Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 315 - Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (10)

Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (10)

 

Just like anyone in their early twenties, Junghyo in his early twenties also had quite a few opportunities for romance, and many of them came and went. 

 

When he first met someone, he felt excitement and even developed a romanticized idea of forming a special relationship, but each time, those feelings never lasted.

 

‘When someone suddenly comes close, I’m afraid they’ll just as suddenly leave.’

 

It was the alcohol that made her confess something like that.

 

It was a remark she let slip without really thinking about who she was talking to.

 

It was closer to an emotional outburst, words that just spilled out from frustration.

 

“You could even share that kind of feeling too.”

 

But the reply from the other person was much warmer than expected, and that’s probably why she ended up looking at him.

 

When she looked up, he had one hand in the pocket of his oversized jacket and was handing out water to a few of our drunk classmates.

 

“…That…isn’t easy.”

 

“What?”

 

“No. No.”

 

So gentle.

 

That was the point that made her gaze linger on him, gently and without urgency.

 

Being genuinely interested in others, having the courage to express that interest without hesitation, and naturally becoming someone people turn to when they need help.

 

Of course, just because Junghyo looked at him with that gentle attention didn’t mean he became the person everyone sought out the most.

 

In fact, it was quite the opposite.

 

Junghyo avoided him. Even when there was something she needed, she didn’t call him over, and at events, she sat a little farther away.

 

It wasn’t that she wanted to keep her distance for fear that her romantic feelings might be noticed.

 

The feeling she didn’t want to reveal wasn’t affection—it was envy.

 

She was envious of that person.

 

Being able to show such kindness was something that, at that time, Junghyo could hardly even dream of.

 

So one day, while taking care of friends who had gotten completely drunk at the department’s after-party—an event Junghyo had reluctantly attended—the class president asked like this:

 

“I’ll take you home. Do you want to wait a moment?”

 

She just thought it was a little uncomfortable.

 

“Uh…”

 

Of course, while she was hesitating, the other person took it as a yes and left.

 

Kind people are always busy, huh.

 

They have so much affection that they can share it everywhere.

 

Then I—

 

What’s wrong with me?

 

How much love my dad left me behind.

 

How much the uncles, and the aunts, cherished me.

 

Then why am I not someone who can express it properly? Why do my own wounds feel the deepest and the most painful?

 

Is it because I’m an ungrateful person?

 

Is it because I’m someone who easily accepts others’ feelings but can’t easily give my own?

 

Her head was spinning.

 

She slipped quietly near the flowerbed, but she could hear someone clearing the tables speaking.

 

“Where did Lee Junghyo go?”

 

It’s here.

 

Someone answered before the words got out.

 

“I guess she went first, right? When I asked her to clear the table, she did so very quickly and left.” 

 

“Wow, a godly hand. The table she cleared was shining.”

 

“No, that’s not the point… isn’t she a bit too aloof? She doesn’t really have close friends in the department, and it’s not like she ignores messages, but she seems to keep a wall up. I heard the last time someone went to pick her up near the school, there was a car with a driver.” 

 

“It looks like she’s from a rich family. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t hang out with common people?”

 

Let’s listen to this point.

 

Junghyo immediately turned around.

 

She thought about explaining herself, but in a way, there was nothing to explain.

 

Saying she didn’t have close friends, that she kept a wall up, or that she didn’t deliberately hang out with others wasn’t exactly wrong.

 

Thanks to keeping that distance so well, she could probably turn away even in a moment like this without giving it much thought.

 

‘It’s not bad,’

 

Lee Junghyo thought so. 

 

She was glad that no one could see how confused she was; at least in this moment, it was fortunate that she hadn’t been kind to anyone.

 

“Ha… I told you to wait.”

 

And then, the child appeared before his eyes.

 

He stood beside Junghyo, exhaling ragged breaths as if he had been running for a long time along the street lit by the lampposts.

 

“Why?”

 

“…Mhm?” 

 

“Why did you come? I… I don’t need you to take care of me like that. I’m not that drunk.”

 

At those words, the child laughed beneath the streetlight.

 

It wasn’t a genuine, pure laugh born from something truly funny, but rather an awkward smile, heavily tinged with an attempt to hide embarrassment and fear.

 

“Uh… well… how should I put this.”

 

He dragged his feet for no reason, avoiding Junghyo’s eyes.

 

Only then did the usually oblivious Junghyo realize what kind of moment this was.

 

This was the moment of confession.

 

Even when she tried not to think about it, the memories of the time they had spent together resurfaced in her mind.

 

The moments when she realized that the boy she thought was kind to everyone might have actually been especially kind only to her.

 

The moments when he listened to her, met her eyes, and sat down beside her.

 

When she realized that those moments hadn’t simply come from his kind nature, but from a special interest directed only at her, Lee Junghyo felt strangely at ease.

 

Yeah, he wasn’t anything special after all.

 

Maybe being a kind person… was never really a thing to begin with.

 

There’s no one who gets close to someone for no reason.

 

The confession hadn’t even been spoken yet, but the answer was already decided.

 

Rejection.

 

Because she had never once thought about wanting to get closer.

 

But in the next moment, when the person before her finally spoke with a nervous expression, her heart—strangely enough—changed.

 

“I like you. I couldn’t say it because it would be awkward. Do you want to go out with me?” 

 

‘Then we can share even those feelings?’

 

The memory of that rather gentle moment dominated her mind.

 

Overwhelmed by an emotion she couldn’t quite name, she unconsciously lowered her head. The other person looked flustered. 

 

She couldn’t help but feel flustered. 

 

Lee Junghyo wasn’t the kind of person who lowered her head to avoid someone’s gaze. 

 

She was the kind of person who always looked others straight in the eye and observed the situation carefully. 

 

That was the very reason she had caught his attention among the young and inexperienced girls in their early twenties.

 

While others were easily deceived by his kindness and laid their hearts bare, she alone remained still, merely observing him from a distance.

 

That didn’t mean she was judging him, either.

 

She would just look at him with slightly startled eyes—sometimes even as if she found him a little burdensome—and when he gave her something, she would give something back, then quietly step away. 

 

Unlike the immature youngsters who didn’t understand the weight of someone’s kindness, she knew it all too well.

 

How difficult this was.

 

But because of that, she was also the kind of person who made others feel an invisible wall around her.

 

Because in any situation, she chose her words carefully and tried not to burden others by showing her emotions as they were.

 

There was, in fact, a calculation within him that if Junghyo were to reject his confession, the moment wouldn’t be all that painful.

 

Because she seemed like the kind of person who would handle it maturely—offering a gentle, understanding smile and an apology. 

 

That was why it caught him off guard when Junghyo lowered her head and hesitated to speak.

 

“I… I don’t think I like you. I mean—no, I don’t think it’s like that.”

 

“….”

 

“No, actually, I don’t know.”

 

Lee Junghyo knew she was rambling quite a bit.

 

She didn’t know enough about the feeling of “liking someone” to say plainly whether she did or didn’t, as if cutting it clean in half.

 

She was a cautious person, but caution didn’t always guarantee wisdom.

 

She was young, inexperienced, and didn’t really know herself.

 

So she needed the kindness before her.

 

She wanted someone kind to share this confusing time with.

 

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll make you like me.”

 

And the other person said it didn’t matter either.

 

She would never have believed it now, but she wanted to believe it then.

 

And the result was devastating.

 

* * *

 

“That’s not just a rebound—that’s like jumping off a moving train. He’s crazy b*stard.”

 

Choi Minji, a high school friend she hadn’t seen in a long time, summed up the situation succinctly.

 

The curse word “crazy b*stard” somehow made the situation feel a little lighter.

 

Then her mind felt a little clearer.

 

To put it bluntly, Junghyo’s ex-boyfriend had been flirting with a junior and ended up confessing to her and dating her—all while he was still in a relationship with Junghyo.

 

She found out about it on the very day he said they should break up, yet she couldn’t bring herself to confront him about it.

 

‘Let’s break up.’

 

‘What’s the reason?’

 

‘I’m tired too. I can tell you don’t love me.’

 

The reasons he gave were hard to accept.

 

She disliked taking photos, hated posting on social media, didn’t use pet names, wasn’t jealous, and so on.

 

But even in the face of those hard-to-accept reasons, she couldn’t argue back because the words “You don’t like me” had struck her heart deeply.

 

She had started with such a fragile heart, not even sure whether she liked him or not.

 

Perhaps that was the misstep from the very beginning.

 

“Hey, hey.”

 

“Mhm?” 

 

The dazed look in her eyes was replaced the moment a cold glass touched her cheek.

 

Choi Minji had placed the ice glass against her cheek.

 

“What?”

 

“You’re not seriously thinking it’s your fault that crazy brat jumped from the train, are you?” 

 

Was she pretending to be indifferent all just acting?

 

Lee Junghyo frowned and straightened his back.

 

“That…”

 

“It’s not your fault. Do you really have to live your life worrying about a crazy b*stard being crazy b*stard? It’s tiring.”

 

Choi Minji shook her head.

 

Those words seemed to bring her to her senses.

 

Lee Junghyo reached out and grabbed her phone.

 

At the same time, Choi Minji’s hand reached for her phone.

 

“Why?”

 

“But that doesn’t mean you should call. That’s not it.”

 

At that moment, she should have listened to Choi Minji.