Episode 1 But part 2

The sound of gunfire and fighting in the game faded to silence. The person who had been focused on the laptop screen had to look up and noticed Linda had fallen asleep with her head slumped on the chair. Kunjaesol immediately felt guilty. After all, Linda had taken the time to come out of her room for a date, but had ended up spending two hours waiting for her to reply to emails with clients.

Two hours wasted with a fussy client. Didn't they know it made her heart, which had been soaring since this morning, deflate like a balloon with no air? It was so difficult to coax the introverted Linda away from her computer screen. The girl spent most of her day trying out programming in her room or honing her skills in gaming. Linda had once told her that she chose to study this field because she was curious about the behind-the-scenes of the games she loved. She dreamed of creating fun games for others to enjoy in the future.

Even though Kunjaesol had been established as an important person in Linda's life, it still didn't feel like it was a full 100%. The younger girl had only opened the door for Kunjaesol to fully pursue her; they weren't officially a couple or anything yet. Why was she playing so hard to get? They had known each other for years but still hadn't moved forward. 

A beautiful, charming woman like Kunjaesol had never had to try so hard. Yet, she had to give everything just to make sure Linda didn't shy away or disappear.

Or maybe it's because I'm too old? We have a ten-year age gap. She might feel uncomfortable. Sigh, never mind. At least now she's started to open up her heart just enough for me to peek inside. There will be a day when I'll completely win Linda's heart. 

Kunjaesol kept telling herself that.

"Linda, wakie wakie~" Kunjaesol called softly, gently reaching out to stroke Linda's hair with care.

"Mm... Are you done?" The tall girl rubbed her eyes sleepily. The way she looked was so cute and endearing that Kunjaesol couldn't help but smile, reaching out to sweep the stray strands of Linda's hair from her face.

"I'm done. Let's go eat."

"Lead the way." Linda said, adjusting her backpack and giving a wink to her beautiful older companion, signaling for her to take the lead to the restaurant they had agreed on last night.

"Then, may I hold your hand?" Kunjaesol asked with a hint of playfulness, extending her hand toward Linda as if waiting for permission.

See that? She even had to ask to hold hands. Because the last time she had tried to be a little bold, Linda had given her a stiff look and pushed her away with a pointed finger as if she were a nuisance, not allowing her to get close at all. Kunjaesol had to laugh at herself. Even when she brushed past a monk, she wasn't criticized to this extent.

She wanted to laugh, but the truth was, Kunjaesol was so beautiful, so irresistible. Just by making eye contact or teasing a little, men and women alike followed her without hesitation. And yet here, Linda wouldn't even offer a smile. Kunjaesol thought, Watch out, one day, if you ever fall for me, I'll make you choke on how beautiful and hot I am.

"You're grown up now, it's fine. Let's just walk close."

"Didn't you say you would open up to me? Why are you still acting distant like before? Linda, you're the coldest with me." Kunjaesol stopped walking and crossed her arms in a little pout. She felt like she was the only one trying in this relationship while Linda stood still, looking at her with unreadable eyes. Eventually, Linda reluctantly walked back to her side.

"It's just that I'm not used to it." Linda muttered, sounding unsure.

"If you don't try, how will you ever get used to it? Do you think I'm not trustworthy?" Kunjaesol asked, a hint of frustration in her voice. She wanted to understand why Linda was still holding back and refusing to accept her feelings.

"It's not like that. Don't overthink it." Linda quickly denied.

"I'm not overthinking, but maybe you are. Sometimes, if you just say what's on your mind, it might make things better." Kunjaesol sighed softly. She felt like she was playing a guessing game with Linda, but didn't know when she would ever win.

Kunjaesol paused and let out another small sigh. She knew Linda wasn't someone who easily expressed her emotions, but she still wanted her to be brave enough to open up, so their relationship could move forward.

"I'm not thinking about anything. Let's just eat. I'm hungry." Linda said at last.

In the end, the tall girl finally gave in, taking Kunjaesol's hand and pulling her toward their usual restaurant. Kunjaesol smiled, satisfied. She knew that Linda was still shy and reluctant to show her feelings, but the fact that she was willing to hold her hand and walk with her was a good sign.

A stubborn prey like this needs to be cornered to get the best result, Kunjaesol thought to herself. It was so cute when Linda made a face, clearly irritated, with her brows furrowed and lips pouting. It made her want to dump her nose into Linda's cheek. Kunjaesol looked at Linda with affectionate eyes, feeling that Linda was a person worth discovering and cherishing. She wanted to take care of and protect Linda for the rest of her life.

The reason I want to try starting a serious relationship with Linda is that this tall girl is so beautiful. Ah, don't jump to conclusions and think that I choose to date someone based on their looks. If their personality is completely different, I wouldn't lower my dignity to date them. It wouldn't be worth my time.

When I say she's beautiful, I mean Linda is tall, with a small face, a soft mouth, and a cute nose. She's the type that makes my heart race just by looking at her. It's just a personal preference. When we first got to know each other, I felt like I was taking care of a younger sister because we have a big age gap.

But over time, she started revealing more of her true self. She's someone with a strong sense of personal space. She always has a neutral expression on her face and loves peace and quiet. She doesn't like to get involved in complicated situations and only becomes friendly and talkative when it's necessary for socializing.

However, the one thing that gets a special privilege from her is cats. They don't even need to try to break through her walls. Just strolling around proudly showing off their beautiful fur on the street, and she's ready to run over and pet them, sharing snacks with them. She always carries food and snacks in her bag to share with stray cats. This situation was the turning point for me to start seeing Linda's true nature. A person who doesn't like to mingle with others, yet she willingly approaches little animals. She's such a kind-hearted person.

I feel like there's so much more to her that I want to uncover. The more I discover what she hides, the more my heart races. As time passes, I've come to learn so many things I didn't know before. She's not that hard to understand. She's just someone who has clear boundaries in life. She doesn't depend on others and is comfortable living on her own.

If I want to enter Linda's world, I have to make her confident that having me around isn't a burden. It won't affect her daily life in the slightest. I'm not here to change who she is, but I hope to be just a normal person she accepts, someone she can live happily with.

"Your mouth is dirty." Linda said as she chewed on a chicken drumstick, pointing at my mouth, saying it was messy. But where exactly was I supposed to wipe? I tried wiping it myself, but it didn't work. "You are adult, but not really, are you?"

Oh, so this kid's teasing me, huh? But I couldn't stay mad. After all, she was kind enough to reach over and wipe it for me, even though her face showed a bit of annoyance. But deep down, I knew she was always ready to be kind when it really mattered.

At this point, I just wanted to dip five fingers into the sauce-covered chicken and smear it all over my face, then pout and ask Linda to clean it off again. But if I actually did that, I bet she'd complain like a bear with a bee sting and quickly leave the restaurant, pretending she didn't know me anymore.

"Thank you." I said, smiling sweetly. She always acted like she wasn't interested, turning her face away to avoid eye contact. Honestly, it was tiring trying to charm her.

"Is it good?" I asked about the taste.

"Same as usual." she replied.

"How's class going?" I asked.

"Just fine." she answered.

"Do you miss me?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"not really."

"Lie! If you didn't miss me, you wouldn't have come." I teased.

"You're just making stuff up. I came because I wanted to eat chicken." she responded.

"Okay, okay. If you don't miss me, that's fine. By the way, is the cat food almost finished? Should we go buy some more?" I quickly changed the subject because I didn't want to tease Linda any further, even though a part of me still felt a little hurt.

"There's still plenty left. I haven't seen Edward lately. I don't know where he's gone."

Edward, Linda was referring to the orange stray cat that often hung around the dorm. This little feline was an affectionate, food-loving boy, round and chubby. We were so close that we even gave him a name. Linda wanted to adopt him so badly, but the landlady wouldn't allow it, so all she could do was feed him whenever they met.

"Look on the bright side, maybe someone else took him in." I said, noticing the concern in Linda's eyes. I knew how much she cared about Edward and how worried she was, so I wanted to say something comforting to ease her mind. "Edward, the chubby, fluffy cat, is too cute not to be adopted."

"Yeah, I hope so." Linda murmured softly, her voice lowering a little.

"How about we go get some bubble tea after this?" I suggested.

"Sure, but no pearls bubble. I'm too full to handle the pearls." she replied.

"How about we just get one cup and share it? I probably couldn't finish it on my own either." I offered.

"Yeah, that works." she agreed.

I couldn't help but smile to myself at my little sneaky plan. Linda probably didn't realize that if we shared a drink with one straw, it meant we'd technically have kissed indirectly. Linda could never keep up with my clever tricks.