Tangerines. And the orange-colored ... car?

I yawned. 7am and I was walking towards Gimpo International Airport. Summer break was upon us, and my friend group had decided on a road trip to Jeju for the weekend before summer classes started. We’d been planning the trip for some time now, me and the boys, and Liz, with her friends Rei and Wonyoung. Just a road trip around Jeju Island, ending at Liz’s family-owned tangerine farm.

I had known Liz for a while now, when she moved to Seoul for university, and ended up sharing a couple of classes with me. She was a Jeju native, and had actually been the one to bring up visiting her island home. I spotted her now, standing outside the Starbucks, and waved.

“Liz! Ready to be our tour guide?”

She smiled. “As long as you guys pay for the food!”

“I’ll make sure the clown and the idiot pay for everything, never fear.”

Liz giggled. “And I’ll make the girls do all the navigating. Us two, we can just sit back and relax!”

“Speaking of, where is everybody?” I looked around, unable to find familiar faces. “I’ll message the boys real quick.”

Although we had a main group chat for the plans, we had decided to keep the smaller stuff to our own groups. Liz nodded, taking out her phone as well.

The council

wya losers

Idiot

im not coming lol

???

clown

same haha

i didnt actl buy the ticket

idiot

my uh

my mum needs me to run an errand sorry

???????????????

we booked this flight months ago wdym??

clown

anyw enjoy ur trip with liz ;)

sorry

‘jiwonnie’

idiot

you should be grateful you idiot

haha

gtg now

to run my errand

i swear you guys are gna get it

when im back

idiots

I looked up to see Liz with a shocked expression on her face. And… a blush?

I cleared my throat, “Uh, it seems the boys won’t be coming…” trailing off awkwardly.

“Same with the girls…”

“What? Why would they…”

My brain went into overdrive, struggling to find a reason why our friends would suddenly bail out. Hadn’t we all booked the tickets long ago? Then I realised, no one aside from Liz had actually sent their flight confirmation, and that detail got forgotten under the mountain of plans we had for the trip.

I was broken out of my thoughts by Liz mumbling.

“Sorry what was that?”

“Um.” Liz had gone bright red now, reminiscent of a tomato. “D-do you still want to go? I’ll still be going of course! I promised my parents…”

“Of course!” I said, perhaps a bit too quickly. “I already paid for my flight, hahaha.”

As we walked towards the departure hall, I felt the heat on my face. Being classmates and good friends, Liz and I had spent time together alone before, but a whole weekend stuck in a car was something else. And the fact that I had a massive crush on Liz wasn’t helping. I subconsciously wiped my palms down my shirt, and passed through security.

Soon, we were boarding.

I checked our boarding passes. “Looks like we’re sitting together, thank God.” There was a slight tremble in my voice that I hoped Liz didn’t notice.

“I still can’t believe everyone bailed on us.”

Liz smiled awkwardly, “It’ll be a fun classmates bonding trip! I think.”

We squeezed our way down the crowded aisle, finding our seats near the tail end of the plane.

“Window seat for you, ma’am?” I waved my arm with an extravagant flair, then promptly hit the seat at the other row.

Liz laughed, “Why, thank you sir!”

We settled in, and decided to go over the plan now that it was just us.

“So we’ll visit O’sulloc Tea Museum first, and get some nice pics?” I looked at Liz’s notebook, her handwriting a neat little scrawl. Liz nodded, then motioned for me to go on.

“Then it’s lunch, which is… a surprise?”

Liz winked, “I promise you’ll like it, I’m a huge fan of the place. I make it a point to visit every time I come back. And, it’s close to the museum too.”

“I trust your taste, Miss gourmet.” My finger followed down the itinerary. “Oh the waterfall’s next. My suggestion wasn’t it?” Secretly I had daydreamed of sheltering Liz from the spray, and getting soaked instead of her.

“And then we’ll end off at your tangerine farm, and have dinner with your folks. Sounds good!”

“If only the others were here with us.” Liz mused, before straightening, “But just you is fine too!”

The heat on my face was back, despite the air conditioning on the plane.

The plane started to move. Liz suddenly leaned in, and clutched my arm. I couldn’t move for a moment.

“Sorry, I get a little queasy during takeoffs.” Liz was going a little red again. I assumed that usually Wonyoung or Rei would be in my place.

“You’re all good.” My voice was steady. “You can lean on me. If you want to, that is.”

And she did. My heart started beating in a tune I was unfamiliar with, and I hoped Liz wouldn’t hear it.

I pulled out my earphones, desperate for a distraction.

“Would you like to listen to music together? A little teaser for the road?”

Liz sat up again, hand out for my phone. I sat watching as her fingers flew across the screen, curating a queue for the hour-long flight.

The opening synths of ‘Genie’ filled my ear. Liz watched me carefully, almost cat-like.

“SNSD huh?” I smiled at her. “DJ, put it back on.”

Liz flicked on her sunglasses, and started vibing out, bobbing her head to the beat. Cute, I thought. The rest of the flight passed with us just talking about random topics. Summer classes, and ranking snacks from convenience stores. When we started descending toward Jeju, the clouds parted, revealing the sea beneath. Liz once again leaned in closer, arm around mine. I tried my best to not let my breathing get too loud.

The landing was smooth, and before long we were out of the airport. Liz led me towards the car rental. Turns out, Wonyoung had actually booked the car for us, providing nothing but the car plate. We made enquiries with the staff. A few minutes later, a staff member drove out of the carpark with our vehicle for the trip. Only…

“Why is it orange?” Liz struggled to keep her laughter from escaping, failing miserably.

“Is this Wonyoung's idea of a joke?” I couldn’t believe it. The car was bright orange, and extremely eye-catching. “It looks like a giant tangerine!”

“Pfft. I’m gonna call it the Tangerine now!” Liz’s eyes sparkled as she pranced around the car. She looked at me. “I love it!”

Watching how Liz fell in love so quickly with our absurd-looking ride, I found myself thinking that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. I went with the staff member to confirm the details of the car, and returned to find Liz taking selfies.

“Come here, let’s get a pic with the Tangerine!” She patted the hood affectionately. “Our home away from home for the next 2 days~”

I took my place beside her, and my hand landed around her waist before I could think. We froze, Liz looking at me with wide eyes.

“O-oh sorry! I didn’t think it through!” I stammered out, hastily withdrawing my hand and retreating a step back.

The tips of Liz’s ears went pink, her face going red instantly.

“T-that’s fine! We can do that, the picture will look nice!”

We snapped off a couple of shots, with Liz leaning in close. When we parted, the scent of her citrusy perfume lingered. I shook my head, then grabbed our bags. It was time to explore Jeju Island. In the Tangerine.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I handed Liz my phone.

“I have designated you our DJ for the ride,” I deadpanned, “Let’s see what you got.”

She grabbed it, tapping away for a moment before the familiar instrumental of BOL4’s ‘Travel’ filled the car.

"Travel?" I glanced over.

"What? We're travelling." Liz rolled down the windows, letting the summer breeze in as we pulled away from the airport.

And so we were off. The scenery gave way to stretches of greenery, with flashes of the ocean between buildings. Liz had fully committed to her role as DJ, her fingers drumming on her thigh while she soaked in the sights of her hometown.

“Have you been to Jeju?”

“Once, when I was a kid. My family spent a weekend as a reward for doing well in school.” I smiled at the memory. “It’s so peaceful here, compared to Seoul. I would be so down to retire, maybe find a new hobby.”

Liz laughed, “I can see you starting up a tangerine farm! The hard work would build character.”

I raised a brow at that. “Farming? A man of my talents?” I clutched my chest dramatically.

“Hey, it’s a peaceful life!” She smacked my arm, laughing, “I’ll even ask my parents to give you some tips!”

“I will be forever grateful.” I nodded solemnly.

We exited onto a highway, and my jaw dropped at the endless fields around us.

“This is kind of great,” I said, glancing at Liz, “an expert DJ, and driving down a beautiful island in a bright orange car. We should do this more often!”

“Please refer to the Tangerine by its name!” Liz corrected me with a mock stern voice. “It has feelings!”

“Okay, the Tangerine. I feel privileged to be in charge of such… automotive greatness.”

“Apology accepted~” Liz hummed out. She leaned in to check the GPS. “Oh! We’re nearly there. I can’t wait to get my hands on a matcha latté.”

The Tangerine ate up the kilometers, and before long, we pulled into the car park of the O’sulloc Tea Museum. As soon as we were out of the car, Liz tugged on my arm.

“Where are we headed to in such a hurry?”

“We have to follow the scent, of course!” She sniffed the air and sighed. “It’ll lead us to the cafe - and my matcha latté.”

Now that she mentioned it, I could catch the hint of brewing tea. I let myself get led into the museum, lost in Liz’s enthusiasm.

Standing at the counter, she quickly ordered her much coveted latté, and two green tea cake rolls.

“Two rolls before lunch?” I teased lightly.

She looked at me, “Don’t be silly, one is for you! Won’t want you collapsing in the Tangerine before we’ve tried an actual tangerine.”

I flushed, then tried to recover myself, “U-um, I’ll have a matcha latté as well.”

Liz looked surprised. “Since when did you drink that?”

“W-well, I guess I do, now.” Then, “And it’s their specialty too isn’t it!”

She hummed out, already focused on the barista making our drinks.

We chose a table overlooking the tea fields, and tucked into our snacks. Liz sighed appreciatively.

“This is good quality stuff, I should get some tea leaves to bring back to Seoul.”

I agreed, even though I was never really a green tea person. Her phone pinged.

“Aish, it’s Wonyoung.” She looked up, “She wants a picture of our adventures.”

My hand drifted to the back of my neck, “Uh.”

Liz finished off her cake roll, and grabbed her drink. “Come on. The tea fields make for a much better photo spot!”

We took several individual shots posing in the fields, and spammed selfie shots. I was conscious of where my hands were, not wanting to ruin the moment. A couple approached us then, and offered to help us take some shots.

“Lean in closer!”, the husband said, while his wife smiled beside him, counting down for us. “3, 2, 1.”

Liz and I thanked them for the help.

“You guys are so cute together!”, gushed the wife. “They remind me of us, don’t they, babe?”

“A-ah we’re not-”

“Thank you!”, Liz squeaked, bowing quickly to hide her face.

As we walked back to the Tangerine, Liz silently tapped away at her phone. The sky suddenly became of great interest to me. A barrage of pings bombarded Liz’s phone just as we got in the car.

“W-wonyoung and Rei said the pics look nice! And they wished they could be here with us!”

“Send me the pics?” I said as I started up the Tangerine, “I want to look at them at lunch.”

The ride to the restaurant that Liz suggested passed in relative silence. Liz scrolled on her phone, I kept my eyes on the road.

Every now and then, she'd smile at something on the screen.

I tried very hard not to wonder which photo it was.

“I come here every time I’m back in Jeju!”

The moment we were seated, Liz had taken custody of the ordering pad, tapping away rapidly.

“I’m hungry, I’ll trust your judgement,” I rubbed my belly in anticipation. Even back in Seoul, Liz was well-known for having all the best food spots.

“Only when you’re hungry?” Liz looked up from ordering. Then, as she saw my expression, “Just kidding!”

The food arrived soon after, and a dish caught my eye.

“Pork belly! I love this.”

Liz had already rolled her sleeves up and was busy with the tongs.

“I know.”

I paused. “Wait. How do you know?”

Liz froze for a second.

“Y-you said it, once. During uni orientation.” She focused very hard on the grill. “I think it was one of those ice-breaker games?”

“Orientation?” I blinked. “That was 2 years ago!”

“D-don’t make it weird!”

Liz quickly flipped the pork belly, clearly trying to focus on something else.

“Anyway, it’s not a big deal,” she said, a little too fast.

“Sure,” I said, picking up my chopsticks. “Two-year-old information is definitely normal trivia.”

“Just shut up,” She shoved a piece of pork belly onto my plate. “This is Jeju black pork, really famous. And, I was the one who cooked it so you know it’s delish.”

“Thank you chef.” I saluted, before taking a bite.

“You know what would complete this meal?” I reached for the ordering pad. “Some tteokbokki would go crazy here.”

“Eh?” Liz blinked, “You like that?”

I shrugged. “Well, you do, so I figured we should get some too.”

“Thank you.” She said simply.

“Anything for the best DJ and chef of the trip! Let’s eat now.”

Liz nodded, turning her attention back to the grill.

We rambled on about anything and everything. I was halfway through why I thought ‘Knee Socks’ had the sexiest guitar riff I’d ever heard when a neatly wrapped ssam landed on my plate.

“It’s just crazy how Alex Turner can play that riff and-”

I blinked. “… thanks?”

“Eat.”

“You weren't even listening.”

“Nope~”

Liz took a bite of her own food.

“You spent three minutes talking about one guitar riff.”

I shrugged, “Fair enough.”

As we stood to leave, Liz glanced at the empty plates.

“I'm glad we still came.”

Neither of us mentioned the others. Or, we didn’t think to.

“Me too,” I said.

Then Liz clapped her hands together.

“Right! Waterfall! The Tangerine must be getting lonely~”

The Tangerine, fortunately, had survived our absence. Liz insisted on filling the playlist with apology songs as we made our way to Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls.

“Are you really apologizing to the Tangerine?”

Liz was queuing up the next song. “Of course! We were gone for an hour!”

“Sorry” by Justin Bieber started playing. I groaned as Liz started singing.

“You gotta go and get him- , eh, sorry~”

“That’s not how it goes, Liz…” I sighed.

“It’s the superior version!”

Despite myself I started laughing. I guess it was pretty funny, when Liz was singing it. Before long, we turned into a crowded carpark.

“We’re here!” Liz announced.

The roar of the distant waterfall was already audible as she hopped out of the car.

“It’s not going anywhere Liz, wait for me!” I called after her, grabbing the keys.

The wind was picking up as we stepped onto the Seonim Bridge, carrying a fine mist from the gorge. Without thinking, I stepped to Liz’s outer side. She excitedly leaned over the railing, trying to get a better view of the falls.

“Careful.”

My hand lightly grabbed her elbow, just enough to steady her. Liz danced back after snapping off a few pictures. When she looked back at me, she frowned.

“You’re wet.”

“Huh?” My hand reached to my back, and I felt the damp back of my shirt.

“Why’d you stand in the spray, idiot?”

I paused, before quickly replying.

“I, uh, I think we should grab some selfies now!”

Liz looked at me, and sighed, “Dummy.”

Then she stepped close to me, phone in hand,

“W-wait I’m still we-”

She came close before I could finish, reaching up to pull me closer.

Click

Liz pulled back, frowning at the screen.

“You look weird when you’re tense”

“I’m not tense!” I huffed. “Let’s try again.”

This time, I grabbed Liz’s phone, and my hand again landed on her waist.

Click

“Okay, this is a lot better.” I said, handing her phone back.

Liz looked at the screen a little longer than necessary.

“…Okay,” she said quietly. “This is a lot better.”

I cleared my throat. “Back to the Tangerine? I’m sure your family must miss you.”

Liz grinned at me. “I can’t wait for you to meet Milk and Kumi!”

I frowned, “Your parents are named Milk and Kumi?”

“Yah!” She smacked me. “They’re my cats!”

“Your parents are… your cats?”

Liz huffed, turning away and walking to the carpark.

I jogged after her, laughing, “I’m kidding! I can’t wait to meet your family too!”

As I unlocked the Tangerine, Liz suddenly walked over to the driver’s side.

“I’ll drive. It’s my farm next, after all.” She slid into the driver’s seat, making her adjustments.

“Are you sure?” I asked, surprised, “You could just direct me.”

“I’m sure!” She moved the seat forward, then glanced at me. “You’ve been driving all day, get some rest.”

I hesitated, then walked around to the passenger side.

It felt a little strange, watching her take the wheel.

But… not wrong.

“My turn to queue up a song, then.”

“Yellow” by Coldplay began to play on the speakers.

She looked at me, then smiled. “Good choice.”

Somewhere along the way, my eyes began to droop. The world outside softened into color and sound, the rhythm of the car fading into something distant.

Then I was in a park, somewhere. Birds were chirping, children were running around. I turned around, and she was there.

Kim Jiwon.

Liz.

And she was -

“You’re beautiful, Liz.”

She doesn’t say anything, just standing there. The world shifted once more, and I was elsewhere.

When I woke, we had stopped at a junction. I rubbed my eyes, sitting up slightly.

“Are we there?”

“S-soon.” Liz murmured, gripping the wheel a little too tight.

“Hey. Is something wrong?” I looked at her, concerned.

She had a blush on her face again.

“Nothing!” She coughed. “Did you know you talk in your sleep?”

I tilted my head. “I do? Did I say something weird?"

“N-nevermind.” She stared at the traffic light, still gripping the wheel tight. “We’re almost there.”

The Kim family tangerine farm was a quaint little place, tucked away in southwest Jeju. As we pulled into the driveway, her family came out to welcome us. After getting out, Liz ran towards her parents, embracing them tightly.

“Eomma! Appa! I’ve missed you!” then, turning to her brother, she stuck out her tongue. “And you too.”

Her brother burst out laughing. “Nice orange car, unnie.”

Before Liz could strangle her brother, her mother stepped forward, smiling.

“And who’s this handsome young man?”

I quickly bowed. “Hello auntie, uncle. I’m Liz’s friend from University. We were originally coming with four others, but they couldn’t make it, so it’s just the two of us. I’ll be in your care!”

Her father offered his hand in a firm handshake. “Thank you for bringing Liz around.” He winked, “she’s a real handful.”

“A-appa!”

We made our way into the house. Immediately there was a sense of a lived-in coziness. Photos lined the walls, Liz and her brother at important milestones, family pictures from vacations. I turned to Liz.

“So this is where you grew up.”

Before she could reply, I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down to see Milk and Kumi coming over to investigate. Slowly, I knelt down, offering a hand to each. They sniffed my fingers, circling me once before deciding I wasn't a threat.

"Well, hello there."

A moment later, Kumi rubbed against my leg. Taking that as permission, I carefully scooped her up. Milk seemed unwilling to be left out and immediately climbed into my other arm.

“There we go, cuties. I’ve been waiting to meet you.”

When I stood back up, Liz was staring at me, mouth open.

“T-they don’t normally like strangers.” She pointed at Kumi. “Kumi would’ve bit me by now if I picked her up like that.”

I shrugged lightly. “I love animals. I think they like me too.”

To prove my point, Milk purred, and licked my forearm.

Liz looked personally offended.

Liz’s mother laughed at the scene. “Why don’t you two go rest? Dinner will be ready soon.”

I set Milk and Kumi down, and thanked her. “Thank you auntie, I can’t wait to try your food!”

Liz took hold of my arm, and dragged me away. “Come on, I’ll show you my room!”

Liz’s room was exactly as I imagined. It was pink, of course. And there was an absurd amount of soft toys.

They occupied every available surface. The bed. The shelves. The chair in the corner. One particularly ambitious rabbit had somehow claimed part of the desk.

"Are these your tenants or something?" I picked up a teddy bear. It was wearing a tiny backpack and holding what looked suspiciously like a miniature tangerine.

Liz gasped and snatched it from my hands, hugging it protectively to her chest.

"These are my babies!"

I bowed to the bear in apology. “Sorry Mister Bear.”

“Your room’s nice,” I looked at the posters that lined her walls, “my childhood room was much simpler than this.”

Liz carefully returned the bear to its spot on the bed.

"Simpler how?"

I scratched the back of my neck. “One bed. One desk. One guitar."

“No soft toys?”

“Uh, no…”

Liz looked horrified at the thought. “That’s so sad.”

My eyes landed on a faded school photograph tucked between two plush rabbits.

"Wait. Is that you?"

Liz immediately lunged for the frame.

"Don't look at that.”

But it was too late. I held the photo, looking at it closer. It was Liz, maybe in middle school. She was wearing a dance outfit, and it looked like it was maybe after a concert.

"You were tiny."

"Put it down."

"No."

Liz groaned into her hands.

I smiled. "You looked cute."

"Put. It. Down."

"Did you perform for your school?"

“It was a talent competition,” Liz flopped onto her bed, “I came in 2nd.”

“That’s amazing. You didn’t keep up with dancing after?”

“Here and there, when I had time.” She sat back up.

There was a knock at the door. Liz’s brother popped his head in, hand over his eyes like he was walking in on something.

“Unnie, dinner’s ready! Mum said you could bring your boyfriend.”

Then he was gone. For a moment, there was silence.

I chuckled. “Your brother is funny. I like him.”

Liz grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it at the closed door.

“He's an idiot.”

I caught the pillow before it hit the floor.

“J-just ignore him,” she muttered, refusing to meet my eyes. “Let's go downstairs.”

“Lead the way.”

Dinner turned out to be a surprisingly lavish affair. Mrs. Kim seemed determined to make up for every meal Liz had missed while away at university.

“This looks amazing, auntie, thank you!”

She smiled at me fondly, “Don’t be shy to ask for extra rice. Jiwon will get it for you.”

Liz looked up, exasperated, “Eomma! He can get it himself!”

“Jiwon, don’t be rude to our guest.”

“That’s okay auntie,” I glanced at Liz, “I’m fine for now!”

As we tucked in, Mr Kim spoke up.

“So, how did you meet Jiwon?”

I laughed, setting down my chopsticks. “She asked me for directions on the first day of University orientation. Turns out, we were in the same class, and for some reason, we were always grouped together for projects.”

I paused, “We’ve been friends ever since.”

Liz’s brother grinned, “Aww, that’s so sweet.”

“Yah!” Liz glared at him.

“What? I’m being honest here!”

Mrs Kim stepped in smoothly, “How have you enjoyed Jeju so far? Liz has always mentioned wanting to bring her friends around the island.”

“He said he wanted to retire here and start a tangerine farm!”

“W-what? I didn’t!” I spluttered, “Although… retiring here would be nice.”

There was silence. Liz’s parents smiled at me, her brother holding back his laugh. And Liz, she tilted her head slightly, like she wanted to say more.

Thankfully, Kumi jumped on my lap at that moment, causing laughter to break out again.

“Wow, she really likes you,” observed Liz’s brother, “You have to come back now.”

I laughed, then gently set Kumi down, “Sorry cutie, I’ll play with you later alright?”

As I bent down, I missed the expression on Liz’s face.

Her parents didn’t.

Dinner passed quickly, and at the end Mrs Kim brought out a plate of peeled tangerines.

“These were picked earlier today. They should be nice and sweet!”

“This is my first tangerine since coming to Jeju, they’re really good!”

“Second!” Liz corrected, her mouth full. “You’re forgetting THE Tangerine.”

I laughed. “Right, second.”

Liz and I went on a walk after that. It was a clear night, the stars sparkling brightly. Liz led me to a small hill near the back of the house, where a giant tree stood. We took a seat at its base.

“I used to come here a lot,” Liz said, looking up. “Whenever I needed space.”

She paused.

“It’s seen a lot of my moods.”

“Are you in a mood now?”

She nodded, “A good one.”

Then, after a pause, “You know, I think we were set up. There’s no way everyone just magically had something to do today.”

“Possibly,” I said, “but I’m glad they did. I had a lot of fun today.”

“Same here.”

“I think,” I hesitated.

“What?”

A breath.

“I think I wouldn’t have that much fun at all if it weren’t with you.”

She turned to me.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Something I’ve wanted to for a long time now.”

I stopped. The wind moved through the trees above us.

Liz didn’t look away. Her phone rang.

Inwardly, I cursed.

“It’s Wonyoung and Rei.” She said simply, then huddled up to me, “It’s a video call.”

The faces of Liz’s friends popped up. They were in their shared dorm.

Rei spoke first, “THEY’RE SITTING UNDER THE STARS! OH MY GOD!”

She dropped out of the frame, swiftly replaced by Wonyoung.

Wonyoung nodded like she expected this to happen. “We’re not interrupting, are we?”

“Yah, why did you guys suddenly bail out on us?” I glared at Wonyoung.

She wasn’t bothered, “Oh hush, I know you guys had fun. Look at Jiwon, she’s huddled up so close!”

“I-I’m not!”

At the same time, I cut in, “It’s a chilly night, we’re trying to survive here.

“CUDDLING?! CUDDLING?!” Rei’s screams rang through the screen.

Wonyoung winked. “Mhm, I’m sure. We’ll leave you now, before you guys freeze.” Then, looking at Liz, “I’ll call you later, Liz. We have a lot to talk about~”

The call ended.

“Your friends are just as bad as mine.” I said with a quiet laugh. “They’re gonna tease you for weeks, you know.”

“…yeah.”

She looked across the farm. “It’s like they think we’re dating or something. Is that weird?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

The wind moved through the trees again, softer this time.

“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Do you think it is?”

“No.”

“I don’t either. And… I don’t mind it.”

Liz’s breath caught.

I took a deep breath. “Kim Jiwon, I like you.”

“...oh.”

She looked down.

“I didn’t know you were going to say it like that.”

“What does that mean?”

She laughed. “You always joke about everything.”

Then, hugging her knees to her chest, “So I thought this would be a joke too.”

“It’s not.” I turned to her now, “Liz, I meant it.”

She looked at me, eyes shining now. “You’re really unfair…”

Then she was kissing me. I forgot my own name in that moment. I could taste the tangerines from dinner, feel how soft her lips were.

We broke for air.

“…That was…” I grinned, a little dazed. “Wow.”

Liz punched me. “You’re still annoying, dummy.”

“But you’re my dummy.”