Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 68

Chapter 68

“Really? Why do you think that?”

“Intuition.”

Choi Jinseo said decisively, raising her index finger.

“…”

Choi Jinseo had remarked about her good intuition. It was enough to be called a shaman.

“Also, their way of speaking and punctuation is similar.”

This time, Choi Jinseo’s index finger pointed to the sentences on my phone screen.

“Although they seemed to have tried to appear as different people, there are overlapping misspellings. And Cha Yeowoon hasn’t been mentioned long enough for there to be oppositions, yet there’s already attackers, making it noticeable.”

After hearing Choi Jinseo, it did seem like that. She, having pointed out the oddities with a discerning eye, subtly continued.

“If they’re already doing this, it looks like you’ll have a lot of trouble in the future. If you sign a contract with us, this much can be taken care of…”

“If we take legal action, can the police identify who it is?”

Other discussions didn’t register in my ears. I was going to gather the evidence and file a complaint. My will to hire a lawyer even if I had to do manual labor ignited.

Whoever made others cry should be prepared to cry blood. Of course, Cha Yeowoon wouldn’t cry over this, but I would make sure the person who spoke nonsense to someone else’s precious child would pay the price.

“…Big brother’s expression only changes when something is related to Cha Yeowoon. I feel sorry for Dog Sangwon who was overlooked.”

“Sangwon has a preference for older people?”

“Sister didn’t know? No matter where you look, he has a preference for older people. Big brother, but Dog Sangwon is rich. His parents spoil him because he’s an only child.”

“I understand why his personality is like that. My Yeowoon lives with his grandmother, so he’s polite and has a good personality.”

“Sometimes you say he’s rude.”

“Ehm, but he’s kind. My child is kind, it’s the world that’s wrong.”

“Big brother is more unusual than my big brother.”

Ahn Sia’s lips distorted with reluctance.

The issue with the comments was only to a limited extent, so I would handle it with moderation.

* * *

Moderation.

Just slightly more moderation.

Was this enough to press charges? I contemplated while my fingers were busy saving and reporting everything I could find.

There was no room to curse Cha Yeowoon.

Despite knowing that the more he became known, the more
bad things would naturally be said, I couldn’t help but to feel angry.

My eyes were straining as I opened up four different community windows and scoured for posts related to Cha Yeowoon.

“Senior, have you been looking at your phone since earlier?”

I looked to the side and saw Cha Yeowoon with his upper body bent halfway toward me as if he had been in that position the entire time. Just as I was busy looking at my phone, he was also busy looking at me.

“Sorry. I said I was just going to look for a moment, but I lost track of time.”

I put down my phone with embarrassment.

Cha Yeowoon and I were sitting in a pavilion at a corner of the park. Surprisingly, it seemed well-maintained, with little dust, and it was comfortable to sit on.

My neck was stiff from looking at my phone screen, so I lay down on the ground. Cha Yeowoon lay down on his stomach and peered at my phone screen.

“What were you doing?”

“Capturing offensive comments.”

“Someone said something bad about me?”

“You don’t need to know.”

I covered the still lit phone screen with my hand and put it in my pocket. The reason I had spent all day looking and reporting the comments was because I didn’t want Cha Yeowoon to see such things.

“Even in the past, that person used to write strange things in every article and would call the school to spread false rumors.”

Contrary to my wishes, Cha Yeowoon said calmly.

“That person? Do you know who it is? Wait, you saw the comments?”

“I’ve read everything. It’s the same story as a year ago, so it’s obvious who it is.”

Should I be surprised that Cha Yeowoon had read everything or angry that it had happened in the past? Suddenly, the ceiling of the pavilion seemed darker.

“Why are you looking at them? I thought you wouldn’t read stories about yourself on the internet.”

“Because senior seemed concerned. The first post was written by senior, right?”

Turning my head to the side in surprise, my eyes met Cha Yeowoon’s.

“…How did you know?”

“It’s exactly senior’s way of speaking.”

It was like how Choi Jinseo could discern by the tone and writing style.

“You sometimes leave comments too.”

“Ah…me?”

“You fought with someone who said they didn’t think my personality was good.”

“…I didn’t. Wasn’t it someone else? Did you see wrong?”

“The comment mentioned that they were a senior attending the same school as me and that I had the best personality in school. They also mentioned my Life and Ethics elective course.”

“Haa…Was that a bit much? Maybe I shouldn’t have written that.”

“Yes.”

Cha Yeowoon said resolutely. He had been acting like a good puppy lately that listened well, so I had almost forgotten. His personality wasn’t originally that of a soft and fluffy child.

“You can just ignore it and not worry. Although it was a mess last year when they followed me to school and home, they got bored and quieted down when my record dropped.”

Cha Yeowoon said calmly, but there was no way I could let that happen.

“No. They’ve done you wrong, so I’ll make sure they’re punished. That way, they won’t think of doing it ever again.”

“…”

“They need to be charged with defamation to come to their senses.”

Cha Yeowoon simply watched as I gritted my teeth.

“Does it feel different when you’re 19?”

When I blinked at the unexpected comment, Cha Yeowoon scratched his cheek.

“I’m only one year older than senior, but you seem so mature.”

I wasn’t simply one year older.

Had Cha Yeowoon kept that in mind despite him telling me not to treat him like a child? I became worried at his downcast expression. As I rolled over onto my side next to him, he weakly hid his head in his arms.

“What do you mean mature? I’m similar to you.”

“Senior handle everything on your own. As for me, even if I try to run well, I don’t know what good that would do…I want to be a man who earns a lot of money, someone worthy of being eaten by senior.”

“Eat you? Am I a rabbit? I don’t eat people. Especially those younger than me.”

“Do you like people who are older?”

Cha Yeowoon brought up this topic again.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t be born again before senior…”

I listened quietly to see what Cha Yeowoon wanted to say, but it was just playful banter. However, he seemed serious.

“Yeowoon, I like you.”

I couldn’t leave Cha Yeowoon dejected, so I deflected it for now. I hadn’t seriously defined my ideal type according to age, but I suppose I would rather like Cha Yeowoon than make him depressed.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“So, do you prefer even younger ones?”

“Are you crazy? How can I date a middle schooler? A one-year age gap is the maximum.”

“Like me?”

“Oh, um. That’s just a coincidence. Surprising. The best.”

“Senior, you’re not being sincere, but it’s cute.”

To Cha Yeowoon, everything I said was cute. It felt awkward every time I would hear it. I didn’t think I could get used to being called cute by someone who was a year younger than me.

Him, lying down and looking at me, was truly adorable. He didn’t have much cheek fat, and the cheek on the side where his arms rested was pressed and looked dented.

“How does senior always find me wherever I am?”

“Why suddenly ask that?”

“But it’s true. You act as if you know exactly where I am.”

“It’s just a feeling.”

“What does that mean?”

“There’s just something like that.”

“I wish I could do that too.”

Cha Yeowoon said it so quietly that it sounded like a prayer.

“I wish I could know where senior is at all times.”

Clear starlight descended behind Cha Yeowoon.

He released his folded arm and extended it toward me.

His fingertips touch the edge of my cheek. From there, ripples seemed to spread.

Since when did I become so responsive to his touch?

“I just hope I can feel the moment senior needs me.”

“Why…”

“Because I like senior.”

In other words, Cha Yeowoon wanted to protect me just as I wanted to protect him.

I understood without him telling me, imagining what it would be like if it was really mine.

If only I didn’t have to worry about the end.

It was a dream so good that it hurt my heart. I knew well that it couldn’t be mine to the point I hated it.

However, at this moment, Cha Yeowoon seemed to be ready to listen to whatever I said. It felt like he could understand everything about me. It was a feeling I had never experienced from anyone else in my life.

“…”

I wanted to pour out everything. That I wanted to be together, yet it was agonizing because I couldn’t.

Cha Yeowoon was quietly waiting for me to speak.

[ Sub-Mission: Find 100,000 (10,000) fans for Cha Yeowoon. ]

At the sound overhead, I forgot what I was going to say.

[ Cha Yeowoon has attained 10,000 fans. ]

[ People recognizes Cha Yeowoon a little more. ]

[ Cha Yeowoon’s influence has increased slightly. ]

In the midst of this, Cha Yeowoon’s social media presence seemed to be spreading steadily.

Although 100,000 was still far away, reaching the 10,000 milestone felt quietly satisfying.

[ A system error has occurred. ]

If it wasn’t for this, I could have enjoyed the sense of achievement a little longer.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, just.”

“Is it something you can’t tell me again?”

“It’s cold. You’ve been outside for too long. Let’s go in.”

When I tried to change the topic, Cha Yeowoon rolled his eyes. However, the confession that had already slipped away couldn’t be returned.

I waited anxiously, wondering if anything else would happen, but there was no change.

After saying a bland goodbye and parting ways, it was the same when I packed my bags in the morning and went home.

Of course, after returning home, there was a big change in another sense.

The cause was one of Cha Yeowoon’s malicious fans.

* * *

[ Sub-Mission: Find 100,000 (20,000) fans for Cha Yeowoon. ]

[ Cha Yeowoon has attained 20,000 fans. ]

For example, it was like this.

Cha Yeowoon made an appearance on the morning news.

As if the back-to-back record breaking wasn’t impressive enough, videos of his 100m and 200m races were shown. There was also footage of him standing on the podium and receiving his medals.

[ New star, 2nd-year high school student Cha Yeowoon breaks high school records. ]

Bold subtitles accompanied the footage.

It was just a brief news snippet at the end of the broadcast, but it had triggered a butterfly effect, leading to another incident.

A scene of an idol-turned-solo singer commenting on Cha Yeowoon in a vlog became a hot topic.

As a singer famous for being an enthusiastic marathon runner, the news about Cha Yeowoon seemed to have piqued interest. While I ate breakfast and watched the news, the singer pointed to Cha Yeowoon on the screen and made a casual remark.

“I somehow have the feeling we’ll see him at the next Olympics.”

It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to revive past discussions about Cha Yeowoon on the community forums.

I had found out about all of this when I was at home washing the dishes and the system alarm appeared.

Cha Yeowoon had really made a name for himself. Perhaps the intuition that made Choi Jinseo follow him early on, leading to her pursuit, was a genuine divine insight.

However, once something became a hot topic, rumors would inevitably follow.

As the community forums became heated over the discussions of Cha Yeowoon, all sorts of bizarre comments flooded in.

The problem was that the number of people agreeing with the bizarre comments was now increasing.

[ ㅊㅇㅇIs it true that he hit other students in middle school? ]