I Wanna Sleep With You - 9.2
9.2
Seonho grinned mischievously.
“Why do you have to do that with me?”
“Maybe it’s because I saw a wedding yesterday. It makes me feel ticklish inside.”
Seonho flashed a sly, teasing smile.
“Can’t you do that with someone else?”
“I have several reasons why it should be you, want to hear them?”
“Several reasons? Never mind. Whatever they are, I’m sure they don’t make sense.”
“No, it’s actually quite logical.”
Seonho whispered teasingly close to Chaeyoon’s ear.
“We’ve been having sex for two nights. Doesn’t that qualify us enough?”
Chaeyoon quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard. As expected, it was a nonsensical reason.
“Hey!”
“Want to hear the second reason?”
“Forget it. You’re just gonna say something nonsense.”
Chaeyoon waved her hands dismissively.
“Look forward to it. Today, I’ll be the coolest, most caring boyfriend you’ve ever had. You just have to enjoy it.”
Seonho sweetly put the hooded hat she’d taken off to enter the souvenir shop back on her head.
Chaeyoon was about to say, “I don’t need a one-day boyfriend.” But then she changed her mind.
A caring boyfriend, huh?
Chaeyoon thought it would be fun to pick out Seonho with such an odd request.
“Go ahead. You’ll regret it.”
Chaeyoon said with a playful smile.
“I’m very curious to see what kind of regrets I’ll have.”
Seonho smiled back unyieldingly.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Don’t overdo it, though. Remember what my mother said.”
Seonho playfully stretched Chaeyoon’s cheek with his finger.
“I can’t promise that.”
Chaeyoon, not to be outdone, playfully rubbed Sunho’s cheek in return.
From a distance, they looked like a picture-perfect couple playfully teasing each other.
“Want to look around more?”
“We only have the Glass Garden and the Autumn Garden left to see. Let’s finish up and then go.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I can wait.”
“Okay, then let’s finish up and go get some lunch. I’ve made a reservation for lunch.”
“Lunch? Yellowtail sashimi and braised cutlassfish?”
“Yes.”
Chaeyoon was looking forward to trying sashimi for the first time, and just thinking about the salty-sweet and spicy braised cutlassfish made her mouth water.
This guy really knows how to negotiate.
“Is it this way?”
Seonho took Chaeyoon’s hand and led her. She thought he would let go soon, but he continued to hold her hand as they walked.
“Aren’t you going to let go of my hand now?”
“I’m just borrowing it for a bit to fulfill my duty as a caring lover. Feel free to use it without reservation.”
Seonho gave her a sly wink and a playful smile.
“Wow, look at that guy. He’s really handsome.”
Chaeyoon heard two passing women whispering and glancing at Seonho.
At that moment, Chaeyoon gripped his hand tightly. Although there was no need, she deliberately brought her lips close to his ear and whispered.
“Since you say so, I’m willing to use it.”
This definitely isn’t just showing off.
The envious glances of the women made Chaeyoon’s skin tingle, but strangely, she didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, a sense of pride spread through her heart and filled it completely.
***
“Let’s stop here.”
Seonho saw Chaeyoon shuffling her feet and tugged on her arm.
“Should we?”
Chaeyoon wanted to go on, but she knew she couldn’t go on much longer. Even though she wore winter shoes, as night fell, the air grew colder, and her feet became increasingly numb.
It wasn’t just Chaeyoon feeling the cold; the normally bustling garden, filled with lights, was quiet. As greed often leads to mishaps, it seemed better to call it a day now, despite the reluctance.
The walk back to the parking lot seemed so long.
“Ah, it feels so good to be warm again.”
Chaeyoon nestled into the heated seat as if burrowing into it. As her body warmed up, a wave of drowsiness hit her.
“It’s weird not to be tired after all that walking. I thought we’d just have dinner and be done, but then an outdoor garden?”
“It’s a light garden. Lights are meant to be seen at night.”
“The weather should at least be decent. Does it have to be this cold today?”
“When else are you going to come to Jeju Island again?”
“You always live so intensely, like there’s no tomorrow.”
“You’re just too laid-back. You’ve got everything. Most people live like this.”
“No, not everyone lives so fiercely. What if you wear yourself out? Who loses then?”
“How can I wear myself out with just this? Do you think studying abroad is easy? Getting up early for classes, and then studying till past midnight is the norm. It’s not even 9 PM now. Plus, New York is even colder. And no long padding.”
Chaeyoon tapped her fully inflated padding and couldn’t help but let a pleased smile slip through. She had indeed spent a good day thanks to him.
“I know you’re strong, and I know you’re tough, but you shouldn’t be so overconfident in your health that you push yourself to the last drop. You need to take care of yourself.”
His voice was uncharacteristically stern.
“You nag more than my own mom.”
“As your lover, I’m supposed to say these things.”
“Is our pretend relationship not over yet?”
Initially, it was a bothersome request and intended to poke fun at him and she tried to comply a few times. However, as they continued to explore and have fun, she forgot all about it.
Contrary to Chaeyoon’s expectations, Seonho was as accommodating as a sweet and affectionate lover, and they had a lot of fun. In fact, if he were truly her lover, he would have passed with flying colors.
“Don’t you know the night is longer than the day?”
“Planning to stay over again?”
“So, were you planning on sleeping separately?”
Seonho’s expression suggested that sleeping together was an obvious fact.
“Well, we’ve slept together twice already, so we can’t do it a third time, can we?”
She was frightened by her own natural acceptance.
“What time is your flight tomorrow?”
“At one.”
“The same as mine. Nara Airlines?”
“Yep.”
“We can move together then. We can check out at ten, have lunch, and head to the airport.”
“Okay, sure. That’s great. I won’t have to worry about getting to the airport.”
“This is what you get for having a good lover.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Chaeyoon responded half-heartedly, too tired to argue. It was funny to her that they both knew they weren’t really lovers, yet they played along without explicitly denying it.
After the new year, Chaeyoon would be heading to London again, and this time there was no real guarantee when they would see each other again.
“My muscles are starting to ache now that I’m warming up. I should have booked a massage.”
“Let’s take a bubble bath. You bought that bath bomb earlier.”
“So, I’m using that with you? How anticlimactic.”
“It’s better than using it alone. Don’t you know? Double the pleasure.”
Seonho blinked suggestively, wearing a mischievous expression.
“How do you know if I’ll use it alone or with someone?”
“Seeing you fuss over such things, you must still have a lot of energy left. You really have incredible stamina.”
Seonho patted Chaeyoon’s shoulder with his palm, causing her to giggle.
It’s weird. Why isn’t he angry?