Since getting hit with popcorn at the movie theater, Ye-rin had been aware of being followed.

Even though she didn’t know who exactly was chasing her, she had a pretty good idea.

It was likely Lim Chae-yeon and Yoon Sohui. Assuming it was those two who had come after her, Ye-rin revealed herself.

"Why don't you stop following me already?"

As she looked straight ahead, she noticed the silhouette of a woman under the streetlight. Jet black hair like the night sky and an impressive figure. The person with disheveled hair was Chae-yeon.

'Sohui's not here.'

Had she gone home first? Or had she taken a different route in search of the fleeing Ye-rin? Confounded by the unexpected situation, Ye-rin tilted her head.

'Well, this works out. I've been needing to have a one-on-one talk with Lim Chae-yeon anyway.'

Approaching Chae-yeon, Ye-rin hugged the teddy bear close and said,

"Si-hyun can’t be persuaded, so you've come to confront me yourself this time?"

Chae-yeon didn't respond to the question, instead fixating on the teddy bear in Ye-rin’s arms.

Even though she had received various accessories and cosmetics from Si-hyun before, why did she feel more envious of that teddy bear?

Chae-yeon, who had been watching what Ye-rin and Si-hyun did at the game center, frowned and swept her hair back. Then she bluntly asked what had been on her mind.

"Ye-rin, do you have an interest in Si-hyun?"

"What?"

A sudden but highly pertinent question.

Ye-rin scoffed before answering.

"If I do, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to warn me to stay away?"

"Yes. That's exactly why I'm here."

At Chae-yeon's unequivocal affirmation, Ye-rin's eyes narrowed.

"I don't see why I should listen to you. You and Si-hyun are nothing to each other now."

Ye-rin continued, smiling with her eyes.

"You're just his ex-girlfriend. Why do you keep meddling?"

Her sneering voice and provocative comment about being an ex-girlfriend made Chae-yeon clench her fists so tightly that her palms hurt.

Biting her lower lip and remaining silent for a moment, Chae-yeon finally composed herself before speaking again.

"I have no intention of ending things with Si-hyun like this. We'll reconcile and get back together soon, so it'd be best if you just back off."

Chae-yeon's tone became even more direct and rough.

Far from being intimidated, Ye-rin felt even more disgusted by Chae-yon’s desire to reconnect with Si-hyun.

"I'm at a loss for words... You broke up with him yourself and now you’re trying to crawl back. What's wrong with you?"

"Whatever my reasons are, it's none of your business."

"Fine, you don't have to tell me. Because, no matter what you're thinking, I'm going to stop you."

Ye-rin had closely witnessed Si-hyun’s struggles during their relationship.

Wondering how to ease his anger.

Thinking about what would make him happy.

If he made even the slightest mistake on a date, he would be depressed all day.

Ye-rin never wanted to see him suffer like that again.

"It would be better if I dated Si-hyun than leaving him to someone like you. Unlike you, I would show him affection often and wouldn't make him suffer."

Ye-rin's declaration of her intent to take Si-hyun away.

Hearing this, the sweet memories of today flashed through Chae-yeon's mind.

The two almost kissing in the movie theater.

The cheerful atmosphere in the arcade.

The teddy bear he gave as a gift in the end.

They acted like a couple in every way, and Chae-yeon's heart ached as she remembered it.

'I can't just stand by...'

If things continued like this, as Sohui had warned, she might lose Si-hyun.

Feeling a belated sense of crisis, Chae-yeon forced a smile, trying to remain calm.

"Why don't you just give up? Si-hyun would never look twice at someone like you."

"Of course he wouldn't. He only sees me as an ordinary female friend."

Ye-rin gave a wistful smile.

"But it doesn't matter if he doesn't see me now. I'll just make him see me from now on."

"Do you think that's possible?"

"Of course. With someone like you who's so messed up, there's no way I can't succeed."

Ye-rin continued, stroking the teddy bear.

"You should have treated him well from the start. Then you two wouldn't have broken up, and I wouldn't have had the chance to come between you."

Si-hyun's love for Chae-yeon had been genuine.

He had practically given her everything he had.

If Chae-yeon had shown even a bit of affection in return, they never would have broken up like this.

Chae-yeon knew this truth all too well…

"No. Whether it's Si-hyun or another man, the moment I treat them well and rely on them, they always leave."

For Chae-yeon, this was an undeniable truth.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

Ye-rin blinked in confusion, not understanding the meaning.

But Chae-yeon continued speaking undeterred.

"When a woman starts giving her love, men take it for granted and start expecting more. Eventually, they get bored and discard her for that reason!"

There was a dark emotion underlying Chae-yeon's calm tone.

Her expression didn't seem like she was joking at all. She appeared to genuinely believe her words.

'What is with her?'

Ye-rin realized that something about Chae-yeon's mindset was deeply skewed.

No matter what had happened in the past, this conversation seemed to be hitting a very sensitive nerve for her.

Just as Ye-rin was about to delve deeper into the topic, Chae-yeon let out a shallow sigh and shook her head.

"...Enough, even if I keep talking; you'll never understand because you haven't experienced it."

Ye-rin found it incredibly frustrating that Chae-yeon had dismissed the conversation after saying her piece.

Seeing Ye-rin's annoyed look, Chae-yeon crossed her arms and said, "Go ahead and try your best. If you keep acting like that, no matter what you do, Si-hyun will come back to me."

"Ha, what a load of crap."

Determining there was no value in continuing the conversation, Ye-rin turned and walked away, leaving Chae-yeon standing still.

She walked briskly towards her home

.Chae-yeon was watching her with cold eyes.

When I got home, I placed the teddy bear I had received as a gift on my bed.

'It looks nice...'

The previously dull atmosphere of the room drastically changed just by adding a single stuffed toy.

It felt as if something inside my chest had been fulfilled.

Just looking at it made me smile naturally.

Tap. Tap.

I poked at the bear's nose a few times, and before long, I decided to take a bath.

I immersed my body up to my lips in the tub, and as I exhaled, bubbles rose to the surface.

What Chae-yeon had confidently said kept circling in my mind, causing me to frown.

'Why don't you just give up? Si-hyun wouldn't even glance at someone like you.'

Such a distasteful yet undeniable statement.

Hearing something I deeply felt from someone else's mouth made me feel incredibly dirty.

"Seriously. Who does she think she is..."

In the past, she might have been the sole recipient of Si-hyun's love, but now, she's just viewed as a nasty enemy.

Both of us have no chance, so she had no right to belittle me.

'Damn, she's such an annoying bitch.'

From the beginning, I didn't like Chae-yeon.

She received the love I could never obtain, without any effort.

'What on earth makes me inferior to Lim Chae-yeon?'

Looking at it objectively. I'm not lacking in looks or figure.

I even tried imitating Chae-yeon's hairstyle and fashion, but it only piqued a bit of interest; it didn’t win Si-hyun’s heart.

‘Kim Si-hyun, you fool...’

If only he had dated me from the beginning, he wouldn’t have suffered. Why did he cling to such a girl like an idiot?

I resented Si-hyun for a while but soon shook my head.

‘No, let’s not blame him. How could Si-hyun have known my feelings when I never confessed?’

It’s been almost 10 years since I fell for him, yet I’ve kept these emotions hidden all along.

‘I knew it wouldn’t work out anyway.’

When I was younger and more naive, I tried various ways to win Si-hyun’s affection.

But after two, then three years passed, I finally realized.

Even though Si-hyun liked me, it was only the affection towards an old friend, not as a romantic interest.

‘Since coming to this realization, I've been busy maintaining our friendship.’

I was afraid of confessing and then distancing ourselves if I failed.

So instead of taking the gamble on a romantic relationship, I settled into the comfortable role of a close friend, reassuring myself that one day Si-hyun would understand my feelings.

But then...

‘Ye-rin, I finally did it! Chae-yeon agreed to go out with me!’

When Si-hyun told me this over the phone, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the spot.

Five confessions in total. Si-hyun was rejected harshly four times, yet he persisted and finally won her love.

It was the complete opposite of me.

Unlike me, who was content with the status quo, Si-hyun had the courage to achieve love with the woman he desired.

No… At least I, who had never even tried confessing once that I wanted to date him, had no right to stand in the way of his love.

…So I let him go quietly. Convincing myself that his happiness was my happiness, I forced myself into believing it.

I thought with time, I would be able to sort out these feelings too…

But after Si-hyun and Chae-yeon started dating, the aftermath was beyond my imagination.

Si-hyun, who used to sit next to me during lectures, gradually began sitting next to Chae-yeon.

Due to Chae-yeon's demands, Si-hyun minimized his contact with other women, including me.

Moreover, every time I tried to call, he was always busy, and I felt increasingly alienated, blaming my past self severely.

‘If only I had been brave then. If I had confessed, even if I had been rejected, maybe I would be the one dating him now!’

I repeated the same regrets countless times every day.

I spent sleepless nights looking at Si-hyun’s photos and felt depressed all day whenever photos of the two of them were uploaded on social media.

The stress naturally led to binge eating. I would order delivery food until I reached my limit, then repeat the cycle of eating and purging.

“Phew…”

Maybe it’s because I was recalling past events, or perhaps because I had been in the bath too long.

With a suffocating feeling in my chest and dizziness setting in, I dried myself off and headed straight to my room.

‘I want to hear Si-hyun's voice…’

I called him on a whim. Knowing full well that it’s unlikely, I still worried that he might be on another call.

[Hello?]

"Hey, Si-hyun, I just wanted to check if you got home safely."

Fortunately, I was able to reach him. Letting out a sigh of relief, I hugged the teddy bear tightly and listened intently.

[Oh, I was just about to call you too.]

"Really?"

It was just a small coincidence, but knowing that we both had the same thought made me inexplicably happy.

It had been a while since we talked at night, and my heart kept fluttering.

[Oh, by the way, I forgot to send you the money. Just hang on a second.]

"No, it’s fine. You won me a teddy bear, after all, so it's okay."

[That's separate. You paid for the popcorn and the games; I'd feel bad if I didn’t cover my share.]

That's just like Si-hyun. He never liked owing anyone, even back in the day.

'He's really such a responsible guy.'

I quietly chuckled to myself, ensuring it couldn't be heard through the speaker, and then cautiously suggested.

"Then don't worry about the money. Just treat me to a meal next time."

[What? That's a bit…]

"What’s with that reaction?"

[It sounds like it'll cost at least 100,000 won the next time we meet.]

"Ugh… Didn’t you say it was nice to see someone eat a lot?"

Should I really cut down on my food intake?

What if he doesn't want to meet me because he finds the food expenses burdensome?

While I was feeling anxious inside, Si-hyun's gentle voice continued.

[I'm just kidding. Let's eat at an all-you-can-eat meat place instead. Is that okay?]

"Of course!"

I successfully made another date naturally.

'This means we can meet again...'

I hugged my pillow and cheered internally.

Just then, as I was rolling around on my bed, I heard Si-hyun's deep voice resonating in my ears.

[Today was fun. It was nice to hang out together after such a long time.]

As expected, hearing his voice directly was great, but there was something special about listening to it through the speaker.

"Yeah. I really enjoyed it too..."

Except for that conversation with Chae-yeon on the way home.

The girl who ruined an otherwise great day.

Thinking about it, I suddenly remembered what she had said.

'Whether it's Si-hyun or any other guy, the moment you treat them well and lean on them, they'll definitely leave your side.'

It was a mindset I couldn't understand. Treating someone well makes them leave? Could Chae-yeon's cold behavior be because of that twisted thought?

Given Si-hyun is a guy, would he agree with this? Curious, I asked indirectly.

"Si-hyun, the reason you broke up with Chae-yeon. Was it because you were tired of her bossy attitude?"

[Huh? Well, if I had to pinpoint a reason, then yes.]

"Then hypothetically, if Chae-yeon had expressed her feelings more often and treated you well, you would never have broken up, right?"

[Of course... But why the sudden questions?]

"It's nothing. I was just curious."

I couldn't bring myself to mention what happened today.

If Chae-yeon's arrogant personality came from that twisted mindset, and if there were some unknown circumstances?

With Si-hyun's nature, he would definitely try to understand and support her.

Since their breakup gave me this opportunity, I didn't want to create any chances for them to get back together.

'I'm really being selfish...'

While I was feeling guilty about my selfishness, Si-hyun, unaware of anything, continued the conversation.

[By the way, did you see the group chat? Our class Uni Trip schedule has been set.]

"Really?"

[Yeah. We're going in two weeks. It seems like the location is near the East Sea. Are you going?]

"Well, if you go, I'll go. If you don't, I won't."

[What kind of answer is that? You should go whether I go or not.]

"I don't know. If you don't go, then I won't go either."

[...I'll go. Even though Chae-yeon and Sohui being there is a bit concerning, I don't want to miss out on the Uni Trip.]

"Really?"

I'm going to the beach with Si-hyun... As soon as the call ends, I need to look for a cute swimsuit...

Later.

Wondering how to win Si-hyun over during this Uni Trip and getting lost in conversation with him, an hour flew by in an instant.

The conversation that felt like it could go on forever regrettably began approaching its end, and not wanting it to end like this, I mustered up some courage.

"Hey, Si-hyun! Because I can't sleep well these days, is it okay if I call you at night?"

[Why even ask for permission? Just call me anytime you want.]

"Okay!"

With that, I reclaimed one of the daily routines that Chae-yeon had taken from me.

If I can muster up courage like this when confessing, could I become Si-hyun's girlfriend too?

I've had enough of just being friends.

As soon as possible... Yes, I'll use this Uni Trip with my classmates to convey my feelings to Si-hyun.

I want to tell you that I love you more than anyone else in this world.