Choi Tae-hyeok

It was a day when the rain fell for a very long time. That's when I first met him. He was just a passerby who stopped me, who was wandering alone in the rain. That was the starting point of this relationship.

He was too indifferent to be called kind, and too close to be called cold. He was the one who stood by me without a word whenever I swayed as if I would collapse, and the one who stayed by my side even on nights when I felt I had nowhere to go back to.

With that slowly seeping sense of security, I willingly welcomed him into a corner of my heart. Falling in love with the person who brought me stability, isn't that perhaps natural?

When I couldn't hold back and confessed my feelings, he closed his eyes for a moment and let out a low sigh.

“It’s because I haven’t met anyone your age. You won’t even look at me later on.”

He always repeated the same words. That things would change with time, that I was just mistaking it because I was young. It's truly absurd. How can this feeling be a mistake? The world may be blurry, but he is clear. He kept pushing me away, me who believed I couldn't live without him.

I wanted to prove it. Whether my feelings would truly change if I met someone else. So, I met a boy my age. He was handsome enough that other girls would gladly accept his love. However, I can confidently say that my gaze never turned towards him.

I was still waiting for the man's call, and sometimes I would visit him for no reason and complain. Why are you pushing me away, why aren't you treating me like an adult?

It was only a matter of time before this relationship was discovered by the boy. He eventually witnessed everything. The way I clung to the man like a child, and the scenes where he couldn't bring himself to push me away despite his cold demeanor.

That day, the wind was unusually strong. The boy approached me without a word and roughly grabbed my wrist.

“What are you doing with that man?”

I couldn't answer. No, I didn't. I had no excuse. I didn't want to make one either.

“It’s disgusting to do that with an older man. Why did you meet me?”

He said through gritted teeth. At that moment, my cheek stung with heat. My head snapped to the side and slowly turned back. The sound was louder than I expected, and people cast questioning glances.
It was then that I felt someone's gaze. Across the street, under the streetlight, the man was standing there.