In an instant, Kwon Yool’s mind went blank.

Ah, so that’s why…

Seo Yeon, who claimed to be unwell, had been different from the moment she opened the door.

Her eyes were inexplicably cold, and there was no warmth in her brief greeting.

I thought she was really sick, but that wasn’t it.

Any words now would only serve as excuses, but he had to make those pitiful excuses anyway.

Because that was the least courtesy he owed to Seo Yeon.

“…I’m sorry.”

His voice, laden with complex emotions, delivered the apology.

“What is the real you like, Yool?”

Seo Yeon bit her lower lip lightly to stabilize her shaking emotions.

Otherwise, she would spew words that would hurt him.

‘Let’s hear Yool out to the end. There might be some unavoidable circumstances.’

Even in this unbelievable situation, Seo Yeon wanted to hear his side of the story.

Had it been the usual her, she would have blocked all contact immediately.

But for some reason, she didn’t want to do that with Kwon Yool.

Because she believed there was sincerity in all the moments he had shown her so far.

Drawing upon her utmost patience, Seo Yeon waited for Kwon Yool’s explanation.

He opened his mouth with a distressed look.

“I should have told you earlier. I’m really sorry you had to find out this way.”

“You’re a college student, right?”

Seo Yeon uttered the word ‘college student’ with difficulty and exhaled the breath she had been holding.

Kwon Yool never thought the word that best described him would be so regrettable.

How should he explain it?

After hesitating for a long time, he pulled out his wallet from his pocket.

He debated whether to show her this, but it was something he couldn’t hide or delay any longer.

It was a conversation they needed to have if their relationship was to evolve into something better.

Kwon Yool took out a card from his wallet and handed it to her.

Looking at the student ID with Kwon Yool’s picture on it, Seo Yeon let out an incredulous laugh.

“So it’s true.”

Seo Yeon closed her eyes tightly and then opened them, asking in a despondent voice.

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand. Why did you do it?”

“I know any excuse is useless, but…”

His towering frame leaned towards Seo Yeon, causing her to instinctively back away.

“Did you have fun looking at me, who knew nothing?”

Kwon Yool’s desperate eyes fixed on Seo Yeon.

“Did you enjoy it because I was fooled so well?”

Mixed with resentment, Kwon Yool put his hand on his forehead.

“There was no other reason.”

Kwon Yool let out a heavy sigh.

And then he began the story he had witnessed in the hotel parking lot two years ago.

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Seo Yeon’s eyes shook violently.

“I recognized you right away when I saw you talking with Hyun Woo. That you were that person.”

Seo Yeon felt like running away from his story, feeling as if he had discovered a secret shame she wanted to keep hidden.

“Before enlisting, I happened to see Seo Yeon. And when we met again after my discharge, it felt weird.”

It was as if he was a time traveler, the second meeting with Seo Yeon didn’t feel strange at all.

So he had to be honest that he was all the more drawn to her.

“Though I saw it unintentionally, I wanted to ask if your wound was okay.”

Kwon Yool emphasized that he never had bad intentions, and almost begged her to believe him.

But facing Seo Yeon’s bitter expression, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

“So you didn’t even ask for my contact information. And I didn’t even know.”

Blocking her eyes with both hands as she understood his unspeakable circumstances, Seo Yeon spoke.

“From the beginning, I liked you. You have no idea how much I wanted to ask for your contact.”

But considering his position as a college student, he had folded his desire several times.

“Still, I wanted to see you so much… So I made an excuse to Hyun Woo and went to the home shopping network.”

Kwon Yool laid everything bare.

And strangely, the guilt that had been weighing him down began to slowly lift.
She felt a simultaneous sense of relief for having finally revealed the truth and regret towards her.

“I tried hard not to think of you, Seo Yeon.”

“…….”

“Then I realized the day you spilled coffee. I couldn’t help myself anymore.”

Kwon Yool said he would’ve felt the same way in any similar situation.

“I don’t know why, but I just wanted to be with you, Seo Yeon.”

From Seo Yeon’s lips, which had spoken tender words, a heavy sigh escaped.

“Yool, you’ve had several chances to speak up since then.”

Caught in complex emotions, Seo Yeon asked in a pressing tone.

“I was greedy for you, Seo Yeon.”

There was no more honest expression for Kwon Yool than the word “greedy.”

“I thought you wouldn’t see me as a man just because I’m young.”

He wanted to be a man in Seo Yeon’s eyes, not a younger sibling.

“So, what’s this about being a freelancer?”

“That… I referred to giving private lessons.”

“Private lessons?”