There's this kid who's been beating me to death since I was a little kid, and I don't even remember him well. No matter what we did, there was always a fight going on, and if we hit each other once, we'd hit each other twice. I thought there was nothing but insults between us.
...until that kid suddenly confessed to me.
"I like you, let's date."
"...?"
On a sweltering summer day, I dropped the ice cream I'd spent all my savings on on the floor. It splashed loudly and unsightly onto the asphalt, reflecting my feelings.
...I was just so fucking dumbfounded.
"Huh? Let's date, Kim Yeo-ju."
"no"
What more could I say? Of course, my answer was no.
♡
Given Park Jimin's personality, I didn't think he would become quiet after being rejected, but as the days went by, he started to get more and more upset, perhaps out of embarrassment over being rejected.
Third period PE. Suddenly, I remembered I'd left my gym uniform in the washing machine this morning, and I slapped my forehead. Damn it. Still, I figured I had no choice, so I put on my street clothes and trudged down to the gym. Park Jimin, who'd seen me, ran towards me from the hallway, calling my name loudly.
"Hey, Kim Yeo-ju!"
"?"
Then, he starts taking off his clothes in front of me, who was still there.
“Ah! You pervert!! Put it on right now!”
"No, I'm wearing a T-shirt inside?
And you're a gymnast, so where are you going without your gym uniform?"
Then he took off my gym clothes and put them on me. I tried them on and they didn't fit at all. The sleeves were a hand's length longer, and the length almost covered my thighs. The expression "just a little girl wearing dad's clothes" was the perfect description. Even I thought it was quite funny, so I held my stomach and laughed.
"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
"Just turn around."
I kicked the annoying Park Jimin's leg, making him groan. Then, as if he understood, he suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist. The position became like a hug, and I unconsciously held my breath. After a few more seconds of squirming, Park Jimin spoke with a satisfied expression.
"Okay, is the length right?"
"...Uh. Something like that."
I just folded the bottom. When he nodded that the length was right, I folded the sleeves too.
"I'm a kid, useless."
My last confession was still on my mind, and this behavior felt strange, so I grumbled for no reason. Park Jimin, who had been bowing his head, lifted it and smiled at my words.
"It's a kid, isn't it?"
"..."
I stared blankly for a moment, then immediately lowered my head. I don't know why. After folding everything up like that, he just patted my head and left. It couldn't be more strange. A faint, faint scent of fabric softener wafted from Park Jimin's gym uniform. I sniffed and scratched my head.
It's ticklish, it really feels bad.
♡
It was a rainy day. After the night self-study ended, I saw Park Jimin waiting in front of our class, as he always did. I grabbed an umbrella and ran over to him, but he was uncharacteristically swaying.
"Yours"
"doesn't exist."
"then?"
"We should write it together."
Park Jimin boasts of his empty hands, claiming he doesn't have an umbrella. I want to punch him. The rain is pouring down outside, and I feel like if we share this tiny umbrella, we'll end up looking like wet mice. But thanks to Park Jimin, who insists on going anyway and drags us along, we make our way down the stairs.
"If I catch a cold, it's your fault."
"so"
"You have to move too."
As I opened my umbrella and glared, he glared at me, his eyes widening as if he was laughing at something. I ignored him and slowly took a step toward the playground, raising my umbrella as high as I could and widening the distance between me and Park Jimin.
"Give it to me, it's so frustrating."
"What are you doing-"
Park Jimin snatched the umbrella handle away from me, wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and pulled me closer to him. Startled, he looked to the side.
"Look, if you do it like this, it won't rain?"
"...That's right."
I thought I'd seen it for nothing. Perhaps because of the distance between us, which had grown much closer, both of us had become much quieter. The only sound we heard was the pitter-patter of rain. I caught a glimpse of Park Jimin's shoulders, and they were soaking wet.
"hey"
"why"
"You're all wet. You know that?"
"Oh, I know."
"..."
He looked up and pointed to his heavily stained shoulder. He stared at me for a moment before nodding nonchalantly. Conversely, I wasn't wet at all. The umbrella was tilted towards me, and I felt a strange sensation.
It feels really weird.
♡
Park Jimin and I are in different classes, but by pure coincidence, we were chosen to clean the gym. It's not a good thing, so calling it "chosen" might be a bit of a misnomer. Lately, for some reason, I haven't been able to treat Park Jimin the way I usually do.
"Did you sweep it all up there?"
"uh"
"Then can I get a mop?"
"uh"
As he kept giving short answers, Park Jimin's mouth started to stick out again. He was sweeping the floor, looking at the floor, afraid that seeing his face would make him feel weird.
"You still don't want to date me?"
"...Go clean."
Suddenly, he mentions his last confession. This time, strangely, he doesn't say no. He just nags Park Jimin to clean up.
"Hey, be careful over there-"
"ah!"
My foot got caught on the jumping board at just the right time. I was about to fall to the floor, but Jimin Park caught me and saved me from that fate. Instead, a strange scene unfolded where I was sitting on Jimin Park.
"..."
"..."
We couldn't say anything, just trembling lips. The atmosphere was awkward, and when I tried to stand first, Park Jimin yanked my wrist, bringing us closer together. Startled, I thought about punching him in the face, but he looked so serious that I couldn't even try.
"...What are you doing?"
When I asked him what he was doing while just blinking his eyes, he immediately said.
"Why do you hate me?"
"I don't like it"
"then"
"..."
"Why won't you accept it?"
"...It's like a joke."
Your confession sounds like a joke.
It was a word I blurted out, not even in my heart. I was afraid I'd get caught up in this terribly unfamiliar ticklish feeling. Perhaps because the gym was empty, the silence felt even longer. I slowly averted my eyes, and Park Jimin shifted his position and laid me down on the floor.
"...hey...!"
"I'm serious."
"..."
I can hear a heartbeat that I don't even know whose it is.
"I like you, Kim Yeo-ju."
"..."
Even after waiting, the tickling did not stop.
❥
I like it_