Gradually, their lips parted.  They looked into each other’s eyes, her hands on his chest, and his arms around her waist. There was silence for that moment, until they finally speak.

 “…it was so sudden~” Heerin said softly.

“…was it?” Donghae smiled. “My heart felt restless when you started walking away---and the next thing I remembered, I found myself kissing you…I couldn’t help it.”

Hearing this, Heerin’s face felt warm with her blood rushing.

“…w-when did you…by chance…started to---“

“…love you?” he continued her sentence.

She slightly nodded, shying away.

“I don’t know---You just came into my life and even before I knew it, I already love you.”

Donghae touched her face, staring affectionately at her, making Heerin even more mesmerized by his attractive eyes.

“When you drowned after falling into the water…I was so scared…because I could have lost you---“

With this, Heerin embraced him. “…That will never happen again…trust me. I won’t do anything that would hurt you…because…I love you, Donghae-sshi.”

“…I’ll never break your heart, Heerin-ah.”

“…I believe you…”

Just as they were about to pull away from each other, Heerin grabbed his hand, running towards the sea.

“…Yah~ what are you doing?” said he, startled.

“Take this~”

“Aiyah!”

Donghae started chasing her, after splashing water on him.

“You really want to play, eh?” he said, grinning. “Come here~”

“Catch me if you can~” she uttered playfully, in a singsong tune.

“You’re gonna pay, if I catch you.”

“Then, try me~” she dared, running happily, against the waves by the shore.

“Aish~ this girl!”

After several minutes of running and chasing, Donghae finally caught her by the waist, but Heerin accidentally slipped, making him fall over her. Both of them were panting, when they took the fall. She was lying on her back, with him partially kneeling above her---making a very awkward position.

“W-What…do you…want to do now?” Heerin asked, gasping for breath.

“THIS~” he grinned, carrying her on his arms. “The night is young…let’s play some more games, shall we?”

“Oppa~” she cutely complained.

“Aish~” he rubbed his nose against hers. “I’m taking you home, okay?”

“Eh~ you can put me down. I can walk, you know?” she pouted. “Please~”

“Aniyo~ I want to carry my princess home…”

“…P-Princess?” she asked, a smile showing on her lips. “I never wanted to hear these words, as much as I wanted to hear them from you…”

“Hmm?”Donghae smiled back. He went to get her sandals, still, while carrying her.

“Oppa, you’ll be tired doing this.”

“I won’t.”

“…please?” she pleaded, with her cute eyes. “…besides, I want to walk side by side with my prince~”

Saying this, Donghae felt happy.

“Did you just call me prince?” 

He likes it when someone calls him ‘Prince’.

“…if I’m your princess then you should be my prince~”

He pinched her cheek softly. “I find it hard to resist you.”

“…of course. You’re under my spell~”

After awhile, the two walked home right after. Donghae wrapped an arm around her to keep her warm. She also did the same to him. When they reached home, everyone is already tired, sleeping cozily inside their own rooms. Heerin went to Mrs. Lee’s room.

“Maybe mother’s resting--- what do you want to tell her?”

Heerin just smiled and waited in front of the room, until the door opened.

“Oh, Heerin-yang. You’re here. Gwaenchana?” Mrs. Lee asked concernedly.

“Umma, I’m sorry for making you worried,” she apologized, bowing her head.

“It’s okay~ and I see, my son’s with you.”

“I’m sorry, ummeoni.”

“Aigoo~ since when have you been this mature, Donghae-yang?” she uttered, holding her son’s face. “I can feel that you’re very happy now.”

“I am~”

“…is this because of Heerin-sshi?”

“...Ne, umma.”

“I see. Thank you for making my son happy, Rin-yang,” Mrs. Lee said, smiling.

“…he also made me so happy, so I’m just giving back, all the happiness that your son had brought to me---“

“I can clearly see that you two, are very much in love with each other. Your eyes are full of sparks.”

“I guess you can say it that way, umma.” Donghae uttered, looking at Heerin.

“We’ll leave you first umma. Please have a good rest~, said the latter, politely.

Heerin was on her way to her friends’ and her room, when Donghae held her hand .

“Uhm…what is it?” she asked, facing him. “Do you have anything to say?”

“…I---I’m just wondering if you can sleep in my room?”

She giggled upon listening to him. “Yah, oppa! You’ve always wanted to sleep with me these past days… it seems like you can’t sleep without me…”

Donghae looked at her, flustered and stuttering. “Yah~ it’s not what you’re thinking…I-I just…want to be with you. If you don’t want, it’s fine with me.”

He then start to leave immediately, but this time, Heerin held into his arm.

“…I didn’t say that I don’t want to be with you tonight…” she curved her lips, pouting after. “You give up easily~”

He suddenly pulled her, carrying her in his arms.

“Hae-sshi, you’re so fond of carrying me around like this…if you always do this…I will eventually get used to it~”

“…then get used to this. I’m doing this just for you. VIP treatment~”

“Aish~” she pinched his nose.

“Why do you like my nose so much?” he pouted, cutely.

“Just because~”

```````````````````````````````````````````````

As soon as they get inside his room, Donghae laid her carefully on his bed. He covered her body well with the blanket but Heerin got up.

“Eh~ aren’t you sleeping?” she looked at him, tilting her head. “I’m alright now…so just rest, okay? I feel so guilty, putting you in this kind of situation I’ve been through~”

He immediately got on the bed, seated next to her.

“I’ll never get tired, because this is what I wanted.” Out of the blue, he placed a soft, passionate kiss in the corner of her lips, gaining a smile from her.

“Let’s sleep, babe~” he added.

“…yeah.”

Right after, Donghae turned off the lights. Heerin lied close to him, her hand on his chest, with Donghae’s hand on her waist. Finally, they fell deep asleep.