CHAPTER 29

He treated her like an old friend, asking about her school life and cracking inane jokes. When tree roots protruded through the boardwalk and rose high, he would effortlessly leap over first, then graciously extend his well-toned, sun-kissed arms to Minhee.

By the end of the hiking trip, Minhee had fallen in love with him. It was the first love that was destined to end in unrequited love.

From then on, Noah, aware that they attended the same school, would often bring an extra snack for Minhee, and whenever there was a demonstration to be done in front of the kids, he always singled out Minhee, calling her forward.

At first, she blushed whenever he spoke to her, stiffened whenever he looked at her, and made mistakes she hadn’t made before. But every time Minhee made a mistake and was about to crumble with embarrassment, Noah would comfort her by taking care of a younger sister, patting her head, or giving a gentle tap on the shoulder. Minhee gradually became accustomed to his gestures.

Later, they would play games, joke around, and swap work hours with each other, until the camp ended in mid-August, and the days flew by.

“It was the most exciting summer vacation I’ve had since coming to the U.S.”

Minhee’s expression softened as she reminisced about that summer.

“But when the new school year started in September, I made up my mind. Most of the popular kids in school only hang out with themselves and don’t even pretend to know other kids. I wondered if Noah would see me and say hello. I told myself that if he didn’t say hello and walked past me, I wouldn’t be hurt.”

On the first day, she didn’t see Noah.

On the second day, she spotted him walking toward her in the cafeteria, surrounded by members of the football team and a few cheerleaders, but as soon as she saw him, she quickly hid behind the vending machine. When Noah discovered her secretly watching him as he passed by the vending machine, he smiled, winking one eye. Minhee held her pounding heart close to the vending machine, cooling her flushed cheeks.

Perhaps it was all because of the first love that had finally begun. That year, Minhee grew taller and more mature as if compensating for all the years she hadn’t grown up. The summer after her junior year, she applied to be a junior counselor again, and Noah became junior captain that year.

“I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason, but I felt like there was a vague change in the way Noah treated me, like … there was more frequent skinship, or…”

As Noah passed by, he would sometimes tousle her hair with his large hands, suddenly pull her into a one-armed hug from behind, or lean on her as if seeking comfort. These small and meaningless actions tormented Minhee’s heart. He even chose her as his partner for the log lifting event at the camp’s sports day and displayed a triumphant performance.

Noah’s personal life was like celebrity news, so Minhee knew that just before summer vacation, he’d broken up with his girlfriend, Skylar, a year older. Skylar had wanted to take Noah on a trip to Europe with her before she went off to college, but he had turned her down.

Even though she knew he didn’t have a girlfriend, Minhee didn’t openly flirt with him or casually look over at Noah’s shoulder. It was because she knew that the types of girls he had dated so far were very different from herself.

“I didn’t think Noah’s behavior was based on a rational crush. There’s no reason for a boy who’s everyone’s crush to like someone as normal as me.”

Minhee, chewing on her lips, uttered self-deprecating words, causing Taejun to open his mouth and then close it again, his annoyance evident at having unintentionally forced her to reveal her complex.

Even though he knew it was a common teenage story – unrequited love, first love – he felt strangely uncomfortable, probably because it was something he had never experienced and would never experience.

Glancing at Taejun, Minhee’s eyes glazed over and she suddenly shook her head, her hair falling off her shoulders. He reflexively reached out and cupped her chin in his hand. Minhee’s cheeks pressed against his fingers, her lips pouting.

“This is boring, isn’t it? Why did I bring this up……?”

“Sigh. This is really…”

Taejun wanted to just devour Minhee’s lips.

‘Should I just kiss her?’

With her cheek pressed, Minhee asked with unclear pronunciation, 

“What did you say?”

“Keep going, I’m listening.”

Taejun suppressed a sigh. He grabbed Minhee’s chin and leaned her head on his shoulder, making it difficult for her to resist. Startled by the sudden change in position, Minhee froze and tried to sit up a few times, but as her body kept tilting toward Taejun, she eventually gave up and relaxed her body.

Minhee loved feeling the warmth of another person and was already in an intoxicated state. As she snuggled against Taejun and adjusted herself more comfortably, he took a deep breath, tensing his entire body.

After a while of silence, as if lost in thought, Minhee, who was clinging to Taejun’s warmth, spoke again.

“On the last day of summer camp, I was supervising the last swim lesson, congratulating myself for making it through the summer without incident, when an announcement came over the camp loudspeaker that a second-grade boy was missing.”

Per the camp’s emergency protocol, the crew was assigned to search in pairs, and Captain Noah assigned partners. As always that year, Minhee became his partner.

Minhee, who had been supervising the swimming pool, was wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt over her swimsuit. She sat down on a bench and thoroughly applied sunscreen to her arms and legs and stretched her upper body before setting off.

When she realized that Noah, who had been standing in front of her, was watching her, his dark blue gaze wandering over her legs and chest, then up to her face, she sucked in a surprised breath.

Noah’s deep blue gaze, which had been wandering around her legs and chest as he stood in front of her, suddenly lifted to her face, causing Minhee to inhale sharply in surprise.

[You’re really white.]

In a society that preferred healthy-looking skin tinted with a tan, having pale skin wasn’t considered a compliment.

‘But it’s true, though.’

Minhee exhaled the breath she had been holding. Due to her tendency to get sunburned and turn red rather than tan under the sunlight, Minhee diligently applied sunscreen, and by the end of summer, she stood ivory-colored next to Noah, who had a sweet caramel color.

Sitting down beside the bench, Noah turned his hat backward and asked.

[Can I touch it?]

[Eh, what……?]

[Your skin. It’s like a porcelain doll].

Without waiting for permission, his hand swept lightly over her arm. Minhee felt tiny goosebumps on her forearms.

[Wow……. it really is.]

[You should use sunscreen too. It also works as an insect repellent.]

Caught off guard, Minhee handed Noah the sunscreen bottle. He squeezed a bit of the white cream onto his palm, rubbed it roughly, and casually smeared it on his arm. Noah stood up, his forearms still chalky white, and grabbed Minhee’s hand, pulling her to her feet. He slipped it between his fingers and led her toward the lake.

[We’ll circle around the lake and search].

[Uh? O-Okay].

Minhee’s heartbeat could be felt even through the soles of her feet as she was being dragged by Noah’s hand.

Minhee’s heartbeat, held in Noah’s hand as she was led away, felt palpable all the way from her heels to the soles of her feet.

That day, as they walked around the lake, as Minhee followed half a step behind, Noah’s gaze, which turned back to look at Minhee several times, was different from the usual everyday kindness. 

The temperature of his gaze, staring at her like he was scrutinizing a stranger, was a bit higher, mixed with curiosity, wonder, and a hint of mischief. Every time she met his gaze, Minhee felt her cheeks blossom with heat for no apparent reason.

While circling the lakeside, calling out the name of the missing child, Noah’s phone rang. Listening to the conversation, it sounded like they had found the child. Noah hung up and shook his head in disbelief.

[Did they find Jayden? Where was he?]

[Haa……. He was hiding in the kitchen storage and eating ice cream like a little mouse.]

[What?]

There was ice cream for lunch that day as a last-minute special. Minhee burst out laughing. Noah chuckled before finally breaking into a longer laughter, his lips stretched into a wide smile.

The lake sparkled as it caught the afternoon sunlight. The wind, sweeping away the hot and humid air, gently brushed Noah’s hair, which had faded to a pale gold at the crown by the summer sun

She looked up at Noah, a smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth, and for a moment she thought his half-lidded blue eyes looked a little darker.

Realizing something was happening, Minhee understood when Noah’s lips, slightly tilted downward, lightly pressed against hers, and then pulled away. Her face, initially pale from shock, gradually regained color, and this time her fair skin turned into a brilliant pink.

It was Minhee’s first kiss.

As she absentmindedly touched her lips with her fingers, looking at Noah, a faint blush appeared on his face too. Suddenly, Noah handed her a small yellow wildflower.

[This flower, it’s like you.]

Minhee took the flower hesitantly and looked at him. He avoided her gaze shyly and smiled.

[I know comparing a woman to a flower is cheesy and corny. But it’s true. I didn’t know it was blooming here at first, but once I noticed, it kept catching my eye.]

[…]

Minhee felt like her heart had jumped out of her chest and drowned in a lake.

‘Did Noah Brown just confess to me?’

As she stared at him, dumbfounded by the unreality of the situation, his dark blue eyes stared straight into hers and he nervously swept a strand of hair out of her face.

[There’s a party at my house tonight, do you want to come? A few kids from our school, Nick and Lexi are coming too. It’s just a casual party, ordering pizza and roasting s’mores over a bonfire, no pressure.]