I spent the entire day enjoying the festival, wandering around without a moment to rest. With daylight continuing endlessly, it was impossible to gauge how much time had passed. But by the time we arrived at a small hill slightly removed from the bustling streets, my body had turned into a limp, exhausted mess.
As I lay on the grass catching my breath, Vin was happily staring at a cotton candy larger than his own face. The moment he took a bite of the fluffy, cloud-like treat, his eyes sparkled.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, it’s really delicious.”
Vin nodded enthusiastically before stuffing another large piece into his mouth. Even as he indulged, he asked me a couple of times if I wanted to try some. But after drinking that petal-infused ade earlier, I wasn’t in the mood for anything sweet, so I declined without hesitation.
The cotton candy melted away in an instant, leaving Vin with nothing but an empty stick. He bit down on it, unable to hide his disappointment. Seeing this, I asked,
“Want me to buy you another?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Vin replied with a hint of bitterness, finally lowering the stick from his lips. Then, following my lead, he lay down on the grass beside me. I could easily get him another, but when I subtly suggested it again, he just smiled brightly and reassured me that he was fine.
“Right now, I just want to be with you, Seo-yul hyung.”
Saying that, Vin subtly inched closer, resting his chin on my shoulder. Even when I told him to move over, he ignored me and instead wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling himself even closer.
“There’s plenty of space beside you.”
“No, there isn’t.”
Despite the vast, open grassy field surrounding us, he shamelessly lied. I could have pushed him away if I really wanted to, but the moment I saw his beaming face, any desire to do so vanished. He looked so happy—how could I possibly refuse him?
“I’m so happy today.”
The unexpected confession made me unconsciously hold my breath. I turned my gaze from the sky to look at Vin. Though I couldn’t see his face as he leaned against my shoulder, the gentle, stirring scent around him conveyed the overwhelming emotions he was feeling.
“Seo-yul hyung, have you been to many festivals before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Really? It’s my first time too.”
Vin lifted his head in surprise, his eyes gleaming. He suddenly grabbed my hand, pulling himself even closer. There was barely any space left between us now. As he rubbed his lips against the back of my hand, he whispered,
“Then it’s the first time for both of us today.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so happy. The fact that I can be your first, Seo-yul hyung.”
A soft blush spread across his pale cheeks. How was I supposed to respond to someone who was this happy just because he became my ‘first’? How could I tell him that we would never see each other again, that we were never meant to meet in the first place?
I don’t want to say it.
I was the one who made the promise first, locking pinkies with him and swearing that I would always stay by his side. I was the one who promised, again and again, that I would never abandon him.
But soon, I would become the person who hurt him the most. The thought of it was unbearable.
“Seo-yul hyung, are you okay?”
“What?”
“It’s just… your expression—”
His voice trailed off before he could finish his sentence. Vin, who had been staring intently at me, dropped his gaze to our clasped hands. Then, all of a sudden, he pressed his nose against the back of my hand and took a deep breath.
“You smell like cocoa.”
“Huh?”
Without realizing it, I must have been releasing pheromones. I immediately tried to suppress them the way the old woman had taught me, but it wasn’t easy.
Everything still felt awkward and unfamiliar. I hadn’t even fully accepted the fact that I had become an omega—controlling my pheromones was far beyond my ability.
“Can I lick it?”
“What did you just—hey!”
Before I could even react, Vin ran his tongue over the back of my hand in one long, deliberate stroke. Horrified, I yanked my hand away, only to see him staring at it with an unmistakable look of disappointment.
His red eyes, unblinking and fixated, looked just like those of a small predator that had just been robbed of its prey.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I was curious if it would actually taste sweet.”
At first, I thought he was messing with me. But the way he said it—so earnestly, without a hint of playfulness—made it clear that he was completely serious. Which only made it more ridiculous.
“That doesn’t even make sense. How could a person taste sweet?”
“But you smell sweeter than chocolate, Seo-yul hyung.”
His hand crept forward again, catching mine in his grasp. He gently rubbed my dried hand before slipping his fingers between mine, interlocking them without leaving any space. Then, bringing our joined hands toward him, he lightly bit the ring finger of my left hand.
“I’m telling the truth.”
Vin looked up at me with pleading eyes, silently urging me to believe him. I wanted to scold him, to tell him to stop, but even after I warned him, his not-so-innocent teasing continued.
“That hurts.”
“I didn’t bite that hard.”
“Liar. Look, how could it not hurt when you left teeth marks like this?”
I held up my finger, showing him the faint imprint left behind like a ring. Vin insisted that he hadn’t bitten me that hard, but his eyes lit up in satisfaction as he admired the mark he had left.
“I hope it doesn’t fade.”
“…Are you serious?”
A beat later, Vin hurriedly backtracked, claiming it was just a joke. But his gaze, fixed intently on the mark, said otherwise. Worried he might try to bite me again, I pulled my hand free from his grasp.
“I won’t bite you again.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I swear.”
“And you can still say that after looking at my hand—”
Bang!
A sudden explosion echoed through the air, cutting me off mid-sentence. I shot up in surprise, turning toward the source of the sound. Above the city, colorful smoke billowed into the sky.
The festival’s grand finale had begun.
If this were a place where night existed, there would have been fireworks. But since darkness never came here, the sky was painted beautifully with colored smoke instead.
“It’s really pretty.”
Vin had sat up as well, his eyes fixed on the sky. I opened my mouth to agree, but my throat tightened, forcing me to swallow the words.
I wished time would stop here. Since there was no night in this place, maybe we were already trapped within this endless ‘day.’
But I had to accept it. Even if night never fell, time was still moving forward. And soon, I would have to let Vin go. The moment of farewell was approaching.
“Seo-yul hyung… are you crying?”
Vin’s voice, filled with surprise, snapped me back to reality. I instinctively tried to deny it, but the moment I turned to face him, the tears I had been holding back spilled down my cheeks.
“Was it really that hard for you?”
Vin seemed to think I was crying because I was physically exhausted. He reached out, gently brushing his fingers against my tear-streaked cheek, but I instinctively pushed his hand away.
His red eyes widened, trembling with shock.
“I’m sorry.”
It was the one thing I had wanted to say from the moment I decided to let him go. And once those words escaped, I couldn’t stop them. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. The apologies poured out endlessly, over and over again.
Vin stared at me, his expression shifting.
“Sorry for what, exactly?”
“…….”
“Why are you acting like this? You’re making me anxious.”
I didn’t answer.
The soft scent in the air, once warm and sweet, began to waver. Even without words, I could feel Vin’s emotions shifting—his unease creeping in like a ripple across still water.
That scent was speaking to me. It was pleading, begging me not to be cruel. But I ignored its desperate cry.
“Should we go back now? I dragged you around without realizing how tired you were, didn’t I?”
“Vin…”
“That’s why. You must be exhausted. So much that it made you cry.”
Vin reached out for me, but I stepped back, dodging his touch. His hand, cutting through empty air, fell limply to his side. He stared at it for a moment, his face twisting as if he were about to cry.
“Please… don’t make me anxious.”
My lips trembled, betraying the truth I had been desperately trying to suppress. I don’t want to let you go. I want to stay with you. But I swallowed the words, forcing them even deeper inside.
“Seo-yul hyung…”
“We should have never met in the first place.”
The moment those words left my mouth—words that were the complete opposite of my true feelings—Vin froze in place. His red eyes, filled with shock and hurt, began to spill silent tears.
“Why would you say that? Why—”
I wanted to reach out and wipe away the pain twisting his face, to tell him that I didn’t mean it. But the reality was that I had to push him away. I had to be cruel.
“You promised me,” he whispered. “You promised we’d always be together—you locked pinkies with me and swore.”
Vin staggered toward me, grabbing onto my clothes before dropping to his knees. When I instinctively tried to step back, he clung to my leg instead, his voice trembling as he begged,
“What did I do wrong? Did I make you mad? I’ll fix it. I’ll change—whatever you don’t like about me, I’ll fix it. So please—”
Don’t abandon me.
The moment I heard his faint, broken whisper, something inside me snapped. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t hurt him any further.
It was unbearable. My heart felt like it was being torn apart.
“Vin.”
At the sound of my voice, he lifted his tear-streaked face. I reached out, carefully cupping his damp cheek. Instead of pulling away, he tilted his head and pressed a soft kiss to my palm. Then, in a quiet, trembling voice, he whispered the confession he had been holding back all this time.
“I like you.”
Slowly, Vin rose to his feet, stepping closer. His lips brushed against my palm again and again, his breath warm against my skin. And when he finally let out a shaky breath, I closed my eyes.
A soft tremble touched my lips.
