His lips touched hers in an instant.

Yoonseul's eyes widened as Wooyoung leaned closer, tilting his head toward her. His hand held the back of her neck firmly, leaving her unable to move.

Even when she'd seen him coming closer, she hadn't realized what he intended to do.

She hadn't imagined he would kiss her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wooyoung took her lips in a deep kiss.

The touch of his warm, moist lips sent a shiver through her entire body. Everything had happened so suddenly that she hadn't even had time to think.

After a moment, Wooyoung released her lips.

"..."

But he was still so close that the slightest movement would bring them together again.

Close enough for her to hear him breathing.

Yoonseul was so stunned that she could only stare at him, frozen in place.

Unlike her bewildered expression, there was something strangely resolute about his eyes.

"Seul."

"..."

"Come live with me."

He was bringing up the same thing he'd said earlier that day.

She'd been thoroughly flustered the first time she'd heard it, and now, hearing him say it again, her heart began pounding.

"Have you thought about marrying me?"

Wooyoung had brought up marriage again.

Earlier, she'd assumed he was merely saying it on a whim. But now that he'd mentioned it a second time, he seemed to be genuinely serious.

After hesitating, Yoonseul spoke in a trembling voice.

"How could you and I possibly get married? Could you really do that?"

The word marriage sent her thoughts racing in a dozen different directions.

To begin with, Yoonseul had never been particularly interested in getting married. She'd dated a few times, but most of those relationships had ended fairly quickly.

Yet the thought of marrying Go Wooyoung left her utterly confused.

She'd never once considered marrying him.

Or even dating him, for that matter.

Go Wooyoung had never been that kind of person to her.

"I think I could."

But unlike her, Wooyoung apparently had no such reservations.

Yoonseul looked even more troubled.

"Just like before, I could be Na Yoonseul's big brother. I could be her dad, too."

Wooyoung's gaze dropped to her lips again.

He brushed his thumb over them, then continued with a faint smile.

"And I could be your husband, just like when we played house."

The intensity of his gaze made her heart pound so hard it felt ready to burst.

Why, of all things, was she suddenly imagining herself tangled up with Wooyoung on a bed?

She was so tense she could barely swallow. Instead, she found herself nervously biting her lower lip.

Something terrible must have happened to him today.

Surely he wouldn't be saying things like this to her otherwise.

"I always thought you were just my little sister."

He drew his brows together slightly and took a moment to steady his breathing before continuing.

"But now I see Na Yoonseul as a woman."

A woman.

The word rang sharply in her ears.

And then Wooyoung's lips were on hers again.

Yoonseul squeezed her eyes shut.

The sensation of him sucking on her lower lip was so startlingly intimate that a shiver ran through her entire body.

Unlike the brief press of their lips a moment earlier, this kiss was unmistakably deliberate.

As though the first kiss had merely been a warning of what was to come.

Soft, wet sounds escaped as he sucked at her lower lip.

Wooyoung gently drew her chin toward him, and his hot tongue slipped between her parted lips.

"...Mmph!"

Startled, Yoonseul instinctively curled inward.

But even her obvious bewilderment did nothing to slow him down.

His tongue swept into her mouth and entwined with hers.

Her breathing faltered helplessly. Yoonseul fumbled for his shoulders, trying to steady herself, but the more she clung to him, the deeper Wooyoung pressed his tongue.

Their saliva and breath mingled chaotically.

He kissed her relentlessly, barely giving her a moment to breathe.

Raising his upper body a little farther, Wooyoung tilted his head, pressing their mouths together more deeply.

"Nnh..."

At that moment, Yoonseul's mind filled with indecent thoughts.

The scene she'd imagined just moments ago.

The two of them tangled together on a bed.

A sudden fear seized her that if this continued, she really might end up doing something like that with Wooyoung.

After all, the man who'd always been so gentle and affectionate turned out to have a kiss that was just as sweet.

"Haa... Hah..."

Yoonseul finally managed to turn her head and pull away.

Breathing hard, she slowly opened her eyes.

"No. No."

"Seul."

"I don't think so. I can't do that with you."

The words tumbled out in a voice filled with fear.

She looked at Wooyoung and shook her head.

Seeing how frightened she was, Wooyoung's brows drew together sharply.

He understood immediately what she meant.

She apparently realized now that his suggestion of living together meant more than simply sharing a home.

She wasn't a little girl anymore.

If they got married, that sort of intimacy would naturally be part of their relationship.

"I've never even thought about doing something like that."

The more Yoonseul considered it, the more impossible it seemed. She shook her head again.

"Then start thinking about it."

But Wooyoung remained remarkably firm, even in the face of her fear.

As though he genuinely intended to marry her.

Yoonseul couldn't understand why he was suddenly acting this way. She had no idea when he'd started feeling like this about her.

It hadn't even been that long since they'd reunited.

How long had Wooyoung been thinking about her this way?

"There's no reason we couldn't."

He seemed so different from the Wooyoung she knew that fear suddenly filled her eyes.

"Because I think you're all I need."

"..."

"No. You're all I need."

There was nothing he particularly wanted to do anymore.

Nothing he wanted to have.

After Minhee's death, his life had changed completely. Before he'd even had time to process what had happened, he'd been practically driven out of Korea and sent to America.

His goal in life had been to make his mother happy.

His loving, affectionate mother. The only mother he had.

He'd been confident he could give her a happy life.

But everything had shattered into pieces.

Wooyoung had been far too young at the time to investigate his mother's sudden death properly.

So he'd waited for the right moment.

During his years in America, Wooyoung had deliberately avoided finding out anything about Yoonseul.

Partly because he hadn't had the emotional strength to spare.

And partly because he suspected that if he learned how she was doing, his resolve might waver.

When I get back to Korea, I'll make sure to find her.

He'd held firmly to that promise.

And now that they'd finally reunited, Wooyoung had come to realize something all over again.

He was no longer the Go Wooyoung of those days, the boy who'd seen Yoonseul as nothing more than an adorable little girl.

"Please go home now."

"Na Yoonseul."

Yoonseul abruptly rose to her feet.

Wooyoung stood as well, stepping in front of her and blocking her path.

Without even looking at him, she continued through trembling lips.

"Right now... I don't want to see you. I want you to go home."

With those words, Yoonseul hurried into her bedroom.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Wooyoung followed her and knocked on the closed door.

"Seul, come on. Let's talk."

Thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump.

"You can't just shut yourself in there. Come out for a minute, okay?"

He tried coaxing her, but Yoonseul didn't answer.

Had he been too hasty?

The image of her deathly pale face kept flashing through his mind.

He hadn't expected her to be so frightened.

He'd thought they were fairly close. Even after spending so many years apart, they'd fallen back into each other's company so naturally that the time between them had hardly seemed to matter.

And they were both adults now. He hadn't thought there would be a problem.

But he hadn't expected her to reject the idea so completely.

Clearly, Yoonseul was far more shaken than he'd anticipated.

"Haa..."

Wooyoung slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

Where was he supposed to begin redefining their relationship?

He couldn't shake the feeling that his own impatience had driven him to push too hard, leaving her confused and overwhelmed.

Wooyoung remained outside Yoonseul's bedroom for a long time, waiting for her to come out.

******

When Yoonseul emerged from her bedroom the next morning, the living room was empty.

Apparently, Wooyoung had gone home.

She hadn't slept a wink the previous night.

She'd spent hours turning his words over in her mind, trying to untangle her thoughts, but it had been hopeless.

There were no clear answers.

Only confusion.

Just before leaving for work, Yoonseul turned on her phone, which she'd switched off the night before.

Sure enough, there was a message from Wooyoung.

Bad Go Wooyoung

I'm sorry. I think I frightened you. Let's talk, okay? I'll be waiting, so contact me whenever you're ready.

Yoonseul stared at the message, which was filled with concern.

She could almost picture Wooyoung's troubled expression as he'd waited outside her bedroom door.

He had probably spent the night wrestling with the same thoughts she had.

He was more thoughtful and considerate than anyone she knew.

"..."

And if someone as careful and deliberate as him had said those things to her, then he couldn't possibly have been speaking lightly.

"Haa..."

Yoonseul let out a deep sigh.

The more she thought about it, the more she found herself right back where she'd started.

To make matters worse, she couldn't stop remembering their kiss.

It was terribly embarrassing.

Yoonseul raised her hand and cautiously touched her lower lip.

How could the memory still be so vivid?

She could remember with startling clarity the sensation of him sucking on her lips without restraint.

Just thinking about it made her heart pound.

She'd always thought the candy Wooyoung used to place in her hand was the sweetest thing about him.

But it turned out even his kisses were sweet.

I kissed Wooyoung...

She stood there for a long time, gently touching her lips.

Finally, still looking thoroughly troubled, Yoonseul stepped out of her apartment.

Just then, the phone in her hand vibrated briefly.

Could it be Wooyoung?

She stopped and checked the incoming message.

The moment she saw it, her brows knitted tightly together.

Chapter 20

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