[This is the timeline separator]

Ever since entering high school, Jae Won had started to dislike being at home from a certain point onward. It was true.

He hated studying, and the excessive expectations his parents placed on him weighed heavily.

Always being compared to his perfect older brother and put down by his mother who arbitrarily expressed disappointment in him, these things enraged Jae Won even more as he hit puberty, causing him to increasingly act out as he pleased.

However, lately when his mother nagged him about where he had been running off to, it wasn’t merely out of a desire to rebel that Jae Won gave no real answer.

“Please get it together. You’re a high school senior, a senior!”

In front of Mrs. Kim who changed her tune, asking if he even intended to go to college, saying she no longer expected him to attend the same university as his brother and pleading for him to at least get into a school she’s heard of, Jae Won only pouted his lips without giving any response.

He knew that if he just told the truth, he could escape from this tsunami of nagging and worries.

Even though he knew a single sentence about how he was coming home late from tutoring at a study cafe would resolve everything, Jae Won stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

Preparing diligently for lessons, trying his best to explain things in an easy to understand way when asked questions, never showing any attitude of just trying to pass the time – in fact, Jae Won had grown quite fond of the teacher.

So uncharacteristically for him who was shy around strangers, even after the tutoring arrangement broke down, he tried contacting her once. But he got ignored.

Still, he wasn’t angry.

Because the various media outlets were already informing him that the young woman was not in a position to have the leisure to reply to his messages one by one.

The tutoring teacher who had been quite alright, and the slightly pitiful sister he had to part ways with due to unfortunate circumstances – that’s how Jae Won remembered her, and just as she was about to nearly vanish from his mind, suddenly an order came down from his brother.

‘You’re going to be tutored.’

It made no sense to say his brother was worried about Jae Won’s grades now.

His brother was perfect but even less likely to listen to Mrs. Kim compared to the current Jae Won. He was the type of person to show little concern even when Jae Won skipped hagwons to frequent PC rooms or hang out.

And when Jae Won found out the tutor his brother arranged out of the blue was the same young woman from 3 years ago, he let out a small sigh inwardly without anyone knowing.

‘If you act out of line with her like you do with Mrs. Kim, consider yourself dead meat.’

It wasn’t like Hee Won to give such warnings to his younger brother unless it was about something really out of line. He preemptively shut Jae Won down.

It must be because his girlfriend is the teacher, for him to unusually impress that upon Jae Won.

But this teacher is a bit pitiful. She’ll have a hard time later if she dates my brother.

Jae Won’s thought process only flowed in that direction. After living 19 years with a brother like Hee Won, his mental circuitry couldn’t help but end up that way.

But then he was told they’re not dating. That there was nothing between them.

The teacher even said she dislikes guys like Jae Won’s brother the most – the type to never treat others with sincerity even for a moment.

Then could they possibly be friends? My brother, friends with a woman? Unable to believe it, Jae Won denied it a few times, and only after a few tutoring sessions and observations did he finally put his good brains to full use and arrive at a conclusion.

Keep quiet no matter what.

Realizing his brother’s one-sided love was already a huge deal, but Jae Won’s head hurt just imagining what kind of aftershock would hit the house if his mom found out about this.

Most of all, Jae Won was worried about what kind of flak that young woman, eliminated as a candidate by Mrs. Kim, might catch if by some chance things worked out between her and Jae Won’s brother.

He hadn’t known her long, but Jae Won didn’t want to see that kind and smart teacher get hurt by his mother’s greed like he had been.

“Seo Jae Won! Your mother is speaking to you, where do you think you’re impolitely going!”

Even as his mother scolded him, demanding to know where he had been, Jae Won silently headed up to his room on the second floor. His eyes met his brother’s, who seemed to have seen and heard the whole commotion in the first floor living room while looking down at Jae Won with his hands in his pockets.

Even though he was his brother, his family, sometimes when Hee Won stared at Jae Won expressionlessly like that, a strange fear would wash over him.

This was why, since childhood, Jae Won could rebel against his parents but never against his brother.

Jae Won was about to hurry past him, sweating buckets on the inside.

“Why aren’t you saying anything.”

Even though he didn’t raise his voice, Hee Won’s question immediately pierced Jae Won’s ears.

Unable to understand his intentions, Jae Won tilted his head quizzically. What is he talking about.

While Jae Won pondered, his brother who was always smarter than him grasped his confusion and kindly added an explanation.

“Come to think of it, when I told you to get tutored, I don’t think I ever said to keep it a secret from Mom.”

Leaning at an angle with a tone of voice as crooked as his posture, Hee Won asked.

Sensing that his brother seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason, Jae Won decided to carefully slink away.

Jae Won turned his body to stand up straight and hunched his shoulders.

As Hee Won said, Jae Won had only received the strict order to get tutored, not any instructions that he had to hide all information related to it from his mother.

However, even without Hee Won instructing him as if to absolutely never tell, Jae Won had been keeping the secret of his own accord.

Obstinately doing so even as he got scolded and verbally abused in all sorts of ways by his mother.

To Hee Won who newly questioned this, Jae Won felt exasperated as if being asked about something obvious, mumbling his lips before diligently answering.

“…Obviously I shouldn’t say anything.”

“Why?”

Why? Jae Won’s expression turned strange. Why are you asking about something so obvious again.

“That’s… Mom can’t find out that young woman is my tutor.”

“Why can’t she.”

“……”

“Why.”

Jae Won closed his mouth for a moment. He may not have studied, but with his keen senses, Jae Won read the strange tension in his brother’s expression.

Because if Mom finds out, it will be difficult for that teacher. You don’t want her to have a hard time, right?

As Jae Won was about to say that, he suddenly felt uncomfortable with his brother trying to confirm what he already knew through Jae Won’s own mouth.

Could it be, brother…

“…You didn’t know?”

That you like her – you didn’t know?

Jae Won, who had naturally assumed that was why his brother told him to get tutored by her, asked without realizing it because it seemed unbelievable.

And upon witnessing Hee Won’s expression, Jae Won had to shut his mouth.

He couldn’t make any further retort to the face that seemed to ask back, “Was I in such a state that even you noticed?”

He could only watch from afar as his brother, who had always been smart and clever, showed a hollow look in his foolish eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Mom said she’s so grateful to you, she wants to do something for you but feels frustrated that there’s no way to repay you.”

There were about 10 minutes left until the liberal arts lecture that started in the afternoon.

Na Eun, who placed a carrier with two cups of coffee on the desk where Hee Won was lying face down in the very back row, greeted him with a smile.

Hee Won, who barely lifted his head while still lying down, stared intently at the coffee in front of him.

He gestured to the seat next to him with his eyes.

“Sit.”

“I already grabbed a seat. Over there.”

Na Eun pointed to the very front seat with her fingertips. No matter where she went, this girl with the temperament of a model student always took classes sitting in the front row.

She even arrived at the lecture hall much earlier than class time to secure that seat.

It was an incomprehensible quirk to Hee Won, but he didn’t say anything more since his own behavior of attending this lecture every week just to see the back of this girl, despite already being confirmed to fail, was even more bizarre.

Instead, he glanced at the coffee carrier and asked.

“But why are there two cups?”

To the question of whether she bought them to drink together, Na Eun winked.

“This one is for the person taking the class with you.”

“……”

Damn it.

Hee Won barely swallowed a curse inwardly.

“It would look a bit odd if I only gave it to you when you’re sitting together. I bought it while I was at it anyway.”

What do you think? Don’t I have some sense? Na Eun looked satisfied as if she thought her own actions were well done.

Even though he wanted to immediately make excuses, saying they had no relationship, that he was only taking this class because he wanted to see her, and that the female junior was just acting close and sitting with him on her own – Hee Won held back.

Because such nitpicky explanations would be of no help to this relationship that had already gone wrong from the first step.

He knew even more so because no matter what excuses he made, he would definitely be faced with an expression asking “Why are you explaining that to me?” from her, turning his insides out.

“I couldn’t tell my mom that you were the one who saved us, and I didn’t want you to buy me food either, so I was wondering what I could do to repay you. I thought this would be appropriate.”

Na Eun smiled shyly.

“I’ll take responsibility for the coffee you drink during class until this course ends. Including the share of the person taking it with you.”

“……”

“So I’m saying, what coffee do you drink? I didn’t really know so I just bought cafe latte for now.”

Even though it was the first time in the 3 years they’d known each other that she had something she was curious about regarding him, Hee Won was not pleased at all.

He should have registered for the lecture alone. He had just let it slide when the junior he was close with at the time begged to take it together, but he never imagined that karma would come back like this.

Not only did he have to take the class together, but he had to show the sight of him sitting closely with an unfamiliar woman every week.

Hee Won let out a dry sigh, feeling momentarily exhausted.

“…Is your mother…”

Doing well? Na Eun, who understood the meaning without needing to hear the rest, nodded.

“Yeah. She’s super healthy. We installed burglar bars and CCTV all over the house after that incident, you know?”

Soo Hyun’s face crumbled upon hearing that her daughter Na Eun had also almost died while she was unconscious.

Fortunately, she wanted to somehow express gratitude upon hearing that a hero had saved them, but receiving such a thing would mean he’s not a hero.

Instead, Na Eun who knew his identity decided to give a small token of appreciation herself.

“So, what coffee do you drink? Also tell me what that unni taking the class with you likes.”

Why was his stomach feeling sour when he had eaten not long ago. Hee Won moved his dry lips and barely chose his words. With a bit of mischief added.

“…You don’t have to do this. You already thanked me.”

He leaned back in his chair and looked up at her standing in front of him.

The intentionally flippant smile and nodding gesture was the carefree attitude Na Eun disliked the most.

To Hee Won who reminded her of what happened that dawn in the emergency room waiting area, Na Eun smiled with a chuckle.

With that smile, Hee Won realized his defense mechanism no longer worked on her at all.

“That’s that and this is this.”

“……”

The timing was always terrible when he was with her.

“Oppa.”

The female junior who came to find him every class without Hee Won having to contact her and sat next to him as if it was her designated seat approached his seat with a bit of wariness.

Na Eun quickly greeted the junior first, who was looking at her with disapproving eyes.

Na Eun dispelled the woman’s vigilance as naturally as possible, saying she knew Hee Won as the older brother of a student she tutored. She then left with well wishes to enjoy the class.

Hee Won’s eyes were glued to Na Eun’s back as she flew away to the front row with a refreshed expression.

The junior sitting next to him seemed to have cheered up a bit thanks to the coffee Na Eun bought, humming with the straw in her mouth.

Soon, the professor entered and the class began.

Unlike before, Hee Won who brought his lecture materials opened the book halfheartedly.

Since he didn’t come to study anyway, there were no notes taken at all, but having it open at least made it look proper.

The screen of Hee Won’s phone flashed as he roughly flipped through the pages the professor was talking about.

Hee Won quietly checked the messenger and froze.

[Still, that was my first kiss, you know?] [But I don’t regret it one bit, not at all. At that moment, it felt like nothing would be too much to do for you.] [That’s my way of saying how grateful I was.] [So next time, make sure to tell me what coffee you like! I’ll buy it every week!]

They had exchanged contact information after he promised to take responsibility for her personal security, but they had never engaged in private conversations through text before.

Perhaps saving her that day was a big deal to her, as her attitude changed from being plain to the affection she showed when dealing with her friends.

No, Yoon Na Eun was originally affectionate.

The problem was that the affection which meant nothing special to her became serious to someone who placed meaning in it.

The screen was glaringly filled with a sticker of a pink teddy bear dancing while holding a gift box with a message of gratitude. It was from Na Eun.

After checking his phone, Hee Won directed his gaze forward.

Having already sent the message, she had put away her phone and was focusing on the lecture, looking at the professor standing at the podium.

Hee Won glared resentfully at the small back of her head that began immersing in the lecture content without a hint of agitation, and in the end, not giving a damn about manners or anything else related to the class, he laid his head down on the desk again.

Fine, I don’t get it either. Do whatever you want.

It was maddening how she could act so boldly precisely because she lacked so much emotion.

Na Eun had probably arbitrarily judged that such a level of contact held no great meaning to Hee Won, and since she had no feelings for him either, she could just brush it off as a “thank you” and mention that day’s events as if it were nothing.

First kiss? That’s called a peck, not a kiss, you dummy.

Even though he wanted to correct her like that, he couldn’t make any retort because it would be like spitting on his own face, as he had lost sleep for days like a madman over that one peck.

By the way, nothing would be too much to do for him, huh.

Should he inform her that she shouldn’t say such things to just anyone?

No, but what is our relationship for me to presumptuously… Damn it. Let’s not think about it.

He gave up, lying face down on the desk, barely paying attention to the lecture.

He had to finally admit that since he had already become a fish on the chopping board, there was no point in struggling further as things would go according to Yoon Na Eun’s will anyway, whether she killed or spared him.

He remembered how he had rushed out half out of his mind that night as soon as he confirmed that the call that rang out as always was from Yoon Na Eun and not for a mission.

It was an attitude he couldn’t believe of himself, who usually lazily dragged his feet when a call came in because he didn’t want to go.

He remembered checking the real-time location being transmitted and the sound of his heart beating like crazy with anxiety, worrying that something might happen to her even as he ran.

In conclusion, it meant that he was already beyond saving at this point.