Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 23: Sorry?

Nam Taegyeon greeted him with a bright smile.

With his neat features and deep dimples that appeared when he smiled, he looked undeniably charming.

Of all people...

Ha Giyeon silently blamed himself for not leaving the classroom sooner.

Of all people, it had to be Nam Taegyeon who spoke to him. He was that kind of guy—the sociable one who had no enemies in class, who even the delinquents and outcasts would exchange at least a few words with.

Except for Ha Giyeon, who had deliberately avoided him.

A few students still lingering in the room glanced over at the two of them. More precisely, their eyes were fixed on Giyeon. Watching, waiting to see how he would ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) respond to Nam Taegyeon.

“Uh... hey.”

Avoiding their expectant gazes, Giyeon returned the greeting awkwardly.

If he wanted to stay alone, ignoring him would’ve been the smart move—but this was Nam Taegyeon. Even if he backed off, his friends wouldn’t. They’d twist the story and spread rumors anyway.

So it was better to be seen as an awkward, boring guy from the start.

“We’ve been in the same class, but this is the first time we’ve really talked. Surprised I just came up to you like this? I’m Nam Taegyeon.”

“...I’m Ha Giyeon.”

“I’m class president. If you need anything, just ask.”

“Uh... okay, thanks.”

Nodding, Giyeon quickly grabbed his bag and stood up. He turned to slip out the back door, but Nam Taegyeon naturally followed him.

“Let’s go together.”

Before he knew it, Nam Taegyeon was walking beside him—and behind them came a few of his friends.

“Aren’t you curious about my name? I’m Kim Junseung.”

“Dude, he can read your name tag.”

“Bet he’s not curious at all.”

“Shut up.”

It wasn’t so much a conversation as it was just half-yelled swearing.

Giyeon forced an awkward smile, managing his expression as he searched for a way to escape. He figured people would approach him now that they knew Ha Dohoon was his brother—but he hadn’t expected it to happen so immediately. Before the regression, he’d been insulted so openly by Dohoon that most people just avoided him.

Probably won’t be any different this time either...

Maybe from tomorrow, he’d start avoiding them, even if it looked obvious.

As they walked down the stairs and across the schoolyard, the conversation turned toward him.

“Giyeon’s rich as hell, huh.”

“Didn’t even realize ‘cause he’s so quiet. Dude was hiding his power level.”

“This little bastard suddenly talking is killing me.”

When did he become “Giyeon”?

They’d barely known him five minutes, and already they were tossing his name around like old friends. The whole thing left a bitter taste in his mouth. Giyeon quickened his pace toward the front gate.

“Hey Giyeon, where do you live?”

As they neared the gate, Nam Taegyeon asked about his house. A few of the others perked up. They clearly knew Ha Dohoon came from money and wanted to know just how fancy his neighborhood was.

It was awkward.

Unless Dohoon had already told them, Giyeon knew he should keep his mouth shut. Aside from the fact that it wasn’t even really his house, they might try showing up unannounced—just like now.

So he gave a safe answer.

“About a thirty-minute walk from school.”

“You live in a house, right?”

“...Yeah, kind of.”

“Like with a koi pond in the yard and a driveway long enough for a car?”

“Dude, what the hell—if that were true, would he even go to this school?”

Their joking was half mockery, half praise—and Giyeon was the object of it all.

Before the regression, it was the exact opposite...

Swallowing his nausea, Giyeon veered away from their group once they passed through the school gate. He offered a half-hearted goodbye and started to walk in the opposite direction—only to be stopped by Nam Taegyeon again.

“Hey, Giyeon. Do you go to any after-school academies?”

“No...”

“Then wanna get pizza with us?”

“Or is it like, your private chef only makes your food at home...”

They all burst out laughing at that.

Even our pizza gets delivered...

He didn’t know what kind of fantasy they had about rich families, but he wanted to tell them it wasn’t all that magical. Still, he bit back the words and was about to decline—

“Ha Giyeon.”

He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.

The way Nam Taegyeon and his friends froze made it obvious. There was only one person who would say his name like that.

When he turned, Ha Dohoon was standing next to a black luxury car.

The careful neutrality Giyeon had maintained on his face instantly cracked.

Why is he here...

Why was Ha Dohoon, who normally got driven home, standing in front of the gate?

While Giyeon stood frozen in confusion, Nam Taegyeon and the others were buzzing.

“Yo, check out that car...”

“Isn’t that a Genesis G80?”

“If he’s got a chauffeur, dude’s gotta be loaded.”

“I’ve never seen anyone get picked up from school by a driver.”

Their eyes shifted from the car to Dohoon and then to Giyeon. Dohoon walked right up to him and jerked his chin toward the car.

“Why are you just standing there? Get in.”

“Wait, why are you here, not—”

He was about to ask why he hadn’t gone home already, but Nam Taegyeon bowed deeply beside him.

“Hello, Dohoon-sunbae! I’m Nam Taegyeon, Giyeon’s friend.”

“Hello...!”

Following Nam Taegyeon’s lead, his friends all bowed one by one.

“...?”

Nam Taegyeon greeted him with a friendly smile, but Dohoon barely raised an eyebrow. His expression was one of pure disinterest. A slight twitch of annoyance crossed his face, as if the interruption had irritated him.

Oblivious, Nam Taegyeon kept smiling and tried again.

“Giyeon’s told me a lot about you. We were just about to go grab some pizza—would you like to join us?”

Giyeon’s eyes widened.

Everything he said was false. He’d never mentioned Dohoon. They hadn’t agreed to get pizza together either.

Did he always twist things like this? Even if he thought he was being considerate, it always made Giyeon uncomfortable.

And saying this in front of Dohoon, when things had been so different before the regression...

“Ha Giyeon, we’ve got somewhere to be. Get in.”

Dohoon didn’t even spare Nam Taegyeon a glance. He grabbed Giyeon’s arm and yanked him toward the car. As he was being pulled away, he thought he saw Nam Taegyeon’s smile freeze for just a moment.

“See you tomorrow, Giyeon!”

“Take care!”

Giyeon tried to wave half-heartedly, but Dohoon shoved him into the back seat with force. He climbed in after him and slammed the door shut. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

“We’ll depart now.”

Secretary Kim, sensing Dohoon’s sour mood, started the car cautiously. He kept glancing at the rearview mirror, visibly startled to see the two of them leaving together.

Especially since it was Dohoon himself who had brought Giyeon to the car.

“...”

Giyeon sat rigidly, clutching his bag to his chest. It had been years since he’d ridden in this car, but there wasn’t a trace of nostalgia—only discomfort.

And most of that discomfort came from something else entirely.

“You hang around with those guys now?”

Dohoon, arms crossed, glared out the window at Nam Taegyeon and the others. Worried Dohoon might mistake them for real friends, Giyeon replied quickly.

“We’re not close.”

“Could’ve fooled me. You looked real chummy back there. What’s going on, Giyeon?”

Dohoon’s lips curled upward, but his eyes didn’t smile at all.

...What the hell is he upset about now?

Giyeon let out a small sigh and turned away.

If anyone should be upset, it was him. Why make a show of being friendly? Why wait in front of the school like that? What kind of sudden shift in attitude was this? Honestly, he would’ve preferred the old Dohoon—the one who ignored or criticized him outright.

“...”

Dohoon said nothing, just kept staring at him. Under the weight of his gaze, Giyeon finally turned to look back.

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“...?”

Something to say?

Giyeon tilted his head, puzzled. Dohoon frowned in frustration.

“At school... and now too. Nothing to say?”

“...Ah.”

If he had to say something, there was a lot. But to keep it short—

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t acknowledge me at school.”

“You should be grateful... Wait, what?”

Dohoon’s face shifted from confusion to disbelief as the words sank in.

Meanwhile, Giyeon remained calm.

“You’re still sulking?”

“I told you I’m not. I don’t have any reason to.”

“Then why are you like this? Just act normal. I said hi, I even got you clothes as a gift. What the hell do you want from me?”

“Clothes...?”

SCREECH!

The car suddenly jolted, pitching them forward. Thanks to his seatbelt, Giyeon didn’t hit anything, but the abrupt stop made his head spin.

Secretary Kim turned around, flustered.

“S-sorry!”

“Jesus... can’t you drive properly? You wanna crash this thing?”

Dohoon rubbed the back of his neck and scowled. Kim fumbled with the wheel, stammering.

“I-I’ll head straight to the hospital—”

“Just drive.”

Dohoon jerked his chin irritably. Kim apologized several times more and slowly pulled the car forward.

Giyeon leaned back into the seat and let out a long breath. His heart was pounding from the shock.

The already-tense atmosphere inside the car had grown even heavier.

And it was Dohoon who finally broke the silence.

“...I’m sorry.”

“...”

For a moment, Giyeon doubted his ears.

That single word from Dohoon—

It froze everything inside him.

His voice, his eyes, his movement, his breathing, his thoughts, his heart.

Did he just say sorry to me...?

His gaze, which had been drifting toward the window, slowly turned to Dohoon.

And what he saw—

What, you thought I was doing all this just to hear that one stupid word?

As always, Dohoon’s mouth curled into a crooked smirk, mocking.

The faint hope Giyeon had been suppressing collapsed. His eyes, already dulled by exhaustion, darkened even further.

What was I expecting... even for a moment.

Had he still harbored any hope for his brother?

Dohoon, seeing the expression on his face turn icy, suddenly snapped.

“What now? What the hell is your problem?!”

“...”

“Say something! Don’t just make that face!”

He would never understand.

Even if he did, he wouldn’t fulfill it. Wouldn’t even consider trying.

“I already told you. Don’t talk to me at school. I’m not sulking, I’m not being stubborn. I just want to get through school quietly.”

“Quietly? That’s just loser talk. You really don’t get why they’re suddenly so interested in you?”

“I know. It’s because of you.”

“...What?”

For the first time, Dohoon’s expression faltered.

Without meeting his eyes, Giyeon continued calmly, like stating a fact.

“They talked to me because I’m your brother. That’s all. Their real interest is you. And I’m telling you—it’s exhausting.”

“Why is it exhausting? You weren’t like this in middle school. Why the hell now?”

“...It should’ve always been like this. You said it too—how embarrassing I was. So I won’t tell anyone we’re related. And you don’t have to pretend to be some caring older brother.”

Screech. The car pulled to a stop in front of the house.

Without hesitation, Giyeon opened the door and stepped out.

Left alone, Ha Dohoon sat frozen, muttering blankly.

“...Pretend to be close?”

We weren’t... close?