Startled by Lee Hyeonseok’s appearance, I let out a scream without realizing it. At the same time, I raised both my left and right hands up to chest level and took an attacking stance, causing him to furrow his brow.
“What are you doing?”
Lee Hyeonseok asked coldly, as if dealing with a pervert. Those eyes made a person feel so embarrassed that I hesitantly lowered my attacking stance and smiled awkwardly. I’d planned to gloss over it appropriately, but Lee Hyeonseok furrowed his brow even more as he looked at my hands.
“…Were you planning a murder or something?”
“What…?”
Then suddenly he became guarded and said something strange. Planning a murder. When he was the one who’d actually gone and caused a bloodbath, Lee Hyeonseok treated me as if I were ‘someone about to cause a bloodbath.’ I couldn’t understand what he meant even as my head tilted to the side, so I asked again, but Lee Hyeonseok only laughed in an unpleasant way. It didn’t seem like he’d answer, so as I chewed over his words, I belatedly realized Lee Hyeonseok’s gaze was directed not at me but somewhere else. He was looking at my hands—more precisely, at the things I was holding.
A red cord and a chain.
“…No!”
Only then did I somewhat guess what the violent Lee Hyeonseok was thinking and denied it in shock. They say you see what you want to see, and I felt utterly wronged.
“What do you mean no?”
“Whatever you’re thinking, no!”
Unlike me, who denied it with a wronged heart, Lee Hyeonseok teased me as if greatly amused. I could just let it pass, thinking ‘whatever,’ but the feeling of being misunderstood by ordinary people versus being misunderstood by Lee Hyeonseok was a world of difference. To put it harshly, it felt as insulting as being treated as the same kind by a criminal.
“Then what were you going to do with that?”
“What do you mean what? The outside seemed a bit noisy, so I thought someone had broken in….”
“You were going to catch a suspicious bastard with that?”
“……!”
When I strongly denied it, Lee Hyeonseok asked as if doing me a favor. I quickly refuted like a fish biting bait, but this time Lee Hyeonseok looked at me as if looking at a crazy person. He even seemed dumbfounded. Catch them with that—what was wrong with that? As I retraced Lee Hyeonseok’s words and slowly looked at what I was holding, I belatedly realized my own appearance.
Me, wearing expensive going-out clothes, holding red cord and chain in both hands, claiming I’d catch a suspicious bastard.
“You’re not trying to kill someone? I hope you don’t get arrested instead.”
While I was speechless, dumbfounded by my own state, Lee Hyeonseok looked me over entirely and spoke as if advising. Lee Hyeonseok was truly speaking with the possibility of my arrest in mind.
“This, this is something you bought! You’re the one who used it up! You—why didn’t you put this away and left it here!”
“Why did I leave it? You left the cord saying ‘Well, it’ll be useful somewhere,’ and you frantically shoved the chain away yourself. You left them as you pleased…. Ha. Unlike someone, I don’t use cord and chain to catch suspicious bastards. I use them when fucking someone up.”
My cheeks heated up enough that I could feel it myself. I didn’t know if the shame I felt now was because of Lee Hyeonseok or because of my own stupidity. Out of embarrassment and resentment, I wanted to hit Lee Hyeonseok even once, but thinking that would be even more pathetic, I decided to return the cord and chain to where they originally were. I was so flustered that I couldn’t even properly register Lee Hyeonseok’s ominous words and didn’t know what to do.
“Or do you mean you want me to use them today….”
I didn’t know what he meant by using them or how. Anyway, without even listening to the rest of Lee Hyeonseok’s words, I quickly went to the floor-to-ceiling glass window. And I opened the window. The window wasn’t big enough for a person to pass through, but it was enough to throw away the cord and chain I was holding. I disposed of both items as naturally and quickly as flowing water.
“What.”
Then I turned to look at Lee Hyeonseok and shamelessly asked back. My face had already returned to expressionless thanks to Lee Hyeonseok’s bullshit.
“……”
When Lee Hyeonseok remained consistently silent at my attitude, I decided to act even more shamelessly. Knowing I shouldn’t carelessly throw such things out the window, I inwardly questioned whether I’d eaten something wrong. While concentrating in case I heard screams from outside, I also braced myself thinking I might get hit by Lee Hyeonseok at this rate. But Lee Hyeonseok didn’t hit me. He only placed his hand on my forehead once.
“……”
“Hm.”
Lee Hyeonseok muttered, “You do have a fever, but….” However, that fever was clearly from me heating up with embarrassment and shame, so it was justified heat. I worked hard to ignore the rising heat. After confirming I wasn’t physically ill, he took something out from his breast. Actually, there was nothing to confirm. Anyone could see my actions were meant to hide embarrassment, so it was essentially closer to teasing.
“Gi-give me my phone.”
“Here.”
“…That’s not a phone.”
Like someone completely determined to be shameless, I held out one hand and demanded the smartphone I originally had. However, what Lee Hyeonseok handed me wasn’t my phone but a beige envelope with no sender written on it. I grumbled while examining the envelope Lee Hyeonseok gave me from various angles. The envelope wasn’t the cheap kind commonly seen, but made of luxurious material that might be used at department stores or when inviting important guests. Why is he giving this to me?
“What is this?”
“A love letter.”
When I asked honestly instead of pondering, I heard an absurd answer. A love letter? What was a love letter again? Was it a chain letter? Even staring holes into the envelope with empty eyes like a soulless person, it didn’t disappear or change into something else.
“Open it.”
“No, I, I’m fine….”
“Open it.”
“Yes.”
I was pondering where to throw it away while lightly holding the envelope only with my thumb and index finger as if it were a cursed object, when Lee Hyeonseok spoke in a calm voice. I spoke calmly in an almost flipped voice, but unable to withstand Lee Hyeonseok’s pressure, I eventually opened it. What sin did I commit to deserve this?
Inside the opened envelope was, naturally enough, folded paper presumed to be a letter. Not having the courage to take the initiative and take it out to read, I pretended not to see the letter paper and carefully showed Lee Hyeonseok only the opened envelope, smiling awkwardly.
“I, I opened it. Let me just go to the bathroom for a moment.”
“Read it.”
“…I want to go.”
Thinking ‘I opened it, so isn’t that enough?’ and trying to escape to the bathroom, Lee Hyeonseok blocked my way and instructed the next action. This time I pretended not to hear and continued my words. No matter how much silent threats Lee Hyeonseok made, I didn’t have the courage to read that love letter or chain letter or whatever.
“……!”
Lee Hyeonseok, seeming to have no intention of waiting any longer for me as I stood frozen like stone awkwardly holding the envelope, snatched the envelope away, pulled out the letter, and thrust it right in front of my face.
“Read it.”
「Seo Jiwoo.
Lee Hyeonseok said he’d at least deliver a letter, so I’m writing this.
I didn’t know I’d be writing a letter in this manner, but I definitely won’t let you off. I’ll repay the humiliation and shame you bestowed upon me, even if I have to bet the rest of my life on it.
It would be good not to be conceited thinking Lee Hyeonseok is protecting you now. I will definitely take revenge on you throughout my lifetime.
It goes without saying that I’ll make you disabled like me, and I’ll make you live the worst life.
I bet you don’t think I can do it, but certainly, right now Lee Hyeonseok is blocking me so it won’t be easy, but it would be good not to expect that guy to protect you for life.
You’re the bastard who hung yourself claiming to love Juwon.
From now on, I’ll have plenty of free time thanks to you, so I’ll be watching while looking forward to the day I’ll present despair to you.
I’ve never been this excited in my life. Even as I write this moment, thinking of the misfortune I’ll give you makes me laugh.
I can’t wait to hear the words “please just kill me” come from your mouth.
Look forward to it.
Cheon Jaekyung, who is only waiting to meet you.」
“?”
I read it several times, several times, wondering if I was reading it correctly. The meaning of the words wouldn’t enter my head. Among what was written in the letter, what caught my eye the most was, of course, the sender.
‘Cheon Jaekyung.’
Right now, Cheon Jaekyung sent me this passionate love letter. No, but why on earth? It’s not that I didn’t understand Cheon Jaekyung’s anger or sadness, but to the end, it was too pathetic to act like he was the only victim over results that came from Cheon Jaekyung starting the fight first. If you thought about messing with someone else’s life, shouldn’t you bet your own life too?
After reading it three times and the letter’s contents finally entering my head, I looked at Lee Hyeonseok with an absurd face. Lee Hyeonseok wasn’t curious, as if he already knew the letter’s contents.
“So what will you do now?”
“What will I do… First, should I bake some tarts…?”
“?”
Lee Hyeonseok, seemingly full of thoughts to tease me, asked while raising one corner of his mouth. I was still confused but decided to act calmly for now. Perhaps thinking I’d jump around, Lee Hyeonseok was bewildered, but I went to the kitchen to keep my word.
The kitchen always had baking ingredients and tools prepared. There was even a nutcracker I’d never used. Making walnut pie next time might not be bad either.
Putting walnut pie off for the next opportunity for now, I took out the necessary ingredients: small tart molds, eggs, milk, heavy cream, and so on. I worried about not having something, but fortunately, nothing was lacking.
With this, I could make egg tarts for the first time in a while without problems. It was the first dessert I’d ever made. It was a dessert I had special affection for since it held such special memories.
