Mint Is Pure Love - Chapter 22

Seokyung politely took the camera back and slipped it into the backpack he’d brought.

“I’ll take care of getting the photos printed.”

He was offering to handle something for me—no reason to turn it down.

We headed into the pavilion and sat on the long bench that ran along the railing. Seokyung left his bag and me there for a moment, then returned shortly after with a sports drink and a strawberry milk in hand.

He must’ve swung by the park’s snack stand.

“Thanks… I’ll enjoy it,” I said.

The moment I sipped the strawberry milk through the straw, the sweet, fragrant taste filled my mouth. And with it, an awkward awareness crept in. So… what now? We’d done everything we came here for.

“This place is pretty nice. Definitely has that landmark feel.”

Seokyung glanced out over the railing, striking up conversation. The breeze ruffled his soft hair, lifting it lightly.

“Right? Yongho Mountain Park is actually super famous. People around Hampyeong say it holds the history of the entire district. My first field trip was here, too.”

He looked around at couples walking by and naturally continued, “Seems like a popular date spot, too.”

“Yeah. It’s known as a prime first kiss spot in the evenings.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I froze. Seriously, a kiss, Yeonseo?

Luckily, Seokyung didn’t seem to think much of it. He just had his usual expression, so I relaxed and took another sip of my milk—when he suddenly asked:

“What about you?”

I nearly choked. I looked over, and Seokyung was watching me, his tone casual.

“Is it your lucky spot too?”

He wasn’t teasing. He asked it the same way someone might ask what you had for lunch. So unbothered and offhanded that I ended up blurting out a little truth before I could stop myself.

“I—I haven’t, uh, done that yet.”

“Oh.” Seokyung replied simply, nodding once. I caught the slight twitch of his lips. Was he… smirking?

Before I could overthink it, he changed gears.

“By the way, I’m really sorry about yesterday.”

He rolled the blue sports drink can between his hands, his voice low.

“I shouldn’t have told you to wait. That was careless of me.”

“It’s fine. You can stop apologizing. You must’ve had your reasons.”

He hesitated a little, then finally spoke.

“…My brother was sick. He got hospitalized.”

I hadn’t meant to pry, but the unexpected weight of that hit hard.

“Is it serious? Is he okay now?”

“It’s not an injury. Just needed a few days in the hospital.”

So that was it. No wonder it had been bothering me. Seokyung always seemed a little unreadable, but he never struck me as the type to break a promise without cause. Especially not one he made himself.

Then he turned his head toward me.

“Why did you wait for me yesterday?”

A gust of wind blew through the open pavilion, brushing past us. As I tucked my hair behind my ears, I noticed something in Seokyung’s gaze—like he was hoping for a particular answer.

“…To yell at you?”

It was half true, so I said it.

That small glimmer of hope in his eyes popped like a bubble, and instead, he gave me a dry, amused smile, flashing his white teeth.

“If you’re done with your drink, let’s go.”

Seokyung stood and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Ah. So that was it. The whole ‘Yongho Park landmark and strawberry milk with Seokyung’ portion of my day was over now.

Strangely, things never felt this awkward when I was with Kim Eunho. But with Seokyung, I kept fumbling. I suddenly missed the neighborhood for no reason and wanted to talk more—but also wanted to hurry home.

I shook off that strange mix of relief and disappointment and stood up.

While Seokyung tossed out my empty milk carton along with his drink, I smoothed out my skirt and got ready to leave. The fresh colors and pattern of my new dress stood out a little too much. We’d barely been out for an hour. Such a waste of nice weather.

“Let’s go.”

I followed behind Seokyung’s broad back, stepping out of the pavilion. As we made our way back down the wooden stairs, I started wondering—what should I eat when I get home? Should I ask my stepmom if she wants to hit the bathhouse?

When we got close to the bus stop, I asked first.

“You’re gonna take the 7-5 bus, right? That one goes past your neighborhood.”

“Why would I take that bus?”

“You don’t have to take me home today. I noticed earlier the bus was already pretty packed.”

Seokyung narrowed his eyes and looked down at me, wearing a face I knew all too well—it was the same look I gave Minjae whenever he said something ridiculous. Like meeting a dinosaur on the street or that a kid at daycare shoots lasers.

“You really don’t listen to anything I say, do you?”

“What now?”

“I told you we were going on a date today.”

I mean, sure, but…

When I glanced up at him, he let out a deep sigh. There he goes again. But I had something to say, too.

“Seokyung, do you… want to date me?”

“No. Do I have to?”

He blew a puff of air up at his bangs. See? He doesn’t even get it.

“Dates are something people do when they’re in a relationship.”

I mean, honestly. At least in my book. That’s how it worked with Kim Eunho, too.

We didn’t just go around hanging out. He lingered around a few times, eventually confessed, and once I said yes, we started seeing each other. Then came the occasional ‘dates.’

“Even the guys who confessed to me started with ‘let’s date’ before bringing up going out.”

I’d spent the whole morning flipping through dictionaries trying to figure this out—because it felt weird. I wasn’t dating Seokyung, and we weren’t that close either. Using words like “date” didn’t seem right. Especially since he didn’t even like me.

Seokyung’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Guys? Plural?”

Wow. Must be nice being so popular. He sounded like someone chewing on something bitter.

“Okay, fine. Let me rephrase. Not a date—just hanging out. I just want to hang out with you. That’s it.”

There was a hint of carefulness in his added explanation. Like he was checking how I’d take it.

“Like old friends, you know?”

Friends. That word somehow landed sweetly in my ears—impossible to resist. He tilted his head just slightly toward me.

“Wanna check out Pizza City in Millennium Mall?”

He asked like it was nothing, casual. But his tone was soft, deliberate. Like he knew exactly what he was saying. A place I’d once scribbled down on the edge of my notebook when making a list of landmarks—secretly, the ones I wanted to visit.

…But I hesitated.

It was a Saturday afternoon. Even if we’d skipped Yongho Park, it was the perfect day for people to be out. What if someone saw us at the mall and started rumors again?

Not just about me—what if it hurt Seokyung?

“Let’s just eat something nearby.”

That was the best I could offer. Seokyung looked at me for a long second, something in his eyes caught between frustration and calculation.

“Ji Yeonseo, why—”

I blinked up at him, prompting him to go on. He sighed again, short and sharp.

“…Then how about this. It’s a bit far, but wanna come with me somewhere?”

“Where?”

“Another landmark.”

When I nodded without much hesitation, Seokyung reached out and flagged down a cab. The ride took about forty minutes and dropped us off on a lively street.

My eyes were too busy scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. Everything looked sleek, and everyone walking around looked like they’d stepped out of a magazine.

“I’ve never been to Apgujeong before. How do you know this area?”

“I used to live nearby before I transferred schools.”

Seokyung turned the corner confidently, acting like a local. I wanted to say something, but his eyes as he looked around—oddly, they looked… sad.

A car honked and squeezed through the crowd. Seokyung moved me behind him and waited. Only once it passed did we keep walking.

“Do you mind cold food?”

“I’m fine with it.”

As soon as I nodded, he picked up the pace like he knew exactly where he was going.

A few quiet blocks from the main road, we arrived at a tiny soba shop. Just six tables inside—a humble, cozy spot.

Seokyung ordered cold soba and a pork cutlet set like he’d done it a hundred times.

“This place… is this the Apgujeong landmark?”

“Not quite. More like… my landmark.”

Huh. That actually sounded pretty cool. A personal landmark that no one else knows about. I nodded, and just then the food came out.

And honestly? Seokyung’s landmark was amazing. The cold noodles were so refreshing it sent a chill up my spine. The broth was slightly sweet, perfectly balanced, and the pork cutlet was crispy and flavorful—seriously eye-opening.

“Seokyung, this place is incredible… I’ve never had tonkatsu like this before.”

“Yeah? I’m glad you liked it.”

We polished off the soba and tonkatsu, and I wiped my mouth in contentment. Seokyung chuckled softly.

“You really can eat.”

We stepped outside and strolled the neighborhood. When we passed a gelato place, Seokyung pulled me in and bought us some. I took a cone; he went with a cup.

“This area sells all kinds of tasty, fancy stuff. It’s not Apgujeong—it’s Snack-gujeong.”

I gave the soft, chewy gelato a little lick. Just then, Seokyung’s ears turned red and he looked away.

Weird. He changed the subject.

“…If you eat this well, why don’t you show up in the cafeteria during lunch?”

Like someone who’d been keeping an eye out for me, Seokyung asked.

“Why don’t you eat at school?”

Most people, when asked directly, would get flustered—ashamed of being avoided, of being alone. They’d lash out or make up some awkward excuse.

“Why do you think? People stare like I’m some weirdo eating by myself.”

“…”

“They don’t like me, Seokyung.”

His eyes lit up—not with sympathy, but with confusion. Like he really, genuinely couldn’t understand why.