My Stalking Diary

Chapter 14

It was something I was grateful for. However, invading each other’s homes just to kiss for a moment was too much. Someone like Joo Kwon-oh would absolutely hate it. Maybe for a girl, but I’m a guy.

Then a hotel? Motel? Bar? But aren’t those places too solemn for just a kiss?

…Or maybe a coin karaoke room?

I chuckled at the sudden, ridiculous yet plausible idea that flashed through my mind.

Honestly, that place would be the cheapest and easiest to slip in and out of.

But somehow, this hurts my pride. Kissing Joo Kwon-oh in a coin karaoke room.

After much deliberation, I wrote a reply to Joo Kwon-oh.

[Me: Let’s do it in our department building]

[Joo Kwon-oh: The Painting department?]

[Me: The Art College building’s 3rd floor is used by the Painting department, and there are hardly any students in the studio on weekends. The storage room next to the studio will probably be empty on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Around 10 AM? Even if there are students, we’re unlikely to run into anyone if we’re careful.. Let’s do it there and leave. When we’re done, I’ll go out first to check if there’s anyone in the hallway, then you can come out and leave. No one will know since there’s no CCTV in the storage room, so don’t worry]

As soon as I sent the KakaoTalk message, the 1 disappeared.

However, there was no reply for a long time.

“Did I make a mistake somewhere?”

I anxiously reread the KakaoTalk from the beginning. But I couldn’t figure out what the problem was.

Did I reveal my thoughts too much? Is it too much to suggest kissing at school? Maybe a coin karaoke room would have been more appropriate since it’s easy to go in and out. It only costs 500 won too.

Ah. Or maybe he was just testing me out of boredom. Curious to see how I’d react if he suggested kissing.

That would be a big problem. I gave a serious answer for nothing. What should I do…

While I was berating myself for making the wrong choice, a KakaoTalk notification popped up.

[Joo Kwon-oh: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

I furrowed my brow at the ‘ㅋ’ that filled the chat window. It was so excessive that I thought he might have sent it by mistake.

What’s so funny? I was being very serious… Was he really just trying to tease me?

[Joo Kwon-oh: Hey]

[Joo Kwon-oh: You’re good at talking through KakaoTalk, huh? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Joo Kwon-oh: Ok Saturday Art building 3rd floor 10AM]

Only after seeing the last KakaoTalk message could I finally set aside my anxious feelings. My worry that Joo Kwon-oh might have been testing my reaction seemed to be just my excessive paranoia.

“Phew.”

Moreover, fortunately, Joo Kwon-oh seemed to have accepted the reasonable place and reasons I suggested.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to wrap up the conversation.

Saying “See you then” felt somewhat awkward. It seemed like something only close friends would say.

Since Joo Kwon-oh didn’t say anything else either, I decided not to send a reply.

Instead, I put down my phone, sat at my desk, and pulled out a notebook I had tucked away in a corner.

My hand was especially itchy today, and I couldn’t resist. I took out my tanghulu pen from my pencil case and started sketching in what I had started writing yesterday, my so-called Joo Kwon-oh notebook.

Due to my fluttering heart, the lines weren’t coming out properly, and the sketch wasn’t satisfactory. His face was tricky to draw.

Unattractive or ordinary faces quickly take shape even if you draw without much detail or effort, but handsome faces are the opposite. There are clear lines and surfaces that need to be captured, and shading requires a delicate process. The degree of handsomeness can change with the slightest difference.

That’s why, although I’ve drawn Joo Kwon-oh’s face quite a few times, I’ve rarely been satisfied.

I tried to capture the shape of his face a few times before giving up on drawing.

Instead, I started writing down information about Joo Kwon-oh that I had learned over the past few days.

h6

After moving my pen, I paused for a moment before continuing to write in the next column.

h6

*

The night before my appointment with Joo Kwon-oh, I couldn’t fall asleep easily and tossed and turned until dawn.

As it got late, drowsiness naturally came over me, but due to nervousness, my eyes would soon become wide awake again.

After tossing and turning until dawn with barely any sleep, I got up to the sound of the alarm.

From eight in the morning, I started busily preparing to go to school. I showered, brushed my teeth, and even gargled several times.

I wanted to style my hair a bit more nicely than usual, but I gave up as I had no talent in that area. I decided to just make sure it wasn’t sticking up.

“What should I wear?”

When my hair was completely dry, I opened my closet door and fell into contemplation.

Since I always sit in front of an easel painting, my clothes were all dark and dull colors that wouldn’t show paint stains. No matter how much I looked through them, everything seemed shabby.

I didn’t want to wear black clothes on the day of my first kiss with Joo Kwon-oh. I felt like I would stand out even more compared to him, who seemed to dress very well unlike me.

After rummaging for a few minutes, I finally found the only white T-shirt and white shirt at the bottom of my closet. My sister had thrown them at me like a charitable donation, saying I looked gloomy always dressing like a child of darkness.

Although it didn’t match my personality, I was grateful for my sister’s foresight at this moment.

And as soon as it turned 9:30, I set off for school.

My studio apartment was located in a one-room apartment complex near the school, so it took only fifteen minutes to walk to Korea University.

As expected, no one was around the art college building on a weekend morning. Sometimes other departments would stay overnight at school preparing for events, but fortunately, there seemed to be no events this week.

It was the first time the place where I always attended major classes and worked on paintings late into the night felt so new. Before entering the building, I stopped for a moment to check the time.

9:40. I had arrived almost twenty minutes earlier than the agreed time. No wonder I felt out of breath; I must have walked really fast.

I caught my breath and straightened my clothes. There was still no contact from Joo Kwon-oh.

I wonder if he’s on his way here by now.

I took a deep breath and entered the building, getting into the elevator. There happened to be a mirror on the wall, so I checked my appearance one last time. Apart from a slight flush from walking quickly, I looked similar to usual. An expressionless, gloomy, and pale impression.

It was hard to find anything charming enough to make Joo Kwon-oh curious about kissing me. A brighter, more lively girl would suit him better. Like that girl I saw at the pizza place yesterday.

…No. Why am I having these useless thoughts even on my way to kiss him?

Anyway, I arrived on the third floor and walked towards the storage room. Thinking it would be more comfortable to wait there first, I hurried my steps. It would be awkward to run into each other at the door and go in together.

After confirming that there were no students walking in the hallway, I cleared my throat unnecessarily and turned the doorknob.

Expecting it to be empty, I opened the door and entered, but I nearly jumped out of my skin when I made eye contact with Joo Kwon-oh.

“You’re early?”

Joo Kwon-oh casually greeted me. I barely managed to ask him back.

“When did you get here?”

“About five minutes ago.”

My heart was pounding fiercely. Meeting Joo Kwon-oh in the Painting department’s storage room.

This situation seemed more plausible as a dream than reality.

“It’s really quiet here. The Business Administration building is packed with people even on weekends.”

Joo Kwon-oh looked around curiously at the canvases, large wooden frames, and bookshelves set up around the storage room.

“You didn’t run into anyone on your way here, right?”

He approached me after finishing his thorough inspection.

“No.”

I nodded and instinctively took a slight step back. However, Joo Kwon-oh didn’t mind and came closer, reaching out his arm.

Already?

I froze in surprise, but Joo Kwon-oh’s arm reached past me and extended further back.

Click.

With a clear metallic sound, the door behind me locked.

“That’s good.”

The sound of his low laughter resonated in my ear. It tickled like stroking my earlobe with a foxtail.

I unconsciously lowered my head and chewed on my lip.

“This must be a habit of yours.”

Joo Kwon-oh pressed his thumb firmly against my lower lip as he brought his body closer.

The unexpected contact startled me, and I thought my heart would jump out of my chest.

“Oh, I guess so.”

“Don’t bite it. It’ll be uncomfortable when we kiss.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a warm and soft sensation covered my entire lips.

Joo Kwon-oh had immediately lowered his head and kissed me.

First, I felt his body heat, then the faint breath touching my face. Lastly, the sensation of moist skin rubbing against my entire lips spread.

I really, truly kissed Joo Kwon-oh. A real kiss where lips meet lips and tongues intertwine stickily.

“Hey, your lips smell like fruit.”

In the brief moment our lips parted with a soft sound, he muttered.

“That’s because I—mmph!”

I tried to answer that it was because I had gargled, but Joo Kwon-oh swallowed my lips again. The words I was about to say slid down my throat.