My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 56

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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 56

Had I always been such a skilled liar?
The lie about having a boyfriend slipped from my lips so effortlessly that even I was startled by my own deception.
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
The boy laughed and gave me a sidelong glance, testing my resolve.
It was clear he didn’t want to believe what I’d said about having a boyfriend.
“What makes you think I’m lying?”
“I’ve been watching you this whole time, and you’ve been alone the entire time.”
Watching me? Was this guy a stalker or something?
A chill ran down my spine, and as I regarded him with an uncomfortable look, he frantically waved his hands in protest.
“I’m not a weird person. I was just trying to find the right moment to talk to you.”
“….”
“I’m a tourist, so I’m only staying here this weekend anyway. So don’t feel pressured—just relax….”
“What’s going on?”
A sharp voice cut through our conversation.
I didn’t need to turn around to see who it was.
I recognized him the moment I felt his presence behind me, even before hearing his voice.
“Here you are. My boyfriend.”
“Ah…?”
“Do you have some business with my girlfriend?”
Aemerus took it even further than I did.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as if he truly were my boyfriend, and his question left the other boy stammering in confusion.
Where had his earlier audacity gone—the confidence with which he’d been persistently asking me out?
“Mom. What are you doing here?”
Robin, arriving last, drove the final nail into the coffin.
“Huh? Mom?”
Did he really just say that with that expression on his face?
Sure, most Asians looked young for their age, but I never imagined he’d think I was a woman with a child….
The boy, who had approached me with such casual confidence, was now visibly horrified.
“I, I apologize for the intrusion. Have a pleasant day.”
He hastily ended the conversation and hurried back to his group, flustered.
“What a strange character.”
Watching his pathetic retreat, I extended my palm toward Aemerus.
Without hesitation, he high-fived me.
We were perfectly in sync now.
“But seriously, wasn’t calling me ‘mom’ taking it a bit too far?”
I looked at Robin and asked accusingly.
When he called me “Mom” earlier, I nearly choked on my own spit.
“Hmph.”
Robin crossed his arms and snorted.
The guy had bolted in surprise when Robin called me “Mom,” but if he’d called me “sister” instead, there’s no way he would’ve run.
“And you—stop wandering around alone. If you don’t, I’m calling you “Mom” all day long.”
At Robin’s threat, I shuddered.
“I’m telling Mom when we get home.”
“Mom will praise me instead.”
For protecting my sister from a strange man, he’d say.
Aemerus reached over and ruffled Robin’s hair, which was tense with pride.
“That’s right. Good job, Robin.”
“Aemerus, you too?”
I shot Aemerus a glare, and he shrugged before changing the subject.
“Now it’s time to learn how to use edges. Harry, show him a demonstration from the side.”
“Yes, Captain.”
I saluted playfully and stood beside Robin.
“Robin, you skated in a straight line earlier, right? This time, we’re going to draw an S-curve using edges.”
“Okay.”
“First, lean your body slightly on the outside of your right foot. Then you’ll move to the right, won’t you?”
Robin moved forward slowly.
“Now, what do you need to do to go left?”
“I need to lean on the outside of my left foot.”
“Exactly.”
Under Aemerus’s praise and encouragement, Robin slowly traced an S-curve.
“What you just did—that’s an edge. Remember it well. It’s the most fundamental technique.”
Robin crawled forward like a turtle, terrified of falling.
Meanwhile, I leaned backward and deliberately traced an S-curve to tease him.
It was payback for how Robin had stubbornly insisted on learning to skate from Jessie instead of me, even though I could skate too.
I could skate just as well as he could.
Or maybe it was petty revenge for being called “Mom” by Robin just now.
“Robin, do you think you can catch up with your sister like that?”
“But sister fell. I saw her land on her butt earlier.”
“And you don’t even know how to jump.”
Aemerus clapped his hands at the siblings bickering so childishly.
“Focus, focus. Robin, straighten your back.”
I caught a glimpse of what Aemerus was like during Hockey Team practice.
‘Tyler pushed so hard that he nearly threw up.’
Now it wasn’t difficult to imagine him commanding his teammates as captain.
His instructions were concise and clear.
His voice when giving orders was gentle yet resolute.
And so, as I listened, my body naturally began to follow his instructions without conscious thought.
“Good, now try to stop. That’s it.”
Robin succeeded in tracing an S-curve while leaning backward just like I had, and his cheeks flushed with delight at the accomplishment.
“Teach me more.”
“Unfortunately, that’s all for today. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go get lunch.”
Until Aemerus mentioned going to lunch, Robin hadn’t even realized he was starving.
He had been completely absorbed in skating.
“You’re having fun skating, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“What I taught you today is really just the basics. If you take the Hockey Team lessons, you’ll be able to learn so much more.”
Robin’s expression showed he was tempted by the idea.
“But what if the other kids make fun of me because I can’t do it?”
“Tell me. I’ll scold them for you.”
Robin burst into laughter.
He seemed to know Aemerus was joking.
“I’m serious. And you take lessons because you can’t do it yet. To get better.”
Robin didn’t respond further, but I was certain of one thing.
‘The moment we get home, he’s going to pester our parents to sign him up for ice hockey lessons.’
Even after we left the Indoor Ice Skating Rink and went to lunch, Robin talked about nothing but skating the entire time.
He did this even though the Korean food he’d been so eager to eat was right in front of him.
In any case, lunch was delicious.
There was also the entertainment of watching Aemerus’s face turn red from the spiciness of the tteokbokki.
“Thank you, Aemerus. I really enjoyed lunch because of you.”
“Don’t mention it. You said you wanted to check out the Souvenir Shop earlier, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go.”
I set out to explore Downtown, appeasing Robin’s pleas to go skating again.
Besides the magnet I really wanted to buy, there were many products featuring bears and beavers.
“Cookies made with Canada maple syrup? Aemerus, have you ever tried these?”
“Hmm… No.”
“You’ve come here every year and never tried this?”
At my teasing reproach, Aemerus laughed awkwardly.
‘Maybe he didn’t feel like shopping for these things when he was alone.’
Thinking about it that way, I felt a pang of sympathy for Aemerus.
“Alright. Let’s try them together this evening.”
I bought a generous amount, thinking I’d give some to my parents as gifts as well.
As I looked around for what else to buy, a bracelet caught my eye.
It was made from buffalo leather.
“It’s pretty.”
The dark brown color would suit a man wearing it just as well.
‘It would suit Jessie so well.’
I reached out to examine the bracelet more closely, then flinched.
‘Am I going to get rejected again, just like with the watch?’
Of course, this bracelet wasn’t as expensive as the watch.
But the memory of being rejected by Jessie was still so painful that I couldn’t help but hold back.
‘Rather than Jessie….’
It would look perfect with Aemerus’s black hair.
I turned to look at Aemerus, who happened to be standing beside me.
Truth be told, I kept getting distracted by the wristwatch he was wearing.
The watch face resembled Jessie’s eye color, and besides, it wasn’t a gift I’d chosen for him from the start.
“Aemerus, what do you think of this?”
“A bracelet?”
“Yeah.”
I picked up a bracelet and held it against his wrist.
His masculine, sturdy hand and the rough leather bracelet looked as though they were made for each other.
“It looks good to me. Should I buy it for you?”
“You’re going to buy it for me?”
Aemerus smiled faintly.
He didn’t seem to dislike the idea at all.
“Yeah. It’s a gift. I owe you a lot for everything.”
“Hmm.”
He took the bracelet and pretended to think about it, then held it out to me.
“Try it on your wrist too.”
“Me? Why me?”
“You should do it with me.”
Matching bracelets was something couples did.
“Matching bracelets?”
I rolled my eyes with a reluctant expression.
“As a souvenir of traveling together. What’s wrong with that?”
“That’s a bit….”
“We can do it with Robin too. The three of us.”
Aemerus asked Robin with a composed expression, as if questioning what the problem was.
“What do you think, Robin? Wouldn’t it be nice if we matched bracelets together?”
“I’d love to!”
Robin, you’re really not helping.
I glanced at Robin secretly and searched for a new excuse.
“But will the bracelet even fit Robin’s wrist….”
“We have the same design in a children’s size!”
A staff member who had been hovering nearby helpfully informed us.
“Well, that works out.”
“…I suppose so.”
The employee’s smile was so warm that I couldn’t bring myself to be upset.
I resigned myself to fate and placed three bracelets into the shopping basket.
After paying, the three of us walked out of the Souvenir Shop with identical bracelets swaying pleasantly on our wrists.
‘They really are pretty.’
I gazed down at the bracelet adorning my left wrist and let out a quiet laugh to myself.

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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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