KAI

This was not paper. Instead, my lips were attached to Minah's lips. I hear the sound of the crowd chanting and applauding at us, while they teasingly said 'oooooh' simulataneously. 

I blinked a couple of times, clearly stunned by the sudden action. There was nothing going on in my head... nothing but the kiss. The world stopped spinning. The usual loud noises were coming down to a silence. My body is frozen with no reaction. I felt nothing, nothing but those soft lips of hers. Was this a kiss?

I blinked one last time before going back to reality. What was I even talking about? Of course this wasn't a kiss. A kiss was supposed to be meaningful and it's obvious that the thing that is happening, is not a kiss. I wouldn't even kiss her anyway. I was just about to back away, but Minah got to it first. 

The sound of the bell rang, signaling the end of the game. At the same time, Minah started wiping her eyes, then her lips vigorously. Was it that disgusting? I mean it disgusted me, but not so disgusting that I have to wipe my mouth so harshly.

I raised my eyebrows at her as she glared at me, her face turning visibly red.

"What?" I mouthed to her.

She opened , about to say something, but the speaker made his way to our table, counting the batch of paper on my plate. 

He whispered to us, "That seems like an intimate kiss. Did you guys get cozy already?"

"That was no-nothing," she stuttered. If it was nothing, why is she stumbling over her words? I saw how flustered she was and a lightbulb popped in my head. It can't be...

"Don't worry guys, I won't tell anyone," the speaker teased before walking away. This guy is really getting on my nerves. Why is everyone getting on my nerves lately? What did I ever do wrong to them?

He went back to the center where the audience were and took the microphone that has been laying on the sand. "The winner of this year's tournament that will be taking home the $2,000 prize is..." 

It better be us. Everything that I have suffered tonight, especially the mouth to mouth part that happened merely five minutes ago, better be worth it. I turned to my left, watching Minah clasp her hands and murmuring words to herself.

"Minah and Kai!! Congratulations! You have won every single game with great passion. Especially that last one," he chuckled loudly. I clenched my teeth in annoyance. 

On the other hand, Minah had a big grin on her face showing her straight row of pearly white teeth. She was already walking towards the center when our names were called. I trailed behind her.

The speaker handed her the money and gave me the golden trophy. The crowd began to separate, leaving me and Minah alone. 

She was still smiling like she won a gold medal at the Olympics. Was she that happy about winning the money? I could tell she cared less about the trophy when she hugged the check to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. 

"Aren't you gonna say something?" I asked.

"Oh right. Right after that last game... how could you let your lips touch mine?!" She yelled; her voice raised. 

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You shouldn't have done that."

"You're blaming this on me? You're the one who had your lips on mine first. Is this your intention? To let the paper fly out of your mouth, so that you can kiss me?" Maybe I went a little overboard, but I couldn't believe she's saying that it's my fault. Thank god she wasn't those kind of girls who would cry over this. Instead, she had a brave look on her face.

"Ha. You wish. But it was an accident. Something got in my eye and the wind blew the paper away from my mouth. So it isn't my fault. It's your fault that you had your eyes open, but didn't back away from me. You just stood there like an idiot, making the crowd go all nuts on us."

I thought about the way she flustered a while ago. With courage, I asked, "Was it your first kiss?"

Her face turned red again. She turned to face the water, not facing me or answering my question. 

"Oh my god. That was your first kiss, wasn't it? Daebak." I clapped while shaking my head. 

"Wha-what do you m-mean?" She stammered. "That w-wasn't my firs