For Your Failed Unrequited Love

The stomping of her feet sounded like a squirrel that had been deprived of acorns.

“I’m not comforting you!”

“It’s okay,” Felix said, restraining the corners of his lips that kept rising. “But I have to explain this one thing… I didn’t use my feet to solve the problem.”

“I– I know!” Lucy shouted, feeling wronged.

Felix eventually bowed his head, covering his face with his palms. He couldn’t hold back the laughter that flowed out. 

As his shoulders shook, Lucy asked in bewilderment. “Sunbae! Are you crying??” She slowly approached him. “Really… Are you really crying?”

With his head bowed, Felix deliberately made a sobbing sound and said, “… okay. As you said, I am a dumb crybaby.”

“What? I didn’t say that!”

“I’m just a dirt stuck inside a troll’s toenail.”

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden!”

“I’m a lugworm that can’t even be used as bait.”

“That’s not true!” 

Suddenly, Lucy placed her hands on Felix’s cheeks and lifted his face. Felix was surprised and lowered his hand, covering his face.

“Don’t say things like that!” Lucy said with tears forming around her eyes. “You’re not a lugworm sunbae!”

Felix held his breath. The fact that he was just teasing her vanished from his mind. “Huh…”

“It’s normal to get a score like that!”

“I…”

“You can do well in the next exam!”

After finishing her words, Lucy took a small breath, still holding Felix’s face tightly with her hands. Her emerald-colored eyes were moist.

“Why…” Felix slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding back and opened his mouth. “Are you about to cry…”

You’re making me misunderstand.

“Ah!”

Lucy realized her action, and she pulled her hand in surprise. But even before she could take one step back, Felix snatched her wrist.

“…Then you help me,” Felix said in a low voice; it was strangely warm. “I think I can do it if you watch me from the side. Let’s study for the exam together.”

Lucy’s eyes were wide open, looking at Felix’s hand wrapped around her wrist.

“I won’t interfere with your studies,” he added quickly when she didn’t answer. “No?”

He waited anxiously for Lucy’s answer. After a while, she nodded slowly.

“Really?” Felix asked again. He was stunned into disbelief when she agreed.

“Yes, let’s do it together,” Lucy replied, her voice trembling.

Felix’s expression brightened.

Is this a dream? A day in the Library with Lucy Keenan… No, studying for the exam!

This gave him a chance to get closer to Lucy.

“I… Sunbae. Can you please let me go?” Lucy asked carefully. Her wrist was still clasped in Felix’s hand while he rejoiced.

“Oh, sorry.” He blushed and let go of her hand. “Then when–”

Clank! Clank!

Felix was interrupted by the sound of the doorknob turning.

“Lucy! Are you inside?” Someone asked, knocking on the door.

It was Colin.

“What’s wrong with the door?” Colin fumed from the other side of the door.

Felix’s expression darkened instantly, and a frown wrinkled his forehead.

“Why are you here again? You should be cleaning the hallway.” He spat out his displeasure toward the uninvited guests who had come all the way to the old library.

“Felix-sunbae are you really going to be like this?” Colin groaned as soon as he heard him. “How could you leave me? If Adrian-sunbae didn’t come and save me, I might have really cleaned the hallway!”

“What a shame,” Felix replied with a bite in his tone.

You leech. The atmosphere was getting good.

“Collin, I think the handle is broken. Adrian knows how to open it. Can you bring him?” Lucy said as she approached the door.

“What? You can just get out of that hole!”

“W– What hole?” Lucy stuttered as if she was flustered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Will you call Adrian-sunbae quickly?”

“What are you saying? The hole we used that hole to get out when we were trapped last time!” Colin’s frustrated voice flew straight from the other side. 

Lucy’s face blushed in an instant. “That, well… Was there something like that?”

“What the! Lucy, did you have a memory lost?”

Felix heard Colin’s footsteps walking somewhere, and then he shouted, “This hole!” 

Soon after, Colin’s head popped out of the corner. There must have been a small ventilation window that Felix had not noticed.

“Lucy! Felix-sunbae!” Colin gave them a mischievous smile with his head sticking out of the hole. “Oh my.” 

Soon Colin began to crumple himself into the hole. “Look, you can come out like this!” He started wriggling like a snake to get out of the hole.

“Fe– Felix-sunbae can’t fit in there!” Lucy shouted.

“Oh, is that so?” He stopped wriggling and looked up at Felix, who was much taller than him.

“Anyway, it would have been better if you came out and called someone. Felix-sunbae would be too much, but if it’s you–” 

“Oh, wait!” Colin frowned. “Why is it so tight?”

Colin, whose shoulders were halfway out, wriggled to remove the rest of his body out of the hole. However, no matter how hard he struggled, his shoulders did not budge.

“Hey… Lucy! Help me! I guess my shoulder is stuck,” he awkwardly asked for help. “Felix-sunbae Don’t look at me like that. Help me!”

Looking down at him, Lucy heaved a deep sigh. “What do I do with you.”

She was about to help Colin, but Felix stopped her.

“Lucy.”

“Yes?”

“Stand back for a moment,” Felix said, pointing toward a spot away from the door.

Lucy walked to where Felix pointed, a strange expression on her face.

“What? Why aren’t you helping me?”

Ignoring Colin’s cries, Felix shook the locked door a few times. The hinges vibrated slightly. He then took a step back and kicked the door hard with his foot.

Bang!

The loosely attached hinge fell at once, and the door flew into the hallway. Dust rose under the door that fell on the floor.

“What? What’s that sound?” Colin was frightened; his voice shook.

“Collin, I’ll call someone, so stay like that for a moment,” Felix said to Colin.

“What? What does that mean?” Colin asked. “Are you leaving me alone again? No, right?” As if he had sensed the danger of being left alone, his face was stained with disbelief.

“Let’s go first.” Felix grabbed Lucy’s hand, ignoring Colin’s words.

“Lucy! Don’t leave me behind!” Colin’s pathetic cry rang inside the library.

“Sorry, Colin.”

Perplexed, Lucy was led by Felix out of the library. His hand on hers.

  *

Felix stopped when they could no longer hear Colin’s cries. They were free from the noisy interrupter, and he could finally talk to Lucy.

“When will we see each other at the library?” he asked, planning to set the time so that Lucy could not take back her words.

Lucy thought about Felix’s question quite seriously. “How about the weekend?” she suggested. “Starting this weekend, Mrs. Erin will be in charge of all the library work. The book club members also have to prepare for the midterm exam.”

“Really?”

Weekend Library Da– No, studying for exams.

Felix was delighted. “The weekend is great,” he answered, hiding his expression to not show that he liked it too much. “Then, I’ll see you in front of the library at ten this weekend.”

“Alright,” Lucy replied.

A satisfied smile crept up on Felix’s face.

  *

Felix whistled as he returned to his dormitory. His last class had ended. Adrian was in the room for some reason; he was usually at the academy until later.

“You look happy. Did something good happen?” he asked, looking at Felix’s smiling face.

“No, not really,” Felix answered briefly, quickly schooling his expression. He didn’t want to tell Adrian anything about Lucy.

“You’re so dull.” Adrian looked at his older brother and smiled softly. But the next moment, with a shadow over his face, he picked up a letter from his desk. “I don’t mean to ruin your mood.” Speaking carefully, he handed it to Felix. “Father sent you a letter.”

Felix’s expression darkened as he was leisurely taking off his school clothes. His mood, which had soared high in the sky due to his promise to Lucy, immediately plummeted. He accepted the letter. The envelope was stamped with the familiar Berg family crest. He tore the envelope open, dreading the content.

There was only one short sentence in the letter: “This weekend, attend the opening ceremony of the port of Libourg.” There was not even a greeting nor a goodbye.

Felix took a deep breath and sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. Then he threw the letter on the desk.

“What was it?” Adrian picked up the letter. After reading the content, his forehead wrinkled.

“Libourg port… After all, he built it.”

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