"Han Ye-rin, please wake up!"

Performing CPR was an exhausting task.

Thirty chest compressions at a rate of two per second.

Having completed four sets, Si-hyun used his last strength to give artificial respiration.

And as a result...

"Ugh... ugh!"

Ye-rin coughed up the water that had filled her lungs and slowly opened her eyes. Seeing this, Si-hyun grabbed her shoulders and asked urgently.

"Ye-rin, are you conscious!?"

"Si-hyun... I..."

She seemed to have regained consciousness. Overwhelmed with emotion, Si-hyun immediately embraced her.

Startled, Ye-rin struggled a bit, but when Si-hyun gently patted her head, she gradually calmed down.

"You don't have to say anything... I'm just so glad you're okay."

Ye-rin nodded and hugged Si-hyun back. Their classmates erupted in cheers, and shortly after, the rescue team arrived.

Exhausted, she was placed in the ambulance. As Si-hyun sat in the guardian's seat, he held Ye-rin's hand tightly, trying to comfort her.

"Si-hyun..."

Still feeling anxious, Si-hyun's hand continued to tremble. Smiling faintly, Ye-rin gently patted his head as if to reassure him.

"I'm really glad you're safe..."

He felt a warm sensation from Si-hyun's head. It was proof that she was alive.

Relief washed over Si-hyun belatedly, and he began to cry like a fool.

"Why are you crying... Were you really worried about me?"

"Of course! I thought you wouldn't wake up again, I was so—"

Si-hyun's voice choked up, and he couldn't continue. But perhaps she understood what he wanted to say. Ye-rin wrapped her arms around his head and gently patted his back to soothe him.

"I'm not going anywhere. As long as you're here, why would I leave..."

As Ye-rin continued to comfort him, Si-hyun's trembling gradually subsided. A rescue team member who had been talking to his classmates approached from behind.

"We'll be heading out soon."

"Okay."

A sturdy man took hold of the handle and was about to close the ambulance's back door when—

"Si-hyun! Si-hyun-ah!!"

Si-hyun spotted Chae-yeon running barefoot towards him.

Why was she rushing over so urgently?

The distance made it hard to hear what she was saying.

"Don't... go! ...Wait!"

As they got closer, he could start to make out what Chae-yeon was shouting.

Thud!

The rescue team member, not knowing anything, closed the door indifferently.

The doctor's diagnosis was reassuring. Thanks to the quick administration of CPR, there were no abnormalities in her body.

The jellyfish had caused only temporary muscle paralysis, and Ye-rin smiled weakly, saying she had felt strangely powerless.

In the end, we only bought ointment for the scar and headed back.

While we were heading to the lodging by taxi,

"Driver, please drop us off here."

Even though we were still some distance from the lodging, Ye-rin asked to be let out at the nearby beach.

Before I could stop her, she had already paid the fare and stepped outside on her crutches.

"Why did you do that? Your leg still hurts, and you're planning to walk?"

"Yeah. I wanted to see the sea up close."

"Even after what happened, you still like the beach?"

"I do. Because I have good memories now, thanks to it."

Maybe it was because of the sunset, but Ye-rin's face seemed flushed.

She walked toward the beach, gazing at the waves.

Worried she might fall, I followed close behind her.

Shuffle. Shuffle.

The sound of footsteps on the sand.

And the gentle sound of the waves tickled my ears.

Usually, Ye-rin would have been chattering away, but perhaps because she was captivated by the beautiful scenery, she remained silent.

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the spot where we had played with our friends.

It was only then that she stopped and asked, "Si-hyun, where did I go under?"

"Around there."

Ye-rin looked at the spot I pointed to and slightly opened her mouth.

"It was quite far... It must have been really hard to pull me back."

"I'm not going to deny it. It was tough; I almost drowned with you."

"Pfft... So, were we supposed to become water ghosts and live together?"

Seeing her say that with a smile, I playfully flicked her forehead, telling her not to say nonsense.

"This time, you got lucky and survived, but be careful from now on. Why are you always so careless?"

"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful in the future."

Looking dejected, Ye-rin hugged her knees and sat down on the ground.

Wondering why she wasn’t her usual cheerful self, I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and then sat down next to her. Silent moments followed again.

Unable to stand the quiet any longer, just as I was about to open my mouth...

"Si-hyun."

Ye-rin spoke first.

"Yeah?"

"The doctor mentioned earlier, right? You saved my life by performing CPR."

"That's right. But why?"

Ye-rin, who had been looking straight ahead, turned to me shyly and said,

"Then, you also did mouth-to-mouth on me, right?"

"Ah."

Here it comes.

At the moment, I didn't think anything of it, but now that the consequences are hitting me, it's embarrassingly overwhelming.

"Just letting you know in advance, it was an emergency situation. I even hesitated wondering if it was the right thing to do. B-but what could I do? If I didn't act immediately..."

As I rambled on, trying to explain myself, something pressed against my lips.

Looking directly ahead, I saw Ye-rin pressing her index finger to my lips. With a smiling expression, she shook her head and said,

"I'm not blaming you. If it weren't for you, I would have died without even experiencing love. What's the big deal about a first kiss compared to that..."

First kiss. Upon hearing that I had taken away Ye-rin's precious first experience, I felt a mix of guilt and a racing heartbeat.

Whoosh.

Hurriedly stepping back, I spoke to Ye-rin, who might have felt hurt.

"Listen carefully. Today, nothing happened between us. A kiss given during mouth-to-mouth resuscitation doesn't count at all. Got it?"

Did my clumsy attempt at consoling her work?

Ye-rin chuckled and nodded.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I quickly got up and started walking away from Ye-rin.

"Wait for me."

Her laughter mixed with her voice as she called out. With crutches in hand, she began to follow me.

But then—

"Ouch!"

Perhaps her leg wasn't fully healed. Shortly after, she stumbled and fell onto the sandy beach.

"Are you okay?"

"Damn... I told you to wait for me..."

Ye-rin's eyes filled with tears as she looked at the scar on her leg. Her voice quivered with complaints as she hung her crutches over her right arm.

"I can't walk. Give me a piggyback ride."

She demanded that I carry her.

"Can't I just help you walk?"

"No. Piggyback ride, please."

She emphasized the ‘please’ as she extended her arms towards me.

There was nothing I could do if she couldn't walk...

Reluctantly, I offered my back, and she immediately climbed on.

"Driver Kim, let's go."

"Yes, yes."

As Ye-rin adjusted herself awkwardly on my back, she hugged me tightly.

Our hearts began to beat in sync.

Ye-rin's quickened breath tickled the back of my neck.As they continued on in that state, Ye-rin asked in a shy voice, "Si-hyun, when you were giving me CPR, did you feel uncomfortable?"

That blasted CPR.

Si-hyun cursed his past self for going in for the lip contact without thinking.

But what's done is done, right?

Considering it as all part of his karma, he decided to be honest about his feelings.

"Honestly, I don't know. It wasn't a matter of feeling good or bad. I was just focused on saving you."

Her expression showed a mix of satisfaction and disappointment. Gathering her courage once more, Ye-rin asked again, "What if it wasn’t an emergency situation?"

"Why do you keep asking questions like..."

"Answer me."

The seriousness in Ye-rin's voice made Si-hyun realize he couldn’t brush off this question.

'Could it be...'

At this point, it was impossible for Si-hyun not to understand.

The hints his friends had dropped—that Ye-rin might have romantic feelings for him—started to solidify into certainty. When he was almost sure, Si-hyun, his face now flushed, spoke with difficulty.

"If you're asking if I would've liked it or hated it, of course I would've liked it. I'm a guy too, and with a pretty girl like you... Ah."

In speaking his mind freely, he ended up saying something that could easily be used to tease him.

"Pfft!"

Sure enough, Ye-rin's laughter echoed from behind him.

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Si-hyun snapped out of frustration and self-loathing.

"Damn it... You're heavy. Get down now."

"Heavy? How rude! Carrying a pretty girl like me is a rare opportunity, you know?"

"You really..."

Si-hyun's shame reached its breaking point.

Judging that he shouldn't waste any more time, he started running toward the lodging.

"Oh my gosh!"

Ye-rin held onto Si-hyun's neck tightly, letting out a joyful scream.

Upon reaching the long stone stairs leading to the lodging, their hearts were pounding as if they had engines attached.

"We're here, get down now."

"What? I wanted to ride a bit longer..."

Ye-rin grumbled as she gently lowered herself to the ground with the help of her crutches.

Just as Si-hyun was about to take a breath and wipe the sweat off his forehead after setting Ye-rin down...

"Oh, oh?"

Ye-rin's startled voice reached his ears.

Hurriedly turning around, he saw her body on the verge of falling backward.

"Ye-rin!"

Si-hyun, in a panic, quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She stopped mid-fall, and in the moment he felt relieved...

In a swift motion, Ye-rin used her momentum to wrap her arms around Si-hyun's neck.

Then, surging forward aggressively...

Smooch♡

She pressed her lips firmly against his.

A sound echoed as their lips met.

Startled by the soft yet pliant sensation, Si-hyun fell backward.

"Ha, Han Ye-rin, you..."

The mischievous brown-haired cat, Han Ye-rin, perched atop Si-hyun. She licked her pink lips.

Sporting a more enchanting smile than ever, she gently caressed Si-hyun's lips and said, "This kiss doesn't count, right?"