The posture and smiling expression were amazingly identical to the photo taken today.
The only differences were Cha Rui’s black hair and the fact that they were wearing school uniforms.
I had been completely unaware of this fact, so I could only conclude that ‘Seo Inho’s’ actions had emerged subconsciously.
Now I understood why he had asked if I liked the photo.
I had wondered why he didn’t stop smiling throughout the photo shoot, but he had been looking at me and thinking of ‘Seo Inho’ again.
I had somewhat guessed their relationship based on Cha Rui’s behavior and speech until now.
The chance of the two becoming close after their Awakening was almost zero, so I had speculated that they might have known each other during their school days.
However, thinking about it in my head and confirming it with my own eyes were completely different feelings.
I hadn’t expected to be this shocked.
Foolishly, I must have secretly hoped he only showed that expression to me.
But this kind of relationship was only possible because of ‘Seo Inho’ in the first place.
“……”
I quietly looked down at the frame, then put the photos back in and returned it to its place.
The heart that had been thumping moments ago was now silent, as if nothing had happened.
No, beyond quiet, it was chillingly cold.
I found it utterly ridiculous that my mood could be swayed so easily by a single photo from just ten years ago.
‘Should I just leave?’
I had no desire to look around the room anymore, and it was just as I was about to turn around.
With the narrowest margin, I sensed someone behind me.
“I’m all set.”
“Oh, oh……”
Just then, Cha Rui walked into the room.
If I had been even a little slower, I would have been caught red-handed.
Is this why people shouldn’t commit sins?
I quietly patted my surprised chest and followed him out of the room.
“Wow, is this why it took so long?”
The groceries from the supermarket were neatly arranged on the large dining table.
Just by looking at the undisturbed arrangement, it was clear how he lived his daily life at home.
‘When did he even wash these?’
I picked up a mango that had already been washed, and then the shaved ice machine belatedly caught my eye.
I hadn’t paid close attention, so I didn’t expect it to be shaped like this.
To my surprise, the machine was not the automatic one I had imagined, but a manual one that had to be hand-cranked.
That was understandable, but the shape of the machine—a frog character with rosy cheeks—was a bit embarrassing.
Cha Rui must have known.
Yet, the fact that he chose this item meant there was no other option.
At my alternating looks between the machine and him, he seemed embarrassed and twitched his lips as he put the ice in.
“……Don’t laugh.”
At his words, I shrugged my shoulders as if I didn’t know what he meant.
The corners of my mouth were slightly twitching, but I swore they hadn’t lifted.
Feeling wronged, I blinked my eyes and quickly took out my phone from my pocket.
“I wasn’t laughing? I should take a picture while you’re grinding the ice.”
“……”
At my blatant act of pointing the camera, Cha Rui wore a displeased expression but diligently continued to grind the ice.
He grabbed the cheerfully smiling frog’s face and turned the lever, and the ice was shaved out with a swooshing sound.
According to the recipe, I heard mango bingsu should use frozen milk.
But it was hard to find, and it would take too long to freeze it now.
It was all the same ice anyway, and I didn’t think there would be a huge difference.
‘Speaking of which, I wonder if Cha Rui feels a little better now.’
Honestly, whether the shaved ice tasted good or not wasn’t important to me.
I hadn’t followed him out just to eat shaved ice in the first place.
The sight of his hurt face kept lingering, and I couldn’t sleep properly for two weeks.
My head was already complicated with various incidents, and it was simply difficult to shake off the thought.
I just hoped that spending time together today would lighten his heart even a little.
Scratch.
Scratch.
“Be careful. If you break the handle, there’s no going back.”
Despite my playful remark, Cha Rui silently turned the lever, looking determined to grind an entire bag of ice.
Watching the finely shaved ice fall into the bowl, I found myself zoning out.
‘Wait… I shouldn’t just be sitting here; I should help too.’
Suddenly feeling like I needed to do something, I grabbed a mango right in front of me without thinking.
I carefully pondered how to cut it, positioning the paring knife this way and that, and then made a quick slice through the middle.
The beautifully ripe, bright yellow flesh was revealed.
“Wow, you picked the mangoes really well! Aren’t these riper than the ones we ate on the deserted island? You really must love mangoes.”
“You liked them too.”
I was grinning down at the mango when my hand paused at the remark tossed my way.
I then repeatedly moved my lips before pressing them firmly shut.
I didn’t know how to respond to such a heavily suggestive statement.
He obviously meant that ‘Seo Inho’ liked mangoes too, but my thoughts kept straying in a strange direction.
When I just hesitated and failed to speak, Cha Rui belatedly raised his head.
He then seemed to grasp the situation after seeing my awkwardly stiff expression and added.
“You also… liked mangoes.”
“Ah, right! No wonder it tasted good!”
“……”
‘Damn it, how embarrassing.’
What on earth was I thinking when I said, “No wonder it tasted good?” Late regret washed over me for the words I had just spoken.
I should have just kept quiet and simply nodded.
My face must have been beet red, like a burning sweet potato.
Perhaps because I had been repeating Do Soohyuk’s words to myself over the past few days, my thoughts naturally drifted that way.
I felt his intense gaze on me, but I pretended not to notice and diligently cut the mangoes.
However, it was impossible to focus properly in such an awkward situation.
I was half-distracted, cutting clumsily, and the peeled mangoes ended up looking like rags.
By the time I realized something was wrong, I had already butchered all the mangoes.
“Is this right? The look of it is a bit…”
It looked so different from the picture I saw.
I tilted my head, placing the noticeably mushy mangoes one by one onto the bowl.
At a glance, it looked far from the appetizing mango bingsu I had seen on the banner.
The more I tried to fix it, the more messed up it seemed to become.
Still, I had to finish it, so I carefully added condensed milk and ice cream as a final touch.
But despite my efforts, the result before me was simply tragic.
It could truly be called ‘Mango Bingsu from Hell’ without exaggeration.
A sigh that I had held in finally escaped at the sight, which was enough to make one lose their appetite.
“Sorry… I ruined everything.”
But Cha Rui, who had been silently watching my drooping shoulders, suddenly picked up a spoon.
Then, without a chance for me to stop him, he scooped up a large spoonful of the bingsu and put it into his mouth.
Honestly, even I wouldn’t call it edible, so I couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
Wasn’t Cha Rui the type to not even pick up a spoon unless it was a feast prepared by his father?
However, he chewed a few times, as if savoring the taste, and then curled up one corner of his mouth.
“It’s good. It’s cool.”
“Really?”
‘But didn’t you just scoop up the ice?’
Of course, I was glad if he liked the taste, but I didn’t quite believe it, so I also subtly picked up a spoon.
Then, with a face full of doubt, I took a bite with some mango.
Only after having two, then three bites in a row, did I quietly put down the spoon.
“……”
‘It just tastes like a mix of ice and mango.’
The taste was not much different from what it looked like.
It was just bland and cold, and without the mango, it probably wouldn’t have any flavor at all.
This couldn’t be genuinely delicious. He must have been considerate because he saw my crestfallen look.
I hesitated for a moment, then picked up the spoon again.
I thought it was time to bring up the story I was truly curious about.
Although the conversation had been inevitably interrupted by someone tactless before, it was just the two of us now.
Today was the perfect opportunity to hear about the past with ‘Seo Inho.’
“But… I have something I’m curious about.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Could you tell me what happened between us a long time ago?”
I nervously scraped the bingsu with the spoon, watching Cha Rui’s reaction.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t mentioned this topic again since I brought it up last time at my house.
I was hesitant to ask again because he had been quite annoyed when Woo Jaehyun interrupted us back then.
But the answer came right away, instantly blowing away my concerns.
“I confessed to you.”
Leaning back lazily in his chair, he uttered those words in an incredibly calm voice.
He was utterly nonchalant, despite dropping a huge bombshell that would make anyone think it was no big deal.
In contrast, I was so shocked that my mind went completely blank.
For a moment, I didn’t even understand what he meant, and my expression froze into a stupid look.
‘Perhaps I’ve misunderstood again?’
However, Cha Rui’s following words were practically the final nail in the coffin.
“Ten years ago, on the school rooftop.”
“……”
“And I got rejected outright.”
