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“If we were in Korea, you would have already started your first semester of freshman year last month. Let's see, based on age, Hunter would be a sophomore. Seriously, the American school system is so weird.”
Ae-jeong had shaken her head while celebrating Jiyu's coming-of-age and birthday with a modest gathering at a restaurant in Brooklyn.
The teenagers now spoke naturally with their friends about sexual experiences. Some were even preparing to move out with their boyfriends.
However, the relationship between Hunter and Jiyu was different. Dating was merely a pretext; the two of them had never once told each other that they liked one another.
To ensure she didn't forget the reason she started dating him, Jiyu carved it into her heart repeatedly, like a mantra.
'I used Hunter to stay in this house. Hunter is using me because of the Jinx.'
She still remembered what Hunter had said to her after kissing her at the Spring Fling.
'Curiosity, a trick of hormones.'
To him, she was nothing more than an easy target who happened to be within arm's reach at an age when blood boils.
An old toy that was too boring to play with, but one he hated seeing others play with. A childish obsession.
That was the extent of the feelings Hunter had for her.
'Then what about you?'
Jiyu quickly pulled back the stray thoughts drifting in a dangerous direction and strictly disciplined herself.
The hierarchy between Hunter and her was clear. In such a situation, the one thing she had fought with all her might to protect—to keep herself safe—was her heart.
If she gave him her heart, she would surely be shredded by a blade swung carelessly, stripped of her final shield. Even if he trampled her indifferently, she wouldn't be able to let out a single scream.
Her shoulders trembled. This time, it wasn't because of the cold.
'I will never, ever love Hunter.'
It was an instinctive defense mechanism.
It was a natural desire to want to share one's first experience with someone they loved.
In three months, she would have to leave for California to attend college. Then, this relationship would end. The connection with Hunter, which had lasted since they met at age five, had at most three months left.
Once she left the tedious Fifth Avenue and entered a world where ordinary people lived... she might never see him again for the rest of her life.
That didn't seem so bad. At least she wouldn't feel disgusted by herself.
'When I go to college, I'll start my life anew. With confidence. On my own.'
Jiyu vowed once more.
Hunter grumbled when the driving ban was issued, but he didn't force her. Given her personality, if he had pushed her, she likely would have followed along without resisting until the end.
However, he wasn't the type of person to cling desperately to someone who said no.
And so, they returned to the tree house.
Jiyu could tell just by looking at the silhouette of Hunter sitting with his legs stretched out on the sofa that he was in a bad mood. To avoid provoking him, she pulled out a small wooden chair and sat a short distance away.
But as soon as she sat down, he clicked his tongue and pulled her toward him.
[Ah!]
Pulling Jiyu onto his lap, Hunter wrapped his arm around her waist and held her firmly as she squirmed to get away. Perhaps because there had been an incident where Jiyu fell to the floor while they were kissing on the narrow sofa, causing a commotion, he kept insisting on having her sit on his lap.
[Let me go, Hunter. I'll sit next to you.]
[Jiyu Parker. Do you really have to stick to that bastard like glue?]
The voice of a full-grown man, with a deep and low resonance, echoed against the walls of the tree house.
Though the light from the streetlamps filtered in through the entrance and the small window, the interior was dark. Perhaps that was why her hearing and sense of touch became exceptionally sensitive whenever she entered this place. Goosebumps rose on her forearms.
[I told you Josh is just a friend. Today is the day we go volunteering together; did you forget again?]
[Ha, goddamn Joshua fucking Yoon.]
Jiyu let out a sigh. It was the exact same pattern he had shown when reacting to Rex during their childhood.
[Hunter, stop being childish. How many times do I have to tell you? There is absolutely nothing going on between him and me.]
[Fuck. I can't help it if he gets on my nerves.]
He spat out a curse.
[Don't curse in Korean.]
She snapped back sharply, criticizing him with a stern expression.
[And stop bullying Josh at school. Stop bumping into his shoulder when you pass by. I heard everything.]
Hunter scoffed.
[You're tattle-tailing like a little rat now?]
[Sigh...]
[I was just walking. Is it my fault that some scrawny nerd was lingering and bumped into my shoulder and fell over?]
He asked back brazenly.
[Hunter...]
Jiyu called his name as if lamenting.
He was still acting like a child whose toy had been taken away.
Rex had been just as reckless as Hunter, so he had stood his ground and faced him as an equal, but since Rex left, there was no one at Alton School who could put the brakes on Hunter.
[So, stop smiling like that. Jiyu Parker.]
Startled by the random comment, she frowned.
[...Do I need your permission even to smile?]
[Yes.]
The confidence in his answer was so absolute that she was speechless.
Does he really think of me as a possession?
[No matter if we're dating, something like that— mmp—]
Hunter suddenly pressed his lips against the spot where her dimple appeared. Then, he murmured in a low, sunken voice.
[Just... if I tell you... not to smile... then don't.]
With every word he uttered, his lips traced a line from her cheek to the corner of her mouth. And as soon as their lips overlapped, he dove in as if to swallow her whole. It was a kiss that felt like a punishment.
[Mmph...]
Her waist gradually arched and tilted backward under the momentum, and she wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck. At that, the lips that had been driving her relentlessly without giving her room to breathe slowed down a beat and softened slightly.
In the silent courtyard where even the sound of the wind held its breath, the sound of their heavy breathing leaked out, barely audible.
The hand that had been firmly gripping Jiyu's waist slowly slid under the hem of her t-shirt. The hand, which had been fiddling with the bare skin of her waist for a while as if to reassure her, began to crawl upward.
[No, Hunter.]
Twisting her head to break the kiss, Jiyu gripped his hand over her clothes.
[Ha...]
Hunter hugged her as tightly as he could and buried his forehead in her shoulder. His broad shoulders heaved along with his ragged breathing. His breath felt hot through the t-shirt.
[How long are you going to make me wait? You're an adult now, too.]
His voice was low and rough, sounding as if it were mixed with scrap metal.
[I'm sorry. I'm... not mentally prepared for that yet.]
Hunter slowly lifted his head. After scanning every inch of her face, he let out a long sigh and showered her lips, her dimples, and the tip of her nose with kisses.
Jiyu began to feel a bit embarrassed sitting on his lap. It hadn't been this intense a moment ago.
Knowing from experience that fidgeting at a time like this would only stimulate him further, she remained perfectly still, sitting atop him and even suppressing the sound of her breathing.
Was there something she could use to distract him?
Jiyu racked her brain for a safe topic.
[Um... you can't go to the prom, right?]
Startled by the unexpected question, Hunter lifted his head.
[Prom?]
[Yeah. Senior prom is next Friday. Didn't you say you're going to Florida from Friday to Sunday for the tournament?]
[......]
After a silence as if lost in thought, he gave a short nod.
It was expected. Since the Spring Fling, Hunter had never attended such parties. The same went for Jiyu. However, the senior prom was the graduation party that marked the end of thirteen years at Aster School.
She felt a bit disappointed that Hunter couldn't attend such a party, but Jiyu quickly shook off the thought.
It's not like she's his real girlfriend. She had no right to be disappointed.
[I thought so.]
[What about you?]
Hunter asked, slightly arching one eyebrow.
There was no need to go to the prom with a man. Jiyu and Chloe had planned long ago to go together. However, not long ago, Benjamin Wang, a senior at Alton School and a longtime friend of Chloe, had proposed to her in front of the school, handing her flowers and asking her to be his prom date.
Chloe and Benjamin had asked Jiyu to come along, but not wanting to be a hindrance between the two, she had not yet made a decision.
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