GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER - 02

...

The playful banter between Nayun and me ended quickly. Neither of us seemed to mind; in the end, we just wanted to enjoy the food on the table. And anyway, we would still have plenty of time to talk later...

For now, dinner was the priority.

The silence was filled only by the sound of cutlery clinking against plates and the occasional sighs of satisfaction. Nayun seemed to enjoy the food, and that was enough to make me feel content.

After a while, she put down her utensils, leaned back in her chair, and lightly patted her stomach, looking satisfied.

"Aaah! I'm full..."

She sighed, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"That was really good, Theo... 8/10 for you."

I paused mid-sip of juice and stared at her, frowning. If she liked it, why wasn't it a higher score?

"What? Why not 10/10?"

She blinked, as if my question were obvious.

"Umm! It was missing a few things, you know? A candle here, some wine there..."

"I see."

I nodded, leaning back in my chair.

"So I would have gotten a perfect score if I had treated this like a date."

"Possibly."

Nayun smiled sideways, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Well, about the wine..."

I stood up and walked to the fridge, opening it and pulling out a bottle.

"Actually, there's one here. It's non-alcoholic, but if you want, we can have it later."

Her eyes sparkled for a moment before she quickly composed herself.

"Oh! Nine out of ten, then..."

My eyebrow arched.

"You mean there's a chance it could become a 10?"

"Yes,"

Nayun rested her chin on her hand, leaning over the table, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"If you're a good boy, it's entirely possible."

Her gaze carried a challenge, and I couldn't help but smile in response.

After we finished dinner, we started clearing the table together, exchanging small teases in the process. However, it didn't take long for us to get distracted again, the conversation flowing easily as we worked.

In the midst of it, Nayun insisted on doing the dishes.

"It's a way to thank you for dinner,"

She said, taking the plate from my hand.

"Are you sure? You know how to wash dishes, right?"

I asked in a playful tone, but also genuinely curious and concerned. After all, this girl was a chaebol heiress, someone born with a silver spoon in her mouth, so it wasn't a lie to say that people like her might have never even touched a sponge.

She shot me an indignant look.

"Of course! I'm not incompetent, okay?"

For some reason, that statement made me suspicious. But before I could argue, she was already rolling up her sleeves and tying an apron, getting ready for the task.

Then, to my horror, things started going wrong.

First, she broke a plate. The sound of porcelain shattering echoed through the kitchen, and I turned just in time to see Nayun frozen, holding only a shard of the rim while the rest lay in pieces on the floor.

She looked at me, her eyes slightly wide.

"That was an accident..."

She murmured, trying to maintain her composure.

"Uh-huh..."

I ignored her and went to get a broom.

But then, the two glasses we had used met the same fate.

"Crap—!"

Nayun jumped back as one of the shards slid across the counter, nearly hitting her foot.

I stopped in the middle of sweeping up the remains of the plate and crossed my arms, watching her.

"Are you sure you know how to wash dishes?"

She laughed awkwardly.

"I'm just... a little distracted."

"If you say so..."

I sighed and prepared to take control of the situation. But before I could do anything, a strange smell began to spread through the kitchen.

I frowned, looking around the kitchen.

"Do you smell something burning?"

Nayun blinked.

"I was about to ask the same thing."

We both followed the smell and, to my surprise and dismay, the smoke was coming from... the coffee maker.

"How the hell—?"

Before we could react, a loud hiss echoed, and Nayun let out a small scream, stepping back. I quickly pulled the plug and opened the lid, sighing in relief when I saw there wasn't an actual fire. Just smoke and a horrible smell.

I turned to Nayun, who looked guilty.

"I just... thought I could make coffee while washing the dishes."

She admitted, avoiding my gaze.

"Did you put anything in there besides water and coffee grounds?"

"Umm..."

She averted her eyes.

"Maybe..."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. What else do you put in a coffee maker besides water and coffee grounds? Is there some ingredient they use that I don't know about?

"You're really dangerous in the kitchen, you know?"

She crossed her arms, pouting while showing me her pair of fangs.

"I just had a bit of bad luck, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Bad luck..."

She stared at me for a moment before letting out a small laugh, and I couldn't help but laugh along.

As chaotic as it had been, there was something fun about the mess she caused.

"Well, I guess next time I'll be the one doing the dishes."

"That's the least you can do!"

She lightly hit my arm and smiled, and despite the mess, I couldn't help but smile back.

Nayun was a disaster in the kitchen. But somehow, it was an adorable disaster.

...

A few minutes after the chaos Nayun caused in the kitchen, we returned to the living room carrying a plate full of sweets. We sat on the sofa, side by side, in a comfortable silence. The sweet scent of the dessert mixed with a slight citrus aroma from the lemon zest, making the atmosphere even cozier.

Nayun reached out and picked up one of the sweets with a curious look.

"Hmm... Where did you buy these Gyeongdan? They're really good."

The sweet we were eating was a type of sweet rice cake, but unlike the traditional ones, these were smaller and had a special touch of acidity from the lemon zest. The combination of flavors made the dessert light and addictive.

"When I was coming back from the grocery store, I found a pastry shop on the way and thought: why not bring a dessert? And here we are."

I picked one up too and tried it, nodding.

"I have to admit, it's really good."

Nayun chewed slowly, savoring the flavor, before asking:

"Is this your first time trying our sweets?"

"Yes, it's my first time..."

Actually, not even in my previous life had I tried Korean sweets. Maybe it was because, at the time, I wasn't very interested in them, and even though I lived in the United States, it wouldn't have been that hard to find food from other countries...

She smiled slightly.

"Then, next time I'll bring some others for you to try. I'm sure you'll like them."

"I'll be eagerly waiting for those sweets."

As I reached for another one, Nayun suddenly leaned toward me. When I noticed, she was holding one of the sweets between her fingers, extending it toward me.

"Here... Say ah!"

I blinked.

This... This is the legendary scene where the girl feeds the boy, right? The one many dream of experiencing?

Without hesitation, I opened my mouth.

"Sure... Ah!"

I closed my eyes, waiting for the sweet to touch my lips. But nothing happened.

"..."

Huh? Where is it?

I opened my eyes and looked for her hand, which, to my surprise, was now in front of her own mouth. Nayun was covering a mischievous laugh, her shoulders trembling slightly as she tried to hold it in.

"Pu... hehe!"

She even tried to hold it back, but the laughter escaped anyway.

"You're in trouble with me..."

"Uhh? Theo?"

She tilted her head with an expression that was too innocent to be true.

I sighed and pinched my brow with my thumb, pretending to reflect.

"You know, since earlier..."

My voice came out drawn out, as if I were pondering something very important.

"I've been holding back a lot..."

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and a hint of provocation.

"Oh? And what does that mean?"

The truth was, until now, I had been letting Nayun act freely. In a relationship, it's not just about kisses and caresses, but also about getting to know each other, sharing moments, connecting beyond the physical. That's why, today, I decided to be a bit more passive, observing what she did when she didn't have to react to my initiatives.

But... maybe it was time to change the pace a bit.

I slowly leaned in, closing the distance between us. Nayun blinked a few times, not backing away.

"You like to play, don't you?"

My voice came out low, almost like a devil's whisper.

She opened her mouth, perhaps to respond, but hesitated when she noticed how close I was.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I took her hand, yes, the same one that held the sweet, and before she could react, I brought her fingers, still sticky from the Gyeongdan, to my mouth, sucking them slowly, without breaking eye contact.

Nayun's eyes widened slightly.

"Y-you..."

She blinked, seeming unsure how to react, her cheeks and face burning red.

I gave a small smile as I licked my lips after stopping sucking her fingers.

"Thanks for the food."

The blush on her face spread even further, reaching her ears, but seeing that brought me indescribable happiness. Seeing her like that made the teasing totally worth it.

Of course, that still wouldn't be enough...

While she was stuck in her embarrassment, I promptly pulled her closer to me, and with my free hand, I held her chin.

"There's a little bit of dirt here on your lower lip, I think I'll have to help you clean it too..."

Well, that was a big lie, and even the disoriented Nayun knew it. She was a girl who grew up in a world where she had to maintain etiquette at every dinner or snack, so getting dirty with a simple sweet was a bit difficult.

"I-is that so?"

She stammered, while clearing her clouded mind. Even though it was my lie, she didn't even bother to correct me, which meant...

"Yes, just stay still and I'll take care of it."

She held her breath as I began to stroke her mouth with my finger. Her lips were soft, smooth, warm... the sensation against my skin was addictive. As I did this, I felt her breathing become irregular, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her heartbeat quickened, and I could see the confused and anxious glint in her eyes.

She was struggling to hold back.

Just like I was.

"Mmh!"

...