Chapter 100: Shall we kiss?
TL: Aniea
‘...Something feels off.’
I glanced sideways at Kim Eun-ha, lost in thought. Her atmosphere had subtly changed recently.
In truth, there was no significant difference in her outward behavior. So, for the first few days, I wasn’t sure.
“Eun-ha ssi, is everything okay at work?”
“No.”
“Then shouldn’t you hurry back...”
“Secretary Yoon is at the department store, so it’s fine. Of course, once the play ends, I’ll have quite a hard time for a while too.”
Kim Eun-ha explained flatly while keeping her eyes fixed on the children practicing on stage.
Since a few days ago, she had stopped going to the department store entirely and had been commuting to the theater with me instead.
Previously, when she tried to delegate her work, it ended up being too much and was eventually reverted, so I wondered if it was really okay this time.
“You don’t have to worry so much. Before, Secretary Yoon was juggling multiple tasks, but this time, she’s fully taking over for me. I’ve also elevated the authority of the team leaders under her.”
“...Is that really okay?”
“It was something I had to do sooner or later. It’s also the reason I focused on staff management ever since I took the position. It’s a little earlier than I originally planned, though.”
“.......”
There was no need to ask why Kim Eun-ha had pushed her plan forward. It was clearly to make more time for play practice.
It seemed the incident where we had to rewrite the kiss scene because of her had come as a major shock.
Knowing Kim Eun-ha’s nearly perfectionist personality, it wasn’t surprising.
‘Still, I didn’t think she’d go this far....’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I already knew that Kim Eun-ha had an exceptional competitive streak, and that she was also very strict with herself.
But considering the weight of each matter, the department store work should be much more important than a one-off play.
‘It must definitely be related to trauma.’
The trigger was probably either ‘corpse’ or ‘CPR’. That’s likely why she couldn’t do anything when I acted like I was dead.
Kim Eun-ha probably couldn’t accept herself like that. Maybe she’s trying to overcome her trauma, even just a little, through this opportunity.
‘What I can do to help is....’
The department store wasn’t something I could intervene in anyway. Kim Eun-ha wouldn’t have handed it over to Secretary Yoon without a plan.
That meant my role remained the same. Helping her focus on acting.
And in that process, I should do my best to help Kim Eun-ha alleviate her trauma, if possible.
‘There is such a thing as drama therapy.’
In my own way, I had been reading books and papers in my spare time to help Kim Eun-ha.
I’m not a specialist, so I can’t recklessly diagnose or act on her condition. But it did help somewhat in setting a direction.
‘...Trauma often appears when a past negative experience isn’t resolved.’
If that can be linked to a positive experience through theater, even if fictional, the person gains psychological comfort.
Of course, such a direct approach could actually worsen the trauma, so it shouldn’t be done recklessly without a professional.
‘But right now, her determination is so strong.’
If someone just gives her a bit of support, it will surely lead to a positive outcome. That ‘someone’ is none other than me.
“Eun-ha ssi.”
“Woo-ju ssi.”
“You first.”
“Um....”
I was just about to offer a suggestion based on all my organized thoughts when we spoke at the same time.
When I readily gave her the floor, she hesitated for a moment and then said something unexpected.
“No matter how I think about it, I don’t think putting an AED (automated external defibrillator) into a fairy tale play is right. I can let a lightsaber slide as part of an extravagant battle scene, but anything more than that would definitely disrupt the audience’s immersion.”
“Hm. I think so too.”
Surprisingly, Kim Eun-ha said exactly what I was about to say first. As expected, the reason she was investing so much in a one-time play was for overcoming her trauma.
“So, about that....”
Hmm-
Uncharacteristically, Kim Eun-ha hesitated and swallowed her voice.
It was completely understandable.
No matter how determined she was, if trauma could be resolved that easily, she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation in the first place.
And now, wanting to change back the scene that had been altered because of her? Anyone would see that as an imposition.
“Well....”
Watching her so lacking in confidence made me feel a bit sorry. It was probably best if I brought it up first.
“Eun-ha ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Shall we kiss?”
“......?”
Kim Eun-ha blinked slowly, like a broken machine. That’s when I sensed something had gone wrong.
In prioritizing the thought that I needed to speak first, I’d completely skipped the context and blurted out just the core sentence.
It was a line that anyone could easily misunderstand, so I hurriedly took a defensive stance. Surely, an angry attack from Kim Eun-ha would come flying any second now.
‘...Hmm?’
But her reaction was slower than usual. By now, a kick or a fist aimed at my side should’ve come flying.
As I relaxed my tension slightly and looked ahead, Kim Eun-ha was staring at me.
She seemed too flustered to even respond. Just as I was about to add an explanation, her lips moved first.
“...Okay.”
"What?"
I reflexively asked back. For a second, I thought I had misheard. What did Kim Eun-ha just say?
The question didn’t linger long. Out of nowhere, Kim Eun-ha lowered her head deeply and said something unexpected.
“...Let’s do it.”
Her two fists trembled, full of tension, to the point her skin had gone pale.
Meanwhile, her face, from neck to ears, had turned bright red. She slowly lifted her head and looked at me.
As if she would burst with just a little nudge.
That’s the kind of face she made as she looked at me.
“Let’s do it. The kiss.”
With a determined gaze as if she had made a huge decision. Her eyes were even moist with tears.
At the sight of such an expression, like a young girl evoking both guilt and immorality in the viewer, my brain froze for a moment.
“.......”
“.......”
A rather long silence followed.
In physical time it couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but subjectively it felt like pressing a 500 million year button.
“Uh... um... I mean....”
Unable to think of anything to say, I hesitated, and before I knew it, Kim Eun-ha had regained her composure and stepped closer to me.
As if she had never hesitated at all, even wearing a relaxed smile on her lips.
“What? Don’t tell me you were joking?”
“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant....”
“Have you been playing with my feelings all this time?”
Gasp-!
The answer didn’t come from me, but from somewhere else. It was a scream of despair from Writer Jung Ha-rin, who had been watching us from a little distance.
Turning my head slightly, I realized everyone in the theater had stopped what they were doing and was now looking at us.
The moment our eyes met, they all let out awkward coughs and pretended to look elsewhere, but the acting was so poor that no one would fall for it.
"Where are you looking when I'm right here?"
Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha reached out and grabbed my cheeks, forcibly turning my head to face her.
Startled for a moment by her aggressive move. But as soon as I met Kim Eun-ha’s playful gaze, I realized what had really happened.
“...Your acting’s improved a lot.”
“Fufu. Were you flustered?”
Grin-
Kim Eun-ha continued to smile lightly while still holding my cheeks. Who would’ve thought she could pull off even the act of embarrassment so perfectly.
“I concede. So could you let go of my face now?”
“Nope.”
“......?”
“We haven’t done it yet.”
“...Done what?”
Whoosh-
Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha brought her face close. I reflexively tried to pull my head back, but she applied pressure with her hands and locked my neck in place, rendering me immobile.
Smooch-
Before I could react, a soft sensation touched my lips. Unlike before, it wasn’t her fingers, this time, our lips met perfectly in subtle alignment.
“...Eh?”
“...Whoa?”
"...Uuuh!?"
Oh my-
Exclamations burst out from all directions, but I had no time to pay them any attention.
My brain short-circuited from the sheer flood of information pouring in. All I could do was stare wide-eyed.
“...Ah.”
After what felt like an eternity passed in a fleeting moment, I felt something lift from my lips.
Through the slightly parted gap, a soft sigh escaped me before I even realized it. I couldn’t quite identify what emotion it carried.
Even at that moment, I still hadn’t come to my senses. My whole body had frozen like I’d been in a car crash, and I couldn’t even move a single finger.
“Wh-Wh-What...!?”
I barely managed to force out a voice, but the result was miserable. I couldn’t even finish a proper sentence, and my pronunciation was so shaky it was barely understandable.
I couldn’t recall ever being this flustered in my life. My mind had gone completely blank.
“Hm. I guess that’s enough.”
Kim Eun-ha lifted the corners of her lips toward me. Though there was still some mischief in her expression, there was also a hint of bashfulness mixed in.
This must be what first love feels like, as often described in novels. The girlish look on Kim Eun-ha’s face was etched into my retina like a tattoo.
“Woo-ju ssi.”
“...Yes?”
“I think we can do it now, right?”
“Do what... Ah.”
Finally, thanks to a surge of dopamine and adrenaline, my brain began working again and arrived at the answer. From the start, her goal and mine had been the same.
“To naturally include the kiss scene, I figured we’d better get some practice in. We’ll also have to convince writer-nim and others again.”
So that was it.
Since explaining the necessity of a kiss scene would be a hassle, she chose to demonstrate it directly.
“Without giving me any heads-up?”
“Did you not like it?”
“.......”
It was like the brakes had suddenly failed. Today, Kim Eun-ha was flooring the accelerator without a second thought, and I didn’t know how to respond.
“Oh my, you can’t even answer.”
“Whatever I say here, I’m screwed either way.”
“Why? Just be honest. If you liked it, say you liked it. If you didn’t, say you didn’t. That way we can adjust accordingly, right?”
It seemed she had gotten a taste for teasing me and was now going at it full force.
It was clear the kiss just now didn’t carry any special meaning. After all, if the kiss scene was to be reinstated, we’d be clashing lips plenty during rehearsals anyway.
Still, getting one-sidedly toyed with stirred a bit of mischief in me. I’m not the type to just sit back and take it.
“Puhuhu. You should’ve seen your face earlier, Woo-ju ssi. Eyes wide open like a bunny....”
“Eun-ha ssi.”
“Hm?”
Mmph-
I abruptly and rather roughly shut Kim Eun-ha’s lips.
*****
For more chapters check out my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anieatl
If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊