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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Uncomfortable Truths
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On the way home, Jun-woo kept glancing at A-jin, looking like he had something he wanted to ask.
When they arrived in front of her house, Jun-woo finally voiced the question he’d been repeating to himself inwardly.
“You…… Is something wrong?”
His question caught her off guard, and A-jin shook her head.
“No.”
“You’ve been in a bad mood the whole time.”
She was surprised that he’d been paying attention to her feelings.
It seemed like he was referring to how down she’d been because of Kwang-hyun lately.
But A-jin shook her head again, insisting it was nothing.
“No.”
She said no, but she was clearly different from usual.
Jun-woo brought up another question.
“Are you acquainted with the student teacher by any chance?”
“Huh?”
She’d thought he was just book-smart, but he was quick on the uptake too.
A-jin’s surprised expression was plain as day on her face.
He’d just taken a shot in the dark.
The student teacher’s gaze had been so blatantly fixed on her.
“So it’s true.”
At the mention of Kwang-hyun, her expression darkened again.
It only made him more curious about their relationship.
A-jin figured there was no point making excuses to Jun-woo—he wouldn’t buy them.
There was no need to lie, and she actually wanted to get it off her chest, at least to him.
“The truth is, the student teacher is my first love.”
“First love?”
He’d suspected they knew each other, but first love was beyond what he’d imagined.
His surprise turned into a disbelieving chuckle, and his stomach churned like someone had punched him.
It bothered him more than he’d expected.
Regardless of his feelings, A-jin continued, her face flushing red with embarrassment.
That expression made his stomach twist even harder.
“Yeah. It was a one-sided crush, though…… We met at church camp, and I never imagined he’d end up as the student teacher in our class. It’s so weird how fate works, right? Or is ‘fate’ too strong a word?”
Confessing to him eased the stuffy feeling in her chest a little.
Maybe that was why she spilled even the details he hadn’t asked for.
“Fate?”
The unwelcome word furrowed his brow sharply.
“So, what about now?”
“Huh?”
“What do you feel for him now?”
The past was the past—nothing to be done about it.
What he wanted to know was her current feelings.
But A-jin hesitated.
“Why?”
His brow furrowed as much as it possibly could.
“Do you still like him?”
It had been her first time feeling this way about someone, so she couldn’t measure its depth, but she’d liked him a lot—a whole lot.
That kind of feeling probably wouldn’t just erase like pencil marks.
But that guy had a girlfriend.
A-jin shook her head.
“He has a girlfriend. And even if I do like him, what’s the point? A high schooler like me isn’t even on his radar.”
“So you do like him.”
“No. I just said he has a girlfriend.”
“I asked about your feelings.”
“Well, I……”
Her eyes trembled anxiously, and his eyes followed hers, shaking along.
“No. I’ve gotten over it.”
“You sure?”
Since she wasn’t sure, A-jin just nodded vaguely instead of answering.
Jun-woo gazed at her steadily before speaking.
“I want you to be sure.”
She didn’t quite follow what he meant.
More than that, his eyes looked strangely forlorn.
“Um…… I’m not getting it, so can you explain? What do you mean by ‘sure’……”
“I don’t want you thinking about the student teacher.”
“Why?”
At her question, his eyebrows drooped.
Why was she looking at that guy with such sad eyes?
Did she maybe like him?
“Don’t think about the student teacher”—it was the kind of line that came up between leads on the verge of dating in dramas.
His unusual seriousness today made her wonder if it was a misunderstanding or a premonition.
“No way…… Does he like me?”
While he hesitated, she spiraled into all sorts of thoughts.
As her expression twisted in confusion, Jun-woo quickly masked his true feelings.
“You’re not going to college or what? You can barely study as it is. What guy acts like a guy without even time for that?!!”
“What?”
“Of course. As if you’d like me. Park Jun-woo, top dog of the school liking me? No way!!”
A-jin shot him a glare, her face saying exactly that.
“Who says someone bad at studying can’t like anyone? I’m going in.”
She spun on her heel, whipping up a gust of wind, and from the look of her, she was definitely sulking.
He’d wanted to keep her in a good mood all the way to the end today.
Jun-woo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he watched her kick open the lobby door and go inside.
“Shouldn’t have said that last part.”
She’d turned away in anger, but she had more to be grateful for today than not.
She knew he’d taken her to the escape room cafe on purpose to cheer her up.
Spotting the pink neck pillow reflected in the elevator, A-jin turned back around and stepped out of the lobby.
She called out to him—the one she’d just turned from.
“Hey!”
At the sound of her voice, Jun-woo turned back around.
His face said he wondered why she’d come back out.
“Thanks for today. I’ll put this to good use.”
A-jin said, stroking the neck pillow.
She was still pouting, but a faint smile played at her lips.
“Okay.”
He’d worried she was upset, but that glimpse of her smile put him at ease.
He stroked the blue neck pillow tucked under his arm too.
* * *
“Why are you being so annoying?”
Cho-hee’s outburst drew stares from everyone around.
“What’s the problem exactly?”
Do-jin felt embarrassed by the attention and baffled by Cho-hee’s inexplicable irritation.
“I hate everything you do.”
“What exactly do you hate?”
“You being nice to the waitress pisses me off, and coming to this coffee shop full of girls pisses me off. If you like other girls so much, go date them.”
“When was I nice? Being polite to the staff is just basic decency.”
“I don’t care. Everything pisses me off!”
Everything rubbed her the wrong way.
She hated the dinner menu, the chattering girls around her.
A-jin had left school with Jun-woo.
And she’d had plans with Do-jin, so she couldn’t even interfere.
It made her blood boil—she couldn’t stand it.
“I wanna go home!”
Cho-hee shoved back from the table and stood. Out in front of the coffee shop, Do-jin barely managed to grab her.
“You can’t just leave like this.”
“Let go!”
Cho-hee shook off his hand.
He had a job, money, a car—even if he wasn’t much to look at, dating him had its perks.
But she didn’t need his car or money anymore.
She just wanted him gone.
“Hey? Isn’t that Han Cho-hee?”
Right then, as she struggled with Do-jin, Jong-min and Sun-ho happened to pass by.
“What? Is it a kidnapping?”
Hearing the commotion, they turned and saw a guy trying to force Cho-hee into a car.
Misreading the situation, Jong-min charged over without a second thought.
“Let her go, you bastard!”
Jong-min unleashed a flying kick at Do-jin, who went tumbling backward onto the ground.
Sun-ho pinned Do-jin down, and Jong-min checked on Cho-hee.
“Cho-hee, you okay?”
“Y-yeah…… yeah.”
With Do-jin sprawled out, Cho-hee was pretty shocked too.
She rapidly scanned the chaotic scene, trying to take it all in.
Meanwhile, Do-jin thrashed about, indignant at the kick and the restraint.
“What the hell, you guys. Let me go!”
“Stay still, you pervert.”
“Damn it…… Why are you doing this out of nowhere? What did I even do!”
“Where else you got to go? Guy with nothing better to do kidnaps a girl!”
Jong-min scolded Do-jin in a stern voice.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“Yeah, right. Go write a novel.”
No matter what he said, they wouldn’t believe him.
Do-jin looked at Cho-hee with desperate eyes, pleading for her to clear things up.
“Cho-hee. Say something.”
“You even know her name? Stalker?”
“I’m her boyfriend, I said.”
“Her real boyfriend?”
Jong-min asked Cho-hee.
Her eyes instantly shifted to ones filled with fear.
“No. I don’t know him.”
“Hey. Han Cho-hee.”
She lied with a straight face, leaving Do-jin stunned.
She wanted to shake him off, and she didn’t want Jong-min knowing she was dating a guy eight years older.
Jun-woo would make trouble if he found out.
* * *
Jong-min handed Cho-hee a warm drink he’d bought at a convenience store, thinking she must be shaken.
“Thanks.”
She kept up the act the whole time.
“You must’ve been scared.”
“No.”
“You’re so pretty, that’s why stuff like this happens.”
“……”
“Cho-hee.”
“Yeah.”
“I know I’m not good enough. But I can really protect my girl properly. There’s no guarantee something like today won’t happen again, so…… can’t I be the one to protect you?”
He knew she didn’t have feelings for him, but he wanted to muster his courage one more time.
Above all, he desperately wanted to protect her.
“Um, sorry……”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really sorry……”
She had to tell him.
She was grateful for today, so she’d do him a favor and end it cleanly.
He seemed foolish enough that he might even help her out.
For his sake, Cho-hee confessed her true feelings.
“I like Jun-woo.”
“What?”
He was used to girls preferring Jun-woo over him—it was natural, expected.
It was one possibility he’d considered among many, but it still hit hard.
Why did it have to be Jun-woo?
Why did she like his closest friend, Park Jun-woo, of all people?
“Does Jun-woo know?”
“……”
Jun-woo already knew.
That shocked him even more.
“I know you’re a good guy. I’m sorry to say it so suddenly. But if I don’t say it today, I might not get another chance. Someone said it once—false hope is the worst torture in the world…… You can’t toy with someone’s heart if you don’t like them back.”
“But Jun-woo……”
Jun-woo liked someone else.
Did she know that?
He wanted to ask but held back.
It would only make things more complicated and awkward between them.
* * *
The bag thudded carelessly onto the bed, mirroring Jun-woo’s mood.
A-jin’s words kept circling in his head, giving him a headache.
“The truth is, the student teacher is my first love.”
“First love, huh……”
It might’ve bothered him less if she’d said it was an ex-boyfriend.
The weight of that phrase bore down on him harder.
“Park Jun-woo, you’re overreacting. What’s the big deal? Don’t think about it.”
He tried to shake off the thoughts and finally took off the shirt he’d been wearing since entering his room.
Just then, his phone rang—Jong-min.
At the call saying he was out front, Jun-woo rebuttoned the shirt he’d undone halfway.
He stepped out the front door, his face full of annoyance.
“What?”
He asked curtly, annoyed at being called out late at night.
“I just met up with Cho-hee.”
Jong-min’s voice was heavy.
Come to think of it, his face was darker than usual, uncharacteristic for him.
“And?”
But Jun-woo didn’t pay it much mind.
“She has someone she likes.”
Hadn’t he known that already?
Jun-woo’s brow furrowed more irritably.
“So?”
Jong-min’s face darkened further at Jun-woo’s indifference.
He was outraged at the shamelessness, furious at being deceived.
How amusing must it have been watching him flail alone?
“You knew!”
“Knew what?”
“That Han Cho-hee likes you.”
Jong-min’s blunt words smoothed Jun-woo’s irritated brow, only for guilt to crease his eyebrows instead.
“How long have you known?”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“Well……”
“Was it fun? Watching me chase after Han Cho-hee like an idiot all alone. Must’ve been hilarious. While she likes you.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want things to get awkward.”
“Awkward? You loved it. Feeling all superior, you shady bastard.”
“Hey!”
Jong-min was seriously twisted up. His words dripped with sarcasm, and his glare at Jun-woo was equally warped.
His lips twisted in a nasty smirk, like he was deliberately trying to get under his skin.
“You call everyone an idiot so much, people might think you really are one.”
“Hear me out first.”
“Forget it. Why talk to an idiot like you? I’m out.”
Jun-woo was annoyed at Jong-min refusing even his excuses.
He grabbed Jong-min as he turned to leave, not letting him go like this.
“Just hear me out first.”
“Let go!!”
But Jong-min didn’t give him a chance to the end.
He yanked his arm free with enough force to shake Jun-woo, then stormed off.
A sigh escaped Jun-woo’s lips.
It was a night that tormented him from all sides.
