Unrequited Love Obsession Diary - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 23

“But how did you get to know Shin Yeon-jae?”

That’s right. Hyeonoh only got talkative when it came to stories about Yeon-jae.

‘I guess I’m not number one on his list of close juniors either…’

Si-eun thought bitterly for a moment, then replied somewhat sulkily.

“Well… we’re in the same department.”

“You really became friends just because of that? Shin Yeon-jae always goes around alone.”

“That’s true. But that’s just because Yeon-jae naturally goes around alone.”

“Does it look that way to you guys too?”

“Of course. How should I put it… It feels like she’s ostracizing the world? Even at the beginning of freshman year, there were many kids who wanted to become friends with Yeon-jae. You might not know this, senior, but she even gave a refreshing comeback to some disappointing senior. But she goes through school life so indifferently, and… she has this aura that makes it hard to approach her, you know? You know that too, right senior?”

“…Is that so?”

While Hyeonoh had been agreeing with everything else, he reacted as if he didn’t quite understand that part. Eventually, Si-eun pouted and added one more comment.

“I guess it might be hard for you to understand from your position, senior. Since you’re not afraid of anyone.”

That was one of the reasons Si-eun liked Hyeonoh.

Hyeonoh was never afraid of anyone and had a tendency to get through anything easily. Even if it was actually very difficult.

“You might be right. Shin Yeon-jae does have a rather cold impression.”

And then silence again.

Actually, right now Si-eun could barely tell if the pasta in front of her was going into her mouth or her nose.

She was very hungry. Having starved herself since last night to look even a little slimmer, she felt like she could chew up the plate too.

But that was just how she felt. In reality, she couldn’t even touch the food. No matter how cunning she usually was, Si-eun also became a fool in front of the person she liked.

“Does it not taste good?”

When Si-eun couldn’t move her spoon for quite a while, Hyeonoh, who had been watching, asked casually.

“No. It’s totally delicious…”

During the meal, Hyeonoh gave Si-eun appropriate attention, joked moderately, and rarely smiled for her.

Following the essential date course, after eating, they went to a pretty cafe. Si-eun clenched her fists under the table and made a resolution.

‘This is my last chance. I absolutely have to create the right atmosphere!’

But their actual conversation wasn’t much different from before.

“Are we doing a screening for this festival too?”

“Probably, I think?”

“Oh… What are you showing?”

“Nothing’s been decided yet, it seems.”

“Tell them to show something interesting. Don’t always show boring stuff that makes people sleepy.”

Mostly talk about the club.

Thanks to this, Si-eun was just sighing deeply inside.

‘It’s ruined, completely ruined.’

Since Hyeonoh was treating Si-eun like a close junior, Si-eun couldn’t show any of the behavior she would normally display in front of a guy she liked.

“But what’s your ideal type, oppa?”

“Nothing in particular. A woman with eyes, nose, and mouth.”

“Ah.”

The conversation that followed was usually Si-eun asking questions first and Hyeonoh answering.

“Do you have any thoughts about getting a girlfriend, oppa?”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t?”

Those answers were generally half-hearted.

The few times Hyeonoh spoke first, it was only to throw out lame jokes like this.

“What happens when a strawberry loses its job?”

“…Strawberry syrup.”

“Oh.”

Even that sounded like words thrown out reluctantly because the conversation kept hitting dead ends.

Only the location had changed, but it wasn’t much different from what they’d seen in the club room.

‘This is strange. He was definitely laughing and chatting well when he was with Yeon-jae.’

That said, the atmosphere wasn’t particularly bad.

They ate delicious food and drank coffee. They walked through the crowds of the busy district, not Daehakro, often bumping shoulders.

To other passersby, the man and woman walking together might have looked like a perfect couple.

Of course, a couple where the woman was much more anxious.

Because while Hyeonoh occasionally responded to Si-eun’s one-sided questions, that was all. He even looked a bit bored.

‘Still not enough.’

This definitely wasn’t the intensity of a date. Love wasn’t budding, nor was it intimate.

Eventually, Si-eun made up her mind.

‘I need to go all out.’

Si-eun had been passionately liking Hyeonoh enough for almost everyone in the club to know, but she had never once directly told Hyeonoh that she liked him.

She couldn’t confess through a message like some kid, and when she tried to confess in person, they were never left alone together.

This was the perfect timing for a confession.

That she liked him, that she wanted to try things out with him.

“I’m sleepy. Should we get going?”

Before they knew it, it had gotten dark.

They could have gone for drinks, but Hyeonoh mercilessly suggested going home.

‘How about we have a drink?’

Those words rose to her throat, but somehow her mouth wouldn’t open, and Si-eun eventually lowered her head without making any suggestions.

* * *

The two walked to the station together.

Si-eun’s mind was busy calculating the timing to confess to Hyeonoh.

The closer they got to the station, the more anxious she became. Meanwhile, why was her heart beating so fast…

Si-eun secretly took a deep breath and finally opened her mouth.

“Oppa!”

“Si-eun.”

Coincidentally, Hyeonoh also called Si-eun at almost the same timing.

“Um. You go first.”

“No. You go first, oppa.”

The two went back and forth, yielding priority to each other.

“Should I speak first then?”

Eventually, the first to surrender was Hyeonoh. A hesitant expression briefly crossed Hyeonoh’s face. It was uncharacteristic of him.

Si-eun, watching all of this, clenched her already sweat-soaked palms and waited for the words that would flow from Hyeonoh’s mouth.

“I think of you as a really good junior.”

His voice was a tone lower than usual.

“…I also think of you as a good person, oppa.”

Si-eun replied, trying to ignore the subtext she could read in Hyeonoh’s words.

“Mm.”

Hyeonoh paused for a moment as if choosing his words. Then he said.

“You know what I mean, don’t you.”

* * *

On the way home after parting with Hyeonoh.

“Huuuuung.”

Si-eun cried her heart out on the way home after getting off at the subway station. She didn’t cry alone though…

-Geez… I’m sorry about everything…

She called Yeon-jae and burst into tears.

“No way, I’m actually pretty popular too… I get told I’m pretty a lot!”

-Yeah, yeah. I know that too.

“But how can he not show even a bit of interest in me? He’d probably show more interest in a random pebble on the street. *sob*”

-Senior Hyeonoh was really too much.

Like this, Si-eun continuously poured out her complaints to Yeon-jae.

“Am I really that unappealing? How can he not give me even a chance?! Can’t he at least meet me once for fun? If we meet, he might start to like me…”

-It’s better that he doesn’t. A guy who meets women just for fun is really the worst.

Of course, Yeon-jae who said this was actually someone who hoped Dohan would meet him even just for fun.

“…Yeon-jae, are you a T?”

-Are you talking about MBTI? Then yeah, I am…

“…”

How much time had passed?

Now Si-eun had somewhat stopped crying too. Only then did she check her phone screen that had gotten hot from overheating.

01:24:13

The call duration displayed on the screen had already exceeded a full hour.

Si-eun’s mind snapped back to reality.

“Whoa. We’ve already been talking for an hour!”

-Huh. You’re right…

“Wow. I really talked about myself for a whole hour. Yeon-jae, I’m sorry.”

-No. I had fun too.

“Huh? Fun?”

Realizing what he’d said, Yeon-jae hurriedly tried to cover up his slip of the tongue.

-No, no. Not that kind of fun… I meant it was nice talking with you. You know? Anyway, I feel a bit bad that it didn’t work out. I was hoping it would go well.

This was sincere. Fortunately, Si-eun didn’t seem to catch Yeon-jae’s slip of the tongue.

“Of course you know! *sniff*”

She just wiped away the rest of her tears and answered energetically as if she’d never cried.

“Thanks for listening to my story.”

-It was nothing much.

“I’ll buy you a meal next time I see you at school. For sure.”

-It’s not like you two got together, so what did I do well…

“No, Yeon-jae! How can you say you didn’t do anything! If it wasn’t for you, I couldn’t have eaten alone with Senior Hyeonoh!”

-Hahaha. Is that so?

“I’ll really, really buy you a meal.”

-No. You really don’t have to.

“No way! It has to be, it has to be! When we meet in class, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth to buy you a meal.”

With words that sounded more like a threat than a suggestion, Si-eun and Yeon-jae’s call ended.

And when he looked at his phone again, the first thing that caught his eye were the missed calls and accumulated messages.

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