Wouldn’t it be awkward if her boyfriend suddenly showed up at the reunion?
Byeol wanted to show off, but she didn’t have a specific plan.
So, I decided to co up with a short sche.
“You said you’d be quick.”
“…Huh?”
We promised to have a brief conversation at the reunion and then go on a date afterward.
So, the plan was that her boyfriend () would co to pick her up right outside.
The rest of the reunion attendees would naturally invite to join them.
That way, I could naturally blend into the gathering.
“Wow….”
All eyes were on .
Their gazes were mixed with admiration and envy. It seed my charm was indeed working on them.
“Don’t go, stay here and chat with us. Byeol was just talking about her boyfriend.”
“Oh, really? Noona, is that true?”
Byeol widened her eyes and looked at when she heard soone call her ‘nuna.’
She seed eager to brag, so I decided to play along.
Did she not catch my intention?
Byeol, who was usually more sociable, was now at a loss, surprised by my different deanor.
“Was she talking about ?”
“…Oh? Ah, yes! She was talking about Shiheon….”
I smiled and gave her a hint, and she belatedly nodded.
The won around us looked very intrigued.
“Boyfriend, you should join us.”
“Oh, should I? But… I didn’t make a reservation, is that okay?”
“It’s fine! There are always a lot of no-shows anyway.”
“Ah, I see.”
The girl sitting in the front row tapped the shoulder of the guy next to Byeol.
“Hey, move over. Make so room.”
“Okay, okay. Got it.”
I naturally sat next to Byeol.
The girl next to was tense and stiffened.
“….”
Babbling.
Why wasn’t she saying anything?
Didn’t she want to show off?
Putting an arm around her shoulder and showing so affection wasn’t difficult, so why was she acting like this?
“…Wow, he’s really handso. Is it okay to say that? Do you have any special abilities?”
“Abilities? No.”
“Really? Wow.”
When Byeol remained silent, the won around us started bombarding with questions.
They probably thought I had so unique ability related to charm from an awakening.
When I flatly denied it, the excitent around grew.
“How did you two et?”
“We t on a blind date… I liked her so much that we decided to date that day. I didn’t know she was the vice president though….”
“Ah, I see~”
Every ti I answered, the atmosphere beca more lively.
When a woman joined a gathering of n, the mood changed dramatically, and that’s exactly how it felt now.
‘…She’s not saying a word.’
As I talked, I turned to look at Byeol.
She was stiff as a board.
It would be understandable if she was shy, but she seed completely spaced out, which worried .
“Noona.”
“…Yes?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
I reached out and touched her forehead.
As her bangs moved aside, her fair forehead was revealed.
Her pupils, shaped like stars, stared into space.
It didn’t seem like she had a fever, but I wasn’t sure if she was okay.
I ca with a light heart, but her reaction made concerned.
Byeol was staring blankly at my hand.
Then, her face started to turn red like a strawberry.
Hiccup.
A cute hiccup escaped her lips.
“Noona?”
“No, no fever!”
“Do you have a cold? Should I get you so dicine?”
“…No, it’s not a cold.”
She answered shortly and chugged her beer.
The people watching Byeol seed a bit surprised.
As if they were seeing a new side of her.
They looked at her with curiosity.
“How long have you been dating?”
“Um… about two months? Noona isn’t usually like this with , but she seems really shy in front of her friends.”
She was cute, but it felt like we were deviating from the original plan.
Byeol avoided the gazes around her.
Then, a woman who had been watching us from earlier spoke up jokingly.
“…Wow, he’s really cool. Byeol must have blackmailed you into dating her, right? Since she’s the vice president.”
Flinch-
Byeol’s shoulders trembled.
She must have decided she needed to refute this, as she opened her mouth to speak.
“Oh… no, that’s not it.”
Her voice was barely audible.
That confident and cute Byeol, who was savvy with internet slang.
Why would she be so intimidated in front of friends who knew her past?
I knew her pride had hit rock bottom, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
‘She said she changed after her parents passed away.’
She hated her pathetic self.
Byeol tried to bury and forget that part of herself.
But when she faced people who knew her past, she probably couldn’t help but recall her old self.
Perhaps she hoped to overco this trauma by coming to the reunion with .
Was I overthinking it?
At least from my perspective, it seed so.
Even Jin Dallae, Lee Seyeong, Baekdo, and Hwangdo were all tied to their pasts.
At least as a partner, I would watch over her.
“Did she really catch a weak spot?”
“Uh… uh?”
I casually wrapped my arm around Byeol’s shoulder.
With her small head cradled in my arm, I gently pulled her towards and hugged her lightly.
Byeol, not understanding the situation, looked at with a puzzled expression.
Her eyes seed tired.
I poked her soft cheek and giggled.
“If liking soone is a weakness, then yes, she caught a weakness.”
“…Uh, uh?”
I tried to look as affectionate as possible, patting her head gently.
Byeol’s face turned as red as heated tal from the sudden display of affection.
She was so flustered that her body trembled like a vibrating phone.
“Oh, co on, this is too much.”
“Pffft.”
The act of inflaming the hearts of singles around us caused them to joke in frustration.
However, I could clearly see so of the won’s envious glances.
If Byeol was sensitive to their gazes, she would have noticed too.
She deserved to boast a bit after all her efforts.
Although jealousy was inevitable, having always sat in a corner of the classroom, she deserved to enjoy this attention at least once.
“…”
Byeol was looking towards .
Her tightly pursed lips trembled, and her half-open eyes were moist.
She glanced around and then…
“You two look good together.”
She gradually changed her expression.
“Oh, thanks.”
With that response, she lowered her head into my chest.
“My boyfriend… is too good for .”
A soft smile blood on her lips.
The beautiful smile, like a delicate flower, made even the jealous won look away.
She seed much more relaxed now.
I reverted to my usual expression and grinned mischievously.
Slowly, I led her back to her original personality.
“Oh, I did get caught in a weak spot.”
“…Huh?”
“Well, on our blind date, she said I had to date her or it would be a big problem.”
“Hey, when did I say that…”
“But I liked her too, so I agreed to date her.”
“…You, ugh.”
Pat, pat.
She tried to pull away from my embrace, hitting my shoulder.
I laughed and hugged her tighter.
“Last ti, we played a ga with a kiss on the line, and Byeol-noona intentionally lost.”
“Oh really? Byeol is so cute, pfft.”
“Oh! I didn’t do that!”
Byeol shrieked.
But she was surprised by her own voice and widened her eyes.
She looked at , blinked, then glanced around, blinking again.
Finally, she looked back at .
“Did Byeol really do that? She won a ga competition in high school. But in front of her boyfriend, she’s a fox.”
“I’m telling you, she did! But more like a puppy than a fox.”
Byeol awkwardly smiled at my casual response.
I gently stroked her hair.
“She’s like a puppy but has many delicate parts. I’m younger, but you wouldn’t know who’s younger.”
“That’s true, pfft.”
“Right? The past doesn’t matter. She gets intimidated for no reason. She’s pretty and capable.”
“Yeah, Byeol does have that side.”
“She’s so reliable as the vice president. But seeing her get intimidated makes worry. That’s why I want to carry her on my back.”
True love, huh.
I heard soone say that from sowhere.
It was a casual remark in our daily conversation, but it must have struck a chord with Byeol.
Byeol was trying hard to laugh.
“Oh, when did I do that?”
“I’m serious.”
“…Hey.”
“Heh heh. I need to use the restroom.”
Leaving the dazed Byeol for a mont, I headed to the restaurant’s restroom.
Standing at the urinal, I cooled down.
‘It feels so awkward to say things I didn’t plan to.’
-Swoosh.
Listening to the sound of water from the surrounding urinals, I took a breather.
This should be enough to show off my boyfriend status, right?
I hoped Byeol felt more confident.
-Creak.
A classmate of Byeol, who followed in, stood next to and unzipped his pants.
Then he glanced down at my pants.
As I subtly moved to the right to avoid his blatant stare, the guy gulped nervously.
“…”
He suddenly looked at my thing, got intimidated, and left.
…What?
I stood there, dumbfounded, watching the guy wash his hands and leave.
He never looked back at again.
“Byeol, your boyfriend seems like a really nice person.”
A jealous remark.
But it was a different kind of jealousy than what she had encountered before.
There was no hidden malice or barbs that made her curl up inside and endure the stress.
Just simple envy.
…Almost like admiration.
-I wonder if I could ever et a partner like that soday.
-I’m envious that you t soone like that.
Their intentions were clear.
Outsiders who always stayed in the background were naturally good at reading people’s expressions.
“You have a good eye.”
“…Really?”
Her heart pounded.
Sure, Lee Shiheon had many won around him… but at least when dating or eting soone, he never neglected the relationship.
He truly cherished and cared for his people.
Every word he said pierced her heart deeply.
Whether it was genuine concern or a mix of intentions to help her regain her spirit, it didn’t matter.
“Your boyfriend really takes good care of you… he looks like he’d carry you on his back.”
“…Really?”
“If you don’t realize that, you’re a fool. Don’t take him for granted.”
She took to heart the constructive advice from so of her classmates.
-You’re pretty and capable enough.
Pretty… they said she was pretty.
She smiled shyly when Shiheon wasn’t around.
“…I did find a good guy. Hehe.”
“See? I told you so.”
They agreed with a hearty slap on the back.
When Lee Shiheon returned from the restroom and sat next to her, she had sowhat shaken off her uneasy feelings.
“Finally, you’re smiling.”
He smiled mischievously as soon as he saw her.
At first, she was simply attracted to his appearance, which matched her ideal type.
But now… she looked beyond his face.
‘…He’s handso.’
Not the conventional social standards of beauty. That wasn’t it.
When she realized it, she…
She wanted to et soone with similar hobbies who cared for her like this.
They said there’s no such thing as an ideal romantic relationship.
That if you got hurt once, it lasted forever. That you had to live with so compromises.
Finding soone who matched your heart and brought joy just by being around.
If that’s a naive dream of a young girl’s romance…
…She didn’t mind being called childish for the rest of her life.
“Shiheon.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go now.”
There was sowhere she wanted to go.
With him.
Reviews
All reviews (0)