The Taste of Kim Da-yeon
In the end, their destination was home. Riding back in Seok-hyeon’s car, Da-yeon kept sinking into self-reproach. She hated the thought of being seen as someone so easily won over by a little kindness, and she was mortified by the extravagant fantasies she had spun about him all on her own.
“Could you open the glove box for me?”
Seok-hyeon asked while driving. Da-yeon opened the compartment right in front of her. Inside was a small glass jar filled with colorful little candies.
“Would you try one for me?”
She didn’t refuse. She picked out a single candy, slipped it into her mouth, and rolled it around. A sweet sensation bloomed across her tongue. Da-yeon, who loved sweet things, felt her mood lift at once.
“Do you like candy, Seok-hyeon?”
“I put them there because I thought you might.”
The fact that he had matched her preference was surprising. Still, she tried to keep her thoughts humble—most people liked sweets, didn’t they?
“Would you like one too?”
She asked because eating alone felt awkward. Seok-hyeon smiled lightly.
“Yes, thank you.”
She hesitated over whether to give him one or two of the tiny candies, then held out a single small one. Still facing forward, Seok-hyeon simply reached out; his fingers brushed across her palm as he took it. The contact was accidental, yet she was instantly conscious of it. Seok-hyeon, as if unaware of her reaction, seemed to do nothing more than sample the candy.
“What flavor was yours, Da-yeon?”
“Grapefruit… I think.”
“Mine tastes like cherry.”
“Which one is better?”
“I’ve never tried them before either, so I couldn’t say. Which do you think would taste better?”
“They both sound good. Can I try another?”
“Of course.”
She took another candy. Disappointingly, it was strawberry rather than cherry. Her curiosity went unsatisfied, yet the sweetness still lifted her spirits a little.
Suddenly she looked at him. Watching Seok-hyeon’s profile, she felt a sudden urge to keep the conversation going.
“When did you start wearing glasses?”
“Since high school…? I think so.”
“Is your eyesight bad?”
“Actually, I can see almost everything without them.”
Seok-hyeon removed the glasses with one hand and held them out to her. Da-yeon took the temples and pretended to put them on. There didn’t seem to be much difference; the prescription was mild.
“Then you don’t really need them, do you?”
“Mm, I wear them to hide my face.”
“Why?”
“Appearance inhibitor?”
His joke made her mouth fall open of its own accord. Seok-hyeon laughed like a boy as he took the glasses back from her.
“My eyesight’s actually pretty good, but when I’m tired things get blurry. I hate even the slightest distortion, so I just wear them.”
“Aren’t they inconvenient?”
Just then they arrived at Da-yeon’s house. Seok-hyeon was silent while he parked. Only after shifting into park did he answer the question late.
“They’d be inconvenient when kissing, wouldn’t they?”
It was an answer she hadn’t expected. Seok-hyeon looked at her and asked,
“Shall we check?”
She didn’t answer, but neither did she make any gesture of refusal. She wondered whether the fleeting image that had brushed through her mind earlier would match reality—the Seok-hyeon of her imagination, kissing her while his hands roamed below.
Da-yeon only bit her lower lip and stared at him. Then Seok-hyeon leaned over, bringing his face close to hers. Their lips met lightly and parted again.
There was no revulsion. If anything, it was almost bland. Stirred by a nameless thirst, Da-yeon simply blinked. Seok-hyeon smiled and asked,
“Uncomfortable?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Shall we try once more?”
Seok-hyeon leaned in again. His lips found hers. Tilting his head, he gently caught her lower lip between his teeth. Startled, Da-yeon’s mouth opened, and his breath slipped in first. Tongue and breath tangled for a moment. The kiss was deeper than she had expected; her body gave a sudden little shudder.
Once again Seok-hyeon broke away midway. The duration was far too short for the intensity; Da-yeon was left only flustered. The unfinished feeling made her almost resentful of him.
“Uncomfortable?”
Leaving her hanging and then asking if she was uncomfortable was even more aggravating. Da-yeon turned her head away and answered,
“It’s not that….”
“Not that…?”
“…It’s short.”
At her honest reply Seok-hyeon let out a soft laugh. Only Da-yeon’s face flushed red.
This time Seok-hyeon removed his glasses and reached for her. He gently caught the chin of the sulking Da-yeon and sealed their mouths together. Part of another person entered her and sought out the wet flesh inside. Their tongues met and naturally intertwined. Every time she tried to pull back he pursued her relentlessly, reaching farther down, stroking and licking. The kiss alone made every cell in her body stand on end.
At first the surprise of the kiss had distracted her, but at some point she thought she understood what cherry tasted like. Sweet, tart, and thick.
The overwhelming stimulation made Da-yeon’s body tremble. She reached out and gripped Seok-hyeon’s shoulder. He showed no mercy, pressing harder, continuing to explore her depths. Their breaths tangled. Only then did Seok-hyeon gently ease his mouth away, as if soothing her. He pressed brief kisses to her lips while they both caught their breath. When he matched her breathing—not like someone exploring, but like someone who already knew everything—Da-yeon trembled all the way to her fingertips again.
“I was curious about the other flavors too.”
Seok-hyeon whispered as he sucked lightly on her lip.
“I think I know now.”
“…Which one do you think tastes better?”
Grapefruit, strawberry. Da-yeon asked while recalling the candies she had eaten. Seok-hyeon smiled and kissed her cheek.
“Kim Da-yeon.”
He slid his lips back and kissed her again. A short, wet sound of friction rose between them.
“…It’s so sweet I can’t taste anything else.”
Seok-hyeon kissed the tip of her chin and then traveled down the line of her throat. Whether from ticklishness or sheer stimulation, her body kept twisting from the kisses alone.
“Seok-hyeon….”
The distance where even breathing was felt, the hot breath, the heat that flared every time skin brushed skin—it was hard to bear. A restless ache reached all the way to her lower belly. Da-yeon could barely endure the changes in her own body. She was embarrassed now for having complained that it was too short. To escape the stimulation she gave Seok-hyeon’s shoulder a light push.
Seok-hyeon, who had been kissing lightly along her neckline, rose again and gently nipped her lower lip. A pleasant sting bloomed sharply through her.
“You said you were aware of me as a man, and yet you’re going home? That’s a little cruel, isn’t it?”
Even so, Seok-hyeon drew back from her body. He wiped her lips and the area around them with his fingers, then stepped out first. Opening the passenger door, he took the hand of still-dazed Da-yeon and helped her out.
“You’re not the only one who’s aware.”
And then he pulled her into a deep embrace. His lower body pressed against her. His masculinity came through without filter—the size and hardness that did not match his neat face. Da-yeon’s face burned as if it might burst.
“Bodies are honest, so it’s almost funny.”
He whispered against her ear.
“Whenever I’m with you I have to keep suppressing it. Otherwise it gets unsightly.”
The body already wanted to draw closer, while the heart was still far away.
“Go in carefully, Da-yeon.”
Seok-hyeon released her and spoke with his usual expression—fresh, neat, composed.
Da-yeon could not manage the same face. She couldn’t even return the greeting properly; she simply turned her back and walked away.
It felt good yet shameful; she couldn’t meet his eyes, yet every touch was electric. Like a first love that left her clumsy and at a complete loss for what to do.
Aside from bridal lessons and the occasional hospital visit, Da-yeon had nowhere she regularly went. Seok-hyeon carved out time however he could just to see her. Thanks to that, her outings became more frequent—sometimes short, sometimes long. Meetings with Seok-hyeon were smooth and comfortable, enough that she sometimes felt reluctant to return to the house where her family lived.
The more she saw of Shin Seok-hyeon, the more she realized he was a harder man to gauge than she had thought.
He was fundamentally sharp and meticulous. The moment her expression shifted he caught it at once. He could laugh like a boy while talking with her, yet turn cool and distant when he fell silent in thought; when she grew gloomy he would tease her or act cute. He felt like a comfortable older brother, yet he was never someone to take lightly.
“Kim Da-yeon, where have you been?”
It was on her way back after dinner. Na-bin spoke up the moment Da-yeon opened the front door. She seemed surprised that Da-yeon was coming home late.
“I met the person from the matchmaking.”
Afraid her flushed face would give her away, Da-yeon tried to hurry into her room. Sensing something suspicious, Na-bin followed.