Chapter 14 – The Bystander’s Enlightenment 

“What?”  

Tae Minhyuk pretended not to know, making it clear he was not someone to ask to act.  

As Seo Eunha frowned, he seemed to realize his mistake and gently rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb, trying to soothe her.  

“Kidding. You mean about peeking at other people’s dirty fantasies, right?”  

“I didn’t peek.”  

“Observed, regardless of your will!”  

As her frown deepened, Tae Minhyuk quickly changed his tune. He had a habit of backing off when the other person showed they were uncomfortable, just like with Yeo Dohun.  

Maybe he was a peace-loving type who avoided fights. Or not, who cared. To Seo Eunha, he was just a pervert.  

“That’s ridiculous.”  

“Hey, don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone else.”  

“Even if you did, no one would believe you.”  

Even when she’d told her younger sibling, she’d looked at her like she was crazy until she showed proof.  

Tae Minhyuk watched Seo Eunha sigh deeply, then, after a moment, pulled her into a hug. Suddenly, she was sitting on his thigh, but at this point, she just felt numb.  

“Hm? No, someone did believe me… Oh.”  

Tae Minhyuk awkwardly shut his mouth. Seo Eunha stared at him, and he desperately avoided her gaze.  

No way.  

“…The person you mean is Yeo Dohun?”  

Seo Eunha tried to stand up, almost falling over, and Tae Minhyuk quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, patting her back.  

“No, Noona. Calm down. Wow, your face is completely pale.”  

“Just answer the question!”  

“If I say no, will you believe me?”  

‘D*mn. So Yeo Dohun knew too.’  

Seo Eunha collapsed against Tae Minhyuk, feeling all tension leave her.  

‘So he remembers everything—even the confessions, the embarrassing things, the times we slept together?’  

And he dared to act like he didn’t remember, wearing that innocent face and making her feel guilty?  

It was a shock, but more than that, she felt a wave of betrayal.  

He said he liked her! But he’d imagined and gotten excited by all sorts of things she didn’t want!  

‘So when it happened in front of my dad, that wasn’t my fantasy but Yeo Dohun’s?’  

Of course—Seo Eunha would never get excited by something so humiliating!  

Finally, the pieces fit together. It was a late realization, but it made sense.  

There was no precedent, so she hadn’t had a reference point. If Tae Minhyuk had been better at lying, she might not have noticed for much longer.  

“D*mn.”  

“…Noona, are you mad?”  

Tae Minhyuk, trying to read her mood, almost seemed cute now. Even bringing those cat ears and tail seemed almost innocent.  

“Should I call my cousin?”  

Seo Eunha hesitated for a moment, then nodded.  

Maybe talking in the fantasy, where no one could hear, was better than doing it in reality.  

When Seo Eunha nodded, Tae Minhyuk let her go and hurried over to Yeo Dohun, being careful not to touch the female customer, just tapping Yeo Dohun’s shoulder.  

Watching, Seo Eunha saw Yeo Dohun’s eyes blink slowly. Even now, it was a chilling sight.  

“……Hmm.”  

Seeing Tae Minhyuk’s tense face next to him and Seo Eunha sitting with her legs crossed, Yeo Dohun assessed the situation and spoke his first words.  

Hmm? Hm?  

“Yeo Dohun.”  

“Yes, Senior.”  

“Don’t you have something you want to say to me?”  

Yeo Dohun’s eyes rolled around. His look toward Tae Minhyuk was almost like asking how much he’d told.  

When Tae Minhyuk tried to speak up, Seo Eunha interrupted.  

“Minhyuk.”  

At her gentle voice, Tae Minhyuk perked up like a puppy and looked at her.  

“Come here.”  

Then, as if he hadn’t even seen Yeo Dohun, who was flustered, ran over with an excited expression.

He was still just a kid in some ways.  

“Sigh.”  

Yeo Dohun ran his hand down his face, letting out a heavy sigh, as if blaming himself for keeping someone like Tae Minhyuk on his side.  

When Seo Eunha gestured for him to sit across from her, he walked over slowly, his footsteps echoing in the quiet.  

“When did you find out?”  

The most important question.  

Depending on the answer, Seo Eunha would decide whether to end things or confront Yeo Dohun.  

“Hmm.”  

“Don’t even think about lying. If I ever find out you lied, I’ll never see you again. I’ll block your number.”  

“…Back in school.”  

Yeo Dohun, remembering how Seo Eunha used to avoid him, answered reluctantly. Back in school?  

He remembered Seo Eunha’s dark past, when she’d often had dirty fantasies about him!  

Back then, she’d sometimes been cruel just for the thrill of making Yeo Dohun cry.  

“Wow, Noona, you were naughty even as a kid.”  

“Shut up.”  

Tae Minhyuk hugged her, making a whiny sound, but seemed happy she didn’t push him away.  

Yeo Dohun looked at Tae Minhyuk with obvious dislike.  

“I don’t think it was from the very beginning. I’m not sure what started it, but at some point, I realized everyone else was frozen, and only you and I were moving.”  

“And you realized it was my fantasy?”  

“You told me yourself back then. I think you thought I wouldn’t remember.”  

‘Ugh, d*mn!’  

Seo Eunha wanted to smack her younger self, who’d been so careless.  

Tae Minhyuk tried to comfort her, saying, “Even a dumb Noona is cute,” so she gave him a gentle smack instead.  

“So when you avoided me, and when you rejected my confession?”  

“As a kid, those situations were confusing and scary.”  

Understandable. Seo Eunha would have felt the same if the roles were reversed.  

She realized her mistake and bowed her head.  

“Sorry. Even if you didn’t remember, I shouldn’t have done those things.”  

“Oh… It’s okay. I was just inexperienced with girls back then.”  

Yeo Dohun smiled brightly. At that, Seo Eunha felt her anger start to fade.  

“To be honest, thinking about what’s happened recently, I understand how you felt.”  

So he was bringing up the fact that he’d been toyed with too.  

Yeo Dohun looked sheepish, smiling awkwardly. He was no longer the awkward high schooler, but a sly man sitting across from her.  

“If you realized something strange was happening, shouldn’t you have asked me what was going on? Weren’t you scared?”  

“Hm? I wasn’t scared. I found it fun!”  

Tae Minhyuk grinned widely.  

“I mean, you can’t just whip out your b*obs in front of everyone. It’s only possible in a fantasy! The subway thing was thrilling, too.”  

It was hard to listen to Tae Minhyuk’s words with a straight face. Calling them b*obs, not even chest—how crude.  

Surprisingly, she didn’t find him completely detestable. Maybe it was his looks.  

“I found it interesting too.”  

Yeo Dohun, in contrast, spoke calmly.  

“Watching you feel embarrassed in front of your father but still reach cl*max was good, and seeing you confused by outdoor play made me wonder if those were the kinds of s*xual fantasies I really wanted. I enjoyed seeing you like that.”  

“……”  

Hopeless. Tae Minhyuk’s words were crude, but Yeo Dohun’s mind was even cruder.  

No wonder they were cousins.  

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I like showing off my preferences, but seeing you embarrassed was exciting.”  

“That’s the same thing, you crazy guy.”  

“When Minhyuk got cursed out by you, he looked turned on, so I thought he was nuts. …But I get it now.”  

“Right? Right?”  

‘Both of you, please just drop dead—even in my fantasies. Not for real, just pretend seriously.’  

“Now that we’ve been found out, I guess this will be the last time—especially with Minhyuk.”  

“Why?!”  

“Because Senior and I like each other, and we’re going to date. I can’t just let my girlfriend be held by another guy.”  

He added in a low voice that he wouldn’t let anyone else imagine such things either, and Tae Minhyuk clamped his mouth shut. He did seem to know not to touch someone else’s girlfriend.  

Or maybe, since he’d gotten a number from a girl with a boyfriend before, he was only backing off because Yeo Dohun was the rival.  

‘But why is Dohun so confident I’m going to date him?’  

Well, she had said she liked him in the fantasy, so she couldn’t argue. And the fact that she was smiling at his words was pathetic.  

“Then… Since it’s the last time, Noona, can you do this just once?”  

Tae Minhyuk put on a pitiful face and placed the items from his bag on the table. Yeo Dohun, realizing what the gift was, looked dumbfounded.  

He hadn’t expected Tae Minhyuk to bring adult toys.  

“No way.”  

Seo Eunha asked seriously, but Tae Minhyuk nodded just as seriously.  

Why, though?  

“We’ve shared so much…”  

What kind of rotten bond was that?  

“I was so sweet to you in my fantasies….”  

Tae Minhyuk murmured wistfully, glancing at Yeo Dohun and frowning, almost like a jealous boyfriend.  

Was he really starting to catch feelings? Seo Eunha almost worried for a moment.  

“…Screw you.”  

‘…Don’t curse with such a wistful face.’ 

She almost gave in.  

‘Whatever. Whether Tae Minhyuk really liked me or just had a small crush, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to end up with him anyway.’