Chapter 35: My Girlfriend is Too Cute
TL: looloo
Schedule: 4/Week Wed-Sat
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It was Thursday morning.
I woke up early, feeling just as anxious and excited as on our first date.
Thinking of the "date rule" Heena had made yesterday – even using her wish to suggest going to the zoo – I hurriedly got ready.
"So, it's simple. When I touch my face with my index and middle fingers..."
"You have to kiss me. Anytime, anywhere. Regardless of who's around. Always."
She made this rule using her wish, isn’t my girlfriend the cutest?
To me, this rule felt more like a reward than anything.
Of course, openly kissing in crowded places might be a bit awkward, but it's more about feeling embarrassed than not wanting to do it.
By nature, Heena always wanted physical affection, regardless of the mood. But I, on the other hand, felt that things like kissing needed the right atmosphere. That's why we didn’t often engage in such intimacy.
Now that this rule was in place, it gave me an excuse to overcome my peculiar sensibilities.
As I was about to leave the house, brimming with anticipation and with a spring in my step, I heard, "Take me with you!"
Yoonjung, who had been practically living at our place lately, dropped to her knees in front of me, begging.
"Lately, you've been living here, haven't you? And what do you need now?"
"I want to see cute animals too! I want to see Heena! I want to see your girlfriend!"
"What are you talking about? Hey, bro! Please handle our sister!"
I searched for my older brother, who was nonchalantly observing the situation.
"What do you expect me to do?"
"You have a girlfriend too!"
"Not anymore."
"Oh, come on!"
With his blunt refusal, I had no choice but to give up. Regardless of what my brother said, Yoonjung's antics seemed never-ending.
"I want to see the deer! And the antelope!"
"Aren’t they the same?"
"No! And you promised to introduce me to Heena!"
"When did I ever?"
"I don't know! But I will meet her!"
"Seriously..."
While she sometimes acted childishly, she had often been kind and considerate to me. I thought her childish demands were simply innocent, but maybe I was mistaken.
The way she was throwing a tantrum, rolling on the ground, was more excessive than I could've imagined. What on earth got into her?
"You met mom, right? I want to meet her too!"
"What does meeting mom have to do with you meeting Heena? Even my brother hasn't met her."
"That’s unfair!"
"Sigh..."
She continued, "Please... Show me the antelope... and Heena..."
She started to wail, lying face-down on the ground. Though I'm pretty sure those were crocodile tears.
As I hesitated, wondering what to do next, my older brother approached and swiftly handled the situation.
Standing right next to our sister, he lazily yawned while scratching his belly with one hand and then lightly stepped on her back with one foot.
"Just go. I'll hold her off."
"Thank you... I'm profoundly grateful..."
"Stay safe."
"Hey! Get your foot off me!"
Ignoring my sister's persistent shouts, I quickly exited the house.
As I hurried away, I inexplicably felt my love for Heena intensifying at that very moment. I was truly grateful that Heena, my girlfriend, was nothing like that—she was an innocent girl, worlds apart from such behavior.
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Raei Translations
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Clearing the incident at home from my mind, I boarded the familiar town bus. As usual, Heena was waiting for me at the bus stop.
Though our meeting point was here, we still had to take the subway.
Heena was fine with short bus or taxi rides, but she tended to avoid them if the ride was long, like the time we went on a sea trip.
I, on the other hand, prefer trains and subways because I get motion sick. This worked in our favor.
When Heena approached me, instead of hugging as usual, she silently poked her cheek.
Using two fingers.
I was momentarily surprised by this break from our usual routine. But I quickly realized what she wanted and pressed my lips to her soft cheek.
The softness of Heena's cheek made me want to bite it gently, but I refrained and pulled away.
Feeling elated from the immediate reward of our meeting, I thought it would be another happy date. But Heena poked her cheek again.
"Hmm?"
I thought she wanted another, but then she spread out three fingers.
Not three times, but for three seconds?
A brief peck was no big deal, but kissing for three seconds on a busy street made me hesitate.
However, Heena stood her ground, presenting her cheek and waiting.
Reluctantly, I pressed my lips to her cheek once more.
Enjoying its softness, the kiss lasted slightly longer than intended, about 3 or 4 seconds.
Feeling my face heat up more than before, only then did Heena give me the OK sign.
"That's the baseline, got it?"
"Um... yeah..."
"Hehe, you did well~"
She praised me as if I was a child, patting my head.
This seemingly fun rule felt more challenging than I initially thought.
And, predictably so.
Heena's fingers were constantly moving.
Even in the subway, which wasn't very crowded given the early hour.
Tap tap...
She tapped her forehead, her eyes wide and expectant. Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, I brushed her soft bangs aside and kissed her forehead.
One, two, three.
After counting silently and pulling away, Heena crossed her arms, her face the picture of bliss.
But one kiss in the subway wasn't the end. It took quite a while to get to our destination, which wasn't near a zoo.
About 5 minutes after the forehead kiss, she asked, "What do you want to see the most?"
"Definitely the red panda. I even collected its pictures..."
"Really? Then we must see the red panda. And... um, Yeonho?"
"Hmm?"
Interrupting our conversation, she pointed to her eyelid this time. Unsure if she meant above or below her eye, I watched as she closed her eyes, waiting for my move.
In a spot reminiscent of a scene from a drama, my heart raced as I pressed my lips to her face.
Heena's long eyelashes gently brushed against the lower part of my lips.
After counting briefly and pulling away, Heena continued our conversation with a sly smile, as if nothing had happened.
"I've been wanting to see the alpacas~"
As she chattered away, I found myself making a decision.
The moment we step off, I'll have to buy a lip balm.
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Raei Translations
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After switching multiple times, I finally arrived at my destination. Just a 10-minute walk from here was the zoo.
Stepping off the subway, I repeatedly wet my parched lips with my tongue.
I lost count of how many times we kissed on the way here. It felt like we had kissed on every part of the face, except for the lips.
Cheeks, forehead, eyes, nose, and so on.
Now, whenever Heena moved her hand, my eyes and face reflexively turned towards it.
While looking around as we walked, I led her to the convenience store located near the exit of the station.
"Heena, let's stop by the convenience store for a moment."
"You want to buy something?"
"I need some lip balm."
"Lip balm? I have some~"
"Can I borrow it, then?"
"Sure, wait a moment~"
Come to think of it, it would be strange if Heena didn't have lip balm. I should have asked her sooner.
She quickly rummaged through her eco-bag and pulled out a lip balm. Instead of handing it to me, she held onto it, pulling me along as she led the way.
"Where are we going?"
"Let's go outside first!"
Confused, I followed her out of the subway station.
As we stepped outside, I noticed quite a few people under the warm sunlight, like us, heading to the zoo.
Even though it was vacation season, it was a weekday, so there weren't many families around. However, couples were everywhere.
I spotted several engaging in public displays of affection, with hugs and kisses, and we passed them with amused glances.
Along the path to the zoo, Heena suddenly stopped at a side route.
"Can you bend down a bit?"
At her request, I bent my waist, lowering myself to her eye level. She then started applying the lip balm to my lips.
She applied a generous amount, so much so that even someone like me, who doesn't use it often, could tell.
That's when I realized.
What Heena wanted.
After finishing with the lip balm, her hand naturally moved to her own lips.
With a gentle tap, like Pavlov's dog, my body reflexively reacted. After the numerous times on the subway, I had become somewhat immune to the embarrassment.
Of course, this time it wasn't in a nearly empty subway car but outside, with several people passing by behind us. But it felt no different.
Remembering our time at the beach, I gently pulled Heena close by her waist.
Simultaneously, tilting my head slightly, I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to hers. The freshly applied lip balm made the kiss feel slippery more than anything.
I wanted to do more than just a brief 3-second peck – I wanted a deep kiss like the one Heena had given me before. But I hesitated, thinking she might find it embarrassing in such a public place.
While I held back, Heena did not.
With a soft smooch, as if to say merely pressing lips isn't a real kiss, Heena pressed more forcefully, drawing in my lips and then naturally sliding her tongue inside.
Of course.
Honestly, I was taken aback this time as well. However, unlike before where I'd just space out, I reciprocated, even if awkwardly, intertwining our tongues.
Not just 3 seconds, but after about 30 seconds of continuous kissing, I stepped back, feeling breathless.
Heena's lips, slightly panting, were a messy combination of lip balm and saliva.
I probably looked the same.
I promptly pulled a few tissues from my eco-bag and handed them to Heena, also wiping my mouth area.
Having bought these quality, somewhat pricey portable tissues for Heena, they'd surely be gentle on her skin.
After a brief cleanup, discarding the used tissues in a nearby trash can, we looked at each other again.
Was it my response to her French kiss or the considerate gesture of providing tissues? I couldn't pinpoint what pleased her. Still, Heena gave me the day's warmest smile, filled with affection.
Then, wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed me briefly once more.
"I love you, Yeonho."
"Yeah, I love you too."
"You've been perfect up to now. You'll keep it up today, right?"
"I'll try my best..."
Facing her frequent demands, I couldn't respond with full confidence.
Author's Note:
Sigh...
I was excitedly writing the kissing scene, then I wondered if it was appropriate for an all-ages novel. It made me lose some enthusiasm.
Why do Heena and Yeonho have to be minors?
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