Eat The World Tree

Wouldn’t it be awkward if her boyfriend suddenly showed up at the reunion?

Byeol wanted to show me off, but she didn’t have a specific plan.

So, I decided to come up with a short scheme.

“You said you’d be quick.”

“…Huh?”

We promised to have a brief conversation at the reunion and then go on a date afterward.

So, the plan was that her boyfriend (me) would come to pick her up right outside.

The rest of the reunion attendees would naturally invite me to join them.

That way, I could naturally blend into the gathering.

All eyes were on me.

Their gazes were mixed with admiration and envy. It seemed my charm was indeed working on them.

“Don’t go, stay here and chat with us. Byeol was just talking about her boyfriend.”

“Oh, really? Noona, is that true?”

Byeol widened her eyes and looked at me when she heard someone call her ‘nuna.’

She seemed eager to brag, so I decided to play along.

Did she not catch my intention?

Byeol, who was usually more sociable, was now at a loss, surprised by my different demeanor.

“Was she talking about me?”

“…Oh? Ah, yes! She was talking about Shiheon….”

I smiled and gave her a hint, and she belatedly nodded.

The women around us looked very intrigued.

“Boyfriend, you should join us.”

“Oh, should I? But… I didn’t make a reservation, is that okay?”

“It’s fine! There are always a lot of no-shows anyway.”

“Ah, I see.”

The girl sitting in the front row tapped the shoulder of the guy next to Byeol.

“Hey, move over. Make some room.”

“Okay, okay. Got it.”

I naturally sat next to Byeol.

The girl next to me was tense and stiffened.

“….”

Babbling.

Why wasn’t she saying anything?

Didn’t she want to show me off?

Putting an arm around her shoulder and showing some affection wasn’t difficult, so why was she acting like this?

“…Wow, he’s really handsome. Is it okay to say that? Do you have any special abilities?”

“Abilities? No.”

“Really? Wow.”

When Byeol remained silent, the women around us started bombarding me with questions.

They probably thought I had some unique ability related to charm from an awakening.

When I flatly denied it, the excitement around me grew.

“How did you two meet?”

“We met on a blind date… I liked her so much that we decided to date that day. I didn’t know she was the vice president though….”

“Ah, I see~”

Every time I answered, the atmosphere became more lively.

When a woman joined a gathering of men, the mood changed dramatically, and that’s exactly how it felt now.

‘…She’s not saying a word.’

As I talked, I turned to look at Byeol.

She was stiff as a board.

It would be understandable if she was shy, but she seemed completely spaced out, which worried me.

“Noona.”

“…Yes?”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

I reached out and touched her forehead.

As her bangs moved aside, her fair forehead was revealed.

Her pupils, shaped like stars, stared into space.

It didn’t seem like she had a fever, but I wasn’t sure if she was okay.

I came with a light heart, but her reaction made me concerned.

Byeol was staring blankly at my hand.

Then, her face started to turn red like a strawberry.

Hiccup.

A cute hiccup escaped her lips.

“Noona?”

“No, no fever!”

“Do you have a cold? Should I get you some medicine?”

“…No, it’s not a cold.”

She answered shortly and chugged her beer.

The people watching Byeol seemed a bit surprised.

As if they were seeing a new side of her.

They looked at her with curiosity.

“How long have you been dating?”

“Um… about two months? Noona isn’t usually like this with me, but she seems really shy in front of her friends.”

She was cute, but it felt like we were deviating from the original plan.

Byeol avoided the gazes around her.

Then, a woman who had been watching us from earlier spoke up jokingly.

“…Wow, he’s really cool. Byeol must have blackmailed you into dating her, right? Since she’s the vice president.”

Flinch-

Byeol’s shoulders trembled.

She must have decided she needed to refute this, as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Oh… no, that’s not it.”

Her voice was barely audible.

That confident and cute Byeol, who was savvy with internet slang.

Why would she be so intimidated in front of friends who knew her past?

I knew her pride had hit rock bottom, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

‘She said she changed after her parents passed away.’

She hated her pathetic self.

Byeol tried to bury and forget that part of herself.

But when she faced people who knew her past, she probably couldn’t help but recall her old self.

Perhaps she hoped to overcome this trauma by coming to the reunion with me.

Was I overthinking it?

At least from my perspective, it seemed so.

Even Jin Dallae, Lee Seyeong, Baekdo, and Hwangdo were all tied to their pasts.

At least as a partner, I would watch over her.

“Did she really catch a weak spot?”

“Uh… uh?”

I casually wrapped my arm around Byeol’s shoulder.

With her small head cradled in my arm, I gently pulled her towards me and hugged her lightly.

Byeol, not understanding the situation, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Her eyes seemed tired.

I poked her soft cheek and giggled.

“If liking someone is a weakness, then yes, she caught a weakness.”

“…Uh, uh?”

I tried to look as affectionate as possible, patting her head gently.

Byeol’s face turned as red as heated metal from the sudden display of affection.

She was so flustered that her body trembled like a vibrating phone.

“Oh, come on, this is too much.”

“Pffft.”

The act of inflaming the hearts of singles around us caused them to joke in frustration.

However, I could clearly see some of the women’s envious glances.

If Byeol was sensitive to their gazes, she would have noticed too.

She deserved to boast a bit after all her efforts.

Although jealousy was inevitable, having always sat in a corner of the classroom, she deserved to enjoy this attention at least once.

“…”

Byeol was looking towards me.

Her tightly pursed lips trembled, and her half-open eyes were moist.

She glanced around and then…

“You two look good together.”

She gradually changed her expression.

“Oh, thanks.”

With that response, she lowered her head into my chest.

“My boyfriend… is too good for me.”

A soft smile bloomed on her lips.

The beautiful smile, like a delicate flower, made even the jealous women look away.

She seemed much more relaxed now.

I reverted to my usual expression and grinned mischievously.

Slowly, I led her back to her original personality.

“Oh, I did get caught in a weak spot.”

“…Huh?”

“Well, on our blind date, she said I had to date her or it would be a big problem.”

“Hey, when did I say that…”

“But I liked her too, so I agreed to date her.”

“…You, ugh.”

Pat, pat.

She tried to pull away from my embrace, hitting my shoulder.

I laughed and hugged her tighter.

“Last time, we played a game with a kiss on the line, and Byeol-noona intentionally lost.”

“Oh really? Byeol is so cute, pfft.”

“Oh! I didn’t do that!”

Byeol shrieked.

But she was surprised by her own voice and widened her eyes.

She looked at me, blinked, then glanced around, blinking again.

Finally, she looked back at me.

“Did Byeol really do that? She won a game competition in high school. But in front of her boyfriend, she’s a fox.”

“I’m telling you, she did! But more like a puppy than a fox.”

Byeol awkwardly smiled at my casual response.

I gently stroked her hair.

“She’s like a puppy but has many delicate parts. I’m younger, but you wouldn’t know who’s younger.”

“That’s true, pfft.”

“Right? The past doesn’t matter. She gets intimidated for no reason. She’s pretty and capable.”

“Yeah, Byeol does have that side.”

“She’s so reliable as the vice president. But seeing her get intimidated makes me worry. That’s why I want to carry her on my back.”

True love, huh.

I heard someone say that from somewhere.

It was a casual remark in our daily conversation, but it must have struck a chord with Byeol.

Byeol was trying hard to laugh.

“Oh, when did I do that?”

“I’m serious.”

“…Hey.”

“Heh heh. I need to use the restroom.”

Leaving the dazed Byeol for a moment, I headed to the restaurant’s restroom.

Standing at the urinal, I cooled down.

‘It feels so awkward to say things I didn’t plan to.’

-Swoosh.

Listening to the sound of water from the surrounding urinals, I took a breather.

This should be enough to show off my boyfriend status, right?

I hoped Byeol felt more confident.

-Creak.

A classmate of Byeol, who followed me in, stood next to me and unzipped his pants.

Then he glanced down at my pants.

As I subtly moved to the right to avoid his blatant stare, the guy gulped nervously.

“…”

He suddenly looked at my thing, got intimidated, and left.

…What?

I stood there, dumbfounded, watching the guy wash his hands and leave.

He never looked back at me again.

“Byeol, your boyfriend seems like a really nice person.”

A jealous remark.

But it was a different kind of jealousy than what she had encountered before.

There was no hidden malice or barbs that made her curl up inside and endure the stress.

Just simple envy.

…Almost like admiration.

-I wonder if I could ever meet a partner like that someday.

-I’m envious that you met someone like that.

Their intentions were clear.

Outsiders who always stayed in the background were naturally good at reading people’s expressions.

“You have a good eye.”

“…Really?”

Her heart pounded.

Sure, Lee Shiheon had many women around him… but at least when dating or meeting someone, he never neglected the relationship.

He truly cherished and cared for his people.

Every word he said pierced her heart deeply.

Whether it was genuine concern or a mix of intentions to help her regain her spirit, it didn’t matter.

“Your boyfriend really takes good care of you… he looks like he’d carry you on his back.”

“…Really?”

“If you don’t realize that, you’re a fool. Don’t take him for granted.”

She took to heart the constructive advice from some of her classmates.

-You’re pretty and capable enough.

Pretty… they said she was pretty.

She smiled shyly when Shiheon wasn’t around.

“…I did find a good guy. Hehe.”

“See? I told you so.”

They agreed with a hearty slap on the back.

When Lee Shiheon returned from the restroom and sat next to her, she had somewhat shaken off her uneasy feelings.

“Finally, you’re smiling.”

He smiled mischievously as soon as he saw her.

At first, she was simply attracted to his appearance, which matched her ideal type.

But now… she looked beyond his face.

‘…He’s handsome.’

Not the conventional social standards of beauty. That wasn’t it.

When she realized it, she…

She wanted to meet someone with similar hobbies who cared for her like this.

They said there’s no such thing as an ideal romantic relationship.

That if you got hurt once, it lasted forever. That you had to live with some compromises.

Finding someone who matched your heart and brought joy just by being around.

If that’s a naive dream of a young girl’s romance…

…She didn’t mind being called childish for the rest of her life.

“Shiheon.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go now.”

There was somewhere she wanted to go.

With him.

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