You gulp nervously. "What?"

"I like you," he restates, not batting an eye. It doesn't daunt him at all; proclaiming his feelings like this. It's refreshing to have such a bold guy confirm his emotions, but ... no. No. This is too unexpected. You're not given enough time to react effectively.

"Don't say that," you burst out, your thoughts twisting up inside of you and escaping your mouth in the most regrettable way. You bite back your lip, embarrassed at having been so blunt. His eyes darken, but he doesn't look away, and simply faces you with such a rebellious look.

"I'm not going to say sorry ... for saying what I did," he says quietly. He stares at the notes in your hand and continues. "Actually. I'm saying it ... I said it, even if I knew, even if I know ... what your answer is. I guess," at this, he chuckles lightly, "I really am stupid."

You stare at him, wanting to ask him what he had assumed your reply would be, but afraid to find out that he's right. He smiles sadly up at you.

"You won't ever like me. I know that."

You whisper, "What makes you say that?"

He tries to laugh it off, but his eyes remain passive. "Because. You obviously like Daehyun."

You instantly blush, and your immediate reaction only confirms his suspicions. He heaves a heavy sigh at your embarrassed reaction and runs a hand through his hair, successfully messing up his already rough hairdo. 

"You don't have to hide it, you know? It's kinda obvious. It's annoying." He takes a deep breath and continues, his voice lowering in volume. "That first time I saw you guys together. I don't think even you knew it, but ... you looked so happy. You were always happy, when you were with him. And every time you looked at him, from then on, you lit up. Your eyes, they just ... " he trails off. "I wanted to be the one who could do that for you. I was surprised, that you could be happier now compared to who you were in the past, compared to all those things you had. I had hoped ... that I would be the one who could make you look like that. But it wasn't me." He looks up at you. "It was Daehyun."

Uncomfortable, you break away from his gaze. "I don't ... I don't look like that."

"How would you know?" He retorts. "It's not like there's a mirror every time you hang out with Daehyun. It's not like you look at yourself every time you're with him. But when you're me ... you see a lot of things."

"Then I don't get it," you start, confused. "If you like me ... why? Why did you do all that? Being rude ... and writing letters. Why couldn't you just have come up to talk to me? If you've liked me for so long, if you've known me for so long ... why now?"

That's the question you want him most to answer. Indeed, why now? Why hadn't he done it then? Why not before? Why now, when you're not who you used to be?

Or maybe, who you were in the past was never who you were meant to be in the first place. 

"Because," at this, he smiles slightly, "I can actually predict your answer. I'm ... a pretty stupid guy. I mean. I have a scholarship. But being smart, and being knowledgeable ... those things are entirely different. And I wanted to tell you, before, in the past, but ... I didn't know how you'd react. You were the most popular girl in the school, because of your dad's status. And I wasn't anybody, compared to your friends."

You can't help but smile a little at this. "But they weren't very good friends."

"No," he agrees. "They weren't. But ... not that I'm one to judge. It's not like I have been very good to you, either. I'm like a kid. If I like somebody, I can't directly ... it's hard for me to directly say it. I gotta be as mean as ever, or ruder than before. That's just who I am. I guess ... it's my way of defending myself. So that if anyone were to ever find out that I liked somebody, I could just claim that my rude actions proved otherwise."

"I wouldn't have minded, you know," you say quietly. "If you talked to me before. I think ... yeah. I was presented as popular. And I liked that. The status of being rich, the status of ... being somebody. But ... I don't think I would have ignored you." You look up at him hopefully. 

"You say that now only because you're not who you were anymore," he shrugs, and your anger flares. You try to keep your mouth shut as he continues. "Anyway. Maybe you don't know that, but you weren't always so ... humble." He stares at you, his eyes glittering with mischief. "That guy ... he really ... he's changed you.

"That's not a bad thing," he hurriedly adds as soon as he sees the look on your face. "It's not. Because I think ... I think that I like the you now, than the you then. And I gotta give props to Daehyun for that. I'm just sorry that I couldn't have been the one to do it." He rubs his eyes tiredly. "Do you wanna know something? I've wondered ... if Daehyun thinks the same way I do. I mean. Why? Why does he talk to you? If you think about it, a guy coming to a new school ... nobody is that selfless to approach the girl who's no longer as good as she used to be. Nobody's that nice. Not even Daehyun. Everybody has two sides to himself. So I wonder ... " He stares at you purposefully. "Does he pity you?"

His words hit you hard, and you retaliate, desperate to protect your bruised ego. "He can't pity me. If anything, you ... no. No." You panic. Slowly, you let yourself believe it. What if Jungwook's right? What if Daehyun really does pity you?

You think about all those times he had offered you things - food, blankets. How he had done all he could to be courteous to you. Daehyun is nice, but ... Jungwook's right. Nobody is that perfect.

"I'm sorry," Jungwook suddenly says, and you look at him, startled. He had managed to deflate your anger, if only a tiny bit, and now he shakes his head. "I shouldn't say that. I guess that's my jealousy talking. Anyway. I'm not going to ... bother you anymore. You can do ... you can be whatever you want, and I won't ... I'm not going to try to make you like me. I don't want to burden you with that." He stalls for a bit before he returns to the counter, leaving you standing there, the notes crumpled in your hand. "Come on," he invites you. "We have to work."

Jungwook does his best to disperse the tension after the conversation, and by the time your shift has ended, things have returned to an approximate state of normality. You grab your things and head home, your head filled with the words Jungwook had said.

It bothers you. Daehyun ... now that you think about it, you haven't talked to him in a while, what with all the drama with Jungwook that had gone on. Does Daehyun pity you? You've never asked him. You hope he doesn't. You hope he doesn't, because that's not the kind of emotion you want him to feel about you. "Pity", or "Sympathy" ... that's not it. That's not what you want.

You like him. Daehyun, that is. You like him - everything about him. You like the way his hair falls down on his eyes every time he thinks deeply about something. You like the way his eyes shine when he smiles. You like his dorky but kind personality. You like how serious he had been when he had stood up for you that day in the cafeteria,  and how, at times, his extreme naiveness shows. Those things ... those were regular things he did. And maybe, to some people, those things don't mean anything. But they mean something - no, everything - to you.

Not surprisingly, Daehyun is sitting on the front steps of his house when you arrive. He's changed out of his uniform and into a comfortable pair of jeans and a hoody. Hearing your footsteps, he looks up at you, and you approach him with a timid smile.

"Hey," he greets you warmly. He reaches over to pull you into a hug, despite your complaints. Home. He feels like home.

"Daehyun," you say, racking up the courage to ask him. You pull back and, even though you want to ask him the question of "Do you like me?", your mind takes a turn, and surprised at yourself for saying this, you blurt out, "Do you pity me?"