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Miae escaped with all her strength from Cheol. As she opened the classroom door, she found herself face-to-face with Jisu.
“—Move!” she shouted urgently as she rushed in at full speed.
Jisu, contrary to her request, stood still and turned his body toward her. A collision was inevitable. Miae stumbled into the room and crashed into him. Cheol, right behind her, had terror in his eyes, and the memory of that accidental kiss with Miae flashed through his mind. He tried to grab her by the collar, but it was too late.
Their faces met, and so did their lips. Both of their eyes flew open. A metallic taste filled Jisu’s mouth. Miae could only recall how this had happened before—with Cheol. The pain of crashing into someone like that, and worst of all, it was with Jisu—the person she hated the most. In a surge of anger and independence, Miae headbutted Jisu as she fell, knocking them both to the ground.
Cheol could only stare at the scene from the doorway, completely speechless. It was as if his soul left his body.
Miae quickly pulled away, ending up sitting on top of Jisu, her emotions in complete disarray.
“You idiot! I told you to move!” Miae looked down—Jisu was on the floor staring up at her, his eyes wide. A red spot stood out on his lips—was it a bite?
“Are you okay?” she asked. She also noticed a faint pink tint on his lips, probably from the lip gloss she’d been wearing.
“You bastard, why’d you do that!?”
A crowd of students gathered behind them. Murmurs spread like wildfire. Miae looked at Cheol in horror—an ominous, dark aura was radiating from him.
Jisu sat up on the floor, expressionless. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and saw a thin trail of blood.
“Can you get off me?” he said to Miae. She quickly moved aside. He stood up, dusting off his pants just as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. The students returned to their seats.
Throughout the lesson, Miae felt Cheol’s piercing gaze on her back. Trying to ignore it, she glanced at Jisu. She could still see the cut on his lip. She blushed with shame, followed by a surge of anger. He had stolen a kiss from her. “Maybe that was his intention all along,” she thought. “That bastard! Always mocking me. I won’t forgive him!”
But then she considered that it wasn’t normal for people to fall and kiss each other like that—maybe Jisu hadn’t expected it either. Had he?
Jisu, oblivious to Miae’s attention, stared ahead at the blackboard and complained.
“My head hurts,” he said flatly. At his words, her anger faded, replaced by guilt. She felt responsible for his pain.
“Sorry,” she said with genuine regret.
“Can you check if I have a bump?” Miae reached for the back of his head and felt a lump. When she touched it, Jisu sat up suddenly.
“Ow,” he said, annoyed. “I’m going to the nurse’s office.” He stood up.
“I’ll go with you,” Miae offered, feeling guilty. As they exited the classroom, Cheol’s judging stare followed them. Jisu returned it with a defiant glare.
In the hallway, Jisu paused. The classroom door closed behind them, muting the noise and cutting off the eyes that had been watching. The air was tense… then Jisu yawned deeply and scratched the sore spot on his head.
“Ugh… my head hurts.” He turned to Miae with an accusatory look. “Do you always headbutt people that hard or am I just special?”
“Sorryyyy, I didn’t mean to,” Miae said, feeling awful.
“Why were you running like that from Lucifer? What’d you do to him?” Miae shrugged and looked away. She had no desire to explain those memories. Jisu squinted, trying to read her expression.
“Totally your fault,” he said, followed by another yawn.
“It wasn’t my fault! He was the one who…!” Miae abruptly cut herself off, avoiding his gaze. Jisu raised an intrigued eyebrow at her reaction. Miae remembered how her first kiss with Cheol had been just as clumsy. Maybe that’s how her kisses were always going to be.
“Did he do something to you?” Jisu asked seriously.
“Nooo, what would he do?” she deflected, trying to change the subject. Jisu didn’t seem convinced. “I’ll make him pay,” he thought. But realizing she wouldn’t talk, he kept walking, not waiting for her. Miae hurried to catch up.
At the nurse’s office, it was empty. No nurse in sight. Jisu yawned again.
“Great,” he muttered. He lay down on the bed and got comfortable.
“You just used this as an excuse to sleep!” Miae exclaimed.
“Not exactly. My head really hurts. Might be bleeding,” he said darkly.
“Let me see.” Miae began rummaging through drawers for something to treat his wound.
Jisu was lost in thought… the metallic taste, Miae’s flushed face above him.
“That was my first kiss,” he said flatly. Like he was talking about the weather. His eyes lingered on her, awaiting a reaction. Miae flinched. Then silence. Her anger bubbled up.
“And it’ll be your last because I’ll make you pay!”
“Huh.” He stared at her for a long time. Only the sound of opening and closing drawers filled the silence.
...
“So it wasn’t your first kiss?”
Miae screamed internally and dropped the items she’d been holding. Jisu didn’t miss it. He was good at provoking her. She was cornered—memories of her first kiss with Cheol surfaced, the taste of blood… the more she thought about it, the more upset she got. “What, does he want to be my first kiss?” she thought. “Well, he won’t get that satisfaction! Besides, it’s not true!”
“OF COURSE NOT, I’M AN ADULT!” she shouted. Then sat down on the bed next to Jisu.
Jisu sat up, looking at her steadily.
“Adult woman, huh?”
“Yes! I’ve already had my first kiss at my age!” That made something stir uncomfortably in Jisu’s chest. He felt a strange bitterness.
“Oh really? When? As a little kid?” he said sarcastically, avoiding her gaze.
“What!? Nooo! That doesn’t count!” Miae looked away, went quiet. “It was recent,” she murmured, but Jisu heard her.
“Recently…” he muttered, still avoiding eye contact, voice bitter. “So then… what just happened… doesn’t count?”
Miae was confused. Did Jisu want it to count? She looked away, trying to clear her head.
“Of course not! It was… it was… it was an accident!” she blurted out. But then… if that didn’t count… did the one with Cheol not count either?
Jisu lowered his gaze at her answer. A soft, joyless chuckle escaped him. He shook his head slowly, as if laughing at himself.
“Of course… an accident.” His voice was tinged with disappointment.
Miae was startled. So he did want her to be his first kiss!? That’s what he wanted? But she had thought Cheol had been hers too… She shook the thought away.
She looked at Jisu, who was staring at the wall. His lips still had a faint shimmer. Her heart skipped a beat. It was her gloss. How embarrassing! No wonder everyone had stared—they could see they kissed! And this idiot still had gloss on his mouth!
Miae grabbed his face and turned it toward her. Jisu was stunned. Miae took a cotton pad and tried to wipe his lips, carefully avoiding the cut. Jisu pulled away quickly.
“Wait! You still have gloss on your lips!”
“Gloss?” Jisu thought. For the first time, he looked at Miae’s face. Her rosy lips. He brought a hand to his mouth. A slight cherry flavor lingered.
“Come here!!” Miae grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him toward her again. This time, she wiped his lips more gently. Jisu was frozen, staring at her lips…
He stayed still. His body tense, breath held. He felt her hand gripping his shirt, the warm cotton on his lip… but mostly, he noticed her lips. So close. Too close.
Eventually, Miae finished.
“There! All clean now.” She leaned closer again. Jisu looked away, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.
“I messed you up pretty bad there…” she said, referring to the cut on his lip. “Think I should disinfect it?”
“No need, mouth wounds heal fast,” he muttered.
“Maybe I should check your head,” Miae suggested unexpectedly.
“What are you gonna do, wrap it in bandages?”
“Yes! …” She realized how ridiculous that sounded. “No! No! I think… I just need to check… to see if you’re bleeding! Yeah, that’s it!”
Jisu raised an eyebrow, then shrugged at the air.
“Do what you want,” he said.
Miae couldn’t help but grin mischievously. It felt like she was playing doctor.
“Turn your head! Let me check the back of your neck.” Jisu obeyed, turning his head left. Miae sat upright to get a better view and carefully started feeling his head.
Jisu felt her fingers—gentle, yet certain. At first, the touch was clinical… but he began to tense. Each contact slowed his breath. Her warmth contrasted with the cold infirmary air.
It didn’t hurt. But it wasn’t neutral either.
There was something uncomfortably intimate about her touching him like this. No words, just closeness. He could hear her breathing, feel her clothes rustling. It made him more nervous than any head injury.
He frowned—not from pain, but from frustration. Why was his stomach fluttering? Why did his chest feel tight? His cheeks still warm. He said nothing. Didn’t move. Just pressed his lips together, closed his eyes… and waited.
Eventually, Miae found the bump.
“Oh! There it is—” she pressed a little harder.
“Ow,” Jisu muttered flatly.
“Hehe, sorry,” Miae’s hands gently circled the area. So close to his hair, she could smell him. A pleasant, natural scent—like trees. “No, you’re not bleeding.”
She stepped back and slapped his shoulder hard.
Jisu leaned forward slightly from the impact, letting out a short sigh, like waking from a trance. He turned to glance at her, serious, clearly displeased by the slap. He brushed his shoulder off and looked at her with narrowed, judging eyes.
“You have zero guilt instinct. Is this how you take care of people you… injure?”
“Heyyy! It was an accident! I didn’t mean to!” Miae crossed her arms. “You were the one who didn’t move.”
“I didn’t want you to get hurt…”
They both went silent. Jisu looked at her again. He noticed that pink hue. That shine. With a blank face, he pointed at her.
“Since when do you wear lip gloss?”
Miae’s eyes lit up.
“Hehe, it’s not lipstick—it’s just gloss! All the girls are wearing it for the yearbook photos. Why?”
Her smile turned teasing.
“Do you like it?”
Jisu froze.
Miae grinned, eyes sparkling, hand on her cheek, waiting for a response. Time passed. Her smile faded into disappointment. Her look said, “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Jisu, realizing she was waiting, collapsed onto the bed. He turned to face the wall.
“I need to think about it…”
Miae pouted. “What is it with boys?”
The silence dragged on. Miae wasn’t sure if she should keep waiting.
“Forget i—”
“…It’s nice.” Miae blinked at his response. Silence returned. “It looks good on you… I guess.” He said it like it physically hurt.
Her eyes sparkled. A smile spread on her face—then shifted to suspicion.
“You’re not messing with me, right?”
“…No.”
“Hmmm… Let me see! Say it to my face!”
Jisu sat back up. Met her gaze casually.
“I really mean it. You look good.”
Miae smiled awkwardly. It was too much for Jisu. He looked away.
“Hehe, that’s how you should treat me if you want to be my friend hehe!”
Jisu couldn’t take it. He lay back down, turning away again, trying to hide how much saying that had flustered him.
“Hey.” He ignored her. “Hey.” She insisted. A faint grunt confirmed he was listening—barely. “That was a bad fall—nothing else hurts?”
“Hm… don’t think so. You should head back to class.”
A light silence fell. Jisu spoke without turning to her.
“You should thank me, by the way.”
Miae’s anger flared.
“I didn’t ask you to help me! You chose to!”
Jisu chuckled under his breath. That was the Miae he knew—a strong girl who didn’t let anyone walk over her.
“You’re right. It’s what friends do, isn’t it?” He glanced at her with a faint, sincere smile. Miae had never seen him smile like that—not mocking, but genuine. “Like you’re doing now… taking care of me.”
Miae blushed. She couldn’t let him get the upper hand.
“Yes! Yes! Of course! That’s what friends do!” She smiled with a small scowl of annoyance.