However, trying to let go of my feelings for Banye was harder than I thought.
Because…….
‘You, you’re too sweet!’
Recently, whether Banye was in a good mood or not, he had become too sweet to me. It wasn’t a misconception. Really, something about the way he treated me was different from before.
For example.
‘Hyung, wake up.’
‘Mmm…… Ba, Banye-ya? Why are you in my room……?’
‘I came to wake you up.’
‘Uh…… mmm.’
He never used to do this before, but now he gently shook me awake in the morning.
‘Here.’
‘Huh?’
‘Weren’t you going to drink water?’
‘I…… I mean, yeah.’
When I was eating and looked at my cup to drink water, he immediately got up and brought it to me.
Besides that, if I looked at something, he’d quickly bring it out for me or tidy it up, so these days I didn’t know what to do with myself.
‘Why is he acting like this……!’
It’s not like I’d never experienced this before. Sisi used to suddenly treat me well when he needed money too…….
But Banye isn’t trash like Sisi…… B, but still…… I continued to be swept up in worries, unable to abandon the fluffy rising expectations.
“He’s being like this, what do you think……?”
“Hmm…… But that level isn’t really doing it because he likes you…… isn’t it normal?”
So I asked this worry to Nanneomukeoeyeowo, who had become my counselor these days.
Nanneomukeoeyeowo was flustered, but he was a person with a sense of reality, so his advice was quite helpful. I only had gaming friends, so it was unclear to me where the line was for treating someone well as a friend. My family was cold to me too…….
So I asked, and Nanneomukeoeyeowo said he could do that much even for someone he didn’t have feelings for.
“Th, then he just got closer so he became a bit kinder, but it’s not like he likes me or anything like that……”
“The probability of that is low.”
“Haah…… I, I see……”
“If someone likes you, they don’t make it confusing. Um…… That’s how I am.”
Even when I regretfully asked ‘Then what about this?’, ‘What about that?’, Nanneomukeoeyeowo was firm. All that came back was that friends could do that much for each other, and I absolutely shouldn’t confess.
Nanneomukeoeyeowo’s argument was this.
“A confession is when you’re basically dating but just haven’t confessed yet. A confession when you’re unsure is an attack.”
“Th, that’s……”
“Your friend needs to think about the other person’s position too. If someone just treated you favorably, and then suddenly says they like you, it’s a bit bewildering, right?”
“……”
“They might feel betrayed, and more than anything, I’m worried that your friend…… will get really hurt if they confess and get rejected. I think it’s better to cool off a bit for now, and after organizing their feelings, slowly approach them or something like that.”
No matter how I heard it, it was rational advice, so in the end I had no choice but to accept it.
However, I answered a bit deflated.
“……Yes. I’ll tell them that.”
After that there was a bit of silence, and I was thinking quietly when a thought suddenly crossed my mind, so I asked Nanneomukeoeyeowo.
“Nanneomukeoeyeowo-ssi! But how do you know so well? You must be popular, right?”
“Me? No. I, well…… I attacked a lot in the past……”
Haha, Nanneomukeoeyeowo laughed and said embarrassedly. But his laugh didn’t sound pathetic at all and sounded cool.
I became curious about his face for some reason.
“Do you have a photo, Nanneomukeoeyeowo-ssi? I’m curious.”
“My photo? Should I show you?”
But surprisingly, Nanneomukeoeyeowo readily said he’d show me without dodging. I excitedly shouted “Yes, yes yes!” He soon sent me a photo.
“Ooh…… What are you! You’re handsome!”
“Haha, thank you.”
Nanneomukeoeyeowo wore glasses and looked like a handsome man with a model-like impression who would pass any ordinary interview. I thought his gentle eyes matched his voice well.
And Nanneomukeoeyeowo didn’t just send one photo. He even sent two photos of him riding a bicycle. ……This person is really a socialite.
I said curtly for no reason.
“Um, but why are you sending so many photos?”
“Oops, did I send too many?”
Nanneomukeoeyeowo giggled and stopped at ten photos. I was looking through his bright-looking photos when I asked casually.
“Do you have photos without glasses?”
“I do. But I look better with glasses, I think.”
He said that while sending a photo without glasses, but contrary to his words, the photo without glasses was also handsome. I thought it was a bit unfair that a handsome guy was also good at games.
“Won’t Aang-nim show me a photo?”
“……Eh, me?”
But then Nanneomukeoeyeowo asked to see my photo too. Having shown ten photos, it felt a bit much to say I wouldn’t show mine now.
I hesitated, then picked one selfie from the ones I’d taken before, one I took on a day I came back from the hair salon, and sent it to him.
Nanneomukeoeyeowo praised me without beating around the bush.
“Aang-nim is handsome too. You’re cute.”
“……Even my parents don’t say that.”
“Why not? I’m serious.”
“……Thanks.”
Originally, I don’t like my appearance. Plus, these days I keep only seeing people like Banye and Nanneomukeoeyeowo, so my confidence dropped even more.
However, Nanneomukeoeyeowo seemed to have noticed my feelings.
“Why do you have so little confidence? Men need confidence.”
“I’m also short. I’m not even 180…… Nanneomukeoeyeowo-ssi is over 180, right?”
“I am over it…… But there are lots of people who are popular even if they’re short.”
“Haah…… I’m not one of them though.”
“You don’t go out often. If you widen your pool of people you meet, you’ll meet various people, and then you’ll find people who match you there too.”
“……”
I knew Nanneomukeoeyeowo’s mature advice was right, but…… the truth was the person I wanted was already within my narrow pool.
Having someone I already had feelings for and having to go out and find someone else – I understood it logically, but emotionally it wasn’t easy.
I suddenly asked Nanneomukeoeyeowo.
“Have you ever gone from friends to lovers?”
“I haven’t. I failed at all of them.”
“……”
Even this handsome Nanneomukeoeyeowo failed. I bit my lip in frustration.
For someone who spoke decisively, Nanneomukeoeyeowo unusually hesitated “Um……” then said as if comforting me.
“But Aang-nim, you’re charming enough. There are lots of people who like cute things.”
“……Cute things……”
“Yes. Honestly, people with charm do well in romance. So you’ll do well.”
But they say the beginning is half the battle, yet I can’t even start, can I?
According to Nanneomukeoeyeowo’s advice, confessing to Banye is still ridiculous, and going from friends to lovers is a high-difficulty romance skill that even romance experts like Nanneomukeoeyeowo all failed at.
Then, what about me…….
How am I, who’s neither handsome nor a romance expert, supposed to let go of my feelings for Banye?
“Nanneomukeoeyeowo-ssi…… Honestly speaking, if you were in my friend’s situation……”
“Yes?”
“For example, think of the other person as me, and if I confessed to you, could you date me?”
“……”
Nanneomukeoeyeowo had no answer to my gloomy question for a long time.
Of course it would be no…….
I regretted asking the question. I suddenly became embarrassed and muttered “Never mind……”, but Nanneomukeoeyeowo answered.
“Uuum…… I think I’d have to think about it.”
“Eh, really?”
“Yep. I like cute things.”
While saying that, Nanneomukeoeyeowo kept moving his character back and forth as if pondering, hovering around me.
I was nervous for no reason. I was gulping down my saliva, when at that moment Nanneomukeoeyeowo stopped walking. Then he used a [Palms Together] motion toward me.
“I’m sorry……”
Seeing that, I realized he had completely played with me and my blood pressure shot up.
“Ah come on, that’s really too much!”
“Ahahaha!”
Nanneomukeoeyeowo laughed loudly as if bursting out all the laughter he’d been holding back. After laughing like that for a while, he said to me as I was fuming.
“No, but Aang-nim. You don’t like me.”
“……That’s true, but.”
“Then why are you getting mad? Rather, even if I said I wanted to date you, you should reject me.”
He’s right, but it’s annoying.
I swung the beaker that Alchemists use at Nanneomukeoeyeowo. Of course, since it wasn’t a PK field, it just passed through, but it seemed like my resentful feelings were sufficiently conveyed.
Nanneomukeoeyeowo giggled and used [Palms Together] toward me again.
