Somin used to love that her mother said that. It made her feel so useful. Though the truth of her childhood was that Somin had raised her mother just as much as her mother had raised her.
On her way back to the apartment, Somin stopped short when she spotted Junu outside, fanning himself as he perched on the railing of the stairs. Somin considered just giving him a push. The two-story fall probably wouldn’t kill him with his fast dokkaebi reflexes. But it would give Somin great satisfaction.
He lifted his head, perhaps alerted by the sound of her steps, or maybe it was those supernatural dokkaebi senses. He sent her a cocky grin.
Somin ignored him and tried to walk around, but he blocked her path.
“What’s the rush?” Junu asked. “Didn’t you leave to get away from the stuffy apartment?”
“I left to get away from you.”
Junu laughed, the opposite reaction she’d wanted. “Lee Somin, your words hurt.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I mean it. I’ve never been quite so . . . intrigued by a person before. Can’t you give me a chance?”
Somin glared at the suave words. Junu’s beauty was both smooth and hard. The kind of face that looked better with a smirk. And Junu always took advantage of his best features, so his mocking smile was pretty much a permanent fixture.
It’s why Somin had hated just the sight of his smug face from the day she’d met him. What did he have to be so confident about? It’s not like he worked hard for that face. The luck of being born with good looks wasn’t something to brag about. And to make matters worse, every time he spoke, heads turned. As if everything he said was the most important thing in the world. He probably thought so, as nine times out of ten, he spoke about himself. Pompous ass.
“Not if you were the last boy on earth.”
“Good thing I’m not only a boy.” Junu’s grin widened.
Somin made a gagging noise deep in her throat. “Don’t make me throw up.”
“I bet I could change your mind if I put any effort into it.”
She let out a short, sarcastic laugh. “I’d love to see you try.” She’d blurted it out before she had time to think. Or remember the fact that the dokkaebi loved to take things literally just to piss her off.
Junu’s grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “Would you, now?”
Something seemed to take over Somin, an overwhelming sense of competitiveness that she couldn’t fight. She lifted her chin and said, “Of course. Give it your best shot.”
He took a step forward and every muscle in Somin’s body tensed, but she didn’t step back. She knew Junu’s type, and she knew he was bluffing. She refused to lose at this game.
“I’d say that I love everything about you. I love your hair.” He picked up a strand of her shoulder-length hair and let it sift through his fingers. She held her head rigid, the sight of his fingers a blur in the corner of her eyes. She refused to take her gaze from his. This was a game of wills, and hers was made of steel.
“I love your hands,” Junu said, picking one up. He studied it, letting a smile quirk the corner of his mouth. Somin searched for the mocking in the tilt of his lips, but instead he looked purely enamored as he let their fingers intertwine. He was good. But she wouldn’t be swayed by pretty words and quick smiles.
“I love your lips.” His eyes lifted again, landing on the new object of his faux affection. His hand tightened around hers, and his body moved closer. His eyes filled her vision. He tilted his head down. Her heart was sprinting at a breakneck speed. So fast it practically hummed in her chest. She wondered how it didn’t cause her whole body to vibrate. Or was it and she was just numb to it? Still she didn’t move. She waited as he brought his mouth within a centimeter of hers.
“I love everything you possess,” he said, his words breathed over her lips. “I’d like to possess it, too.”
Somin’s heart was racing, and she told herself it was the heat.
“You use the word love so selfishly,” Somin said.
And perhaps it was shock at her words, or perhaps it was him tiring of his own game, but Junu finally moved back. She’d won, though she didn’t feel the triumph that she wanted as her heart continued to sprint.