The mornings have been refreshing these past few days.
Not just the mornings, but the entire day itself felt fresh.
It was because I hadn’t needed to intervene much ever since the message appeared, saying the system was updating.
I didn’t even need to send daily reports via email.
I wasn’t sure how long the update would last, but the freedom I had after a long time was quite sweet.
So sweet that I could get drunk on it.
Was that why?
I ended up saying something unnecessary.
“I was waiting.
Wondering if you wouldn’t text today.”
The words I had spoken wouldn’t leave my mind.
What was I thinking when I said that?
Even worse…
“I like you.”
One phrase, unclear whether it was a dream or reality, kept echoing in my ears.
In the silent dawn, those words pierced through the stillness and kept knocking on my heart like a gentle knock on a door.
I saw Lee Jian coming in.
I quietly turned my body away.
Even from a distance, I could tell she was excited, probably thinking about teasing me over what I had said in my drowsiness.
She walked in at her usual leisurely pace, heading to her seat—only to stop in front of mine.
Then, slowly, she looked down at me.
“Dohyun, hi?”
Her eyes sparkled, as if expecting something.
I thought I could keep a straight face, but seeing her expression somehow made it difficult to hide my reaction.
I forced myself to remain calm and flipped the page of my book.
“Hi.”
I gave a short response and turned my gaze back to the book.
But the words on the page didn’t register.
I was too distracted.
Lee Jian stood still for a moment before very slowly resting her arm on my desk, as if leaning on it.
A slightly tilted posture.
As her hair cascaded down, a subtle fragrance drifted toward me.
Close.
Too close.
“……Why.”
I asked, deliberately averting my gaze.
“Just~”
Then, playfully, she rested her head on her arm, which was on my desk, and stared at me intently.
What… is this?
Why is she acting like this so early in the morning?
I couldn’t escape.
I tried to pretend I was unaffected and flipped the page again.
But my hand wouldn’t move properly.
It felt strangely tense.
And then—
“Oh?”
Suddenly, something brushed against the back of my hand.
Just slightly.
Really just a little.
I flinched instinctively and pulled my hand back slightly.
“There was something on it.”
She still had a completely nonchalant expression.
“Oh?
Were you startled?”
“……No.”
“Really~?”
She narrowed her eyes playfully, watching my reaction.
I had to act indifferent.
I had to pretend this was nothing—just like usual—
“Dohyun.”
And then.
She called my name from up close.
She only said my name, and yet…
I clenched my hand.
Even so, her voice kept lingering in my ears.
At the same time, it resurfaced.
That hazy phrase, uncertain whether it was a dream or reality.
“I like you.”
Why…
Why was my heart beating so annoyingly fast?
“Haa.”
I let out a small sigh and closed my book.
“Ah, finally looking at me?”
She smiled with satisfaction, her lips curling up slightly.
I held back another sigh and stared at her.
“…Why are you like this today?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re different from usual.”
She tilted her head slightly.
Then, with a mischievous smile, she rested her chin on her hand and looked up at me.
“Me?”
And then, she added, deliberately slow—
“Why?
Are you nervous?”
I tried to keep my face expressionless.
But at that moment—
For some reason, the back of my neck felt warm.
“Hehe.
Yesterday, someone was unexpectedly honest, so I thought I’d try it too.”
My face turned so red that I couldn’t hide it.
I quickly turned my head away.
Seeing me like that, Lee Jian laughed brightly, clearly pleased.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she walked over to her seat—right next to mine.
For some reason, I had a strong feeling that today was going to be exhausting.
And, as expected, from then on, Lee Jian took every chance she got to tease me.
She flapped her arms excitedly, and when my cheeks subtly turned red, she looked smug.
Annoying, yet strangely cute.
I tried to retaliate in my own way.
By questioning if she had meant it when she said “I like you.”
But then, her response—
“I hope you don’t forget today’s call.”
It felt as if she was waiting for the moment I would admit that I had heard those words.
In the end, I just opened my mouth slightly but said nothing.
Not yet…
Not just yet.
I needed a little more time.
At least until I got a reply to my email.
Then, it was time for P.E.
I quietly changed into my sports uniform and headed to the field as usual.
Lee Jian was stretching on one side of the field.
Even from far away, I kept noticing her.
I kept feeling strange.
My eyes kept drifting toward her.
It wasn’t like I had activated observer mode.
Yet, I kept staring at one place.
“Kim Dohyun!”
Suddenly, someone called my name, making me flinch and turn around.
And—
“Let’s do this together.”
Lee Jian was standing right in front of me.
With a bright, cheerful smile.
I let out a light sigh.
“Why.”
“Well, it’s free time anyway, so there’s nothing else to do.
Let’s play catch.”
“Where are the gloves and ball?”
“I saw them in the storage room.”
Why were they even in the storage room?
“Play with someone else.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“I don’t want to.
I like you.”
The moment I heard those words, I felt tension in my fingertips.
For some reason, my body stiffened slightly.
“Do whatever you want.”
I said, pretending to be unaffected as much as I could.
Then, she grinned and said—
“Great!
It’s settled, then!”
She suddenly grabbed my arm.
I came to an abrupt stop.
Her hand.
She had only grabbed it lightly, yet the sensation felt strangely vivid.
Instinctively, I tried to pull my hand away.
But—
“Oh?
Why are you pulling away?
Do you hate it?”
I slowly closed and opened my eyes, taking a deep breath.
“No.”
“Then stay still.”
And—
She didn’t let go.
I quietly watched as the tips of her ears turned red.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling embarrassed.
For some reason, that was oddly reassuring.
A quiet corner of the field, where a long shadow stretched.
There were a lot of people around.
But, strangely—
It felt like it was just the two of us.
I gently moved my fingertips.
Not to feel her hand, nor to reject it.
Just—being still.
Just like that,
I was already being pulled into her pace.
On one side of the field, we started a light game of catch.
The sun shone gently overhead, marking the peak of midday.
We stood facing each other at a close distance.
“Isn’t this too close?”
Lee Jian grumbled.
“If we’re too far, you won’t be able to throw properly.”
I lightly tapped my glove as I spoke.
I deliberately made my voice sound irritatingly smug, like a challenge.
Jian shot me a glare.
“You’re looking down on me, aren’t you?”
I shrugged.
At that, she smirked coldly and threw the ball with all her strength.
Thud—
A sharp sting shot through my hand.
I subtly took a step back.
Noticing this, Jian smirked mockingly.
Thwack—
She caught the ball I threw back with ease.
“At least you’re not completely uncoordinated.
I guess being tone-deaf and rhythm-deaf is bad enough.”
Thud—
The ball flew straight into my glove, sucked in like it was meant to be there.
I quietly took another step back.
Yeah, this distance was definitely too close.
So we adjusted to a more comfortable space between us, standing face-to-face.
Throwing, catching.
The ball passed between us in a steady rhythm.
Along with it, words were exchanged.
“Do you like baseball?”
“I just watch it sometimes.”
“Which team do you support?”
“I don’t really have one.
I just watch highlights every now and then.”
I casually threw the ball.
“But your P.E. uniform looks kind of big on you.”
Thwack.
Jian caught it effortlessly.
She held the ball in her hand and suddenly tugged at her shirt.
“Of course.
It’s yours.
So, when should I return it?”
As I caught the ball again, I glanced at her.
“I have extras, so you can take your time.”
She grinned shamelessly.
“Okay.
Then I’ll just keep it.”
“……”
That gave me pause.
With a mischievous look, she tugged slightly at the waistband of the shorts.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll return the bottoms.”
Shorts.
Long, slender legs.
Fair, smooth skin.
Tiny beads of sweat.
I quickly turned my head away.
Weird thoughts kept popping into my head.
“This isn’t a hostage negotiation, you know.”
I let out a short sigh.
“I don’t care.
Do whatever you want.”
The moment I said that, she grinned.
“Yes!”
She clenched her fist in victory, looking absurdly happy.
Was that really something to be so excited about?
“So, are you going to wait today, too?”
With a playful smile, Jian tossed the ball again.
It soared toward me once more.
I caught it and, after a moment of silence, muttered,
“…It was my first time.”
Only after the words left my mouth did I realize what I had just said.
At that moment, the sensation of the ball in my hand became even more distinct.
Too firm to let go easily,
Not too light, not too heavy—
Something between the ball we tossed back and forth, and the emotions we exchanged.
“Huh?”
Jian tilted her head.
I quietly threw the ball back.
“Texting privately, calling someone…”
Thwack.
She caught the ball and looked at me.
I slowly exhaled.
“…It was my first time keeping in touch with someone so frequently.”
That moment—
Her expression changed slightly.
The playful glint in her eyes softened, just a little.
She held the ball loosely and spoke.
“Then—”
And then, she smiled gently.
Even under the scorching sun overhead, we stood in the stretch of shade.
But this place wasn’t entirely cool either.
The humid summer air filled the shadowy space.
The heat radiating from the sunbaked field slowly seeped in, drawing sweat from our skin.
It was a familiar warmth, but right now, it carried an entirely different meaning.
Jian was sweating too.
A tiny droplet rolled down the back of her neck.
And—
Her hair, damp from sweat, clung to the curve of her neck.
She wiped beneath her chin with the back of her hand.
“I’ll let you experience even more.”
In that instant, the air felt heavier than the midsummer heat.
“…What?”
She took a small breath.
Even in the shade, her breathing was faintly uneven.
A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, pausing for a second before dropping from her chin.
“Your firsts.”
Thwack—
The ball came flying toward me.
A direct, forceful trajectory from her hands,
Thud—!
It smacked into my glove.
The solid impact dug deep into my palm, sending a tingling sensation through my hand.
My heart gradually began to pound.
I lifted my gaze.
Her breathing was uneven.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Yet, her eyes did not waver.
Rather—
There was something burning within them, something hotter than the midday air.
“I’ll create many firsts for you.”
Beneath the shade that shielded us from the sun—
However,
The temperature between us only continued to rise.
“This time, I’m not joking.”
Those words seeped into the thick, humid air of midsummer.
I clenched my hand.
The firm sensation of the ball.
I had only caught it.
We were still maintaining a distance.
Yet, it felt as if she was whispering right in front of me.
The cool breeze in the shade and the heat surging within my chest didn’t match.
The heavy sensation pressing into my fingertips.
A slow, steady pressure.
It felt less like holding a ball and more like having my heart gripped and shaken.
As if this moment might slip away from my grasp.
I—
I could only tighten my grip.
“But you’re not avoiding it today?
I thought you’d dodge again since you got all flustered earlier.”
Lee Jian spoke, her face brimming with mischief.
I stared at her for a moment before tossing the ball.
“You told me not to avoid it.”
Thwack.
She caught it.
And—
Her face turned red.
Seeing her like that, I spoke.
“One-on-one, right?”
Whack.
This time, the ball flew into my glove with even more force.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever!”
I burst into laughter as I watched her.
“I’ll wait again.”
“F-For what?”
Just moments ago, she had been teasing me effortlessly, but now, she was the one flustered.
“Messages, calls… firsts?”
Thud.
She failed to catch the ball—not that I had thrown it hard.
Her face flushed red, and she just stood there, stammering.
I couldn’t stop laughing.
There wasn’t even a chance for her to grab the ball again.
After practice ended, I stood in a daze on one side of the field.
My fingertips tingled faintly.
Strangely enough, the feeling of playing catch still lingered.
Or rather—
The moment when her hand had brushed the back of mine.
The moment she had thrown the ball, saying, “I’ll create many firsts for you.”
All those brief moments remained vividly in my mind.
I took a quiet breath.
When did it start?
When had I begun to care this much?
Since when had I reacted so strongly to her voice, her tone, her every little action?
I tried to act indifferent, like nothing was wrong—
But it was already too late.
My balance was already crumbling.
I quietly grasped the sleeve of my gym uniform.
The one she said she wouldn’t return.
But what Jian had taken wasn’t just my uniform.
I—
I was losing my firsts to her.
All the familiar moments, when I was with Jian, felt new—like they were happening for the first time.
And yet, I didn’t dislike it.
Rather than feeling nervous, anxious, or uneasy, I felt something much stronger, something that drowned out everything else—
Excitement.
Somewhere deep inside, I found myself looking forward to it.
Strands of red-tinted hair fell over my face.
I pressed both hands against the sink, staring straight at my reflection in the mirror.
I ran a hand through my hair, revealing my face.
Red.
Ridiculously red.
What the hell.
“I’ll wait again.”
“Messages, calls… firsts?”
Wasn’t he the one embarrassed just moments ago?
Then why was I the one feeling more flustered now?
I reached for the cold water and splashed it onto my face.
But the heat wouldn’t subside.
A while ago, I was the one holding the upper hand.
When did that change?
Ha, seriously.
“This is so unfair.”
I muttered quietly.
Why was I the one breaking first?
This was my trap.
This was my joke.
And yet, strangely—
I didn’t feel bad about it.
If anything, the real problem was that I couldn’t stop the corners of my lips from curling up.