My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 19

Aemerus left with a satisfied expression after getting my answer.
Watching his retreating figure, I felt something stir within me—an odd sensation I couldn’t quite name.
Perhaps it was because his bold, aggressive demeanor contradicted everything I’d known about him before.
‘Honestly, it was impressive.’
Even someone like me, who adored Jessie, had to admit it.
I watched Aemerus bask in the cheers of his teammates before making my way back to the stands.
Faye and Nina were already preparing to leave.
“We’re going out for dinner. Want to come with us?”
It was a genuinely kind invitation, but I had to decline.
“I’d really love to go with you both, but it doesn’t look like I can. Aemerus asked if we could meet for a bit.”
“We can wait if it’s just a short while.”
Faye’s considerate offer only made my predicament worse.
“I’m not sure how long it’ll take, and I can’t just ask you two to wait indefinitely.”
“Come on, Faye. Stop being so oblivious.”
Nina linked her arm through Faye’s and practically dragged her away, rescuing me from the awkward situation.
“See you at school next week!”
I waved toward Nina as she disappeared with Faye.
“They’re adorable.”
I found myself thinking it would be nice to watch Aemerus’s next match with those two as well.
With that thought, I naturally drifted toward the restroom, already planning to attend his next game.
I tidied my disheveled hair and reapplied lip gloss to my lips, which had turned pale from the arena’s cool temperature.
With time still to spare, I settled into a seat in the lobby and scrolled through live match reactions on social media.
Waiting was something I was accustomed to.
When Jessie was a hockey player, I’d often stayed behind to wait for him just like this.
Just as the waiting began to grow tedious, commotion erupted from one end of the corridor.
“Now that we’ve won, I’ll say it—those Minnesota guys are seriously skilled.”
“Don’t even mention it. I got wolf trauma three years ago, I’m telling you. Just seeing that wolf symbol makes me break into a cold sweat.”
“We wouldn’t have won today without Aemerus.”
I looked up to see Riverside School’s hockey players carrying large duffel bags.
Unlike his teammates, intoxicated by the sweetness of victory, Aemerus stood expressionless, staring down at his phone.
「Where are you?」
A message from him arrived shortly after.
So that’s what he’d been so focused on—he’d been messaging me.
“Oh, isn’t that Lili?”
At the mention of “Lili” from another player’s mouth, he reacted immediately.
His head snapped up, and he shoved his phone into his pocket before walking toward me.
“Sorry. Did you wait long?”
“No.”
Harry rose from her seat and faced Aemerus.
But the image of him striding across the ice rink kept surfacing in her mind, making it difficult to meet his eyes.
As she fidgeted with her hands, waiting for him to state his business, the hockey players began teasing them mischievously.
“It’s the Dancing King and the Dancing Queen!”
“Are you two dating?”
“It would be a lie if you weren’t, woo!”
“Why don’t you guys get lost?”
When Harry glared at them with wide eyes, the hockey players snickered and pretended to flee.
“They’re not even elementary school kids…”
Their immaturity was so overwhelming that I lost the will to argue back.
“Managing hockey players like that—you’re really something.”
“I don’t do much. The coach does all the real hard work.”
At Harry’s words, Aemerus laughed while brushing his hair back.
His black hair was slightly damp—he must have showered in that short span of time.
Now that I thought about it, his skin glistened with moisture, looking particularly smooth and…
‘What am I thinking right now?’
Harry was appalled at her own thoughts.
If Aemerus hadn’t been standing right in front of her, staring intently at her, she would have slapped her own cheek.
This couldn’t continue.
Harry resolved to finish whatever business he had and head home.
“By the way, why did you ask me to wait?”
“Oh.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, hesitated for a moment, then asked.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“Not yet.”
“Neither have I.”
“…Are you asking me to eat together?”
I’d never met someone who had such difficulty asking someone to grab a meal.
When Harry let out a soft laugh, Aemerus relaxed and laughed along with her.
“Can you recommend a good Restaurant?”
“What?”
“The best Restaurant you know.”
At Aemerus’s request, Harry let out a groan.
If he was going to set the condition of the best Restaurant in New York, her answer was already predetermined.

***

Aemerus had apparently intended to have dinner with her from the start, so he mentioned he hadn’t brought his car.
So Harry put him in the passenger seat and headed toward what she knew was the most delicious restaurant in New York.
It was a Korean restaurant run by her parents.
A Korean-style barbecue house that had opened on 32nd Street in Koreatown.
Initially, it was frequented mainly by local Koreans, but as the Korean Wave gained popularity, the clientele became increasingly diverse.
Especially when news spread through social media that famous K-pop idols had eaten there during their concert tours in the United States, it became a pilgrimage site for K-pop fans.
With the growing support from an ever-increasing number of customers, Harry’s parents opened a second location in Midtown.
As a result, her parents were alternating between the first and second locations, spending every day in constant activity.
“Mom, I’m here.”
Today, Harry had come to the second location.
Her parents greeted her as she entered through the staff entrance, but they were startled when they saw Aemerus.
“Aren’t you Jessie’s friend? Your name was….”
It was clear they had forgotten his name, but Aemerus reintroduced himself with respectful courtesy.
“I’m Aemerus. It’s a pleasure to meet you again.”
“We’re happy to see you too.”
“Aemerus just finished his hockey game and he’s hungry.”
At Harry’s words, her mother asked with curious eyes.
“Is that so? Did you win?”
“Yes, we did.”
“Then I should prepare something delicious for you. Go have a seat.”
“Would you have served something tasteless if he’d lost?”
As Harry teased playfully, her mother gave her back a light pat.
“If he’d lost, I would have made it especially delicious to cheer him up.”
“Understood. Where’s Robin?”
“He’s in the restroom for a moment. Make sure Robin gets dinner later.”
“When are you and Dad going to eat?”
“We’ll have to eat later once the rush of customers dies down.”
Harry nodded and scanned the interior of the restaurant for an empty table.
There were always many customers, but today seemed particularly crowded.
“Did some famous person come in?”
As Harry, who had finally found an empty table and sat down, expressed her confusion, Aemerus also turned his head toward the source of the commotion.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked, and soon his expression showed understanding.
“It’s Blake Williams.”
“Williams? That ‘Williams’?”
Harry’s jaw dropped and she couldn’t close her mouth.
Having immigrated to the United States at a relatively young age, she had become familiar with famous people within America, at least in general terms.
Among them, Williams was a family counted among the top five wealthiest magnates in the United States.
“Our restaurant isn’t even Michelin-starred…. What brings him here?”
“I heard Blake Williams also has a Korean girlfriend.”
Blake Williams too?
Did Aemerus know anyone else who was dating a Korean person?
In any case, hearing that they were both Korean made me suddenly curious.
I stole a glance at them over the menu, but I could only catch a glimpse of Blake Williams’s back.
‘That’s an incredibly striking blonde. You could spot hair like that from a hundred miles away.’
I was staring blankly as if mesmerized when I heard Aemerus clear his throat in front of me.
“So you do have a thing for blondes after all…”
“No! I’m just curious because they’re both Korean!”
Despite my desperate excuse, Aemerus still regarded me with suspicious eyes.
He clearly believed my taste ran toward blondes.
I lowered my voice and changed the subject.
“But how do you know all this stuff?”
“My parents exchange visits occasionally.”
Ah, right—Aemerus lived in Upper East Side.
I realized this belatedly.
He carried himself so naturally that I’d forgotten he was from a wealthy family in a completely different league from Jessie and me.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek and set down the menu.
“What would you like to drink? If there’s anything you can’t eat or any allergies, just let me know. I’ll ask my parents to leave those out.”
“I don’t have any allergies. There’s nothing I’m particularly picky about either.”
“Really? My parents will be happy to hear that.”
Instead of choosing a drink, Aemerus poured water into an empty glass and handed it to me.
As I was taking a moment to wet my throat, Father appeared with Robin.
“Eat with your sister. And be nice to her friend.”
Basic side dishes were placed on the table one by one.
Robin, who had always been shy around strangers, peeked at Aemerus from behind Father’s legs.
“Hi.”
Thankfully, Aemerus waved first, greeting Robin.
Robin ignored his greeting, but I grabbed him and forced him to sit face-to-face with Aemerus.
“Robin, say hello.”
He was pouting his lips, unwilling to speak English to someone he’d never met before, let alone someone who wasn’t even Korean.
Suddenly, Robin’s eyes widened.
He had belatedly recognized the face from a photo that had appeared on my SNS.
“Dancing King?”
I watched in real time as Aemerus’s ears turned red.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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