I don't want to live like a loser who always makes others feel pity for me. I don't want to show my weakness to the world anymore. I decided to go to the office confidently.
The next day, I went to the office. Alex saw me, but he didn't say anything. I smiled at him confidently, as if nothing had happened. He smiled back at me. The office members were looking at me and whispering among themselves. I didn't care. I just went to my desk and sat down.
I was looking for Lehan's cabin, but he didn't come to the office. I didn't know why he was absent. The whole day, I kept thinking about him—what might have happened to him and why he didn't show up.
The next day, I went to the office and sat at my desk. Lehan entered the office and walked straight to me. He lightly tapped my desk and looked at me. I felt nervous, wondering what he was going to do.
Then he said, "Even if I take one day to think, I know for sure—it was never pity. It's really—"
Before he could finish, I placed my hand over his mouth to stop him. Everyone was looking at us. I felt extremely nervous. I stood up, grabbed his hand, and led him to his cabin, shutting the door behind us.
I was furious. "What are you doing? What's your problem? Why are you acting like this?"
He started walking toward me. I felt nervous as he came closer and closer. Then, he looked into my eyes and said, "It was never pity. I have real feelings for you. Don't try to label my emotions as something they're not. I don't want to force you into anything. Just stay as you are—but I'm going to love you.
I couldn't bear his intense gaze. It felt like he was staring straight into my soul. So, like any sane person in a panic, I bolted. I escaped from him and dashed out of his cabin.
Everyone in the office was staring at me. Some of them even had that Is she okay? look on their faces. A few gathered around and bombarded me with questions. "What happened? Is everything alright?"
I had no idea what to say, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "Oh, I just know his grandparents. We were talking about them."
The silence that followed told me no one believed me, but somehow, I managed to wriggle out of the situation. As soon as work was done, I left the office and headed to the park to clear my head.
Sitting on a bench, I tried to make sense of it all. Why is Lehan doing this? How is this even possible? He's rich, handsome, and basically every girl's dream guy. Why on earth would someone like him fall for someone like me? My insecurities started bubbling up like an overboiling pot. Does he have some weird problem? Is he trying to prank me? Why me?!
My thoughts spiraled until I was in full-on existential crisis mode.
Then, out of nowhere, Lehan showed up and sat right next to me. I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Are you a ninja now?!" I blurted out, startled.
He just smiled—a bright, radiant smile that could probably stop traffic. Seriously, where do people even learn to smile like that? Is there a course?
Before I could recover, he started talking. And by talking, I mean he was babbling like an excited kid. Then he started doing the most random, goofy things, like balancing a fallen leaf on his nose. Who even does that?!
I stared at him, baffled. This was not the serious, brooding Lehan I knew from the office. Was this his real side, or was I suddenly trapped in a romcom where the male lead acts like a cartoon character to charm the female lead? Either way, I couldn't help but laugh.
I looked at him, utterly baffled, and asked, "Why are you doing these weird things?"
He grinned sheepishly and said, "I'm trying to impress you. I read in a book that all girls like it when guys act goofy around them. So, I thought I'd give it a shot."
I didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm. "Please stop acting like this. Just be yourself, as you've always been."
"I am being myself," he replied with a small smile. "But when I'm with you, I feel like doing all kinds of things—things I'd never usually do."
Then he suddenly got serious and asked, "Why don't you like me?"
I thought for a moment before answering. "It's not that I hate you. But I've never seen you in that way. You're way out of my league. Don't fall for someone like me."
He looked like he wanted to argue but stopped himself. Instead, he sighed and said, "Okay, fine. You don't need to do anything. Just… don't avoid me, let me talk to you, and stay close. That's all I ask.
I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded and said, "Okay." Then I added, "I'm leaving now."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you leaving so early today?"
"I have to meet a house broker," I explained. "I'm searching for a place to stay since I'm temporarily living in my dorm. I'm planning to move out soon."
He nodded thoughtfully and then said, "Alright. Tomorrow, I'll show you a house."
"What? No, no," I stammered, waving my hands. "I don't want to trouble you."
He gave me a look that said I'm not asking for permission. "I said I'll show you a house tomorrow. That's it."
I sighed. "Fine, okay."
As I was about to leave, he suddenly followed me and stopped me. "Wait, give me your number," he said.
I blinked at him in disbelief. "You don't even have my number? Are you serious?"
He looked sheepish. "Well… we're all in the office group chat, aren't we?"
I crossed my arms. "That doesn't count. Are you really this clueless?"
He scratched his head awkwardly. "That's my office-use number. I don't even check it. If I need to say something, I just tell Alex, and he passes it on to the group."
I couldn't help but laugh at how absurdly lazy he was. "Unbelievable," I muttered, shaking my head.
In the end, we exchanged numbers. He looked ridiculously pleased, as if he'd just unlocked some major life achievement.