Unrequited Love Obsession Diary - Chapter 28

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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 28

 

After staying at both sets of grandparents’ houses for a while, Dohan finally decided to go on a language study program in Vancouver.

 

It was called a language study program, but it was nothing more than an excuse to separate their child from the fighting.

 

It was their way of being parents.

 

Having already shown their child every shameful sight imaginable, he wasn’t sure what meaning such measures could have.

 

Anyway, Dohan followed his parents’ decision without complaint.

 

He was already sick to death of their whims and fights. Rather, thinking that he wouldn’t have to see them for a while actually put his mind at ease.

 

At the time, Dohan just wanted this fight to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible and for either parent to take custody.

 

He didn’t care which way it concluded.

 

* * *

 

Coming to Vancouver with such a background, Dohan was indifferent to everything in the world.

 

All the kids his age seemed like immature brats. He thought this despite being only twelve years old himself.

 

But at the time, Dohan felt that thought was justified.

 

When he thought about the ordinary lives of his peers who had grown up receiving abundant love and attention in their parents’ embrace, his cynicism and leaps in logic didn’t seem entirely groundless.

 

So Dohan, who was already naturally quiet, completely shut his mouth in that place.

 

He had no desire to make new friends. Even less desire to join others in their laughter and force fake smiles he didn’t mean.

 

He didn’t have any grand goals for improving his language skills anyway.

 

Dohan was just killing time.

 

Dohan’s parents had sent him to that distant country hoping he would do exactly that.

 

But no matter how tightly Dohan kept his mouth shut, there were kids who actively approached him regardless of his intentions.

 

Moreover, being good-looking easily won favor even among children, not just adults.

 

The children all approached Dohan, who was exceptionally handsome even among his peers, without exception.

 

It was the same now.

 

“Want to be friends?”

 

Dohan looked down at the maple candy offered to him. It was something tourists often bought as souvenirs at Vancouver Airport.

 

Dohan withdrew his gaze without even looking at the kid’s face.

 

When he gave such a cold response even to candy, the universal language for making new friends, the girl who had offered the candy burst into tears.

 

The next day, Dohan was called to the principal’s office.

 

A woman who appeared to be around his mother’s age asked in a gentle voice.

 

“Dohan, is it difficult to adjust?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then why did you make your friend cry?”

 

“She suddenly started crying.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“…Please don’t call my parents.”

 

The woman smiled and nodded. The conversation ended without any real conclusion.

 

* * *

 

After that day, no one else tried to talk to Dohan.

 

It was a new environment for everyone. Even without Dohan, who seemed to ignore them all while maintaining a cold atmosphere, there were plenty of other things to focus their attention on.

 

Just one person.

 

Except for Hyeonoh.

 

“Are you Lee Do-han?”

 

Dohan only blinked.

 

He looked at the boy in front of him.

 

A childish face no different from other peers who usually talked to Dohan. But strangely, only his eyes were incomparably sharp compared to theirs.

 

Whether he got into fights or was just an unusual troublemaker, he had three or four scars on his face.

 

Just looking at those scars was enough to guess what a wild kid he was.

 

Until then, all Dohan knew about Hyeonoh was that he was the only student who frequented the principal’s office like his own home.

 

Every time he passed by, Dohan thought his face looked strangely familiar, but when he saw the family photo on the corner of the desk during his last visit to the principal’s office, Dohan understood the source of that déjà vu.

 

He really looks like his mom. He was undeniably taking after his mother’s side.

 

The whole family wearing matching jeans and white t-shirts. A younger sister. One big dog.

 

Just from the photo, they looked very close.

 

“…”

 

After staring at the photo for a while, Dohan looked away, thinking it was somewhat annoying.

 

Hyeonoh’s cheerful atmosphere, which could be felt even from brief glimpses while passing by, was because the family he belonged to was like that.

 

A physique significantly larger than his peers. A free-spirited atmosphere. Unlike children who would stay briefly and leave, a subtle sense of superiority that naturally emanated from living as a permanent resident. These elements mixed together made Hyeonoh seem a little more special than others. But that was all.

 

A trivial boy.

 

Dohan categorized Hyeonoh as exactly that, and soon stopped thinking about his existence. He wasn’t particularly curious about the circumstances of a peer who would live comfortably in a harmonious family.

 

Moreover, Hyeonoh only appeared occasionally to help with cleaning at the language institute on his parents’ orders, and didn’t even take classes separately. There was no occasion to interact.

 

“I asked if you’re Lee Do-han?”

 

…?

 

So when Hyeonoh spoke to him, Dohan was flustered. He had never thought that Hyeonoh, of all people, would be the first to start a conversation.

 

But the flustered feeling quickly subsided.

 

He could roughly guess the reason for suddenly coming over and being friendly. The principal teacher must have told him to.

 

There’s no way it would be fun to play with a kid who listens well to his mom.

 

Dohan ignored him.

 

But Hyeonoh never gave in to Dohan’s disregard.

 

“What are you doing after class today?”

 

And Dohan gave the same reaction as always. Complete disregard.

 

He should give up around now…

 

His expectation was spectacularly wrong.

 

“Want to play with me?”

 

“Do you know how to play hockey?”

 

“I’ll lend you a hockey stick.”

 

Unable to ignore him anymore, Dohan spoke indifferently without even turning to look at Hyeonoh.

 

“Get lost.”

 

* * *

 

After eating and parting with her classmates, Yeon-jae was heading alone to the Business School Building.

 

It was a major class that only she and Hyeonoh attended together.

 

But before entering the classroom, she spotted Hyeonoh on the way. As always, he was in his tracksuit, with no bag, carrying only his major textbook in his bare hands. The same outfit as usual.

 

“Senior!”

 

Yeon-jae was the first to call out and stop Hyeonoh. It was the first time since the two had known each other.

 

“Hello, temple dog.”

 

Yeon-jae wasn’t conscious of that fact, but Hyeonoh was.

 

Even while turning around to greet Yeon-jae, he was thinking about it on one hand.

 

‘Oh my. Now she’s even greeting me first.’

 

It seemed the psychological distance had grown closer without Yeon-jae realizing it. Hyeonoh was quite pleased with that fact.

 

Yeon-jae, who had somehow grown closer, asked.

 

“But why am I a temple dog?”

 

“Because when I taught you one thing, you learned ten, and finally started reciting poetry.”

 

Yeon-jae, who remembered the context of their previous message conversation, reacted with an “Ah!”

 

“By the way, it feels like it’s been a while somehow.”

 

“Even though we met in major class just a few days ago?”

 

“It just feels that way.”

 

Actually, Hyeonoh had been getting that feeling too. His next words slipped out without him realizing it.

 

“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Yeon-jae, who used to eat with Hyeonoh at the drop of a hat, had been constantly turning down Hyeonoh’s invitations to eat together lately because she was hanging out with Si-eun.

 

“Want to grab a meal?”

 

“Ah, I already have plans with my classmates…”

 

“Lunch?”

 

“Today I’m also with my classmates…”

 

“Let’s eat lun—”

 

“Classmates…”

 

Something like that.

 

At first, Hyeonoh had found it quite endearing that Yeon-jae had made close classmates, but once the number of times Yeon-jae turned him down exceeded five or six, he gradually started feeling uncomfortable.

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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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