“……I didn’t dislike it.”
In the end, that was the only thing I could choose to say.
Yeah, to be honest, I didn’t dislike it. If I had to choose between like and dislike, I’d say I liked it. How could I not like it when a cute girl like Sua likes me? Besides, we were already very close friends emotionally.
For the same reason, I liked Ha Neul’s and Sohee’s kisses too. I was happy to have someone who likes me like this.
…What about me?
You too, right? Isn’t it obvious?
Hehe…
…
Anyway, I had to somehow address the current situation—
“I—what about me?”
Sohee quickly asked after hearing my response.
“Hmm?”
“How was it when you kissed me?”
“……”
Well, it was different from what I had seen in movies and other media, but among the three of us, it was definitely the most intense kiss.
…If I had to choose between like and dislike, I had no choice but to say I liked it.
Not wanting to outright say it, I just nodded, causing Sohee’s face to brighten even more with a smile.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the reason that she was laughing right now, it would have been a wonderful smile that suited Sohee very well.
“I—I…?”
And then came the third question, making me finally place my hand on my forehead.
Oh Ha Neul, even you.
No, in a way, Ha Neul was the one who kicked off this whole situation. She was the first to come find me, put a ring on my hand, push me against the wall, and share a kiss.
“……I didn’t dislike it.”
In the end, I could only answer like that, defeated by Ha Neul’s sparkling gaze.
Seeing Ha Neul, who openly liked me, I ended up grabbing my head with both hands.
These girls, they’re not getting my words right now.
*
Ultimately, the conversation was about “How to have a fair kiss.”
“Okay, so first off, Sohee has only done it once, right?”
Ha Neul said with an extremely serious expression.
Is that really something to be taken that seriously…?
“And I’ve done it twice, and Sohee has just done it twice now, so if Sua kisses me just one more time, it’ll be fair, right?”
At Ha Neul’s words, Sua nodded, but Sohee raised her hand.
“Objection.”
“……What’s your objection?”
To Ha Neul’s question, Sohee seriously replied.
“Among the three of us here, the one who kissed first was Ha Neul.”
“That is… true?”
Ha Neul tilted her head at Sohee’s words.
“That means Ha Neul got the first kiss.”
“……”
In this blatantly straightforward conversation, I eventually buried my face in my hands.
Should I run away? Can I? I feel like no matter how much I try, I’ll get caught anyway.
“The value of a first kiss is something that can’t be measured by anything, but if you keep arguing like this, it’ll never end, so I’ll just count it as one more kiss.”
“What?”
“……Oh, right.”
Sua, who had created this situation, nodded in agreement with Sohee’s words.
“That’s right. Just calling the first kiss a regular kiss feels a bit….”
“……Hey, guys.”
Finally unable to hold back, I opened my mouth.
“Is this really a conversation we need to take this seriously?”
I mean, sure, if it’s serious, it’s a serious topic. The feelings of who likes whom are not something to be treated lightly. But is it really necessary to discuss kissing in such a serious meeting-like manner?
“What are you talking about? We’re having this conversation to protect you.”
“……Protect?”
When I retorted to Sohee, who was saying things that didn’t seem that serious, she replied.
“Have you imagined what would happen if we don’t keep things fair?”
Sohee asked, believing she hadn’t crossed the line.
“……What would happen?”
“They’d definitely try to kiss you whenever they got the chance. No matter what, they wouldn’t cross the line without your agreement.”
“……”
“And the others would get motivated by that, trying to monopolize you again, and then another person would get motivated by that… This would keep repeating, right? That’s why we’re setting this line. If there’s a rule that we must have an equal number of kisses, then at least they won’t do it recklessly. It means if I kiss, the other girls will have to see it too.”
It sounded all very political and smart, but really, it was just nonsense plastered over the idea of nuclear mutually assured destruction.
Of course, Sohee wasn’t the only one talking seriously like that.
“……”
As I fell silent, Sohee finally shifted back to the argument, wearing a smug expression.
“……What’s she saying?”
“Seriously.”
*
“……So I told you. That wasn’t Sara’s first kiss!”
“Do you really think you can consider a kiss with yourself in your mind as a kiss? Are you stupid? If that were the case, where would all the virgins in the world be?”
“Sara is special. Her personality is really twofold.”
It sounded psychodynamic and philosophical, but in reality, it was just nonsense.
The argument showed no signs of ending easily.
It was one of the most meaningless arguments I had ever seen in my life.
I sat on the bed with my knees up, staring blankly at the senseless argument.
“No, wait.”
Sohee raised her hand, interrupting Ha Neul’s speech for a moment.
“So, okay, let’s say ‘Sara’ and Sara are different individuals, and let’s assume the kiss you had wasn’t Sara’s first kiss.”
“Okay.”
Ha Neul nodded with a serious expression for no good reason.
“Then, you’ve kissed ‘Sara,’ too, right?”
“……”
Ha Neul was left speechless.
That expression she made is usually used when someone is so bewildered in conversation that they can’t find words, but looking at Ha Neul’s serious face now, this felt more like ‘an unexpected emotional hit’.
Sua was quietly waiting for the two to reach a conclusion.
…Since she was the only one who had only kissed me once out of the four, it was clear that whoever won would definitely get one kiss from me.
From earlier, it felt like she was subtly leaning towards Sohee’s side, so she probably wanted to up that one kiss to two.
“……Want some popcorn?”
And when I asked that to Son Ah-reum, who was blushing and watching the situation, she quickly shook her head and waved her hands.
“N-no, it’s okay.”
She seemed mortified when she first saw Sohee kissing me, saying that shouldn’t happen.
…Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.
“If the two are deemed ‘different people,’ then I earn the right to kiss ‘Sara,’ right?”
“H-however, the act itself was still just once…”
Oh, Ha Neul was in the hot seat now.
“I just said. A kiss with a different personality in your mind counts as a kiss too. So if the personality changes in the middle of a kiss, it counts as two kisses. And you’re actually in love with ‘Sara,’ not Sara. So even if I gain the right to kiss ‘Sara,’ you’re not losing anything.”
“……”
For the record, it should go without saying that there are no differences in pronunciation or stress between the words ‘Sara’ and ‘Sara.’ Yet somehow, they managed to mix them up as if they were entirely different words, which is quite impressive. Seems like all three of them understood the difference.
But more than that, Sohee seemed a lot sharper than usual. Not that I meant to call her dumb… but, how do I say this, she was talking about complex matters with such seriousness.
What even is she saying?
Sara, who happened to be facing a precarious situation where she might end up kissing someone other than me, reacted sensitively.
“What does ‘Sara’ mean by ‘What even is she saying?’”
In a state of despair, I relayed Sara’s words exactly, and Sohee turned her head sharply towards me.
“Could you maybe ask ‘Sara’ if she dislikes me?”
Dislikes me?
Of course, it doesn’t make sense to dislike her. ‘She’s my—’
“I’m told she doesn’t dislike you.”
Having already given up on thinking, I just relayed that message without fully listening to it.
“Then that’s good.”
Sohee replied coolly.
Hey!
Sara sounded off, but…
Why, well, it’s not like she doesn’t try to swoop in every now and then. Let her feel the heat for once.
When I said that, she had no response.
“But there’s a problem,”
Ha Neul interjected with her serious face.
“‘Sara’ fainted when kissed. So of course, the personality would change in the middle of the kiss, meaning it would count as two kisses just like it would with me.”
“If that happens, I’ll give both of you fair chances,”
Sohee said boldly, likely wanting to increase the score from one kiss to two.
Ugh…
Sara was simmering with frustration as she unintentionally revealed her weakness.
Not weak!
Is that so?
Looking at this from a third-party perspective, this certainly feels like pure entertainment. I can totally relate to Son Ah-reum’s feelings right now.
But wait, this is my story.
“……Sigh.”
I sighed deeply.
