When Your Pain Becomes Mine

47. You Need This

After joining in, Ojae looked through the inside of the restaurant in amazement.

"Wow, how did you find this place?"

Knowing what Gyeonhui usually ate, Ojae asked him surprised.

As Gyeonhui walked through the restaurant without answering, he noticed a group of Kids Fans on the other side of the restaurant. He looked at Sun and Eunwoo, who were sitting side by side.

'It looks good.'

Unlike his sunken eyes, his shoulders hardened because of his retching emotions. However, he seemingly never showed it.

"Huh? The Kids Fan's president's here. Did you come here knowing this?"

Ojae recognized Eunyoung, opened his eyes wide, and asked. Gyeonhui approached the table with his long legs, still not answering.

Gyeonhui slowly started talking when he saw Eunyoung turning her head in disgust with Sun's firm face.

"I've been invited, but it seems like nobody's welcoming me."

No answer was heard from the table. Gyeonhui turned his attention to Ari.

"Was it a mistake?"

He already knew it already, but he pretended like he didn't know.

"What? Oh, that's..."

Ari's embarrassed face grew pale, and she couldn't even answer properly.

Ari looked at Eunyoung like she was asking for help, but Eunyoung, who understood the situation, had no choice but to sigh.

"Then, I can sit down."

He sat right in front of Sun on purpose. Ojae sat down beside him.

"Did you two have some trouble?" Eunwoo saw that their faces were slightly swollen and asked.

"I don't think so. No more questions about us, please."

Gyeonhui looked at Sun with his waist firmly raised.

"Is your stressful job all done?"

Gyeonhui nodded slowly after glancing at Eunwoo.

"Don't you have anything keeping you busy?"

"No. It's a weekend."

Eunwoo answered his insignificant questions that he thought might be unpleasant. Sun finally stood up from her seat. The building tension around was so painful for her to bear as they talked. Everyone who was sitting at the table naturally looked at Sun.

"Talk to me," Sun said while looking down at Gyeonhui.

"I just got here."

"I don't see anyone here welcoming you, Gyeonhui. Let's go out."

Ari opened her eyes upon hearing Sun's straightforward words, and Eunyoung also looked anxious.

Sun left her seat without hearing his answer.

"I'm sorry for destroying the atmosphere. I'm sorry."

After acknowledging Eunyoung and Eunwoo, Sun soon stepped out of the restaurant.

"Hmm."

Gyeonhui reluctantly rose from his seat with a firm expression. Ojae tried to get up with him, seemingly unhappy.

"You stay here, Ojae."

Ojae's face turned bright red, and he sat right back in his seat. A tense-looking Gyeonhui opened the door and stepped out. When Sun looked at him, she quickly walked away like she had been waiting.

After watching for a while, Gyeonhui stepped forward and grabbed Sun's arm.

"Where are you going?"

"As far as I can get from here."

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone else to be harmed because of me."

"Harmed?"

"Don't you understand? You being here is already harmful."

Her words hurt his heart.

He had come here knowing everything, but her direct words were not something pleasant to his ears. Looking at his resentment, he released her arm away from his hand.

She then rushed away as if she were fleeing.

He followed her with a firm expression.

***

The atmosphere of the people who remained sitting on the table was literally like a funeral.

"Does he not have common sense? How can he come here?"

Ari spoke rather loudly like she was so apologetic for the situation. However, she couldn't possibly change this tense atmosphere with just that alone.

"... I'm sorry." Ari said with a mournful expression. Eunyoung looked frustrated as she drank some water.

"... I'm sorry. Dr. Park. Ari lowered her head and said in a voice filled with nothing but sadness.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Eunwoo tried to comfort Ari, but she was still anxious. His eyes were naturally directed toward the exit where Sun had gone out.

"Here's the food for you."

Then, the employee brought the food. The spicy smoked chicken feet were placed on the table. The pleasant, piquant scent filled the air with comfort, but no one was lifting their chopsticks to eat.

"Why don't we enjoy the food?"

Eunwoo tried to change the mood by filling up everyone's glasses. Eunyoung reluctantly raised her drink because she didn't want Eunwoo to be hurt.

"Yes. Let's eat no matter what's going on."

Eunwoo then lifted his glass. Ari noticed and carefully lifted her drink too.

"Yes, things have already happened. Let's just enjoy the drinks."

"What makes you so excited?" Eunyoung asked while furrowing her brow.

"Me? Oh, I'm not excited."

"Your face looks like you were just beaten up somewhere. Maybe you deserved it."

Eunyoung mumbled loudly and raised her glass. Ojae then lifted his drink, but Eunwoo was the only person who toasted with him.

***

The bar was filled with laughter and chattering from afar.

Gyeonhui started to chug a glass of beer at once and roughly laid them on the table.

"Here, get me another drink."

After placing the order, the owner quickly put another glass with beer and placed it before her.

"I didn't know that you liked to drink like this." He said with disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.

"I always used to love alcohol; you just didn't know. You have a lot of things you never knew about me."

As she tried to pour out her words, she quickly took a deep breath and closed her mouth.

"Let's stop. This is pointless."

Let's stop. Those were always his words. When the words came out of her mouth, Gyeonhui furrowed his brow.

"What are you going to stop? I haven't done anything yet."

"... Keep it that way. Just don't do anything."

"What!?"

He frowned and asked her again. Instead of answering, Sun drank again. This time, Gyeonhui reached out and stole the glass away from her.

"Give me that."

Sun reached out, but he did not give it away.

"Stop drinking."

"I will drink. Why does it matter to you if I want to drink or not?"

"That's because… Hah..."

He couldn't answer, and he sighed. The relationship between them was tepid, so he couldn't say what his reasons were.

"You're drinking just to show off to me."

"To show off?" Sun followed his words and burst into laughter. "Don't be mistaken."

His eyes shook after listening to that tone and nuances that he had heard a lot somewhere.

"You're a guy who doesn't mean anything to me now. Do you still not know that?"

She said while pretending to be nonchalant.

After looking at her for a while, Gyeonhui nodded to show his understanding.

"Sun, are you doing this intentionally?"

Sun lifted her head after hearing his confident words.

"You're just mocking what I've been doing to you. Is this some kind of revenge?"

"Revenge?"

Sun sighed before looking back at him.

"Can't I do the same thing that you did to me? I guess you think that I don't have the right, huh?

Gyeonhui needed a moment to understand the meaning of her words.

"Do you mean that I'm not as hurt as you are?"

"You know that better than I."

Sun was sure about that.

She would always feel the heartbreak that he had given her every time she looked at him. The pain would then spread throughout his heart, not knowing where it had started.

'I'm sick too.' He thought, but he decided not to say it.

"I really hope that today is the last time we see each other like this."

She struggled to speak. However, it seemed that he didn't intend to do so.

"No, I don't want to."

"Gyeonhui!"

"I need you."

Sun looked back at him in amazement after hearing his utterance.

"... What did you say?"

"You heard me. I need you."

He stopped for a moment and started speaking again.

"I've thought a lot about it. I need you still. Let's start over."

'I've thought about it a lot.'

'I still need you.'

'Let's start over.'

He spoke a series of words that he had never spoken in his life. He thought that was enough. However, he noticed that she looked hurt now more than ever once he said those words.

"... How dare you say that to me?"

Her eyes were full of resentment. Her trembling voice pierced his c.h.e.s.t.

"The last thing I did to you was, yes, it was my mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."

'It was a mistake.'

He had never admitted his faults before, but he wanted her back so much that he would do anything.

"Let's do it again. This time it can be different."

As she listened, Sun looked at him with sinking eyes. "Do you mean that you will change?"

"... kind of."

He answered with a serious face. Once he began to retreat, he could see that there would be no end to it.

"Lies..."

She shook her head with an expression that showed her disbelief.

"Isn't that enough for you?"

He finally spoke the words he had held back.

"What more should I do? Say something! Talk to me!"

His voice raised unknowingly. Sun looked at him silently and opened her mouth calmly.

"... Wait."

Gyeonhui furrowed his brow after hearing her sinking voice.

"What, what?"

"If I ask you to come, you'll come, and If I ask you to go, you'll just go. Can you do that?

Her words struck his back like a sledgehammer. In an unexpected shock, he couldn't say anything.