Tell Me That You Like It

  

The two people sat on a chair.

 

The night view of Toledo with the lights on along the castle walls beyond the glass window was very nice.

 

The lights throughout the city were twinkling like stars in the sky floating on the ground. In Toledo, which was covered in darkness, the cathedral and Alcazar were shining most brilliantly.

 

“You have excellent luck with travel. Even though you made the reservation late, you still managed to get a seat by the window again.”

 

Lucino whistled in admiration.

 

“I guess the theft incident and the luck of the seat changed.”

 

Now she had recovered so much from the shock that she could even joke about it. It was all thanks to Lucino.

 

She didn’t want to dwell on that incident while she was with such a brilliant night view and an enchantingly beautiful man. She wanted to remember the trip pleasantly even when she returned to Korea.

 

She wanted to remember every moment happily because she never knew when this kind of luck would come again.

 

Since she decided to get help from him, she decided to enjoy the trip to the fullest.

 

Because she can make money again.

 

Anna decided to think so.

 

After a while, a staff member with white hair and dressed in all black brought them a menu.

 

The staff recommended that they try a glass and if it tasted good, order a bottle, so they each ordered a glass of red wine produced near Toledo.

 

Anna’s eyes widened as the rich fruity scent filled her mouth. As it gently passed down her throat, the fragrant scent passed her nose and penetrated deep into her lungs.

 

“It is very delicious.”

 

“This isn’t that bad.”

 

Although the two spoke at the same time, their opinions differed.

 

“This isn’t that bad? How good is Italian wine?”

 

“It’s more delicious than this. Anna must come to Italy later.”

 

Lucino, with his lips curled upward, proudly displayed himself like a male peacock with beautiful feathers spread wide. His consistent and endearing expression of excitement whenever discussing wine was both cute and amusing.

 

“I’m looking forward to it.”

 

As the waiter approached, Lucino ordered a bottle of the wine they were drinking.

 

“Isn’t it too much to order?”

 

“Don’t you want to drink?”

 

“It’s not like that, but…”

 

Anna trailed off. Although she liked alcohol and drank well, she was a little surprised by the high price.

 

“When the night view is this beautiful, you can’t help but drink wine, right?”

 

“Still, I think it’s a lot.”

 

“Do not worry. If you can’t drink it all, you can leave some.”

 

When they ordered a course meal, a bottle of wine was placed on the white table. The employee began pouring red wine into a wine glass with a skillful pose.

 

“Ah!”

 

“Why?”

 

Lucino reacted reflexively to Anna’s cry.

 

“Well, drinking is fine, but how do you plan on driving back down?”

 

“Don’t worry, you can call a taxi or just tip the staff and ask them to drive you to the hostel. It’s close enough so it’s probably possible. Or you can ask the taxi driver to do so. Because we can somehow find a way.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Simply put, all you have to do is spend money.

 

It was a different approach than the cautious and frugal lifestyle she had been accustomed to, but it didn’t bother her. After all, Anna had come all the way here by plane to enjoy herself anyway.

 

It’s just that she was so used to the habit of saving that she didn’t realize that she could easily solve some  problems by spending money.

 

“Anna, when you drink in Korea, do you just drink or do you clink your glasses?”

 

“We also clink glasses. And say ‘geonbae’ while doing so.”

 

“How do you do it? Say it again.”

 

“It’s called ‘geonbae.’ Geon-bae.”

 

“Geunbae?”

 

“Let’s say ‘gun.’”

 

For him, who was not good at pronunciation, Anna pronounced each syllable separately.

 

“Gun? It sounds similar to a pistol.”

 

“Ah! Yes.”

 

“Gunbae.”

 

It was funny because Lucino pronounced ‘gun’ with an accent, but Anna held back her laughter and praised him.

 

“Good job. It’s perfect.”

 

“Does my pronunciation sound like Korean?”

 

“Yes. You speak Korean very well.”

 

“Anna too.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Anna speaks Korean very well too.”

 

Anna chuckled belatedly at Lucino’s joke. Seeing Anna laugh out loud, Lucino also chuckled and moved his wine glass to the center of the table. Of course, he made sure to say ‘geonbae’ properly.

 

Anna also raised her glass and clinked it against Lucino’s. The sound of light wine glasses clinking together resonated cheerfully between the two people.

 

The two laughed and shouted ‘geonbae’ at the same time.

 

“How do you do it in Italy?”

 

“It’s called ‘chinchin.’”

 

Sometimes they say ‘salute’ instead of ‘chinchin’, but Lucino taught her simple and easy-to-remember things.

 

“Chinchin. The pronunciation is cute.”

 

“Geonbae is cuter.”

 

“I think Chinchin is cuter.”

 

“Geonbae are cuter.”

 

“Chinchin is easy to pronounce…”

 

Anna tilted her head and was about to say that Chinchin was cuter, but Lucino interrupted her.

 

“Anna is cuter.”

 

“Yes? Chinchin is more… yes?”

 

Anna’s eyes widened at Lucino’s sudden words.

 

“Anna is much cuter.”

 

Anna discovered excitement in Lucino’s clear, autumn sky-like eyes. Like twinkling stars in the sky, they were also reflected in his eyes.

 

She couldn’t understand the lyrics, but the singer’s voice singing the song sounded romantic from afar.

 

Lucino was looking at her like someone looking at the most precious thing in the world. The way he looked at her as if she were the most adorable thing in the world, as if he was looking at the cutest thing in the world.

 

She couldn’t understand. Anna had never seen herself like that when she looked at herself in the mirror, let alone the parents who gave birth to her.

 

Anna didn’t know why he looked at her like a sunflower craving the sun, but she liked it when he looked at her like that.

 

The gentle gaze was profound. Anna’s heart began to dance under the warm blue gaze.

 

It felt like fluffy cotton candy was rising from deep within her heart. An elusive sweetness was tingling, resonating in her chest.

 

Looking at the excitement in the transparently shining dark blue eyes, Anna realized it was the same as her excitement.

 

It was a feeling she had felt for the first time in her 29-year-old life.

 

Someone looking at her as a potential romantic interest, feeling a liking towards her, showing interest, giving compliments, making her laugh…

 

Suddenly Anna realized.

 

How deep and dark her loneliness was.

 

Lucino’s presence sparked a realization within her, making her aware of the loneliness she had been unable to acknowledge. She had felt lonely for as long as she could remember, even from her childhood days.

 

The first memory she remembers was her younger brother sitting on her grandmother’s lap and smiling, and her parents smiling just looking at her younger brother.

 

She wasn’t in their gaze. Always… 

 

Anna was so tired of the echoes not returning that she gave up.

 

Ah, I thought I was someone who could not be loved.

 

After cutting off her family, her quality of life improved and she was able to save money, but the time she spent living alone was lonely.

 

The loneliness she felt when living with uncaring family members was a feeling that could not be cut off with scissors even after she cut ties with her family.

 

The identity of the hole deep in her heart that she could not fill no matter how much she tried was emptiness and loneliness.

 

She tried new experiences to fill this void. It was a struggle that she thought would get better if she even traveled.

 

The loneliness that she didn’t know was frozen and cold melted at the constant gaze, the caring attention, and the eyes that looked at her as a lovely person.

 

Even though the process was painful, it was good. It was sad, but filled with joy.

 

There is someone who looks at her like that too.

 

Oh, my God, I can’t believe it.

 

It was unbelievable luck. A fantasy she had never dreamed of was sparkling vividly before her eyes.

 

It was okay to say that this was a mirage that would only shine for two weeks, shining only at this moment. It didn’t matter if the warmth was only allowed during her time in Spain.

 

Lucino’s eyes were that kind and warm. Anna finally realized that she wanted someone to look at her like that.

 

If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have known. Now that she knew, Anna couldn’t resist this warmth. She was happy that her opponent was Lucino and no one else.

 

If your heart doesn’t flutter when you see a beautiful man emitting radiance as if your eyes would go blind, and if you don’t find him charming and cute, then you must not be human.

 

Anyone couldn’t help but feel excited as if they are flying in the sky, and can’t stop laughing like someone who has inhaled a lot of drugs.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Her cheeks turned bright red and she smiled brightly.

 

Anna couldn’t help but smile at the man’s heartfelt praise. As she became aware of him and realized what she wanted, a strange sense of shame came over her and she sipped more wine.

 

Soon, the waiter brought them potato croquettes with jamon and vegetable soup with beans as appetizers.

 

Anna cut a croquette in half and put it in her mouth.

 

“Wow.”

 

“Is it delicious?”

 

“It’s like eye-opening.”

 

Lucino laughed as he imitated closing and opening his eyes.

 

“This expression is interesting.”

 

She wasn’t that hungry, but after eating food, she felt hungry.

 

The croquettes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and had a fantastic taste with salty jamon. The soup with chickpeas was mediocre, but the freshly fried croquettes washed away the disappointing taste of the soup.

 

Anna hurriedly ate the croquettes, one after another. As only one remained, Lucino gestured to Anna with his eyes.

 

“Anna should eat it.”

 

“Oh, no. Lucino should eat it.”

 

“Why are you being like this again?”

 

He gave in to Anna again this time. Using the other unused fork and spoon, he put some croquettes on her plate. It was a natural attitude.

 

“Why…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Why are… you so nice to me?”

 

Anna couldn’t resist the urge to ask the question.

 

It seemed like an unsophisticated question, but she couldn’t help it. Even though it seemed stupid, she had to ask.

 

Everything she experienced with him felt like a dream, and the overwhelming joy suddenly gave way to uneasiness. She couldn’t believe the stroke of luck, and she felt an impulse to shatter it instead. She was afraid that his warm gaze would freeze in the cold wind.

 

She thought she knew why he was so nice to her, but she still had to ask. She asked the question without knowing exactly what she wanted to hear.

 

Lucino seemed speechless for a moment and could not answer right away. He suddenly seemed like someone who didn’t expect to be asked this question.

 

“I never thought I’d hear that I’m good for just one croquet.”

 

“You know what I’m saying. From the moment we first met, Lucino was kind to me. You suggested that we go on a trip together and even lent me money.”

 

“Because I want to.”

 

“…”

 

Anna couldn’t think of anything to say in response to the statement that he did it because he wanted to be nice to her. She felt like her mind was empty.

 

“Can’t I be nice to Anna?”

 

“It’s not like that, but…”

 

She was an outcast in her family. She was a parasite that sucked up the portion that should have gone to their son, Minseok.

 

She couldn’t believe that she was receiving the attention of a handsome man while watching the night view in such a nice place.

 

Although she didn’t know it herself, her inner self-esteem had been greatly destroyed by her family. So Anna kept getting confused as to whether all of this was a dream or real life.

 

“I did it because I wanted to be nice. I like it when Anna smiles.”

 

“You like it when I smile? Why?”

 

Until now, no one had paid attention to her laughter.

 

“I don’t know either. Just…”

 

“Just?”

 

“When Anna smiles, I feel good too.”

 

Upon hearing his response, Anna felt a slight disappointment. After hearing his words, she realized that what she had hoped to hear was something like “I fell in love with you at first sight.”

 

But this was enough. It hadn’t been long since they met, and if he had approached her too aggressively, Anna might have been wary of him and felt burdened by him.

 

The human heart is truly mysterious. Although Anna felt a bit disappointed for not hearing the words of affection, on the other hand, she found satisfaction in understanding the reasons behind it.

 

There was a moment of silence between the two. The two just looked at each other in silence until the waiter cleared away the empty dishes.

 

“Perhaps I, um, I mean to Anna… Did it seem like pressure?”

 

Unlike his previous attitude, he hesitated in speaking. For some reason, Lucino seemed embarrassed. It was her first time seeing such an expression and hesitant tone of voice from him.

 

“What pressure?”

 

Anna asked back, not really understanding what he was trying to say.

 

“Anna.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I hope you don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I have no desire to force anything on Anna. I never asked you to travel with me with impure intentions. So don’t feel pressured. Don’t think too much and just have fun with everything. You came to this far away place to have fun. So, what I’m saying is that Anna doesn’t have to feel like she’s going to give me something in return,ever! There’s absolutely no need for that. Don’t misunderstand because I’m not a person who forces things I don’t like.”

 

He spoke in a twist, but he was talking about sex.

 

He wasn’t implying that he would force a physical relationship on Anna. He was saying that if she didn’t want to do it, she didn’t have to. He was expressing that he would respect her wishes and follow everything according to her will.

 

Lucino seemed to understand that Anna’s sudden question of why he was being nice to her meant that he was hoping for something in return.

 

He seemed worried that he would look unscrupulous. There were deep wrinkles between his eyebrows, and his tone was the most serious it had ever been.

 

The person who used to speak sensibly and eloquently seemed to have disappeared, leaving only a man who held his hands in a dumpling shape, raised them up, and shook them back and forth while speaking in a verbose manner.

 

That’s how unexpected Anna’s question was.

 

Ironically, his grumpy attitude made her like him even more.

Lucino, who had a confident attitude but didn’t know what to do, was cute. It was lovely to see the big man perplexed by her every word.

 

He seemed very embarrassed, even using the characteristic gestures of Italians she had only seen on TV to emphasize.

 

Anna wanted to make it clear to Lucino, who claimed that his mood improved when she smiled, about her choice.

 

“Is it so?”

 

“Yes. Please consider this as a pure favor.”

 

Lucino nodded with a look of resentment.

 

“Anna, if, by any chance, traveling with me becomes uncomfortable or if I make you feel any kind of discomfort, it’s okay for us to stop traveling together…”

 

“It’s okay to burden me…”

 

Anna muttered without listening to Lucino’s words until the end. It was a small voice, but loud enough for Lucino to hear.

 

“… It’s okay.”

 

After finishing speaking, Lucino’s eyes became widened a moment later. It was quite different from the facial expression of a man who joked with a relaxed expression about everything.

 

“Yes? Anna, what did you just say…”

 

He even stuttered.

 

“I think it’s okay for Lucino to be impure.”

 

Lucino opened his mouth until his jaw dropped. He seemed surprised by her honesty.

 

“Do you not want to become impure?”

 

Anna acted boldly. She was a person with weak self-esteem but courage.

 

Since she had imagined kissing Lucino, it seemed like she had desired to touch him. It felt like with this man, any kind of physical contact would be possible and she wanted it to become a reality.

 

It was okay to become a fire moth that gets caught in the light and burns to death. Anna was willing to burn herself.

 

“No!”

 

It was an immediate answer. After saying that, he quickly added:

 

“It would be a complete lie if I said I didn’t want it at all, but I never wanted to do something Anna didn’t like.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Anna blushed and smiled.

 

“I hoped you wouldn’t misunderstand me. Like… a playboy.”

 

When she heard that, she knew he was paying attention to what she said at lunch, even though he didn’t show it.

 

“I understood.”

 

The waiter brought the main dishes, steak and lamb stew.

 

The two just started eating without saying anything. However, an invisible tension filled the relationship between the two.

 

Anna was so nervous that she drank the wine like water.

 

“Anna.”

 

It was a low voice. The deep, low voice was filled with desire. The color of his kind eyes had changed.

 

“Yes?”

 

Without realizing it, the end of her answer was trembling.

 

“Don’t drink too much.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I don’t want to do it while I’m drunk.”

 

It was a voice full of impure intentions. Just as Anna wanted.

 

As Anna held the wine glass, her hand trembled slightly. A blush started spreading across her face, reaching down to her neck.

 

The blatant remark from the man who had carried himself so gallantly made her heart race. The gap was surprising, yet it didn’t feel unpleasant; rather, it felt alluring and sexy.

 

Anna felt like she might lose the wine glass because her hands were weak, so she hurriedly put the wine glass down on the table.

 

“… yes.”

 

He said to Anna, who was munching on her food.

 

“Eat a lot. It will be difficult if you get hungry after a while.”

 

The resonant low voice husked out like a scratch on a cello string.

 

Anna was so conscious of Lucino’s gaze that she couldn’t feel anything else. Sweat even formed in her hand holding the fork. Despite sitting still, her heart was pounding, and she felt a rising heat from head to toe.

 

The blue eyes, which could have seemed cold, looked feverish, as if they were going to eat her. A burning flame flickered in the emerald color that she thought was soft and gentle.

 

What she was eating was food. What she was putting in her mouth was a fork, and what she was lightly touching the tip of her tongue was also a fork.

 

But Anna felt as if she was being eaten and sucked by him.

 

Perhaps because Lucino saw her as a woman and wanted her, a strange feeling came from below even though she was just sitting still.

 

It felt like something deep between her legs was throbbing, and heat seemed to be pooling deep there.

 

Perhaps because of the heat that had been building up, she felt something flowing out from inside. She could clearly feel the tip of her breasts standing upright inside the bra cup.

 

Her body became so sensitive that she could feel everything intensely.

 

Even though he didn’t do anything, her underwear got wet just because his blue eyes were fixed on her the whole time.

 

The feeling of her bottom getting wet was embarrassing, but strangely enough, it made her even more excited. Even though she was dressed in perfect condition at the restaurant, she secretly felt horny.

 

Despite no one being able to notice the throbbing sensation between her legs, she felt a sense of shame due to being in a public place.

 

Even though nothing was touched, her mind was in disarray due to the pleasure building up within her as a woman, and the tension she felt.

 

It was a heat she had never experienced before. Despite her mind being clouded by intense sexual impulses, she couldn’t help but think that people could actually feel this way.

 

At that time.

Anna’s eyes widened.

 

“Ah…!”

 

Suddenly, something touched her toes.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

 

The sweet low sound only sounded rough as if the eardrum would melt. He was apologizing with a face that wasn’t sorry at all.

 

“It’s okay … ah …”

 

Anna tried to say it was okay, but she couldn’t finish her sentence and let out a very faint moan.

 

Something was slowly climbing up her calves. Even without looking under the table, she could tell that it was Lucino’s firm and rigid leg grazing against her calves.

 

Chewing his food slowly, he brushed Anna’s calf with his outstretched leg. He continued to move his legs while staring intently at Anna.

 

Anna had no choice but to press her thighs together as more and more force entered the space between her crotches.

 

However, she couldn’t move her leg away from where his leg was touching. She was trapped, unable to squirm like a deer caught in a trap. It felt as if her leg was tightly bound by invisible threads, rendering her unable to even move her leg.

 

He, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the situation. With a nonchalant expression contrasting Anna’s flushed face, he continued to eat his food and sip wine from his lips.

 

Anna noticed that his fiery blue eyes were also filled with excitement, as if they were reflecting her own.

 

The desires lurking within those large pupils seemed precarious and threatening, as if they could engulf her completely.

 

Anna couldn’t even taste the food and filled her stomach mechanically. She couldn’t even smell the fragrant wine.

 

The cityscape outside the window no longer caught her eye, and the romantic music playing in the background went unnoticed. However, she fell into the illusion that the sound of the fabric rustling against her skin seemed louder, as if amplifying in her perception.

 

The long meal ended only after tasting the saffron ice cream for dessert.

 

“Anna.”

 

“Yes?”

 

He held out his hand to her as she stood up. Anna happily took his hand.

 

The moment their hands touched, a hot thrill spread throughout her entire body, starting from the fingertips that were held. A tingling sensation ran down her spine, causing Anna’s body to tremble involuntarily.

 

“Shall we sleep at this hotel today?”

 

“Great.”

 

Unable to resist the tender yet passionately yearning gaze, Anna simply didn’t care about the hostel reservation anymore.

Chapter 7 will be the part you guys waiting for! 🤣