NOVPUBDo Wonwoo’s secretary pretended to be on a call with a device, asking for permission to leave the room and excused themselves.
It seemed like Do Wonwoo didn’t hear his secretary’s words, but after the secretary left, he didn’t show any reaction.
I, too, had to leave my seat just like the secretary.
Even if I had completely hidden myself, it would still be polite to vacate the area.
If I kept the ‘shadowless time’ for too long, my available time for Gwangrim would significantly decrease, so moving quickly was the best course of action.
But I couldn’t move.
‘What if their relationship worsens?’
While I knew that Yoo Sanghee wouldn’t act cruelly, given Do Wonwoo’s current state, he could easily break down over even small matters.
No, maybe I was just overthinking it, but the worry in my heart weighed me down, and my feet wouldn’t budge.
If I stayed here and listened to the whole story, perhaps there would be something I could do later.
After much thought, I decided to stay where I was.
"I didn’t expect to take just one photo with the student council members and leave. I thought you were taking photos with the teachers and other students, but according to Myeongsoo, he said you were preparing to leave," Yoo Sanghee spoke up.
"...You came for the student council?" Do Wonwoo asked.
"The student council juniors were a bit upset. Yuri and Daini were busy with Gi-Hwan's issue, so there were a lot of people you didn't get to greet," she continued.
It seemed like Do Wonwoo had finished his minimal schedule and immediately left the graduation ceremony.
Even though he was the one receiving the most awards and attention among this year's graduates, he had left without properly greeting anyone.
The TC Group may be chaotic, but at least Do Wonwoo’s father, the next successor, was a decent person.
There shouldn’t have been anything too urgent to attend to on the day of the graduation.
Even so, it seemed that, like when he gave his speech earlier, he was truly trying to let go of his regrets and move forward.
"I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you either."
At Yoo Sanghee’s words, Do Wonwoo’s expression darkened.
Had Yoo Sanghee come to recite a grievance to him?
Do Wonwoo gripped his fist tightly, perhaps because he didn’t want to hear a farewell.
Yoo Sanghee tilted her head slightly, looking at his hand before meeting his eyes.
As she moved her head, her neatly arranged hair swayed a little, and Do Wonwoo couldn’t take his eyes off the movement.
"With that face, you still won’t say anything to me now?"
At her words, Do Wonwoo seemed to snap out of his trance, closing and opening his eyes quickly.
When he opened his eyes again, his face was cold, just like a former student council president.
"I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of what to say."
That wasn’t it.
There were plenty of things he could have said to her, but he probably didn’t know how far he could go, so he chose to remain silent.
Yoo Sanghee looked at Do Wonwoo’s blank expression and opened her mouth.
"Before, it was obvious to me that you were always thinking crude and simple thoughts. But ever since that day in the lab, I still can’t tell what you’re thinking."
"I’m sorry. I thought you didn’t want an apology, so I’m late in saying this. I used to..."
"I didn’t mean to ask for an apology for acting crudely. I just meant that I really don’t know what you’re thinking."
Yoo Sanghee interrupted Do Wonwoo’s attempts at apologizing.
Even in this moment, using the direct expression "crude" was typical of Yoo Sanghee.
Even I, someone who tends to be lenient toward playable characters, had to admit that it seemed crude.
"Just as you didn’t know me, I didn’t know you either."
How could one truly know another?
Even Yongjegun and Kim Shinrok, who had been close for five thousand years, had things they didn’t know about each other.
It was only natural that Do Wonwoo and Yoo Sanghee, who had only known each other for a little over 10 years, wouldn’t fully understand one another.
Of course, if Do Wonwoo had known Yoo Sanghee’s situation and feelings, and if she had known how he had responded to her circumstances, many things might have changed.
But Yoo Sanghee wasn’t at fault.
It seemed Do Wonwoo was at fault, though.
He hadn’t noticed her suffering and had prioritized his own emotions instead.
‘Do Wonwoo must feel this more than I do.’
Do Wonwoo was barely hiding his expression, but his hand was gradually tightening.
It seemed like the love, guilt, and regret he had suppressed for so long were now raging beneath his skin.
Yoo Sanghee silently stared at him.
It seemed she was watching him closely, not as the crude and simple classmate she once knew, but as the person he had become.
"Wonwoo, now that the graduation ceremony is over, I’d like to..."
At those words, I remembered Joo Su-hyeok asking, “Do you want to spar?”
Could Yoo Sanghee be planning to spar with Do Wonwoo?
Even though it was called a spar, Do Wonwoo wouldn’t be able to do anything against Yoo Sanghee.
He wouldn’t even try to defend himself.
Back in the days when he was crude, he never even attempted to dodge or counter when Yoo Sanghee would lash out, even though he had the ability to.
It wouldn’t be hard to understand if Yoo Sanghee wanted to hit Do Wonwoo hard before graduation.
Perhaps it was time for me to step in, pretending to be an accident?
While a variety of thoughts ran through my head, Yoo Sanghee continued.
"Let’s go on a date."
I couldn’t understand those few words right away.
Did I hear that correctly?
Was I hearing things because my mind was in a haze?
Perhaps Do Wonwoo was feeling the same, as his expression collapsed.
His face was blank, neither crude nor fitting of a former student council president.
"I didn’t know you, just as you didn’t know me. But I want to know. What do you think, Wonwoo?"
"Of course..."
"Of course?"
Yoo Sanghee repeated, but Do Wonwoo couldn’t bring himself to be honest.
His earlier overly blunt remarks had always been crude, hadn’t they?
Anyone can have crude feelings, but they should learn to hide and restrain them. But Do Wonwoo, drunk on love, never learned how to do that.
After much thought, Do Wonwoo tried to interpret Yoo Sanghee’s intentions in his own way.
He seemed to think that she wanted to meet him for revenge.
"Sanghee, if your emotions have been building up, instead of wasting your time, you could choose another way. You don’t need to..."
"You want to know those feelings, so let’s get to know each other. I don’t think it’s a waste of time."
At Yoo Sanghee’s words, Do Wonwoo closed his mouth and accepted the reality.
Indeed, Yoo Sanghee had asked him out to get to know him better.
She hadn’t confessed that she liked him or asked him to date her, but this was a unique opportunity.
A relationship that seemed to have ended was now about to start in a different direction.
Do Wonwoo still hadn’t answered, but Yoo Sanghee, interpreting his response through his flushed face, smiled sweetly.
"I want to go on a date in our school uniforms, so let’s do it today. Oh, but before that, let’s say goodbye to the teachers and juniors and take some pictures."
Even though you could wear a school uniform after becoming an adult, it didn’t have the same feeling as wearing it as a student.
In essence, today would be the last day they could wear their school uniforms as Eungwang High students and go on a date.
After Yoo Sanghee finished speaking, Do Wonwoo immediately called his secretary to adjust his schedule.
After the secretary left, Yoo Sanghee, who had been listening, asked.
"You had a schedule, huh? Was it an important one?"
"No."
Do Wonwoo answered firmly.
"It’s not more important than you."
Do Wonwoo smiled brightly for the first time in a long while.
He looked much warmer and happier than in the past.
Seeing this entire sequence made me happy as well.
‘I was worrying for nothing.’
I felt guilty for eavesdropping on their conversation, but I had no regrets.
To witness such a scene!
I was overwhelmed by the excitement of this unexpected luck.
The two of them left the parking lot side by side.
The brief conversation I overheard was about their plans for the day.
I sincerely hoped they would talk a lot and get to know each other.
I chose the other entrance to avoid crossing paths with them and made my way out, only to spot a familiar face.
"..."
Yoo Sanghoon was anxiously staring across the parking lot.
Behind him were Jang Namwook, with a smirk on his face, and a grinning Do Sihoo.
I immediately deactivated Gwangrim.
"Ah, you startled me!"
"Uishin, you’re here too! Where did you come from? Were you hiding? You must be at a really high level. I didn’t feel a thing."
Do Sihoo and Jang Namwook made a fuss when they suddenly saw me, but Yoo Sanghoon just looked at me with a sullen face.
It seemed like he had seen something, and was asking me to speak quickly.
"I didn’t get to greet you properly because it seemed like you were having an important conversation, but I met Yoo Sanghee and Do Wonwoo."
"...They were together?"
"Yeah, they left through the other exit. They seem to have been taking more pictures and saying their goodbyes."
"...They’re moving together?"
I nodded, and Yoo Sanghoon’s mood hit rock bottom.
If he had noticed Yoo Sanghee’s feelings toward Do Wonwoo, then it made sense why he looked so down during the ceremony.
He must have guessed what was going on even if he didn’t hear the whole conversation.
"Ah, damn... Why him of all people..."
They weren’t dating yet, so it didn’t seem like something to worry about too much.
There were many people who got close to each other and then drifted apart.
At that moment, Do Sihoo blurted out carelessly.
"Wow, if Wonwoo hyung and Sanghee noona get married, we’ll be in-laws!"
The marriage between my playable characters!
Just imagining it made my heart race.
If they did have a wedding, I hoped they’d have two ceremonies.
That way, I could attend one as a guest for the groom and one for the bride.
No, that wasn’t the important part.
If they got married, Do Sihoo and Yoo Sanghoon would become in-laws, so what he said was technically correct.
Though it was technically true, it was also the kind of thing that deserved a slap.
"Jang Namwook."
"Yeah, I got it."
BAM!
Though there were no words, Jang Namwook understood Yoo Sanghoon’s meaning immediately and threw a punch at Do Sihoo.
A clean jab hit Do Sihoo right in the face.
It was deserved considering he had been talking about the in-laws.
Even though he got hit, Do Sihoo looked pleased.
It seemed he really cared for Do Wonwoo.
