The Day I Kissed An Older Man

Her dream took place when she was a kid.
Being sick in her dream, her mother brought her to the hospital. While she had her drip, her mother -having asked if she was
hungry–told her she would be right back after buying her a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Before her mother left, she took a good look at Corinne when she was at the door, and her eyes were teary.
Her mother’s face was blurry in that dream. No matter how hard she tried, she could not see her mother’s actual face.
After that, Marvin came to the hospital and told her, “I’m your father. Remember that you’re a Carew from now on. Do you
understand? Now, come with me. I’m bringing you home.”
She was too young at that time to remember what her last name was. Did she have her mother’s last name?
All she could remember was her mother gently calling her nickname–‘Moonie‘. The day she knew her last name was Carew, her
name became Luna Carew.
When she lived in the convent, Mother Catharina said her name sounded too cold. ‘Luna‘ meant the moon and also silver in
alchemy. It was not good for her, especially since none of her family members wanted her.
Thus, Mother Catharina made the decision to change her name to Corinne, saying that she was a beautiful maiden and that the
name also symbolized a spear. In combination, Mother Cathrina hoped Corinne would become a female warrior who possessed
great beauty and strength.
In addition, Mother Catharina warned her from giving her heart to someone else. She must know how to protect herself and
avoid revealing her weakest core to anyone.
From then onward, she was known as Corinne Carew.
To her, Mother Catharina was the only person who gave her warmth that she barely received in her childhood.
The dream was like a maze. No matter how fast she ran or searched, she could not find the exit.
Sometimes, she would see Mother Catharina in the maze, and she would say to her with a sad face, “Corinne, you need to be
careful when you’re alone in New Capital City. Don’t trust anyone easily, especially men...”

Sometimes, she would see her mother, who would smile gently at her and say, “Moonie, I’m going to buy a bowl of chicken
noodle soup for you. I’ll be right back...”
She could see them, but she could never reach them.
Mother Catharina disappeared. Her mother turned around and walked away, her pacing too quick.
Corinne panicked and tried to chase after her mother, wanting to go with her. Just as she reached her, however, she found
herself suddenly falling into an empty well
The light above her gradually disappeared, and when she looked up, she realized someone was using a rock to cover the well.
She realized she was in a pitch–black environment. She yelled for help, but her voice could not reach the outside world.
Then, something terrible happened.
Water started coming out of the well, and the water level rose until it finally drowned her. She tried hard to climb up the well, yet it
was all for naught.
Drowned, suffocated, near–death-
Abruptly, Corinne woke up from her dream. The room was dark, warm, and quiet. Nothing happened.
It was just a dream.
Before Corinne could dwell on the relief she felt, she found herself tasting the faint taste of tobacco flavor in her mouth.
That was weird. She never smoked, so why would there be tobacco flavor in her mouth?
Corinne furrowed her brow. Finally, she realized two rough fingers were pinching her chin. Someone was biting her lip and
somewhat chewing on them.
With the moonlight outside the window, she finally got a clear view of the man’s face in front of her.
It was Jeremy.
‘Mister... is kissing me?!‘ she gasped internally.