Defective Banana - Chapter 28

Donghee’s friends couldn’t take their eyes off Seohyuk and kept chatting away.

“That movie—what was it? The one where you jump out of the car? I nearly had a heart attack watching that scene!”

“Seriously, Seohyuk. I get that you’re a good actor, but if you keep filming dangerous stuff like that, your body’s gonna give out. No more action, okay? Just stick to safer genres—do a nice romance, yeah?”

Seohyuk casually brushed his hair back in one smooth motion and replied with ease,

“I don’t know, I’ve always been drawn to action or crime films. And my stamina holds up just fine.”

He proudly flexed his biceps like a little kid showing off to his relatives—except he was definitely not little.

“Ha! Just wait till you hit forty. It all catches up to you. You need to take care of that body while you’re still young,” one of them warned.

“Let him be. He won’t listen anyway. Whether he’s flying or crawling, it’s his business,” Donghee muttered under her breath, sounding half like she was talking to herself.

They kept chatting like that, one lighthearted topic after another, until suddenly two hours had flown by. As the sky began to darken, Ara and Seohyuk—who had been drinking the least—started cleaning up and ushered the rest of Donghee’s group inside.

They cleared the table, took out the trash, wiped everything down, and turned off the outdoor lights before finally wrapping up.

Instead of going back into the room, the two of them stayed behind on the clean wooden platform outside, gazing up at the clear night sky.

The air was crisp and refreshing. They sat there, breathing it in quietly, their smiles softening under the starlight. The night sky above Jeonju was so full of stars, it looked like someone had strung up fairy lights just above their heads.

“Wow… the stars are incredible out here,” Ara whispered, craning her neck up.

Seohyuk laid back lazily on the platform and added,

“Think we’ll see a shooting star? I need to make a wish.”

“Have you ever actually seen one?”

“Last summer, I saw one while filming in Gangwon-do.”

A snore from somewhere inside made them glance at each other and laugh quietly.

“Did you make a wish then?”

“I did… but it hasn’t come true yet.”

“What did you wish for?”

“Just… something ordinary. I wished for a normal life.”

He paused, then admitted in a lower voice, “Actually, I wished I could feel love—like, that simple kind of love everyone else seems to experience.”

“That must be hard, being a celebrity and all.” Ara lay beside him, also looking up at the stars. The alcohol was making her feel a little more sentimental.

“No privacy, no real dating… always hiding behind hats and masks. That’s gotta wear you down.”

Seohyuk turned to her and gently took her hand in his. His big hand was warm and slow, caressing hers with surprising tenderness.

Their fingers laced together, and he whispered softly,

“As long as you’re beside me… I’ll be fine.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it—smooch—then kissed her pulse point. He started pressing soft, lingering kisses across her palm, one by one, like he was kissing her lips.

The tingling sensation brought her back to that night on Ganghwa Island—when he’d kissed her hand the same way.

Ara touched his lower lip with her finger, then slowly slipped it into his mouth. Seohyuk smiled faintly as he began to suck on it, his warm tongue flicking gently.

The rush was immediate. Her eyelids fluttered.

He licked between her fingers, moving back down to her wrist. His lips traveled up to her inner arm, where he began to suck on the soft skin slowly and deeply.

Ara bit her lip, suppressing a gasp. Her heart was pounding so loud it rang in her ears.

Even in the dark, she felt dangerously close to losing control—ready to give in to his kisses, to his touch. That terrified her.

She yanked her hand away and scrambled to sit up.

“I—I’m going back in.”

She slipped on her slippers and stood to leave, but Seohyuk quickly grabbed her wrist.

“Can’t you stay with me a little longer?”

“No. I mean, I’m sleepy. You should get some rest too. Good night.”

Clutching her pounding heart, Ara dashed away like she was running for her life and slipped into the room.

She leaned against the wall and slid down next to Donghee, who was snoring softly on the futon.

Secret relationships were definitely not for the faint of heart. But still… the way he longed for her, the way he couldn’t seem to help himself—it was kind of thrilling. Kind of sweet.
And maybe… just maybe, she liked it.

It felt like little blossoms were blooming all over her chest.

After a moment, she calmed her racing heart, spread a blanket next to Donghee, and curled up to sleep.

***

The next morning, after a quick breakfast and goodbyes, the three of them headed back to Seoul. Donghee, still hungover from the night before, sprawled out in the backseat and fell asleep almost immediately—leaving Seohyuk to drive.

Ara, sitting in the passenger seat, asked, “Seriously, how much did she drink last night?”

“When I cleaned up, I counted thirteen bottles of soju and six beers. If you include what they drank during the day, I’d say your sister downed at least three bottles on her own—plus some cocktails.”

Seohyuk sighed and shook his head.

“When we get back, I’ll make some clam bean sprout soup. You should both have some.”

Surprised, Seohyuk turned to look at her and smiled.

“You cook?”

“Of course. I’ve been cooking since middle school! My grandma taught me everything.”

He’d known her parents had passed away, but this was the first he heard about her living with her grandmother.

“You lived with your grandmother?”

“Yeah. Just the two of us. My parents died in a car accident when I was in middle school. My grandma passed when I was twenty-three, after a long illness.”

Seohyuk glanced at her, his throat tightening with sympathy. He wiped a hand over his mouth, eyes still on the road.

“That must’ve been really hard, going through all that so young. Are you okay now?”

“As you can see, I’m doing just fine.”

She gave a small shrug, trying to reassure him. But just then, Donghee groaned from the back seat.

“Ugh… my head. Where are we? Are we there yet?”

Ara froze for a second, holding her breath, while Seohyuk answered calmly.

“Go back to sleep, Kim Yeosa. We’ve still got about an hour.”

“Ugh, fine. Wake me when we get there.”

She flopped back down. Seohyuk and Ara exchanged amused glances and chuckled.

***

An hour later, they arrived in Seoul. Donghee stumbled into the house and went straight to bed. Ara headed to the kitchen and tied on an apron to start cooking. Meanwhile, Seohyuk kept texting her.

[Can I come over to your place?]
[I want to see you cooking.]
[Just 10 minutes. Please?]

She didn’t reply right away. But eventually, she sent a short text.

[I’m bringing the food over. Open the door.]

She carefully carried over a tray with clam bean sprout soup, rice, and a few side dishes.

Seohyuk was already waiting in the hallway when she arrived, and when he saw her approaching in a light pink apron, the words slipped out before he could stop himself.

“Why are you so pretty?”

Ara rolled her eyes and handed him the tray.

“Eat with your mom when she wakes up.”

“What about you?”

“I’m eating in my place. Obviously.”

Her firm tone left no room for argument. Seohyuk wanted to pull her back, but his hands were full.

“Come on, just eat with me. She’s still asleep, and I really wanted to share this with you…”

“Nope. Go on in.”

She pushed him back into his apartment and slammed the door.

Left alone, Seohyuk carried the food to the table and stared at it for a moment before taking out his phone.

Click.

“First taste of a meal cooked by Ara.”

Ignoring Ara’s instruction to wait for her sister, he dug in right away.

“Whoa… she’s incredible.”

***

An hour later, Donghee emerged from her room, groaning.

“Ugh, I feel like death.”

Seohyuk looked at her from the sofa and clicked his tongue.

“I told you not to drink so much. Hang on, I’ll fix you a plate.”

“I can’t eat. Just give me water.”

But Seohyuk pulled her upright and marched her over to the table.

“Ara made this because she was worried about you. You’re eating it.”

Grumbling, Donghee sat down. The hot soup seemed to bring her back to life.

“Oh, thank God. I feel human again.”

“Told you. Ara’s cooking is no joke. She could get married tomorrow.”

Donghee didn’t look up as she sipped the soup.

“So what? She says she’s not planning to get married.”

“What? Really?”

The idea of Ara not wanting marriage hit Seohyuk harder than he expected. It wasn’t like they’d known each other that long, and marriage wasn’t even on his radar before.
So why did it suddenly bother him so much?

Why did it feel like something was slipping away before he even had a chance to grab it?