Eight days had passed since Si-hyun's birthday. Finally, I got to see Lim Chae-yeon's face, whom I had been waiting for so eagerly.

Even with makeup, the faint dark circles were visible.

Her eyes were more swollen than before.

It seemed she had been through a lot, but I had no intention of letting her off the hook for what she had done.

"Hey, Lim..."

"Ye-rin."

What a surprise. The first person Lim Chae-yeon spoke to was neither the welcoming Sohui nor the Si-hyun she loved; it was me.

"Huh, what?"

Caught off guard by her unexpected calling, I replied awkwardly. Then Lim Chae-yeon rubbed the back of her neck and spoke.

"I have something I really want to tell you... Do you want to go to a café after class?"

A strange dissonance resonated from Lim Chae-yeon's invitation, and it sent shivers down my spine.

‘What's with her, what on earth is she planning?’

I turned my head to gauge the reactions around me. There, I saw Sohui looking as shocked as I was and Si-hyun wearing an unexpectedly calm expression.

'Does Si-hyun know something?'

I shot a suspicious glance at Si-hyun, and he nodded with a blank face.

'Does that mean I should accept Lim Chae-yeon's proposal?'

It's truly... one confusing thing after another, and it left me dizzy.

I decided to press Si-hyun for answers later and accepted Lim Chae-yeon's request. After all, I also had something to say.

After the class ended we headed to the café and got our coffee. Once we sat down, Lim Chae-yeon hesitated before speaking up.

"You're asking me to allow you to stay friends with Si-hyun?"

What on earth could she be thinking? I was too stunned to speak, and anger started to bubble up inside me as I gripped my coffee cup tightly.

"You do understand just how ridiculous what you're asking sounds, right?"

Chae-yeon nodded with a dejected face. But regardless, I continued to speak.

"When you were dating him, you prevented me from even getting close. Whenever I tried to, you'd take Si-hyun somewhere else, and whenever I wanted to talk, you'd interrupt."

The mere thought of those days still makes me shudder. It's disgusting to see someone who did everything to separate Si-hyun and me now pleading because she's at a disadvantage.

"I'm really sorry... I have no words to defend what I did back then."

"It's fine. Even if you made a logical argument, I wouldn't have considered agreeing."

Having said my piece, I sipped my now-cold cappuccino. As I lowered the cup, I saw her face looking even more sorrowful.

'What's with pretending to be pitiful?'

Frowning, I reached into my pocket to say what I needed to. I felt the smooth texture of a zipper bag—the item I had prepared to show Chae-yeon when we met.

Though I had kept it stored for eight days, I finally took it out.

"What's this?"

Lim Chae-yeon looked puzzled at the jet-black hair inside the zipper bag.

"What do you think it is? The hair that fell in Si-hyun's closet—it belongs to you, doesn't it, Lim Chae-yeon? You entered Si-hyun's house on his birthday, didn't you?"

"Ah..."

"Since I know everything, don't even think about denying it. The moment you lie, I'll contact the police for an investigation."

With my intimidating stance, Lim Chae-yeon's face turned pale. She hunched over, her hands trembling as she clutched her coffee cup. In a tiny voice, she responded.

"Yes... I did go in..."

"See, it's so much better when you're honest."

I continued, smiling slightly.

"You watched Si-hyun and me, and even stole our used condoms, right?"

As if caught red-handed, Lim Chae-yeon started shaking all over. Her anxious glances at me were rather pathetic.

"For someone who went as far as committing a crime because of how much you like him, isn't it quite absurd to claim you'd be satisfied with just being friends? What do you think about that, ex-girlfriend?"

Faced with questions based purely on facts, Lim Chae-yeon lowered her head even more. Her long hair covered her face, and shortly after, her lifeless voice emerged.

"I'm really sorry for entering the house that day... I knew my actions were wrong, but when I grew distant from Si-hyun, I lost control of myself..."

Completely insane. But I could understand those emotions. I too had collected items related to Si-hyun and found happiness in them.

'We're very similar, after all.'

Just as I felt last time, Lim Chae-yeon now is very similar to the old me. Simply missing Si-hyun from one's life can turn a person into a wreck.

As I saw this exhausted Chae-yeon resembling my past self, Lim Chae-yeon spoke with a feeble voice.

"But I… The sentiment of wanting to stay friends is genuine... After seeing what you and Si-hyun do at his house, I realized there's no chance left for me. That's why I'm making this request..."

Watching Si-hyun and me together must have crushed her spirit... It's entirely possible. However, that doesn't give me any reason to entertain her request.

"No matter what reason you bring, I'm going to reject it, no questions asked. I want you to go through the same pain I did."

With that, I stood up, no longer seeing any value in continuing the conversation. As I grabbed my bag to leave, Lim Chae-yeon seized my wrist and spoke.

"You don't believe me, right? I understand. If I were in your position, I would have dismissed such a proposal immediately, too..."

She continued, looking up at me.

"But could you give me just a little more time? I'll show you how sincere I am..."

What does she intend to do to prove her sincerity?

Curious about Lim Chae-yeon's desperate gaze, I sat back down and said, "I'll give you five minutes. So, go ahead, show me this sincerity of yours."

"Thank you..."

Lim Chae-yeon took out her smartphone. It wasn't long before I received a notification.

"What did you send?"

Did she send a gift voucher to show her sincerity? The thought was so absurd, I could only laugh. Receiving something like a bribe would just ruin my mood…

"Uh?"

The moment I saw the picture Lim Chae-yeon sent, the smile that had been on my face vanished, and my brain temporarily froze.

The screen was filled with skin tones. The photo showed a nude Chae-yeon posing suggestively.

"Are you out of your mind!? Why on earth would you send a photo like this!?"

I rapidly pressed the home button on my phone and scanned my surroundings. Thankfully, no one seemed to have seen it.

As I sighed in relief, Lim Chae-yeon continued speaking.

"It's unlikely, but if I ever get back together with Si-hyun, you can spread it online. That way, you can socially bury me..."

"You... you..."

If this photo gets out, she wouldn’t even be able to show her face outside. I wondered what gave her the confidence to do this.

No, it wasn't confidence. It seemed like she wanted to gain my trust, even if it meant resorting to such measures.

My mind was in chaos, and I couldn’t find words to say anything, but Lim Chae-yeon continued in a faint voice.

"You two are a great match, so I’ve given up on becoming his girlfriend... But I can't bear it without Si-hyun around, so I'm asking for permission to at least be his friend."

...What on earth should I do? I seriously contemplated Lim Chae-yeon's request.

'If I refuse this proposal, there's a high chance Lim Chae-yeon will act out since she can't meet Si-hyun.'

This stalking incident began because she couldn’t see Si-hyun. So, there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again.

'Should I report her to the police instead?'

It would only result in a fine or, at most, a short jail sentence. It wouldn't solve the root of the problem.

On the other hand, if I accept her as a friend, her desires might be satisfied, and perhaps she would let go of her romantic feelings.

'But I can't be sure if she truly has given up...'

I wondered what kind of ulterior motives might be hidden behind her seemingly fragile demeanor. She claimed she was giving up because Si-hyun and I were a good match, but she wasn't someone to give up so easily.

"If you accept me, I'll do anything you say. Even if you tell me to undress here..."

"Why do you keep bringing up such extreme examples?"

"It's because that's what it takes to earn your trust."

The more I looked at her, the more complicated she seemed, making my head hurt. Still, since Lim Chae-yeon was being so earnest, and there were more benefits to accepting her than rejecting her.

This request needed to be considered carefully.

"I'll discuss it with Si-hyun and make a decision based on that."

"Really? Thank you!"

Lim Chae-yeon smiled brightly and grabbed my hand. Yet, unable to shake off my uneasy feelings, I pulled my hand away and said, "I have something to ask."

"Feel free to ask."

"Won't it be more painful to stay friends? Watching me and Si-hyun being close could be hard from the sidelines."

"..I’ve already prepared myself for that. As long as I can stay by Si-hyun's side, I can endure it."

"Is that so?"

The more I looked at Lim Chae-yeon, the more sincere she seemed... Could she really have let go?

Uncertain, I left the cafe.

And while heading to a place where Si-hyun might be...

Tok.Tok. Tok.

Just in case, I saved all the photos Lim Chae-yeon sent.