A9 20

“…That’s unexpected. I thought you’d get angry the moment you saw me.”

“Why would I?”

“You’re asking because you really don’t know?”

For some reason, Minhyuk was on edge. It felt like answering that he truly did not know would cause real trouble, so Suho let out a deep sigh and met Minhyuk’s eyes.

“What’s the point of getting angry? …It’s already in the past anyway. And it’s not like you were the only one at fault. If we really get into it, I was the one who provoked you first, so… Let’s call it even.”

“……”

“Still, it’s uncomfortable for both of us, so let’s avoid bringing up that day if possible.”

It was not exactly pleasant. Suho looked at Minhyuk and took a sip of water. He tried not to be conscious of it, but today he could not help noticing Minhyuk.  

As if he were done saying what he had to say, Suho set the glass down with a soft clink, and their gazes tangled in midair. Inexplicably, Minhyuk fell silent. He almost looked displeased, but so what if he was? Whether you’re uncomfortable or not, that’s none of my business. Suho deliberately shrugged his shoulders and pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was not that he had anything particular to do. He simply needed something to distract himself because the situation was awkward. Suho leaned back in his chair, mindlessly jumping between websites and social media. Minhyuk also leaned back, staring at Suho without blinking, as if he were fully absorbed in watching him. The act seemed to ask, ‘How long do you think you can avoid my eyes?’ His gaze grew increasingly piercing, like needles embedding deeper. In the end, Suho irritably set his phone down on the table.

“What?”

“……”

“Weren’t you staring because you had something to say?”

Suho asked in a voice laced with a sigh. When Minhyuk still did not answer right away, Suho frowned in frustration. Only then did Minhyuk seem willing to talk, uncrossing his arms.

“Im Suho.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think about this engagement?”

Minhyuk asked as he reached for his glass. At the weight of his words, Suho’s expression hardened.

“And you, why are you asking that?”

“…Do I need a reason to ask?”

“Depending on your answer, mine will change too.”

When Suho lowered his voice and sharpened his tone, in a rare display, Minhyuk’s hand holding the glass hesitated. There were moments like this. Suho would act like a screw was loose, then suddenly strike right at the core. One moment, he seemed like a yapping little mutt, but when you actually turned to face him, it felt genuinely threatening. At some point, Im Suho had stopped being easy to deal with. Acting the complete opposite of how Minhyuk knew him had long stopped being unusual.   

Turning his gaze away and fiddling with the glass, Minhyuk subtly lifted the corner of his lips. Suho’s gaze, which seemed to be probing him, was not all that bad. If anything, seeing him on edge felt truer to who he really was.

“I’m curious.”

Minhyuk lifted the glass he had been rolling in his hand and brought it to his lips.

“If you’re asking just out of curiosity…”

Soon, Minhyuk tilted his head back and took a mouthful of water. Suho’s stiff expression, visible beyond the glass, was quite a sight. Even after setting the glass down, Suho did not offer a clear answer, only narrowing his eyes as he looked at Minhyuk. It seemed like he could not take the word “curious” at face value, digging around for hidden meanings, which delayed his response. Minhyuk was more than willing to wait for Suho to open his mouth. Fortunately, the wait was not very long.

“Oh… That’s pretty lame.”

Having casually voiced his thoughts, Suho lifted one corner of his lips into a faint smile, then soon wore a disinterested look as he fiddled with his phone. Seeing him, who had been so on edge, loosen up in an instant felt oddly disappointing, and Minhyuk could not take his eyes off Suho.

“So what’s your answer?”

“You already know. Why ask?”

“Answer clearly. Don’t dodge it.”

“You’ll get hurt.”

“……”

“Alright, relax your face. I was joking. Just joking.”

Who could answer in an atmosphere that tense? As Suho set his phone down, he propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand.

“I don’t like it.”

Tilting his head, he looked at Minhyuk.

“I might have liked it before, but now I don’t.”

His voice was firm yet calm, and his expression was not outright cold. That, somehow, was what Minhyuk could not understand. Especially Suho’s detached attitude, as if Minhyuk had never mattered to him in the first place.

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“You liked me.”

“I did. Very briefly. At one point.”

Suho emphasized the words “very briefly” and “at one point”, recalling the Im Suho from the original story.

“But now I’m not interested in you. No, it’s closer to disliking you.”

Minhyuk frowned, clearly displeased by those words.

“Why?”

“Is there any reason to force myself to like someone who hates me?”

“……”

“Kang Minhyuk. You hate me.”

Suho raised one eyebrow, looking baffled by Minhyuk’s deeply furrowed brow. What exactly is he unhappy about? Shouldn’t he be glad to hear something like this?

“So now I don’t like you either. I care about you less than a dog passing by on the street.”

Clearly, without leaving even the slightest room for ambiguity, Suho stated his thoughts and stared straight at Minhyuk.

Minhyuk’s expression looked unsettled, his brows drawn into deep lines with no sign of relaxing. Anyone seeing them would think they were very close, but in reality, it was the opposite. Feeling vaguely uneasy, Suho subtly avoided the gaze that refused to leave him and brought the glass to his lips.  

“But what’s the point of saying all this. Even if we hate each other, it’s not like we can end this relationship.”

In a low voice, he spoke as if resigned.

“You know as well as I do that in an engagement like this, the parties involved don’t get a say. Look at today. They made plans out of the blue without even asking about our opinions or schedules in the first place.”

“……”

“I’ve said more than enough. Anyway, I don’t like you.”

After taking a moment to catch his breath with a sip of water, Suho set the glass down. The fact that the gaze still did not leave him, even during such a meaningless action, felt extremely burdensome. If he kept talking, it felt like his true feelings would be stripped bare under that penetrating stare, so Suho quietly closed his mouth.

Fortunately, Minhyuk did not speak again. Whether he truly had nothing to say or whether he was holding back words he wanted to say, Suho could not tell, but either way, it was not bad. Hoping this awkward silence would end soon, Suho turned his gaze out the window.

Then—

“So, to sum it up, you want to end this relationship.”

A calm yet slightly subdued voice reached his ears. Unable to tell whether Minhyuk was testing him or asking in earnest, Suho finally met the gaze he had been avoiding all this time.

“Yeah.”

“……”

“If I could.”

It was an obvious answer, one he already knew, yet one that had never been spoken aloud. Though brief, it felt refreshing. Perhaps it was because he had finally voiced something he had subconsciously treated as taboo.

There was nothing surprising about it, yet Minhyuk gave no real response, merely fiddling with his glass. At the very least, Suho had expected him to nod, but the way he pressed his lips shut and maintained his silence felt strange.

Suho looked at Minhyuk and tilted his head in puzzlement.

“But isn’t this something you want more than I do? You’d want to get rid of a fiancé like me as soon as possible.”

At that, the hand that had been playing with the glass hesitated.

“What about you, then?”

“What about me?”

“If there’s someone else by my side, would you be with Lee Jaeyoung?”

“…Why is Lee Jaeyoung suddenly coming up? Besides, it’s not like the person sitting next to me has changed only once or twice.”

Suho frowned at Jaeyoung’s name appearing out of nowhere. A more expressionless face than before, a voice sharpened despite carrying little emotion, and the mood sinking without warning. Minhyuk reacted far more strongly than usual. It was not as if Suho had said anything wrong, yet for some reason, Minhyuk was being especially tiresome today.

Having said what he needed to say, as if to signal that he did not want to talk any further, Suho let out a heavy sigh and turned his head toward the window. Minhyuk still kept his mouth shut. He stared intently, as though he had much more to say, but since it was not the first time, Suho lightly ignored his gaze.

Time passed like that until the staff began entering one by one with plates in hand. Since they had ordered different courses, the explanations for each dish were lengthy. Suho nodded half-heartedly, barely listening to the manager, and only when the talking paused did he poke at the food a few times with his fork.

Minhyuk was no different. He did not touch the steak that had been served as his main dish, only putting a few pieces of garnish into his mouth, hardly eating at all. That sight seemed to cause a misunderstanding.

“Does the food not suit your taste?”

The manager asked cautiously after finishing the explanation. Feeling like he had troubled an innocent person, Suho forced a bright smile and shook his head. Minhyuk, however, simply wiped his untouched lips with a linen napkin and concluded the meal without offering any response. As a result, the worry-filled expression on the manager’s face seemed to age several years in just a few minutes.

“Thank you for the meal. I’ll come again next time.”

Left with no choice, Suho stood up quickly. Even as he pushed his chair back in, clearly giving off the impression that he was leaving, Minhyuk showed no sign of getting up.

“What are you doing? Get up.”

“……”

“I’m heading home first, okay?”

As if to show he was not joking, Suho started walking and passed by him. Just as he was about to leave the room—

“Im Suho.”

Minhyuk, who had remained silent the entire time, called out to stop him.

“Wait. We’re supposed to go to a cafe together.”

“…What?”

Suho let out a short, incredulous laugh without realizing it. A cafe, out of nowhere. What on earth was he thinking now?