Chapter 173: Expression

“So who is it?”

At Gyu-ah’s question, which came from the side, senior Ju-hee also glanced at me.

“What is.”

“Oh, come on, you know what I’m asking. Who are you going to choose?”

“……”

I didn’t expect such a direct question.

“None of your business.”

I replied curtly, ignoring Gyu-ah, and senior Ju-hee seemed to think it wasn’t her place to intervene, so she let it go.

“How can I help?”

“Just…I’ll talk to each of them one by one. Just make sure no one else comes around.”

At my determined response, senior Ju-hee nods.

Thud.

She pats me on the back.

“I know it’s tough.”

A warm smile and comfort from senior Ju-hee, something you don’t see every day.

“Still, it’s the right thing. I’m proud of you for making the right choice. Thank you for not making me regret liking you.”

“Senior…”

“After the MT. I don’t know who it’ll be, but let’s have a drink with your girlfriend.”

At those words, I just gave a bitter smile without responding.

Can I really choose someone?

Perhaps, I might remain a selfish person until the end.

I said I’d make time separately.

But in fact, finding time alone during the MT was harder than I expected.

It was tough to sneak away from the crowd of people swarming around.

They were the kind of people who naturally gathered others, so even one absence was quickly noticed.

‘This is troublesome.’

And so, without really doing anything, time just passed by.

After the foot volleyball tournament ended.

Since I hadn’t done anything else, I decided to prepare dinner.

Anyway, the one leading the charge was senior Ju-hee, and I was just doing odd jobs.

‘Reminds me of the festival.’

There were so many things during the festival, so I still remember it vividly, but when I think about it, quite some time has passed.

Our relationships have changed a lot since then too.

“What are you doing?”

Since having a barbecue at MT is a must, a voice came from beside me as I was lighting the grill.

It was Choi Yiseo.

“Weren’t you resting with the others?”

I heard she was bothered by the professors earlier, so I wondered why she was out here.

“I have to help prepare dinner. It’ll take a long time if we leave it to the freshmen.”

“It’s okay because senior Ju-hee is here.”

“We can’t leave it all to her.”

Even as she says that, she doesn’t stray far from me.

Choi Yiseo speaks to me again as I awkwardly light the fire.

“Grilling meat?”

“Yeah, since I skipped the foot volleyball match earlier, I should at least do this.”

“Spicy pork?”

“Not that. Just grilling meat.”

“Reminds me of the festival.”

Seems like we had the same thought.

Choi Yiseo, who was staring blankly at the lit fire, pokes my side and asks.

“Aren’t you going to explain?”

“…Senior Ju-hee?”

“Yeah.”

She stares at me intently.

I explain as plainly as possible, thinking that being flustered would only make it seem weirder.

“I got a confession and I turned her down. That’s really the end of it.”

“Yeah, I know that. But I hoped you’d come and tell me first.”

“…I messed up.”

She’s different from Yu Arin, who immediately took it emotionally and sulked.

I forgot that since everyone has a different personality, the ways to respond should differ too.

“I’m sorry.”

When I apologized honestly, Choi Yiseo, who was staring at me, gently placed her hand on the grill.

She was checking to see if it was heating up.

At that moment, I briefly surveyed the surroundings.

Since the grill had to be outside, there was no one around, but someone could come by at any moment.

It wasn’t an ideal place for a conversation, though.

“Hey guys, let’s start setting up the tables.”

I heard the voice of senior Ju-hee leading the others.

I turned my head slightly, and senior Ju-hee deliberately made the others start setting up the tables so they wouldn’t come this way.

Meeting her eyes, I nodded and took a deep breath calmly.

I was prepared, but.

Words didn’t come out easily.

But I knew I had to.

“Yiseo.”

Crackle, crackle.

I whispered softly, matching the crackling of the burning charcoal.

“Let’s stop.”

It couldn’t be unclear what it meant.

Even as I uttered the words, my heart felt heavy, but I knew they needed to be said.

“……”

A single word laden with implicit meaning.

I expected to hear some reproach.

I was even prepared to quietly take a few hits.

However, her expression didn’t change much.

There was no response.

Was she too shocked to answer properly?

Or had she already prepared for this situation?

Choi Yiseo hesitates indifferently.

What answer will come?

As I waited for her, heart pounding.

“You now.”

Calmly.

No different from the usual Choi Yiseo.

She confesses her true feelings.

“Are you the Kim Woojin I loved?”

With just that one sentence.

It felt like a huge stone was lodged in my throat.

A suffocating feeling that made it hard to even breathe. My tongue felt heavy and wouldn’t move.

“Recently. I suddenly had that thought.”

“……”

“Is the emotion cooling down? Seeing that I’m having such doubts?”

“I guess so.”

It has to be.

He was a man wavering among many women.

Naturally, affection would fade away.

Even though I said goodbye, it was me who felt the pain in my heart.

Disappointing Choi Yiseo.

In fact, that was what hurt me the most.

“That’s probably it.”

Even so, I agreed.

In the end, I couldn’t give Choi Yiseo the answer she wanted. Thinking it was better this way, I turned my head with a forced smile.

At some point, Choi Yiseo was staring at me and smiling.

“They say there’s a characteristic of people who two-time.”

I intended to listen quietly.

Since the resentment-filled complaints are undoubtedly mine.

But.

Why is she smiling as if she’s in a good mood?@@novelbin@@

“He constantly confesses his love, saying there’s no one but you for him, as if he’s brainwashing himself and others.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Unable to follow the flow of conversation, I ask again, and Choi Yiseo shakes her head with a smile, as if she finds something amusing.

“It’s the complete opposite, isn’t it?”

“……”

“You have never once told me…no, told us that you love us.”

But she continues speaking.

“So, I thought about it. Yet, when it comes to physical intimacy, you don’t hesitate. You lack self-control.”

“Ahem.”

A painfully penetrating truth.

“Why is that?”

Because I’m selfishly loyal to my desires, selfish Kim Woojin. That’s the only explanation I can offer.

“Because that’s all there is.”

Tap.

Choi Yiseo’s finger touches my chest.

Having finally found the answer after going around in circles, Choi Yiseo was smiling brightly.

“If you confess with words, it’s the end.”

“……”

“So there was only one way you could express it. Once you speak, everything becomes clear, but the truth of actions can be different in many ways.”

“……”

“Love and lust are different. Though I said that, in truth, love also encompasses lust.”

So.

“This is why you acted in accordance with desire. Because it was the only way you could express love to us.”

Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk too.

It was a famous phrase, but.

“You were wrapping love in lust.”

Conversely.

There was something that could only be expressed through actions because it ended the moment it was clarified with words.

That was our relationship.

A bond that ended once someone confessed love.

Such a relationship.

“Shall we turn the story around?”

Choi Yiseo’s gaze had never once avoided me until now.

“Stop it?”

Faced with her unwavering gaze, I found myself wanting to flee without realizing it.

“While confessing so passionately that you love me?”

“Ah, you…that.”

“Hehe, Woojin, do you know?”

There was only one reason I wanted to run away.

“Your face is really red. Embarrassed?”

“…!”

Yes, I wanted to run because I was embarrassed.

I hurriedly covered my face with my arm.

It was clear that the burning sensation wasn’t because of the charcoal in front of me.

“Since you couldn’t say ‘I love you’, you pretended to be obsessed with lust to express it.”

Choi Yiseo took a step closer.

Unintentionally, I took a step back and shouted.

“So what? In the end, I couldn’t choose anyone. I’m just a selfish jerk. I’m tired of even myself. I just want to stop now.”

Even though it was a sincere confession.

Choi Yiseo approaches me again and grabs my hand, pulling me firmly.

“Because you’re selfish, even your consideration is selfish.”

“……”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve won everything, and I have no intention of losing.”

I was at a loss for words.

I had surely confessed all my feelings.

I had said it was too difficult.

I had said let’s end it now.

Why does my heart for Choi Yiseo keep growing?

“To be honest, I was worried at first. I thought maybe you’d try to maintain this situation because you’re satisfied with it.”

In Choi Yiseo’s eyes, relief was now filling up.

“And that’s not the Kim Woojin I loved.”

She lifts her heels slightly in front of my flustered self.

She places her hand on my chest, leans in, and briefly kisses me.

Peck.

“Thank you for saying it’s over, Woojin.”

Blushing with embarrassment, she confessed to me with a smile.

“The Kim Woojin I love.”

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