SMW 64

I sheepishly held out the coat that had been tossed aside.

「Just wear it. You’re cold too.」

「You don’t look convincing with a face that looks like it’s about to freeze to death, so just put it on. I don’t have time to follow you to the ER if you collapse.」

Do I really look that bad? My cheeks did feel like they were about to fall off from the cold. Moreover, my whole body felt chilled to the bone, but I wasn’t exactly at the point of collapsing…

「Achoo!」

「…….」

「……I’ll give it back after I warm up a bit.」

Sniffling, I held out the paper bag I had been carrying.

「Hold this for a second so I can put on the coat.」

Choi Seol obediently took the paper bag. Now that my hands were free, I quickly draped the coat over my shoulders. It looked expensive at a glance, and despite being light and thin, it was incredibly warm. It felt even warmer because the inside was heated by Choi Seol’s body temperature. Additionally, the heavy scent wafting from it wasn’t unfamiliar. My heart fluttered slightly in response.

Come to think of it, I felt lucky to have another chance to [unauthorized copy]wear Read on Read BL Novelsthe clothes of stolen contentthe person I liked, following that rainy day.

「It’s nice.」

I muttered unconsciously, and as I looked up, my eyes met Choi Seol’s. I realized my slip, but since it wasn’t something that required an excuse, I felt embarrassed and quickly pointed toward the paper bag.

「There are five books in that bag.」

「Why five?」

「Huh?」

Choi Seol took out his own bag, opened it, found one book, and held it out to me.

「Take this. Return it to the library.」

I tried to say something, but I gave up and obediently took the book.

「Alright.」

「If they ask for money, tell me.」

「No. This should be fine.」

In truth, I had already returned the books by buying new [unauthorized copy]copies with my [Read on Read BL Novels]own allowance. Since they were borrowed at the end of August, no matter how many unauthorized copytimes I extended the loan period, it would have inevitably expired by September. It was already mid-October.

However, the reason I didn’t mention this was because I thought it might be okay to keep just one object that bore the traces of Choi Seol. Since I wouldn’t be able to have anything else of his anyway, surely it was okay to be this greedy?

「Thanks.」

「Why are you thanking me? I’m the one who made the mistake.」

「That may be true, but thanks is still thanks.」

I hesitated, hugging the book to my chest.

「Um……. I really enjoyed the books, thanks to you. I was genuinely curious about the content, but it would have taken forever to buy the whole series with my allowance. So……. I’m really grateful, so, um… if you have time today, um…….」

Han Yeo-reum, you can do this. Just a little more effort.

「Do you want to grab a meal together?」

I finally said it. Although this meeting was meant for exchanging items, he had readily gone to the snack shop with me before, so I was secretly hoping he would do the same today. I had a certain amount of confidence. I felt that the Choi Seol I’d known so far would likely agree readily, so I added a bit of courage to the greed I had decided to indulge.

「Uh…… I don’t think I can today.」

But it seems it was all vain hope.

Seeing Choi Seol look genuinely troubled, the heat [unauthorized copy]that [Read on Read BL Novels]had been rising from [Read on Read BL Novels]my stomach surged up to my face.

「I-I see. Do you… have plans?」

「Yeah. It’s just…….」

The more he spoke, the more troubled Choi Seol’s expression became. Consequently, my face burned even hotter.

Idiot. There was no way he dressed up so handsomely just to meet me, so of course he would have other plans. I felt incredibly ashamed of myself for getting so excited since morning, imagining we’d eat together like before.

「Sorry for holding you up when you’re busy. I’ll go now.」

「Wait.」

I wanted to run away and started stepping backward, but Choi Seol urgently caught me.

「I do have plans, but I still have some time.」

「Huh?」

「We don’t have to say goodbye so soon.」

「Oh……. Oh, okay.」

「And let’s eat too.」

I blinked blankly at Choi Seol’s words. I didn’t mishear that, did I?

「Eat? But…….」

「Not now, but later.」

What is this? Is he teasing me? Just as I frowned slightly, wondering if he was joking, Choi Seol spoke as if to correct himself.

「I mean, sigh…….」

Now letting out a deep sigh, Choi Seol brushed back his hair as if feeling flustered. Because of that, a few strands of his well-groomed bangs fell over his forehead.

「Let’s grab a meal sometime soon.」

Since the words weren’t much different from before, I just stared at him, not knowing how to respond. Choi Seol raised an eyebrow slightly and asked me.

「Weren’t you saying you’d buy?」

「Ah, yeah. Right.」

When I answered reflexively, Choi Seol chuckled this time. Then, he continued in a much softer tone.

「I’ve been a bit distracted with some unauthorized copythings [Read on Read BL Novels]lately. But I’ll be able to make time stolen contentto eat with you. So make sure to buy me then.」

So, this means we’re seeing each other again, right?

「Yeah, yeah. I got it. I’ll definitely buy.」

I nodded vigorously. I don’t know why, but my mood, which had briefly hit rock bottom, improved instantly. No, it felt fantastic.

「Um, then is there anything you want to ea—」

「Oppa?」

My voice, which had been flowing out in excitement, stopped abruptly.

Over Choi Seol’s shoulder, I saw a girl standing some distance away. I instinctively realized that she was the female student who had been standing at the school gate before. The girl wasn’t in a school uniform, but was wearing a bright-colored suit coat and was approaching us.

「What are you doing here? I looked for you for so long because you weren’t coming. What time do you think it is… huh? Who is…….」

The moment my eyes met the girl who stopped beside Choi Seol, a dark shadow blocked my vision.

「Han Yeo-reum. Go now.」

Choi Seol, who had blocked the girl with his own body, had an atmosphere that was utterly cold. I didn’t really want to think about what that meant. I didn’t have the luxury to. I just felt even more embarrassed than before.

「……Right. I should go. Then I’ll… Ah! Right, the coat.」

I hurriedly took off the coat I had almost worn home. It wasn’t easy trying to pull my arms out of the sleeves while holding the book in one hand. Perhaps finding that sight pitiful, Choi Seol reached out.

「Give it here. I’ll hold the book.」

「No. I’m almost done.」

Fearing I might lose the book, I gripped it even tighter and somehow succeeded in pulling the coat out of the remaining sleeve.

「Here, take this. Done, right? I’m leaving.」

「Wait. At least take this before you go.」

I wished he would just leave me alone, but Choi Seol caught me as I turned to leave. Then, he held out a scarf.

「If you’re planning to go somewhere else, go home and change your clothes first. If you walk around like that, you’ll really freeze to death.」

Even at a time like this, Choi Seol was kind to me. Even though he wasn’t when I actually wanted him to be. His coat looked expensive, light, and warm. Perhaps that’s why my mood hit rock bottom once again.

「……I’ll just go.」

I pushed the scarf away and turned my back. Then, I walked quickly so as not to be caught. Fortunately, Choi Seol didn’t stop me further. That, in turn, made me feel slighted, and something surged up in my chest. Only after I gritted my teeth and walked hard enough to leave the stream bank and reach the roadside did I stop.

Looking back, I saw Choi Seol and the female [unauthorized copy]student [Read on Read BL Novels]standing side by side in the distance. [visit our site]Even from afar, they looked like a well-matched pair.

Are they dating after all? Then today’s appointment must have been a date. Where are they going? Since it’s almost lunchtime, they’re probably going to eat something delicious. Seeing how they’re dressed, they seem to be heading to an expensive restaurant.

I wanted to pick a fight, saying it’s not appropriate for students, but it would have been weirder for those two to go to a snack shop. They’ll probably talk a lot. It’ll be much more enjoyable than when he’s with me, and Choi Seol will laugh a lot. Will they hold hands? A hug? Could they even… kiss?

「Must be nice.」

The words that suddenly escaped my lips made my heart sink.

「Aaaah! Stop it!」

I shook my head violently and slapped both my cheeks hard with my hands. Perhaps because they were frozen from the cold wind, the impact was quite strong. Cupping my stinging skin, I slumped down on the spot for a moment.

It hurts. I hit my cheeks, but strangely, my heart hurt. I obviously knew the reason.

Now I’m even jealous.

The problem was that this looked considerably more pathetic than what I’d seen in dramas or novels. What benefit is there for me to imagine the person I like dating someone else? The fact that I was envious of that made me feel truly pathetic, to the point of misery.

「Han Yeo-reum, you really do the strangest things.」

I thought love was something two people did, but I wondered if I should be amazed or sorrowful that all of this is possible alone. I thought I hadn’t even dared to dream that I could end up with Choi Seol, but it seems I had been harboring a sliver of hope without knowing it.

I shouldn’t keep doing this. [unauthorized copy]It wasn’t good for greed to keep growing stolen contentwhen Read on Read BL NovelsI should have been focusing on giving up.

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew. That was probably why my eyes stung. When I instinctively raised my hand to rub them, the book I was gripping tightly got in the way.

Suddenly, I remembered why I had accepted this book without complaint. And another promise.

Let’s grab a meal sometime soon.

As if afraid someone would steal the book, I hugged it tight to my chest and sprang up from my seat. I didn’t look back toward the stream anymore.

If I couldn’t cut off these feelings, I had to at least endure them foolishly. To do that, I had to compromise with my own heart.

Since he said let’s eat soon, Choi Seol would surely keep that promise. Although I had returned the items, one of Choi Seol’s books still remained in my arms, and I also had the chance to greet him, talk to him, and eat with him again.

It wasn’t the end. If I continued to be satisfied with only as much as was allowed to me, rather than being greedy, perhaps a day would come when I no longer desired more.

If that happened, my relationship with Choi Seol might become even more comfortable. If I were lucky, we might become real friends who could keep in touch even if we weren’t in the same class.

If it’s just that, wouldn’t it be possible even for a guy like me?

So, let’s be satisfied with this for today.

I headed home with a somewhat lighter step. The weather was extremely cold and my heart still hurt, but my mood seemed to have improved.

At seventeen, I was young, and since almost everything was visit our sitea first, there [visit our site]was still much I didn’t know. It was on the day of the closing ceremony, when [Read on Read BL Novels]the cold had not yet subsided, that I learned what an insatiable greedy thing love is.

In the end, I never did buy Choi Seol a meal.