Lee Ha-eun sat down, looking flustered.
“Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t even hear me out… I thought you might throw me out instead.”
And that was almost the correct guess.
If Hae-in hadn’t come to work with Si-yul today, if Hae-in hadn’t been at the hospital, and if Si-yul hadn’t been in such a good mood—there’s no way this conversation would have even happened.
Kang Si-yul was not the type to be kind to a woman who once assumed he was gay.
“Oh dear, I don’t know why you’d think that.”
“…Y-yes, I suppose.”
“For what it’s worth, I am quite the gentleman. Not with everyone, of course.”
Which meant, in truth, he was not much of a gentleman to most people.
“I’m sorry for suddenly showing up today. I really wanted to apologize for my rudeness that time…”
“I told you that was fine, didn’t I?”
“Since I hadn’t seen you again after the concert, I thought it was only right to face you and apologize properly…”
“Look, Ms. Lee, about that day—I really don’t want to think about it, so let’s just leave it.”
Si-yul had an uncanny knack for making people tense. Hae-in was grateful he no longer directed that at her, unlike before.
Having experienced it firsthand, she could easily understand why Ha-eun was so intimidated by him. Still, Hae-in couldn’t help being curious what was so important that Ha-eun had come here, eyes wide in panic.
“…I’m sorry.”
“I really said that’s enough. Let’s drop it.”
When Kang Si-yul said enough, it sounded like the exact opposite. His desk growing crowded, Hae-in shifted to his lap.
Whether he knew it or not, the sight of him stroking the black cat on his lap with such elegant focus had a faintly villainous air.
Normally, showing affection for a small animal would make someone look approachable, but not so with him.
“I sincerely apologize. Please forgive me.”
“Ms. Lee, you’re Tae-il’s close friend, and since we’ll be seeing each other again, I’d prefer to get along with you when possible.”
“…Yes?”
“But if you came only to ease your own conscience with an apology, then frankly, I’d rather you just left.”
That was harsh.
Hae-in thought,
He may not realize it, but if he were even a little kinder, things between Ha-eun and Tae-il could change. Instead, he’s being utterly uncooperative.
As Si-yul’s voice grew sharper, Hae-in began kneading against his lap.
Hey, boyfriend, that’s not how you talk to a woman. I get that you’re upset, but misunderstandings happen. People can mistake you for gay sometimes… can’t they?
She wasn’t too confident in that, but at least she tried to calm him down.
Whether it was thanks to Hae-in’s effort or Ha-eun’s trembling, Si-yul’s temper cooled slightly, though his scowling face rested heavily against his hand.
“Enough. Surely you didn’t come here just to repeat yourself, so please state your business quickly. I have work to do.”
“…Well…”
“What’s your point?”
The air between the two humans and the relaxed cat grew taut. Unaware she only had ten minutes, Ha-eun clasped her hands tightly and spoke with difficulty.
“Please… forget about that incident.”
“That you thought Tae-il was gay?”
“…I thought you already knew.”
“Well, you assumed we were a couple, so it’s no surprise.”
“If you didn’t know, then please—don’t mention it to Tae-il. Please keep it secret that I know. That’s all I wanted to ask. It’s all my fault.”
“What is?”
“He’s tried so hard to keep it hidden, but I went and outed him without permission…”
That word—gay—Si-yul had never felt so exasperated in his life.
Normally he didn’t meddle in others’ business, but this was too ridiculous an assumption to leave unchecked. Grinding his teeth, he muttered low:
“Sorry, but I’ve never once thought he was gay.”
“What?”
“He’s not gay. Isn’t this just your silly mistake? A foolish misunderstanding.”
Nice, Kang Si-yul! That’s my boyfriend! There’s nothing he can’t say!
For once, Hae-in enjoyed his bluntness. She flapped her ears in glee like she’d gulped down soda. But then Ha-eun shoved down another sweet potato.
“It makes sense you’d think that. He hides it well…”
“No, listen—he’s not—”
“Most people of that orientation hide it. In our society, so few are open about it. If they don’t say it themselves, I’d rather protect that for them.”
She truly believed it.
Si-yul shook his head in frustration. Hae-in sighed too, but Ha-eun was oblivious.
“I’ve known Tae-il for over fifteen years. I know I’m right.”
“Even family who’ve lived together thirty years can misunderstand.”
“Tae-il has never once had a girlfriend. He’s perfectly normal otherwise.”
“Still doesn’t mean he’s gay.”
“Plenty of women liked him, but he never dated anyone.”
“That’s a matter of preference.”
Their clashing opinions grew fierce. Hae-in wondered why on earth Ha-eun believed this so firmly.
The answer came soon enough.
“…It was back in high school. Maybe first or second year? I once saw seniors teasing him. They showed him p*rn, and he gagged. Said it made him sick.”
“That… can be anyone’s taste. Even men can feel that way.”
“And most importantly… I asked him directly once.”
Pfft.
Si-yul nearly spat out his coffee.
And she still misunderstood?
“Meow?” (You okay?)
“I’m fine… Wait, you asked him?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly did you ask? Be precise.”
“Of course. I asked why he never dated anyone. I asked if he wasn’t interested in women. I asked outright.”
That was… quite direct.
Si-yul rubbed his brow, testing the limits of his patience.
“…And what did he say?”
“He said no.”
“….”
“With a bitter smile. I’ll never forget it.”
For Si-yul to be lost for words was rare indeed.
“He looked so, so lonely. I still think about that expression sometimes.”
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
Silence filled the office. Ha-eun stayed quiet, thinking she had made things awkward.
“…A bitter smile, huh.”
Si-yul finally spoke, but it was closer to a hollow laugh.
That bitter smile… could it have simply been because the girl he liked asked something like that?
Interpret it however one wished, but Si-yul felt Tae-il’s real mistake back then was obvious.
Instead of forcing a bitter smile, you should have confessed, you idiot!
If only he could run to Tae-il and shout that right now.
Even Hae-in, usually quick to defend Tae-il, felt the same this time.
“…I didn’t mean to go on so much. I just want you to pretend you don’t know.”
Her eyes glistened, her breath heavy.
That was such a simple request—if not for one flaw. Si-yul almost wished Tae-il really were gay, so this mess would be over.
If not for the cat sitting on his lap, hearing and seeing everything. Otherwise, he would’ve let it pass.
“Haha. Still, don’t you think it’s too early to be so certain…”
But if he glossed it over, this injustice-hating cat would claw his ears all night.
Even the mighty Kang Si-yul, who usually seemed invincible, was now wary of his cat.
“…I still had hope. Some lingering feelings. So back in college, I tested him through Gi-do. You know Gi-do, right?”
“Ah, Kim Gi-do? Of course. What did he say?”
“I asked if I could introduce him to my friend. He said absolutely not. That if I cared for Tae-il at all, I must never do something like that.”
Si-yul scribbled something on the medical chart, angled so Hae-in could see:
[I give up.]
Hae-in snatched the pen with her teeth and tossed it aside, glaring.
“I don’t think I’ve asked too much. Please, just continue being good to him, like you always have. Don’t see him through a biased lens.”
“…That I can promise. And one more thing.”
“Thank you! What is it?”
“Whatever you choose to believe, I’m telling you clearly: he is not gay. Please remember that.”
That was all he could do. His conscience was clear.
Right?
He raised his brows at Hae-in. From here on, he wouldn’t interfere.
“…Why do you believe he isn’t gay?”
That caught him off guard.
Because he likes you, you fool!
Of course, he couldn’t say that.
“Meow meow meow!” (Because he likes you!)
“…Easy there.”
“Meeooow!” (Ugh!)
Hae-in thrashed in frustration, and Si-yul, fully sympathetic, covered her mouth.
That was the truest and only answer, but it was the one thing Si-yul could never say aloud.
Especially not to Ha-eun.
You couldn’t betray someone else’s precious feelings like that.
“I understand your request. But let’s stop here. Whatever we think, it’s irrelevant to our lives. I don’t want to discuss it further.”
“…All right.”
Though he had meant to help a little, Si-yul withdrew. Hae-in struggled to push his hand away, but his grip was far too used to cat claws.
Meanwhile, Ha-eun looked deeply unsettled. For her, this was an important matter. She had lived her life with absolute certainty. No one had ever told her otherwise. This was the first time she’d spoken about it with anyone at all.
“…You know what I think? The reason you’re going to such trouble, pestering me like this…”
“…The reason?”
“Isn’t it because you have feelings for him—as a man?”
“….”
“Am I wrong?”
“…You’re right.”
Ha-eun fell into thought. Tae-il had been right—this man, Kang Si-yul, was impossible to deceive.
If so, then perhaps she needed to reconsider his words as well.
The belief she had clung to for so long wavered, for the first time.
“…And yet you can date other men? Fascinating.”
“…That’s…”
“From what I know, you’re even getting married in two weeks. Do you think it’s proper to behave like this? Would your fiancé be pleased?”
“He… knows. He knows I still hold feelings for someone else. But he also knows it can’t happen, that I only watch from afar.”
Si-yul had expected her to retreat under reproach, but instead she bowed her head, guilt written plainly on her face.
She looked so guilty, she accepted the blame without flinching. That caught him off guard instead.
“I only feel sorry. It’s strange, but… he’s always loved me. Even though I’m such a fool.”
“…So you’re aware, at least.”
“Haha, yes. But… I don’t understand what he sees in me. I don’t have any confidence.”
So that bitter smile Tae-il gave her… was it just like this?
Hae-in quieted in Si-yul’s hands.
“I only ever studied… I’m not very capable. I don’t have much social experience. People often disliked me for reasons I never understood. I know I’m clueless.”
“…Hmm.”
“People say I don’t know the ways of the world. Sometimes I embarrass myself with my own stupidity.”
On the surface, she looked like a model daughter—elite school, pretty, wealthy. Tae-il had told him she was an only child from a comfortable family, someone who didn’t even need to work.
A greenhouse flower, fragile and sheltered.
Maybe her work as a model was only to stay close to Tae-il. That was Si-yul’s suspicion.
“Yet he still loves me. When I struggle with my shortcomings, he says it’s fine. He says I don’t need to love him back. Just let him stay by my side. He only wants me to be happy.”
“That’s not love.”
“…But I do like him.”
Having been in a long one-sided love herself, Hae-in understood. She understood the way such a love made you feel small.
Even now, though Si-yul gave her certainty, she remembered when she hadn’t believed his feelings either.
I’m not that special. Why would he love me?
A woman in one-sided love couldn’t have high self-esteem. She compared herself endlessly, doubted, and saw only her flaws.
“And with that, no one will be happy.”
“I know. But still… even though I’m like this, he loves me. He only wants me to be happy. That’s what makes me… feel like I’m worth something. Oh, I’m rambling. I’m sorry. You always seem to know the right answers, Doctor, so I couldn’t stop—oh!”
“Meow meow meow!” (Yes! Exactly! That’s right!)
“C-Cat?”
“Meow meow meow?”
(See! That’s what women think! That they’re not enough! It’s not just me, right?)
Hae-in clung to Ha-eun’s chest, burying her face and wailing. She wanted to hug her and trade love advice.
If only she weren’t in a cat’s body.
Hae-in’s dilemma was that her boyfriend was far too strong. In many ways!
“Why is… she acting like this?”
“…I have no idea.”
Ha-eun looked bewildered at the sudden affection. The aloof cat who had never let her touch suddenly leapt into her arms.
She had heard that cats were unpredictable, but now she truly understood what that meant.
This woman… she must have managed to win my girl over somehow…
There was no mistaking it—Hae-in had felt some strange sense of kinship. Si-yul, however, worried her heart was too soft. He wished she would act with a bit more pride.
Knock, knock.
“Doctor? Your next guest is here…”
“Ah, send them in.”
The nurse stepped inside, but Ha-eun could only stand there, frozen, unable to push away the sudden affection of the cat plastered against her.
With a small sigh, Si-yul pinched the skin at Hae-in’s back and lifted her away from Ha-eun.
“That’ll be all. I’ll see you Friday.”
“Yes…”
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
By around four in the afternoon, when it was just Si-yul and Hae-in again, she was getting scolded.
He was treating her like a child who would follow anyone for a piece of candy.
“Why on earth are you like this? You saw for yourself today. You know perfectly well there’s nothing we can do about those people.”
“…I know that, but…”
“We already have our own problems to—”
Brr, brr, brr, brr.
Si-yul rarely answered calls during work, but this time of day was an exception. Unless he had surgery scheduled, the afternoons were usually quieter.
And the fact someone was calling him now meant it was likely someone who knew his routine. Sure enough—the caller ID showed Tae-il.
“Hello?”
His voice, as he picked up, was dripping with irritation. After dealing with Lee Ha-eun, he blamed Tae-il for everything.
Today, more than ever, he felt little warmth toward him.
[Hyung, it’s me.]
“What is it?”
[I don’t think I’ll be coming home tonight.]
The barbed tone in Si-yul’s voice flipped instantly, as quickly as turning over a hand.
“Wow, really?”
[…Wow?]
“Slip of the tongue. The new surgical simulator is just… so well-made, I lost myself for a moment.”
[Ah, I stopped by the office, and the staff told me to forget about going home tonight since they’ll be drinking all night.]
“…Tae-il.”
[Yes?]
“I really like you. I just wanted to say thank you. Go and enjoy yourself.”
So transparent.
Hae-in instinctively realized she wouldn’t be getting a good night’s sleep tonight either. The look in Si-yul’s eyes after ending the call was the same as it had been the night before.
“Well then, my lady.”
“…Nyae?”
“Our night has come.”
Doesn’t the night come every day?
Hae-in thought wryly. In her mind, Si-yul had no need for any kind of restorative food.
