My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 24

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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 24

Harry could banter and joke around like this with only two people: Robin and Jessie.
But now Aemerus had become an exception.
In just a single month.
‘When did I get this close to him?’
The answer came easily enough.
Homecoming Day—when we competed together in the couples’ dance competition.
The exhilaration I felt in that moment, when our movements and hearts aligned so perfectly, had been so powerful that its effects lingered even now.
‘Isn’t this a good thing?’
After all, Jessie wanted me to get along well with Aemerus too.
I felt no guilt about growing closer to Aemerus.
The more I saw him, the more convinced I became that he was a good man.
The moment I had that thought, he suddenly thrust something toward me.
“I’m glad you prepared ahead of time. I wouldn’t call it repayment exactly, but give this to your parents on my behalf.”
“What is this? Can I open it?”
Aemerus nodded slightly.
With his permission, I opened the envelope he’d handed me.
Inside was a spa voucher.
“A spa?”
“I thought it would be nice if your parents could rest comfortably for a while. I went ahead and made a reservation, but if you call, they’ll change the date and time for you. Tell them to visit whenever it’s convenient.”
“That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Aemerus!”
Harry expressed her gratitude with a moved expression.
“How did you even think of a gift like this?”
“I was talking with your parents that day.”
Aemerus shrugged casually as if it were nothing.
“They seemed tired since they don’t have any days off. And it’s not like the shop is small either.”
“Exactly!”
Harry nodded vigorously in agreement.
“At this point, they could delegate to the manager and take it easy, but they insist the owner must always be at the store. They absolutely refuse to rest.”
She pouted her lips and let out a sigh.
“Anyway, I’m really grateful. I’ll definitely tell my parents.”
Just seeing Harry’s joy was already enough to fulfill the gift’s purpose.
Aemerus felt satisfied watching Harry carefully put away the envelope containing the spa voucher.
“Let’s eat lunch before it gets any later. Here, chopsticks.”
“Thank you.”
Harry opened the lunch box and checked the condition of the food.
It had been kept warm, but inevitably it had cooled somewhat.
The side dishes were placed in the center, while each person received their own bowl of rice.
“Oh, this.”
Aemerus, who had been waiting for Harry to take the side dishes first, recognized the perfectly golden rolled omelet.
“I know what this is called. It had a French-sounding name.”
“French?”
A rolled omelet? Harry tilted her head in confusion at the sudden comment.
Aemerus answered steadfastly, unbothered by her reaction.
“Guerrand Marie, right?”
The moment I heard “Guerrand Marie” come from his lips, I burst out laughing.
“Oh, this is killing me.”
It sounded roughly similar, which made it even funnier.
The way Aemerus pronounced the French words was unnecessarily pleasant to my ears.
I wiped away the tears glistening at the corners of my eyes and continued laughing for quite some time.
“Did I mispronounce it?”
“No. It was close.”
“Then why are you laughing so hard?”
Aemerus asked in a gruff voice, trying to hide his embarrassment.
He later regretted not speaking in his native language in front of her.
“Sorry. In my entire life, I’ve never once connected a rolled omelet with French. It’s like a mnemonic device or something, right?”
Laughter still lingered in Harry’s voice.
But the moment she picked up a rolled omelet and placed it in front of him, Aemerus’s irritation melted away.
“Try dipping it in ketchup. It’ll taste good.”
Harry now firmly believed that their tastes were identical.
Aemerus took a big bite of the rolled omelet and gave his verdict.
“It’s delicious.”
Without any fuss, I could tell he genuinely enjoyed it.
As Harry ate her rice with peace of mind, Aemerus also picked up his chopsticks.
“How’s your hockey training going?”
“So-so.”
Harry looked at the unflustered Aemerus with curiosity.
Even Jessie had privately confessed the pressure of needing to win during the league.
Yet Aemerus remained serene—both when he won his first match and as the next one approached.
He showed neither excitement nor nervousness.
‘It doesn’t even seem like he’s deliberately pretending to be fine.’
Perhaps this composure was what it took to be a team captain.
“Aemerus, are you thinking of becoming a professional player after graduation?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
“If a decent team makes an offer, I’ll go. If not, I won’t.”
Ah, so this was the composure that came from not being desperate.
I had a feeling that someone from a well-to-do family like Aemerus would prefer attending university.
Just as I was nodding to myself in agreement, Aemerus suddenly asked me a question.
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen you writing in your spare time.”
He gestured with his eyes toward my notebook lying on the table.
‘So he noticed. Well, of course he did.’
Since I spent so much time with Aemerus, it would have been strange if he hadn’t seen it.
It wasn’t exactly a secret, yet my face grew warm.
“Do you want to become a writer?”
“No, a lyricist. But I’m not seriously planning to do anything with it. It’s just doodling on my own…”
“Why?”
“My parents don’t like it.”
I sighed.
“They say you can’t make money from songwriting. If I really want to write, they tell me to do it as a hobby.”
“I see.”
“It’s always been like this. When I was younger, I wanted to become a chef like my parents and inherit the Restaurant, but they told me never to cook back then either. They said it was incredibly difficult.”
I never expected to have such a serious conversation in the middle of eating.
And with Aemerus, of all people, not Jessie.
“I think I understand what your parents mean. They probably just don’t want you to suffer.”
“I know. I know, but sometimes it’s frustrating. They just keep saying I can’t do anything I want to do.”
Aemerus, who had been listening to me with a serious expression, extended his hand.
“Can I see what you’ve written?”
“Only if you promise not to laugh.”
“Didn’t you just laugh your head off a moment ago?”
The memory of “Guerang Marie” that I’d momentarily forgotten came rushing back, and I burst into laughter.
Even though I knew I shouldn’t tease him about the pronunciation, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Fine. Go ahead and read it all.”
I handed him my lyric notebook.
All this time, I’d only written lyrics by myself and never received feedback from anyone else, so I was genuinely curious.
I found myself thinking that somehow Aemerus seemed more vibrant now than when he talked about hockey, and I waited for his reaction.
‘Wait, Aemerus doesn’t know Korean, does he?’
The belated realization made me sigh.
“The lyrics are mainly in Korean, so it’ll be hard for you to read. I’ll translate it for you.”
“Oh…”
Aemerus nodded and spread the notebook out on the table so he could see it clearly.
‘Why was he reading so intently when he doesn’t even know Korean?’
I chuckled to myself.
“This is the most recent one I’ve written. It’s a demo song made by a famous Entertainment Company in Korea, and I’m planning to submit it with lyrics I wrote.”
Aemerus looked at me silently.
Unable to resist his subtle urging, I ran my fingers across the lyrics written in Korean.
「You know, between you and me
I’m so confused right now
That night you looked at me and smiled
You held my hand and wouldn’t let go
And you called me baby
I wonder, did I have you
I wonder, did you have me」
Even after I provided a decent English translation, Aemerus remained lost in thought, saying nothing.
If he laughs at me, I’m throwing a punch.
Even though I’d shown him the lyrics with a light heart, I was starting to feel nervous.
‘Is it really that terrible? So bad I can’t even explain it?’
The moment I get home, I’m burning that songwriting notebook.
Just as my thoughts were spiraling to their darkest point, Aemerus finally broke the silence.
“It’s wonderful.”
“…Thanks, even if you’re just being polite.”
“No, I mean it. The lyrics you wrote are really good.”
“Really?”
My cheeks flushed a warm pink.
He might just be saying kind things out of courtesy, but I couldn’t help feeling elated regardless.
“But is it just me, or does this sound like your own experience?”
Caught off guard, I flinched.
‘He’s like a mind reader.’
In truth, I’d written these lyrics inspired by the day Jessie and I had a picnic in Central Park.
“My experience? This is just the story of the narrator in the song.”
I tried to deflect.
Unlike what the lyrics described, in reality we’d only held hands….
Regardless, the problem was that Aemerus clearly didn’t believe a word I said.
He rested his chin in his hand and gazed down at the songwriting notebook as he spoke.
“So the narrator in this song is completely smitten with a bad guy who calls her ‘baby’ without even dating her, right?”
“He’s not a bad guy…”
Jessie, a bad guy? How could that be!
I reacted instinctively, then quickly lowered my voice as I caught his expression.
‘Still going to deny this is your experience?’
Aemerus laughed, his eyes seeming to ask exactly that.
“I understand. Women are always drawn to bad guys anyway.”
“Not me.”
I stated it firmly.
“I like kind, good-hearted men.”
“That’s definitely not JJ then.”
“What… did you just say?”
Harry and Aemerus’s eyes met head-on, both of them bewildered.

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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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