I am not a Yandere chapter 81

* * *

As he was thinking that pink didn’t suit Yeongdeok at all, the latter looked up from his drink.

“So, what’s the reason you asked for my time?”

“Oh…”

“You must have something to say.”

Seonwoo hesitated, trying to figure out how to start.

Then, Choa’s text message popped into his head.

[Baek Choa: Go to a nice cafe and have a cozy chat about movies with Yeongdeok.]

Seonwoo decided to break the ice by bringing up a movie.

“…Who do you think would win in a fight, the Chainsaw Monster or the Fang Monster?”

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, I’m leaving.”

As Yeongdeok moved to get up, Seonwoo quickly coaxed him back into his seat with a playful tone.

Even Seonwoo had to admit that his previous comment was a bit too much.

“Okay, okay. It’s not like me to beat around the bush. I’ll just get straight to the point.”

Yeongdeok nodded, signaling that he was willing to listen.

“So, what I wanted to say is…”

“Take that, Mosquito! Eskillaman’s attack!”

A child who had just seen the movie was running around the cafe, spraying a mist from a bottle.

His guardian, trying to calm him down, repeatedly told him that he shouldn’t behave like this in the cafe, and her voice drilled into Seonwoo’s ears.

“What I wanted to say is…”

“Honey, do you notice anything different about me today?”

“Hmm? You look even prettier?”

“Oh, you’re such a charmer!”

Why is this happening?

Seonwoo closed his eyes tightly, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the couple’s affectionate banter nearby.

“Why can’t I say what I want to?”

“It’s too noisy around here.”

“I don’t see how that has anything to do with you speaking. I’m listening, so go on.”

Realizing that Yeongdeok might actually leave this time if he didn’t say something, Seonwoo steeled himself, looking determined.

“So, what I really mean is…”

At that exact moment, the couple next to them resumed their lovey-dovey exchange.

“I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

The word “love” echoed in Seonwoo’s mind, lodging itself firmly.

“I love you!”

Seonwoo’s sudden outburst caused everyone in the cafe to fall silent—the couple, the noisy child, the child’s guardian, even the cafe workers.

In the midst of this odd stillness, Yeongdeok took a sip of his strawberry latte, the sound of him drinking the only noise in the room.

One, two, three seconds passed.

It took Seonwoo exactly three seconds to realize the outrageous thing he had just said.

He frantically waved his hands, trying to correct himself, his face flushed bright red.

“No, wait, I didn’t mean it like that! I got mixed up because they were saying ‘I love you’ over there…”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

Yeongdeok’s indifferent response, as if he never had any expectations to begin with, made Seonwoo’s embarrassment vanish like cold water being poured over a flame.

Even though it was a mistake, seeing how unfazed Yeongdeok was by his confession made Seonwoo’s brow twitch in irritation.

“Wow, Yeongdeok, you’re really something.”

Seonwoo, with a sarcastic tone, decided it was time to express what he genuinely wanted to say, correcting his earlier blunder.

The words he had hesitated over for so long finally came out in a rush.

“You seem to get along just fine with Seo Jihoon and even Eungyeol. So why did you treat me that way?”

“What are you talking about?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Yeongdeok had no immediate answer.

Seonwoo, determined to be direct, decided to express his feelings more openly.

“Ever since we were kids, you always seemed to dislike me. You used to say spending time with someone worthless like me was a waste.”

“…….”

“Why did you do that?”

As Seonwoo’s intense gaze bore into him, filled with all sorts of emotions, Yeongdeok felt as if he were being drawn into its depths.

He recalled the times Seonwoo would bother him while he was reading or studying.

“Weren’t you always acting foolishly?”

“Is that all?”

Seonwoo felt something boiling up inside him at the thought that Yeongdeok’s hurtful words from his childhood meant so little.

His voice trembled with pent-up frustration as he finally let out the words he had been holding back.

“I still remember when you looked at me like I was pathetic, like I was some kind of insect.”

Seonwoo’s eyes were red with unshed tears.

Seeing that pitiful expression on his face made Yeongdeok’s heart unexpectedly skip a beat.

“To you, maybe it was just a trivial remark, but to me, that moment….”

Listening to Seonwoo, Yeongdeok felt a slight stirring in his chest, a sensation he couldn’t quite identify.

Although he couldn’t figure out what he was feeling, he found himself speaking before he could analyze it.

“Do you want an apology from me?”

“Stop talking to me like that…”

“I’m sorry.”

Just four simple words, but Seonwoo’s head shot up in disbelief, his trembling gaze locked on Yeongdeok.

“Did you… did you just apologize? To me?”

Seonwoo was utterly stunned.

He had never imagined he’d ever hear an apology from Yeongdeok, and the cold grip on his heart started to melt, giving way to warmth.

Momentarily speechless, he sniffled, overcome by emotion.

However, after a brief moment of tears, Seonwoo quickly wiped his eyes, thinking he should seize this opportunity.

He rested his chin on his clasped hands, speaking earnestly.

“If you’re really sorry, then do me a favor.”

“A favor?”

“There’s a concert in April. Until then, I need you to stay by my side whenever I ask.”

Although Yeongdeok felt a twinge of something upon seeing Seonwoo’s tear-streaked face, he wasn’t exactly swayed by the request.

When he gave Seonwoo a skeptical look, Seonwoo added with a hint of desperation.

“If you don’t help me, I’ll hate you a thousand times more than I ever have.”

Unfortunately for Seonwoo, his threat didn’t seem to have much impact on Yeongdeok.

What did it matter if Seonwoo hated him?

“Why should I agree to your request…?”

“Please, Yeongdeok.”

Finally, even the word “please” had slipped into the conversation.

At that, Yeongdeok looked at Seonwoo’s face again.

He only just began to notice the desperate and anxious expression that clung to Seonwoo’s features.

Even though Baek Seonwoo was begging and wearing such a pleading face, it wasn’t something Yeongdeok needed to concern himself with.

At least, that’s how it should’ve been.

Yet, something about the way he’d felt around Jihoon, Dalsu, and the people from ‘Beautiful Life’ stirred him.

“Fine.”

Despite acting like he was going to refuse, Yeongdeok eventually gave in.

Seonwoo, feeling his heart swell with a rush of emotion, couldn’t help but notice how Yeongdeok seemed noticeably softer than before.

“As expected… you’ve mellowed out. Back in the day, you would’ve flat-out refused.”

“Is that so?”

“What changed you so much? Could it be because of Jihoon?”

Yeongdeok rubbed his chin, considering the thought.

As the memories of his time with Jihoon replayed in his mind like flipping through a photo album, he reached a conclusion that maybe, just maybe, it was possible.

“Maybe so.”

“……”

“I used to really hate being emotional, but I guess I’ve picked up a bit of that fool’s silly ways.”

Thinking of how Jihoon, even when exasperated, still paid attention to every little thing, a faint smile crept across Yeongdeok’s face.

Watching this softened expression up close, Seonwoo murmured, feeling a sharp twinge in his chest.

“…What is this?”

He should have felt relieved after receiving an apology from Yeongdeok, but instead, it was like a heavy stone had rolled into his chest, making everything feel oddly weighty.

As Seonwoo tilted his head, puzzled by the conflicting emotions, Yeongdeok, who had just finished his strawberry latte, put down his straw and glanced at him.

“So, is that all you wanted to say?”

“For now, yes.”

If he was finished talking, he should just be done, but that “for now” left Yeongdeok wondering what that was supposed to mean.

* * *