Mint Is Pure Love - Chapter 15

Something about the way he asked made it feel like he was probing me, and I froze mid-motion, still holding my fork.

“Huh…? What’d you say?”

“…Your little brother seems to know Kim Eunho pretty well.”

Seokyung repeated the question, his tone a bit more clipped. I quickly shook my head.

“No, no. Minjae just met him once before. And my stepmom too. And I did break up with him, for real.”

“So… you usually introduce your boyfriends to your family?”

“I mean, not really. It just kind of happened. Anyway, we’re definitely over. I just haven’t told my stepmom yet.”

Ugh, why was I explaining all this? Still, I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. I didn’t want Seokyung to think, like the others did, that I was stringing Eunho along or something.

“My stepmom was actually really excited when I told her I had a boyfriend, so I just… haven’t had the heart to break it to her.”

I set my fork down.

“I know you probably don’t care, but this kind of thing matters to me, so I want to be clear. I didn’t dump Eunho just to play games or test his feelings. He was the one who said we should break up. That was right before winter break last year.”

People whispered that I toyed with him, that I was cold-hearted. But that wasn’t true. Saying this was one of the few ways I could defend myself. It made me feel… a little better.

“So you’re saying he’s the one who’s not over it?”

“Yeah. He said he wants to get back together. He even said he wants to take me to the movies, the amusement park, buy me stuff…”

But did any of that make my heart flutter? Thinking back… not really. It wasn’t his words or affection that stirred anything in me. It was just the idea of someone filling that empty space.

“I mean, stuff like that—you can do it with a friend. Or family even.”

You could do it with someone you just met on a blind date in college. And couple rings? Eunho probably has, like, twenty of them.

“If we’re dating, I want something that’s just for us. Something only the two of us can do. Something I can give, and something they only want from me.”

Like holding hands. Or hugging. Or kissing—

…Crap. My face went hot.

What am I even saying? Seriously, what’s wrong with me? I grabbed my fork again, trying to act normal.

“Anyway. Eunho and I? Long over.”

I stabbed a piece of tteokbokki with my fork. Seokyung did the same. His expression looked softer now, like the misunderstanding had been cleared up. I snuck a glance at him and casually asked.

“So, why don’t you date anyone? I mean, I heard you got a ton of confessions.”

“Just because.”

He said it like it wasn’t a big deal. Made me feel a little awkward.

“Yeah… I guess you don’t really seem into girls anyway.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You kinda give off that vibe.”

“What kind of vibe?”

“Like… you look like someone who makes people expect things. But when they actually get close, you’re super indifferent. Like, even if things go well today, you’ll probably be cold tomorrow. You don’t seem like the type to get emotionally stirred, so if your girlfriend cried, you’d probably just stare at her like, ‘Why are you crying?’ and then break up. You just seem kinda weird and—rude and—”

I shut my mouth. I’d said too much. Way too much. But Seokyung’s reaction surprised me. He just smiled, relaxed, and asked.

“What kind of things do I make people expect?”

“Huh?”

“You said I look like I’d make people expect stuff. Like what?”

His voice was calm, like he genuinely wanted to know. So I had to think. What was it about Seokyung’s face that made people expect something?

“…That you’d be really, really kind. Way more than people think.”

I mean, it’s probably what everyone thinks. That’s why people fawn over every little nice thing he does. It’s like they’re relieved their expectations were right.

That beautiful things must also be gentle and good.

Seokyung let out a quiet laugh.

“Guess they’ll be disappointed, huh?”

Then he added like it was nothing, “I’m not really that kind of person.”

“Really? But hey, and I’m not saying this out of spite or anything, but… you helped Choi Sunyoung carry her stuff on the stairs once. That was super sweet of you.”

“Oh… she was whining.”

His brows drew together at the memory.

“She said she was having a hard time, so I just helped her out.”

He picked up the cup from the tray and took a sip before continuing.

“I don’t really like hearing people cry.”

“Why? Because it’s noisy?”

“My mom cried all the time. My brother too.”

“…”

“Any time someone says they’re struggling, that they want me to notice… I just want it to stop. I’d rather do everything myself and be done with it.”

He said it so casually. Like someone who’d dealt with it over and over. His eyes looked kind of hollow, like the memory itself wore him out.

“I don’t like being the center of attention. But it’s not something I can control.”

I understood that well. There’s no filter that only blocks out the attention you don’t want.

“I learned something at my last school—when I react, people pay even more attention. But if I stay the same all the time, nothing stands out. I can’t stay angry forever. But laughing all the time? That’s not me either. So I just try to stay neutral.”

“…”

“That way, nothing changes.”

He said it calmly, but it sounded so desperate—like someone exhausted by all the noise. He looked tired, like a person worn down by everything constantly moving around them.

“I just don’t want things to get loud. I hate getting involved, but if helping someone for two seconds can shut everyone up, I’ll take that trade. That’s all it is.”

That was the reason for his so-called “manners.” That’s what Seokyung was really saying.

“…Me too.”

His gaze flicked to me.

“I hate attention too.”

Honestly, I just wanted everyone to leave me alone.

“I wish I’d known your trick earlier.”

We had that in common. Different reasons, maybe, but the same outcome. We both drew people in—and both hated it.

And for a moment, I really understood him. That wish of his, to not be swayed by anything, to just be still. It hit me hard.

“So… why’d you date Kim Eunho then?”

His question caught me off guard. I blinked in surprise. But Seokyung just continued, like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Kind of weird, isn’t it? You say you hate attention, but then you date someone like him.”

Now that I think about it, yeah. Kim Eunho was the kind of guy who drew attention wherever he went.

Maybe that’s why Seokyung had all kinds of assumptions about me. It kind of made sense in that context.

Why I dated Kim Eunho? I left the real reason buried and pulled out a convenient answer.

“Because he was hot?”

I popped a piece of tteokbokki into my mouth and smiled like it was nothing, then added when I noticed Seokyung looking at me like I’d lost it.

“And he was light.”

“…Light?”

“He didn’t treat the relationship like a big deal. The whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing—he didn’t put weight on that kind of label.”

To him, being someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend was just… normal. A typical teenage title. Light and harmless. The kind of name that wouldn’t ruin anything and was easy to carry.

“But yeah, I guess I was the one who misunderstood.”

If I learned anything from that, it’s never name a relationship. The moment you do, it starts to get heavy.

Seokyung looked like he was about to say something but right then, my phone buzzed on the desk, and I jumped. In the process, I knocked over my drink.

“Ugh…”

Purple grape juice spilled all over my thigh. Seokyung quickly grabbed some tissues from beside the desk and started wiping the table and floor.

“I’ll do it—I’ve got it!”

“You take care of your pants first.”

The juice was dripping off my clothes, running down to the floor. Cleaning it was pointless like this. I hurried to grab whatever pants I could find from my drawer and rushed to the bathroom.

God, why did I freak out so badly? Embarrassing.

Luckily, it hadn’t soaked through to my underwear, so I changed into some plain white cotton pants and returned to the room a few minutes later.

The place looked spotless—like nothing had happened. Even the tray was gone, probably taken back to the kitchen. I figured Seokyung had gone to return it, so I headed that way.

Just before stepping into the kitchen, where long curtains swayed slightly, I heard my stepmom’s voice.

“I hope it wasn’t too spicy. Did it suit your taste?”

“It was great. Thank you,” Seokyung replied politely.

“How are you so well-mannered, huh? Goodness, your parents must’ve raised you like royalty.”

I could just picture him giving that faint smile he always does when teachers shower him with praise.

“Um… by the way, is Yeonseo doing okay at school?” my stepmom asked carefully. Her voice was laced with worry. My feet instinctively stepped back.

“She seemed fine at first, but these days… I’m not sure. Back in middle school, she used to talk about her friends more. But now she’s older, and I don’t want to pry too much. Kids hate that kind of thing now… they call it interfering.”

My chest tightened. I always thought I’d hidden it well, but clearly, she’d noticed. And she’d kept her concerns to herself.

Still, if she wanted answers, she’d asked the wrong person. Seokyung wasn’t the type to speak for others. He didn’t get involved.

“She’s doing fine,” he said.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah… she’s got a good personality. A lot of kids seem to like her.”

“Oh, goodness! That’s so our Yeonseo, right?”

My stepmom clapped happily, clearly over the moon.

“Oh, and,” Seokyung added casually.

“Yes?”

“She and that Kim Eunho guy? They broke up. A while ago, apparently.”

He even tossed in an extra comment—something about how I seemed a little down at the time, but I seemed better now. I hadn’t expected him to say that much.

I quietly turned and walked back to my room.

By the time we crossed the yard together, the sun was setting low. I opened the main gate and walked Seokyung out. Even standing on the step above him, our eyes still met almost at the same level.

“Thanks for today, Seokyung.”

The streetlamps turned on, casting a warm orange glow. Seokyung stood in the light and looked at me.

“Hey—”

“You know…”

We both spoke at the same time, then both went quiet.

“You go first, Seokyung.”

“…Nah, you first.”

Honestly, I’d been grateful all day. For everything. Seokyung was a good person. I couldn’t deny it anymore or pretend not to notice.

And when someone’s been good to you, you want to do something in return. Like say “let’s hang out more,” or “next time, I’ll treat you at the snack bar,” or “come over again—I’ll cook something even better.”

But I couldn’t do any of that. Maybe for someone else, those things could be tokens of appreciation.

But not for Ji Yeonseo. Not for someone like me.

Because Seokyung—he hated attention. He hated anything that stirred the waters. So the only way I could say thank you…

“I won’t talk to you at school.”

His gaze locked onto my face and didn’t move. I forced a grin.

“The badminton thing, the conversation—everything that happened today. I won’t bring it up. I won’t act like we’re close.”

“……”

“I’ll pretend I don’t know you.”

That was it. The best kindness Ji Yeonseo—notorious loner and school reject—could offer. I wouldn’t expose him. I wouldn’t risk disturbing the balance he worked so hard to keep.

It was better this way. I never planned to make friends anyway. It was enough just to try, just this once.

Still, my chest ached for some reason.

Seokyung swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly. And then he answered, in that usual calm and clean tone of his.

“…Alright then.”

He didn’t hesitate after that. Just turned and started walking up the hill.

Behind him, his long shadow leaned sideways under the streetlight, stretching out across the slope.