Chapter 26: Because I’m a young lady.

Wait. Hold on.

My senses snapped back into focus.

This… this is about to get really bad.

“Y-Young Lady?!”

“What’s wrong?”

Baek Yeon answered earnestly, closing the distance.

We were so close now, it was no exaggeration to say she was right in my face.

I instinctively stepped back.

“C-Calm down a bit…”

“Hm.”

My trembling voice made her pause briefly, letting out a short hum.

Then, a mischievous, devilish smile spread across her face.

“Be quiet, Seoran.”

In an instant, her lips met mine.

This wasn’t our first kiss.

In fact, Baek Yeon kissed me often enough that the sensation was familiar, but…

Today was different.

‘…!’

Nibble.

She bit my lower lip, which I’d kept tightly shut.

Startled, I opened my mouth, and in that brief moment, her tongue invaded.

…Yes, her tongue.

‘Crazy…’

My face flushed with heat.

Baek Yeon began exploring my mouth with startling familiarity—brushing my palate, teasing my tongue—as if she’d been waiting for this moment.

Smack, slurp.

The wet sounds of our tongues meeting echoed in my head.

‘…Oh.’

I was completely dazed.

Feeling myself being pushed back, I instinctively reached out, wrapping my arms around her neck to keep from falling.

She pressed closer, her tongue moving even more fervently.

“Hn, ha, hng…”

I’m… I’m suffocating…

A soft moan escaped my lips, embarrassingly unfamiliar even to me, as the overwhelming sensation took over.

She pulled back slightly, whispering in my ear.

“You can’t do that. Breathe properly, Seoran.”

“B-But…”

“Try again.”

Despite my pitiful voice, she gave me only a brief moment to catch my breath before kissing me again.

The wet sounds of our tongues filled the quiet room.

The sensation of her tongue enveloping mine felt like it was invading my very mind.

“Hn, hng…”

All I could do was clutch the bedding tightly, clumsily following her lead.

How long did it last?

“Haa.”

Baek Yeon, finally breathless herself, pulled back, exhaling hotly.

‘It’s… it’s over…’

It was just a kiss, but I felt utterly ravaged.

As my overheated brain slowly rebooted, I managed to speak.

“Y-Young Lady.”

“Hm?”

“You… might not realize, but this… this is something people who love each other do.”

I tried to sound firm, but my voice was weak from exhaustion.

Perhaps that’s why my words didn’t land properly. She smirked.

“I do love you.”

“N-Not like that…”

“No, it’s exactly like that.”

Ch peck.

She kissed me again, short and sharp, and all the words in my head evaporated.

“I love you, Seoran. From the moment I saw you… you were mine.”

“…”

“You’re not?”

She… loves me?

Really?

She stared, demanding an answer, but I could only hesitate.

I’d never seen her that way.

Sure, I’d been flustered a few times lately, but I shook it off.

No decent person would feel that way about a kid.

“I-I don’t… love you like that…”

“No.”

…No?

What does she mean, no?

As I stared, dumbfounded—

‘!’

Her hand, cutting me off, slid down my arm, teasingly slow.

I froze, swallowing hard.

“Think carefully, Seoran.”

“Think… what?”

“You’re stronger than me now.”

I nodded faintly.

Her hand reached mine, entwining our fingers, stroking the back of my hand.

“So why didn’t you push me away?”

The ticklish, heated sensation overwhelmed me, leaving me speechless.

“I-I…”

“It felt good, didn’t it?”

She whispered softly, pressing closer.

Her cool aura mixed with an inexplicable heat that set my body ablaze.

My mind felt completely blank.

“It’s an order. Answer honestly.”

“…”

I nodded, as if entranced.

But—

“That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Tap.

She reached out with her other hand, tapping my lips.

“You have to answer with this mouth. Go on, say it.”

Her seductive smile pinned me in place.

“…Haa.”

I let out a heated sigh.

‘This is killing me.’

My breath caught.

My face felt like it was burning, about to explode.

Who knew a face could get this hot?

Learning something new, I muttered softly.

I had no choice.

This… was her command.

“It… felt good.”

“Do you feel good kissing someone you don’t love?”

“N-No?”

“Then that settles it.”

She smiled.

“You love me. Don’t you get it?”

“…”

I was stunned.

I… love Baek Yeon?

But… she’s still a kid.

Sure, I’ve felt my heart flutter, but I never thought it was love…

“You’re thinking too much.”

“!”

Her words snapped me out of my thoughts.

“To think of other things in a moment like this… I’m a bit hurt, Seoran.”

“N-No, it’s not—”

“Then you need to be punished, don’t you?”

Taking a breath, she closed the distance again.

‘…Why is the punishment the same as the reward?’

The thought flickered briefly.

Ch peck.

‘Screw it.’

Feeling her soft lips again, I stopped thinking and closed my eyes.

—

Boom! Crackle!

The sound of firecrackers echoed from outside.

Midnight had struck, and the New Year’s fireworks had begun.

“…Oh, it’s already time.”

Baek Yeon murmured, pulling away.

Finally free, I groaned, rubbing my face.

The relentless kissing had left me completely out of it.

“Come on, Seoran. Didn’t we stay up to watch the fireworks?”

“Just… let me lie here a bit…”

Unlike me, half-dead, Baek Yeon looked perfectly fine.

‘She’s usually so frail…’

It’s like she sapped all my energy through the kisses—she was practically glowing.

At least we didn’t go any further.

I got swept up in the moment, but if we’d gone all the way, I’d have drowned in self-loathing.

“Come on, get up.”

Giggling at my pathetic state, she yanked my arm.

‘So pushy…’

Forced to my feet, I followed her to the window.

“…Wow.”

It was worth getting up.

The vibrant fireworks painted the sky, breathtakingly beautiful.

“It’s already the New Year. Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

Three years since I joined the Baek Clan—time is relentless.

We watched the fireworks in silence.

Then—

“…Seoran.”

Baek Yeon called my name softly.

I turned to her.

Her face was unusually serious, making me straighten up nervously.

“I have something to say.”

She reached out, taking my hand.

Her touch was chilling, like that of the dead.

“When my end comes…”

The moment I felt her doomed fate, I knew what she’d say.

“Stay by my side until then.”

It wasn’t a request or a suggestion—it was a command.

“I love you, Seoran.”

A confession that felt like a heavier shackle than her order to stay.

“…”

What a selfish confession.

Even if her end comes, I’ll have to keep living.

She must know that.

But that selfishness was so very her, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Of course I will.”

What else could I do?

I’d already grown too attached.

“I’m… yours, after all.”

It was a bond I couldn’t let go of, even knowing the end.