When Seung-hoo and Ye Yeon passed the couch in the living room, Ye Yeon suddenly stopped walking.
Seung-hoo took one more step before realizing she wasn't beside him anymore. He turned around, confused.
"…Ye Yeon? What's wrong?" he asked softly.
She didn't answer right away.
Her hands were clenched at her sides, and she looked like she was trying to gather courage from somewhere deep inside her chest. Her eyes flickered toward the trophies on the shelves, then back to him. Her face had turned a faint shade of red.
"Seung-hoo…" she said quietly.
Before he could respond, she stepped closer.
Suddenly, she grabbed the collar of his jacket.
"H-huh?!" Seung-hoo froze in surprise, his brain completely failing to process what was happening. "W-wait—?"
She pushed him backward, not roughly, but with a firmness that startled him. His back hit the couch and the old furniture creaked loudly under his weight.
Creeeak!
The sound echoed in the room.
Seung-hoo sat there stiffly, eyes wide, heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.
"Y-Ye Yeon…?" he tried to say.
But before he could finish the sentence, she leaned forward.
And kissed him.
For a second, Seung-hoo couldn't even breathe.
His mind went blank.
He could feel the warmth of her, the way her hands trembled slightly as she braced herself against the couch. The room felt strangely quiet, like the whole world had stopped just to watch that single moment.
His eyes slowly widened, then blinked once in disbelief.
He didn't push her away.
He didn't move at all.
He was too shocked to react.
Ye Yeon pulled back just a little, her face burning red, her breathing uneven. She avoided looking directly into his eyes, staring instead at the floor beside the couch.
"I… I wanted to do that since earlier," she whispered. "Back at the café… when I saw you on the news… when everyone was talking about you like you were so far away…"
Her fingers tightened slightly on his sleeve.
"I was scared," she admitted. "Scared that if I didn't say something now, you'd become someone I couldn't reach anymore."
Seung-hoo slowly sat up, still stunned. His hand rose halfway, then stopped, unsure what to do with it.
"…You almost made my heart stop," he muttered, trying to laugh but failing.
Ye Yeon finally looked at him.
Her eyes were shining, not with confidence, but with nervousness and something much more fragile.
"I know," she said softly. "Mine too."
The room felt smaller somehow, filled with awkward silence and unspoken feelings. The trophies on the shelves reflected the light from the window, as if quietly watching them.
Seung-hoo swallowed.
He looked at her, then at the couch, then back at her again, his thoughts tangled between confusion, surprise, and something warm spreading in his chest.
"…You really surprised me," he said honestly.
Ye Yeon nodded quickly. "S-sorry. I didn't plan it. My body just moved."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The air between them felt heavy but not uncomfortable—just full of things neither of them knew how to say yet.
"No no, it's ok" Seung-hoo says "that kiss was phenomenal" he also said but in his mind, Seung-hoo stood up from the couch, Ye Yeon, still standing there, watched him closely
Seung-hoo noticed the stare "What are you looking at?" He questioned "U-uh, nothing" Ye Yeon scrambled to say "I want more" she said as her mind betrayed her
Seung-hoo blinked, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"…What?"
Ye Yeon's face turned bright red in an instant. She clapped both hands over her mouth like she had just said something forbidden out loud.
"I—I mean—!" She took a step back, nearly bumping into the table behind her. "That's not what I meant! I mean—maybe it is—but not like that—"
Seung-hoo stood there awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. His heart was still pounding too fast, and his thoughts felt tangled.
"You… want more?" he asked carefully, not teasing, just genuinely confused.
Ye Yeon avoided his eyes, staring at the floor instead. Her fingers twisted together in front of her.
"I just…" she started, then stopped. "…I've liked you ever since I asked you out to coffee. I didn't think I'd actually do that. My body just moved before my brain did."
The room felt suddenly very quiet.
The old clock on the wall ticked loudly, and somewhere outside a car passed by.
Seung-hoo looked at her, really looked at her. She wasn't confident or bold anymore. She looked scared—like she was waiting to be rejected.
"…I was surprised," he admitted. "I thought maybe I was dreaming for a second."
She finally glanced up at him. "So… you hated it?"
He shook his head quickly. "No. I just didn't know what to do."
Ye Yeon let out a small, nervous laugh. "Same."
They stood there facing each other, only a few steps apart, neither one moving closer, neither one stepping away.
Seung-hoo shifted his weight. "You pushed me like you were fighting a dungeon boss."
"That couch attacked first," she muttered.
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then his expression softened again. "You don't have to rush anything, you know."
Ye Yeon swallowed. "I know. I just… when I saw you on the news today, surrounded by cameras, I thought… maybe you'd disappear into that world. S-rank hunters, guilds, danger. I thought if I didn't say something now, I never would."
Seung-hoo's chest tightened at her words.
"I didn't disappear," he said quietly. "I came here."
That made her look at him again.
Their eyes met, and this time neither of them looked away.
Ye Yeon took a small step forward, then stopped herself. "Can I… say something honest?"
"Yeah."
"I'm scared too," she said. "Scared you'll change. Scared today was the last normal day we get."
Seung-hoo didn't answer right away. He glanced around the room—the trophies on the shelves, the old couch, the quiet house that still felt warm despite being empty.
"…I don't feel different," he said finally. "Just louder on the outside."
She gave a weak smile. "You mean famous."
"Unfortunately."
They both let out a short laugh, easing the tension just a little.
Ye Yeon hugged her arms. "When I said 'I want more,' I didn't mean… anything complicated. I just didn't want that moment to be the only one."
Seung-hoo took a slow step closer, stopping just in front of her. Not touching. Just close enough that she could feel his presence.
"…Then maybe we can talk first," he said. "Before doing things that make the couch suffer."
She snorted despite herself. "That couch has seen worse."
"Now I'm scared."
For a moment, neither of them spoke again. The silence wasn't awkward this time—it felt heavy, full of things neither of them knew how to say yet.
Ye Yeon fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweater. "So… what are you thinking right now?"
Seung-hoo hesitated. "That my life turned upside down today. And somehow I ended up here instead of a Nurse office."
She looked at him softly. "Is that bad?"
"…No," he said. "It's kind of grounding."
Her lips parted like she wanted to say something else, but she stopped herself.
The distance between them felt small, but the moment felt huge.
Outside, the evening light crept through the windows, stretching long shadows across the floor, while inside, two people stood unsure of what came next, caught between fear, curiosity, and something fragile that had just begun to take shape.