Proof (3)
I blinked. “Huh?”
Had I heard that wrong?
“You and Gong Haeseon. Are you two dating?”
…Haeseon?
“…No?”
The moment the word left my mouth, Min Soyeon’s expression grew even more terrifying. What the hell was going on…?
“…Then do you like her?”
“…Me?”
I was slightly flustered by the sudden question. Gong Haeseon? Of course I liked her. Not love, but like. Who could possibly dislike someone that cute and kind?
She was resourceful, had a good heart, and was incredibly considerate. Not to mention her looks. Every time she smiled shyly, a warm smile would automatically creep across my face.
But that clearly wasn’t the kind of “like” Min Soyeon was asking about.
“…I don’t have any romantic feelings for her.”
At that moment, Min Soyeon’s frightening scowl shifted into something strangely subtle.
“You piece of shit.”
Suddenly…?
While I was still reeling from the random insult, she glared at me sharply and continued.
“…If you don’t even like her, why do you act like that?”
“…W-what did I…?”
What on earth had I done…?
Then Min Soyeon suddenly shoved her face right up to mine.
“…Are you seriously asking because you don’t know?”
She was so close I could count her eyelashes. Deciding it was too close, I leaned my head back slightly and answered.
“…Did I do something wrong…?”
The way she was acting made me feel like I really had messed up somehow. She stared at me intensely for a long moment before letting out a short sigh and pulling back.
“…I’m not like that, but girls like her start misunderstanding if you’re even a little nice to them. What are you going to do if she confesses?”
…Ah.
I let out a heavy sigh at her words. I was aware that Gong Haeseon had some level of affection for me. She wouldn’t have given me her number or taken care of me in so many ways if she felt nothing.
But I didn’t have any romantic feelings toward her. No matter how charming she was, in my eyes she was just a seventeen-year-old kid. She was the same age as Soyeon—practically my daughter’s age. What kind of feelings could I possibly have for someone like that?
If Gong Haeseon confessed to me… I would obviously turn her down. There was nothing more heartbreaking during school years than being rejected by someone you liked.
…Of course, I hadn’t given up and had eventually won that love in my past life… but in the end, I would only end up hurting that sweet girl.
Love during school years lasts a lifetime. Whether it works out or not.
“…Don’t tell me you…”
At that moment, Min Soyeon’s expression completely hardened as she spoke.
“…You’d accept her…?”
Ugh…
Genetics really were terrifying. Seeing Ju Yeonhee’s face from her younger days overlapping with Min Soyeon’s cold glare made my body instinctively shrink back.
“…N-no, I have no intention of accepting her…. I don’t have any feelings, and I’m not such a terrible guy that I’d accept her anyway.”
After glaring at me for a while longer, Min Soyeon finally looked away. She muttered something about handling it myself and grabbed the game controller again.
“…When’s dinner?”
“…It’s almost ready. I’ll set the table soon.”
I went straight back to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal when a thought suddenly occurred to me.
…Could it be that Soyeon was jealous?
“…No way…”
I told myself it couldn’t be and tried to focus on finishing dinner, but once the doubt had taken root, it refused to leave my mind.
…Was she really jealous?
When I thought about it carefully, it was entirely possible. From Min Soyeon’s perspective, I was essentially her guardian. I made sure she ate properly, played games with her, trained with her, helped her study… If that wasn’t a guardian, what was?
In that situation, if I suddenly started dating someone, it was only natural that our time together would decrease. It was more than enough reason for her to feel jealous.
…I really lacked consideration…
Her heart was already so wounded. Instead of warmly embracing and comforting her, I had only given her unnecessary worries and made her anxious.
Looking at it that way, her sudden anger was probably just a defense mechanism.
“…Sigh…”
A heavy sigh escaped me as complicated emotions swirled inside. It was a relief that I had realized it now. If I hadn’t noticed, it could have led to a truly big mistake.
Had I grown too complacent just because we had gotten a little closer recently? I mustn’t lose sight of my original resolve…!
Min Sungjae!!!
I was slapping my own cheeks to snap myself out of it when a familiar voice came from behind me.
“…What are you doing?”
“…N-nothing.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I quickly sat her down at the table and finished preparing dinner.
Once everything was set and we were seated, Min Soyeon picked up her chopsticks as if she had been waiting.
“…Thanks for the meal.”
“Eat a lot.”
With chopsticks in hand, I subtly watched the girl sitting across from me. I had made the spicy chicken stew tonight, and it had turned out pretty good. But the real judge at this table was Min Soyeon. Her taste buds came first.
I held my breath and waited. She took a small bite of the chicken thigh, and—
“…Is it edible?”
I pretended to pick up a side dish and asked in a casual tone. After chewing for a moment, she glanced at me and muttered quietly.
“…Well, it’s not bad…”
Despite her indifferent words, her chopsticks were already heading back toward the stew. It seemed to suit her taste. Whew…
Only then could I finally relax and eat properly.
After finishing our peaceful meal, we played a game to decide who would do the dishes. The event was the racing game we had played before. I used the best kart Min Soyeon had set up for me, while she used a regular one. The result was…
“Soyeon. Is this right? Why can’t I use the booster?”
“…Don’t know.”
As expected, I lost completely. After finishing the dishes and completing today’s study quota, it was finally time for me to head home.
While putting on my shoes at the entrance under Min Soyeon’s indifferent farewell, I watched her expression carefully, waiting for the right moment to speak.
“…Soyeon.”
She was leaning against the wall, looking at me as if asking what I wanted. I carefully offered the words I had been keeping inside.
“…I’ve been thinking about this since earlier… but you come first to me.”
“…Huh?”
Leaving behind her flustered face at the sudden statement, I threw out the rest of my words.
“So don’t worry too much. I’m going. See you tomorrow!”
And with that, I practically fled the house. It was a bit embarrassing to say, but if she was as smart as I thought, she would understand what I meant.
“Huuu…”
Watching the characters surrounding mine repeatedly sit and stand like maniacs, I started to regret it.
…M-maybe I shouldn’t have told them…?
But as I was now, I couldn’t fully understand what Yu Jihwan had meant. Was it a confession? Or was he saying he would confess later?
After a round of sexual harassment passed, ‘RareNick’ started sharing their opinion again.
The chaotic state of the chat window made my head spin too. The slight anxiety I felt from RareNick’s opinion that it might not be a confession began to grow.
If Yu Jihwan really hadn’t confessed, then what did he mean by those words?
No matter how kind Yu Jihwan was, there was no reason for him to go grocery shopping every day, cook meals, and even help with studying. If he didn’t have feelings for me, then what could it possibly be?
While I was clutching my head in confusion, ‘RareNick’ was getting thoroughly beaten up by the other friends.
The public opinion had already tilted heavily in one direction, and naturally, my heart began to lean more and more toward the idea that ‘Yu Jihwan likes me.’
Leaving the completely chaotic chat window behind, I sank deep into my chair and thought.
…Yu Jihwan likes me…
Yu Jihwan. Likes. Me.
“…Pfft…”
A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it.
Yu Jihwan likes… me…
…Min Soyeon…!
The more I repeated it, the higher the corners of my mouth rose and the harder my heart pounded. Could there be anything more joyful than knowing someone liked you?
Did I like Yu Jihwan this much? I had just thought he was a pretty handsome, kind, good-at-cooking, and reliable guy…
“…Haa…”
I let out an excited sigh and lightly covered my face. The thought that it might not be true, that it might all be my misunderstanding, still lingered in a corner of my heart. If I had really misunderstood everything on my own, I might die of embarrassment.
But when I thought about it differently, wasn’t this all something he had brought on himself?
…That’s right. It’s Yu Jihwan’s fault. He could have just confessed properly and said he liked me or loved me, but instead he left after saying something so ambiguous…
“Haa…”
While I’m struggling this much, is Yu Jihwan thinking about me too? I hope I’m not the only one thinking about the other person.