Product of Misunderstanding (Part 3)
Dating wasn’t something you just decided to do like finishing a meal.
“You should eat lunch to fill your stomach. You should date to…”
What was this? Some song lyric about forcing yourself to love someone?
Of course, I wasn’t expecting love from Chae Soo, but—
The way this conversation was going, it almost sounded like I had been the one to confess first.
He stared blankly at my face, which had turned red with frustration. Then, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, he said, “You touched me once.”
I froze.
“Excuse me?”
“You touched me once. So date me.”
My jaw dropped.
“…You can’t be serious. If touching someone once was all it took, then—”
“Then how many more times do you have to touch me to make it count?”
What.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
His face—he looked like he’d let me touch him more if I wanted.
Did he really think I’d fall for such a—such a cheap trick?!
“It’s not like I asked you to take responsibility for my life.”
“Why am I the one in charge of your life?”
“My friend got married like that. Just like that.”
We’re not even getting married—we’re just dating—so what’s the big deal? Oh my god, this shameless person.
“You’ve always had it easy in relationships.”
“Why are we talking about that now?”
“Let’s try that kind of relationship together.”
But why me? Why me and Chae Soo?
My throat felt parched, so I gulped down the lemon ginger tea. My face burned, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or the sheer absurdity of the situation.
“Something’s off. I wonder what happened to your head when you passed out.”
“Maybe so.”
“I knew it when you refused to go to the hospital. You’re definitely crazy.”
“It’s fine. You’re a little crazy too.”
Chae Soo’s response was so casual, so matter-of-fact, that I almost missed the fact that he had just insulted me.
“…But are you really okay now?”
“See, Han Yeon-doo? There’s no other woman who knows my body as well as you do.”
Oh wow. Look at him talking in circles. Actually, I’m the one avoiding the topic, but somehow, he keeps dragging us back to square one.
“So in my eyes, you, Han Yeon-doo, are the best…”
His gaze, now completely relaxed, swept slowly over my face. Then he said, simply—
“It’s just right.”
“What? What the hell?! What kind of—”
What kind of reason was that? Was he seriously choosing a girlfriend just because it seemed convenient?
“I just… want to live a normal life.”
“… …”
“I want to eat out, watch movies, and go to performances with my girlfriend.”
So this was about things he couldn’t do openly with a man.
I hadn’t considered that. The realization made my chest tighten, and before I knew it, I felt both relieved and—oddly—sorry for him. I wasn’t particularly busy, so if he needed a smokescreen… well, I could help.
“Hold hands with my girlfriend.”
Wait, he couldn’t even hold hands properly?
But—hold on.
Hadn’t I seen him hugging that guy without hesitation? No—wait—it was one-sided, but I had seen them kiss… or rather, I’d seen him being kissed.
“Kiss, have sex—”
“No, stop! I can imagine it, so don’t say anything more!”
Chae Soo wasn’t exactly open-minded enough to picture himself doing anything beyond kissing a guy.
“If you lack imagination, you can try it first.”
“What… are you… doing?”
“Kissing or sex. Which do you prefer?”
Wait, hold on.
I was just throwing smoke. Did I really need to go that far?
“Pick whatever you like. I’m confident in either one.”
…This wasn’t a confession.
His tone—so casual, like he was offering me a choice between pork bone soup and blood sausage stew—lacked any real emotion.
“Are you joking?”
“When have you ever seen me joke?”
“Oh my god. Asking me out—no, not even that, making this kind of suggestion… a proposal? Huh?! This is the first time I’ve heard a man say something like this! And definitely the first time I’ve heard senior say it!”
“It’s my first time saying something like this, too.”
Why me? Why was I the first person he’d ever said this to?
Chae Soo still didn’t seem willing to admit that he was gay and needed me as a cover. So, since he wasn’t revealing anything, this situation looked no different from a heterosexual man asking me out.
And because I couldn’t pretend to know he was gay unless he told me himself, I had to reject his fake confession for now.
“I’ve never even considered a romantic relationship with you.”
“That’s a little harsh.”
“It’s the truth. There’s nothing between us!”
“No. How could you have never thought about me? Not even once?”
…Maybe I am a little crazy.
“Hah. You really think you’re that great, huh?”
“Han Yeon-doo. Compared to your ex-boyfriends, I’m not emotional at all.”
That was true.
But only if we were talking about what was visible on the surface.
How could anyone just jump into dating with such shallow reasoning?
I frowned, narrowing my eyes at him.
“…I thought you weren’t interested in women.”
“I’m not.”
“Then what—? Do you think I’m not a woman? Where exactly are you looking?”
I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest as his gaze drifted downward.
The tea in my cup rippled slightly from the movement.
I think I’m losing my mind.
I used to call him a pervert, but now he was being blatant about it.
“Then let’s say I’m interested in you, Han Yeon-doo—not any other woman.”
“Why do I have to be the one to deal with that?”
“Let’s finish work together today.”
“…No, absolutely not!”
“Do you want to work overtime, Senior Han Yeon-doo? Should I throw some more tests at you?”
Oh my.
Threats. Threats. Just sitting there, making threats like that.
I closed my mouth in surprise and looked at Chae Soo with wide eyes. He met my gaze with an expression as cold as ice.
“What?”
Ahh… Now it makes sense. That’s it. Why didn’t I realize it sooner? I guess my brain is finally starting to work now that I’ve had some food.
So this was just a threat.
That vixen. Yeah, that’s what this was. He was getting revenge on me for messing with him and talking about it. Right. Even if he was gay, there was no way that Chae Soo would suddenly rush to me and ask me out without context. He had simply pushed me to my limit, waiting for me to break and apologize properly.
I closed my eyes tightly, inhaled, and then exhaled as I slowly lifted my eyelids. My eyelashes fluttered. When I finally spoke, my voice trembled.
“…ry.”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“…Sorry.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“I—I teased you too much… too much….”
“Hmm.”
“I was really shaken up yesterday and today… so I’ll stop now. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
I bit my lip and studied Chae Soo’s expression.
How wicked. He was forcing me to lower my head like this.
As if he had noticed my true feelings, Chae Soo raised an eyebrow. A crooked smile appeared on his straight lips.
Haa… I had no idea how to escape this ridiculous situation.
“That… I am a crazy person, who touched something that I shouldn’t have….”
“… …”
“I saw it. From an angle. And more than that, I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
Chae Soo finished the last of his tea without a word, then reached over, took the paper cup from my hand, and stacked it with his own.
The hand that had been holding the cup froze awkwardly in the air.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
The wind lifting my hair at that moment.
The way Chae Soo’s fingers brushed against my strands as he tucked them behind my ear.
The warmth of his hand as he wrapped it around mine, still suspended in midair.
And the way his lips curved into the brightest smile I had ever seen as he tilted his head, watching my startled expression.
Then, with that infuriatingly cheerful smile, he said—
“If I accept that apology, will you date me?”
Aah. Where on earth was this man going?
The autumn wind rustled, dragging fallen leaves across the ground.
Was it the asphalt being scraped away? Or was it my heart, already burnt black?
A sharp prickle spread through my chest. And somehow, in that hollow space inside me, a small spark rekindled.
“Would you like that?”
He said it like he was about to lose a thousand dollars.
Among all my suspicions, there were a few undeniable reasons why I was convinced Chae Soo was gay.
Strictly speaking, though, the person who turned my no way into an I knew it wasn’t Chae Soo himself—it was someone else entirely.
The real problematic figure, famous in more ways than one, was Chae Soo’s high school friend.
That guy, who always seemed bored, would constantly drop by and pester him. At first, I wondered why he kept showing up at someone else’s school, but after observing him for a while, I realized something—he had no other friends. Besides Chae Soo, he was completely alone.
Rumor had it that this guy—who had gotten a perfect score on the college entrance exam—was quite popular, despite his plain face. But in my opinion, Chae Soo looked better.
Of course, neither of them were my type, but I couldn’t deny that they were both far above average in looks.
Anyway, that guy—Kang Do-woo—and Chae Soo…
Well.
I don’t know if I should say they looked good together, but they matched.
Like a perfectly paired set, a one-plus-one deal.
One time, a classmate, watching them, muttered, “Honestly, I’d rather they date each other than date me.”
Another chimed in, “If you think about it, they could already be dating. Aren’t all handsome guys secretly gay?”
They laughed about it, joking around.
At that time, I didn’t think much of it.
When did I first suspect that their relationship was more than just friendship?
Oh.
It was probably during that blind date that Ryu Ji-hwan set up.
I don’t know how Ryu Ji-hwan managed to convince Chae Soo to go, but somehow, the guy who never showed interest in women agreed to meet one. And she was actually quite pretty, contrary to my expectations.
And honestly?
He seemed to be handling it surprisingly well.
That day, he wore a dark green knit sweater that made his shoulders look even broader, paired with pants that perfectly matched his sneakers, showing off his long legs. It wasn’t anything new, but for some reason, that image of him stuck with me.
Maybe it was because of Ryu Ji-hwan’s little trick.
