Chapter 111 Chapter 111
Lia felt like she was dreaming. The man in her dream had the exact same face as him. Beneath the low brim of his hat was a delicate yet sharp jaw. Only when she got closer could she see the light green stubble on his chin and at the corners of his lips.
The clean, almost delicate face was now a bit more languid and tired. Before she could react, she was embraced by the cool night breeze. The familiar breath quickly dispelled her dreamlike trance.
It made her feel real all of a sudden. "Happy birthday." His voice was soft, but it was especially clear in the night. —This is not a dream. This...this is not a dream! It was like being struck by an electric current.
The next second, Lia's mind exploded. She suddenly realized what she looked like—loose pajamas, messy hair, and maybe some unknown object stuck in her eyes... The sky fell.
Her mind went blank, and she instinctively shrank back, her hands resting on his chest. "Wait a minute!" The next moment, the door snapped shut, and she practically ran back to the room—opened the wardrobe,
He hastily threw on the first coat he could find, stood in front of the mirror, and hurriedly combed his hair twice, then quickly checked his face for any suspicious marks. Then he took a deep breath, returned to the door, and unlocked it.
From the moment the door closed to the moment it reopened, the entire process took less than a minute. The person outside didn't even react, their face still etched with surprise. "Come in and talk." She reached out and quickly pulled him inside.
If someone passed by and saw the famous GD standing at the door of this old apartment building... the media would be popping champagne on the streets of Hongdae. ... As Kwon Ji-yong sat on the sofa, the two people who had been so swift just now...
Suddenly, everyone became more reserved than the other. Dim light can make people impulsive—but not the glaring incandescent light that had just been turned on in the apartment. The light bulb had been replaced not long ago, and people regretted it the moment they turned it on.
Lia stood by the switch, exchanging a blank stare with the person on the sofa. The ambiguous atmosphere vanished completely in an instant. "...I'll go get a glass of water." The owner quickly fled.
Quan Zhilong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, taking the opportunity to look around the apartment he was entering for the first time. He had originally intended to say a few words at the door, but somehow he had accidentally entered it - besides being grand, he also felt a little inexplicably happy.
Lia still lives in the studio apartment that the company originally provided. She could definitely afford to move to a bigger house, but the hassle of moving and the lack of a suitable time have kept her living there.
For her alone, this place was more than enough, but once guests came, the cramped feeling immediately became apparent - this house had no separate living room at all. The sofa that Quan Zhilong sat on was a later addition, and not far away was her bed.
The simple, solid-colored bed sheets were in line with her usual style, and the quilt looked a little messy because its owner had just gotten out of it not long ago.
He felt like he had accidentally stumbled into some private space. His ears felt hot, and he glanced at it briefly before deliberately avoiding that direction. Lia, who had just returned with the water, noticed that his expression wasn't right. She followed his gaze and immediately understood what he was thinking.
—She wanted to die. She was so ashamed she wanted to die. Someone must have died from shame, right? She was so focused on not letting anyone see him coming that she forgot she had no room to receive guests. The temperature in the air was creeping up.
She pulled herself together, trying to act nonchalant, handed him one of the glasses of water, and sat down next to him. "Don't you have a concert tomorrow? Why are you back?" She made small talk.
"Oh, Lee Soo Hyuk asked me to bring back some clothes..." Kwon Ji Yong took it and lied without blinking. It wasn't a lie either - Lee Soo Hyuk did ask him to bring back some clothes, but he hadn't bought them yet.
Lia was drinking water when she nearly choked on the words. The content of the CP site on the forums popped up uncontrollably in her mind. Legendary... trap. Great, her brain was completely broken.
Quan Zhilong didn't notice her distraction. Seeing her cough violently, he quickly took a napkin and gently patted her back. "Slow down," he said, his concern unbearable. The coughing gradually subsided, and only the breathing of the two of them remained in the air.
The sense of distance that had arisen from the panic slowly melted away in this brief silence. They were too familiar with each other—so familiar that even just sitting quietly together like this could easily make them feel at ease. He turned his head, as if searching for words in his mind.
His eyes fell on the half-empty glass in her hand, then slowly moved to her face. The incandescent light made her expression look very calm, so calm that it made people think she didn't care about his comings and goings.
His fingertips gently stroked his knees. After a moment, he finally made up his mind. He raised his eyes and looked at her seriously. "It's not because of Lee Soo Hyuk." He paused, as if worried she didn't understand. "It's because of you." ...
Her heart suddenly stopped. Because of her? Lia looked up and met his eyes, which were a little too focused. ——Those damn amber pupils again.
Her brain, like a stopped machine, could only mechanically chew over these words over and over again, unable to come up with a reasonable response. Quan Zhilong looked at her quietly, his expression seemingly calm, but his palms slightly clenched. He waited for her response.
He barely dared to breathe, trying to discern any clues from that calm face. But the person before him remained silent, leaving him momentarily unable to guess what she was thinking. He wasn't a god. Even the most at ease with things can feel uneasy when it comes to liking someone.
Just like now. "Why?" After a long pause, she finally spoke. "...I don't know." She didn't know when it started, or why—love often came without warning.
His body honestly reflected his affection first. If his mind still counted, why would he be so crazy and go back and forth all night? Lia let out a breath. His heart was hanging high. "Okay," she said. He was stunned. Okay?
What did that mean? For the first time in his life, he felt his IQ wasn't enough. Fortunately, before he could even begin to wonder, she kindly offered an answer the next moment—"I like you, too, Oppa." ...
It seemed like this was the first time Lia had seen Kwon Ji-yong blush. His skin was pale, with a thin layer of pink running down his neck to the tips of his ears. While he maintained a calm demeanor, his ears betrayed him.
Her rapidly beating heart finally calmed down, and Lia couldn't help but move closer: "Oppa, do you blush so easily?" His Adam's apple rolled, and he was a little flustered.
"...No," he muttered in defense, his gaze unconsciously averted to the side. For the first time, those usually calm eyes took on an evasive look, which struck her as somewhat novel. This novelty only made her more eager.
"But your ears are red," she reminded him with a smile. Quan Zhilong casually pulled the blanket from the sofa and covered his face with it. "No." A muffled voice came from inside. Like a hamster with its head buried in sawdust, but its butt still exposed.
But the next moment, he thought to himself, "Oh no!" The blanket covered his entire face tightly, and every breath he took was filled with her scent. It wasn't like some kind of perfume, but a clean scent mixed with shower gel and soap. The heat on his face became more and more obvious.
If he had been trying to play along with her joke just now, he was now really panicking. Lia didn't know what was going on, but seeing that he was reluctant to come out of the blanket, she was afraid that he would get hurt. She felt funny and reached out to pull him.
As soon as her fingertips touched the soft fabric, he held it. The force was not strong, but it was filled with the natural power between men and women, which made her instinctively stop moving. Quan Zhilong then realized that he was holding her hand.
The warmth of his fingertips passed through her skin. He paused, wanting to let go. The blanket slipped as he moved. He looked up and met her smiling eyes. His breathing slowed unconsciously, as if something had pushed him.
The next second, the blanket was pulled aside, and that frighteningly close face suddenly pressed down. His lips touched, carrying a lingering coolness, but were quickly swallowed by the overlapping breaths.
Lia's eyes widened. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her forward, holding her tightly in his arms. At first, it was just a light, almost restrained touch. But as their breaths mingled, that restraint gradually overflowed, as if something had broken through.
The force on his lips gradually became urgent, and his arms tightened, almost trapping her in his arms - it was not a tentative kiss. It was filled with a long-accumulated impulse, as if he was afraid that if he let go, the person in front of him would disappear.
The air grew thinner, and the sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. When he finally let go, his forehead was still pressed against hers, and his breathing was slightly disordered. She was stunned for two seconds before she realized that she had pinched the corner of his clothes without letting go.
Quan Zhilong chuckled softly and whispered in her ear—— "...Good night, happy birthday."
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