Chapter 113
I couldn’t hold back any longer and asked bluntly. When a fishbone gets stuck in your throat, you have to quickly stuff in some rice and swallow it down.
“I’m not angry. I’m just uneasy.”
“So what are you uneasy about?”
“Because you’re pretty.”
At the thunderbolt-like comment, the tissue in my hand crumpled pitifully.
“It’s a face I want only I can see.”
Ryu Eun-seok lifted his phone without a trace of a smile. Sitting there with a face that had completely lost its appetite, he busied himself taking pictures of the burger to make it look appetizing. The only sound at this table was the click of the camera.
“I’m holding back because if I ask why you didn’t consult me first, I’ll look like a crazy obsessive guy.”
The man lowered his phone and slowly chewed his burger. It was obvious he was forcing himself to eat. He had seemed displeased earlier, but now he looked sullen. With his handsome features and slumped shoulders, even someone who didn’t know the situation would feel sorry for him.
I grabbed my bag and stood up. I couldn’t stay sitting across from him and keep eating like this. I would definitely get indigestion.
“Where are you going?”
Ryu Eun-seok’s eyes went round. The corner of his mouth had chili sauce on it.
“Just a quick trip to the bathroom.”
I did him the kindness of wiping the corner of his mouth with a tissue. Rather than finding his messy state pathetic, it only made me feel more sorry for him. This was the power of a handsome face.
Inside the bathroom, I took out the lens case from my pouch. I still didn’t have the confidence to look straight at my own face in the mirror. Thinking about how I had been walking around like this all morning, heat rose above my neck.
Without hesitating, I took out the lenses. It wasn’t entirely because of Ryu Eun-seok’s gloominess—my eyeballs were starting to feel dry anyway. Switching back to my glasses felt as comfortable as flinging off a tight piece of clothing.
After returning to my seat, I deliberately didn’t look at Ryu Eun-seok. I had absolutely no intention of boasting about how much I was accommodating him.
“I didn’t mean to pressure you…”
Ryu Eun-seok studied my face and murmured. Still, a hint of happiness wafted from his low, relaxed voice.
“It was just tiring to keep wearing them.”
“It’s not that you look strange—you know your eyes are really pretty. Your pupils are big and clear. But then other people would think the same way too, wouldn’t they? Weren’t there a lot of people staring at you today? Right?”
Ryu Eun-seok’s word count increased rapidly. It was dizzying how many times he said “really.”
“Still, if you’re not used to them and wear them for a long time, you’ll get tired, so don’t overdo it. Just wear them when we’re meeting outside…”
“…try wearing them little by little. If you wear them at school, it’ll only attract flies—”
“The burger is good.”
I cut off Ryu Eun-seok’s endless monologue. Only then realizing how much he had been rambling, the man stopped his soliloquy and stuffed his mouth with the burger.
Ryu Eun-seok no longer brought up my face as a topic. Which was a relief, because nothing was as burdensome as someone who was handsome by anyone’s standards complimenting me on being pretty or describing my eyes.
Even without wrestling over something like lenses, Ryu Eun-seok and I had plenty of points of friction. Our fundamentally distant temperaments, the many women eyeing his side, and our secret agreement were all more than enough to kindle conflict.
So at the burger place, I took a step back. I thought we had safely gotten through this crisis and that I had done the right thing.
But just as I finished my afternoon classes, I realized that had been a miscalculation.
*Hey, look at this. Eun-seok oppa’s Instagram.*
I was washing my hands in the bathroom when a freshman next to me, fiddling with her phone, nudged her friend and made a fuss. My ears perked up instinctively, but I didn’t show it and pulled out a paper towel.
“Isn’t that a girl?”
“Oh, it is?”
It felt like someone had yanked the weight below my chest. My hands slowed as I dried them.
My face reflected in the mirror turned pale in an instant.
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