We were sitting on a bench, at a park near my house, with just the two of us. The neighborhood was quiet and it was a cold night. With hunched shoulders against the cold, I was having his jacket hanging low on my shoulder.

“Oppa, what do you want to tell me?” asked me.

The weather was bone-chilling and I wished to go inside. After the awards ended, my bed was the only thing I missed.

“Let’s date,” he asked me nonchalantly.

I instantly stopped everything I did. I couldn’t even look up and see his face. What nonsense is this?

“I said, let’s date,” he continued. “I like you. But isn’t that obvious? Even all of our friends have already known.”

The silence filled the air. I tried to digest this so-called confession.

“Hyeri-a?”

I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t hear that, but because I didn’t want to say or hear anything right then. So the silence filled the air once again.

I wished my mom or anyone would call me at that time. I wished to escape from that place, that awkwardness, that madness.

“I like you. Can’t you see that I always take care of you? I always treat you differently. And promise to always will. I promise that I will only see you. I promise that I will only be nice to you. I promise to do anything you ask me to.”

I knew it. I had guessed that he would confess his feeling to me. That was why I clearly told him that I regarded him as my older brother, a senior whom I respected and the one I was grateful to, just to prevent this to happen. I thought he had given up. But why did this happen?

“Hyeri-a….”

“O?” finally a word came out from my mouth.

I was looking at my feet. I didn’t dare to look at him in his eyes. I wanted to run away.

“What do you feel?” asked him.

“Oppa….”

“Yes, Hyeri-a?”

“I can’t think straight right now.”

“Do you need time? It’s okay. Take your time. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you,” said me without looking at him.

I ret