* * *
When I changed my mind, the manager raised an eyebrow.
“Is there really something? Well, you haven’t been talking much lately.”
Kim Chanyi never spoke to me or looked at me unless I approached him first.
He was faithfully keeping our agreement.
But his mere presence was a punishment for me. I couldn’t tell him that, and even if I did, he wouldn’t understand.
“Forget it. I’ll handle it.”
“Please do. I don’t want to kick him out. He’s a regular who boosts sales.”
“Yeah….”
That night, about two weeks after reuniting with Kim Chanyi, I headed to the university’s main stadium after closing the shop.
It was open to the public.
I planned to walk a few laps to relieve my frustration before going home.
It had been a long time since I voluntarily exercised.
There were two large LED lights towering over the stadium.
Dozens of bugs were constantly throwing themselves at the lights.
I thought no one would be there at this late hour, but there was a man running on the track.
Jogging quickly from afar….
“Kim Chanyi?”
Oh my god. It was Kim Chanyi.
Of course, he wouldn’t be jogging.
When people do things they normally don’t, they step on crap like this.
I quickly turned around to leave, but Kim Chanyi had already spotted me.
He brightened up and hopped over to me.
“Hyunoh!”
Kim Chanyi smiled brightly.
The light made his face look even more radiant.
His sweat-soaked bangs were messy, and his cheeks were bright red.
As he got closer, I caught a whiff of his sweat, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
“Why are you talking to me? You said you wouldn’t anymore.”
Kim Chanyi gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.
“Sorry. I was just happy to see you outside. I’ll go back to running then.”
“Forget it. Let’s talk.”
“Okay.”
Kim Chanyi folded his hands politely.
“Why are you jogging alone at this hour?”
“It’s just a habit. Eating meat makes me feel heavy.”
“So, you come here after visiting our shop every day?”
“Yeah.”
“For how long?”
“An hour or two?”
I was shocked.
“Why do you do that?”
Kim Chanyi blinked slowly.
“To avoid gaining weight.”
“So what if you gain some weight?”
Kim Chanyi replied in horror.
“No way. That can’t happen.”
I had never heard him speak like that before.
I couldn’t understand Kim Chanyi.
He was so afraid of gaining weight but still ate two servings by himself at the BBQ restaurant.
“Then stop coming to the shop.”
“I don’t want to.”
Kim Chanyi pouted.
“Kim Chanyi. You’re really weird. Are you really coming to see me?”
“Yeah. Is that so weird?”
“Yes.”
Doing such useless things just to see me.
It reminded me of when I was sixteen, going out of my way to walk with my crush to school.
Yeah, this is like Kim Chanyi….
“Do you happen to like guys?”
Kim Chanyi flinched.
Then he quickly shook his head.
“No. I don’t.”
I sighed in relief.
Thank god.
There’s nothing worse than love.
It’s much better for Kim Chanyi to come to the shop because he’s crazy than because he likes me.
Then, an idea flashed through my mind.
Let’s give it a shot.
This might be what it takes to shake off Kim Chanyi.
There’s nothing worse than love.
“If you don’t like guys, then stop coming. I’m getting the wrong idea.”
“Huh?”
“I like guys. If you keep doing this, I’ll misunderstand, and it’ll be a problem.”
Kim Chanyi’s eyes blinked rapidly.
Sweat dripped down his sharp jaw.
A brief silence fell.
Look at that.
He’s flustered.
This way, Kim Chanyi will also find me awkward.
He surely won’t be able to come as often as before.
Just as I was about to savor my victory, Kim Chanyi suddenly grabbed my wrist and spoke.
“It’s, it’s not a misunderstanding.”
“What?”
I must have heard wrong.
“Me too. I like men too.”
Kim Chanyi panted.
I felt like the blood drained from my entire body.
Everyone has secrets that should never be touched.
When such secrets are accidentally exposed, it’s impossible to pretend everything is fine anymore.
To maintain relationships while smiling appropriately, we must be careful not to touch each other’s secrets.
For me, it was an incident from five years ago.
For Kim Chanyi, I instinctively knew that this conversation was his ‘decisive secret.’
But I had carelessly touched it. Now Kim Chanyi was on the verge of tears.
“You said it wasn’t. Just a moment ago, you said it wasn’t.”
“I was worried you’d feel burdened if I came out right away.”
I felt like crying too. I had dug my own grave.
“I like you, Hyunoh. I’ve liked you since high school.”
“I had no idea.”
“I remember everything that happened with you.”
This time, I wanted to die. Such terrifying things shouldn’t exist.
* * *
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