Chapter 1 — Us

I shared my first kiss with my boyfriend a few days ago.

It was just lips pressed together briefly, in front of my house—but my cheeks burned fiercely. I was glad it was night.

He wouldn't have seen how red my face had turned.

That night, lying in bed, I listened to the unusually rapid beat of my heart until I finally fell asleep.

"I really, truly like you."

In my dreams that night, he came to me and kissed me all through the dark hours.

As our time together stretched longer, our physical contact grew more frequent.

A hand brushing through my hair.

Fingertips grazing the back of my hand.

My back wrapped tightly in both his arms.

Holding hands. Linking arms.

Every time we met, he pulled me into a firm embrace.

"Missed you?"

When I leaned into him, I loved the warmth that radiated from his shirt.
I loved the way his arms encircled my back. In those moments, I couldn't help but squeeze him just as tightly.

"Yeah."

"Your hair's gotten longer."

He loved touching my hair—just the right length. Maybe that was lucky. Not tangled, at least.

"Suddenly noticing? We saw each other yesterday."

"Yesterday you had it tied up."

As he spoke, he gently combed his fingers through my hair.

His hands were always warm. Whenever he touched me, it felt so cozy.

It made me feel strangely drowsy.

"You make that face… it's sexy."

"Huh?"

"The kind that says, come and devour me."

What was I supposed to say to that? His eyes were clearly amused, watching me—waiting to see how I'd respond.

In the end, I just gave him a small, crooked smile.

He clicked his tongue softly, then kept stroking my hair.

"Wanna go somewhere?"

I asked because standing like this on the street felt awkward.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Watch a movie?"

"You've been running around like crazy lately—haven't you seen everything worth watching?"

True enough. So what now?

"Wanna come to my place?"

He asked cautiously.

What should I do? my mother always said not to go to a guy's house so easily. But… I wanted to go.

"There are lots of old photos of me when I was little. Don't you want to see my bedroom?"

How could I resist when he dangled that bait like that, you fool.

"Let's go!"

He grinned and tightly gripped my hand. I wasn't going to run away. Cute.

"Come in."

His house seemed empty—every light was off.

I carefully lined up my shoes at the door and stepped inside.

Why was my heart pounding so hard?

"I'll show you my bedroom."

He took my hand and led me upstairs.

"The second floor has my bedroom, the bathroom, and the living room I use."

"I see."

"It feels quieter since you came in. You?"

"What?"

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

"No~"

"Come here."

He led me into his bedroom, sat on a two-person sofa, and pulled me onto his lap.

W-what? What was this position?

I could feel his body against my back, my butt, the back of my thighs. It made me unbearably self-conscious.

I tried to endure it, but it became too distracting—just as I was about to stand up, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tightly against him.

His breath kept brushing against my neck. It sent chills down my spine.

"Jihoon Lee."

I called his name—the one I usually avoided, for some reason it felt awkward—because I thought I should stop this.

(Saying his name felt strangely embarrassing, so I'd held back)

"Say my name again."

His voice was a tone lower than usual, whispered against the back of my neck. It felt strangely unfamiliar.

"Hey. Just—"

"Say my name."

"Jihoon Lee."

Suddenly, he bit down on the side of my neck—just hard enough not to hurt—and I froze in shock.

While I sat stiff, I heard his muffled laughter from behind.

"Where else should I bite?"

It was such a strange feeling.

This was the first time he'd been so intense with physical contact.

And for me, being on the receiving end like this—this was also new.

On top of that, being touched from behind in his bedroom, a place so unfamiliar—it was all so strange.

To act so mischievously. I wasn't upset, but I was flustered.

"You're… different today. strange."

I forced myself to turn my head and meet his eyes.

But his intense gaze made me uneasy, and I quickly looked away.

Behind him, the window framed the setting sun, its red glow dazzling.

Blinded by the light, I turned my eyes back to his face.

"Just now."

He whispered, still in that low voice, against my ear.

"When you were sitting with your back to me… your neck and shoulders were red. Your face is red too."

"It's the sunset."

"Is it? Well… want to change positions?"

Only then did I realize he was deflecting.

Jihoon Lee slipped his hand under my armpit and turned me so I was now facing him, straddling his lap.

He looked at my awkwardly tangled legs, then grabbed my thighs.

Ignoring my startled flinch, he spread my legs, positioning me so my knees hugged his hips.

I was suddenly so much more exposed than before—mortified, I didn't know what to do.

And because I was higher up, I couldn't hide my face anywhere.

One hand pressed firmly on my waist. The other slipped under my skirt.

That's when I realized—when I'd spread my legs, my skirt had ridden up to the very top of my thighs.

I tried to stand several times, but each time he pressed down harder on my waist, stopping me.

"You don't hate it."

He asked, watching me struggle.

"It'll be just like kissing. Only awkward at first. I'll make it feel good. Okay?"

His soft voice made me confused.

It didn't feel bad. But I felt resistance toward crossing that invisible line.

I just didn't know exactly where to draw it—or where to stop.

He seemed to sense my hesitation.

The hand on my waist slid down, gently stroking my back—as if to calm me.

"Can we… kiss?"

I placed my hands lightly on his shoulders, parted my lips slightly, and leaned down to find his mouth.

I gently sucked his lower lip, brushed my tongue against his teeth. His tongue tried to tangle with mine, but I didn't want anything too deep in this moment.

Not that I minded—but I was afraid of what might come after.

When I pulled back from his persistent lips, Jihoon Lee looked slightly annoyed.

Then he began unbuttoning my shirt, one by one.

Torn between strange anticipation and resistance, I didn't know what to do.

But I knew I had to stop him before the shirt came off—so I gently lifted his chin and kissed him.

Despite my intention, the kiss deepened, and his hands didn't stop. Soon, my bare skin showed through the open shirt.

He let go of my lips and buried his face between my breasts, still in my bra.

His hands worked quickly, pulling the shirt off. He fumbled slightly with the clasp, then snapped it open.

He unhooked my bra so easily.

Instinctively, I covered my bare chest with both hands.

My face burned. My heart raced wildly.

He looked up at my face and smirked. That mischievous smile again.

"Put your hands down."

I shook my head hard.

"Cute."

He laughed, lifted me up, and carried me to the bed.

He gently laid me down and stared at my face.

Already embarrassed with my top off, I kept shifting my gaze, avoiding his eyes.

"Let go of your hands."

He said again.

"No."

"Really?"

With a knowing smile, as if to say can you still hold out?, he placed his hand on my skirt.

I tried to block him, but I was no match.

He tugged my skirt down, trying to pull my panties off with it.

I was so startled I had no choice but to grab his hands with both of mine.

And in doing so, my bare chest was fully exposed to him.

He chuckled, teasing me with one hand on my skirt while using the other to undress himself.

When his bare torso appeared, I became hyper-aware of my own naked upper body—wanting to cover it.

But I knew if I let go of my chest, he'd strip me completely. So I left myself exposed.

He lay down beside me, then climbed on top.

His skin pressed against my chest, my stomach—warm, heavy, sending shivers through me.

Every nerve in my body was on edge.

He slowly traced my neck, then moved lower.

He touched my breasts, playing with my nipples like they were something fascinating.

He pressed with his fingers, then cupped them in both hands, then brought his mouth to them.

He gripped my entire chest with his palms, then let go.

The stimulation was too intense—I pushed his hands away.

And in that instant, he took the chance to yank my skirt and panties down to my knees.

To do it, he had to shift slightly lower on my body. Helpless, I turned onto my back and buried my face in the pillow.

I couldn't see, but I could feel him pulling the clothes completely off my legs. I lay there, tense all over.

He didn't touch me—but I could feel his gaze.

Soon, I heard rustling. He was taking off the rest of his clothes.

Then his hands returned, touching my back.

His fingers traced my spine, slowly moving down from my neck. They lingered at the base, where my buttocks began.

He gripped my ass with both hands, then moved down to my thighs, placing soft kisses all over my legs.

My senses felt heightened—every touch made me flinch.

"Turn over."

"..."

"Still not listening today? You'll get punished."

"..."

Truthfully, my heart was pounding so hard I couldn't speak. And I was too embarrassed to turn over. But he took my silence as refusal.

He lifted my hips and slid his knee under my stomach.

Suddenly, I was lying face-down, my ass raised over his knee—an awkward, exposed position.

He spread my ass cheeks.

Slowly traced between them. For some reason, lingered on my anus for a long time. Then he spread my legs slightly.

And touched there.

I kept my face buried in the pillow, unable to turn.

When I stayed still, he gently pulled the flesh apart and slipped a finger inside.

I jerked involuntarily—but I couldn't move freely. His free arm held my hips firmly in place.

"You're being punished."

He whispered in a sweet, honeyed voice, then rubbed his finger around, going deeper than before.

"You're feeling it now, aren't you?"

"..."

"You're so wet."

As if to prove it, he rubbed his finger against me, making a soft, slick sound.

"Hah… Jihoon Lee, stop."

"You should've listened better. But since you're cute… I'll make it enjoyable for you."

Then he moved his finger back and forth—and the sensation, so new, so overwhelming, turned my mind completely blank.