Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

“What did you just say?”

Cha Yeowoon asked curiously. I had a bad premonition. I became anxious and tried to squeeze out my voice again.

“I’m originally…,…!”

The same. No matter how hard I tried, it was the same.

I couldn’t say what I wanted to say; that I was 29 years old, and that I was here because of Cha Yeowoon. None of what I wanted to say came out properly.

[ A system error has occurred. ]

Before I could be frustrated, tinnitus pierced my eardrums. It was a warning.

[ Server stabilization is in progress. Please follow the instructions. ]

[ Proceed with the reset according to the recommended order. ]

The prominently highlighted letters in red were threatening. Cha Yeowoon’s face showed concern as I furrowed my eyebrows.

“Senior? I couldn’t hear you well.”

[ If reset does not proceed, a force reset will be executed. ]

It was then that a familiar shadow began to appear.

Similar to the gray shadows that would appear whenever I was nearby Cha Yeowoon at negative favorability, it crawled up his shoulders.

Despite the darkness of the night, a much darker shade climbed across his collarbone and wrapped itself around his neck.

My tinnitus, which had momentarily subsided, continued. Simultaneously, my throat tightened, and the back of my head was painfully pulled.

I could foresee what would happen if I stubbornly held on like this. No, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, heightening my nervousness even more.

It was better for me to do it myself.

“Let’s break up.”

Even as I said it, I couldn’t believe that I had actually uttered such words.

Cha Yeowoon blinked.

For the first few seconds, his expression seemed to be contemplating the meaning of the words he had just heard.

“What do you mean?”

Cha Yeowoon asked affectionately as if he believed that there would be an understandable explanation. When I didn’t respond, a neutral smile gradually faded from his face.

“It’s exactly as I said. Let’s stop dating now.”

I drove the wedge in, like piercing Cha Yeowoon’s chest with a steel nail.

His smiling face that was comfortable just a moment ago contorted without knowing what to do. The gaze that was circling my face in bewilderment fell.

The thick gray shadow that was wrapped around his neck retreated, yet there was no room for relief. Cha Yeowoon was acting as if being strangled.

“I thought we had finished talking about that. You said you wouldn’t say that.”

Breathless words finally came forth. Under my plain white shirt, my chest throbbed.

“That was then, and now I think I should tell you.”

“Why all of a sudden? What did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

When I denied it, Cha Yeowoon shook his head vigorously. It was an attitude that believed there must be something he had done wrong. As if that was corrected, everything would be fine.

What should I do? I felt at a loss, as I had been quite often lately.

“Cha Yeowoon, listen. I’m not suggesting breaking up because you did something wrong. Like you said, we started dating by chance, and now it seems like it’s time to sort things out.”

I tried to speak calmly, but the contents that came out sounded like I had played with Cha Yeowoon’s feeling. From his point of view, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Why is what you said in the park different? What’s the reason for changing your mind after a few days?”

Cha Yeowoon asked without pausing to take a breath.

“Just…”

Unable to choose the right words, I trailed off. I couldn’t tell the real reason. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t. It felt suffocating as if my heart would burst.

“I can’t date you right now.”

“What do you mean, I don’t understand.”

Cha Yeowoon exhaled as if he were about to explode, raising his voice.

“Did we come here for this? Why? Just dump me in front of your house. Senior must have found it funny watching how excited I was thinking you had brought me to a special place. Right?”

Cha Yeowoon threw accusations like thorns. My mouth went dry at the outrage. I knew I had to calm him down step by step for his sake, but my tongue didn’t move.

His eyes were already red. The memory of him anxiously asking if we were going to part ways stabbed at my heart.

“You can’t break up without an explanation. Why do you always say nothing?! If senior says it’s the end, do I have to agree? Just do as you say? Why did you date me if it would be like this?”

As Cha Yeowoon approached with a growl, I instinctively took a step back, and my side suddenly became dark.

The shadow of the bridge was covering us.

In the darkness, Cha Yeowoon drove me into a corner.

“Why don’t you like me anymore?”

Cha Yeowoon’s voice cracked, making a grating sound. He roughly held onto my shoulders. The hem of my shirt was pulled toward him, lifting and letting in cold air.

Contrary to the situation, our lips pressed against each other. A sticky breath grazed my cheek. I tightly closed my eyes.

It wasn’t a situation where I could act as I pleased.

“Stop.”

When I pushed Cha Yeowoon away, the determined look in his eyes collapsed.

Moonlight shone on him as he slipped out of the shadow. In the bright light, his eyes were wet as if he might cry at any moment.

“I was wrong.”

Cha Yeowoon, with tears in his eyes, grabbed my wrist.

“I know you’ve been thinking about breaking up. I know…but can’t we continue dating? I’ll be good. I won’t be a bother.”

Cha Yeowoon’s grip loosened. I wished he had shown anger instead; it was hard to watch him plead.

“If there’s something you don’t like, I’ll fix it. I’ll do whatever senior says.”

“No need for that.”

I meant to say Cha Yeowoon shouldn’t plead because it wasn’t his fault, but what came out sounded harsher than I intended. Letting go of the hand that was holding onto me also seemed to have conveyed a different meaning.

Before I could explain, Cha Yeowoon bent his knees.

“Please. Senior…”

Cha Yeowoon knelt down on the dirty ground covered with weeds and dust, burying his face in the back of my head. Hot liquid trickled between my fingers as tears gathered along the edge of my hand.

“Don’t cry.”

It was dizzying, figuring out how to console Cha Yeowoon. He looked so fragile, with trembling shoulders and tears streaming down his face.

“I won’t cry anymore…”

Cha Yeowoon forcely suppressed his tears, causing his voice to quiver. I couldn’t bear to look at him, so I stared at the ground. Grass stains were already forming on his knees.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, so please…”

The sobbing seemed endless. It felt like Cha Yeowoon would cry for a lifetime. I had to do something. I forced myself to meet his eyes.

His face, looking up at me, was wet with tears. The moonlight reflecting off his forehead seemed to emphasize it even more.

“Are you never going to see me again?”

Cha Yeowoon was momentarily stunned by my words, which was no different from a threat. Color drained from his face, which had reddened from crying, in an instant.

“We won’t see each other as friends. Cha Yeowoon.”

“If I say I don’t want to break up, then…”

“Then I won’t be able to see you again.”

Cha Yeowoon opened his lips and gasped for air like a fish thrown onto land. Despite his continued efforts, it seemed like he couldn’t breathe properly. There didn’t seem to be any oxygen circulating.

“I love you.”

As I tried to lift Cha Yeowoon up, he desperately clung to my arm.

“I was wrong. I love you…”

Now, Cha Yeowoon was sobbing uncontrollably.

He cried, not bothering to muffle the sounds as he wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

I wanted to say something, anything. Just to make it stop.

“…”

I tried to say the same, but no sound came out.

My choice was blocked. All I could do went against my wishes.

In all human relationships, I knew very well what would happen when one side unilaterally shrugs off the other.

As I tried to pull away, Cha Yeowoon urgently shook his head and wrapped my hand around him. The plea to ‘please don’t do that’ was conveyed without being heard.

I forcibly pulled my hand away.

It was held tightly, so I couldn’t release it gently. Cha Yeowoon’s rejected arms fell limp on the ground.

[ Calculating Cha Yeowoon’s favorability. ]

[ Favorability: 7é¿ ]

[ A system error has occurred. ]

I once felt that Cha Yeowoon’s light-colored eyes resembled golden sand beneath the water.

The same transparent eyes, just like when I first saw them, now vividly revealed their wounds. Tears that had pooled on his lower eyelashes fell sharply.

He lowered his head. A series of circular water stains appeared on the gray ground. His broad back quivered with sorrow.

Small circles spread in the river. A light drizzle was falling.

[ Calculating Cha Yeowoon’s favorability. ]

[ Favorability: ¼öÀ ]

Messages continued to appear, seemingly about the situation I couldn’t understand.

[ Calculating Cha Yeowoon’s favorability. ]

[ Favorability: º§¿¡ ]

Worried about another failure, I couldn’t even try to lift Cha Yeowoon up again.

It wasn’t until a while later, as Cha Yeowoon staggered to his feet, that another message appeared.

[ Remaining time: 36 days ]

[ Remaining time: 100 days ]

The number increased to three digits, but I wasn’t happy at all.

* * *

[Ahn Sia] : Big brother, did you have a fight with Cha Yeowoon?

[Ahn Sia] : This is really serious;;;

[Ahn Sia] : What happened to the two of you while I was at seaㅠ

[Ahn Sia] : Knock, knock

[Ahn Sia] : Excuse me

[Ahn Sia] : Is this Tae Myeongha’s number..?

[Ahn Sia] : You haven’t checked your messages in days

[Ahn Sia] : Big brother………

[Ahn Sia] : Are you alive..?ㅠㅠ

Ahn Sia.

[Ahn Gyeonghun] : Myeongha, are you okay?

[Ahn Gyeonghun] : If you’re going through something tough, please contact me.

Ahn Gyeonghun.

[Cheon Sangwon] : Brother, what are you doing?

[Cheon Sangwon] : Your phone is off too

[Cheon Sangwon] : At this rate, it’s not just going silent, it’s drowning

[Cheon Sangwon] : Please contact me if you see this

Cheon Sangwon.

[ Sub-Mission resumed. ]

[ Sub-Mission: Find 100,000 (90,000) fans for Cha Yeowoon. ]

And, Cha Yeowoon.

This was the reason I had turned on my phone, which had been dead for several days. A sudden message of the Sub-Mission’s resumption.

I read the piled-up messages without replying before opening the social media app.

It felt sneaky, almost like checking an ex’s social media after a breakup. That was true, though.

I wondered if there would be a post filled with emotions to announce our breakup. What if there was? I felt foolishly nervous as I went to check, but there were no new posts on Cha Yeowoon’s social media.

The last update was the photo I had taken. The moment Cha Yeowoon broke the record at the national competition and smiled brightly at me. It was as if time had stopped there.

“Haa…”

I shouldn’t have looked. I was a foolish idiot.

It seemed like the number of followers had been steadily increasing even if no new posts were made. It was almost 50,000 when I last checked, and now it had reached 90,000.

“Are you satisfied now?!”

I shot a glare at the empty space where the system message had appeared.