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She nodded and let Junu lead the way back toward the main hospital wing.

“Were you trying to follow me?” Junu asked.

Somin let out a laugh. “Of course not. You’re the last person I’d want to voluntarily spend time with. I just got lost.”

Junu stopped, and Somin had to stop, too, or else run into him. He turned and tilted his head to the side as if contemplating her.

“Isn’t it tiring to hate me so much, Lee Somin?” Junu asked.

It was annoying how smooth he sounded. How his confident words were almost purred. “Obviously, it’s my defense mechanism against my intense attraction to you.”

Surprise creased Junu’s brow. “Really?”

“No.” Somin shook her head. “I hate you. You really should learn to trust your instincts.”

His smile returned but with a razor-sharp edge. “Do you actually hate me or are you scared?”

Somin scoffed. “You think I’m scared of you?”

He leaned in suggestively. “Maybe you’re scared of what you feel.”

There was that flush of competitiveness again, rising in her like steam in a pressure cooker. She could feel the dare hovering over her, and she didn’t want to lose.

Letting out a harsh laugh, Somin reached out and grabbed his collar. For the first time ever, Junu looked shocked. She reveled in the wide-eyed surprise before she crushed her lips against his.

It only took ten seconds for her to regret her decision. Notbecause of the kiss. Well, yes, because of the kiss. Because it was doing things to her that she’d never felt before. It was as if every nerve in her body was suddenly ten times more sensitive. She could feel her heartbeat racing. And her limbs felt restless. Made her want to hold on. So she let go of his collar and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She felt his hands come around her, hesitant at first. Then his palms flattened against her back, pulling her into him. And as their bodies collided, he changed the angle, deepened it.

Somin hadn’t thought it was possible for the kiss to get... more. But it did. He let out a moan of satisfaction, and it echoed through her. Made her want even more of him.

Then, as if a switch flicked in her brain, she realized what she was doing and pushed away. They’d been holding on to each other so tightly a second ago, but as soon as she pulled away, he released her. Like he knew she needed space or she wouldn’t be able to breathe anymore. Or at least, that’s what it felt like as she gulped in air.

She didn’t want to look at him but couldn’t tear her gaze away from his face. His eyes were blurry, like he was still lost in what had just happened. Like he didn’t know what to do or say next.

That made two of them, as Somin couldn’t figure out how to get words out of her mouth.

And then thinking of her mouth made her think of her lips. And then about his lips. And then about what they’d just done, and she wanted to melt into a puddle and just slide into the floor drain behind them.

“I guess you proved me wrong,” he said.

And Somin couldn’t even recall what they’d been arguing about. She only knew she had to get away from him. Shecouldn’t stand to be close to him right now. Or, if she was being honest, she wanted to be closer to him again, and she couldn’t stand that fact.

“I’m going to check on Miyoung,” she said, and hurried down the hallway, desperate to escape with what was left of her pride intact.

9

THE SMELL OFantiseptic and the vinegary tinge of cleanser filled Miyoung’s nostrils as she woke. So, before she even opened her eyes, she guessed she must be in the hospital. She hated the hospital. The only times she’d ever been here were when Jihoon was hurt and when his halmeoni had been dying. To Miyoung, the hospital was not a place people came to heal.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Jihoon pacing the room, his hands clenched into tight fists.

“You didn’t have to stay,” she croaked out.

“Miyoung-ah.” Jihoon was by her side in two quick strides. “You scared me,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. His body heat felt good against her side.

She looped her arms around his waist. Now she could smell him, the last vestiges of laundry detergent that clung to his shirt, and beneath that, his skin smelled almost sweet, like cream. Jihoon stroked Miyoung’s hair, his fingers working through her strands. It felt good, like a gentle massage of her scalp.

She wanted to stay like this forever. Just feeling him close to her. The silence sitting comfortably between them. She tasted his gi, sweet and effervescent like cider, but underneath it was a bitter anxiousness.