosphere flowing between the two.
“I… did you enjoy the meal, Taehyung?”
“Oh, yes… Yeonhwa, did you enjoy your meal?”
“Yeah, well… I don’t really have any particular food preferences.”
“…”
Silence fell again. Taehyung, in the awkward atmosphere, began to reproach himself for not having said he liked her earlier. If he had kept it a secret, things wouldn't have become this awkward between them. But Yeonhwa was also reproaching herself. She regretted that she should have told him that she liked him earlier. This kind of regret that didn't reach each other wouldn't solve anything. It would only drive the distance between them further. At that moment, Yeonhwa made up her mind. She would answer Taehyung's words earlier, tell him that she liked him too.
Yeonhwa opened her mouth, breaking the awkward atmosphere with great determination.
“Would you like to take a walk in the park before we go? It’d be a shame to go home like this. And there’s going to be fireworks at the park tonight.”
“Yeah, fireworks are great.”
Taehyung and Yeonhwa ended up walking far apart because of the awkward atmosphere earlier. Taehyung assumed Yeonhwa had rejected him because the only response he got when he said he liked her was silence, so he kept his distance from her. Taehyung is quite aggressive when he first tries to seduce someone, but he also gives up quickly. He's the type to quickly give up if it seems like the other person is rejecting him. He does this so that the other person won't feel burdened by him. However, it was truly cruel to someone who had already been seduced.
“Taehyung, why are you walking so far apart? Come closer.”
Yeonhwa approached Taehyung first, but Taehyung kept getting further and further away.
“You’d better not come near me, Yeonhwa. I might be mistaken.”
“What kind of misunderstanding is this?”
“…The illusion that Yeonhwa might like me too.”
“What if it’s not an illusion? Then can I come closer?”
Taehyung was dumbfounded and just stared blankly at Yeonhwa.
“Yes? Can I come closer?”
Instead of answering, Taehyung immediately approached Yeonhwa.
“Because there was no answer earlier… I thought it was a one-sided love. So I was worried I might burden Yeonhwa for no reason…”
“You were quite aggressive when you tried to flirt, even going so far as to lead me to a kiss, but now you’re suddenly becoming cautious. Unresponsive. Please be more proactive, Taehyung.”
Taehyung smiled and gently wrapped his arms around Yeonhwa's waist. That was the moment. Suddenly, with a pop, fireworks burst into flames that resembled flowers blooming. The fireworks blooming in the dark night sky made the atmosphere even more romantic. Taehyung and Yeonhwa admired the fireworks for a moment, then looked at each other again. Then, drawn by the atmosphere, their faces began to draw closer and closer.
Taehyung's hand, which had been wrapping Yeonhwa's waist, soon placed a gentle touch on her cheek, and Taehyung tilted his head slightly as he brought his lips to Yeonhwa's. When Taehyung lightly touched Yeonhwa's lips, Yeonhwa opened her mouth, and Taehyung's tongue swept across the roof of her mouth once. Their tongues met and then separated, and they began to breathe heavily. The moment their breaths met, Taehyung roughly but gently kissed Yeonhwa and pushed her back. Before she knew it, Yeonhwa was leaning her back against the tree and could no longer move back. When Yeonhwa's breathing became heavier and she began to catch her breath, she patted Taehyung's arm.
Taehyung took a moment to catch his breath and pulled his mouth away from Yeonhwa, who lowered her head in embarrassment. Fortunately, there was no one around, so their kiss became a secret memory just for the two of them.
Taehyung told Yeonhwa, who was feeling embarrassed, to look at him for a moment, and Yeonhwa raised her head with a startled expression and looked at Taehyung. Then Taehyung lightly kissed Yeonhwa's forehead and said.
“I love you, Yeonhwa.”
“…I love you too, Taehyung.”