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Confession

Deok Sun lay in bed, wide awake. It was late, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

She kept touching her lips, wondering if it was all a dream.

"It couldn't have been a dream," she thought, "If it was a dream, why do my lips feel bruised?"

Her lips couldn't help but curve into a smile as she closed her eyes and remembered the feel of Jung Hwan's lips on hers.

They had just kept kissing in that alleyway, she wasn't sure how much time had passed. All she knew was that kiss went on, and on, and on. She could still remember how soft his lips felt, how he pulled her close gently but held her tight. She remembered how his hair tickled her fingertips as she touched the back of his neck.

She also remembered how they sprang apart when they heard Sun Woo and Dong Ryo softly calling out to them in the dark. How hastily they had fixed themselves, avoided each other's gaze, and took deep breaths before emerging from the shadows of the alleyway, one after the other.

And that kiss was never spoken of again, not the next morning, not when their classes met up at the parking lot to board the buses that would take them home, not on the walk home.

So... What did it all mean?

Deok Sun's eyes flew open as she remembered something her friend Joey had said before.

"Tell him that you're going on a blind date. If he says you shouldn't go, it means he likes you!"

She resisted the urge to bolt upright, in fear of waking up Bora and getting an earful. Instead, she crept slowly out of bed, grabbed her coat, and tiptoed out of the house and up the stairs to the courtyard.

Deok Sun quietly shuffled to the steps leading up to Jung Hwan's house and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that his bedroom light was still on.

She grabbed a pebble and tossed it to his window. It made a soft sound, and she was getting ready to throw another one when Jung Hwan suddenly appeared at the window.

She quickly put a finger up to her lips then gestured at the front door, and he disappeared from the window. Deok Sun jumped around impatiently, trying to keep warm from the cold, until finally the front door opened and Jung Hwan let her in.

She made a beeline for his room and he quietly shut the door behind him. She sat at the foot of his bed and he sat beside her, keeping some distance between them.

"It's late. What is it?" he asked quietly.

Deok Sun took a deep breath.

"I'm going on a blind date," she declared, watching for his reaction.

Jung Hwan blinked but didn't say anything.

"He's a junior. He's Joey's classmate from elementary school," she pressed on, but he just continued to look at her.

Deok Sun moved closer to Jung Hwan, closing the gap between them. "Shall I go on the blind date?" she asked him boldly.

He blinked at her again but still didn't say anything, so she asked insistently, "Should I?"

They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity, until Jung Hwan finally said, "Don't go."

She felt him take a deep breath as he said, "Don't go on the blind date."

Deok Sun stared at him, wide-eyed. "Why not?" she asked, her heart hammering in her chest as she waited for an answer.

"I don't want you to," he replied, not breaking their gaze.

"Why not?" she asked again. She needed to be sure.

"Because I like you."

Time seemed to stop then as Deok Sun stared at Jung Hwan.

"As a friend?" she asked slowly, nervously, and Jung Hwan shook his head.

"How can I be sure that--" Jung Hwan suddenly leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss.

She kissed him back and it was just how she remembered it. Jung Hwan cupped her face in his hands as he continued to kiss her, and Deok Sun rested her hands on his broad shoulders. They kissed until finally they were breathless and they came up for air.

Jung Hwan struggled to catch his breath and gazed at Deok Sun.

"Still going on that blind date?" he asked, and she shook her head with a smile.

"Why not?" His heart was beating wildly as he waited for her to reply. He knew, of course he knew, for how could he not know when she kissed him back like that. But he just needed to be sure too.

"I like you too."

The corners of Jung Hwan's mouth slowly lifted into a smile, and he was happy to see her smiling too. They sat across each other on his bed, looking like idiots with big, stupid smiles on their faces.

Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You better not be going on any blind dates either."

He stifled a laugh as he shook his head. "No blind dates," he promised, and she smiled at him again.

Jung Hwan resisted the urge to grab her to him and kiss her again. Instead, he stood up and held his hand out to her.

"It's late, you need to get some sleep," he said.

"But I don't want to go," she pouted at him.

"Deok Sun, we're dead if someone catches you here," he said, then reached out and grabbed her hand to pull her up.

He turned towards the door, when she suddenly yanked on his hand.

"Hey," she said and he turned to her.

"The guys..." They looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison.

"One last hug before I go, then?" she asked sweetly, and Jung Hwan shook his head in mock resignation. He pulled her close, then was surprised when she pulled his head down and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Good night," she grinned at him, then pulled away and headed for the door.

They quietly made their way out of the house, and after saying their goodbyes, let themselves into their homes and crawled back into bed.

Jung Hwan and Deok Sun both fell asleep with a smile on their face, eagerly awaiting for tomorrow to come.