I am not a Yandere chapter 71

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At that moment, Yeongdeok suddenly smiled, his lips curling upward.

As the sharpness in his expression softened into a gentle smile, Jihoon grew genuinely curious about what he was going to say.

“Thanks. For the other day.”

“…Huh?”

Jihoon felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end at Yeongdeok’s words, which came out of nowhere without warning.

It felt as though he’d been hit on the back of the head with a baseball bat.

His mind went blank, buzzing as if his brain had frozen.

Jihoon wondered if he was dreaming, but when he pinched his cheek, the sharp pain clashed with the cold air around him.

‘It hurts, it really hurts…’ His voice trembled with excitement.

“D-d-did you just thank me?”

Jihoon glanced around, wondering if this was some kind of hidden camera prank.

Knowing Yeongdeok, Jihoon wouldn’t put it past him to suddenly get close to a passing YouTuber and agree to shoot a prank video together for fun.

It was such a ridiculous thought that anyone hearing it would laugh, but to Jihoon, Yeongdeok was an unpredictable enigma, capable of anything.

“Who else would I be talking to but you?”

“Why are you suddenly thanking me? Yesterday, you were spouting all kinds of nonsense. Well, technically, it wasn’t yesterday…”

Jihoon still couldn’t understand why Yeongdeok was thanking him, and even though he felt like he was wandering in a dream, he realized that his heart was racing with excitement.

It felt as though he had stumbled upon something exhilarating.

“I realized that when you celebrated my birthday, you did it purely for my sake.”

“And you just figured that out now?”

It had been well over 24 hours since Yeongdeok’s birthday passed.

Jihoon found it absurd that Yeongdeok was only now acknowledging this, but it felt oddly fitting for Cha Yeongdeok.

In the end, Jihoon let out a small laugh, like air escaping from a balloon.

“Why did you bother celebrating it anyway?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking why you did something for me.”

At Yeongdeok’s innocent question, devoid of any malice, Jihoon’s laughter ceased, and his mouth slowly closed.

The smile that had just been on his face was now replaced with a look of deep confusion.

“I don’t really… know.”

“Helping someone without even knowing why? You’re a strange guy. If you keep acting without thinking of the pros and cons, you’ll end up losing out.”

“I didn’t care about getting anything in return. Besides, if it hadn’t been you, I wouldn’t have gone that far.”

“Why not?”

Yeongdeok’s eyes, filled with curiosity, stared at Jihoon like a researcher seeking an answer, but Jihoon found himself unable to respond.

Not even with a simple, “Why are you asking so many questions?”

Why, indeed?

From the first meeting—no, even earlier, back at the board game café—Jihoon had been asking himself the same thing.

‘Why am I like this? Why do I feel this way?’

And yet, he still hadn’t found a clear answer. However…

“I don’t know for sure, but… there’s something I’ve been wanting to give you.”

Jihoon pulled out the birthday present he hadn’t yet managed to give from inside his padded jacket.

“I was going to skip it, figuring you’d think it was pathetic. But it’s a birthday present. Even though it’s late.”

What Jihoon handed over was a small, long box.

When Yeongdeok opened it to check the contents, he found a small bottle of cologne.

He picked up the glass bottle and shook it slightly, watching as the deep blue liquid inside swirled.

Opening the cap, Yeongdeok sprayed the cologne into the air in front of Jihoon.

A strong, grounded scent wafted through the air, filling Yeongdeok’s senses.

“I bought it because the scent reminded me of you. Is it too much? Compared to Park Haemin’s gift…”

“No, I like this one better.”

Jihoon could easily guess where the money for this cologne came from.

Compared to the cologne Yeongdeok had been wearing before, this was clearly a cheap knock-off.

Yeongdeok remembered Jihoon saying that he needed to save money for an upcoming expense.

At that moment, a familiar but unidentifiable emotion resurfaced in Yeongdeok’s mind.

He couldn’t quite place when or where he had felt it before, or toward whom.

“Do you really like it?”

“I don’t lie about things like this.”

Jihoon had to admit that Yeongdeok wasn’t the type to pretend to like something if he didn’t.

A small laugh of relief slipped from Jihoon’s lips.

“See? I should’ve just given it to you from the start instead of debating whether or not to give it.”

“Still, I don’t think I’ll wear it often. It smells cheap.”

“This bastard…”

Listening to Jihoon’s familiar swearing, Yeongdeok finally felt at home.

That strange emptiness in his heart had vanished, replaced by a sense of fullness.

For a brief moment, he looked up at the dark sky, then handed the chicken bouquet he had been carrying to Jihoon.

“Here, take this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a chicken bouquet. My grandfather wouldn’t accept it, so I brought it back home.”

“…I see.”

Jihoon looked at the soggy, stale chicken and thought it was practically garbage.

But despite his obvious reluctance, he carefully accepted the bouquet.

“We should head back now.”

Since waking up earlier that day, Yeongdeok knew he had to return to his routine and open the chicken shop.

Jihoon, already feeling the chill, agreed, and the two began walking side by side.

As they walked, their long footprints stretched across the snow-covered path behind them.

ꔚ

The sunlight signaling the morning was blinding.

Yeongdeok, who had been lying still on his back trying to sleep, slowly blinked in response to the light touching his eyelids.

He raised his upper body without any complaints of drowsiness and noticed his phone light blinking on the shelf.

He turned on the screen to check the messages he had received earlier in the morning.

[Seonwoo: Ah…]

[Seonwoo: I don’t know what to say…]

[Seonwoo: I’m sorry, though.]

[Seonwoo: I can’t remember exactly what I said, but please just forget it all…]

At least he seemed to understand he had done something wrong, which was a relief.

It would be even better if he also realized that sending a message at 5 a.m. was inconsiderate.

Yeongdeok tapped the keypad lightly.

[So, you’re not completely shameless after all.]

He sent the message, ready to start his day when Seonwoo’s reply came.

[Seonwoo: That’s it? You’re not going to say anything else?]

[I wasn’t exactly unaware that you’re such a careless guy, so nothing about this surprises me.]

[Seonwoo: That’s a bit…]

[Seonwoo: Never mind, anyway, I’m really sorry.]

[Seonwoo: I think you paid for everything too, how much was it? I said I’d cover it.]

[Don’t worry about it.]

[Seonwoo: Okay…]

After that, no more messages were exchanged.

Yeongdeok placed his phone back on the shelf and headed to the bathroom to wash his face.

ꔚ

Since Cha Heeseok’s party, Yeongdeok had been enjoying peaceful days once again.

He had successfully posted a new menu, and business was running smoothly.

The only issue, if any, was that Ha Wonjin had started visiting the shop frequently after work.

But since he had already allowed this, Yeongdeok didn’t make a big deal out of it.

Besides, Wonjin wasn’t the type to talk much, apart from when he came in and left the shop.

January flew by in a flash, and before he knew it, it was already February.

In the midst of his routine, Yeongdeok received a message.

[Kim Dalsu: Hyung, something really bad happened.]

It was just one line, but Dalsu, who always caused a ruckus, spoke calmly with even a period at the end, making Yeongdeok curious about what might have happened.

[What is it?]

[Kim Dalsu: Hyung, you have a computer at home, right?]

[I do, but…]

[Kim Dalsu: If you could just turn it on for me, I’d really appreciate it.]

[You could explain first, you know.]

[Kim Dalsu: I’ll explain it step by step… This is the greatest wish of my life.]

The greatest wish of his life is to turn on a computer?

Yeongdeok thought it was a pitiful wish, but since it wasn’t a difficult request, he turned on the computer.

[Kim Dalsu: Did you turn it on?]

[Yeah, it’s on.]

[Kim Dalsu: Now, put your hand on the mouse.]

[It’s on.]

[Kim Dalsu: Go to ‘Luxury Watch’…]

Just as he was about to move the mouse, Yeongdeok hesitated.

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