Mint Is Pure Love - Chapter 84
When I get to the new school, I’ll make a bunch of friends and join every school activity I can. It’s only one year left of my school life anyway—I’ll try everything I haven’t had the chance to do. That was Yeonseo’s promise to herself that autumn.
On her first day of transfer, she kept repeating to herself like a spell: I’ll be fine. I have to be fine. But she could never forget that moment she walked into her new classroom behind her homeroom teacher. Each time the lump in her throat rose, it caught and wouldn’t go down. She struggled desperately not to cry.
She really tried. But in the end, she failed.
“Ji Minseo, you’re suffocating. Why do you always overthink everything?”
That’s what her closest friend Youngeun had started saying to her around age twenty. Which probably explains how complicated Ji Minseo had become at twenty-four.
“I wanted to get close to you, but how do I put it… there was always a wall.”
A random old classmate once said that when they bumped into each other, and that was enough to make Yeonseo rethink all the years she thought she’d been doing fine. She finally came to a blurry conclusion.
Six years wasn’t enough time for real healing. Her efforts had failed.
The wound had festered so badly that she’d built walls around it just to stop anyone from touching the pain. Instead of exposing it and letting it heal, she hid it away like a mother dog refusing to show her dying pup.
So that classmate who said they’d felt a wall—well, they weren’t wrong. Yeonseo back then, and Yeonseo now, both worked tirelessly not to show her true feelings. Maybe her inability to be honest was just the scar left behind from all those desperate struggles.
“Enjoy the movie tomorrow.”
Like that was the truth, Seokyung walked with her to the store that morning. He helped her silently with opening the shutters, cleaning, then brought back the kind of sandwich she liked most from that shop last time so they could eat breakfast together.
They didn’t talk about anything special. Topics drifted to Minjae’s girlfriend (which shocked Yeonseo since she hadn’t known), or how Seokyung drove around Chungju by himself, visiting random places. It was all calm and peaceful but somehow, the conversation felt hollow.
Yeonseo thought she wasn’t being honest. But at the same time, she sensed Seokyung too was pressing something down, hiding it away.
Why can’t we just be honest with each other? Why can’t I tell you everything?
That’s why Yeonseo started looking inward at the old wounds behind her walls. Her phone, left on her desk, buzzed and fell to the floor.
[See you at Mega Movie by 6:30.]
It was a text from Choi Chan. Yeonseo folded her laptop shut.
She’d asked Youngeun the night before to come to the movies, but of course, the one day she asked was the day Youngeun had a company dinner.
Checking the clock, she realized she had to leave now to make it on time.
She grabbed her bag with a sigh and stepped into the living room. Her mom, who had closed the shop early, was trimming bean sprouts while watching TV.
“Mom, I’m heading out. I’ve got plans.”
“Right, the movie. You’ll eat dinner out?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Then I’ll just throw something together and eat alone.”
Yeonseo glanced around the quiet house.
“Why are you alone? Where are Minjae and Seokyung?”
“Minjae needed something for his homework, so Seokyung drove him out. Honestly, you should’ve asked him to come with you too. You’re not even that close with Chan, are you?”
“…What? He said he didn’t want to.”
“Still, you should’ve insisted. Tsk. Why don’t you two ever spend time together properly? Our neighborhood park is nice now, you know. They put in a fountain and a pavilion last summer…”
Listening to her mom nagging like she was frustrated about why Yeonseo and Seokyung didn’t spend time together, Yeonseo suddenly wondered.
“Mom, what exactly do you like so much about Cha Seokyung? You only met him briefly back when I was in high school. Is it because he’s handsome?”
“Oh, please. Like I’d do anything with that. Though sure, he is nice to look at.”
Her picky mother sighed and then added,
“It’s just… Seokyung reminds me of you. At least, to my eyes. Remember when you transferred? He was the only one who came to say goodbye. The strawberry milk he gave you—that was him, wasn’t it? He’s thoughtful, that boy. I liked him because of how he treated you.”
“…We fight all the time, though.”
“Sweetie, when you’re my age you’ll see right through that. You kids fight like you’re in kindergarten, pretending to hate each other while hiding your true feelings.”
“…”
“What time’s your movie? You’ll be late.”
At that, Yeonseo swung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the door. She slipped on her usual sandals when her mom suddenly patted her back.
“What are you doing? Going to work?”
“What, why?”
“I gave you nice shoes and you’re just letting them sit there unused?”
She opened the shoe cabinet and pulled out pink enamel heels, placing them at Yeonseo’s feet.
“You need to get used to wearing these before an important occasion comes, so you don’t look awkward.”
Maybe she was right. Yeonseo slipped into them. Standing up felt a bit awkward, but not uncomfortable.
“Oh wow, my girl looks gorgeous.”
In the mirror on the cabinet, her legs looked longer, slender in her jeans. Maybe that’s why everyone wore heels. She tapped her toes on the floor, then left the house.
The bus dropped her near the theater on time. Standing the whole ride or maybe just wearing heels for the first time left her feet aching. When she peeked down, her feet were already red and swollen.
“How does anyone wear these?”
She thought of finding a pharmacy for bandages as she stepped inside the building. On the escalator, she checked her phone, but there were no new messages.
Should I text first…? Seokyung, where are you? No, that’s weird. Seokyung, what are you doing? …No, that’s worse.
Whatever she wrote felt strange. She was only here to see a movie with a friend, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Seokyung.
“Minseo!”
She looked up. Across the lobby, Choi Chan waved his hand with that familiar easy smile. Yeonseo slipped her phone into her bag and walked over. Her heels throbbed.
“When did you get here? Am I late?”
“No, I just got here too. I already picked up the tickets. Want popcorn?”
They bought a set with two sodas and popcorn. When she pulled out her wallet, Chan tried to stop her.
“I’ll pay for this.”
“Why? You already bought the tickets.”
“Well, it’s just—”
She ignored him and paid anyway.
“Then dinner’s on me. What do you want to eat?”
“Huh? Why? Is it my birthday? No, let’s split.”
“I just want to treat you.”
“Forget it. What should we eat… oh, the tteokbokki truck by the station? Have you tried it? Wait—you’re the son of a tteokbokki shop owner, never mind. But their sundae’s really good.”
Chan’s expression grew tight.
“Minseo, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“What? Doing what?”
“Are you really that clueless, or just pretending? Either way, it hurts.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You really don’t know why I asked you to see a movie, just the two of us? We’ve known each other six years. This is the first time.”
If it had been another man, she might’ve taken it differently. But because it was Choi Chan… no. He could do whatever he wanted, it still never felt romantic.
He let out a weary laugh.
“Come on, Minseo. Don’t I even count as a man to you?”
She looked at him, this clean-cut man who had always been there, quietly beside her. Maybe Seokyung had noticed something she herself hadn’t. Maybe that’s why he was uneasy.
But since Chan had opened his heart, she owed him her truth. She steadied her voice.
“Chan. I already like someone.”
She hadn’t managed to say it properly to the person himself, but to everyone else she could say it with confidence: I like Cha Seokyung.
“…I like him a lot.”
“It’s not that you’re not a man. It’s just… I like him too much. That’s why I can’t see anyone else that way. We just had a fight, that’s all.”
His face darkened, but she didn’t soften it. Leaving no room for misunderstanding felt like the fairest thing.
“Chan, you’re a good friend. A really important one.”
He nodded faintly, though his expression was bitter.
“I mean it. Friends are precious to me, and you’re one of the best.”
“….”
“I want us to stay good friends—me, you, and Youngeun. Like the Three Musketeers.”
“That sounds nice.”
She nudged his shoulder playfully.
“And don’t be embarrassed about confessing.”
“Only if you don’t tell Youngeun.”
“Fine. But then you’re buying the sundae.”
“Deal.”
Just the thought of Youngeun teasing him made Chan shiver dramatically. Yeonseo burst out laughing.
Then she froze.
There, not far away—mint-colored shirt, sleeves rolled up, white tee underneath, jeans. Holding popcorn and a drink. Cha Seokyung.
Reality hit because of the snacks in his hands.
“Noonaa!”
A little boy popped out from behind him—it was Minjae.
“Minjae? What are you doing here?”
“I came with Seokyung hyung to watch a movie!”
Yeonseo lifted her gaze. Seokyung was watching her quietly, almost sadly. Their eyes met, and then he stepped closer, voice calm.
“Minjae wanted to see it.”
“Yeah, I told you, Noona. I wanted to watch that one.”
He pointed at the poster of the hottest new kids’ movie—the same character everyone wanted merch of at their shop. It was true Minjae loved it, but still…
“Cha Seokyung. You came to see that?”
“I like it too. Whatever it’s called.”
“….”
“And Minjae asked me.”
“Yeah! I begged him, Noona!”
Yeonseo sighed. “Alright, have fun then.”
But then Seokyung asked,
“When does your movie end?”
“About 8:45,” Chan answered for her.
“Then ours finishes earlier… should we wait and eat together? All four of us?”
Chan shook his head casually.
“No, we already have plans.”
“…..”
“Minseo, let’s go. The movie’s starting.”
“…Right.”
As she turned, she heard it—
“Yeonseo.”
Only one person in this place ever called her that. Their eyes met. Seokyung smiled.
“Enjoy your movie.”
Not mocking, not empty words. Just his clear, matter-of-fact way of speaking. She nodded before she even realized it. As they walked, Chan whispered.
“That’s him, isn’t it? The guy you like.”
“…”
“Figures. He’s the one who made you cry and mope, huh?”
“What?! When did I—”
“Youngeun told me.”
“…Ugh.”
“Ha… he’s way too perfect. Hard to even feel like competing. I tried to mess with you a little, but yeah—total fail. Good luck, Ji Minseo.”
“…”
Yeonseo glanced back. And there he was. Still standing there, in that mint-colored shirt, watching her. Even as she faced forward, the weight of his gaze lingered on her back.