Chapter 94

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Regardless of Yoo Chun Young’s urging gaze, Yi Ruda smiled cheerfully yet with a relaxed face.

“Hmm… You still don’t get that… the reason why Donnie didn’t tell you guys the truth of the car accident. Do you really don’t get it?”

“…”

“Yeah, I can tell it from your face that you really do not understand. You know, it makes me wonder. You guys have been friends for over three years… but why didn’t she tell you the truth? Why can’t you guys figure it out…?”

Leaning against the wall, Yi Ruda paused his words then put on a twisted smile.

“And why did she tell that only to me, whom she has known less than a month?”

“What do you want to say?”

“We’ve been sharing many secrets. She told me the reason. Why, do you also want to know? Are you curious?”

After making that remark, Yi Ruda kept his gorgeous smile, which looked seemingly beautiful enough; however, You Chun Young felt the urge to punch him in the face.

If the place they were at wasn’t a bathroom, Yoo Chun Young would have done that. Fighting inside the bathroom would result in him rolling on the dirty floor, which Yoo Chun Young would hate to death; besides, he had a photoshoot today. If his face gets hurt, he could hardly imagine how harshly he would get scolded.

Yoo Chun Young didn’t react at all but just clenched his fist tightly. Yi Ruda showed a grin again. He wasn’t asked for a response, but Yi Ruda continued his words.

“She lacked confidence.”

“…?”

“She said that she wasn’t confident about herself; she couldn’t ensure if she was a precious friend to you guys. She was afraid to make you guys worry about her and spend time for her. This made me wonder about something…”

With no words, Yoo Chun Young lifted his eyes to stare at Yi Ruda. Yi Ruda smiled at him then kept on his words.

“You guys were always together since you’ve been in the same class for three years in middle school, right? Oh, Donnie didn’t tell me about this. I found a few things by myself out of personal interest. It was quite well known that Ban Yeo Ryung and Ham Donnie were best friends since they were born, and you guys were all in the same class.”

“So?”

“Do you know how Donnie looks when she’s apart from you guys? You guys would never know since you all have never stayed away from her. Am I right?”

Yoo Chun Young wrinkled his brows. He wasn’t sure what Yi Ruda wanted to talk about. Yi Ruda, however, continued.

“So far, from what I’ve seen, Donnie doesn’t seem to be comfortable in taking the center stage. She seems to be very unfamiliar with it, you know what I’m saying? I find nothing lacking about her, but she still acts like that. She also doesn’t seem to look proud of what she has achieved even it’s a satisfactory result in other’s aspects. Also…”

“…?”

“You guys don’t seem to be aware of it, but Donnie shows a lack of self-esteem only in front of you guys. Get it? The dump truck accident… she told me everything about what happened. That is, she only feels uncomfortable telling the truth to you guys. Isn’t it strange? You guys were friends for over three years, but she’s feeling such a pressure to share the truth to her best friends…”

“So, what’s your point?”

Yi Ruda giggled.

“Why do you think Donnie lacks confidence, feels uncomfortable about others’ attention, and pushes herself too much? Who would be in charge of that?”

“…”

“I’ve thought about it and the answer is obvious. She would have definitely felt less confident when she has so many overwhelming people around her. Everyone’s eye is bent on them and not on her, so she will, of course, not get used to people’s attention on her. The reason she is pushing herself too hard is that she wants to be together with you guys.”

Yoo Chun Young bit his lips. Yi Ruda drove a wedge in with a smile.

“It’s all because of you guys.”

Yoo Chun Young’s fixed gaze at Yi Ruda slowly dropped to the floor. Yi Ruda, however, didn’t let Yoo Chun Young drop his head.

Yi Ruda took a step toward Yoo Chun Young. When their eyes met, Yi Ruda grinned while bending his eyes. Yoo Chun Young bit his lips harder.

“So I really wondered… how did you all become friends when she was still feeling uncomfortable about you guys regardless of the three years of friendship? Based on her character, she wouldn’t have approached you guys first, would she?”

“…”

“Did she ever reach out her hands first to you guys?”

Yoo Chun Young, biting his lips firmly, frowned his eyes before staring at Yi Ruda.

Regardless of Yoo Chun Young’s threatening gaze, Yi Ruda smiled as if he felt satisfied. He might have read the answer in Yoo Chun Young’s face.

No, she did not. She never reached out her hands first.

Did Ham Donnie ever reach out her hands first to him? No, not at all. It was Ban Yeo Ryung and the four boys, who always tried to step closer to Donnie.

When Yoo Chun Young lifted his gaze, Yi Ruda’s face came into his sight. The smile on his face looked different from the previous one; it was a bittersweet grin that a grown-up man would put to soothe a child.

As Yi Ruda’s face suddenly got closer, Yoo Chun Young almost freaked out; however, he didn’t step back.

Yi Ruda spoke from a near distance so close that they could feel each other’s breath.

“Okay, this was what Donnie told me before. She said that she’s the problem and I agree with her, too. In this situation, Donnie is bad for not believing you guys. Didn’t you all try your best? Reaching out your hand is difficult than holding someone’s hand, and you all tried that out, like, endlessly, right? So, you guys did nothing bad. It’s Donnie, who refused those hands.”

“…”

“In my opinion, continuing this relationship is not good for both Donnie and you all. It will just make you guys fed up in the end. Think about it, it has been three years. You all tried your best for three years to open her heart, but it didn’t work. What difference will it make to keep on doing this for another few years then?”

Giving a pause to listen, Yoo Chun Young slowly closed his eyes. He then pouted his lips in anger to ask.

“So?”

“Why don’t you just give up now?”

Yoo Chun Young’s eyes were still closed. What Yi Ruda said was nothing but the truth, so it made him painful. Yi Ruda’s fiercely keen insight resembled that of Woo Jooin. His soothing whisper-like voice continued to ring around his ears.

“I think Donnie will simply give up if you guys turn away from her since she never reached out her hands first. Don’t you think so? That will make you all stay comfortable. Donnie will gain confidence from after getting surrounded by run-of-the-mill friends and you guys… don’t have to beat a dead horse anymore, right?”

“…”

“Aren’t you tired? Don’t you feel fed up? Wouldn’t it be better to just give up this relationship?”

Yoo Chun Young opened his eyes. Yi Ruda was still smiling with his gaze fixed at him. His last words came into his years at a slow pace.

“Wasting three years is enough. You’ve done your best. I opened her heart within a month which you didn’t manage to do for over the last three years. It just speaks about everything you’re doing wrong, doesn’t it?”

A long pause enveloped both of them when his speech ended. Yoo Chun Young glanced over the side. A few sophomores looked confused about the ongoing conversation, and Yi Ruda still smiled with ease.

At that moment, Yoo Chun Young found the sign of conviction in Yi Ruda’s eyes. It displayed Yi Ruda’s belief that things would turn as he desired.

Yoo Chung Young breathed out quietly and slowly. He saw Yi Ruda’s eyes sparkling stronger.

Yoo Chun Young opened his mouth, “Thanks for a piece of advice.”

“…”

“But it pisses me off.”

“What?”

“Who do you think you are to say sh*ts about us? Get the fu*k off.”

Looking at Yoo Chun Young’s flaming eyes and cold-hearted voice, Yi Ruda inhaled deeply in surprise. Just a moment ago, Yoo Chun Young looked frigid but a little loose which wasn’t that threatening.

This enabled Yi Ruda to push Yoo Chun Young overconfidently into the corner. He thought that just saying a few words would be enough to make Yoo Chun Young give up his friendship with Ham Donnie. However, what… ‘Did he just curse at me?’

Yi Ruda would never know, but it had been a year since Yoo Chun Young last cursed someone.

In front of Yi Ruda, who was blinking his eyes in bewilderment, Yoo Chun Young was scowling behind Yi Ruda with a grimace.

Yi Ruda turned his head to look back in surprise, but he saw nothing. Yoo Chun Young, from across, then flung a question.

“Oh, I can’t help it anymore. Right teeth or left teeth, which one is weaker? Pick one.”

“What?”

“I’m not gonna ask twice.”

‘What are you going to do, if I choose one…?’ At the very next moment, Yi Ruda grasped what action he should take when he saw the sharp glare in Yoo Chun Young’s blue eyes.