“At the very least, I’ll see his face before I go.”
“You’re not listening. You drag him out.”
“Why should I……”
Siyeon, who had bristled at Heegang’s instruction, looked at the pile of blankets rolled up on the bed and sighed as if he had no choice.
“Let’s just go today, okay? If hyung was really fine, he would have come out to see us already.”
“……”
“He’ll contact us when he’s better. He can hear us doing this here, so do we really have to go this far?”
At Siyeon’s mature rebuke, Taerim finally turned around. Then he walked out with heavy steps without a word, his expression sour.
At the sound of dress shoes, Wonyoung quickly poked his face out. He saw Taerim just disappearing outside the door. His expression was very bitter.
But before Wonyoung could feel more tender toward him, the door slammed shut.
“……Baek Heegang.”
“What? Should I have rolled out a nice carpet to send him off?”
“You know Taerim-ssi well too. Even if you ask nicely, it’s questionable whether he’ll leave……”
“I don’t know anyone but you. I’m not interested either.”
Wonyoung let out a sigh of resignation. He could feel that Heegang’s mood was no less bad. In times like this, it’s best not to provoke him.
Instead, he picked up his phone. Another beggar-like message would probably be sent, but still, he wanted to reassure Taerim.
[Taerim-ssi, this is Rae.]
[Sorry I couldn’t come out earlier.]
[You’re a director, Taerim-ssi, so it would be a big problem if you caught the flu ㅠ]
Oh? That’s a reasonably decent message?
But that expectation was immediately betrayed.
[You know my heart, right?^^]
[I know all of Taerim-ssi’s feelings.]
[Because I have Narae-brand mind reading!]
No, what kind of bullshit is this again when it was going well? At the out-of-nowhere mention of mind reading, Wonyoung’s expression crumpled.
[I can hear Taerim-ssi’s voice now(↼_↼)]
[Ha, Rae-ssi. I miss you.(ㆆ_ㆆ)]
[Hehe, right?]
Wrong, it’s wrong, you crazy bastard!
[Then I’ll contact you after I’m all better. Get home safely!]
‘Even the rushed ending is perfect.’
Wonyoung held his head and fumbled to write an additional message.
[I’m sorry. I have a fever so I’m going in and out of it. I’m sorry I couldn’t see you today. Talk later] – Wonyoung was writing up to there when his phone was suddenly snatched away and he was dazed.
“Wh-what, why?”
“How long are you going to keep staring at your phone with me right in front of you?”
“……Okay, I was wrong. Just let me send one more text. Please?”
“No. That’s enough.”
Heegang said that and put the phone in his back pocket. Wonyoung watched helplessly and sighed. Partly because he knew it was better not to resist Heegang in most cases, but more than anything, he felt too sorry toward him.
“More importantly, you have to pay your debt, right?”
“Debt……? I-I’m paying it diligently.”
At the sudden change of topic, Wonyoung replied in confusion.
In fact, Wonyoung was paying most of the money he earned to Heegang. If he increased the payments any more, he would end up going hungry. But Heegang calmly insisted.
“Today, anyway, you lived thanks to me.”
“……Not thanks to Siyeon?”
“Thanks to me.”
What could a debtor say? Wonyoung obediently asked.
“So what do you want?”
“Play with me.”
“What?”
“I said play with me. There’s not much time left to monopolize you. Don’t even pay the debt. Where would you have time to work? You’ll be leaving soon anyway.”
Heegang casually talked about parting and lay down on Wonyoung’s lap. Wonyoung, who had nothing to say even with ten mouths, placed his hand on Heegang’s forehead.
“Yeah, you might be right.”
“You’re too diligent.”
“Because that’s my everything. Being smart and diligent.”
“You say it yourself?”
At Heegang’s incredulous tone, laughter burst out from Wonyoung. Soon his smile gradually faded, and he quietly continued.
“But that really is everything. There’s nothing else besides that. I’m not handsome like you, I have no friends, I’m not rich, I don’t have a good personality……”
Then Heegang cut off Wonyoung’s words and asked back.
“You’re not handsome?”
“……Right? Ah, it’s different if it’s Narae. Narae is more cute than handsome, but anyway, he’s not ugly.”
“No, not Rae. You. Heo Wonyoung.”
“Me? Am I handso…… No. I said talk about H is forbidden.”
Wonyoung, who almost fell for Heegang’s way with words again, quickly changed his words, but Heegang continued regardless.
“You’re handsome. I didn’t see you in detail, though.”
“Am I Narae right now?”
“Yeah. You keep going back and forth. Ki Siyeon can see you clearly, right?”
“Probably……”
“I’m jealous.”
“Narae’s face is better.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Still, keep it a secret. Especially from Taerim-ssi……”
Wonyoung, who was continuing to speak, paused at a loud bang. When he raised his head, he saw the front door wide open, and Taerim standing in front of it in dismay. In one of his hands was a bag containing medicine and porridge.
“Ta-Taerim-ssi, how……”
“Sorry. I didn’t lock the door properly earlier.”
Heegang answered with a defeated face. Wonyoung hurriedly got up from his spot.
“Taerim-ssi, did you just hear what we said……?”
“Yes. And now, I also understand very well that you’re not sick at all.”
Wonyoung approached Taerim in confusion.
“Taerim-ssi, first let me explain……”
“Now I understand your heart well. I’ve been deceived again.”
“Taerim-ssi, just a moment……!”
Wonyoung tried to catch Taerim who was turning around hurriedly, but Taerim was already striding away. Wonyoung chased after Taerim, even forgetting to put on shoes.
“Taerim-ssi, just a moment! Please listen to me!”
Wonyoung ran frantically and barely caught Taerim’s arm. A voice sharper than thorns came back from Taerim.
“Let go.”
“You said you trust me.”
“I tried to. I tried to…… I wanted to as well.”
Taerim slowly turned around. Wonyoung’s pupils shook seeing his expression, more hurt than expected.
“But how many more times do I have to be deceived?”
“……Taerim-ssi.”
“If you dislike me, just say you dislike me. I don’t want to think that you…… are doing this because you covet my wealth or status either.”
“……!”
In front of Wonyoung, whose heart sank with a thud, even more cruel words poured out.
“Let’s quit, stop this.”
“Wh-what should we quit? Why? Why should we do that?”
“Why, you ask? Are you asking because you don’t know?”
“I can explain everything!”
Then Taerim looked at Wonyoung coldly and said.
“Then go ahead and try, explain.”
“……So, that’s……”
Wonyoung was at a loss for words from the start. I’m not Narae but Heo Wonyoung. I did it because I was hiding from you that I’m Heo Wonyoung. This is all a game, you’re a character, and I’m a player. When I reach the ending, I’ll return to my original world…….
There wasn’t a single thing he could say.
At Wonyoung’s silence, Taerim sighed. That sound felt as painful as nails being driven in to Wonyoung.
“If you can’t say it, that’s fine.”
“……Taerim-ssi.”
“Let’s stop now. I…… believe that you must have felt uncomfortable creating secrets. But if it’s something you can’t tell me, if you have to continue being like that, it would be better if I just leave.”
It’s not like that. I can’t tell you because I’m afraid of you leaving.
But Wonyoung still had nothing he could say to properly hold onto Taerim. He grasped Taerim’s sleeve with trembling hands.
“You said you’d make me fall in love……”
“Even that might have been my greed.”
“N-no. Just once, just one more time, please trust me. I wasn’t trying to deceive you, Taerim-ssi, I……”
Taerim quietly removed Wonyoung’s hand.
“If you’re in a situation where you have no choice but to deceive me, then it’s even more impossible. Because it would be hard on you.”
Taerim looked at Wonyoung, who seemed about to burst into tears at any moment, then took off his shoes and placed them in front of his feet.
“Go back inside.”
With those final words, Taerim turned and walked away. Watching that, Wonyoung thought. Maybe this is right. Maybe letting him go is better for later.
‘If we have to part anyway…… this is the way to get hurt the least.’
He hoped Taerim wouldn’t be in pain. He hoped he wouldn’t experience the suffering that Heegang and Siyeon went through, that he would smile more, that he would be happier. That was sincere.
But at the same time, it was also a lie.
In the happy Taerim that Wonyoung imagined…… he himself was there. He had come to take for granted watching over his happiness and being together with him. He didn’t want to see him being happy without him.
That’s why he deceived. Because he wanted to remain by his side as Narae, even for the little time that was left.
At that moment, words Taerim had said before came to Wonyoung’s mind.
―There’s still plenty of time. I don’t know what’s making you anxious, but you will fall in love with me. So wait a little longer.
‘Perhaps I……’
Before Wonyoung, who had realized something, the back of Taerim leaving him suddenly appeared.
“Don’t go.”
Don’t go.
It was the moment Wonyoung unconsciously tried to run toward him again. Someone stopped him by holding him back. It was Heegang.
“You can’t go. You’re Heo Wonyoung right now.”
At those words, Wonyoung was surprised and touched his face. He felt features different from Narae’s.
“If you go, everything ends.”
What would happen if Taerim saw Heo Wonyoung? That was obvious even without imagining. He would be the person most hurt by the fact that all of this is a game. He would also be the person who would suffer most from a relationship that was false from the start. If he learned he’d been deceived not twice but ten times, dozens of times…….
Reason seemed to speak through Heegang’s mouth. That he shouldn’t go.
Wonyoung looked ahead desperately. Now Taerim had become as small as a dot.
If he let him go like this, he would never be able to see him again. There are still, still so many promises he hasn’t kept.
I.
‘I can’t do that.’
