The 3-Year Love Bet
When Mary's scream rang out, the emotion I felt wasn't anything other than a sudden impatience. If something had happened to that girl, I probably would have spent the rest of my life tormented by guilt. Yeah, thank goodness it wasn't too late. At that moment, I was genuinely relieved that the girl riding on my back was safe.
-Kkiiing, ngh.
But for our Chabchu, who adored Mary so much, something still felt off, it seemed. Even as she walked alongside me, the whine in Chabchu's voice as she looked up at Mary on my back carried a hint of resentment. From that alone, I could vaguely guess Mary's condition without even turning around.
"Did what I said earlier hurt you that much?"
Even after I'd rescued her, she hadn't shown any sharp reaction. The wound from my words must still sting too much for her to feel any gratitude toward me.
"......What."
Yet Mary replied curtly, as if trying to hide her feelings. I cut straight to the point with something I'd been mulling over.
"I mean, when I said I don't like you."
"......"
"Should I apologize after all?"
"......No need. For something like that."
The hands gripping my shoulders tightened, and her face buried deeper into my back. She seemed desperate to hide her emotions, but the words coming from her mouth were the complete opposite of what she truly felt.
"I've known for a while that you hate me anyway."
"Hate me......?"
"Then you don't? You find it annoying every time I pick a fight with you."
Annoying...... Sure, her constant interruptions during my study time had made me think that more than once, but I'd never imagined this tomboyish girl was aware of it.
"I know. I'm not a kid anymore like I was back then...... I've been acting so arrogant toward you all this time, and I know exactly how that looks to everyone else."
Were those words, born from that awareness, rooted in self-loathing? Because of what I'd said, was she reflecting on her past actions and truly regretting them?
"But even knowing that, I can't stop."
Yeah, she was only feeling that regret now, which is why her voice was laced with such anguish.
"You've been a pain in my ass since way back. Acting all mature like you're some grown-up, comparing yourself to me when all the other kids look up to you—it just felt so arrogant."
It started from the childish rivalry of a time when she thought she was the best in the world. Even as time passed and she matured, realizing it was wrong, she was still just a teenage student who hadn't even entered society yet. For this girl, raised as the heir to a massive corporation and taught only to stand above others, treating someone as an equal must feel like uncharted territory.
"I gradually realized it was wrong, but I had no idea how to actually treat you......"
Just a kid who'd been ignorant, nothing more. Yet feeling her body tremble with guilt made my heart grow heavier by the second.
"So, you hated me that much?"
Mary asked in that state, her question adding fuel to the knot in my chest.
"I was that annoying to you? So much that you never wanted to see my face again...... That's why you said you hated me so bluntly to my face?"
I hate you. If I said that, our relationship would end right there.
"What if I did say I hate you?"
"Then I'd hate you too."
Her follow-up words, confirming it all, made a corner of my heart ache.
"I'd cut you off and spend my life cursing you. And when you end up miserable without me, I'd laugh my ass off. Serves you right for daring to dump me."
From the resentment spat by this girl who'd shared most of my second life, I felt the life I'd built crumbling away. Protecting my own wounds by hurting others filled me with doubt, and I could foresee that feeling would never fade.
"So, please don't say you hate me."
The girl whispered toward me like that. Maybe with a desperation you could call pleading. Yet her voice carried a hint of resignation too.
"If I hear that, the pain in my chest right now would just get worse......"
Carrying the girl who voiced her torment like that, I pondered for a while what to say back. Saying I hated her would end it all. The thing I feared most wouldn't happen, and she wouldn't suffer because of me. Pain is temporary, and time would make her forget it anyway. But caving to her fear of that pain might bring even greater suffering later.
"It hurts me a little too. Hearing you say you hate me."
But even brief pain is still pain. Unlike me, she was still young and unaccustomed to it, so she'd live in fear of future wounds. The same fear of getting hurt that made me keep my distance from liking someone.
"What......?"
"We're childhood friends. Closer than some classmate you've known for just a year."
From kindergarten through elementary and middle school, we'd steadily built our bond. Closer than family...... No, in terms of emotional ties without blood, maybe even closer than family.
"We've known each other so long that hearing you say you hate me now would hurt my feelings too."
Yeah, that's what childhood friends are. Ruining that bond terrified me, so I said something that might contradict my resolve, just to maintain our current relationship.
"What the hell? That's so selfish. You say you hate me, but you don't want to be hated back......"
"You're misunderstanding. I don't hate you at all. I just said I can't like you romantically—I've never once thought of you as a person I dislike."
How could I hate her? Among all the relationships I'd formed excluding family, she was the only one who'd stuck with me consistently for over ten years. If we're talking like or dislike, she's definitely on the like side. From my perspective, more like an adult watching a child's growth than a mere friend. With her strong pride, arrogance mixed with affection, and inability to express herself honestly—leading to all that tsundere snapping—I wanted to see her grow into a proper lady with my own eyes. Before I knew it, that desire had become one of the goals of this second life.
"You're not at fault at all, Mary. It's just that I'm the one with a too-negative view of the world...... I'm a bad guy who finds it hard to share affection separate from just getting along with people, so I can't accept your feelings."
So I hoped she wouldn't hurt anymore. Even if she got hurt, let it be minor, and let her step forward as an adult, overcoming that pain.
"So don't take it too hard. I don't hate you, and aside from dating, I'm willing to keep our relationship exactly as it is from now on."
"Really......?"
As if my wish had gotten through, the grip on my shoulders gradually loosened.
"Yeah, you're an attractive girl, and there are plenty of guys out there who'd like you romantically besides me."
But the moment she heard those follow-up words, her hands clenched again, and I felt her trembling even more clearly. Had I said something wrong? For this girl who still hadn't shaken off her feelings for me, did hearing she needed to move on feel unacceptable?
-Brring!
As that anxiety flickered through my mind, the ringing phone jolted me. I paused my thoughts and picked it up to check the screen amid the vibrations.
Jessie Cage. Mary's maid.
-Young master, have you found the young lady?
"Ah, yes. I found her, and I'm taking her back home now......"
Come to think of it, they must have been searching hard too, yet she called first. That thought lasted only a moment.
Suddenly, Mary snatched the phone and hung up on her own, then slid down from my back, putting distance between us.
"Mary?"
"This is far enough. I can go the rest of the way alone."
With those words, she limped away. I knew she was pushing herself, but I couldn't bring myself to stop her. I just inwardly pondered how to wrap up this parting.
But the farewell that should have come naturally felt choked off today, heavy with emotion. See you tomorrow, or the next day, or someday...... I couldn't shake the thought that the gap between us had grown too wide for such words.
-Kkiiing.
As I stood alone on the street, Chabchu whined resentfully at my side. Realizing how late it was, I picked up the leash I'd dropped somewhere and turned away from the direction Mary had gone.
"Yeah, let's head home."
Maybe this was for the best. At least we'd avoided the worst outcome. Shaking off my hesitation, I set off for home.
Like soil hardening after rain. Hoping time would forge her tender heart.
Yeah, even though I'd half-expected we'd never face each other again.
-Brring, brring!
A few months after hearing I'd gotten into my dream school, as I was preparing for the entrance ceremony, a call came from a familiar name. After a moment's hesitation, I steeled myself and answered.
"......Mary?"
-Got time?
A firm voice. No trace of the sadness she'd shown last time. It carried a resolve, almost steely determination.
"Even if I said no, you'd make me come out anyway, right?"
-Exactly. You gonna defy me, Kim Manbung?
Was it bravado, or had she grown past that day's hurt?
"Where's the spot?"
"Cherry Blossom Park. And......"
Whatever it was, as the adult who'd watched her all this time, I couldn't just stand by. With that judgment, I agreed to meet, and Mary laid out her demands in a weighted tone.
"Wear your uniform when you come."
"Uniform?"
"You passed the exam, so you must have it ready."
"......Got it. Be there soon."
There must be a reason. I threw on the uniform and headed to Cherry Blossom Park, the meeting spot she'd named.
True to its name, around this time of year, the trees planted everywhere were bursting with pale pink petals. There, a girl with twintails waited ahead of me, her gaze fixed honestly in the direction I'd come from.
Even though it was farther from her mansion than from mine—had she been waiting since she called?
"......You wore the uniform."
Seeing Mary in her uniform suddenly hit me: she's a high schooler now too. Soon, after this phase, she'd become a lady.
"So did you."
Her eyes seriously scanned me over as she spoke. I chuckled and replied as lightly as possible.
"You told me to."
"Yeah. It's a sight we'll be seeing until we're sick of it. Me, and you."
But her next words carried weight, and their meaning ran counter to the anxiety I'd imagined. Seeing each other in uniforms until we're sick of it meant she'd keep facing me at school from now on. To me, that sounded like maintaining our current relationship.
Not as lovers, but as childhood friends, with the same annoying days ahead......
"Mary, I......"
"No, don't say a word. I've already decided how this goes with you."
No, that's not it. The look in her eyes as she faced me wasn't resignation—it was pure resolve.
"Thinking about it, you're pretty arrogant. A commoner like you, presuming to judge my feelings without even asking and rejecting me...... You think you have the right to dump me?"
Pride born from her upbringing. It felt thicker than usual, surely to mask the truth behind what she'd say next. That's just who she was. In an environment that bred arrogance, she couldn't honestly show her fragile heart.
"But I'm magnanimous, so I'll give you a chance. It's the perfect way for us anyway."
As the girl tried to play the strong one like always, I easily foresaw what was coming and braced myself.
"What's the game?"
We'd always settled things with bets, so our future would be decided the same way.
"Whoever says 'I like you' first."
She said it to me, her face flushed cherry-blossom pink in the breeze, pointing her finger my way to show her resolve.
"From high school entrance to graduation—three years. We'll bet on who says 'I like you' to the other first!"
Still not entirely honest. But having finally acknowledged her own heart, her declaration carried a determination stronger than ever before.