Netkama Punch!!!

"Ah, that..."

He replied half a beat late. Then, unusually, he paused like he was choosing his words—but that smug grin on his face was exactly what I expected. The way his eyes curved slyly was impossibly irritating.
Just as I feared, he grinned and asked,
“What, you were sulking back then? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Who was sulking. Shut up! Just—don’t say a single word.”
Shin Heejae ignored my annoyed tone and scooted his chair even closer. As soon as the armrests bumped, he grabbed my arm tightly as I tried to pull away.
“Noona, did you cry secretly that day?”

“Are you insane?”
“Were you upset?”
His face lit up like he’d found the perfect excuse to tease me. I nearly punched those dimples blooming in his cheeks like some goddamn spring flower. But instead of reacting, I took a deep breath and thought rationally.

He only wins because I keep reacting to him...
No matter what I said, Shin Heejae would twist it and keep wagging that damn tongue. So instead of hitting or yelling, I gritted my teeth and shoved his smug face back with my hand.
“Yeah. From that day on, I decided I would never deal with you again.”

But my patience didn’t last long.
“But the kiss fixed everything, right?”
“You @^#%@!!”

I was so mad I ended up blurting a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a swear. I lunged to smack him, but he grabbed both my arms tightly to stop me.
“Let go of me!”
“I want to take the hit, but I feel like this one would really hurt.”

“Die!”
Yes, I was furious—but more than that, I didn’t want Shin Heejae pushing any further. So I thrashed like a maniac, but he just held my arms in place and, tilting his chin like some smug prince, said,
“Kim Seyoung, don’t hit me anymore.”
“You’re the one who needs to shut up, and then I won’t even care!”

“I’m not teasing you. You just get mad when you run out of things to say.”
“What the—”
Before I could object, Shin Heejae cut me off again.

“Noona, you like me.”
He said it with a smile, sure—but there was a faint flush in his cheeks. His eyes weren’t just joking anymore. They were too bright. Too heated.
My mouth opened, but it was like something had clamped around my throat.

Don’t cover it up by hitting me.
I was so thrown off, the strength I’d been using to twist out of his grip disappeared for a second.
* * *

Of course... the kiss—damn it. I should’ve bitten him instead.
After Shin Heejae said that with triumphant confidence, I kicked his shin as hard as I could and stormed off into the bathroom. I pretended to be furious, but honestly, it was a retreat.
He looked like he might say something after getting kicked but didn’t follow me. He was unusually quiet, even from behind the door.

Now I was crouched on the bathroom floor, gnawing at my thumbnail. This weird, boiling frustration kept rising in me, and I wasn’t even sure who it was directed at.
He’s getting all smug just because I didn’t react...!
Yeah, most of the anger was aimed at Shin Heejae. But not all of it. I was even more frustrated with myself for running away to the bathroom instead of standing my ground.

Why did I avoid his eyes? I should’ve scoffed and cut him down cold. Told him to get out of my house, even.
“Damn it...”
But was this nausea really from anger?

I clutched my chest, my heart still pounding uncontrollably. I felt trapped, unable to do anything—like even my thoughts were being boxed in. Meanwhile, just knowing Shin Heejae was still out there, somewhere in the house, was enough to weigh on me.
Sure, it was quiet now—but this felt exactly like the calm before a storm.
If I go back out there... he’s definitely not letting this go.

And I knew for sure—that look in his eyes hadn’t changed.
“I want to gouge out his eyes...”
What kind of messed-up thing would he say next?

He’d definitely act like we were actually dating now, even more than before. The mere thought made my stomach turn. But I also felt like I was really backed into a corner.
I’m seriously gonna explode!
I hated the way Shin Heejae looked at me. Like he already knew everything. Like he was some overconfident dumbass with no self-awareness, but infinite arrogance.

And come on—he doesn’t even look like someone who likes me...!
What he said, what he did—none of it made sense. It was too inconsistent to take seriously. But he kept pulling me into his pace, dragging me deeper into whatever this was.
The worst part? I was starting to get conditioned by him.

Now when I walked through my own front door and saw Shin Heejae sprawled out on my bed—it felt weird if he wasn’t there.
He clearly planned this... dragging all his crap into my house. He totally sneered at this place when he first saw it.
I convinced myself all of this was part of some grand plan. That meant I could not fall for it.

Especially not now—when this guy who supposedly “likes” me is acting like an absolute tyrant.
...I can’t handle it if I fall any further.
He might laugh, like he’s been waiting for this. And then walk away.

Even imagining that made a cold, crawling fear settle in my gut.
Click—
Suddenly, the light switch flipped, and the bathroom went pitch dark.

I was so startled I couldn’t even scream. But then I immediately knew who was behind it—and every complicated thought I’d been having instantly evaporated.
“You fucking psycho! Are you trying to die?!”
I yelled toward the door, and click—the light came back on.

“What’re you doing in there, not coming out?”
His sulky voice floated in from ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the hallway.
Just hearing it was enough to solidify my resolve.

There’s no way—absolutely no way—I could ever like a childish bastard like this!
So when I stormed out of the bathroom, I did it with my head held high, completely erasing every dilemma I’d had just moments before. I stared Shin Heejae right in the eye.
He looked me up and down arrogantly, then smirked.

“Noona always runs off when she’s losing.”
I kept my face stony and said flatly,
“I was taking a shit. What the hell are you talking about.”

“Ugh, don’t say stuff like that.”
He grimaced hard, genuinely disturbed.
It was kind of hilarious how a guy who’d just pulled a bathroom light prank had no immunity to toilet talk.

Now that I think about it... he always freaks out at this kind of thing. Is this his weak spot?
Maybe this could be useful. Some people get completely turned off by little things like this.
Then, as if he’d read my thoughts, Shin Heejae stuck his lip out and muttered,

“You say the nastiest things in front of your boyfriend…”
“What?”
“Can you stop ruining the fantasy?”

Was he out of his mind?
I glared at him, speechless, before I finally asked,
“What fantasy?”

I really wanted to know what the hell went on inside that head of his. I mean—I’m just a regular guy in his twenties, not some idol. What was he even going on about?
But Shin Heejae just shook his head arrogantly and let out a melodramatic sigh.
“Haa... whatever. Like you’d get it.”

And in that moment, a thought hit me.
Does he seriously still see me as Sesam...?
Was this beyond denial of reality? Was he denying that I was even a living, breathing person right in front of him? If he was still caught up in that delusion, maybe it would explain the weird inconsistency in his behavior.

“Hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
Finally, I voiced a question I hadn’t dared to ask until now.
“Why do you... like me? Since when have you felt that way?”

I tried to sound casual, but my hands—clasped behind my back—were trembling a little.
I stared straight at him. Shin Heejae looked momentarily surprised, like he hadn’t expected the question. But then, just as quickly, he returned to that unreadable calm expression.