Lately, It's Winter Season.
Chapter 44 - Cool people don't get shy.
[my family (3)]
Maeo's mother added TG.
TG: has joined the group
Maeo's mother: Welcome, my son-in-law~
: But it's not official yet~
: When will it be official? @Dn.
DN: Oh my god hahaha
DN: It's better to ask this person @Dan
Dan: Mom, do you know about Nao and Tiger?
Maeo's Mom: @Dan What~?
: When will I have another son-in-law or daughter-in-law~?
Dan: Welcome, Tiger.
: Everyone, I'm going to school.
DN: Gone missing hahaha
Maeo's mother: Nueaaa~
: Now that you're back, answer me!
I smiled involuntarily as I looked at the group chat messages on my phone. I thought I had drawn attention to Nuea, but he disappeared.
“Looks like mom is excited about having a son-in-law. Nuea will definitely be questioned.” I said happily, turning to look at the person sitting next to me. He was frowning at his phone. By now, we had returned to the room.
“Right.”
“Right?”
“Right… Why isn't it official yet?” Tiger slowly turned to look at me.
"I told you to wait until you finish school."
“…”
He didn't say anything, just pouted slightly and made a hum in his throat, “Okay, fine.”
“Words and actions are so contradictory.” I laughed, stood up from my chair, and hugged him from behind. My arms wrapped around his neck, then I leaned in close and lightly touched his nose to my cheek, “You said you understood?”
Tiger froze for two seconds.
“Got it.” Then he looked up at me, smiled widely, and reached behind my neck, pulling me down to kiss my cheek.
As the one being kissed again, I suddenly felt embarrassed and speechless. Tiger took my hand, gently removed it from his body, then turned the chair and pulled me onto his lap before pressing his lips to mine.
At first, our lips only touched lightly, then his hot tongue slowly slid in. I opened my mouth a little, the tip of my tongue lightly touching the other's tongue. Our tongues intertwined, my hand reached behind to hold the back of his neck, while the other hand clung to his waist. I leaned slightly, my arms wrapped around his neck, immersed in the gentle kiss that made my heart beat wildly. I closed my eyes and let everything happen naturally. We kissed for a long time before he pulled away. I looked at him with a dazed look, unconsciously licking my already wet lips.
“Don't do that… or it won't end with a kiss.”
“Um…” I avoided his gaze, trying to calm myself down before getting up from his lap and hastily wiping my mouth. My face was burning, so I quickly looked for something else to say. After a while of back and forth, we finally decided that it was time to meet up with friends to practice for the game match next Saturday.
“This guy.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you serious? If we win the World Series, you won't go to work anymore?”
“Really,” I confirmed. If I won the million-dollar prize, I would definitely quit my job.
“But-um… I think it's possible, world-class?”
I cleared my throat because I almost called him "you". I promised my mother, no, I was forced to promise, that I would talk to my boyfriend properly. I'm not used to it yet, but I will get used to it eventually.
“We're playing seriously anyway, so it's okay to set a goal to try.” He chuckled.
“That’s right.” I nodded. Actually, we play games seriously, but we never set specific goals; we just want to win each match. If you ask me if there’s any pressure when setting such a high goal, I can answer firmly, No way. The others will definitely respond immediately, and even brag about it. They will say that world level is a small matter; we should aim for the universe level.
“Then let's make a practice date. I-I'll let Nao tell the group.”
“Actually, if you don't like it, you can just talk to me normally.”
“No. I promised my mother.”
“It's okay.”
“I-damn it… Nao wants to talk to Ger properly, too.” I avoided his eyes because I felt a little embarrassed. Thinking about it, what my mother said was only part of it, but I also wanted to talk to Ger properly. After all, he had already given up the six-year-old form of address of “you-me” to “you-me” and even used “ah” as well. I probably wouldn’t change to “you-me”, calling him by his name was more natural, like when talking to Nuea.
“You are so cute.” Tiger seemed very pleased.
“Yeah.”
“Haha, the cutest in the world.” Tiger pulled his chair closer, propped his chin up and looked at me.
“It's normal.”
“Normal? No, I promised to talk properly.”
“Just normal.”
“Can you speak more softly?”
“…”
“Please, tell me to make me happy.”
“No problem.”
“Like you're teasing me?”
“What – what does Ger want?” I asked dejectedly.
“See, you're so hot-tempered. Do I need to tell Maeo's mother?”
“Oh my god, dear brother-in-law, now you're threatening me with your mother too?”
“Well, your mother is my mother too. And you said you would talk to me nicely, right?” Tiger chuckled.
“How nice do you want to be?”
“Say it.”
“Gross?” I gritted my teeth, “Tch… Okay, say that again.”
“You are the cutest in the world,” Tiger repeated.
I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, smiling sweetly.
"Yes."
“…”
“So? Is it okay?”
At first, Tiger was still looking at me with his chin in his hands, but then his face suddenly turned red. He quickly covered his face with his hands, lowered his head, and then banged on the table repeatedly, startling me.
“What's wrong!?”
“Aaaaa!! You're so cute!!”
***********
I stared at the computer screen, my eyebrows furrowed, my expression extremely serious. My right hand gripped the mouse tightly, but it was shaking a little. The moment I destroyed the opponent's main tower, I screamed with joy, pulled out my headphones, and, without thinking, rushed to hug Tiger, who was sitting next to me.
“I won!!”
“Yeahhh!! Wooo!!” My teammates cheered as loud as I did. Soon, the MC’s voice rang out, announcing our team’s victory and inviting the entire team out of the competition room to go up on stage to receive their awards.
Before going up, we walked out to face the opposing team in a sporting manner, and all shook hands. After we finished, the entire team took a deep breath, their hearts pounding, and stepped up on stage.
“Congratulations to our champions today, Team Nohope!!”
The applause echoed throughout the hall. I couldn't help but smile brightly. I unconsciously reached out to hold Tiger's hand, and he squeezed mine gently.
"Please invite the team representative to receive the award."
Everyone on the team turned to look at me.
I?
"You are the captain."
I read their eyes right away. Well, it's not that hard to receive the award. I was mentally prepared to accept the prize since I registered for the competition.
I let go of Tiger's hand, stepped forward to receive the transparent crystal trophy, on which the name of the tournament was engraved. I stood and posed for a few photos, then the MC handed me the microphone.
“How are you feeling right now?”
“Happy, extremely happy!” I replied immediately.
“How long has your team been practising?”
“A long time, almost every day. But we play this game so often that we practice while playing.”
“How does it feel to have your team represent the school in the next competitions?”
“How does it feel…?” I thought for a moment and then replied, “Ready! We will do our best!”
“Very good!” The MC laughed, “Finally, do you have any words to say to the other teams and the people who cheered for your team?”
“Oh, for the teams that lost to us, don’t be sad. If you feel like the taste of defeat isn’t strong enough, you can come see us anytime.” I smirked,
“If you’re not satisfied with anyone on my team, feel free to challenge them, in-game or in real life.”
My provocative remark caused the whole hall to burst into laughter, and whistles and boos echoed throughout. It was truly a school tournament; everyone here knew each other, and even the MC burst out laughing.
“And to those who have cheered for us, thank you very much! We hope you will continue to support us!”
“Thank you!” MC nodded.
“Oh, and lastly, my channel is Nohowl. Please follow me! Thanks!”
Laughter erupted again before the MC gave a few final words. We left the stage, officially done with our duties, and left the hall. When we met our fans, we lingered for a bit to take pictures and sign autographs. When we were done, the group agreed to meet downstairs.
“What should we do? We should celebrate, right?” I was the first to speak.
“Sure!” North agreed immediately. “Eight o'clock, the same place!”
“What old shop?” Skate frowned, “We have about four ‘old shops’?”
“Nao, you choose.”
“Oh, PCXL go.”
“OK.”
“What about the trophy? Who gets to keep it?” I asked.
“You keep it.” They all answered in unison.
After deciding on the place to celebrate, everyone split up and went to rest first. Tiger and I headed to the parking lot. Lately, Tiger, who had always liked riding motorbikes, had switched to driving cars. The reason was that he was afraid I would get hot. It was really hot, but I didn’t mind; sitting on the back of a motorbike was fine. But if he was determined to drive a car, then… Well, a car is a car.
“I knew you would say that.” Tiger laughed.
“Cool?” I raised an eyebrow.
“The coolest!”
“Of course.”
When I got back to my room, I was so tired that I fell asleep without realising it. When I woke up, I saw Tiger lying next to me, reading a book. I moved over, lay my head on his lap, and looked at the book.
"Are you going to have an exam?"
“Monday is the midterm exam.”
“Ah…” I nodded, then suddenly remembered, “Oh, I forgot! I have to do the laundry!”
“I have washed and dried it all.”
“That's awesome.”
"So there must be a reward, right?"
“Here, I praised you. Does that not count as a reward?”
“I want a little more.”
“Absolutely awesome!” I deliberately praised him exactly as before, even giving him a thumbs up. Tiger immediately frowned.
“You there?”
“Haha, okay.”
I leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. These intimate acts had become a normal thing between us—holding hands, hugging, kissing… or more. Lately, as my body got used to it, we were doing it almost every day. Tiger was always very attentive and serious, always wanting me to feel comfortable and not hurt. Honestly, he treasured me so much.
I lay my head on Tiger's lap, scrolling through my phone to kill time until we could go to the bar. North texted that his boyfriend was going too, but would be sitting at a separate table. Johan was also out drinking with friends.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Um?”
“How do you know Johan?”
“Oh, when I was racing. We raced together a lot, so we saw each other all the time.”
"So who won the race?"
“Actually, if we add up the total, it's even.”
“Oh.” I pursed my lips teasingly, “Really?”
“Really. I don't need to lie to you.”
“Hey, who doesn't want to look good in front of their lover?”
“That's true.” Tiger nodded, “But I'm not lying.”
“Just kidding. Even if you lose, you'll still look cool in my eyes.” I reached out and pinched his cheek; it was so cute I could faint.
“Really?”
“Really. You blind this Duen Nao, you know that?”
“Ha ha, you are so cute.”
“Hey, hey, another blind person.”
We kept joking around until the appointed time. I finished changing and was about to go out when Tiger took out a watch and put it on my wrist.
"EH?"
“This is a gift for you.”
“What's the occasion?”
“No occasion. I thought it looked good on you, so I bought it.” Tiger said as he fastened the clasp. It was definitely my style. I let him wear it without any objection.
In the past, I used to be shy when receiving gifts from Tiger, even feeling sorry for him. But in the end, if I were too polite, he would be sad. As for the money, it was Tiger's money, so he had the right to spend it however he wanted, as long as it wasn't excessive. Besides, why would I know the price? I might end up being shocked for no reason. The important thing is, whether it's expensive or cheap, if it's a gift from Tiger, I always keep it carefully.
“Thank you, I like it very much. I will take good care of it.”
“As long as you like it.”
“I should buy you something too… But…” I pouted,
“It probably can’t be as expensive as the things you gave me.”
"As long as it's you, I like anything."
“Oh my god.” I pinched his cheek again. I knew I would say this: “Let me find something that suits you and give it to you later.”
“Um.”
We arrived at the bar on time. But even so, the first people to arrive were North and his lover. I greeted Johan politely, and he just smiled back. I sat down across from North.
"Why so early?"
“Johan has a friend half an hour before us.” North nodded toward the next table, where the three doctors and their lovers were sitting, “Nice watch.”
“It's normal, my boyfriend bought it for me.”
“Huh, showing off?” North teased, “You’ve been showing off a lot lately, very affectionate. You even held hands affectionately on stage to receive an award, showing no shyness at all. It’s all ‘you, you, I, I’, ‘Ger’, ‘Nao’, have you stopped using ‘you and I’?”
“Cool people don’t have the concept of shyness, man.” I raised my eyebrows in challenge. I wanted to tease him back, but with Johan here, I felt a bit shy.
“Hey, is that Mick and Tul?” I said as I saw Mick and Tul walking towards me, followed by Fuse.
“Then I’ll go to the table first,” Johan said to North and stood up to go to another table. The three newcomers sat down one by one. It had been a long time since Mick had been able to seduce Tul. He often asked me how to flirt, but I didn’t know how to answer. I didn’t understand why Tul still hadn’t fallen for him. If I had the chance, I would definitely ask him secretly.
A moment later, Skate and Ikkyu also arrived. We started by clinking glasses to celebrate today's victory.
“But I didn't expect you to dare to make sarcastic remarks right in the middle of the stage.” Skate laughed, “Too sarcastic, crazy.”
“Real people will do it for real. It’s fine, they’re all acquaintances. Try changing it to a serious stage. If I were the team leader, I would have to give this task to someone else, like North.”
“Hey, why me?”
"You are good at talking."
“Talking a lot doesn't mean talking well, okay?” North frowned, “Speaking of which, do I really have to do that group presentation?”
“If you don't do it now, who will?” I replied.
“Okay, you 'useful' guy, switch places with me?”
“I can’t. Teacher Somneuk is so fierce, I’m scared to death.” I said honestly. Presenting in front of that teacher? Well, North did the best. Everyone in the group agreed. This was the last group project of the third year, second-semester, so it was very important. The teacher had just assigned the task, so we were roughly dividing the work. “Do you remember the presentation last time? I got grilled so hard.”
“I remember.” Skate laughed, “I almost knelt and begged you to stop asking.”
“Really.” North nodded in agreement, “I don't want to think about having to give this presentation. Let me practice for days first.”
“Um.” I nodded, “Does the computer science department have any of these types of lessons?”
“No, just exams, all kinds of exams.”
“So, should I call it better? It's probably the same.” I said, taking a sip of wine. “Ah, North.”
"What?"
“Want some more? Let's compete like last time.”
“No, no.”
"You have a lover and don't dare to act up anymore, are you weak?"
“What are you talking about?” North frowned,
“Drinking is for fun, don’t let the alcohol drink you, understand? It’s okay to hang out, but don’t forget to take care of your health.”
“There, there, that day you challenged me to drink, today you have a boyfriend and are a role model.”
“That's right.” North smiled slyly and raised his eyebrows, “I'll go to the other table for a bit, I'll be back later.”
North got up and went to another table. Johan's friend’s boyfriend was also North's friend. I knew Easter, but the other two didn't.
We continued to sit and talk. North kept walking back and forth between the two tables. The atmosphere was as comfortable as it always was when we went out drinking together. Tiger kept his arm around my shoulder, which I was initially shy about with friends, but now I'm used to it. On the contrary, if he didn't put his arm around me, I'd feel strange. Tiger said that besides liking it, it was also to prevent others from noticing me. That's good, then no one will dare to look at my lover anymore.
While Mick went to the bathroom, I secretly changed seats to sit next to Tul to strike up a conversation.
“Tul, ask this.”
"You want to ask why I haven't gotten to know him yet?"
“Smart!” I gave him a thumbs up, “What’s wrong? I see he treats you well, taking care of you from morning to night every day. I play games with him all the time, I know.”
“Sigh, actually… I don't know either.”
"What's up?"
“Maybe I don't trust you enough yet, so I need more time.”
“Yeah, but Mick thinks a lot. He's being honest with you, not just out of responsibility after that drunken night.”
"Did he confide in you?"
“Yeah, but I don't have an answer for it either; I don't know if it did anything wrong.”
“Mick treats me so well, maybe it's just me. Let me tell him I need more time.”
“Ok.” I nodded sympathetically, “I support you.”
“Yes,” Tul replied, and I returned to my seat.
“Are you Cupid?” Tiger asked, and I turned to look at him, smiling.
“Cool?”
“Um. So can you help another friend?”
“Garfield?” I frowned, “There’s no saving him.” I said, and suddenly saw a girl walking towards me, her eyes fixed on the man sitting next to me. I silently prayed, ‘It’s not him,’ but my prayer didn’t come true. She walked over, leaned against the sofa from behind and raised her glass to clink with Tiger.
Sigh…
I was too lazy to say anything. I immediately wrapped my arms around Tiger's neck, then pressed my lips against his cheek. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, while I just smiled.
“Please don't touch my boyfriend, okay?” Her face turned pale, and she quickly turned away.
“That’s disgusting, my friend!” The whole table immediately burst into teasing laughter. I pulled my hand back, intending to explain that she wouldn’t understand if I just said it in words, so it was best to do it quickly. Since I had warned her before, and she didn’t believe me. But before I could open my mouth, the person sitting next to me – the one whose cheek I had just kissed – suddenly pulled me back and pressed their lips down hard.
I was pushed against the other side of the chair. The rhythm of the kiss was so intense that I lost control for a moment and quickly tried to push him away.
“Ugh! Let… let go!” I punched him lightly; only then did Tiger let go of my lips, his face showing clear displeasure.
"Why can you do it, but I can't?"
“Kissing is going too far.”
“Why?” Tiger was about to jump in for another kiss when I immediately pushed him away.
“…”
“Enough, your friends are all looking.”
Tiger turned to the group and said, "Close your eyes, or I will gouge each of your eyes out."
“How cruel to treat your brothers.” North laughed.
“Calm down, Tiger. Hold on, go back to your room and do whatever you want. Drink with your friends first.”
"Then let's go back to the room."
"Impossible."
“…Youuuuu.”
“Sit with your friend for a while, don't be so spoiled.”
“Then kiss my cheek again.”
"For what?"
“Then I will sit down. Otherwise, I will carry you home.”
“…” I leaned over to kiss his cheek. But at that moment, Tiger suddenly turned his face, causing our lips to touch. Then, he smiled sweetly. My heart was beating so fast that I could feel it. I reflexively avoided his gaze, feeling my face starting to burn. Meanwhile, everyone around me was screaming and teasing.
But honestly, I'm not ashamed at all! How could a cool person like me be shy? I was the one who initiated the kiss, so how could I blush! Fuck!
This Ger! My boyfriend is really…!