A long-lasting unrequited love of three years.
"Jungkook! I like you! No, I love you!"
"me too."
"...Huh?"
"I like you too."
And the end of that love was a happy ending, and the new beginning was also good. The female protagonist always shouted "I love you" and "I love you", and perhaps because her sincerity reached him, she ended up becoming a couple with Jungkook, who had been her unrequited love.
And now. A freshman in high school. Now, Jungkook has become the one who loves Yeoju more, much more. He's trying to say the sweet things Yeoju used to say so consistently, and he's even more upset when his girlfriend catches a cold. This love, which he thought would last forever, has now developed a rift of worry.
"Day and night."
"huh?"
"I just love you."
"Me too~"
"...."
Since they became lovers, the female protagonist hasn't even uttered the word "I love you." At first, I thought it was simply shyness since they'd only been dating for a short time, but after a while, I became convinced: she was deliberately avoiding saying the words "I love you."
At school, through texts, on phone calls, on dates. Unlike Jungkook, who never fails to say "I love you" without fail, she just holds his hand tightly and smiles bashfully.
'...I'm sick of it.'
'No, there's no way... that could be?'
Uneasy thoughts swirled around Jeongguk's head. Now, whenever he saw Yeoju, his hands would clammy with cold sweat. I wondered if his feelings for her had truly cooled. His anxiety finally subsided, and after much thought, Jeongguk turned on his phone with a determined expression, opened a notebook, and began to jot something down. The name on the notebook was,
Operation: I Love You!
Below that, he wrote down all the things he would do to hear her say "I love you," and only after two hours did he put down his overheated phone. At this rate... honestly, I couldn't not hear it. Yeah? He smiled proudly to himself, then collapsed on the bed and waited for tomorrow.
Just wait and see. I'll definitely listen.
With this pledge.
Operation: I Love You!
Operation One: Listen to the Text
The next day dawned bright and as soon as Jungkook woke up, he jumped up and quickly sent the text he had written.
"...was it too childish?"
Ah, really, Jimin Park said this would be the right thing to do... By the way, Jimin Park is Jungkook's elementary school cousin. I wonder if he has any thoughts or not. Anyway, the first operation failed miserably. I erased the first line written in the notebook and went ahead with the second operation.
Second Operation: Win the Game and Listen
The two sat down at a cafe for a date. The one who broke the silence between them was none other than Jeongguk.
"Day and night."
"huh?"
"Do you want to play a game?"
"game?"
"Yeah, game."
"Okay! What game is it?"
Oops, I got caught!
The game Jungkook created was quite simple: play rock-paper-scissors, and the person who loses five times in a row will grant the winner's wish. It was a gamble, but Jungkook had already beaten his cousin at rock-paper-scissors several times, so he was brimming with confidence.
The game began, rock-paper-scissors! Two hands were held out: a fist and a cloth. The heroine had the fist, and Jungkook had the cloth. Jungkook won the first round. Feeling good, Jungkook burst out laughing, and the heroine burst out laughing at his appearance.
Jungkook picked up the tempo, and Yeoju matched his pace. I'm excited and groaning, but the flow feels strange. I've lost three times in a row now.
"Okay, 4 wins in a row!"
"...?"
"Jeon Jungkook, you are now dead."
"...."
Yes, that's right.
Jungkook is awful at rock-paper-scissors. It's not that he's bad at it, but rather that his patterns are consistent. First, a cloth, then scissors, then fists. Oh, so that's why he's bad at it.
Three years. It's been a time when Yeo-ju has admired and observed him. She knows him so well that it's no exaggeration to say she knows everything about him. Therefore, for Yeo-ju, the outcome of rock-paper-scissors with Jeong-guk was already predetermined.
Jungkook, unaware of this, must be despairing and contemplating a third plan. The female protagonist kept the wish certificate, saying she'd use it later whenever she wanted, and smiled.
Operation Three: Get It Back
This operation literally involves repeating "I love you" over and over again until you're sick of it. If you ask me, "I love you," it's true. If I had been blunt at first, I wouldn't have noticed, but I'd been secretly in love with Jungkook for a full three years. For Jungkook, accustomed to hearing sweet nothings, this was incredibly cruel.
"Day and night."
"huh?"
"love you."
"Me too~"
"I love you..."
"Me too~"
I want to hear you say, "I love you." No. This is just the beginning. If we keep going, I'll definitely say it again someday!
"My lady."
"Why? What's going on?"
"love you."
"What... I'm doing this again..."
"What's the answer?"
"me too."
"...."
_
"Hey lady!!"
"Hey, what's wrong! Where's the fire??"
"I... I..."
"Where did you get hurt? You couldn't have been playing soccer."
"I love you so much!"
"... what?"
"I love you so much, it's a big deal."
"Ah... please... Jungkook, my heart is sinking..."
_
"Day and night~~~"
"I called you there just to say that again."
"...."
Jeongguk's body froze as the woman's words struck him coldly. Hearing her cold voice for the first time in his life intensified his anxiety. A cold silence lingered, until the sound of sobbing broke the silence.
"You... Are you sick of me?"
Jungkook dropped his phone, still on his notepad, to the floor, his gaze falling to the floor. He struggled to hold back tears as he trembled and spoke. "Did you date me to get revenge on me for being so blunt before we started dating?" Tears as thick as chicken droppings fell to the floor, and his breathing became ragged.
Yeo-ju, flustered by the sight of Jeong-guk, hugged him. Jeong-guk whimpered, but as if he didn't want to let her go, he held her tighter with both arms.
"Why do you think that... I still like you a lot."
"love..."
"huh?"
"You don't say you love me..."
"...."
"Tell me you loved me..."
Despite her heartfelt words, the heroine remained silent. She expected Jeongguk to start crying even louder. Then, a small murmur was heard from Jeongguk's embrace.
"I'm embarrassed."
"... what?"
"Saying it's embarrassing..."
"Before you started dating me..."
"It was okay back then because it was just one-sided talk, but I was embarrassed to say it face to face..."
Jeongguk's breath caught in his throat. It wasn't a feeling of emptiness or loss, but rather a simple reason. It was both absurd and laughable that he had reached this point simply because of shame.
"Still, I'm very upset."
"... what?"
"love you,"
"You say that too."
The heroine's cheeks flushed brightly at the warm smile and tone of voice. Still, as if she wanted to muster up courage, she clenched her hands tightly, squeezed her eyes shut, and smiled.
"Me, me too..."
"...."
"S, love..."
"...."
"... I love you too."
"Me too. I really love you too."
The sight of them smiling brightly at each other was truly beautiful. They hugged each other tightly, whispering "I love you" over and over again, then held each other's hands and walked slowly through the cherry blossom-lined streets.
Thus, Operation: I Love You! was successfully completed.
This is a collaborative piece by Love Flea! Thank you to everyone who participated!💞