My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 72

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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 72

I tried my best to understand him.
Yesterday’s work had gone late, so Jessie must have been exhausted too.
He hadn’t deliberately tried to make me drink water.
And besides, one of our dates had been postponed because of me….
“Would it be alright if I went to check on Jessie for a moment? His phone’s been off and I’ve been quite worried.”
“Of course, dear. While you’re at it, just wake him up. He needs to eat dinner.”
“Jessie’s room is over there.”
I excused myself from the Jacksons and stood up first.
“Jessie, it’s me, Lili. I’m coming in for a moment.”
I knocked on Jessie’s door, but there was no response.
He seemed to be in a deep sleep.
Click.
The moment I opened the closed door, the first thing I detected was the smell of alcohol.
Along with the alcohol, a faint scent of an unfamiliar woman’s perfume lingered in the air.
“What on earth….”
Jessie had been drinking? And with a woman?
The hypothesis that another man had snuck into Jessie’s room seemed far more plausible.
I turned on the light in the darkened room with its blackout curtains drawn.
“…Mom? Is it already two o’clock?”
Jessie, curled up like a caterpillar under the blanket, raised his upper body with difficulty, unable to open his eyes properly.
“No. It’s past six.”
At the mention of six o’clock, Jessie’s eyes snapped open.
“Why didn’t you wake me…. Lili?”
Like most men, Jessie was shirtless, wearing only his underwear.
His eyes widened in shock, and he quickly pulled the blanket up to his nose.
“Why are you here, and did you just say it’s six o’clock?”
“Almost seven.”
“I’m really sorry. Have you been waiting long? Just give me a moment….”
Flustered, Jessie’s rambling suddenly stopped as his complexion turned pale.
From the way he quickly covered his mouth with his hand, it seemed his hangover was catching up with him.
“Jessie. Did you drink yesterday?”
“No! I didn’t.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I can’t drink yet anyway. The smell must have rubbed off from the people I was with.”
In New York, it was legally only possible to drink at twenty-one, and Jessie had just turned eighteen.
‘I should open the window and lie.’
I didn’t know how Jessie had deceived the Jacksons, but fooling me was beyond his reach.
“You didn’t drink, but you were with a woman?”
I didn’t even want to imagine how closely two people had to be pressed together for perfume to cling like that.
“I—I can explain everything. Really, I can explain it all.”
Even watching Jessie stammer while cold sweat beaded his forehead didn’t kindle my anger.
I could already sense what he would say, without needing to hear it.
He’d claim those women from the party were different from me—a one-night encounter. How predictable.
Why did every excuse feel so stale, so worn into the same tired mold?
My heart grew colder with each passing moment.
He’d asked for a chance, and now I wondered if this was merely the opportunity to finally let go of my long, unrequited love—a bitter, almost laughable realization.
“I’ve confirmed you’re safe. I should go. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Jessie grabbed my arm as I turned to leave.
“Don’t go.”
….
“I know I’ve disappointed you. But still….”
I gently but firmly removed his hand from my wrist.
“When I say we should talk tomorrow, it’s not just for you—it’s for me too. Right now, I don’t think anything I say would come out right.”
“Lili….”
“I’m leaving.”
Jessie seemed to accept that I needed time to settle my emotions, and he didn’t try to stop me again.
Or perhaps his hangover was simply too severe for him to persist.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, exhaling softly.
“Lili, is Jessie awake? Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for dinner with us?”
Caroline, seated at the dining table, looked up and asked.
Suddenly aware that Jessie and I weren’t alone in this house, I forced a smile.
“No, I only came to check on Jessie. I couldn’t possibly impose on you both.”
“Impose? Lili, you’re always welcome. You’re practically family to us.”
Under normal circumstances, I would have felt as though I’d been accepted as a daughter-in-law.
Instead, my mouth tasted only bitter.
“Next time. I’ll come back properly next time.”
“If you insist, I suppose there’s nothing we can do….”
“How will you get home? Did you drive?”
“Yes.”
I’d actually taken the subway, but I lied about driving so they wouldn’t worry.
“Drive carefully before it gets any later.”
I left Jessie’s House, leaving the Jacksons’ earnest warnings behind.
The cold winter wind struck my body painfully as I stepped outside.
“Sigh….”
Disappointed in Jessie?
Perhaps.
And perhaps, deep down, I had always known from the start that things wouldn’t work out between us.
Jessie’s current goal is unwavering.
Earn money and reclaim the house where he once lived.
Until then, he won’t abandon his modeling career.
If I became his lover, I’d inevitably face situations like this constantly.
‘No. That’s just an excuse.’
Not every model attends every party, and they don’t always drink with the opposite sex.
‘The truth is, I simply can’t be Jessie’s priority.’
He already carried so much on his shoulders.
Knowing his circumstances as well as I did, I lacked the audacity to demand he prioritize me.
“How shameless of me, Harry.”
Once, a single date with Jessie had been my dying wish, something I yearned for desperately.
Yet when the opportunity finally arrived, I surrendered it myself.
Just as sorrow began to settle in, the biting wind would strike, jolting me back to reality.
“I need to get home soon….”
First love’s loss or whatever—I was simply freezing.
I’d dressed up for what I thought was a date and neglected to dress warmly, making it worse.
Shivering, I boarded the subway.

***

[I’m home….]
Heeding the Jacksons’ warning, I returned home safely, vigilant the entire way.
As I removed my shoes at the entrance and slipped into indoor slippers, Robin came rushing over.
[Sis, did you see this?]
Drained from the cold, waiting, and hunger, I didn’t even glance at the phone Robin offered.
[I’ll look at it later.]
I brushed past Robin and headed straight to the kitchen.
My mother, who had finished dinner and was cleaning up, greeted me.
[You said you had plans. Why are you back so soon? Have you eaten?]
[I’m about to eat now.]
[What? What were you doing?]
I shrugged and changed the subject.
[Is there any leftover rice?]
[We finished it all. I’ll cook fresh rice for you. Just wait a moment.]
[That’s okay. I’ll just have some instant ramen.]
I brought the cup ramen to my lips when my mother smacked my back.
[Don’t talk nonsense about instant ramen. Just eat proper rice.]
[Ow, that really hurts….]
As if heartbreak wasn’t enough, now I had to endure a beating.
Harry pouted as she removed her outer jacket, and her mother asked her a question.
[So you met someone other than Aemerus today?]
[How did you know?]
[How? I can tell just by looking at your face.]
[Really?]
Harry wiped her face with a somewhat reluctant expression.
[Of course. When you come back after seeing Aemerus, you’re always grinning from ear to ear. There’s no way I wouldn’t notice.]
Did I really do that?
I’d heard something similar from Robin not long ago, but I couldn’t quite believe it.
I figured it was just typical adult exaggeration and didn’t think much of it.
[I’ll go wash my hands.]
[Alright.]
Robin followed Harry to the bathroom again, trailing behind her.
[Sister, sister. Look at this quickly!]
Whatever it was, he would definitely keep pestering Harry until she looked at it.
Harry let out a quiet sigh and asked while drying her wet hands with a towel.
[What is it?]
[Dancing King!]
The moment Harry saw the photo on the phone Robin handed her, she burst out laughing.
It was a photo taken right after the match, and Aemerus, with a somewhat flushed face, was striking a pose as if proudly displaying the bracelet on his wrist.
[You know that bracelet we all matched in Canada? Turns out it was a lucky bracelet! So I won today’s match and made it to the finals!]
Robin exclaimed while fidgeting with the bracelet on his own wrist.
He seemed to have been itching to brag about the lucky bracelet.
[It’s good that we each got one to keep. Right?]
[Yeah.]
[Wait, but how did you contact Aemerus?]
[On Mom’s phone.]
[Good grief….]
When did Aemerus become so close with my family?
And leaving me out of it completely!
Back in the kitchen, Harry immediately pulled out her phone.
There was already a message from Aemerus waiting for her.
「Did your date go well?」
Here he was, having advanced to the finals, and he was curious about someone else’s date.
Even if I opened my eyes wide, I couldn’t find any message bragging about winning the match.
「Congratulations on making it to the finals」
The moment I sent my reply, the typing indicator appeared, showing he was composing a message.
「Your date is already over?」
Until I left Jessie’s House, I felt so devastated that I thought I’d never be able to smile again.
This conversation where we each just said what we wanted to say struck me as amusing, and I laughed once more.

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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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