Mint Is Pure Love - Chapter 40

The bus would’ve taken fifteen minutes, but we chose to walk instead. We wandered on purpose—taking the long way through the park, turning into side alleys instead of going straight, dragging our steps just because we could.

On the way back, we stopped by the supermarket. I grabbed an ice cream bar, Seokyung picked up an energy drink, and we walked even slower. Even so, somehow, we still ended up in front of my house.

“…You should’ve lived farther away, Ji Yeonseo.”

Seokyung muttered it under his breath, eyes lifting to the gate.

The whole time, he hadn’t let go of my hand. His gaze drifted down to mine. No more sunsets now—just the orange glow of the streetlamp behind us, like every summer we’d shared before. Our eyes met in that light.

My lips felt dry for no reason, and suddenly it was hard to meet his eyes. I swallowed for no reason, quietly slipped my hand out of his, and stepped up to the gate. That brought us eye to eye, more or less.

I was about to go in, but neither of us moved.

I didn’t want to step into an empty house. I didn’t want to be alone. That was all.

“Seokyung… want to hang out at my place and stay over?”

…Were his eyes always this big? I could see every flicker in them.

I didn’t mean anything by it. I’d stayed at his place before. Plus, my house had more than enough spare rooms.

“Last time I stayed at your place, remember?”

Whatever he read in my eyes, Seokyung ran a big hand over his face, muttering under his breath, Ha… Ji Yeonseo. When he finally steadied himself, he spoke.

“…Not anymore. Not when we’re dating. Makes me think of other things first.” Then, quieter—“Even when we were just friends, actually.”

I’m not stupid. In our school, about ninety-nine percent of the guys were dying to say things like that but didn’t have the guts. My throat bobbed.

“…You think about that stuff too?”

His gaze locked straight onto me. For a second, it didn’t look like water in his eyes—it looked like fire. The sharp line of his neck shifted as his Adam’s apple made a bold jump.

“Yeah. A lot. Pretty much every day. Because of someone.”

“…”

“Lately, I think that’s all I think about.”

He inhaled slow, broken breaths, his eyes stuck on my lips. His voice was low.

“I want to go to Yonghosan Park. At night.”

That look of his felt like it could swallow me whole. My heart rattled under the strange tension. His eyes scanned me head to toe, then—just like that—he softened and let out a small laugh. He tapped his upper lip with his finger.

Unlike the time he’d had bread crumbs stuck there at Kukmoa, there was nothing on his lips now.

Wait. No way…

When I realized what he meant, my face heated instantly. Yonghosan Park—at night—it was famous for one thing. Being the perfect first kiss spot.

Still… a kiss? That felt kind of fast.

But then again, we’d known each other for over half a year. We’d been through a lot, and as of today, we were officially dating. If Seokyung thought about “that” every day, maybe I could give him at least this much.

So I decided to be brave.

I put my hands on his shoulders, rose slightly on my toes, lined up our lips, and closed my eyes. A soft, warm pressure brushed against mine—then pulled away.

“…”

The look on his face was… honestly the dumbest I’d ever seen. Frozen in place like he’d just been struck by lightning.

“…We’re dating.”

So just for today, I’d let that be my excuse. My words trailed off before I could add the rest, and I parroted the line he’d been repeating all day, embarrassed.

Slowly, his gaze lowered to mine again.

It was a look I’d never seen on him before. Half-crumbling, definitely surrendering, but still holding back with a stubborn kind of patience.

His large hands gripped my shoulders, firm but gentle. He leaned in at almost the same pace I had—but deeper. Much deeper.

Not quite the center of my lips, but just off it, his mouth pulled mine in, the soft skin slipping between his closed lips before letting go.

In that brief moment, I swear, stars burst above my head. When we parted, the wet sound seemed loud in my ears. For a second, I forgot how to make my heart beat.

Then, from between the lips that had just touched mine, his voice slipped out, low and heavy.

“…Sweet. The ice cream.”

“…”

“And you.”

The second I processed that, my ears burned. He said it so easily, not a hint of strain in his face. Looking at that handsome face studying mine, I felt the thinnest thread of jealousy twist inside me.

“…Why are you so good at saying stuff like that?”

“Me? Like what?”

“You know. Those cheesy, embarrassing lines.”

He laughed—a clear, popping laugh, like fireworks going off.

“Was it ticklish? Want me to scratch it?” he teased, tugging my cheek.

“Mmmf—stop it—”

“You think I’ve said stuff like this to other girls?”

He tilted his head, looking down at me with unnecessary weight in his words. His thumb brushed over my still-damp lower lip.

Honestly… what could I even say?

“…It’s fine. What’s past is past. I dated Kim Eunho too, you know.”

“…”

“Sure, we only ever held hands, but still. It counts.”

“…God, that pisses me off.”

I’d heard him say that countless times, but this time there was something colder in it. He caught my hand, trapping it in his, kneading it like he couldn’t stand to let go.

“Come on. I’ll turn the lights on for you, then head out.”

Before I could react, his lips brushed my forehead. Again, no warning.

“Today’s the first day, Yeonseo.” I knew the part he left out.

So tomorrow’s next. And the day after that. And all the days after.

“That’s why I’m saving it. I’ll be here every day.”

Because good things are meant to be savored for a long, long time—that’s what he whispered. And I would. For a very long time. Just like I’d said once before.

But much later, whenever I thought about that moment, my chest would ache. Because having so many days ahead of us didn’t necessarily mean we had that many to spend together. Back then, neither of us knew that—and I hated that we didn’t.

***

The next morning, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a text.

[Don think I can go to school today, ill Tlk to u L8r.]

The typos stood out. This was not the neat, well-punctuated Seokyung I knew.

[What’s wrong? Call me when you can!]

I sent it and waited, but no reply came. Was something going on at home? I worried, but there wasn’t much I could do. I still had to go to school.

It felt strange. Same streets, same school, but without Seokyung, everything felt empty and unfamiliar.

School was worse. My seatmate wasn’t there to chatter away, and every time I passed someone, curious stares clung to me like lint.

But none of that mattered—I just kept thinking about him. What was he doing right now? Should I text again? Call? I was just debating when—

“Hey. Ji Yeonseo.”

I turned to find Lee Hojung by my desk. The sharpness in her eyes was dulled, replaced with something… uneasy.

“What?”

“….”

“Didn’t you come here to say something?”

I couldn’t even remember the last time she’d spoken to me. She glanced around, lowering her voice.

“Yeonseo… you and Seokyung—”

She cut herself off, looking uncharacteristically hesitant.

“What about us?”

“…Be careful.”

And just like that, she turned and left the room.

Be careful? Of what? Did she see us together? It was the first day back after break, and we’d been out late—but I didn’t remember seeing any kids in uniform around.

Not that I cared. So what if she saw? Was she going to yank my hair for dating Seokyung?

I wasn’t scared anymore. Honestly, I’d never really been scared of anyone’s crap to begin with. Fine—chew me up if you want. If I’m the gum that fits your taste, then chew away.

…But I didn’t want him getting chewed up too. I didn’t want my world shaking his.

I’d have to talk to him.

Except… I didn’t hear from him all afternoon. I even tried calling, but it didn’t connect. Later, his phone was off entirely.

“Maybe he just went to bed early?”

Maybe something happened with his mom or brother, and when he came back, he crashed.

I went to his building. The third floor—his floor—was pitch black. Just in case, I went to his door, knocked, rang the bell… nothing. It felt like no one lived there.

A strange unease crept in, tightening into fear.

It hit me then—I didn’t actually know much about him. Just his number, his address, and our school.

If he decided to disappear, he could vanish without a trace. And I’d never find him.

[Call me when you see this. I’m worried.]

I sent the text, not knowing when he’d see it.

As I trudged down the stairs of the dark building, I heard footsteps rushing down from somewhere below. For a second I thought it might be him, but when I looked—no one.

“…God, Ji Yeonseo, you’re getting worked up over nothing.”

Still… I wanted to see him.

Tomorrow, I hoped I’d find him waiting at my gate. I hoped I’d ride to school on his bike, just like he promised.