Anyway, I'm not the one who went
From now on, you tell me first
When the female protagonist finished speaking, Dongmin remained silent, his hand still holding the coffee cup.
한동민
“…So, even though I was at the hospital that day, I couldn’t contact him, and that kid went to a birthday party?”
The heroine nodded.
Adding a weak laugh
최여주
"He said he didn't know. He said he was out of his mind. His phone was off. And he must have been drinking."
한동민
“…Is that all you have to do?”
한동민
“And Mija drinks…?”
한동민
“You kept calling me a thug, so I became a real thug.”
Dongmin's voice was low.
The heroine hesitated for a moment, but tried to move on.
최여주
"It's okay. Well... I don't know if I even knew it would happen."
At those words, Dongmin slowly lowered his head and put his glass down on the table.
한동민
“…That guy is really funny.”
The female protagonist looked at Dongmin in surprise.
최여주
"hey…"
한동민
“No, sorry. But this is really… nonsense.”
Dongmin's lips curved. His hands clenched, as if he was suppressing his emotions.
한동민
“You were that sick, and you didn’t even contact me that day, and only said ‘I didn’t know’ the next day?”
한동민
“Do you think saying something like that will end it?”
The female protagonist said with a small smile.
최여주
“Okay. I… I finished it after hearing that one sentence.”
한동민
“Whatever it is, it’s okay.”
Dongmin's speech became shorter.
한동민
“You post pictures of yourself drinking, but you don’t react at all when I tell you you’re sick. You even said you were ‘difficult’ first?”
최여주
“…….”
한동민
"So, you can pretend not to know that someone could die on your friend's birthday? Is that all there is to it? Is that all there is to it?"
The heroine remained silent, only fiddling with the mug in her hand.
Dongmin sighed deeply, ran his hand through his hair, and spoke quietly.
한동민
“…I know you would never say that to me. But you did to him. You asked for help.”
At those words, the female protagonist's eyebrows trembled slightly.
Dongmin turned his head and looked out the window, then muttered softly.
한동민
“If I were that kid, I would have crawled to your side that day, no matter what.”
최여주
“Han Dong-min…”
한동민
"No, you could have died that day. But that guy was drinking. That's just—"
Dongmin couldn't continue speaking. He clenched his jaw and remained silent for a long time, letting out long, deep breaths.
A little later, Dongmin softened his tone and spoke quietly.
한동민
“…Sorry. I got excited. It’s just that I was so upset listening to you.”
The female protagonist shook her head slowly and smiled.
Yet, there was a little bit of moisture in his eyes.
최여주
“No. It’s strangely comforting that someone is so angry now.”
Dongmin spoke quietly without raising his head.
한동민
“…From now on, if something like that happens, tell me first. No matter who you meet, don’t avoid me.”
The heroine closed her eyes and nodded quietly.
오후 8:38
As we left the cafe, the sun had completely set outside.
Dongmin said, pulling the strap of his bag once more for no reason.
한동민
“I’ll take you there.”
The female protagonist shook her head, slightly surprised.
최여주
“It’s okay. There are a lot of buses now, and it’s close.”
한동민
“I know. But if you walk, you might feel a little better.”
Dongmin spoke without looking at Yeoju.
The tone of his speech was rather cautious.
The heroine hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded.
최여주
“Okay…let’s walk together.”
The two walked slowly side by side. They walked silently, their footsteps scraping the floor.
Dongmin noticed that the female protagonist's hands had been shaking slightly for some time.
He pretended not to know, and naturally moved his hand towards the bag, as if covering his trembling hand, and walked along with me.
한동민
“Did I tell you?”
Dongmin opened his mouth quietly.
한동민
“Last year, when you were a freshman in high school, I went to visit you when you were sick… I stood in front of your hospital room door for 30 minutes.”
The heroine opened her eyes wide.
최여주
“…You didn’t remember me back then?”
한동민
“That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
Dongmin smiled bitterly.
한동민
“I went with the other kids, but I came back after seeing you sleeping.”
최여주
“…Why didn’t you say anything?”
Dongmin shrugged.
한동민
“I just… didn’t want to make you worry unnecessarily, then or now.”
The heroine quietly lowered her head.
I never said anything like that, but Han Dong-min was always like that.
I felt like I was right next to you, knowingly or unknowingly.
최여주
(Choi Yeo-ju's thoughts) The world seems so cold, but I've been taking care of everything...
When they reached the corner of the alley, the female protagonist spoke quietly.
최여주
“..Hey Han Dong-min.”
한동민
"huh."
최여주
“…I’m really stupid.”
Dongmin shook his head slowly.
I looked at her silently, then carefully spoke.
한동민
“The fool… that person made the fool.”
“You were too much for him.”
When Yeoju heard that, she slowed down her pace as if she was stopping for a moment.
최여주
“…I feel a little better now that you’re telling me that. I’m still a bit dazed.”
한동민
"It's okay. You can take your time. I'll be here the whole time."
At those words, the female protagonist turned her head and looked at Dongmin.
Dongmin was still walking calmly, looking straight ahead.
When they reached the front of the house, the female protagonist spoke quietly.
최여주
“Thank you for being with me today.”
Dongmin was silent for a moment, then nodded.
한동민
“I won’t let you suffer alone anymore.”
The heroine avoided eye contact and smiled faintly.
최여주
“Then… I’ll allow you to say that until today.”
Dongmin also laughed heartily.
한동민
“…You can do it every day, not just today.”
It sounded like a joke, but in the end, both of them just stood there in silence.
A quiet night. Then the heroine spoke first.
최여주
“I’m going in. Good night.”
한동민
“Yeah. Make sure to lock the door.”
최여주
"…okay."
The heroine turned around, stood in front of the door, and looked back once more.
Dongmin was still there.