Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

“We’re outside.”

I wish I could stop the heat creeping up my neck by my own choice. More so when Cha Yeowoon’s innocent expression made it seem as if nothing was happening.

“It’s not like we’re kissing.”

“I would prefer that.”

“Then, should we do that?”

“Cha Yeowoon.”

Despite my warning, Cha Yeowon didn’t avert his eyes. How did the person who used to kiss while holding their breath end up like this?

He, with a sly movement, slid his tongue up near my fingertips and lightly kissed each finger that held the melting ice cream cone.

Slick–Slick–

Along with the ticklish sound, it seemed like I was melting, not the ice cream. Heat gathered at each joint of my fingers.

“Why are your manners getting worse and worse these days…”

“Seems like I’m developing bad manners because of senior.”

“Trying to turn this on me? When did I?”

“Senior has a side that makes me impatient.”

“What?”

“I thought I was strange, but it’s senior’s fault.”

Now it was my fault for standing still. It was absurd, but Cha Yeowoon simply blinked his eyes meekly.

“Yeowoon, you’re so full of energy lately.”

“People say if you like someone, you naturally want to touch them.”

“Who says that? Who taught you only bad things?”

What the hell happened to the innocent child? Despite my lament, Cha Yeowoon seemed pleased all the way back to the lodging.

Before entering the lodging, I finally threw away the uneaten melted ice cream cone. My palm was sticky from the melted ice cream. Similarly, that was how I felt right now. Sticky, sweet, and hot, and it felt like I should wash it off quickly, but my hands involuntarily clenched.

I thought Ahn Gyeonghun would be at the lodging, but our room was empty. It felt slightly awkward to be alone with Cha Yeowoon again.

“The beds are very close.”

“Huh? Oh.”

“Where’s senior’s bed?”

“The one you’re sitting on right now.”

When I said that, Cha Yeowoon meaningfully smoothed the sheets. The neatly prepared bedding was tidy, but I suddenly felt embarrassed.

The back of his hand, which was sliding across the pure white sheets, was smooth and not like an athlete. Blue veins were visible, and the fingers protruding from the joints on his big hands were long.

I heard people with big hands tend to be tall. Cha Yeowoon was rather tall now. Come to think of it, he might have grown taller since we first met. Was he still growing?

“Senior, aren’t you going to sit?”

“…Huh?”

“I was wondering if you were going to keep standing.”

Cha Yeowoon patted the seat next to him as if it was obvious.

“Isn’t it better to sit facing each other?”

“I don’t want to.”

Before, Cha Yeowoon had immediately shook his head when Ahn Gyeonghun had tried to quietly sit on the bed. A straightforward guy.

I sat down when I was told, but it felt awkward with the sensation of the mattress deflating under my butt and the faint sound of springs. Despite having wiped my hands, they still felt subtly sticky.

As we sat apart to keep some distance, Cha Yeowoon subtly leaned his shoulder toward me. Unlike outside, where I could sense the cars, pedestrians, and even birds and insects, it felt strange sitting in the enclosed room where only Cha Yeowoon could be sensed.

“Senior…”

Cha Yeowoon called me softly. The hair on the back of my ears stood on ends. If this continued, I would definitely become entangled. I had to do something before this atmosphere prolonged.

“D-Do you want to see this, Cha Yeowoon?”

I hastily thrust my phone screen in front of Cha Yeowoon’s face, which had come so close that I could feel his breath.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s about you.”

What I brought up was a post from a fairly large community.

[ Title: Cha Yeowoon (18-year-old track and field athlete, my boyfriend) who dominated the hot topic yesterday is really handsome.

Comment: I saw it here and followed him on social media, but I became speechless when I saw the photo posted today; People say you lose your memory when you see something too handsome…I was speechless and lost my memory, so wasn’t that why I ate five meals for breakfast this morning? Wasn’t I brainwashed? ]

[ Top Comment 1: Aren’t you using Cha Yeowoon as an excuse to eat a lot?

Top Comment 2: Nice..ㄹㅇexcuse to eat :D… ]

Despite the embarrassing compliments, Cha Yeowon scrolled through the post indifferently. There was no sign of him feeling embarrassed.

“Isn’t this photo to die for no matter how many times you see it?”

When I pointed to the photo at the top, Cha Yeowoon’s expression finally changed.

All of the photos that were uploaded to his account were ones I had taken and sent. Of course, I had carefully selected and sent them for him to upload.

“Yes. Did senior Gyeonghun take it?”

“I took it.”

Naturally, I had taken about a hundred consecutive shots and picked this one.

Fortunately, one was usable. It was worthwhile to have received tutoring in the morning and evening from Ahn Gyeonghun so that I could take good photos of Cha Yeowoon and have them uploaded.

“Why don’t you recognize it? This. It’s a photo of when you were smiling at me.”

The smiling photo taken and enlarged at the end was so handsome that it felt wasteful to show it to others.

Nevertheless, it was worth showing the spirit of humans and sharing it for mutual benefit.

[ Sub-Mission: Find 100,000 (9,218) fans for Cha Yeowoon. ]

The Sub-Mission was already close to 10,000 after just a few days. It was much faster than I expected.

Although I felt uncomfortable that there was no exact deadline, I had an expectation that I could accomplish it.

Following the link under the post, a link to Cha Yeowoon’s social media appeared. It was fun to see his account growing steadily, like admiring well-tended plants with my own hands.

“But seriously, you have a lot of fans.”

“What do you mean a lot?”

“Aren’t there even those who have been following you since middle school?”

“Back then, I did a few interviews, so maybe that’s why. I guess they just saw me by chance. Track and field doesn’t have as big of a fanbase as ball sports.”

“No. Look at this. It’s really something.”

Cha Yeowoon’s newly created account often received comments expressing past support, delight at seeing him again, and well wishes for the future.

Although I had heard that he had many fans, seeing this made it finally sink in that there were people who genuinely supported him.

With this many fans, I had thought he might feel motivated, but his attitude remained completely indifferent.

“I don’t trust these casual comments of liking or disliking. It’s just tiring.”

“Do you hate it that much?”

“It’s not that I hate it…Does senior want me to become famous?”

“You don’t want to be?”

If Cha Yeowoon continued to live as an athlete, fame and recognition was necessary.

While being good at something was important, it was equally important that there were people who knew it.

With more people acknowledging it, there would be a place for him carved out in the world.

I had wanted to live alone without causing or receiving any harm, but I had realized that living that way wasn’t possible. Ultimately, other people were necessary.

“Fame and popularity are fleeting. Interest quickly fades.”

Cha Yeowoon grimaced as if he was fed up.

“Bothering as much as they pleased until they lose interest. I don’t want to be a plaything. I hate it because I feel like I’m being abandoned.”

I couldn’t help but to feel ashamed.

[ Time remaining: 201 days ]

After 201 days, would Cha Yeowoon think that he had been abandoned?

“Like senior said, I also prefer someone who will be with me for a long time.”

Cha Yeowoon, who knew nothing about my inner thoughts, whispered affectionately. Without realizing it, I bit my lips. His gaze became strange as if interpreting it as some kind of signal.

Whenever there was a gap this would happen.

Lost in the vitality of youth, even the tension that was burning my throat was forgotten. It felt like sparks were flying just by locking eyes.

The mattress softly groaned again. Should I accept the approaching lips this time? What if I couldn’t resist it myself?

Brmm–Brmm–

Amidst my inner turmoil, a vibration spread strongly.

“A call? Just a moment.”

As I quickly picked up my phone, I heard a muffled sigh from Cha Yeowoon.

[Ahn Sia] : (Picture)

[Ahn Sia] : Congratulations on 9,000 followers for Cha Yeowoon ♡

[Ahn Sia] : I took a snapshot of the moment when it hit 9,000

[Ahn Sia] : Anyway

[Ahn Sia] : (Picture)

[Ahn Sia] : This photo ♡ is ♡ so ♡ beautiful ♡

[Ahn Sia] : Original please ♡♡

[Ahn Sia] : Seems like big brother has talent for photography?

There were private messages from Ahn Sia. Did she send them right after checking social media?

“What is it?”

“Sia sent me this.”

After I showed the contents to Cha Yeowoon, who had suddenly interrupted, he scanned my screen carefully.

“I thought it was something weird again.”

Something weird? Not understanding, I raised my eyebrows, and Cha Yeowoon explained.

“Many people send strange things through private messages.”

“What kind of strange things?”

“Just various things. Sending weird messages, asking for my photo in exchange for theirs, wanting to send gifts and asking for my address, and so on.”

“They even ask for your address? Did you tell them?”

“Of course I didn’t. But anyway, if you search for my name, you’ll find articles that mention our high school track and field team and such.”

There was a hint of displeasure at the end of Cha Yeowoon’s words. Despite the abundance of positive compliments, he seemed uncomfortable.

“I heard something bad happened in the past.”

Maybe because of that incident. According to Ahn Sia, a stranger had followed Cha Yeowoon like a stalker.

The person had waited in front of the school gate and followed him home. He had called the police, and at that time, he was already popular in the neighborhood, so there were many rumors.

“What?”

“Last year when someone followed you…”

“Oh, that. There are people like that sometimes.”

“Wasn’t it just one person?”

“There were people who came to visit me because of my father. I also think I was an easy target, whether because I lived alone with my grandmother or that I was young and small. It’s just not that big of a deal.”

“What do you mean it’s not that big of a deal…?”

How could anyone treat a child like this? Couldn’t they let him live in peace?

“Are you worried?”

“Of course. As expected, I don’t think you should live alone.”

“Come and sleep often, senior.”

Cha Yeowoon subtly changed the subject. When he saw my disapproving expression, he picked up his phone.

[Cha Yeowoon] : Senior

A private message notification appeared on my phone. This time, the sender was Cha Yeowoon.

“Why suddenly?”

Why would Cha Yeowoon send a private message when I was right in front of him? He looked at me with a sly smile and tapped his phone screen again.

[Cha Yeowoon] : I want to receive private messages from senior

The response was seriously cute.

“I’m not going to reply.”

I tried to brush it off, but Cha Yeowoon was persistent.

[Cha Yeowoon] : I was going to tell you earlier, but I won’t be able to see you until tomorrow evening

“Evening? Do you have other plans that day?”

Cha Yeowoon nodded and sent another private message.

[Cha Yeowoon] : It’s the last day of the competition, so I’ll be practicing and meeting with the track and field team

“Why keep answering through private messages?”

[Cha Yeowoon] : Because senior is cute

“Me?”

[Cha Yeowoon] : Your expression is so cute right now it’s killing me