Chapter 28
“Why are you throwing it like that? It’s not like this thing did anything wrong.”
Ihan bent down and reached for the floor.
Haru’s face flushed red, embarrassed beyond belief.
Her voice crawled out as tiny as an ant, matching the color of the condom case she had just tossed.
“I thought it was a box of gum.”
A small laugh escaped from Ihan, who now held the condom in his hand.
Straightening up, he looked down at the box he was holding.
“It’s crumpled.”
“That’s because—I got so startled, I couldn’t control my strength….”
Why that, of all things!
Out of everything she could’ve grabbed, why did her hand have to land on that!
Her own thoughts kept scolding her mercilessly.
“Well, we have no choice but to buy this now.”
“What? You’re really going to buy it?”
“The product is damaged, so there’s no other way.”
He showed her the slightly dented case as he spoke.
“It doesn’t look like it’s actually ruined, though.”
She muttered belatedly, but by then he had already set a hand on her back and guided her toward the counter.
Pushed forward, Haru placed her snacks down.
At some point Ihan had grabbed a pack of strawberry gum, which he tossed on top of the pile.
“Please ring this up too.”
Then he placed the condom down beside it.
Haru’s face flared bright red at the sight of the red box.
She felt like she needed a fire extinguisher to put herself out.
Unable to face the cashier, she ducked her head low while Ihan pulled out his wallet.
Only then did she snap out of it, fumbling with her purse.
“Why are you taking out your card, Seungjae? I should pay.”
After all, it was she who had dragged them into the convenience store in the first place.
The things in the basket were all her own snacks, too.
Embarrassed, she had missed her timing, but still—it should’ve been her paying.
And now, of all times, her card decided to get stuck in her wallet. What a mess.
“Just put it on this one.”
“No, wait, why are you—”
“I’ll get it. Put yours away.”
While Haru fumbled and flailed, Ihan had already finished the payment.
Holding the snack bag, Haru lowered her head and muttered,
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
The moment they stepped out of the store, an ice cream shop caught her eye.
She suddenly recalled the movie they had just watched, where the heroine had eaten gelato.
She wanted some, and besides, hadn’t he just paid for all her snacks?
At the very least, she should treat him to ice cream.
“Do you want some ice cream?”
“Sure.”
And so, the two of them walked into the shop together.
Scanning the colorful flavors, Haru said,
“Pick one. My treat.”
Each flavor looked delicious in its own way.
That one looked good, but so did the other.
After carefully debating, she finally chose.
“I’ll go with mint chocolate.”
“But I thought you liked strawberry.”
Clearly teasing, his tone made her sigh.
“Stop teasing me.”
“Then I’ll take strawberry.”
“Are you really going to keep that up?”
Like an annoyed kitten, she snapped at him. He chuckled low, clearly amused.
“I’m serious. I actually want strawberry.”
With a straight face, he denied teasing her.
Suspicious, Haru eventually gave in and ordered one mint chocolate and one strawberry cone.
A moment later, the clerk handed them two neat scoops on crisp cones.
With ice creams in hand, they stepped back outside.
“This road looks kind of dangerous.”
“Yeah, it does.”
The neighborhood was old, the streets narrow and worn.
Walking here alone at night sometimes felt a bit spooky.
But tonight, with someone by her side, she wasn’t afraid.
Cha Seungjae was the kind of man who seemed like he could fight off even a ghost.
The rain from earlier had left the ground damp.
They walked forward, the air cool and moist.
Haru carried the plastic bag in one hand, while the other hand busily ferried ice cream to her lips.
Soon, they reached a narrow alleyway—an unavoidable shortcut home.
Too tight to walk side by side, Haru went first.
“Careful, it’s a bit rough here. Don’t slip—kyaa!”
Who was protecting whom?
She had turned back to warn Ihan, only to shriek in surprise.
A cat had darted past her legs.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah. Whew… scared me.”
Haru patted her chest, calming her breath.
Ihan quickly closed the distance between them.
The alley was dark, even the streetlamp faint.
“You sure are jumpy tonight.”
“Ha, I know, right.”
She hadn’t even recovered from the shock at the convenience store, and now a cat startled her again.
While her heart busied itself, Ihan studied her face and smiled slightly.
“Hold still.”
His thumb suddenly brushed her lips.
Startled by the unexpected touch, Haru flinched.
“You’re just like a kid. Getting ice cream on your mouth.”
His thumb softly rubbed her lips.
Cold from the night air, they melted under his warmth.
“Ah…”
Unable to respond, Haru lowered her gaze.
The atmosphere between them had shifted—thick, charged.
Then, a polished shoe stepped closer.
Reflexively, Haru stepped back.
“I want a taste too.”
“…What?”
Her head tilted up slowly.
His half-lidded eyes, looking down at her, seemed languid.
“I like mint chocolate, you know.”
“Ah…”
“And you like strawberry, don’t you?”
Was he suggesting they switch cones?
That thought flickered—until she caught the meaning in his gaze.
When he stepped closer again, Haru backed away, only to hit the cold concrete wall.
There was nowhere left to go.
Ihan raised a hand to cup her cheek.
His eyes gleamed in the darkness, filling her vision.
It wasn’t the first time she’d looked into them, yet tonight her chest ached in response.
Her heart beat strangely fast.
A strange sense of déjà vu unsettled her.
For some reason, she couldn’t look away.
As if bound by invisible chains.
“Haa…”
A shaky breath escaped her lips—
—and Ihan leaned down, pressing his mouth against hers.
Her hands, occupied with the bag and the cone, froze midair.
Unable to resist, she accepted the kiss.
The heat of his lips clashed with the chill of melting ice cream.
His tongue brushed against her mouth, tasting her like she was the dessert.
Her eyelids trembled shut.
He broke away only briefly to whisper,
“Delicious.”
Before her breath could steady, his tongue slipped past her lips.
Thud.
The plastic bag dropped from Haru’s limp hand.
Her freed fingers gripped his collar tightly.
The fresh mint blended with sweet strawberry.
It was so sweet, she couldn’t think straight.
Too sweet—whether from his lips, his tongue, or the kiss itself, she couldn’t tell.
She could only cling to him, eagerly following his lead.
The quiet, narrow alley amplified the sound of their kiss.
Ihan pressed in with no room for escape, ravaging her mouth.
Haru, breathless, could only gasp shallowly.
“Haa…”
On this pitch-black night,
two overlapping shadows stretched long across the wall under the faint streetlight.
