Love Cliché Activation, 0 Seconds to Go!

I never thought about it. No, I avoided thinking about it. I hoped I would never meet him again, and since that day, I hadn’t seen even a strand of his hair. He was no longer a part of my life. At least, until I unexpectedly encountered him in a moment where I had no defense.

“How have you been, Lee Jinha?”

The man, still as striking as ever, but far more mature than in my memories, curled his lips into a smile.

My ex-boyfriend, from years ago, whom I had parted ways with.

“Ugh.”

Lee Jinha furrowed his brow as he opened his eyes. Right in front of him was Kim Chayoung’s face, and his hand was cradling the back of Jinha’s head.

“Can you move now…?”

Kim Chayoung leaned closer, his upper body arching forward, making his features even more prominent. His face was pale, his eyes dark, and his lips red. Jinha had never seen someone as vividly striking as Kim Chayoung, not before and not since. These vibrant colors had shaken his heart then, and they still did now.

Lee Jinha inhaled sharply while staring directly into Chayoung’s eyes. A sweet scent filled his lungs. Laundry had always been Jinha’s responsibility, and he never used fabric softener. This infuriating sweetness was Kim Chayoung’s natural scent. His mind raced as heat flooded his head. Pale skin, dark eyes, and then the red lips.

Full, smooth lips. When lifted into a smile, they carried a youthful charm.

Gulp.

Saliva pooled in his mouth and traveled down his throat, causing his Adam’s apple to move noticeably. Jinha tilted his chin slightly. The already small gap between them now felt on the verge of disappearing. Their breaths mingled.

Jinha knew the feel of those lips. He remembered how warm and soft they were, and that memory only made this moment more intense.