Episode 01
Prologue
[As the New Year approaches, the square is filled with citizens. The bell-ringing ceremony, which will soon begin—]
Click.
The announcer’s voice cut off abruptly.
Jae-i had slammed her elbow down on the remote while trying to dodge Lee-hyun as he suddenly lunged at her.
Lee-hyun straddled Jae-i, who had collapsed onto the sofa, and bent down deeply. Before she could react, his lips pressed firmly against hers, their tongues tangling thickly through the narrow gap.
“Mm—!”
Each time something soft brushed against her sensitive inner flesh, a sharp jolt shot through Jae-i’s waist. Lee-hyun had been nothing but clumsy at first, but with repetition, he seemed to have learned his way around things.
After all, what had started as a prank born of curiosity had already been going on for a year.
Lee-hyun guided Jae-i’s hands to his shoulders and pushed in deeper. The inability to breathe was painful—but the pleasure that followed was even stronger, sweeping her away.
Her toes curled on their own, her scalp prickled, and the sensation—familiar yet intense—continued without pause.
“Ahh…”
“…Ha.”
Lee-hyun finally pulled back, as if to let her breathe, then moved lower. When he nipped and chewed at her sensitive neck, Jae-i flinched and grabbed his face tightly.
“What—what are you doing?”
“…Who knows.”
Lee-hyun tilted his head slightly. His eyes were burning with heat. He’d seemed perfectly fine while drinking earlier—was the alcohol only hitting him now?
“Don’t think about it. Just focus on me.”
“How am I supposed to—”
“Then look at my face. You like it, don’t you?”
It wasn’t wrong—but in this situation, even Lee-hyun’s face, which she liked so much, barely registered in her vision.
When he leaned in to kiss her again, she sharply turned her head away.
After all, it wasn’t just the two of them here.
They were on a New Year’s trip with friends. The drinking had started early in the evening, and the drunk ones had already gone back to their rooms, saying they were going to sleep.
Jae-i hadn’t been sleepy yet and had planned to spend some time in the living room. Lee-hyun had followed her out. They’d watched TV together, chatting casually…
So how had it ended up like this?
She didn’t know. Her head felt dizzy, as if she were only now getting drunk herself. Maybe Lee-hyun’s intoxication had seeped into her through that kiss.
“They’ll hear us…”
“Don’t worry. Everyone’s asleep.”
“That’s—that’s not the problem…”
Jae-i glanced toward the still-closed doors and stopped Lee-hyun as he tried to cling to her again. Lee-hyun crooked one straight eyebrow and casually brushed her hand away.
With the obstacle gone, he grew bolder.
He pressed his lips against her pale, tense neck, bit down lightly, then sucked hard.
After repeating it several times, red marks bloomed across her skin like flowers. He admired the result with satisfaction and tried to move lower—
Only to have his face grabbed once more.
“L-Lee-hyun, if Eun-ho sees this, he’ll misunderstand.”
Jae-i pulled out her trump card.
The moment he heard the name Eun-ho, Lee-hyun’s pupils wavered visibly.
Thankfully, it worked.
Lee-hyun had been in unrequited love with Seo Eun-ho for a long time. He hadn’t confessed yet, but not long ago, he’d casually mentioned that he planned to soon.
So it was strange that he was rubbing lips with someone like her—but this had only started as a childish game fueled by curiosity.
She just hadn’t expected it to continue even after they became adults.
So this was where it should end.
“Let’s stop this. You said you were going to confess to Eun-ho.”
“…When did I say that?”
Lee-hyun tilted his head, as if he didn’t remember the conversation at all. Well, he had been pretty drunk back then.
“After the college entrance exam. You told me.”
“…I did?”
“Yeah. You said—”
When she tried to continue, emotion suddenly welled up in her chest. Jae-i steadied her expression and tried to jog his memory, but Lee-hyun looked genuinely clueless.
What am I even doing?
Giving up on the conversation, Jae-i asked him to move aside.
She didn’t want this emotionless “practice” anymore.
At least, to her now, it wasn’t meaningless practice at all.
Once the protagonists of this story—Lee-hyun and Eun-ho—ended up together, Jae-i planned to return to her original place.
An extra with barely any presence. Extra No. 1.
That was what she’d wanted from the beginning. But somehow, she’d gotten tangled up in things and ended up with a clearer presence than in the original story—almost like a supporting character.
She was exhausted because of it.
I want to stop now.
Jae-i’s only wish was to live quietly.
Once this trip ended, she’d go somewhere that had nothing to do with Lee-hyun or Eun-ho and start over.
Only then could she bury this feeling that should never have begun—even if it hurt.
“Let’s go to sleep now—”
Just as she started to sit up, her body was shoved back onto the sofa.
Lee-hyun pressed down on her shoulder to keep her from moving, his lips parting.
“Actually… I—”
He stopped mid-sentence and let out a deep sigh.
After a brief silence, Lee-hyun met her eyes again, as if he’d made up his mind, and confessed something unbelievable.
“I don’t like Seo Eun-ho anymore.”
He had to be completely out of his mind.
Not liking Seo Eun-ho was impossible. Lee-hyun and Seo Eun-ho were the protagonists of this novel.
“…Why?”
“Why? Because I don’t like him.”
“Since when?”
“It’s been… a while.”
Lee-hyun brushed off the timeline and stared straight at her.
No. That couldn’t be right.
Her mind rejected it—but her heart began pounding violently.
That couldn’t be true…
“Yoo Jae-i, I—”
Click.
The sound of a door opening made both of them turn at the same time.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Eun-ho stepped out—and immediately spotted the two tangled together on the sofa.
“…What are you guys doing?”
Eun-ho broke the uncomfortable silence.
Jae-i tried to salvage the situation—but Lee-hyun had no intention of helping.
He grabbed Jae-i’s chin, forcibly pulling her gaze away from Eun-ho and back to himself—
And kissed her again.
Right in front of him.
“Are you fucking insane—!”
Eun-ho rushed forward and threw a punch with all his strength.
Lee-hyun took the hit square in the face and staggered back, separating from Jae-i.
Clutching his nose as blood dripped down, Lee-hyun charged back at Eun-ho, and a vicious fight broke out.
The living room descended into chaos in seconds.
“Stop it!”
Jae-i screamed—but neither of them listened.
This was supposed to be the moment when they understood each other’s feelings and ended up together.
So how had it turned into fists instead?
This isn’t how the original story goes!
