Swallowed

Chapter 1 Part 3: I’ve been holding it in because I wanted to do it with Senior

“Senior Han Se-yeong.”

The highlight of the opening ceremony was before the drinking party was ripe. Just after the student council president’s toast was finished, Je-ha sat next to her. The seat next to Se-yeong was empty. No, he seemed to have been waiting for the seat to become available.

When Se-yeong squinted her eyes, Je-ha responded with a soft smile, conveying that she couldn’t stop him. During the day, Se-yeong avoided him coldly, but he didn’t seem to care.

Yoo-jeong, who sat across from her, decided to speak cheekily.

“Hey, first year. Isn’t this seat for the third years?”

“Yes. I wanted to talk to Senior Han Se-yeong, so I sat down for a bit.”

But even in front of his seniors of two years, he was astute. No one told him to go back to his seat because they couldn’t spit on his smiling face. No, rather, Baek Je-ha came to the third year seats, and they showed a clear liking for it.

Today’s main protagonists were the first and second years, and the third and fourth years were, in fact, the only ones drinking alcohol. He was a green freshman, a freshman who’s handsome enough to shine a halo, so who would hate it when he came on his own with a smile?

“Then take the penalty drink first. I’ll let you stay here if you drink all of it.”

Yoo-jeong shook a green soju bottle with an excited gesture. Although it was a weakness that had not been exposed yet, Je-ha was not afraid and quickly held out his glass.

“I’ll accept it gratefully.”

“Oh, you can drink?”

“A little. I learned it from my father.”

Even Baek Je-ha’s personality was suave. He lightly one-shot it as if it were water. He kept a smile on his face without a grimace as he didn’t frown even once.

“Wow, he’s so handsome that he looks like he’s in a CF drink. Baek Je-ha, be honest with me. You know you’re handsome.”
(T/N: CF refers to a commercial drink or a commercial.)

“Actually, I don’t know. Am I really handsome?”

“You’re flirting in front of your seniors.”

Even at the sound of flirting, he smiled. And yet, that smile didn’t seem to be a waste at all. The impression drawn by straight eyebrows and thick eyelashes was very clear. The eyes in them gleamed like stars. Despite his age, his spirited eyes made it impossible for anyone to belittle him.

Je-ha filled the empty glass in front of Se-yeong, and held out his empty glass. Se-yeong had no choice but to pick up the bottle and pour the drink as he wanted. While holding the glass, Je-ha looked at Se-yeong. At that straight gaze, Se-yeong’s mouth dried, making her thirsty.

When Je-ha came, the third year table became noisy. Originally, the third and fourth year tables were only for drinking quietly. Since the fourth years mostly only showed their faces, the fourth years who stayed and looked for fun places like hyenas, brought chairs and sat down next to Je-ha.

When Je-ha drank well, as if he was drinking water, without quitting, the atmosphere heated up and bottles of alcohol quickly piled up on the table.

Se-yeong wasn’t a bad drinker, but she thought she would get drunk if she drank at this rate, so she put her glass down.

Je-ha, who came here to talk to Se-yeong, continued to drink without talking to her while dealing with the seniors.

Se-yeong knew Je-ha since he was a freshman in high school, but it was the first time she had seen him drinking. In Se-yeong’s memory, Baek Je-ha was a refreshing – like a cider – and sweet – like a spring breeze – boy who could neither drink nor smoke.

He must have been hectic just taking the exams for two years without contact, but when did he grow up to drink so well?

Suddenly, it occurred to her that two years was not a short time at all.

“Senior, hair….”

Je-ha’s soft voice pierced through the gaps in Se-yeong’s hair and reached her ears. Se-yeong slapped his hand in surprise as she felt her cheek being grazed. It was a reflex.

“Your hair is about to touch the plate.”

Even though she hit him quite hard, Je-ha reached out again as if nothing happened and put Se-yeong’s hair behind her shoulder. The bluetooth speaker worn around her neck was slightly revealed. Yoo-jeong’s gaze in front of her was slightly distorted. She knew that Se-yeong insisted on long hair not because it suited her well, but because it covered the speaker.

Se-yeong tried to restore her hair, but left it alone. There was no one here who didn’t know about the speaker anyway.

More than that, it felt like Je-ha’s cheeks were slightly flushed. The lighting in the bar was dim, so it wasn’t accurate.

「How much did you drink?」

“I don’t know. I drank as much as I was given.”

「Drink in moderation. Who can take care of you if you’re drunk.」

“Are you worried about me now? You ignored me like that earlier.”

「Of course I’m worried. You’re a precious junior.」

“Precious junior.”

Je-ha repeated Se-yeong’s words and laughed. Se-yeong pretended not to know and emptied the remaining half of the alcohol in her glass.

Baek Je-ha, who turned his body towards Se-yeong, attracted everyone’s attention. He drew attention with even the slightest act.

However, as if he was used to it, he looked at Se-yeong without paying attention to other eyes.

At this point, everyone knew that Baek Je-ha was interested in Se-yeong. Some watched him with great disappointment. The people who looked at Baek Je-ha and kept their feelings internal, were drinking in vain.

Yoo-jeong, who was giving an excited look, asked lightly as if she was floating.

“Baek Je-ha. Were you close with Se-yeong?”

Yoo-jeong asked a question, but Je-ha tilted his head slightly and looked at Se-yeong.

“Senior, were we close?”

The way he spoke was so eloquent that Se-yeong laughed without realizing it. Je-ha’s eyes narrowed slightly at the naturally flowing smile. The tongue, which appeared briefly, licked its lips and hid again.

「We knew each other a little.」

“Then I came all the way to university to meet a senior I knew a little bit about.”

Se-yeong, who was looking at her cell phone screen, raised her head and looked at him. Then Je-ha smiled brightly, saying he would let her off the hook. With that dazzling smile, Se-yeong took her eyes back to the screen, feeling as if she had fallen deeper under the influence of alcohol. If you drank alcohol and didn’t look and write properly, you would get a typo.

「I didn’t know you meant it. That’s not how you choose your major. Your mother, I remember she wanted to send you to medical school.」

“My career path is my choice. I was just thinking about you the whole time.”

He had a light smile the entire time, but the way he looked at Se-yeong was as serious and intense as he was. So she couldn’t take it lightly.

Yoo-jeong’s mouth opened wide at the depth of the conversation between the two. Judging from Se-yeong’s reaction, it didn’t seem like the two were dating, but Baek Je-ha must have at least had a crush on Se-yeong during that time. He applied to the same university and the same department just because Se-yeong attended there.

Breathing sounds could be heard here and there. Je-ha’s words were repeated dozens of times and went around the drinking party because people, who couldn’t hear him due to their seats being far away, were curious.

“Wow, you’re serious. It’s true love.”

Yoo-jeong stuck her tongue out and said, “Oh my, God, Oh my, God”. Se-yeong put down her cell phone as if she was not impressed by the words, and wet her lips with a sip of alcohol.

Je-ha stared at Se-yeong like that. His eyes were more persistent and hotter than any other gaze Se-yeong had ever received in her life.

Her black hair, resembling the night sky, flowing down to the bottom of her chest, glistened as if tempting him to touch it. Je-ha gently rubbed his fingertips as if resisting the temptation.

He could see the suppressed emotions clamoring in the big eyes staring in front of him. To prevent her from seeing the overwhelming urge he had, he gave strength to his fingertips, clenching them together forcefully.

Since it was a drinking party, a bet was made on whether these two were going to date or not today. Yoo-jeong was on the side of dating and sang “Kiss! Kiss!”, and some mischievously followed.

Se-yeong felt that her seat was overheating, and thought it would be better to leave for a while. However, she could see Je-ha’s thighs pressed against her chair.

“…….”

He was able to reach it because his legs were long. However, Se-yeong, who felt it was like a snare to hold her tight, trembled secretly. Je-ha, who glanced at her, had a nice visage and a bright and cool smile like an innocent 20-year-old.

Je-ha, who felt Se-yeong’s gaze with a beast-like instinct, turned his head. Then he put his hand on Se-yeong’s thigh. She didn’t understand the gesture of him showing his palm and could only stare at it as he waved it.

‘Are you asking me to hold your hand?’

While holding back his smile and pretending not to notice, Je-ha turned his hand over. As his body was large, his hand was also big that he easily grabbed Se-yeong’s thigh. The knit dress folded inward. Se-yeong trembled as his thumb pressed against the inside of her thigh.

Je-ha then leaned slightly toward Se-yeong and whispered. The voice was small but clear, and she was able to hear it from the side even though the bar was noisy.

“I’m betting on the dating side today, how about Senior?”

“…….”

She couldn’t speak because he asked her as if he were talking about someone else. No, she never spoke. Se-yeong felt dizzy and shook her head.

“Bet on the not dating side.”

That was unexpected. When she looked at him trying to figure out what he was trying to say, Je-ha smiled softly as he pushed his face closer. As Je-ha laughed, his breath clung to her cheek. She thought it would be cold because it was clear and cool, but the breath she felt was really hot.

“I will win. If you bet on dating, I will let you go.”

How could he be so natural? Se-yeong couldn’t resist and burst into laughter. She moved her cell phone to her left hand and pushed his forehead hard with her right hand. Se-yeong’s fingers slipped through his hair as she resisted Je-ha as if she didn’t like it. His eyes deeply gleamed at the tickling touch on his scalp.

“N, No.”

She couldn’t use her cell phone, so she just said it herself. She stuttered a little, but she was satisfied that what she thought had come out exactly. Sometimes she said ‘No’ with a clear thought, but wrong words, such as ‘Syrup’, would pop up.

Recognizing that she could not push Je-ha with force, she pulled her chair back and stood up. Je-ha, who was leaning against Se-yeong, lost his balance and stumbled, but quickly corrected his posture.

Just standing up gave her a breather, as if she were out of his range. Se-yeong ignored the attention that was focused on her and walked toward the entrance.

Sigh. It wasn’t until the darkness came out that Se-yeong relaxed her shoulders. As it was the first day of school, the alley, where the bars were concentrated, was already bustling with students who were drunk.

“Senior.”

The relief she felt from the outside air didn’t last long. It was because Je-ha followed. Se-yeong, who smiled quietly at the action that was within her expectations, closed her mouth in a straight line and looked back.

Perhaps because he drank alcohol, he was a bit feverish. The sight of Baek Je-ha coming out with his arms folded quickly attracted people’s attention. Some people stopped to watch while others whispered among themselves.

Not wanting those gazes to reach her, Se-yeong turned around and went inside the alley. There was a residential area next to the bars, and although dark, it was not crowded. Je-ha followed quietly.

It wasn’t until Se-yeong moved her hand under a deserted, dim streetlight. However, before she could even say a word, Je-ha stood behind her and inclined his head against the wall. His lips were about to touch the top of her head. The humid breath of alcohol seeped through her hair.

“Have you ever kissed before?”

「…….」

“It’s my first kiss, so I might not be good at using my tongue.”

「Je-ha.」

“Have you ever had sex?”

After he finished talking, he put his lips at the top of her head like a stamp. The hot breath that shuttered through his slightly opened lips was chilling. From the top of her head, goosebumps spread throughout her body. Se-yeong forcibly gave strength to her trembling hands.

“I’ve been holding it in because I wanted to do it with Senior.”