Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: An Old Rival Appears
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I didn't know it at the time, but Chang-sik actually liked kids more than I'd realized.
Still, since the kid was the daughter of Hyorin—the woman he'd once had feelings for—I worried it might make things awkward for no reason. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be dwelling on it that much.
"You're Hyorin's daughter, huh."
As he spoke, Chang-sik bent down on one knee to meet Daeun's gaze at her level.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Bae Chang-sik, a friend of your mom and dad."
At that, Daeun's eyes widened, and she asked,
"You're Uncle's rivawry?"
"Hah, what? Did your dad call me that?"
"Yes! Daddy calls Uncle rivawry."
Chang-sik glanced at me, looking surprised as he said,
"You've been thinking of me as your rival? What an honor."
Nonsense.
He stood up and looked around the studio.
"This is the studio provided by the department store, right?"
Did you know about this place?
"Why are you so surprised? I've had a few exhibitions here myself back in the day."
Apparently, while I'd been out of commission for those few years, the department store had hosted some exhibitions.
"Even so, it's surprising. I never imagined you'd have one here."
"Not me."
"Yeah, not you. Then who?"
Chang-sik's eyes widened as he looked around.
I figured maybe someone else was here, but who could that be?
Just then, Daeun, who was standing in front of me, shot her hand up high.
"Me! Daeun's doing the exhibition!"
"What? You—you're the one exhibiting?"
"Yes! Daeun's gonna show her drawings!"
Anyone unfamiliar with the full story would react just like Chang-sik.
Wanting confirmation of Daeun's words, Chang-sik turned to me and asked,
"Is that true?"
"Daeun just told you. She's the one doing the exhibition."
"Really, truly Daeun?"
Have you spent your whole life getting duped?
"Yeah, this exhibition is all her, and that's how we got to borrow this place."
Chang-sik looked at Daeun with a surprised expression.
Of course. Who would easily believe that a five-year-old was holding an exhibition?
"Impressive. Really impressive."
As he said that, Chang-sik examined the stack of Daeun's paintings that the staff had piled up in one corner.
"These are..."
Most of the paintings stacked there were the ones that had hung in our family room.
Precious works, each one filled with Daeun's heart.
Looking at them, Chang-sik said,
"With skill like this, yeah, she could definitely have an exhibition."
He flipped through them, checking the ones lower down.
Then.
He paused.
"That's Hyorin's."
Chang-sik's expression grew wistful as he gazed at Hyorin's painting.
It was understandable.
Considering everything that had happened in the meantime.
Just then, still staring wistfully at the painting, Chang-sik chuckled softly and turned to me.
"Man, how long has it been since I last saw you like this? Six years ago, maybe? Right before your wedding."
Before the wedding—that was probably the last time I'd seen him.
"Is that so?"
"Pretty sure. That was around when I let go of my feelings for Hyorin."
I met his gaze, which carried complicated emotions, and distant memories of the past surfaced.
There was only one reason Chang-sik had become my lifelong rival.
Chang-sik tilted his half-empty beer glass toward me as he said,
"Hey, I think I like Hyorin."
"...What?"
His sudden bombshell confession made my eyes bulge.
"It started around the beginning of the second semester when we first met, I guess. Ever since then, I've been into her. At first, I just noticed her because she was into Western art..."
His serious expression made it clear he meant it.
In response to his bombshell, I asked gravely,
"Why...?"
"Why? Does liking someone need a reason?"
Ugh, was Chang-sik always this straightforward? He had no qualms about expressing his feelings honestly.
The problem was that the object of those feelings was her.
"Why tell me?"
Chang-sik looked at me stone-faced and said,
"Because you and Hyorin are glued at the hip every day."
"No way... Is that why you asked to meet me alone today?"
"Why else would I wanna drink with some random guy?"
As he said that.
'I never realized Chang-sik liked Hyorin.'
I'd been completely oblivious. I'd just thought he was grabbing her to talk art since no one else discussed Western art.
"And there's another reason I told you. Though it seems like you've already guessed."
Gulp!
Chang-sik downed the rest of his beer in one go and asked,
"You dating Hyorin?"
If he'd planned to ask that, shouldn't it have come first?
The fact that he confessed his feelings before even confirming if we were together told me one thing about Chang-sik.
"You..."
"You're not, right?"
"..."
He knew and was just asking to confirm. Or even if he hadn't known, it didn't seem to matter much to him.
"No answer means you're not together, huh? So no problem if I like Hyorin."
"Hey."
"What?"
He asked curtly, his face sour.
His reaction left me dumbfounded, and I tilted my head.
"You knew and asked anyway."
"So what? And honestly, I'm only asking because we've at least said hi over the years. Otherwise, I'd just go for it."
What makes you so bold?
Fiddling with his empty glass, Chang-sik said,
"And don't think I haven't noticed—you like Hyorin too."
"..."
I had nothing to say to that.
"But the issue is you have no intention of telling her properly. Do I really need to show courtesy to a guy like that?"
In the end, what he wanted to say was that he liked Hyorin, I had no plans to confess, so he didn't care about me and was going straight for her. A declaration of war.
My fist clenched involuntarily.
I was angry.
Not because he was ignoring me and charging ahead right in front of me.
'What am I even doing?'
What pissed me off was that even in this situation, I still didn't know my own heart.
Was it okay for Hyorin to leave my side?
Was I really fine with her dating Chang-sik?
Just then, Chang-sik's words echoed in my mind.
You like Hyorin.
He was right. I did like her.
It wasn't just because she'd taken care of me all this time. I liked her for who she was, and I'd been thrilled when she'd shown her feelings for me.
But the reason I hadn't spoken up despite knowing her heart was...
'But... can I really make Hyorin happy?'
I'd scraped by each semester with part-time jobs just to pay tuition.
I hadn't created a single proper piece yet, and graduating wouldn't guarantee things got better.
Could someone like me really make her happy?
Wouldn't I just end up making things harder for her because of my shortcomings?
These doubts made me hesitate about my feelings for her.
Because I loved her and didn't want her to suffer.
That's why.
I envied Chang-sik, who could boldly express his feelings and charge straight ahead.
Thanks to his wealthy family, he never worried about tuition or living expenses while studying art. Even with a double major, money was no object.
I'd never been that jealous of his background before, but in this moment, I was insanely envious.
It was the driving force that let him go straight for the person he loved.
"So, this is my first and last request. Step aside from now on."
His words to back off struck my empty chest hard.
If I did, I'd really lose Hyorin—the fear swallowed me whole.
He stood up after saying that and said to me, still sitting there dazed,
"See you at school tomorrow. Hope you don't forget what I said..."
"No."
I cut him off deliberately and stood up.
Chang-sik scowled at my sudden interruption.
"What?"
But ignoring his crumpled expression, I said,
"I can't do that."
"Can't... do that?"
"Yeah. As you already know, I like Hyorin too. So I can't."
My bottled-up feelings overflowed into words.
Like my heart had burst from overload, everything poured out unfiltered.
"If we're measuring by how long, I've liked her way longer than you. And by how much, way more too. I won't lose or tie."
Chang-sik's face crumpled pathetically.
"What the hell? You've been quiet all this time, and now that I say I like her, you jump in? What, you think I'll give her up?"
Watch your mouth, kid.
"You're not entirely uninvolved. But that didn't change my feelings. If she could be happy with you, I might've stayed quiet."
That was sincere. But it wasn't the end of it.
"Then..."
Smiling at his puzzled question, I explained.
What had changed my mind.
"I think I can make Hyorin happy. Way more than you."
If success was what it took to make her happy.
'I'll do it. I'll succeed.'
I'd succeed somehow.
To make Hyorin happy.
Slurp.
Chang-sik downed a cup of coffee in seconds.
"Mm, the coffee here's good."
"Yeah, I tried it too. They make it well here."
Slurp!
I chugged mine just as fast and looked at Chang-sik across from me.
And in the meantime.
Daeun, with her sparkling eyes, alternated glances between me and Chang-sik before asking,
"So this uncle could be Daeun's daddy too?"
Cough, hack!
"What?"
"I mean, this uncle...!"
"Call him Uncle Chang-sik, okay?"
"Yes! Uncle Chang-sik could be daddy too!"
If that had happened, Daeun wouldn't even exist.
But no need to get into those details.
"When you think about it, maybe..."
Daeun pondered for a moment, then pouted and said,
"Daeun wikes daddy, doesn't want Uncle Chang-sik as daddy."
Chang-sik let out a hollow laugh at that.
"Wow... Like mother, like daughter. Says the exact same thing."
I thought the same.
Daeun took after her mom so much.
"Daeun and Mommy magpie story too."
Not exactly the same, but awfully similar to what Hyorin had said.
Even now, years later, I remembered that scene vividly, like a video.
I hate you. I like Kanghyeok. So don't like me.
Hyorin was cooler than I'd ever imagined.