"Huh?" He puts down his coffee cup. "You seem quite sure."
"I don't want to do those things with anyone." She narrows her eyes on him. How did they become this close? She's telling him things like this easily. This sneaky mister is almost like a friend. He has stopped asking her about Daydream and he is behaving properly around her.
Sin Jeong-Hyuk rubs her head. "It means that you haven't found the person you want to love."
Almost behaving properly. Chang Seol corrects herself in her mind. "Have you kissed someone, Mister?"
"That's a funny question." He chuckles. "Do I look like someone who hasn't kissed someone?"
He's regrowing his beard. "I was just curious."
"My first kiss was in middle school." Sin Jeong-Hyuk tells her frankly, "My first time was in the third year of high school."
"You are like Lim Dabin." She wrinkles her nose. "A horny dog."
"In fact, I was born in the year of the dog." He inquires curiously, "Who is Lim Dabin?"
"She was my school classmate." Chang Seol finishes her coffee, feeling that she needs more caffeine. This is Mister's fault. She is addicted to coffee because of him. "Surprisingly, she's still my classmate. At the moment, she's a class leader."
And Lim Dabin has been trying to befriend her. Chang Seol doesn't like her because of their pasts. Whenever she sees that girl, she recalls how she peeped when Lim Dabin was doing it with someone.
That memory makes her feel ashamed of herself.
Even without that memory, she doesn't like Lim Dabin, although she doesn't know why she has always disliked that girl.
It must be Lim Dabin's overly friendly nature that creeps her out.
"You really hate that girl." Sin Jeong-Hyuk pinches her cheek. "You look like you were plotting her murder in your head."
"I am not an idiot." She slaps his hand off her. "Why would I murder someone and go to prison? I have a lot to do in my life."
"What might that be?" He beams at her. "Tell me. I might be of help.
"I need to find a job." She sighs. "I need to graduate. I need to find a good job. I need to see a therapist."
"Hold up." He raises his hand. "I understand the first three goals. What about the last one? Why do you need to see a therapist?"
Chang Seol takes his coffee cup and swallows his black coffee. "Because of you, Mister."
"Aish! This girl always blames me." He eyes his coffee cup. "And you always drink half of my coffee. Why do you do that? Make more coffee for yourself if you like black coffee so much."
"No time." She grabs her bag and heads toward the door. "I will see you later, Mister."
"Wait for a moment." Sin Jeong-Hyuk runs toward her and grasps her wrist. "You can't leave like this."
She frowns at him. "Why? Do you want me to make lunch for you?
"Uh-huh." He shakes his head. "Stand straight."
Though she's suspicious of him, Chang Seol stands straight. There's a tacit agreement between them: he won't do anything weird to her and she won't bite his nose.
Mister bends down and pulls her in a bear hug, lifting her up with his one arm and twirling her around while screaming on the top of his lungs, "Happy Birthday, my cutest goddaughter."
Chicken widens her eyes. Her stupid heart skips a beat as her sensitive nose inhales his musky scent. Heat deluges through her veins. Feeling feverish, she wraps her arms around his neck as he keeps spinning her around until she brushes her lips against his throat and bites his flesh lightly.
***
Chicken has a habit of biting people when she's angry. Sin Jeong-Hyuk stops spinning her, not minding the bite. His nose was bitten once. Ruthlessly.
"Oops!" He puts her down on the floor, waiting for her to uncoil her arms around his neck. "I am sorry, Little Chicken. I got carried away because it's your twentieth birthday and…"
Why is she not releasing his neck? He is awkwardly bent while she's breathing raggedly against his ear. "You must have been scared. Take deep breaths. Calm down."
She pulls him closer as she lightly sucks his earlobe.
"Chicken, don't bite me there." He grabs her arm and tries to push her away. "I am sensitive there… Please, don't make me bleed like last time."
For a strange reason, it seems that his strength has been halved after getting his shoulder dislocated. He can't seem to push her away. Her hot breath tantalizes the sensitive area around his ear. When she starts trailing his jawline with kisses, he realizes that she's not angry. The stubble is barely any hindrance.
"Damn!" He puts his hand over her lips before she could peck his lips, pushing his head away from her. Her dark eyes are drunken with concupiscence. She runs her tongue on his palm.
"Chicken!" He yells at her. "Enough!"
Chang Seol blinks her eyes rapidly. When the clarity returns to her eyes, she realizes that something is not right with their positions. On top of it, Mister's ears are fiery red. There are tiny red marks on his earlobe. He seems flustered too. "Aren't we too close?"
"You think?" Sin Jeong-Hyuk growls at her. "Release me now."
It's her who is holding him. Chang Seol steps back, looking at any place but him. She hears him sighing.
"What just happened?" He questions her with an irritating voice. "Why would you do that? Are you teasing me, Chicken? I am still a man."
She doesn't remember a thing. Chang Seol licks her lips and releases her breath. "What did I do?"
"You dare to ask me." He knits his brows. "You bit my ear and then, you tried to kiss me."
"Oh." She lets out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of her head. Trying to kiss him? What was wrong with her? She's not someone who tries to kiss random people. "Mister, can't I kiss you as your goddaughter?"
Sin Jeong-Hyuk stares hard at her. "No."
What? Why can't she kiss him when he hugs her randomly? Chang Seol grimaces at him. "And why is that? Since you are my godfather, a kiss should be nothing."
"Daughters don't kiss their fathers." He puts his hand on his hip. "God daughters certainly don't kiss their godfathers."
"Let's amend some rules," She suggests meekly. Something ain't right. Why is she trying to convince him that they should kiss? "Besides, kisses between us don't have any meaning. We are… You already adopted me as your goddaughter. Stop overreacting about such a simple thing."
Her mind is overreacting too, but she's quiet about it, isn't she?
"Kids these days are so bold." Sin Jeong-Hyuk bends his waist and turns his face to his right. "Since you are my goddaughter, I will allow you to kiss my cheeks."
But she doesn't want to kiss. However, she wants to know what it likes to kiss. There's this strange feeling in the bottom of her stomach and a strange urge in her mind. She licks her lips again and bends her head slightly, pecking him straight on his lips, freezing him on the spot.
"Mister, you got my first kiss," She whispers in his ear before she flounces out of the house.