Engrossed in the novel, I immersed myself in its lines, but at some point, my focus began to blur. The book grew heavy in my hand, gradually draining my strength. I pulled the blanket closer and nestled it beneath my nose.
The idealistic thoughts that had kept me awake faded away, replaced by a comforting drowsiness that settled gently.
“Ahem.”
In an instant, as if someone had grabbed me by the hair and pulled me out of the realm of unconsciousness, I snapped back to reality. Wiping away the drool at the corner of my mouth, I sat up straight, crossing my long legs on the chair. There was Kamian, holding the romance novel I had been reading before falling asleep.
Kamian glanced at me with his eyes alone.
“Not feeling sleepy, yet you were snoring quite loudly.”
“…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I twiddled my fingers. It would be better not to get angry earlier. Moreover, there was an unmistakable stain of my saliva on Kamian’s pillow. There was no denying it was mine.
“Even if I said I intentionally spat it out, would you believe me?”
Kamian, who had somehow approached without my notice, settled down right next to me. Timidly, I reached out my hand and grabbed the edge of the pillow. It slid slowly towards me.
“Keep it, but put it in a basket.”
I felt uneasy, embarrassed, and sorry. However, while apologies came easily to others, in front of Kamian, they stuck in my throat and my tongue turned stiff. To alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere through jokes, I found myself saying strange things. I was doing it even now.
“My saliva isn’t that dirty.”
Kamian rested his chin on his elbow, which was propped up on his knee.
“What are you trying to say again?”
“No, it’s just… Don’t I take care of my oral hygiene well? I don’t have a single cavity. Besides, it’s still in a clear state as it’s before breakfast.”
“Just say something that can be remedied.”
“Why? It’s not a false statement, is it? It’s just that saliva feels uncomfortable due to prejudice. But mine is different, you know… You’ve tasted it too…”
His thick, arched eyebrows frowned. I kept my mouth shut. A pool of saliva had gathered inside, but I couldn’t bring myself to swallow it. The sound of saliva passing through would surely be louder than thunder.
“I told you to say something that can be remedied.”
Gulp. Worried that the movement of my Adam’s apple would be visible, I hastily lowered my head. My fingers, fidgeting with the edge of the pillow, were tinged with the familiar shade of a ripe apple. Damn it. It was certain that my throat, ears, and face had all turned the same colour.
“Are you ashamed?”
“Insolent fool. Why do you inquire about that? Without responding, he simply bowed his head, and suddenly his hand delved beneath my face. Gently caressing his protruding jawline, his fingertips pressed against his lower lip.
“What are you talking about”
A resonant, deep voice reverberated from directly above my head. Not only was I tormented by the incessant pressing and releasing of his fingers on my lower lip, but now his voice also assaulted my eardrums.
“After tasting it, it’s not as dirty as it is…”
The fingers that had been lightly grazing my lips suddenly plunged inward. Traversing the delicate flesh within, they probed deep enough to make my cheeks bulge.
“Hmm.”
Like the satisfaction of saliva pooling when sucking on a piece of candy, my mouth began to tingle. Unconsciously, his index finger, still lodged in my mouth, absorbed the saliva, stretching it to resemble a vacuum-sealed shape.
“Ah.”
Startled, I opened my mouth, and instantly his index finger withdrew. But more shocking than my unwitting act of sucking his finger was the sound that echoed directly above my face. Slurp. I jerked my head back in surprise. It appeared that Kamian was biting his own index finger horizontally. The same hand that had been in my mouth just a few seconds ago.
“Indeed, it doesn’t feel dirty. I won’t need to wash my pillow. Let it be.”
“Are you insane?!”
I struck Kamian’s face with a pillow, feeling mortified to the point of death.
“Why did you hit me?”
“Because you were doing something strange!”
“If you wanted to confirm so badly, couldn’t you have just asked me to spit on you?”
Kamian slightly parted his lips and pointed to them with his finger. It meant to spit. Truly, he was a madman.
“Should I really just spit on you?”
I lifted the pillow and threw it into the basket as if discarding it. Then, as if fleeing, I rushed out of Kamian’s room and sought refuge on my own.
[Thud. Thud. Thud] The pounding of my heart refused to subside. It felt as if the finger that had been tormenting the tender flesh inside my mouth was still plaguing me.
“Pull yourself together. Get a hold of yourself.”
With a resolute gaze fixed on Kamian, I should have swung with full force, knocking him down to oblivion. Yet, it always seemed that I was the one being swayed.
“How can you be so helpless against a mere finger?”
I slapped my cheek lightly and took a deep breath. If need be, after stripping Kamian down, I should insult him with every shameful word imaginable. Steeling myself with unwavering determination, I tightened my fist with a forceful grip.
* * *
Engrossed in the novel, I immersed myself in its lines, but at some point, my focus began to blur. The book grew heavy in my hand, gradually draining my strength. I pulled the blanket closer and nestled it beneath my nose.
The idealistic thoughts that had kept me awake faded away, replaced by a comforting drowsiness that settled gently.
“Ahem.”
In an instant, as if someone had grabbed me by the hair and pulled me out of the realm of unconsciousness, I snapped back to reality. Wiping away the drool at the corner of my mouth, I sat up straight, crossing my long legs on the chair. There was Kamian, holding the romance novel I had been reading before falling asleep.
Kamian glanced at me with his eyes alone.
“Not feeling sleepy, yet you were snoring quite loudly.”
“…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I twiddled my fingers. It would be better not to get angry earlier. Moreover, there was an unmistakable stain of my saliva on Kamian’s pillow. There was no denying it was mine.
“Even if I said I intentionally spat it out, would you believe me?”
Kamian, who had somehow approached without my notice, settled down right next to me. Timidly, I reached out my hand and grabbed the edge of the pillow. It slid slowly towards me.
“Keep it, but put it in a basket.”
I felt uneasy, embarrassed, and sorry. However, while apologies came easily to others, in front of Kamian, they stuck in my throat and my tongue turned stiff. To alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere through jokes, I found myself saying strange things. I was doing it even now.
“My saliva isn’t that dirty.”
Kamian rested his chin on his elbow, which was propped up on his knee.
“What are you trying to say again?”
“No, it’s just… Don’t I take care of my oral hygiene well? I don’t have a single cavity. Besides, it’s still in a clear state as it’s before breakfast.”
“Just say something that can be remedied.”
“Why? It’s not a false statement, is it? It’s just that saliva feels uncomfortable due to prejudice. But mine is different, you know… You’ve tasted it too…”
His thick, arched eyebrows frowned. I kept my mouth shut. A pool of saliva had gathered inside, but I couldn’t bring myself to swallow it. The sound of saliva passing through would surely be louder than thunder.
“I told you to say something that can be remedied.”
Gulp. Worried that the movement of my Adam’s apple would be visible, I hastily lowered my head. My fingers, fidgeting with the edge of the pillow, were tinged with the familiar shade of a ripe apple. Damn it. It was certain that my throat, ears, and face had all turned the same colour.
“Are you ashamed?”
“Insolent fool. Why do you inquire about that? Without responding, he simply bowed his head, and suddenly his hand delved beneath my face. Gently caressing his protruding jawline, his fingertips pressed against his lower lip.
“What are you talking about”
A resonant, deep voice reverberated from directly above my head. Not only was I tormented by the incessant pressing and releasing of his fingers on my lower lip, but now his voice also assaulted my eardrums.
“After tasting it, it’s not as dirty as it is…”
The fingers that had been lightly grazing my lips suddenly plunged inward. Traversing the delicate flesh within, they probed deep enough to make my cheeks bulge.
“Hmm.”
Like the satisfaction of saliva pooling when sucking on a piece of candy, my mouth began to tingle. Unconsciously, his index finger, still lodged in my mouth, absorbed the saliva, stretching it to resemble a vacuum-sealed shape.
“Ah.”
Startled, I opened my mouth, and instantly his index finger withdrew. But more shocking than my unwitting act of sucking his finger was the sound that echoed directly above my face. Slurp. I jerked my head back in surprise. It appeared that Kamian was biting his own index finger horizontally. The same hand that had been in my mouth just a few seconds ago.
“Indeed, it doesn’t feel dirty. I won’t need to wash my pillow. Let it be.”
“Are you insane?!”
I struck Kamian’s face with a pillow, feeling mortified to the point of death.
“Why did you hit me?”
“Because you were doing something strange!”
“If you wanted to confirm so badly, couldn’t you have just asked me to spit on you?”
Kamian slightly parted his lips and pointed to them with his finger. It meant to spit. Truly, he was a madman.
“Should I really just spit on you?”
I lifted the pillow and threw it into the basket as if discarding it. Then, as if fleeing, I rushed out of Kamian’s room and sought refuge on my own.
[Thud. Thud. Thud] The pounding of my heart refused to subside. It felt as if the finger that had been tormenting the tender flesh inside my mouth was still plaguing me.
“Pull yourself together. Get a hold of yourself.”
With a resolute gaze fixed on Kamian, I should have swung with full force, knocking him down to oblivion. Yet, it always seemed that I was the one being swayed.
“How can you be so helpless against a mere finger?”
I slapped my cheek lightly and took a deep breath. If need be, after stripping Kamian down, I should insult him with every shameful word imaginable. Steeling myself with unwavering determination, I tightened my fist with a forceful grip.
* * *
