Wait a minute. This atmosphere, the look in Do Ihyun’s eyes, and his trembling voice—I could already guess roughly what he was about to say.
I braced myself, tightening my focus, and tried to meet his gaze directly.
Because I thought this kind of conversation needed to be taken seriously and refused outright if necessary.
Do Ihyun seemed to realize that I already knew what he was going to say.
“I know this might make you uncomfortable.
That’s why I’ve been avoiding asking to meet you until now.”
No wonder Do Ihyun hadn’t made any plans lately, even though he was usually the one to suggest meeting up first without me having to ask.
“I wish I could just wish you happiness, but honestly, I can’t.”
That was an unexpected statement.
I thought Do Ihyun would have neatly given up on me after I started dating Ban Eunhyeol.
Had I misunderstood him all this time?
Feeling flustered, I silently listened to what he had to say.
“If Ban Eunhyeol ever makes things difficult for you, just give me a chance, just once.”
“…That won’t happen.”
I rejected him firmly. A bitter smile curled at the corner of Do Ihyun’s mouth.
Fidgeting with his fingers, unable to keep his hands still, he bowed his head deeply and fell silent for a moment.
‘Did I reject him too sharply?’
But I absolutely hated leaving room for a love triangle.
Maybe someday I’d break up with Ban Eunhyeol and develop feelings for Do Ihyun.
You never know how things will turn out.
But right now, while I’m happily dating him, I can’t give him false hope.
Saying yes here would also be unfair to Ban Eunhyeol.
“Okay.”
After the silence, he answered briefly, then took a deep breath and spoke passionately.
“Still, don’t force yourself to push my feelings away.”
He paused for a moment, placing a hand over his left chest and added,
“My heart is broken… I only know how to love one person.”
Tensing up, I froze in place in my stiff posture.
‘Isn’t it obvious that loving only one person is normal…?’
The words hovered inside my mouth, unable to be spoken out loud.
Do Ihyun glanced at the sunflower mural painted on the building across the empty lot and continued with a shocking line.
“Sunflowers only look at the sun.”
A foreboding feeling swept over my whole body.
I wanted to shut his mouth immediately, but I couldn’t do that during such a heartfelt confession, so I clenched and unclenched my fists in frustration.
“Sunflowers love only the sun. Even if there are other shining things like the moon or stars, they only look at and love the sun.”
“Ah, I see…”
Having built up the mood, Do Ihyun turned his head and looked at me gently, saying,
“You’re that person to me. Like the sun.”
“Uh huh, so you’re the sunflower… You do stand tall…”
Was that the right response?
Was it okay to play along like that?
My brain had malfunctioned since the moment the confession started, so I was just blurting out anything.
Hearing two confessions already was dizzying.
With Ban Eunhyeol, maybe because it was the first time, the shock was immense.
But with Do Ihyun, thanks to prior experience, I was at least able to respond somewhat.
Though it felt more like a reply that was worse than none at all.
Seeing my reaction, Do Ihyun chuckled lightly, as if to deny that he had just made such a desperate confession.
It was literally a soft chuckle, and even with his handsome face smiling, my hands and feet felt a bit embarrassed.
At the same time, it was the first time I saw the usually somewhat gloomy Do Ihyun look refreshing.
“If you feel uncomfortable, I won’t force you to meet me. But I hope you don’t avoid me to the point of cutting off visits to the Association. You liked hanging out in the Association’s lounge.”
The mood became a little lighter than before, and I felt a breath of relief.
The tension in my face finally softened.
“Alright. But since Eunhyeol knows you like me, I don’t think we can meet up and hang out like before.”
“Yeah, but let’s greet each other if we bump into each other. And keep in touch sometimes.”
“That much I can do.”
Though I regretted pushing away the friend who had first noticed my true feelings and protected me, talking openly like this felt refreshing.
I had worried a lot about whether Do Ihyun really liked me or if I was just imagining things.
I kept my distance fearing it might leave room for misunderstandings.
But if it wasn’t true, I’d only end up hurting him.
Now that one worry was resolved, despite the lingering sadness, my mind felt clearer.
“Let me walk you home today.”
Do Ihyun said it like a final request.
‘Eunhyeol would hate that.’
Even I would feel bad if a girl who liked Ban Eunhyeol walked him home.
I shouldn’t do anything I would dislike if I were in his place.
“I’m okay. I can go alone.”
I politely declined. Noticing my meaning, Do Ihyun hesitated but nodded in acceptance.
He accompanied me to the bus stop.
He said it was okay since he couldn’t take me all the way home anyway, plus he had to take the bus home too.
‘I know I have to take the bus on the opposite side, though.’
To get to Do Ihyun’s house, you had to take the bus going in the opposite direction from my place.
But this time, I just decided to turn a blind eye.
I boarded the bus first, and Do Ihyun stood still, raising his hand until the bus left and I was out of sight.
***
“I’m back.”
At the sound of the door opening, Choco ran to the entrance and jumped into his owner’s arms, acting cute.
“Choco, I got rejected today.”
“Woof!”
Knowing Choco wouldn’t understand, Do Ihyun still poured out what had just happened.
Choco tilted his head, sensing his owner wasn’t in a good mood, so he licked his cheek and stayed close by.
Do Ihyun sat on the sofa holding Choco and turned on the TV.
A news channel was reporting that the Four Heavenly Kings had closed a gate and saved people.
Do Ihyun silently watched Ban Eunhyeol being interviewed as the guild master of the Four Heavenly Kings.
He compared Ban Eunhyeol’s image on TV with his own blurred reflection.
The vibes they gave off were completely different, but both Ban Eunhyeol and himself knew very well that they were popular.
However, Danah never saw him as a man from the start.
He had sensed that enough from being close to her.
He had seen Danah notice Ban Eunhyeol as a man several times, so maybe subconsciously he knew this outcome was inevitable.
Was that why he acted so passively?
‘That’s just an excuse.’
No matter how much he saw those signs, if he had bravely confessed his feelings, things might have turned out differently.
He had only been avoiding it.
Just like last time, and again now.
“Hyung, aren’t you really pathetic?”
Do Ihyun asked the question to Choco, who was quietly sitting on his lap with no way to answer.
Choco just tilted his head and pressed his paw firmly against Do Ihyun’s thigh.
Do Ihyun grabbed the remote and switched the channel.
This time, an ad for sportswear starring the Four Heavenly Kings was playing.
He immediately turned off the TV and leaned back on the sofa, tilting his head all the way back.
Sitting alone in the quiet house, the events of the day played like a panorama in his mind.
‘A regression… Kang Yedam is a regressor.’
That was surprising enough, but what troubled him most was that he had died trying to save Danah, and she had returned to the other dimension.
Of course, if she switched souls through dreams, reclaimed her original body, and came back to this dimension, she might be living well like now.
But what if she couldn’t?
What if the future Kang Yedam saw came true?
Ban Eunhyeol said he had killed the boss monster and earned the chance to cross dimensions.
‘If only I could kill the boss monster too.’
Then, once everything was over and he revived, he could visit that other dimension to get Danah.
If only he could get the same opportunity.
Now that he had learned the future through Kang Yedam, it was definitely worth trying.
‘No, first I have to believe Danah will find a solution and wait.’
And help her secretly from behind whenever possible.
Suppressing the selfish urge that suddenly arose, he decided to quietly support Danah for now.
If Danah could reclaim her original body and live here before graduation, an S-rank gate probably wouldn’t open.
‘I wonder what Danah’s original appearance is like.’
He had heard from Danah a few times about how she originally looked.
But since he had never actually seen her, he could only rely on his imagination.
‘Ban Eunhyeol must have seen it.’
Suddenly, the cold atmosphere startled Choco, who hastily jumped off the sofa and ran away.
“No, sorry.”
Quickly calming himself down, Do Ihyun kept apologizing to Choco with a sigh.
It felt like the whole world was helping Ban Eunhyeol and Danah be together.
He couldn’t even fit into that gap.
Danah and Ban Eunhyeol had too many special memories just between them.
‘Still, if the chance ever comes, I won’t let it slip away.’
He’d never seen Ban Eunhyeol date anyone before, so he wasn’t sure, but judging by that nasty personality, he might make Danah miserable sooner or later.
Do Ihyun decided to calmly wait for the day the chance came to him and, for now, take a step back.
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