Page 25 of Gumiho Kiss
“All of them.”She held her palms up.“Right now, for all intents and purposes, I’m only human.”
Something flashed in her friend’s eyes, but before she could discern it, his hand had shot out and slammed into her shoulder.
“Aigoo!”She leaned away with a glower.“What did you do that for?”
“Just checking.”
“Doyouwant to die?”
Min Joon chuckled, then turned contemplative.He drummed his fingers on the table, no doubt considering the dangers involved in attempting to recover the bead.Chin Sun waited, nervously, desperately, for him to come up with an idea that didn’t involve destroying the reputation she’d spent her whole life building.
In a world that valued virtue above all else, anything that even hinted at sexual misconduct would taint not only her but also her entire family.Marriage talks with the Kangs would be a thing of the past—and Uncle would likely struggle to find anyone in Sokju willing to marry her or Sang Mi.
Finally, Min Joon paused.He turned to her with a weak smile.“I might know something you could do.But you won’t like it.”
* * *
Chin Sun crept past the servants’ rooms as furtively as a weasel, single-minded in her goal.She couldn’t afford any slip-ups.She just hoped Mr.Park was a hard sleeper.
The only extra room in the house was at the end of the hall, so she hadn’t needed to ask where he’d been placed.It had functioned as a storage room until now, mostly for the books and documents Uncle didn’t use on a regular basis.
She felt a little bad to be doing this without his consent, but it wasn’t like there were any good options.When Min Joon had suggested this idea, it had at least sounded viable.She could hardly expect Mr.Park to justlether kiss him, or keep it a secret from her fiancé.
CREAK.
Chin Sun’s foot froze on the loose floorboard.She was just outside Mr.Park’s room now, close enough to be heard if the troublesome bodyguard wasn’t actually asleep.She held her breath, heart thumping in her ears.
When no sounds emerged from the man’s room, she crept closer and pulled open the door.
Mr.Park’s sleeping form lay a few inches within, stretched out in a room barely wide enough to accommodate him.
Chin Sun threw her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp.She hadn’t expected the room to bethissmall.Mr.Park’s chest rose and fell steadily, his face more carefree than she’d ever seen.A thick green blanket covered all but his head and neck, and his hair fanned out over his small pillow.
Her heart leaped at the sight of a trio of swords to the man’s right.Two belonged to him, but the other was her hwando, the sword she’d lost the night of their fight.She reached over Mr.Park and took it, clutching it to her chest.Gratitude surged through her.Even though it hadn’t been intentional, retrieving her precious blade felt like receiving a gift.
Her gaze fell to Mr.Park’s lips.She’d never kissed a man before, but from what she’d heard, it could either feel delightful or horrendous.Sang Mi had confessed to having done it about a year ago, and she’d compared one’s first kiss to the first blooms of spring—hesitant, tender, and a little magical.
But Sang Mi was a hopeless romantic, so Chin Sun didn’t completely trust her judgment.
It was only a kiss.She needed to stop overthinking it.And not even a real kiss either—she was just getting her fox bead back, so there was no need for all the anxiety.
Unless she woke him up, of course.
Chin Sun swallowed, sweat forming on her temples.The bead was right there; she could feel its gentle hum at the edge of her consciousness.She got down on her knees.
Mr.Park was awfully handsome.She hadn’t taken the time to notice before, but now that he was just a hairsbreadth away, it was rather distracting.The almost perfect symmetry of his face was marred only by a thin scar on his right eyebrow.All that was left of an old battle wound perhaps.His mouth was relaxed in sleep, his smooth lips slightly parted.
If she had to lose her first kiss to someone besides her future husband, she could have done much worse.
But what ifhewas married?She couldn’t kiss a married man!Panic flared within her, but then she reminded herself that a married man would have his hair tied up, not loose.No wife would stand for such dishonor.Mr.Park was, without a doubt, unbound, meaning she could kiss him with a clear conscience.
She had to hurry up.
She leaned forward, but then a groan from a nearby room cut through the silence.Her eyes widened, limbs turning to ice when Mr.Park began to stir.
His eyelids fluttered, breaking the spell over her, and she stumbled out of the room.Chin Sun’s footsteps were clumsy, and altogether too loud, but she had to get out of there.The rustle of waking servants sent her heart pattering, so she threw herself down the hallway and out into the courtyard.
She ducked behind the storage shed and crouched down in the darkness.Listening.Waiting.Wind whistled through the trees, followed by the screech of an owl.Crickets hummed from the bushes, oblivious to the tension running through Chin Sun’s veins.
