20 – Graduation Ceremony (2)

After finishing the part-time job of loading and unloading, I got on the shuttle bus.

“….after…”

It was hard. To be honest, I was very tired.

My body was weaker than expected.

Hey, it must be greed to think that the body will be in the same state as before the return.

A young, but untrained body.

This body has not yet experienced many battles.

Also, as much as he sealed his ability with a promise to himself, the fact that he is not being assisted by his ability will also play a role.

But one thing is for sure, I feel much more comfortable than when I made money doing villainy.

At the same time, I also had some greed.

As much as I put in the effort, I wanted Song Soo-yeon to grow up as well.

I wanted to forget the pain of the past and live as a good citizen.

Both for Solas and for me.

If I try to be a little more greedy, it would be perfect if she felt grateful to me in the process and liked me as a person.

“…Is it too greedy?”

I murmured as I pondered my thoughts.

Actually, I forcibly caught her and did her good deeds, but asking for something back might be disrespectful.

First of all, she hates people. Men even more. You can understand as much as you know the wounds.

Wouldn’t it be rude to have this kind of thought for her who still has a habit of saying ‘I’m not going to like you’?

oh difficult.

The day I dragged her down from the rooftop, I thought everything would work out just by talking about all the hardships while carrying her on my back.

I never thought that would be the closest moment.

….Still, even I, who hadn’t received anything in return, developed feelings for her. That’s why I’m enduring this hardship.

No matter how deep the wound is, wouldn’t she be able to develop affection for me?

If she tries, won’t she change someday?

My heart aches when I think of the fact that her heart won’t change, and that she might not like me until the very end.

I am also very selfish. That you secretly harbor this mind.

“….a.”

I closed my eyes.

My body is tired, so I think about it. The voice of Song Soo-yeon, who shouted “Chintta”, resonated in my head.

At least for now, it didn’t seem wrong.

.

.

.

.

After getting off the shuttle bus, I headed to the store.

It was around 8 o’clock, but it was winter and it was already dark.

Pure white breath blows out. I shuddered and moved on.

I walked down an empty alley. Several street lights were illuminating the road.

“…Ac..”

Every time I pass a street illuminated by street lights and enter the darkness, a useless lament comes out.

Install some more street lights. What is this?

Every time I sink into the darkness, I am reminded of the moment I was a villain.

To be honest, I do feel comfortable. Like a habit, I felt like the darkness would protect me.

But at the same time, loneliness seeks me out.

When I was a villain, the feeling of always being together comes back.

If you walk alone in this long and wide alleyway, you feel even more lonely.

I’ve put in a lot of effort to get out of this feeling, but I think there’s still a long way to go.

To erase this grunt feeling, I rummaged through my memories.

“….kukkuk.”

And immediately I remembered a memory that warmed my heart.

….First meeting with Solas.

In front of me who was laughing in the dark thinking I had outrun the heroes, she appeared with a bright light like the sun.

At that time, I felt as if she had stripped me naked while driving the darkness, but now I thought that it would be nice if she drove away this darkness.

As I thought of her, negative thoughts flew away one by one.

And only then did I realize how hungry I was.

What do you want to eat when you go back now?

I just want to rest, but should I eat rice with water?

Soon, I began to see my shop located in a corner.

“…..uh?”

The lights were on.

Is there Song Soo-yeon? I said I didn’t have a day job today.

Or are you hungry and eating something?

I check my watch

It’s late to eat dinner.

With doubt in mind, I approached the store.

– Tiring.

I opened the shop door.

“…Sooyeon?”

“mister.”

Inside, Song Soo-yeon stood up from the seat where she was sitting.

Various side dishes and kimchi stew were neatly placed in front of her. But there was no sign of being touched.

Looking at it, I asked.

“What were you doing?”

“……You didn’t even say hello, did you ask that first?”

“Oh, look at my mind. I’m home.”

At my greeting, Song Soo-yeon’s expression softened even more. She answered, averting her eyes from me.

“…come on…come.”

I ask her again

“So you were eating? Or SNS?”

“…I want to eat.”

After a brief reply, she stormed into the kitchen. There, an indifferent question rang out.

“……Did you eat, mister?”

“…No, not yet.”

“…sitting down.”

In an unexpected situation, I was stunned.

After being seated at the table as she said, I looked at the side dishes.

Looking closely, the food was cold.

There was no heat in the stew, and the herbs dried up.

I could notice that it took quite a while for these foods to arrive on the table.

Contrary to the stew, Song Soo-yeon returns with white rice with warm steam rising.

He puts one in front of me and one in front of himself, takes out a spoon and hands it over.

I had no choice but to ask her who prepared the food like that.

“……Are you waiting for me?”

Her actions stand firm.

For a fleeting moment, I could see her lips twitch.

She moved her frozen body again and headed for the refrigerator.

“…are you crazy? Why am I?”

Then he brought out some cool water.

A smile spread across my lips.

“What, did you really wait to eat together?”

“Don’t be mean. Because it’s not like that.”

No matter how sharp she was, she could sense that this was a blatant lie.

My heart melts at the unexpected surprise.

The worries I’ve been doing all day become stupid.

I felt the warmth of people.

When I smiled and couldn’t answer, Song Soo-yeon frowned and said,

“…it’s not like that. Ah, fuck. I’m just misunderstanding again.”

“mistaken?”

“It’s an illusion that I like you.”

“No… I didn’t do that.”

“It was the men who confessed when I asked just one question. don’t forget You’re not doing this because you like him? Just make a mistake and confess something, really. He just came at the right time.”

Song Soo-yeon avoids my eyes and speaks in an infinitely serious voice.

My eyes keep going to the cold food. The food is in that condition, but it didn’t wait for me…

“……..”

I smiled.

It doesn’t matter if she wasn’t really waiting for me. It’s really good to prepare to eat alone.

As much as I was tired, I tried to eat roughly and sleep, so this was a great gift for me. I was happy that I wasn’t alone.

“I know. Thank you though.”

I honestly convey my heart.

Song Soo-yeon avoided replying, avoiding her head.

I kept saying

“Really, I’m glad Suyeon is here.”

I couldn’t hide my feelings.

When the day ends like this, it couldn’t be more rewarding.

Looking at me sideways, she sighs deeply.

“….. I don’t think it’s a real hogu. Why do you like it so much? Eat something quickly.”

“yes. I will eat well.”

Just as the meal was about to begin, Song Soo-yeon stood up.

“…I’ll just wash my hands before I come back.”

And then he left right away.

Rather fortunately. It seemed like I needed a little time to calm down my moved heart.

****

Song Soo-yeon entered the bathroom and closed the door.

When the thick iron door closed, Song Soo-yeon finally let out a smile she had been holding back.

I roll my feet and digest the happiness that flows down my head.

I was annoyed when he didn’t show up after waiting for hours, but it was all worth it.

“Oh really…”

I should have taken a picture, she thinks.

I will never forget the expression on his impressed face.

As one tingling wave of emotion passed, she snorted and laughed.

“Ha, what do you like so much? just like that hedgehog. Become filthy pure…”

There will be no one else who will say that he prepared a meal for me.

If you give him more grace, he will be engraved in his heart for the rest of his life.

“……”

She is tempted by an idea that suddenly comes to her mind.

Should I bear with my shame for a little bit and give him grace when the opportunity arises?

Wouldn’t he then think of himself for the rest of his life?

“……”

she shook her head.

I would continue to work part-time and be by his side anyway, but I wanted to do something.

Besides, even if she doesn’t try, he’ll think about it often because he likes her anyway.

She recalls the situation from before.

“…How much do you like me like that?”

She kept talking to herself and giggling.

My heart was warm, it tickled, it thumped.

I keep thinking of him like this.

Song Soo-yeon looked in the mirror without realizing it.

She stood there, flushed.

“madam…”

Feeling ashamed of that unfamiliar expression, she starts washing her face.

Every time my cheek touches the ice-cold water, my beating heart calms down.

I didn’t feel like staying here for too long.

He might think it’s strange… and the time to see him is reduced, so it’s a waste.

After washing your face, wipe off the water from your white jade-like skin.

The redness had subsided a lot. At this point, Jeong-gyeom wouldn’t even know about his change.

She looked at her wet face.

Thinking that this is the beauty that Jung-gyeom likes, I started to see myself differently.

I’d never thought of it like this before.

I thought this beautiful appearance was a curse.

But now.

“……It’s pretty.”

She said.

Even this was a change caused by Jeong-gyeom.