I sat in the chair with my arms and legs crossed, shaking my feet nervously.

Ken sat across from me, looking at me calmly.

The storage room wasn't large, but we could spend time here in secret.

"Ken?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

"Rina?" he replied.

"Will your sister be able to fix the costume in time?"

"Yes, I think it will be ready by tomorrow."

"Ah, thank goodness," I said, sighing with relief.

"Are you still worried?" he asked.

"Of course I'm worried!"

"You really need to calm down. It will definitely be done by tomorrow. I promise."

"Ugh... And why did Mai have to call her to find the costume? We would have returned the costume within a few days anyway!"

"But she doesn't know that..."

"That girl... Jina. She asked me so many questions," I said.

"Did she figure out it was you?"

"No, I don't think so. And thank God for that. Do you know how embarrassing it would be to admit the reason why I borrowed the costume? God... I didn't think it would rip as soon as I put it on! I only tried it on for a second! Ah! Why did I even decide to try it on?!"

"You're still asking? The main reason, of course, was that you were jealous..."

"I wasn't jealous!" I cut him off abruptly.

I looked into his eyes, annoyed, but he just put his finger to his lips.

"Shh... don't shout like that, you don't want anyone to hear us, do you?"

"Then shut up before I kick your ass, okay?"

"I'm just telling the truth."

"The truth, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, try saying it again if you're so brave," I said, smirking and looking him in the eye with a murderous stare.

"...You were jealous, so jealous that you wanted to try on the costume and prove to me that you were a better princess than her, even though you knew the costume wasn't your size..."

"You're testing your luck, you know?" I said, kicking the chair between his legs with my shoe.

But he just remained silent, not reacting as if he wasn't afraid of me.

"Not afraid of me, huh?"

"How could I be afraid of you...you're incredibly cute. The only reason I'm teasing you is because your jealousy back then was adorable... But you don't have to be jealous, you're the only princess for me."

"Stop saying something so cringey with such a calm face. And again, I wasn't jealous," I said.

There was a brief pause, a brief silence.

In that silence, we just looked into each other's eyes with tenderness...

"Anyway, why did you let Miyu play the role you originally wrote for yourself?" he asked.

"I already told you, it's because she begged me and Mai. And if I had been against it, she would have suspected our relationship."

"But there was a kissing scene."

"And?"

"When you gave her the role, did you ever think that she and I might have to kiss?

"If you ever kissed her, I'd have killed you."

"I'd never kiss her, don't worry."

"Really, huh?"

"Of course, I mean, I even got Mai to delete the kissing scene..."

"If you couldn't convince her, I'd totally strangle you," I said with an icy, sinister voice.

"...You really do scare me sometimes."

"Oh, now you're scared?" I asked sarcastically.

"A little..."

"You should be... One wrong move and I don't know what I'll do," I said.

"Well... You have nothing to worry about. I belong to you."

"That's good to hear, I guess," I said uncertainly.

"What, you don't believe me?" he asked.

His voice sounded a little offended.

Pfft... he's so funny. He always acts calm, but he's so easy to play with...

"Well... Do you still love me?" I asked.

"Of course I love you..."

"Then prove it."

I crossed my legs and arms again and looked at him demandingly.

"How can I prove it?" he asked.

"Hmmm..." I pondered. "Play a character..."

"What kind of character do you want me to play?"

"Well, I don't know. It's your job to surprise me and make my heart skip a beat."

"And what am I allowed to do?"

"Anything."

"Really? Anything?"

"Uh-huh..." I replied confidently.

"Hmm..."

"Improvise."

Without taking his eyes off me, he got up from his chair and walked over to me.

I stared into his eyes with a slight smile, waiting to see what he would do.

Completely calm, he leaned forward and gently touched my cheek with one hand, running his fingertips over my skin.

"Can you close your eyes, my princess?" he said.

I was sure that even though we had been through this many times before, and even though we were already a couple, his heart was pounding just like mine…

I knew he was enjoying it as much as I was.

I stared into his eyes, mesmerized, and then my half-closed eyes slowly slammed shut.

And it was as if my breathing stopped...

I heard the soft rustle of his jacket, felt his other arm resting on the chair next to me...

Then, a moment later, his soft lips gently touched mine...

I responded...

The kiss was soft, gentle and yet bold...

I opened my eyes as he pulled away.

But my arms around his neck didn't let him go far.

"Hmm. Did you eat something with strawberry flavor?" I asked.

"It was gum..."

We were silent for a moment, just looking at each other.

Then he asked, "So, did I make your heart race?"

"As if," I replied.

"You're terrible..."

"But you love that part of me, don't you?"

"Of course...I love all sides of you...especially the jealous part of you."

"Huh? Are you at it again? How many times do I have to tell you I wasn't jealous? Who are you to make me jealous anyway?" I laughed. "Nobody wants you but me anyway."

It was his little punishment for making my heart race like that...

"You're smiling..." I said. "Do you like it when I talk to you in a harsh way? Is that your fetish or something?"

"It's not."

"Oh really?"

I finally took my hands off him and he returned to his seat.

"I don't care how you talk to me, soft or harsh, I like it because it's you."

"Oh stop with the cringe bullshit."

"It's not bullshit. I really love you."

"Love me? You seemed really mean back then."

"So did you. But that was part of our game, wasn't it?"

"Lately our games seem too real," I said.

"Then we should stop them..."

"But you know..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he cut me off. "But I also thought you stopped liking me... Sometimes you act too real."

I smiled mischievously, wondering if I should tease him or answer honestly.

But I decided not to torture him this time.

"It was all just an act... I love you too and you know it," I finally said.

"Then say you love me more often."

"Oh, stop being so corny. You used to be so awkward."

He only laughed softly in response.

"Of course I'm not as awkward as I used to be. I mean, we've been together for a while now, right? Or do you not like me that way?"

"Hmm...okay, I won't lie," I admitted. "Your bluntness gives me butterflies sometimes."

"Really? Then I'll do it more often."

"Just don't get too cocky, okay?"

"What if I do?"

My lips curled into a devilish smile.

"Don't worry, if you do, I'll put you in your place real quick."

"That's why I love you."

"Love me, you say? Can I really believe that? You're never jealous of me."

"Never jealous? I'm always jealous of you. Even when other guys are just talking to you..."

"Are you serious? Why am I just hearing about this now?" I asked in surprise.

"Just because I thought it would be cringey to show you my jealousy..."

"Idiot..."

Silence.

It was a kind of comfortable silence. It gently filled the space between us, enveloping us in its warm embrace.

"You know... I think you're right. We shouldn't hide our relationship anymore," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"It was my idea in the first place. And it was a stupid idea. I really thought it wouldn't take her too long to confess to you... but now the whole thing has become incredibly awkward."

"Did you tell her to confess?"

"I tried, but she said it was too soon."

"I also tried to give her a hint..."

"I don't want to hurt her...and I'm such a coward. But I know I have to tell her."

"It's okay... she's your sister, she'll understand..."

"I lied to her..."

Silence.

Our inaudible breathing, our glances at each other, our quiet movements. Sometimes we didn't need words.

"Yeah... I agree too. We shouldn't hide our relationship anymore," he said. "Don't worry...I'll support you. We can do this together."

I shook my head.

"No...I'll do it myself. She's my sister..."

Yes, I'll tell her. And even if she starts to hate me, I won't let her go.

Why didn't I tell her the truth until now? The answer was simple... I was afraid.