Painted Love | Hwang Hyunjin

11

"That was so embarrassing," I mumbled later as Hyunjin and I walked back to my studio.

"What do you mean?" he asked, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers. I smiled a little at his touch, then looked up at him.

"Chan walking in on us kissing," I said. Hyunjin stopped, causing me to halt as well.

"You don't need to be embarrassed," he said, pulling me closer. "But they didn't stop teasing us for the entire practice! And they keep calling me your girlfriend now," I mumbled, hiding my face in his chest.

"Why is it bothering you? Do you not want to be my girlfriend?" he asked, gently rubbing my back. I stiffened. Of course I wanted to be, but how could I tell him this so casually? I bit my lip, glad he couldn't see me blushing, thinking of what to say.

"Well, we didn't talk about it," I finally said. "It's weird for them to call me your girlfriend if we didn't define what this is between us yet."

He pushed me away slightly, looking down at me. I stared at his chest, not able to lift my gaze. I knew I would zone out as soon as his beautiful eyes met mine. But Hyunjin wasn't having it, so he placed his hand under my chin, gently pushing it up to force me to look at him.

"Okay, let's talk," he said, gently brushing some strands of hair out of my face.

"It's not that easy! I can't think straight when you look at me like that!" I muttered. He started smiling.

"Well, then let me ask you a simple question. You just have to answer yes or no," he said, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I slightly nodded.

"Okay, I can do this," I whispered. Hyunjin bit his lower lip, which made my knees a little weak.

"I like you, Mui. A lot. And I would love it if I could call you my girlfriend officially. So... will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, cupping my face. My heart skipped a beat, and I slightly nodded. He leaned down towards me a little.

"You should know by now that I want to hear you say it," he mumbled.

I took a deep breath. "Yes, I want to be your girlfriend," I whispered. He smiled.

"Good girl," he whispered and finally pressed his lips to mine. I slung my arms around his neck for support because I felt my knees might give out. He moved his hands down to my waist, pulling me closer. I didn't care that we were standing on a random sidewalk and that people were probably eyeing us weirdly. All I cared about were Hyunjin's lips on mine and his hands on my body, making me go crazy. I didn't want him to stop, but he sadly pulled away when the kiss started to get a little more heated. My head went on standby when he was so close.

"Come to my place," he whispered, placing his forehead against mine.

I pressed my lips together. I wanted to. I wasn't stupid, and I knew what would happen if I went with him. I was crazy for it, but I had deadlines to meet and I'd already wasted a whole day I should've spent painting.

"I would love to, but—" I started, but he interrupted me.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to do, I promise," he quickly said.

I giggled and looked up at him through my lashes. "That's not the reason, Hyunjin... I'm so crazy for you at this point that I want you to... never mind," I mumbled, and he started smirking.

"Then why can't you come?" he mumbled.

"I have a client picking up a painting tomorrow evening and I have to finish it. I need to work at least a little on it now," I said.

Hyunjin sighed. "Okay," he finally mumbled, "but let me walk you to your studio."

"I can agree with that," I smiled. He took my hand in his, and we started walking again.