“You’re completely wrong.”

Perry burst into hollow laughter and cut off the meaningless apology. She could feel his anxious breathing. Anyone watching this scene would think the woman was clearly the stronger one. When in reality, it was the opposite.

“It’s really strange. I have so much I want to hear from you, but why do you always have nothing to say?”

It was always Perry who was eager.

The round toe of her shoe kicked the floor roughly. Perry ruffled her bangs, which she had carefully styled all morning, and just moved her lips. An exasperating silence followed. Once again, it was Perry who spoke first.

“……I heard your mother passed away.”

“How……”

“Della told me.”

The weeks without replies, the riverside at sunset, the sentences dismissing it as being busy.

Perry pushed aside the sporadically emerging images and pulled at her lips. Perhaps because her brow was furrowed, it looked closer to crying than smiling.

“You just said nothing happened to you earlier.”

“Humble, that’s—”

“Let’s say that’s for ‘Humble.’ Let’s say it’s an awkward topic to discuss as ‘Jin.’ But even so.”

Her breathing became more rapid as she continued speaking. The man standing opposite her hesitated, neither comforting her nor stopping her words.

“Am I not even a pen pal? What am I to you? Our relationship……”

The question that had been lodged in the middle of her throat suddenly popped out. So easily.

“Has nothing changed since the day of the funeral?”

Ah, the days when questions could be asked and passed over.

Mentioning “that day” really made it unbearable. The bustling crowd, white roses, an unfamiliar surname, the boy she couldn’t see.

Perry ran outside without even considering the other person. No, saying that she truly didn’t care would be a lie. But she tried as much as possible, striding across the sidewalk filled with rainwater.

And soon, though she couldn’t hear footsteps, she knew the man had followed.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Humble. I didn’t deliberately hide it, I……”

Because rain wasn’t falling on her head.

The umbrella was completely tilted toward Perry. Perry turned around, brushing away the hair sticking to her cheeks. The man was close enough to shelter her with the umbrella, yet far enough that Perry couldn’t read his expression.

It was absurd that he was getting soaked in the rain while sheltering only Perry with his own umbrella. Perry didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, to be angry or to hug him.

She truly couldn’t tell.

“Do I even have the right to be angry with you?”

“Of course—”

“It’s just that I misunderstood again. That’s all it is.”

Saying it directly left a bitter taste on her tongue.

“I thought I was something to you.”

But the man hadn’t even told Perry about his family’s loss. He hadn’t shared with Perry what even that casual acquaintance from aviation school knew. Despite Perry hinting—or directly asking—several times, he had cheerfully and subtly evaded.

Yet on the day they met, he came wearing new perfume. He volunteered as a daily commentator and reserved one of the few window seats at the restaurant. When Perry reached out—

“You’re really a coward.”

He unknowingly holds his breath.

“Tell me honestly. Right now, standing here like this. Right now, what are we to each other?”

The rain fell. Perry grasped the handle the man was holding and tilted it in the opposite direction. Three steps, closing the distance between the man and herself—so both could fit under the umbrella.

His stiff finger joints moved inside Perry’s palm. The man was so d*mn tall that Perry had to stand on tiptoe and still fell short of meeting his gaze.

“You are—you’re an actor I really like.”

“Not that.”

Far short……

“You said it yourself. The basis for understanding a person’s heart is their actions…… you said that.”

There was so much evidence she’d have to give up counting on her fingers. Perry wasn’t naive enough to confuse courtesy with affection. Nor was she innocent enough to cling to romantic feelings all season because of one smile.

“What am I to you?”

That made her all the more certain. Perry needed to hear the man’s answer.

Her hand covering the man’s hand tightened. Raindrops flowed down the umbrella shaft. The blue-white streetlight dimly illuminated his neat features. Light brown eyelashes trembled slightly.

“Yuan.”

She had thought that saying that name would sound like a confession someday. The round toe of her shoe bumped against the man’s shoe.

Perry repeated the man’s name again. Yuan, Yuan, Yuan.

Perry’s interrogation was a kind of plea.

“That, Humble, I.”

Tell me you like me.

“I… I…… respect you.”

Tell me you like me……

Perry’s eyes burned red as if she’d had a dream. The hand firmly covering the man’s hand fell dejectedly. Her pitch-black eyes stared for a long time at his face with deep shadows.

The one who never reached out first without reason.

“You respect me? Really?”

“I’m sincere.”

“Is that really all?”

The man didn’t answer.

“Then why did you stay still when I hugged you that day?”

By the riverside at sunset, when she pulled the back of his head and hugged the man whose eyes were somehow sticky. Why did he exhale and quietly lean on Perry’s shoulder? Why were his steps so slow when walking her home, and why was the skin that peeked out from under his wristwatch red……

Without explaining any of it.

“I’m really annoyed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Forget the apology. I…… I know exactly what I’m saying.”

Once again, the man didn’t say what Perry wanted to hear.

“You’ll regret it.”

The words that escaped between her bitten lips were sorrowful. Perry spat out, gasping without even attempting to hold back tears.

“I’m really a good person, and even without you, ……without you, I can meet many good people.”

“I know, because you’re a good person.”

“You’ll become even more successful. There are already plenty of people looking for me, you know? I’m only turning them down to focus on my work, but if I wanted to, I could easily—”

“I believe you.”

“I’ll really, really be happy. Even without an irritating person like you…!”

“Of course you will. I’ll keep supporting you.”

“D*mn you. Just go to hell.”

“……I’m truly sorry for putting you in this awkward position.”

Yuan truly never said what Perry wanted to hear. Perry, who had blurted out whatever rose from her chest, rubbed her damp eyes roughly. Yet the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Fine, if that’s how it’s going to be, let’s end everything. Letters and all—let’s stop it all.”

The tears easily mixed with the rainwater. Perry, without an umbrella, walked with wide strides without even using her cane. Quickly, like someone who knew exactly where to go.

“Humble.”

Slowly enough for the overthinking man to catch up belatedly.

“Humble.”

Slowly enough that she might still let herself be caught if he confessed now,

“Perry!”

With such expectations……

Rain wasn’t falling on her head. Perry very slowly turned to face the man. The hair crossing his forehead as the wax melted, his hands with prominent veins, his silver tie pin,

“Listen, Perry.”

“Yes.”

His deep blue eyes.

Perry was prepared to quickly laugh it off if the man said just one word. She planned to tease him playfully and easily soften her heart. All the lingering attachments, resentments, and longings could be cleanly swept away by the man standing before her. That was her mindset.

One where she could be caught again, even if her pride was completely crushed.

“Still…… can I at least walk you home? It’s raining heavily.”

But once again, as always, Yuan betrayed Perry’s expectations and pleaded so desperately.

“It’s dangerous. I know it’s uncomfortable, but just for today, please.”

Endlessly kind without showing his true heart.

SCENE 13. Who Doesn’t Say I Love You

October 1

Perry Humble was in a good mood. Why wouldn’t she be? Such a pathetic relationship had ended! It felt refreshing, like pulling out a hangnail. Really.

The first morning after Ravina Night was refreshing. Pale sky and cool air. Perry, who habitually wrapped a white scarf around her neck, defiantly tossed it aside and went outside. Though goosebumps rose on her bare neck, she couldn’t care less.

She felt like she could hum a tune. So she did. As she hummed an unknown melody on her way to the rehearsal room, Bria Sol, who arrived almost simultaneously, asked “what happened?”

Perry Humble answered that nothing had happened.

※※※

October 3

Perry Humble was in a bad mood. The area under her eyes was dark, and her clear whites were streaked with blood vessels. It was an appearance that couldn’t be described as good by any standard of etiquette, but her attitude when exchanging scripts showed no hint of disorder. Bria Sol looked at her for a long time but said nothing.