Kim Donghu appeared in dreams.
And it wasn’t just Kim Sujin who experienced it.
“W-Wait... honeymoon... starting like this right after entering that hotel... Ah, uh... ugh... if this keeps up, we’ll be stuck in that hotel the entire time.”
Starting with Ryu Jaerin.
Every woman who had feelings for Kim Donghu dreamed similarly.
Especially—
“Wait, ah, I-I... for the first time, h-hng... mm!”
Even Evelyn, who had just come of age and knew plenty in theory—
But had no actual experience.
“Something that b-big is just... impossible... a-ah!”
She couldn’t handle the things happening in the dream and woke up abruptly.
“N-No way... did I just have... a dirty dream... about Kim Donghu?”
Stunned by the absurdity of it all, she hesitated.
Then she felt something sticky and immediately threw off her blanket.
And there—
“Kyaaaaaaaaah!”
For the first time in her life, she witnessed something completely unexpected.
*****
News Headlines
“Kim Donghu Secures Olympic Qualification. First Place in Asian Preliminaries.”
“Can Korea Make History in the Heavyweight Division? Experts Doubt Medal Chances, Netizens Outraged.”
“Korean Boxing Association to Undergo Major Restructuring.”
“KBA President Lee Yongseom: ‘We’ll Follow Archery’s Example and Overhaul the System Completely—Please Support Us!’”
Kim Donghu took first place in the Asian preliminaries as if to prove miracles don’t exist.
He defeated the favorites from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with first-round KOs—
So dominantly that some even raised suspicions of doping.
“Kim Donghu Refuses to Train with National Team.”
“Solo Training Controversy? KBA Responds: ‘No Issue—Boxing Relies More on Individual Training.’”
“Only Four Months Left Until Rio Olympics—Can Kim Donghu Really Go for Gold?”
Four months of preparation followed.
During this time, Kim Donghu stated he would focus solely on training and had no plans for external activities.
However—
“This is Veritas Management, Kim Donghu’s agency, right? I’m from Adihes.”
“I’m from Redhorn. We want to form a partnership with Kim Donghu.”
Companies eager to partner with him couldn’t be turned away.
Yet, an unexpected issue arose for those companies.
“These contract terms are very clear.”
“Yes, we’ll review them and get back to you after further discussion.”
It didn’t follow the usual sponsorship contract flow.
Normally, when an unknown athlete suddenly gained popularity, contracts were rushed, and everyone celebrated the quick deals.
‘He’s incredibly meticulous, probably because of his solid career as an actor.’
‘He’s securing his position smartly.’
Both Veritas Management and Kim Donghu led negotiations in their favor, familiar with this type of situation.
Adihes and Redhorn, typically taking their time to gain the upper hand—
‘We need him. We absolutely need him.’
‘Our headquarters is desperate to secure Kim Donghu.’
The desire to partner with Kim Donghu was overwhelming.
But that didn’t mean they suffered losses.
Kim Donghu proposed something incredibly intriguing.
“I believe I’m currently at my lowest point.”
“Your lowest point?”
“Yes. Signing a contract now is actually a blessing for you.”
An unexpected statement.
“When I return here with a gold medal, won’t our positions look very different?”
Frankly, it sounded ridiculous.
Predicting his own victory?
But it wasn’t entirely baseless.
After all, he had already KO’d the favorites from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in the first round.
It wasn’t just delusion or arrogance.
“A company that recognizes gold—a company that recognizes victory... wouldn’t people care more about that story?”
How do you sell products?
How do you build loyalty to a brand?
Through a company’s vision and story.
And in this case—
‘The story Kim Donghu is pitching is incredibly compelling.’
‘If he really wins gold, just imagine the impact.’
If they could use Kim Donghu to expand deeper into the Asian market—
This contract would be nothing more than a small investment.
‘This is an investment.’
‘His eyes—those eyes mean business. Fine, I’ll trust you.’
Adihes and Redhorn agreed to favorable terms with Kim Donghu.
The entire contract hinged on one condition—
It would only take effect if Kim Donghu won gold.
[Olympic Qualification Confirmed]
[Scheduled Death Delayed Once Again.]
[Survive Until the Rio Olympics and Win Gold in Heavyweight Boxing to Postpone Death Further.]
[Change Your Fate.]
Kim Donghu had a reason why he absolutely had to win gold.
“I must... I absolutely must...”
And he was ready to give it his all to achieve it.
*****
Time flew by again, and June arrived.
It was the season to start preparing for the trip to Rio de Janeiro.
“Sujin, it’s about time you expanded your range. Romantic comedies could be good for you.”
“I know, right?”
Kim Sujin chatted with her manager while flipping through a script in the van.
She rolled the lemon candy in her mouth absentmindedly.
“But... I don’t really feel like it right now.”
“Actresses need romantic comedies to really make it big. You know that.”
“I know, but...”
If I’m going to do a romantic comedy, I want to do it with Donghu.
Sujin swallowed those words before they could slip out.
‘There are kissing scenes now that I’m an adult...’
And if she had to do them, she wanted it to be with Donghu.
Not just her first kiss—everything.
She didn’t want to share any of it with anyone but Kim Donghu.
Of course, she knew this was far from the mindset a professional actress should have.
‘I could always use a body double for those scenes, right?’
She understood how arrogant and naive it was for a rising actress to think like this.
But even so, Sujin couldn’t get Kim Donghu out of her mind.
‘Didn’t he say something about when we’re adults?’
Maybe that’s why she’d been having those kinds of dreams lately.
The thought made her snatch up her phone.
<What are you doing?>
>Me?
>Just resting.
<At home?>
>Yeah, no workouts today. Focusing on recovery.
Resting.
Sujin’s lips curled into a subtle smile.
<Then can I come over?>
<I won’t bother you if it’s a bad time.>
>How could you bother me while I’m resting?
>I’m bored anyway. Come over.
<Okay!>
That was the end of their texts.
Without hesitation, Sujin had the van reroute toward Donghu’s neighborhood.
‘I can’t let them know I’m going to his place.’
The best excuse for stopping nearby was Daejong High School.
“Why Daejong High all of a sudden?”
“I just need to check something.”
“Oh, okay then.”
After a quick U-turn, they arrived at Daejong High.
With her disguise perfected, Sujin dashed straight toward Donghu’s apartment.
Five minutes after their text exchange—
Click.
Without hesitation, Sujin punched in the door lock code and stepped inside.
“Donghu, I’m here.”
“Huh? You’re early.”
“I was nearby.”
“Oh, so that’s why you texted.”
A smooth lie.
And Donghu bought it without a second thought.
“Ahhh! What are you doing?”
Sujin gasped.
“What?”
“Why—why aren’t you wearing a shirt?!”
“Oh, I was about to work out.”
“Work out? But it’s your rest day.”
“Yeah, but I have too much energy.”
Too much energy?
The moment he said it, Sujin’s mind flashed to a story about Mike Tyson.
About how he burned off energy before matches by hooking up with women.
“R-Right. I guess that makes sense.”
Her voice involuntarily softened as the thought sank in.
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“What’s that in your hand?”
“My hand? What do you mean?”
“The script. Are you reading it?”
“Oh?”
Wait—when did she grab the script?
She must’ve held onto it without realizing.
Sujin shrugged.
“It’s nothing. I’m not taking this role.”
“Not taking it? What’s the script for?”
“It’s a romance. I turned it down because of the kissing scenes.”
The conversation shifted to something casual.
“Kissing scenes?”
“Yeah.”
Sujin wanted to be brave.
To tell him the truth—that she turned it down because of him.
That she only wanted to do romantic scenes with him.
And it wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment feeling.
Years ago, they’d promised to film a romance together when they were older.
‘You probably don’t even remember.’
It wouldn’t be surprising if he’d forgotten, considering how busy he’d been.
But—
“Of course you can’t do it. We promised we’d do one together first.”
“W-What?”
Sujin froze.
“You—you remember that?”
“Remember what? That we’d film a romance together?”
“Yeah!”
“Of course I do. I’m twenty now. My memory’s not bad.”
Her heart pounded.
“Then... you’d do a kissing scene with me? In a romance? Really?”
“Huh? Is that where this conversation was going?”
Donghu laughed and flashed a mischievous grin.
“Of course.”
His answer was so direct that it made her head spin.
“T-Then... practice with me. Right now.”
Maybe it was his confidence.
Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline.
Either way, Sujin suddenly felt bolder than ever.
Sometimes fate struck out of nowhere—
And opportunities only came once.
‘If not now, then when?’
“Right now? Should we?”
Donghu’s easygoing smile made him look like he thought this was all a joke.
‘That’s why he’s still so relaxed.’
Sujin hated it.
She was being serious, and her feelings were real.
“Yes, right now.”
Determined, Sujin took a step closer.
“I told you before to think about how I feel when I say these things.”
And he’d said back then—
He’d think about it when they were adults.
She knew this was happening way too fast.
But—
“Guess how I feel right now. Think about what I meant by that.”
Scripts kept coming her way.
She couldn’t just sit and wait forever.
And—
With a gulp, Sujin closed the distance between them.
She stood on tiptoes, shut her eyes, and—
Donghu leaned in without a word.
Their lips met.
“Hnng...!”
A hot breath escaped Sujin’s mouth.
The house was cool, filled only with the hum of the air conditioner.
It wasn’t even hot yet—it was June.
Her first kiss—
‘...Ah.’
It tasted like lemon candy.