The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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54.
The pavilion midway up the walking path was darker than expected.
Do-ah stood with her back against the wooden railing, looking down at the tracking course below. No one had appeared yet.
“Linking arms or walking hand in hand—that’s something even close friends do. What we need now is skinship that makes anyone think we’re lovers, isn’t it?”
Cha Kyung’s counter-proposal was quite bold.
“People trust what they see with their own eyes. I agree that we need to show something only lovers would do. A kiss, for instance.”
“What? A-are you saying we should actually kiss right now?”
“It only needs to look that way from their angle.”
His answer was sharp and clipped, delivered like a proposal at a business meeting.
“Evening walkers will pass through the tracking course. There’s a pavilion halfway down it—we wait here, and when they pass, we pretend to kiss. Since it’s dark and they’re far away, they’ll only see silhouettes. Everyone will think it’s real.”
Logically, there were no holes in the plan. Showing it convincingly would be far more effective at killing rumors than something half-hearted.
So why was she trembling like this?
Her mouth had gone completely dry.
‘If my heart’s already racing just from pretending… if we actually kissed, it would explode.’
She waited anxiously for the other alumni to arrive. Not long after, the sound of voices drifted toward her.
Do-ah held her breath.
‘They’re coming.’
But something was wrong.
According to their plan, the voices should have been coming from below, but they seemed to be descending from above.
Do-ah immediately turned her head. Through the upper part of the tracking course, toward the observation platform, she could see a flashlight beam swaying.
“Wait, why are they coming from above…?”
She asked Cha Kyung, alarmed.
“Didn’t you say this was the course that goes up to the observation platform from below? Why are they coming down from up there?”
Cha Kyung, who had been examining the ground below the railing, tapped it lightly with his foot as he spoke.
“The afternoon shower left the ground wet. The lower path is all dirt, so they must have redirected to the upper deck path, which has better paving.”
Cha Kyung’s gaze shifted toward the upper ridge.
“At this angle, if we fake a kiss, they’ll spot us immediately. The lighting won’t help, and the pavilion’s interior is completely visible from above.”
So what are we supposed to do now?
Do-ah was wavering between options when—
One step.
Then another.
Cha Kyung suddenly moved closer to her.
“It’s one or the other. We either leave, or we do it for real.”
“W-wait. Just give me a moment to think—”
As Do-ah tried to slip aside, Cha Kyung’s arm pressed against the railing, blocking her escape.
“There’s no time. They’ll be here any second—it’s downhill.”
What should I do?
A predator in front, danger lurking behind.
Though maybe predator wasn’t quite right.
She had chosen to accept his proposal about faking a kiss, and she had chosen to come here. This was all her decision.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of being swallowed whole.
“How far do you plan to run? I’m not forcing you.”
His lazy, half-formal voice brushed against her ear.
At the low, bestial timbre of his voice, Do-ah found herself stepping backward once more.
The railing dug into her waist from behind. There was nowhere left to retreat.
‘What am I even afraid of?’
Being caught faking a kiss in front of others? Of course that frightened her, but that wasn’t what truly worried her.
It was the certainty that crossing this line meant they could never return to a simple contract relationship.
In the darkness, Cha Kyung’s face was impossibly close.
The outline revealed beneath the streetlight bore down on her steadily.
To make matters worse, the laughter grew steadily louder. The alumni would pass by the pavilion any moment.
“If you’d rather not, you can leave now.”
She hadn’t finished her revenge yet—she couldn’t back down here.
Do-ah clenched her fists and spoke.
“…I’ll do it.”
“You won’t regret this?”
“No. Never.”
What was a brush of lips? It wasn’t death. It wasn’t injury. Just lips touching, that was all.
The moment she steeled herself, Cha Kyung moved closer.
His sharp jawline, his flawlessly beautiful features—they drew near in one swift motion.
From this distance, that face was unfair. Her heartbeat spiraled beyond her control.
The smooth bridge of his nose touched her cheek first.
‘Oh.’
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Warm breath tickled her lips before something firm and hot pressed down upon them.
His lips were rough and coarse, unlike his polished exterior.
Though the touch was light as a feather, her breathing quickened with each moment.
‘Just until they pass…’
Then his lips, barely brushing hers, suddenly bore down with force.
‘Wait.’
There was no time to think. His hand cradled the back of her neck softly, then his lower lip was caught firmly between his teeth.
A small gasp escaped her.
Each time he moved across her sensitive lips without restraint, her mind spun.
‘Is this really necessary? We only needed to look like we were kissing.’
Do-ah’s hands pushed against his chest, but they had no strength.
The thought that she should push him away melted from her lips, leaving nothing but emptiness in her mind.
It was too deliberate to be an act, too fervent to be mere theater.
The voices approached, then faded into the distance. Someone giggled.
“Oh my god. Are they actually kissing?”
“No way—they’re really dating. Who said it was fake?”
Even as the voices passed hazily by, he didn’t stop.
Only when the sounds of people had completely vanished, only after he had stolen every breath from her, did he slowly draw away.
As his warmth left, the night air suddenly felt cold against her skin.
Do-ah breathed heavily, looking up at him. His lips were flushed darker than usual.
His body heat still lingered vividly on her lips. Without thinking, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Cha Kyung withdrew his arm from the railing and spoke flatly.
“No one will doubt us now.”
Do-ah’s cheeks flared red again.
Having witnessed such an explicit kiss, no one could possibly have lingering doubts.
That had been the point all along.
So why wouldn’t the sensation on her lips fade away?
‘Stop thinking useless thoughts.’
Do-ah swallowed quietly and tried to steady herself. But her body refused to obey her mind.
As her legs gave way and she stumbled, Cha Kyung’s arm caught her waist, supporting her.
Trapped in that firm embrace, her heart—contrary to her resolve—dropped once more.
Cha Kyung’s hand tightened slightly at her waist. As if he had no intention of letting go.
In that moment, he looked down at her directly and spoke.
“Forget the contract relationship. Let’s do this for real.”
Do-ah’s breath caught. Heat radiated from his hand at her waist.
“A real relationship—one without fear of being discovered.”
Do-ah squeezed her eyes shut.
The urge to refuse and the desire not to refuse crashed over her simultaneously.
She didn’t know which words would tumble out if she opened her mouth, so she couldn’t speak at all.
She was already caught in the vast whirlpool that was Cha Kyung, helplessly sinking.
* * *
“This can’t be real. What did I just see?”
Na Hee bit her lip in the darkness. She tasted blood, but felt nothing.
After wandering the tracking course searching for Cha Kyung, who hadn’t answered her calls, the sight she witnessed was bleak and horrible.
“Oh my god, Cha Kyung and Do-ah.”
“They’re actually kissing?”
“Who said those two were in a contract relationship? They’re the real deal. Coming all the way out here for it.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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