WYK 67

Side Story 2 – The Truth About Their First Kiss Revealed

Recently, whenever Jeong-yoon entered Chae-heon’s house, he felt awkward and unfamiliar. It wasn’t because of Chae-heon who always rushed to kiss him as soon as he entered, nor because of the pasta smell that he often cooked.

“Chae-heon. Can’t we take this down now?”

“No, we can’t.”

“……”

It was because of his photo hung prominently at the entrance. The photo was taken months ago in Jeju.

They went to Seopjikoji twice during their Jeju trip months ago.

The first visit was on day one. They headed there as soon as they arrived in Jeju. However, they couldn’t properly look around because Chae-heon suddenly got aroused and dragged him back to the accommodation.

The second time was on the last day of the trip. They stopped by one final time before heading home.

They couldn’t see anywhere else. They spent four out of five days of the trip in their room, so it couldn’t be helped. They were too busy entangling like beasts with Chae-heon who pounced like an animal.

Their only outings were when he managed to soothe the constantly aroused Chae-heon enough to eat at the lobby restaurant or drink coffee. Thanks to that, they probably used up an entire box of condoms.

Anyway, when they went back to Seopjikoji on the last day, Chae-heon positioned Jeong-yoon somewhere and took several photos. One with a Polaroid, one with a film camera, one with a digital camera.

‘Why take so many? Is it that pretty here?’

When Jeong-yoon asked that, Chae-heon nodded saying it was very pretty.

Though he didn’t quite understand the sentiment, he let himself be photographed since Chae-heon wanted to. Although Jeong-yoon usually hated photos, what wouldn’t he do for Chae-heon? He even sent selfies from Taiwan. However, that led to a huge misunderstanding over just one of his sister’s earrings barely visible in the corner of the selfie.

After taking Jeong-yoon’s photos, Chae-heon also took one selfie of them both with the Polaroid. Then after checking the developed photo, he smiled as if he owned the world. Jeong-yoon smiled brightly too because that expression was so beautiful.

That’s how that photo came to be. The photo of himself smiling at Kang Chae-heon with the winter sea and gusting winds behind him. The photo that clearly showed his loving gaze for Chae-heon through his wildly disheveled hair. This photo now framed and prominently displayed at the entrance of Chae-heon’s house.

He never dreamed when taking it that it would be enlarged so embarrassingly large and hung prominently at the entrance.

Drinking the coffee Chae-heon served, he reclined on the sofa. Chae-heon too sat leaning against the sofa, wearing the pink apron Jeong-yoon had bought him before.

Jeong-yoon laughed finding it amusing. He bought the lacy apron as a joke since Chae-heon often cooked pasta and risotto for him, but he never imagined he’d actually wear it while cooking.

But it suited him well and made him look so lovable that Jeong-yoon wanted to shower him with kisses. Though he always failed since Kang Chae-heon was always the one to kiss first with loud smooches.

“By the way, why do you like Jeju so much? Is it like your spiritual hometown?”

To Jeong-yoon’s question, Chae-heon answered calmly while massaging Jeong-yoon’s calf resting on his lap.

“Well, something like that. It has great meaning as the place of my first kiss.”

“……”

Jeong-yoon’s expression notably darkened. He raised his upper body slightly while pulling away his leg from the other’s grasp.

First kiss? No, who did he have his first kiss with that made it such a precious place? Moreover, why bring him to such a meaningful place to make new memories? His incomprehensible behavior made Jeong-yoon feel strangely unpleasant.

Ah, the jealousy is driving me crazy. Heavy breaths escaped him. Whether knowing Jeong-yoon’s feelings or not, Chae-heon got up. Hearing a ‘ding’ from the kitchen, it seems the oven was done.

Watching the large man’s back disappear into the kitchen, Jeong-yoon gulped down the lukewarm coffee.

He had never imagined Chae-heon to be an innocent man who had never kissed before or a virgin who first shared his body with him. That would have been nonsense from the start.

But even so, wasn’t it a bit much to include his new lover in a place he considered precious for his first kiss? There should be limits to being cool about things.

However, unable to reveal such childish and petty inner thoughts, he could only seethe alone.

***

He absently stirred the risotto with its stretchy cheese. This risotto, where he couldn’t tell if he was chewing cheese or rubber, was made by Chae-heon himself. So he should have eaten it gratefully. Objectively, it was very delicious. But he’d had no appetite since earlier.

“Does it taste bad?”

“No. It’s delicious.”

“Seems it’s not to your taste. I’ll give you something else.”

Chae-heon immediately stood up. Jeong-yoon quickly waved his hand.

“No, no. I just don’t have much appetite. You don’t need to give me anything else.”

Jeong-yoon felt a bit sorry. This was just a loss of taste due to his own timid nervousness. But when Chae-heon reacted like that, he felt a pang of guilt.

At Jeong-yoon’s strong refusal, Chae-heon sat back down.

“Eat a lot. You seem to have gotten thinner lately.”

“Really? Have I lost weight?”

“Yes. It feels different when I touch your butt.”

“…Oh, okay…”

He picked up his spoon again with an embarrassed face. One spoonful. Drink some sparkling water. Another spoonful. After glancing at Chae-heon’s face with each bite, he put down his spoon. Chae-heon’s gaze as he rested his chin on his hand while staring at him was incredibly burdensome.

“Chae-heon. You’re going to make a hole in me.”

“Don’t mind it.”

“Just because you say don’t mind it doesn’t mean I won’t mind it. By the way, why aren’t you eating?”

“I feel full just watching you eat. Don’t mind this either.”

Jeong-yoon laughed in disbelief. Full just from watching someone eat? Isn’t that what mothers typically say to their children? It made him feel like he was Chae-heon’s son or something.

“Isn’t that usually what mothers say? The way you talk is just like a mom.”

“Mom? Right now I’m only thinking about having sex with you after getting you fed quickly. That’s quite something to say.”

At Chae-heon’s calm response, Jeong-yoon truly almost spit out the sparkling water he was drinking. But Chae-heon’s expression while saying such things was so dignified and static that Jeong-yoon had the absurd thought that he might have hallucinated what he just heard.

Due to unnecessary tension, he gulped down the sparkling water and checked Chae-heon’s expression again. Chae-heon was still just staring at him with his usual smiling face.

Ahem, he cleared his throat once and spoke up. It was to change the subject.

“Kang Chae-heon. Have you kissed a lot?”

“……”

Chae-heon was silent for a moment at Jeong-yoon’s words before answering quietly.

“Not really.”

At those words, Jeong-yoon’s eyes widened.

“Your ‘not really’ doesn’t mean like a hundred times or something, right?”

“…No.”

A smile strangely crept out at those words. Seems like he hadn’t done it as he thought.

“Why did you live like that? It’s not like someone would pay you for saving it, what a waste of that handsome face.”

“……”

At that, Chae-heon’s expression became strangely sulky.

Seeing that expression, Jeong-yoon struggled to suppress his rising smile. Others probably had no idea Chae-heon could make such a sulky face. Or how cute that face looked. Maybe even the woman he had his first kiss with didn’t know. That fact was quite satisfying.

Chae-heon rubbed his slightly furrowed brow and spoke.

“You’re the same way, Seo Jeong-yoon.”

“Me? No. I have lots of experience. You probably don’t know but I…”

He tried to say something after “I…” but since he actually had no experience, he had nothing to say. How could he speak about what he didn’t know? Besides, Jeong-yoon had always been terrible at improvising.

Chae-heon raised one corner of his mouth as if mocking him.

“What nonsense. You were struggling to even breathe when kissing me.”

“……”

He couldn’t say anything in response to that. True, his reactions had been very novice-like. How embarrassing to try to put on airs about it. Jeong-yoon sighed deeply and shook his head.

“You’re right. You were my first kiss.”

“I know.”

What do you know? How would you know? So what if you do? Feeling unnecessarily uncomfortable, Jeong-yoon took his empty risotto bowl to the sink and turned around sharply. After Chae-heon cleared the table, he followed behind Jeong-yoon as he walked to the living room.

Just as he felt Chae-heon’s arms wrap around his waist, a kiss landed on his ear with a smooch.

“What were you doing not even kissing until high school?”

It was a gentle and soft tone. A voice that seemed quite pleased.

Jeong-yoon pushed away his face that was tickling him and went to the bathroom. He felt happy and satisfied that his toothbrush was now always there in Chae-heon’s bathroom. He brushed his teeth while ignoring Chae-heon’s intense gaze as he leaned against the bathroom entrance. Then he recalled something.

‘What were you doing not even kissing until high school?’

Chae-heon’s words were a bit strange. It wasn’t until high school but until university that he hadn’t done it. Anyway, he brushed that thought aside and continued brushing his teeth. But his mind kept going back to Chae-heon’s first kiss.

Who did he do it with? He was my first kiss, but who on earth did he do it with? How irritating.

After brushing, he glanced at Chae-heon over the towel while wiping his mouth. Chae-heon was still waiting for him at the bathroom entrance.

“Kang Chae-heon. Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“When was your first kiss?”

That question filled Chae-heon’s expression with deep puzzlement. He tilted his head slightly and answered.

“Second year of high school.”

Second year? Having his first kiss when he should have been studying. What a flighty guy. Jeong-yoon threw the face towel back on the rack and walked past Chae-heon into the living room. Chae-heon followed behind again, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.