Pick Up the Rejected Pure Love

Chapter 22: Pork Cutlet

chapter 22: pork cutlet

han-gyeol. it’s not that i was avoiding you...

i was just feeling a bit under the weather, and i looked unwell.

i wasn’t avoiding you at all; i really was just not feeling well–

“ha– even though i wrote it, it doesn’t sound believable.”

tap, tap–

i deleted all the messages i intended to send to han-gyeol.

yes, that was right. i hadn’t seen han-gyeol face-to-face for the past few days.

and the reason for that was the emotions i was currently feeling.

it was definitely love, wasn’t it?

i hadn’t even been able to eat the chocolate han-gyeol gave me on white day.

and whenever i saw the doll han-gyeol gifted me, my heart started to race.

how could i possibly look han-gyeol directly in the eyes, feeling like this?

“this is serious...”

after finishing my night studies, today i went straight home, washed up, and went to bed.

i wondered what han-gyeol was doing right now.

he must be feeling hurt, right? but he didn’t seem angry.

rather, han-gyeol honestly shared his feelings with me.

as i laid there, the image of han-gyeol’s face—speaking his feelings so honestly and courteously—flashed before my eyes.

i felt really guilty, especially considering i should be reflecting on my actions. yet my heart raced at the thought of han-gyeol.

but no matter how much i thought about it, my cheeks turned red once again at the sight of han-gyeol’s mature demeanor.

“so cool...”

i knew...

ever since i was a child, people told me that i couldn’t express my thoughts openly.

i had been scolded to speak honestly.

i knew all of that. but it hadn’t been easy to change.

i always worried about what would happen if my honest words twisted my relationships.

just like there were well-intentioned lies, there could be cruel honesty, too.

that was right.

i was a coward who did nothing because i was scared of what others would think.

as much as i hate to admit it, and even though i disliked this part of me, this was who i was—shin eun-ha.

but for the first time,

someone calmly shared their thoughts and emotions with me.

on top of that, someone who didn’t rush me for an answer and even gave me time to think.

this was all new to me.

for the first time, i was not scared of conflict with someone.

that was because han-gyeol’s words were filled with such consideration.

it was a peaceful, quiet, and exceedingly comfortable friction between us.

“ugh–! but i still can’t say it...!”

how could i say that i had been avoiding him because i think ‘i like you’?

how could i possibly tell him that my cheeks flushed like a radish and my heart raced when i saw his face?

and i couldn’t even dare to ask, ‘does han-gyeol like me too?’

am i delusional?

but han-gyeol gave me handmade chocolate, didn’t he?

could it be that han-gyeol also has feelings for me?

or am i making a big deal just because i received one piece of handmade chocolate?

i mean, i did attribute significant meaning to that handmade chocolate.

just... well, it was entirely possible to give chocolate to a close female friend!

yes! we live in a fairly open-minded era, after all.

“ahhh–! no, i don’t know! i just don’t know!”

lying in bed, i kicked my legs in the air.

i rolled back and forth, but my thoughts remained jumbled.

i didn’t want to be distanced from han-gyeol like this.

i messed up; it was my turn to approach him.

because han-gyeol was open about his feelings.

even though he could have been mad, he honestly shared his thoughts with me.

my brother crossed his arms and spoke solemnly.

“tell him you want to go eat pork cutlet.”

trusting this man was my mistake.

“what are you talking about?! han-gyeol isn’t some pork cutlet fanatic! you think one meal will solve everything?”

“what?! how dare you disrespect pork cutlet?! it’s the perfect food!”

“do you think han-gyeol is some eight-year-old kid?! denied! totally denied!”

“ha– even when i offer a surefire method, you don’t take it... you’re hopeless.”

“shut up!”

i turned my gaze toward my sister hyun-joo.

“sis... do you have any good ideas?”

“first, why did you guys even fight?”

“we didn’t... i mean, it’s more like i messed up one-sidedly.”

“um... i do have an idea, but...”

trustworthy hyun-joo hesitated at the end of her sentence. i promptly grabbed her arm, but she avoided my gaze.

“tell me! how can i make it up to han-gyeol?”

“ah, actually, now that i think about it, the idea is somewhat problematic.”

“it’s fine! it’s my mistake, so i’ll take responsibility!”

“it’s not about taking responsibility or anything like that.”

“then at least tell me! i’ll be the judge!”

my sister finally spoke, her expression slightly troubled.

“well, it might not be appropriate for a minor like you... i’m sorry.”

my face flushed instantly.

“ah, sis! what am i going to do if even you’re like this?”

“i’m sorry, eun-ha! i momentarily forgot you’re still in high school!”

“hey, shin eun-ha! just ask him to go eat pork cutlet like i said!”

“you be quiet! does that even make sense?!”

“still, how about giving eunwoo’s idea a chance?”

“sis! why are you siding with him?!”

“but we don’t have any other options, do we?”

“i guess so...”

was pork cutlet seriously the best solution we could come up with? but then again, han-gyeol was also male just like my brother.

i cautiously placed my phone on the dining table.

“what if he reads it and ignores it? what if he thinks i’m joking?”

“hey, shin eun-ha. just trust your brother. if something goes wrong, i’ll take responsibility!”

“ah...you’re sure you’re going to take responsibility, right? should i send it? i’m really sending it!”

“ah, just stop being so hesitant and send it!”

carefully, i typed out the message to send to han-gyeol.

[han-gyeol, want to grab some pork cutlet tomorrow?]

as i was contemplating whether to send it or not, my brother impatiently pressed the send button.

“ahhhh! what do we do now that it’s sent?”

“i did it because you were being indecisive!”

“ah! the 2 ticks appeared!”

“already?!”

my brother, sister, and i all stared at the phone screen. a few seconds later, a reply from han-gyeol arrived.

[sure. what time shall we meet?]

i held my smartphone and stared hard at my brother.

“you’re not thinking this is over, are you? make sure to apologize properly when you meet him~”

“what should i say when apologizing?”

“just apologize sincerely, what’s there to worry about? you overthink things. sometimes you just have to let it out.”

“just let it out? really? will that be enough?”

“if it’s han-gyeol, he’ll probably accept it.”

my brother looked more like a big brother today. intrigued, i took a discreet glance at him.

“ah, this is making me cringe. i’m off to play some games!”

--- the end of the chapter ---

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