Do Han could distinctly hear her voice amidst the ceaselessly exploding fireworks.
“I like you, oppa.”
The moment her clear voice echoed in his ears, it felt like the world had stopped.
He had received countless confessions from women, but this one felt strangely novel.
It felt like an arrow was shot into his heart, and his heart seemed to transform into a soft cotton.
Pain and warmth visited him simultaneously.
It was a foreign and uncomfortable feeling he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
Had he ever shown a chink in his armor?
Did she notice the feelings he had for her?
That’s why she liked him.
Do Han blamed himself, thinking perhaps he had inadvertently given her some leeway.
One thing was certain, he couldn’t accept her feelings.
Her innocence was incompatible with him.
It was a transparency he dared not tarnish.
Being with her was comfortable and enjoyable.
But he couldn’t drag her into his misfortune to relish that feeling.
The conclusion was simple.
Slowly, looking into Sa Rang’s eyes, Do Han opened his mouth.
“Like someone else. Like Jung Yun Jae. You two suit each other.”
He felt guilty, thinking about how much effort it must have taken for her to confess to him.
But that didn’t mean he needed to be tender in his rejection.
If he couldn’t accept her anyway, it was better for her to see him as the bad guy.
Sa Rang anticipated his rejection, but not in this way.
Mentioning Yun Jae felt cowardly to her.
“Just say you dislike me.”
“I don’t dislike you. Nor do I like you.”
“Didn’t you say you accept all confessions?”
“Yes.”
“Then why am I…”
“I don’t date freshmen.”
“Why?”
“They’re tenderhearted. Tenderhearted freshmen will only get hurt dating me. That’s why my nickname is ‘brutal.’ Plus, I could be your first boyfriend.”
“Do you dislike that?”
“It’s burdensome. First boyfriend, first love, first kiss. It’s burdensome if it’s the other person’s first time.”
Sa Rang’s face turned red.
She didn’t want to look naive, but to him, she was just a young girl.
She took a moment, caught her breath, and met Do Han’s gaze again.
“Then, if I have dated someone else and am in my second year… would you accept my confession then?”
At her compromise, Do Han, who had been refuting all along, was momentarily at a loss for words.
He didn’t expect her to go this far.
She was audacious enough to make his anxious vigilance seem unwarranted, fearing she would cry or get hurt.
That made her more regrettable and poignant.
Do Han felt a desire to be her first boyfriend boil inside him.
He wanted to hold her hand, kiss her, and be the first one to have her. A terrifying greed wrapped around him.
“So, it’s still a no?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem possible with you.”
Do Han’s voice quivered slightly as he suppressed the outcry in his heart.
Fortunately, the din of the crowd prevented it from being noticed.
At his final rejection, Sa Rang faintly smiled.
“I understand.”
Understanding his words, she looked up at the sky again.
With everything finished, she watched the fireworks with a clear mind.
They were this beautiful.
Truly beautiful.
She hadn’t noticed the splendid lights while being infatuated with Do Han, but now they caught her eye.
On the other hand, he couldn’t look at the night sky anymore.
A presence brighter than the fireworks had lodged itself in his heart and was shining.
((())) ((())) ((()))
Sa Rang was sick all weekend.
Whether it was due to being underdressed at the amusement park or catching a cold, she had caught a flu.
It had been a while since she was this sick.
She should have gone to the hospital on Saturday, but thought rest would make it better, which only worsened her condition.
By the next day, her body was hot and felt like it would break apart.
Despite tossing and turning under the covers, the cold wouldn’t go away, so she ended up going to the emergency room with Ji Woo.
It was the flu.
They were dumbfounded at the fact that one could catch the flu in April.
Sa Rang returned home, took the prescribed medicine, and fell asleep.
She woke up several times from the cold and pain, but after her fever subsided a little, she was able to sleep peacefully.
Ji Woo, who had bought some warm porridge, fed her a little whenever she woke up.
“You won’t be able to go to school until Thursday.”
Since one couldn’t participate in group activities for 5 days after catching the flu, she had to stay at home.
Sa Rang, who had never been absent before, inevitably had to miss classes for several days.
“Yes, they said attendance would be acknowledged if a medical certificate was submitted.”
“Enjoy your date with Do Han and now this is a mess.”
“Indeed.”
Sa Rang only gave a faint smile, she didn’t say anything about confessing to him.
She thought they would pity her for being sick because of it.
She was not shocked because she knew she would be rejected.
She was truly unaffected.
On the contrary, she felt relieved.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
