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Chapter: 09
Grass spread thick around the lake, and students had gathered in groups—some lying on the lawn, some couples kissing, others huddled together eating something delicious and laughing warmly.
In the free-spirited atmosphere, Aiden searched for the best spot.
Unlike the other areas, this place gave a full view of the lake and had almost no people around. It looked as if it had been deliberately left empty for someone.
Without hesitation, Aiden sat down. As Sonnet moved to sit, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and laid it out for her.
Caught off guard by the unexpected consideration, Sonnet’s heart fluttered slightly. She sat down on the black silk handkerchief.
Aiden clearly had some kind of motive, but to avoid getting further drawn in, Sonnet treated it as nothing more than ordinary courtesy and accepted the sandwich he offered.
“Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“No.”
“What do you like?”
Sonnet took a bite of the sandwich, then looked at Aiden.
The faint smile on his lips and the lively sparkle in his eyes were fixed on her, as if waiting only for her answer.
Feeling her heart pound, Sonnet replied,
“Carrots.”
At the same moment she spoke, the carrot she had bitten into poked out awkwardly along with some corn sauce.
Just before the slippery sauce could drip to the ground, Aiden caught it.
Had anyone ever asked her what she liked before? The unfamiliar question flustered Sonnet, but she calmly took the carrot that had fallen into his hand and finished eating it.
Even though it had come out of her mouth and should have been dirty, Aiden didn’t frown at all—he simply smiled.
“You really must like it.”
Sonnet nodded. Come to think of it, this sandwich was better than she expected.
It was richer in flavor than the carrot sandwiches she bought every day in front of the school, and the soft chew of the corn kernels paired well with it.
Even when there was supposedly good food in the student cafeteria, she rarely went because there were too many students and the trip itself felt tiring—but this was better than she’d thought.
“Is it good?”
Sonnet nodded sincerely. Then she noticed Aiden wasn’t even eating his sandwich—he was just watching her.
She was about to ask him out of courtesy, since he had bought the tasty sandwich—
Aiden’s hand lightly touched the corner of her lips. His thumb precisely wiped away the sauce on her mouth, then he brought it to his own lips.
As if nothing had happened, Aiden took a bite of his sandwich. Sonnet stared at him blankly.
Isn’t that dirty? Why does he look so casual—like it’s natural?
She couldn’t understand his behavior. Unless he really liked her, how could he go this far…?
When Sonnet kept staring instead of eating, Aiden glanced back.
The moment their eyes met, the corner of his lips lifted.
“Did I get something on my face?”
As he spoke, his face subtly moved closer. For some reason, Sonnet’s heart began racing even faster.
She hurriedly answered,
“You didn’t.”
Aiden let out a quiet chuckle and leaned back on one arm, looking out over the lake. Sonnet followed his gaze.
A gentle breeze blew.
The wind coming from the lake was cool rather than stuffy.
Through the soft air brushing between them, distant giggles drifted over.
The weather was unusually nice—the green lawn and the glittering lake surface shone as if studded with jewels.
Strangely, it wasn’t hot here. Because of that, Sonnet felt as though she were dreaming.
A summer that wasn’t hot.
Somewhere deep in her heart, something free and lively began to bloom.
Usually, when passing by this area, Sonnet had thought the people sitting here were “weird people wasting time without thinking.”
But now that she was actually sitting here, the fresh scenery and relaxed atmosphere far exceeded her expectations.
Feeling oddly uplifted, Sonnet turned toward Aiden.
At the same time, their eyes met.
It seemed Aiden had been about to look at her too.
“Isn’t it nice here?”
Sonnet nodded sincerely.
“When this school was first built, they say it was built because of this lake.”
Aiden leaned his upper body slightly toward her as he continued,
“They thought having this lake might make students come to school in a better mood.”
When he finished and smiled, Aiden’s face looked especially radiant—perhaps because of the sunlight.
Just then, loud quacking shouts rang out. Several people were playing in the water by the lake.
“Do you like water?”
“Yeah.”
With a slight curl of his lips, Aiden asked,
“Have you ever swum?”
“No.”
Aiden’s brows knit slightly.
“You’ve never swum?”
“There aren’t many places someone like me can swim.”
There were rivers nearby, but the current was strong, and the wealthy monopolized lakes and seas by building private villas.
“I’ll teach you later. Somewhere suitable.”
Sonnet didn’t answer.
It was because she didn’t want to go play in the water affectionately with Aiden.
That would really feel like they were lovers.
Another light breeze passed.
It was a warm yet subtly heated summer wind.
Looking at Sonnet, Aiden said, his black hair shifting slightly over his forehead,
“What season do you like?”
Curiosity shone clearly in his bright blue eyes.
Most people wouldn’t have been curious about her at all, yet Aiden had been asking questions nonstop.
She wasn’t sure if he was genuinely curious, but Sonnet answered honestly.
“Spring and summer.”
Aiden broke into a wide smile. For a moment, Sonnet thought his smile looked like sunlight-filled summer.
“Same as me. I like summer too.”
He looked genuinely pleased.
Sonnet only nodded. For her, that kind of shared interest wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
The reason she liked spring and summer was simple.
That was when comprehensive exam scores were released.
Looking up at the clear sky, Aiden said,
“Most people hate summer. They say it’s too hot.”
“It’s hot, but it’s bearable.”
In the shade, it wasn’t hot. The breeze was cool enough. Only under direct sunlight did it feel scorching.
“Exactly. In summer you can run the Madou matches, swim, and it rains a lot too.”
Silence briefly settled.
After staring at the sky for a moment, Aiden turned back to her.
“Do you like rainy days too?”
Rainy days were Sonnet’s favorite.
But strangely, it never rained where Sonnet was.
Even when it did, it stopped quickly and cleared up—as if the rain clouds were avoiding her.
She could feel Aiden’s gaze waiting for her answer.
Sonnet was about to say yes—but stopped.
Strangely, too many of the things she liked overlapped with Aiden’s. Starting from the faint mint scent lingering now, to summer, to rain.
“I do like rain, but during Madou matches I prefer clear weather. Weirdly, it rained every time I ran a Madou match—but ever since you showed up, the weather’s been clear.”
“….”
“Thanks to that, I even won.”
When their eyes met, a bright smile spread across his lips.
Sonnet couldn’t find anything to say.
It had always been that it didn’t rain wherever she went—but somehow that worked in Aiden’s favor.
As if roughly understanding her silence, Aiden gave a small smile and looked back toward the lake.
Just then, a bee flew in.
Buzzing, it circled around Sonnet’s chest, and she instinctively stepped sideways.
She bumped into something firm, and a pleasant mint scent drifted up.
It was Aiden’s chest.
As Sonnet tried to pull away, Aiden caught her shoulders and waved the bee far off.
Once the bee flew away, Aiden kept an arm around her shoulders and lowered his head slightly, checking her with concern.
“Are you okay?”
His low, pleasant voice brushed against her ear.
He’d said it earlier too—but why was her heart pounding so hard?
And her current position… she was practically in Aiden’s arms.
When Sonnet tried to move forward, Aiden gently tightened his hold around her shoulders.
His breath traced along her ear and tickled down her neck.
“Can’t you just stay like this?”
When Sonnet froze in flustered silence, Aiden lightly rested his face against her shoulder.
“You smell nice.”
Sonnet’s eyes widened.
“A scent?”
“Yeah.”
At his languid, brief reply, Sonnet quickly asked,
“What kind of scent?”
