Swallowed

Chapter 1 Part 4: Then… do it. With, me

「Why did you hold it in? Go date and try everything.」

“Are you serious?”

The sound of the voice pouring over her head made her wake up. Je-ha turned Se-yeong around with a fierce force. Her back hit the wall, but Se-yeong kept her eyes fixed on her cell phone screen.

Je-ha wanted to force her to look at him, but he endured it because he knew Se-yeong couldn’t speak. There were scratches on the fingertips that smashed against the rough surface of the wall.

「I’m serious. I said it back then too. Try to like other people and do this and that. But if you still like me, then we will talk again.」

Je-ha’s eyes glared as if he had been hurt. Even with his back against the light, she couldn’t help but notice his gleaming eyes. He kept looking straight at Han Se-yeong in this manner.

“I didn’t even have to try. No one fascinates me as much as Senior does. You have to like it to do things. And even if I don’t like it, I can’t just do it at random.”

In front of Se-yeong was Baek Je-ha, who was full of life and just turned 20 years old. Nevertheless, nothing had changed from when she first met him, a 17-year-old boy who was full of youth, in front of the music room.

Blatant interest, favoring, affection. None of it had changed. No, it could be said it deepened during the time she did not see him.

“I want to hold hands, go on a date, and kiss Senior. I saved all my firsts to do with Han Se-yeong.”

As soon as she confirmed that Baek Je-ha had not changed, Se-yeong felt her body heating up as if it were burning inside, and melted. When she closed her legs and collapsed a little without realizing it, Je-ha quickly supported her as if he was surprised. Se-yeong bit her lips as if electricity had risen when his hands touched her waist.

Behind was a wall, and in front stood Je-ha who was firmer and sturdier than the wall. It was like being trapped so tight she couldn’t take even one step, but she didn’t hate it.

“Then… do it. With, me.”

It was so slow and disconnected that it could not be said to be a single sentence, even with idle talk, but Se-yeong’s expression brightened slightly. It was the first time she had spoken without a melodic accent.

At hearing the sweet echo from her red mouth, Je-ha stared blankly at Se-yeong. Before he could even weigh the meaning of the words, his heart throbbed painfully.

He used to hear her real voice more often than these tts. When Se-yeong called his name, he would raise his head first and run away. Even now, it was a little dangerous to have heat in his lower abdomen.

At that moment, Se-yeong reached out to the absentminded Je-ha’s shoulders. She wrapped her hands around the neck exposed above the collar shirt and pulled it down. Without knowing what to say, she put her lips on Je-ha’s as she lowered his head.

“!”

Surprised, Je-ha stiffened from head to toe. Se-yeong, who pressed her lips as if stamping a seal, bowed her head a little shyly. Je-ha hurriedly grabbed her chin and put their lips back together. The intense movement smashed her teeth inside her lips, and Se-yeong moaned as if in pain. Still, Je-ha couldn’t take his lips off.

More strength went into the hand that was tightly pressed against the wall. Even though his skin was torn apart, Je-ha didn’t feel it. As if his whole body was paralyzed, only the touch of the lips was vivid.

It was crazy good even though he was just pressing against Se-yeong’s plump lips. The image of her singing with these pretty lips flashed through his mind. Exhaling with a rough breath, Je-ha bit Se-yeong’s lips. The saliva flowing out, because it couldn’t be swallowed, was sweet and delicious, so he drank it with his lips attached.

Every time he bit her lips, saliva flowed out, but it wasn’t enough, so he aimed for the inside. Se-yeong’s mouth opened wide, and Je-ha instinctively pushed his tongue inside. As if a very delicious honey was hidden inside it.

“Huu….”

Se-yeong, bewildered by the tongue that hit deep at once, gave strength to the hand wrapped around Je-ha’s neck. Because of Je-ha’s pushing force, her back was almost bent and her legs weakened. Je-ha held Se-yeong’s waist with the hand that was on the wall and pushed her against the wall.

Se-yeong couldn’t back down because the back of her head was touching the wall. The tongue, which had gone deep enough to touch the uvula, scoured her mouth. Je-ha, who lost his mind and took control of Se-yeong’s mouth, felt a hand hitting his back and pulled away.

“Haa! Ha… Ah…!”

Se-yeong, who thought she was suffocating to death, barely breathed. Even though his breathing was as rough as hers, Je-ha did not take his eyes off of Se-yeong’s shiny red lips.

Se-yeong, who had tears hanging in the corner of her eyes, looked up at him. Her eyes were full of things she wanted to say. If she could speak freely, she would have retorted nonstop.

“I’m going crazy. How can others casually do this as if it is nothing?”

Je-ha smiled bitterly as he wiped his sore lips with the back of his hand. Ever since Se-yeong put their lips together, the bottom, where blood concentrated, continued to assert itself. If Se-yeong hadn’t stopped him, it would have erupted inside his pants.

Se-yeong, who barely managed to catch her breath, struggled to tidy up her messy hair. Even though the night air was chilly, she sweated a lot because of how hot the kiss was.

She also wondered if what she did was a real kiss. If kissing meant being voraciously greedy for each other’s saliva.

“Let’s do it again. I think I’ll do better this time.”

Se-yeong shook her head in surprise at Je-ha’s words and hurriedly lifted her phone. She made several typos because her hands were trembling.

「We’re outside. What if someone sees it.」

“Senior started it.”

「I… just put my lips on.」

“No. You set me on fire.”

Je-ha smiled and organized Se-yeong’s hair. Se-yeong, who couldn’t find words to answer, meekly entrusted her hair to him. With a more delicate touch than she had thought, the hairs, which were currently parted messily, returned to their place.

Se-yeong opened her cell phone camera and checked her face. She didn’t wear enough make-up for it to smudge, but she still had to check. She quickly erased the smudged eyeliner marks under her eyes and turned off her camera.

「I have to go in now. I’ve been out for too long.」

Se-yeong, who checked the time, suggested returning. No matter if people knew the two came out together, it’d be weird if it took too long.

“You go in first.”

Je-ha smiled bitterly and pointed down with his fingertips. Se-yeong unknowingly lowered her eyes, then hurriedly lifted them. Her eyes were lost and flustered. Je-ha’s pants bulged and exuded heat. Even though she only had a quick look, she could tell the size was unusual.

Se-yeong was startled and ran away without answering. Je-ha seemed to be laughing behind her, but she couldn’t even think of that. It was clear that it wouldn’t end with just a kiss if she had hesitated there.

The main street with the bar was still bustling and noisy, so it looked like a different world. No matter how deserted the dark alley was, they did such a bold thing outside. She couldn’t even imagine it if the partner wasn’t Baek Je-ha.

Se-yeong, who was about to go to her seat, turned around and stopped by the restroom. Je-ha wasn’t the only one who responded to the rough and clumsy kiss. No, even before that, Se-yeong’s underwear had been soaking wet when she knew that Baek Je-ha still liked her.

“Why are you coming in alone?”

On the way back to her seat, she was asked several questions about finding Baek Je-ha. In just a few hours, she was tied up with Baek Je-ha as a set. Se-yeong avoided answering with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Han-se, are you going to karaoke?”

Dong-hyeon asked Se-yeong for her opinion while checking the number of people. It seemed like they decided to go to the karaoke room for the second time. Since it’s the first day of school and even a Friday, they’ll say there’s no loyalty if you leave after the first round. Still, she was a little worried about missing the last train if she attended karaoke.

“Hey, get Han-se. We’re already going home.”

Yoo-jeong, who noticed Se-yeong’s distress, gritted her teeth and said, “I won’t let you go just like that.” Naturally, if you miss the last train, you would take the first train.

Dong-hyeon smirked and replied, “Roger.” Se-yeong was bewildered as she alternatingly looked at the two.

Yoo-jeong and Dong-hyeon always quarreled, but they got along well. It was Yoo-jeong who called Han Se-yeong ‘Han-se’, and the nickname stuck with her as Dong-hyeon sang along. Now, Se-yeong was more familiar and comfortable with ‘Han-se’ than ‘Se-yeong’. When she was called that, she felt like they were close.

“Then, let’s all go here.”

While reaching out to Dong-hyeon who reached his own conclusion and turned around and left, Se-yeong froze when she saw Je-ha appearing in front of her.

Fortunately, he headed towards the first-year table as if he had no intention of coming this way. Se-yeong sighed with relief because she thought he had returned earlier than expected.

In the meantime, Se-yeong missed Dong-hyeon, so she gave up and sat down.

“So you decided to go out with Baek Je-ha? Day 1 from today?”

Yoo-jeong asked with a mischievous face. Se-yeong, who shook her head, signaled with her eyes for her to not say so. Her throat was parched, and she looked around for water. Yoo-jeong handed over a lukewarm water bottle. She felt a little less thirsty after drinking an entire cup. With how greedily Baek Je-ha craved inside her mouth, she felt as if her saliva had dried up. When she recalled that rough and clumsy kiss, her face flushed red again, so Se-yeong poured and drank another cup of water again.

“Will there be rumors of the two of you dating tomorrow?”

Yoo-jeong shrugged as she ate a soggy cheese nacho. Her tone was pretty languid because of how much she drank. Until last year, the third round was a little tiring, but this year, the crisis seemed to have come early. Se-yeong smiled bitterly, wondering why she had insisted on going to the second round.

“But you really didn’t know Baek Je-ha enrolled?”

Even with her eyes drooped, Yoo-jeong still didn’t lose her suspicions. Se-yeong answered frankly.

「I’ve never contacted him after I graduated. I didn’t even know his number because I changed my cell phone.」

She did it on purpose. She refused to confess that she liked him and told him to think of her as if she didn’t exist. Je-ha cried, I can’t give up. I love you so much. How can I think you don’t exist?

So she opened up a breathing room for Je-ha, who couldn’t breath and sobbed. If we meet again as adults, if you still feel the same way, I will think about it.

“Didn’t you wonder? The college he would have gone to.”

「Of course, I thought he’d go to medical school. His mother is a little….」

“Extreme.”

「Yes.」

Though Je-ha was a freshman, he was famous for visiting the school often. The son was famous for his good looks, and the mother was famous for her skirt styles. Se-yeong’s expression hardened a little when reminded of Je-ha’s mother.

Did she know that her son whom she raised dearly gave up medical school because of a woman? She must’ve been very shocked because he had never rebelled before.

It vaguely occurred to her that it hadn’t been that smooth flowing for Baek Je-ha to be standing in front of her now.

“It does seem like a shame since he had the grades to get into medical school. Wow, if Baek Je-ha had the experience of being a medical student under his belt with that face, it would have been crazy. He would have had everything then. His family seems to be well off too, right?”

「Yeah. He probably has a brother who goes to medical school. Oh, he must’ve graduated. I think there was a slight age difference.」

“Whoa.”

Yoo-jeong, who threw away the nacho and reached out for jwipo, took a bite and frowned. It was hard and stiff. Then, she looked around, searching the cluttered table to find a lighter, and lightly roasted jwipo. The savory smell quickly wafted around.
(T/N: Jwipo is dried filefish)

“But still, it’s great that the two of you were able to meet again thanks to him.”

Yoo-jeong’s eyes drooped as she chewed on the softened jwipo. Se-yeong only laughed.

“Han-se, you must’ve done well in high school. A first-year baby changed his life because he loves you so much.”

「That’s not true. I was an outcast. I was the only one studying, who couldn’t talk and was even fierce.」

If someone who doesn’t know the situation hears it, they would never know it’s about her story. Yoo-jeong stuck her tongue out at her acrimony. Se-yeong’s expression did not change. Her barren eyes quickly lost their light as if they had been searching through the past for a moment.

“You must’ve liked it because there was a part you liked.”

Yoo-jeong tried to wrap it up with a smile. The mood seemed to be getting dark, so she changed the topic, saying that she was craving alcohol, and quickly filled Se-yeong’s cup and hers. Emptying her glass without saying anything, Se-yeong seemed like she’s burning with speed.