THE TRACE OF LOVE // 양정원

제 24 과

His words in harmony with the affection in his eyes are the last draw for the simmering emotions inside my heart.

The last sharp judgement disappears and I gulp down for strength.

There, moving on spree, I tip toe and peck his cheek as I gently hold onto his arm.

My lips touch his skin tender but firm at the same time. The contact electrifies me, jerking my heart in tiny sparks all over the figure and the aftermath gets my whole tickling and warm.

I love it nevertheless.
He has been being adorable all this time and the peck would let him know how much he has made me pleased with his presence all along.

How he makes me feel comfortable and happy even at very small moments of us.

Placing a peck quickly, when I beam into his eyes afterwards, Jungwon is found in a quiet daze that then dissolves into a delighted grin, all his dimples permeate across his face and those perfect white teeth uncovered in joy inexpertly suppressed.

I giggle at his way of being evenly flustered.

"Thank you for walking me home, Jungwon. Now I have to head inside because we're literally standing in front of my house."
I gesture towards the building behind him.

His grin turns into a small 'O' as he checks out my place.

"I want to invite you inside but I just remembered my parents won't be home until five and it would be a bit inappropriate if they found a guy alone with me when they come home." My voice dimly shifts into a pleading as I explain.

"No, I get it."

Then we nod at each other, finding nothing more to say. Then burst into giggles at the end of the endless nodding where we notice ourselves.

"You should go inside now." He murmurs after cackling together.

"Bye, Jungwon." I breathe.

"Bye, Dan."

Without opening the umbrella, I jog across the lawn and brush some droplets off my hair and arms when I'm under the threshold. Getting the spare key I always have with me in the backpack, I quickly open the door but holding it, I turn at him for the last time.

Standing tall under his dark straight umbrella, Jungwon waves at me through the rainfall. He stands there like a photograph; a young handsome guy, big shoulders and a charming smile.
I weakly return the wave and in seconds, I'm inside the house, holding my face in a kind of happiness I've never felt before as I endlessly beam to myself.

. . . . .

I realize the day consists of him is yet to end when he phones me at the same night. We talk about what we do when we get back home, what we have for dinner and one thing leads to another, Jungwon and I, momentarily happy-go-lucky, asks each other what one is curious to know about another without leaving an inch. Favorite movies. Favorite colors. Families and friends. Ambitions ahead our present.

Jungwon rarely watches romantic movies which we tend to do in common to my liking. He has a hard time deciding which sort of film he likes but he mostly watches superhero films with his favorite being Spider-Man. He says he can't relate to romantic films. Not that he can relate to being a superhero but they at least excites him as he says. He also likes movies that leave deep conception in him.

Jungwon also knows how to flatter me by saying he'd at least try to watch an episode of sit-coms and fantasy-history series I love to watch. Though for Friends and Vikings he would try, Jungwon says The Office can't anyway make him interested. When he says the show is boring, I almost sulk but I'm glad he can't see that.

He has a big sister named Seula but she moved out for her college just months ago. His dad is an accountant at some investment company while his mom works as a probation officer. He describes them as hardworking yet typical loving parents whom always trying to spare time for his sister and him. I beam the whole time he casually talks about how his mom babies him but when he's surprised to hear that both of my jeweler parents married young and had me before they were thirty, I think his parents must be the opposite.

Then later he admits; his parents are no different from mine.

That night, when I go to bed, I can't help but think I might as well be falling for Jungwon. I can easily imagine us as couples and imagine doing all sort of things together. Dates, anniversaries and meeting families.

But yet when the thoughts somehow lead to kiss, touches and anything that follows, my brain doesn't freeze like I thought it would.
However, I stop my thoughts at 'kisses'.

That night, I fall asleep, thinking about the first kiss between us. The first kiss of mine. And the guy who took it from me.