My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 46

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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 46

Another week dawned, as it always did.
Despite it being the week I’d been anticipating—Jessie’s birthday—my spirits remained inexplicably dampened.
The news from last weekend had cast a shadow over everything: ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) had killed an innocent civilian during an operation.
It wasn’t just I who’d seen the news; the entire school atmosphere felt unsettled, distinctly different from usual.
“They shot a white person? I can’t believe it.”
“That person threatened the ICE agent first, so it was inevitable.”
Student reactions were split down the middle.
Some were horrified that an agent could draw a gun on another white person.
Others dismissed it as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.
Had the victim not been white, the responses would never have been so divided.
I smiled bitterly to myself and quietly took a seat in a corner of the restless classroom.
“Lili, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Faye and Nina appeared before me as I sat staring blankly at my open textbook.
“Nothing happened over the weekend, right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
There had been a small incident on Halloween, but there was no need to give Faye all the details.
As I nodded, Faye and Nina simultaneously made a gesture of relief, placing their hands over their hearts.
“You saw the news, right?”
“Yeah…”
“We can’t just sit around feeling safe. That’s why we created a group chat for all the Asian students at our school.”
Faye pulled out her phone and showed me the chat directly.
Even combining all the Asian students in the school, there weren’t even thirty of us.
“We check in with each other daily to make sure no one suddenly goes silent. That way, if anyone gets taken by ICE, we’ll know immediately.”
After explaining, Faye asked for my permission.
“Can we invite you to join?”
“Of course.”
There was no reason to refuse—it was about Asians protecting each other.
I readily joined the group chat that Faye had created.
“Great. The rules are simple: just do a survival check once a day. If there’s no message for two days, we’ll go to your house immediately. If it reaches three days, we’ll go protest at ICE and demand they release you.”
“Won’t you all just get arrested together?”
“If things get that serious, the principal will have no choice but to step in.”
The principal was a white man, so his protest would be taken seriously.
I nodded.
“The same rules apply in reverse. If I or anyone else disappears, we follow the protocol.”
“Got it.”
“And don’t post anything criticizing the United States on social media for a while. Act like you’re always being watched!”
Faye spared no advice, insisting that no amount of caution was excessive before I left.
‘Always assume you’re being watched,’ she’d said.
It was dystopia incarnate.
I was sinking deeper into gloom, my chin resting in my palm as I exhaled a heavy sigh, when—
“Hey.”
Before Aemerus even greeted me, I recognized him first by the familiar scent that brushed past my nose.
“Hey, Aemerus.”
“What were you two talking about?”
He gestured toward Faye, who was still conversing with another Asian student, and asked.
“Nothing much. Just about creating a group chat for Asian students.”
That was all Aemerus needed to understand the situation.
Fortunately, he didn’t try to force reassurance by claiming the news was exaggerated, nor did he attempt to comfort me with excessive fussing.
I was appreciating his silence, idly scribbling meaningless doodles with my pen, when—
“What are you doing?”
I asked, watching Aemerus’s large frame move with surprising dexterity as his hands worked busily.
“A gift.”
“What…?”
A small cat figurine dangled from my tumbler.
It was the tumbler I’d received from Aemerus on the day I picked him up, which had since become mine.
“A black cat.”
“I realized your preference for blondes was a misunderstanding.”
The unexpected gift lifted me out of my melancholy, bringing a smile to my face.
I looked back and forth between the black cat figurine and Aemerus, then let out a soft laugh.
“This looks like you.”
Black cats typically have yellow eyes, but this figurine had green eyes like Aemerus’s.
Even its aloof gaze was unmistakably his mirror image.
“This will protect you.”
“That’s funny.”
No matter how trendy keychains were, I’d never bothered with decorations, finding them tedious to carry around.
But somehow, I liked this one.
‘Did I always prefer cats to dogs?’
The more I looked at the black cat, the more it seemed true.
So I decided to leave the keychain on the tumbler without removing it.
“Think of this as me and treasure it.”
“You’re not nearly this cute.”
I grumbled pointlessly and poked the figurine repeatedly.
I would later discover that an identical cat figurine hung from the Boston bag he carried to school every day.

Chapter 4. The Moment of Reversal

The day had finally arrived.
Jessie’s eighteenth birthday—my childhood friend and the object of my unrequited love.
I had been working part-time for three months straight to prepare for this day.
Even while working, I hadn’t felt the strain.
Simply imagining Jessie’s delighted face upon receiving my gift filled me with boundless joy.
“Robin, you’re really not going to come?”
Before leaving with Jessie’s gift and the birthday cake I’d arranged to have delivered to the Restaurant, I called out to Robin one last time.
“…”
Robin kept his lips pouted like a duck’s bill, deliberately ignoring me and fixing his gaze on the television.
He still harbored resentment over being stood up by Jessie on Halloween.
“Are you really going, Sis?”
I tried to probe him subtly, but he remained unmoved.
His resolve was that firm.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Right. Don’t stay out too late. You know what I mean, don’t you?”
In other words, don’t wander around late at night and get caught by ICE agents—come home early.
“Yes, I understand.”
It was supposed to be Jessie’s birthday, a day I should be happiest, yet my heart felt uneasy.
Once in the car, I caught sight of my dark expression reflected in the rearview mirror and consciously forced a smile.
“Cheer up. You’ll see Jessie soon.”
Merely thinking of Jessie made the smile come naturally.
I drove carefully to the Restaurant, making sure the cake in the passenger seat wouldn’t tip to one side.
“Welcome!”
“I have a reservation for today.”
“May I have your name?”
“Lili.”
The staff member checking the reservation list broke into a bright smile.
“Your party has already arrived. I’ll show you to your table.”
“Thank you so much.”
The party had already arrived? Could it be Jessie?
Perhaps his work had ended early today.
My brief excitement faded the moment I spotted the distinctive black hair visible from across the room.
It was a color I could never mistake for Jessie’s under any circumstances.
“Aemerus, you came early?”
“It just happened that way.”
I hadn’t arrived late myself.
Aemerus had been waiting for a while, and boredom was already etched across his face.
He released his hand from his chin and asked.
“Where’s Robin?”
“He’s still furious with Jessie over the Halloween incident. That’s why I came alone.”
“What’s all that in your hands?”
“Oh, this? A gift for Jessie and a cake.”
“JJ told you not to prepare a gift.”
Aemerus was right.
A few days ago, Jessie had sent a message asking everyone not to prepare birthday gifts.
But still, how could I possibly show up empty-handed for his birthday?
It wasn’t just anyone’s birthday—it was dear Jessie’s.
“I’ve already bought it, so what can I do? Besides, it’s just a small gift, so this much is fine.”
At least the size was small, that much was true.
I wasn’t exactly lying.
“Just wait a moment. Let me drop off the cake in the Kitchen first.”
“I’ve already been waiting for quite some time.”
I chuckled at Aemerus’s remark and headed to the Kitchen.
Following our prior arrangement, I entrusted Jessie’s birthday cake and the topper to place on it, then returned to my seat.
“Good. Now we just need Jessie to arrive.”
With preparations complete, I nervously rubbed the tablecloth.
Everything had to be perfect today, but something felt off.
Beyond Robin’s absence, there were several ominous signs.
For instance, I’d made a mistake while applying mascara to my lashes, my hand trembled and smudged it on my eyelid.
So I had to remove the eyeshadow and reapply my makeup, which ate up my time.
As a result, I never properly confirmed with Jessie whether he was definitely coming today.
‘Surely Jessie won’t break his promise again today.’
Even as I thought this, I anxiously checked my phone.
Just then, a message from Jessie came through.
「Sorry」
「Filming keeps getting delayed because of props」
The message had come thirty minutes ago, so surely the prop issue would be resolved by now?
I replied, deliberately thinking optimistically.
「Don’t worry about us. Take your time!」
I was glad I’d made the reservation at a Restaurant close to the Studio where Jessie was filming.
I nodded to myself, praising my own foresight.
But….

“Are you sure JJ is coming?”
Aemerus asked, glancing down at his watch.
It was the third time he’d asked the same question.
And for good reason—we’d been waiting for an hour past the promised time.
“He’ll come, I’m sure. He must have gotten held up at work.”
When he’d first asked, I’d answered with complete confidence.
But after hearing the same question three times, my certainty had crumbled away.
As I fidgeted with my fingers on the table, Aemerus shrugged and signaled for a waiter.
Whether it was because we’d been occupying a table with only drinks, or because Aemerus was the kind of strikingly handsome young man who drew lingering glances, the waiter approached as if he’d been waiting for the signal.
“I’ll place a food order.”
My eyes widened as Aemerus naturally unfolded the menu.
“But Jessie hasn’t arrived yet….”
“We’ve waited an hour. That’s plenty. JJ won’t mind if we start eating.”
Well, Jessie was kind and considerate by nature, so that much was obvious.
Though he disliked cold food, he wouldn’t want his guests going hungry while waiting for him—that wouldn’t be proper hospitality.
Jessie arrived at the Restaurant only after all the food Aemerus had ordered had been served.

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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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