The Best of Tomorrow-Chapter 6Vol 2. .4

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Kwon Eun-chan showed up carrying a whole pile of stuff—mats, bags, everything. When he said to meet by the Han River, I thought we’d maybe walk a bit or eat some instant noodles from the convenience store, but apparently he had something like a grand feast in mind. He flapped out the mat dramatically, spread it out on the ground, took off his shoes, and plopped down. Just as he sat, his phone rang. He answered, craning his neck and scanning the area.

“Oh? You’re already here? On my way!”

Without fully putting his shoes back on, he slipped his feet halfway in and ran off shouting, “Noona! I’m gonna go get the chicken!”

When did he even order chicken? Seriously, our Eun-chan... always on the move.

I sat down on the mat and peeked inside the plastic bag he brought. Four cans of beer and a bag of onion rings. That made me chuckle. He’d said he wanted to thank me for taking care of him when he got blackout drunk last time—and yet, here he was, bringing more alcohol. Nothing screams “college student” like that.

As I opened a can of beer, Kwon Eun-chan came back yelling, “Let’s drink together!”

“Noona, I’m really sorry about last time. I’m giving you the precious drumstick to make up for it.”

He handed me a chicken drumstick.

“There are two drumsticks though.”

Kwon Eun-chan picked up the other drumstick and widened his eyes.

“If I buy the chicken, I get both drumsticks.”

I burst into laughter at how shameless he was. Holding up our drumsticks, we clinked our cans and drank.

“The day after, Seon-jae-hyung really laid into me. ‘What the hell were you doing getting carried on her back?’ he said. I kept apologizing, but he just kept going. I thought my ears were gonna bleed.”

“Seon-jae?”

Eun-chan nodded vigorously.

“He said if I’m ever going to meet you again, I need to report to him first. That he has to approve the meeting. Can you believe that? So I told him, sure, I’ll do that—once both our names show up next to each other on the family registry.”

He said it so casually, picking meat off the bone and tossing it into the bag. I couldn’t help but laugh, imagining Seon-jae’s stunned face when he heard that.

“By the way, hasn’t hyung come back? Is it okay for you to be out with me like this today?”

This time, Eun-chan picked up a chicken wing and looked at me.

“I saw him yesterday.”

“What about today? I called earlier and he said he was home.”

“......”

I suddenly had nothing to say. I knew Seon-jae wasn’t dealing with anything major. His voice just sounded tired, so I didn’t bring up meeting up. And he hadn’t brought it up either. I figured it’s not like we have to see each other every single day.

“He sounded tired, so I didn’t ask to meet.”

Eun-chan raised both hands, holding the chicken wing. “Wow.”

“You two haven’t seen each other in a month, right? Bet you’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“He’s just been busy.”

“Well, yeah, he’s been busy. But that’s exactly why you should see each other more when he isn’t. When else will you?”

“......”

Kwon Eun-chan looked at me for a moment. Then he took a swig of beer and shook his head.

“I’ve always thought this, but you two are just way too considerate of each other. You’re both like royalty of consideration. Like you’ve got ghosts of unconsiderate past lives stuck to you or something.”

Somehow, this turned into a relationship counseling session with Kwon Eun-chan. It wasn’t even a proper dilemma—I was just venting. I missed Seon-jae. That was all. But feelings like that are relative, aren’t they? I was just tired from work lately, and people around me kept saying weird things. It was probably just that.

Nodding as he listened, Eun-chan eventually started spouting nonsense about how we should just get married, or spark a scandal and go public.

“Say something that makes sense.”

“You think I’m just talking nonsense? I’m not. If you told hyung to quit being an idol, I bet he’d announce his retirement the very next day. Boom!”

“Oh, please. Why do I even talk to you.”

Just as I shut my mouth, I saw someone running toward us. Black cap, black hoodie—Seon-jae.

“Huh?”

I blinked in surprise, and Eun-chan turned to follow my gaze. Then, very obviously grabbing his bag, he said, “Noona, I need to hit the bathroom,” and bolted. Why are you taking your bag to the bathroom? I stared after him in disbelief, but by then Seon-jae was already standing in front of me. Did something urgent happen?

“How did you get here? Did Eun-chan call you?”

Seon-jae caught his breath, looking shocked.

“Sol.”

Then he took my hand. His palm was warm where it touched my skin. Something felt off, and my chest tightened. Had something happened? He pulled his mask down to his chin and spoke right away.

“Are you seriously thinking of breaking up with me?”

“What?”

My eyes widened even more.

“You’re not... right?”

“What are you even....”

Seon-jae grabbed my other hand too, holding both tightly as he looked down at me.

“Did I mess up...?”

Suddenly, I remembered Eun-chan earlier—wiping off grease, messing with his phone. That bastard...

“Sol.”

Seon-jae’s voice grew more desperate.

“No.”

He blinked in confusion. I let go of his hands and laughed softly.

“Seriously, no. What did Eun-chan say to you?”

Seon-jae took out his phone and showed me a message.

[Hyung, if you don’t come now, you’re getting dumped.]

I smiled and looked up at him.

“You believed that? You could’ve just messaged me. Why’d you run all the way here?”

Seon-jae put his phone away, rested his hand on top of my head, then leaned forward until his forehead dropped onto the back of his hand.

“The moment I saw that, my heart sank.”

I laughed silently and lifted my head. Seon-jae’s face was right there. Just an inch closer and our noses would touch. We stared quietly at each other.

We walked hand-in-hand along a quiet path. We were getting farther from where Seon-jae had parked. I never had any intention of breaking up, but Seon-jae held my hand like he was afraid I’d vanish the moment he let go.

“We haven’t been able to see each other much lately, huh?”

“Well, you’ve been busy. I understand.”

Of course Seon-jae’s popularity would mean more packed schedules. Even if it meant less time face-to-face, I saw it as a good thing. My head understood—but my heart didn’t.

Even when I told myself, It’s fine, it’s normal, I still got upset. Especially when my birthday passed without him. That night had felt especially lonely. But I couldn’t show those feelings easily. Once that day passed, the emotions faded, piece by piece.

“Sol... are you struggling?”

Seon-jae stopped walking and turned to me.

“Kwon Eun-chan’s nonsense nearly gave me a heart attack. I’m fine, Seon-jae. I swear. I’ve never once thought of breaking up with you—why are you like this?”

He took my hand again, gently playing with my fingers.

“I’ll do better.”

That made me laugh.

“How can you do better than this?”

“I can. I will.”

He lifted my hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

“Everything I do is for you. If you’re not there, none of it matters.”

“......”

His gaze held mine. His eyes looked deeper than ever. I looked back at him for a moment, then smiled faintly and nodded.

It felt like all those thoughts I’d had alone crumpled like a losing lottery ticket. To think I ever felt lonely—when someone like this loved me. That had been my mistake.

It should’ve ended there, all fine and well. But then I came home and had a few drinks. That’s when the real problem started.

Somehow, I’d ended up sending him messages—completely drunk, completely embarrassing. Like some pathetic ex.

[Seon-jae-yaaa]

[Honestly, saying I’m not struggling would be a lie, but I swear I never thought of breaking up with you?]

[But I did have that kind of thought once]

[You’re super busy and like, you're totally a superstar, even if you say you’re not. From where I’m standing, you totally are...]

[You know what 슈스 means, right? / 슈스 = superstar]

[Anyway, when someone’s this busy, honestly... dating kind of feels like a luxury]

[Reading that back, it sounds like I’m saying we shouldn’t date? Scratch that. I never thought that]

[I’m using stream of consciousness writing right now]

[I drank a little]

[Anyway, I love you]

[Your savior]

“Ah... I’m insane. Seriously.”

I flung my phone onto the bed like I was throwing it away and buried my face in the blanket. I held back a scream. There was a typo in the last message, but I’d obviously meant ‘savior’. And the fact that I said that meant I was completely drunk.

Whenever I drank enough to black out, I always ended up spewing crap like that. I saved you..., or something.

“God, this is mortifying...”

Groaning out loud, I clenched my fists. If technology ever developed a machine to erase specific memories, I wanted to erase the time traveler version of myself. Then I wouldn’t go around calling myself a savior.

Even though Seon-jae knew everything about the time travel—what happened, and why—I still always felt uncomfortable about it. The fact that he knew everything. That he knew his life only continued because of me. I hated the idea that it might make him feel indebted. That maybe we were only tied together because of that. It scared me.

But for some reason, the moment I drank, all of that worry just vanished. My mouth ran on its own. Just like yesterday.

While I was pounding the mattress in a fury, the phone buzzed.

“Ugh.”

I reached for the phone I’d chucked aside and flipped it over. As expected, a message from Seon-jae.

[Are you awake?]

Groaning softly, I typed back:

[Hiding in a mouse hole...]

[ㅠㅠ]

[Drinking again was a mistake.]

His reply came instantly.

[I changed your contact name again for the first time in a while.]

I felt a strange chill. And then he sent a screenshot. I didn’t even need to check—it was obvious—but out of politeness, I tapped it anyway. The tiny image filled the screen.

[My Savior Sol☆]

“...What’s with the star at the end...”

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After work, I stepped outside and found the sky gray and heavy. The light drizzle suddenly turned into a downpour. I stood there, staring blankly up at the sky as rain poured down.

“Ah... I don’t have an umbrella.”

I pulled out my phone to check the weather. A passing shower, apparently—maybe it would stop soon.

“You don’t have an umbrella?”

I turned toward the voice. It was Park Geon-woo, standing there holding a long umbrella. Looked like he’d just come out of the building.

“Ah, no. But I think it’ll stop soon.”

Park Geon-woo glanced at the rain coming down in sheets.

“Looks like it’s going to last a while.”

“Ah... really?”

“Here, take this.”

He held out the umbrella. I waved my hands quickly.

“Oh no, it’s fine, really.”

“I’ve got another one at the office. I’ll just use that one.”

I stood awkwardly, hands frozen in the air, hesitating. He nudged the umbrella closer. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“Really, it’s no trouble...”

Just as he said that, a voice called out through the rain—so loud I nearly didn’t hear it.

“I think someone’s calling for you, PD-nim?”

Geon-woo also turned toward the sound. Someone was walking toward us from straight ahead, umbrella in hand. A tall, clean-cut guy in ripped jeans and a loose black striped knit sweater.

“Sol!”

The voice cut through the rain. No doubt—it was Seon-jae. My eyes widened. I looked around in panic. Park Geon-woo was right next to me, and there were one or two more people near the entrance. I stood there with my mouth open, unable to say anything, as Seon-jae came right up to me.

“Why didn’t you answer when I called?”

“H-Huh?”

I was so flustered I stuttered.

When we’d first started dating, we’d go on public dates sometimes. And every time, Seon-jae always wore a mask or a hat. But today, his face was completely uncovered. Anyone could tell it was Ryu Seon-jae.

I glanced at Park Geon-woo. He was staring, wide-eyed. Aah... Ryu Seon-jae... I sighed under my breath. Meanwhile, Seon-jae tilted the umbrella toward me.

“I was waiting in the car, and then it suddenly started raining.”

“Oh, right...?”

“Didn’t I tell you I was coming to pick you up today?”

My eyes darted around, unsure where to look. Then Seon-jae reached up and brushed my bangs back from my forehead, tucking the wet strands behind my ear. He smiled faintly.

“What are you looking at?”

God, what is with him today... I blinked rapidly. He took my hand.

“Let’s go, Sol.”

I tried to pull my hand back, but he interlaced our fingers and held tight. He gave a polite nod to Park Geon-woo and began to walk. Geon-woo looked stunned, slightly bowing back.

As we stepped out from the building, the rain pounded harder against the umbrella. Seon-jae let go [N O V E L I G H T] of my hand only to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pull me closer. One of my shoulders pressed against his chest.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“What? Is it weird I came to pick you up?”

“No, it’s not that, but... you’re just out here with your face all exposed...”

I poked his chin with a finger. He lowered his head until our eyes met.

“Why would you ever think dating me is a luxury? I hate that.”

“So what? You’re just going to start acting like this from now on?”

Seon-jae glanced over his shoulder.

“That guy next to you earlier—he’s totally into you.”

“Wha—huh?”

“I’m the goalkeeper. Let him try scoring if he dares.”

How did he even know Park Geon-woo liked me? I was so shocked I couldn’t even form a proper response. I just pressed my lips together and followed him in silence toward his car.