Chapter 127: The Words He Never Let Go Of

“What are you even talking about? You really don’t seem like you’re in any state to have a conversation. Let’s talk later.”

I had wanted to know why Jaeyul and Song Jihan had clashed, but in an instant, my curiosity evaporated.

Right now, I just wanted to get away from here.

At the very least, I wanted to get away from Jaeyul.

I didn’t even have the courage to ask what he remembered.

I tried to pry Jaeyul’s hand off my shoulder, but instead, the hand gripping me tightened, refusing to let go.

“I really need to go to the bathroom, and I want coffee—coffee too….”

It felt like I’d been ambushed while completely off guard.

I’d reassured myself, assuming Jaeyul could never remember the last rut.

Even when I woke up, he hadn’t mentioned anything related to it, not even once, and up until now, there had been no hint of it at all.

It was a secret Jaeyul could never, ever know.

We’d been together since I was thirteen.

From Jaeyul’s perspective, I was real family—someone who’d shared more than half his life with him.

Elementary school, middle school, high school—every memory of those years must have included me.

And yet… to know what I had done to him.

That, at least, had to be hidden at all costs.

“Let go of me!”

It seemed my rationality had completely stopped working.

I shoved my hands hard against Jaeyul’s chest and thrashed, smacking at the arm holding me.

Even so, the pressure only intensified.

My entire upper body was swallowed by warmth.

Ignoring my struggle, Jaeyul wrapped an arm around the back of my neck and my back, pulling me into a tight embrace.

What on earth was he trying to say, gripping me like this?

Right now, the warmth he was giving me felt unbearable.

If I could, I wanted to cover my ears and not hear a single word.

A memory suddenly flashed through my mind—the words he’d been about to say back in the village where we used to live together.

The words about drawing a line between us, between guardian, siblings, family.

Now I understood.

If he already knew the truth, saying something like that would make sense.

Even so, I didn’t want to hear any more.

Despite my wishes, Jaeyul’s voice began to seep into my ears.

“I’ll never give you up to a bastard like Song Jihan.

No matter who comes along, I’ll never give up.

I was first.

I liked you first, more than anyone else.

So of course… you’re mine.”

“…Huh…?”

My mind froze again at words I’d never expected.

Not a single one of the words I’d been afraid of came out.

Instead, he said something I’d never even dared to hope for.

As if I might run away, he pulled me in even tighter, and that pressure snapped me back to reality.

There was no mistake—those words had come from Jaeyul’s mouth.

Words saying he liked me.

Words saying he would never give up on me, no matter what.

This time, there was no room for misunderstanding.

He liked me—exactly as the sentence stated.

When it dawned on me that the feelings I’d held for Jaeyul and the feelings Jaeyul held for me were the same in nature, the confusion filling my chest transformed into overwhelming emotion and excitement.

It was something I’d never dared to imagine, not even in my thoughts.

Even picturing it felt shameless, something I had to force myself to push away.

And now, I was hearing those words directly.

Because of that, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response.

No words could properly represent what I felt.

There was no way to convey this emotion exactly as it was.

So instead, I answered by wrapping my arms around Jaeyul’s back.

It was a hug we shared every day, yet today, it felt inexplicably warm and comforting.

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking by my ear pulled me out of that honey-sweet dream and back into reality.

Startled, both Jaeyul and I loosened our hold on each other.

“Yes!”

“Why’s the door locked? I’m bored. Let’s hang out.”

…Why was Bomyeong always this clueless?

Of all times, why barge in now and—no, never mind.

Because Park Bomyeong had suddenly shown up, the words Jaeyul had said just moments ago felt like a dream.

The gap between that moment and this situation was far too wide.

“Haah… Park Bomyeong….”

Hm… was it really a dream?

Seeing Jaeyul snarl Bomyeong’s name like he was about to tear him apart made it seem like it had been.

“Bomyeong, I’ll write the report for you.

How about you read things out to me while drinking coffee next to me?”

“Huh…? Why?”

“What do you mean, why?

Teammates are supposed to help each other out.”

“Didn’t you buy Eden snacks earlier too…?”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“What’s gotten into you?!

Th-this is scary!”

What was he even saying?

I was offering to type for him since he didn’t know how to use a computer properly, and he was backing away from me like he was about to have a seizure.

“I’ll help you.

I really want to help.

Why not?”

“Stop it!

Y-you’re not crazy, right?

If someone changes this suddenly, something’s seriously wrong!

Since when did you ever live your life helping others?!”

Ah…

It seemed I’d been far too harsh on my teammates until now.

“Sorry.

I’ll try harder from now on—”

“Shut up!”

In the end, Park Bomyeong fled from me with a look like he’d just seen a ghost, running straight to Yoo Eden’s desk.

What was that about?

I was just in such a good mood that I felt like I could help with anything cheerfully.

That’s how good I felt.

Good enough that I could even feed Na Dongchan a meal—

…No, not that far.

Anyway, after my conversation with Jaeyul, I felt motivated and energized about everything.

His voice kept echoing in my head.

‘I’ve liked you for a long time.

I love you, hyung.’

He never actually said that?

Whatever.

The meaning was close enough, so I’d interpret it however I liked.

Still, even as my heart swelled, there was a strange sense of unease lingering somewhere.

“Hm….”

[What time are you done today?

Should I wait at the office? (shy)]

[Want to eat dinner outside?

It’d be nice to have a glass of wine for once! (sparkly eyes)]

[Ah, should we have wine with a late-night snack instead?

There’s still that cheese you like!!]

Reading over the messages I’d sent, I felt unbearably embarrassing.

Why had I messaged Jaeyul while he was out at the support office?

And those noisy emoticons—what were those?

A squished bear acting shy, and some bird—or duck—head shining its eyes.

“Ah… this is why I shouldn’t reread things….”

I desperately wanted to delete them.

No—at least I wanted to remove the emoticons.

It felt as mortifying as drunkenly texting an ex.

Nothing could’ve happened while he was out, and I knew Jaeyul wasn’t the type to joke around about things like that.

Still, the reply taking longer than I expected made me anxious.

So I kept staring at the chat window, even though no reply had come yet.

“Hey, what are you doing after work today?

This hyung got his hands on some really good booze.

I’ll make an exception and drink it with you.”

What the hell, this squid—

No, it’s Song Jihan.

Sorry.

I mistook him for a moment because I’d been thinking about Jaeyul’s face.

“I’m fine, so drink that good stuff with someone else.

Shoo, shoo.

Go have fun somewhere else.”

Honestly, I was a little grateful to Song Jihan.

If he hadn’t spouted nonsense in front of Jaeyul, none of this would’ve happened.

I should supply him with even better Petra next time.

Jaeyul might stay wary, but with time, he’d realize Song Jihan was the kind of guy who said things like that to anyone.

That, I was sure of.

Song Jihan genuinely liking me was absolutely impossible.

How did I know?

Because nothing like that had ever happened in the past.

This time wouldn’t be any different.

“What?

Why are you being so cold?

Because of you, I—”

“Alright.

Let’s drink next time, okay?”

Grumbling, Song Jihan moved away from my desk.

The place he headed to was Park Bomyeong’s.

“What are you doing after work today?

Hyung wants to buy you a nice drink.”

Ugh… I’m done watching this.

I wasn’t curious about Bomyeong’s answer at all.

As I checked the time and started getting ready to leave, my phone vibrated.

Before the vibration even ended, I picked it up, and a welcome notification was waiting.

Sorry.

Those old guys wouldn’t stop talking, so I got stuck for a while.

Wine sounds good, and I like cheese too.

Let’s eat whatever you want.

I’m in front of the company.

Come down.

Let’s head out right away.

The messages came in back-to-back.

Not just a reply to what I’d sent, but news that he was already outside.

I abandoned packing my bag and ran out of the office with just my phone in hand.

Why did the elevator feel so slow today?

I knew staring holes into the floor display wouldn’t make it arrive any faster, and yet I couldn’t stop.

When I stepped outside the center, I saw Jaeyul’s car ahead, hazard lights on.

I’d rushed here like the wind, but from here on, I’d walk calmly.

Clear my throat once, check if my hair was messy, think about what to say first once I got in.

The closer I got to the car, the more my hands trembled.

“Hurry up and get in.

I made a reservation at a restaurant you like.”

Ah, he already made a reservation?

As expected, Jaeyul was always thorough.

As I got in, the car smoothly pulled away.

I’d wanted him to come quickly so badly, but now that we were alone together in the quiet car, it felt awkward.

A feeling that didn’t suit us at all.

As if I’d met a man named Seon Jaeyul for the very first time today.

“W-what res-taur-ant…!”

Damn it…

I must’ve been too nervous—my voice cracked.

I shouldn’t have opened my mouth at all.

“You know the place near the park.

The one you said had great steak.”

Phew…

Thankfully, it seemed he hadn’t noticed.

Thinking of the restaurant he mentioned, my stomach suddenly growled, saliva pooling in my mouth.

“Ah, that place!

Didn’t they say they only open when they get good meat, so it’s hard to go again?”

“They said a shipment came in today.

And… I have something to tell you.”

Something to tell me.

If I hadn’t already heard his feelings earlier, I might’ve been anxious.

Because I wouldn’t know what was coming.

But now, I was fine.

Whatever conversation we were about to have would be something I wanted to hear.

“…What are you planning to say?”

I asked anyway, just in case.

I was an expert at jumping to conclusions, after all.

“Do you remember when we went back to the neighborhood we used to live in?

Back then, I also stopped midway while talking—”

Stopped… what?

Jaeyul suddenly stopped speaking.

Then the moving car screeched to a sudden halt.

His hand shot out to my chest, stopping me from lurching forward.

What was going on…?

Even in this situation, Jaeyul’s gaze was fixed on something.

His expression was deadly serious.

“What are you staring at so intently—”

Following his line of sight, I lost my words too.

“How is that….”

In the sky above the heart of Seoul, an enormous gate appeared.

A gate radiating an ominous energy, as if it would swallow the entire world.

It was a gate I knew all too well.

The gate from which ‘X’ had emerged.

That gate had appeared once more.

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