KYB Ch 2

“Ye Woo-won, let’s break up.” Kim Hee-yeon’s manner of speaking was cold when she said that.

“Every time I see how kind and soft you are to everyone, I feel myself becoming narrow-minded. When I’m with you, I end up feeling like the bad person because of that guilt. Woo-won-ah, I don’t want to keep feeling like this while dating you. So, let’s end it here.”

Sunlight filtered through the window and brushed against Ye Woo-won’s eyes. Beneath the strands of hair that fell just enough to cover his forehead, his face slowly came into view. Jet-black hair and eyes, pale white skin—his face might appear cold at first glance. But his eyes drew attention in an oddly gentle way. He wasn’t crying, yet his eyes somehow looked like they were. That made Kim Hee-yeon flinch.

“So you called me here to break up.”

But his voice, when it finally came out, carried no trace of sorrow. Even in front of a breakup, Ye Woo-won’s low voice was calm, almost detached.

“Yeah. After all, we’ve been together for two years. So, at least, we should talk face-to-face.”

Ye Woo-won looked straight at Kim Hee-yeon—no, his now ex-girlfriend. She was the one who said they should break up, yet her eyes were red as if they were ready to spill tears at any moment.

‘Ye Woo-won.’

He silently repeated his name to himself. It had a lot of “ㅇ^[1]” sounds. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t refuse anyone or be firm about things. Or maybe it was because of what his parents had drilled into his head.

“We want you to grow up to be soft, unlike us. Don’t live so sensitively and exhaust yourself.”

Looking at Kim Hee-yeon, who wanted to break up because he was too yielding, Ye Woo-won remembered the words he had heard all throughout his childhood. His parents were calculating people who couldn’t rest easy without returning every favor and simply couldn’t stand to lose.

Even when helping others, they had to mentally calculate dozens of possible returns before stepping forward. Because of that tiring nature, they lived constantly second-guessing others’ intentions, doubting even goodwill—and as a result, they were plagued with all sorts of minor ailments.

“So, Woo-won-ah, no matter what others say, don’t doubt them. Just believe. Live helping others…”

“Honey, at least for donations, shouldn’t we check how much of it is tax-deductible first…?”

His parents didn’t want their only son, Ye Woo-won, to grow up like them.

So from an age he could barely remember, they taught him to live altruistically, to be selfless. Of course, they hadn’t left him without some form of defense.

“You can give away your flesh. But if someone asks for your bones—bite.^[2]”

He was taught to bare his teeth only against those who crossed the line. As long as that line wasn’t crossed, however, he was taught to be the exact opposite of his parents—gentle, yielding, unguarded. Grow up soft, Woo-won-ah. Accept every person’s words and actions as kindness without intent. Be so gentle that no blade can cut you.

And so, Ye Woo-won grew up, fed on those words. Maybe that’s why—

‘There were always people who called me a pushover. Even Kim Hee-yeon said it several times.’

While dating, Kim Hee-yeon had often grown frustrated with him, begging him not to be so meek. But someone who had lived that way all his life couldn’t just change overnight. In the end, he kept giving in to others’ requests like a pushover, and it was his girlfriend, Kim Hee-yeon, who suffered most from watching it.

“…”

After saying her piece, Kim Hee-yeon fell silent. Ye Woo-won, seeing her face about to crumble into tears, was the first to speak, “Kim Hee-yeon. I understand. But here, take this first.”

Her gaze dropped to the neatly folded jacket he held out toward her.

“You’re trembling.”

“…”

“If it’s too cold here, we can switch seats.”

His eyes showed that he wasn’t pretending. He looked genuinely worried for her. Her gaze trembled slightly under that look. She parted her lips but closed them again. Those eyes were the problem. Those ever-gentle eyes that looked at everyone the same way.

“Even in this situation, you say things like that? Yeah, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re caring, gentle, selfless… But—ha, I just don’t have the strength for it anymore.”

It was clear from her twisted expression that she hadn’t wanted to say that part aloud.

“Hee-yeon-ah.”

“Most of all… I don’t know if you love me.”

She covered her face with both hands; she had a complicated expression in her face. Him, being kind and gentle to everyone? That was fine. She could tolerate that, even his pushover tendencies. But the real issue was that he was equally kind and gentle to everyone, including her.

“Is this a relationship for one person? Or two?”

Maybe if she had at least felt like a priority, she could have endured. But Ye Woo-won couldn’t make her feel that way.

His mild nature constantly drew people around him, and she was the one whose heart wore thin day by day. Eventually, the wound she’d been covering up festered and burst. Not knowing for sure whether Ye Woo-won’s affection was truly directed at her, she couldn’t bear it anymore.

“…”

Ye Woo-won said nothing. Truthfully, she was right. It wasn’t that he disliked Kim Hee-yeon. He obviously liked her enough to date her, admired her as a person—but…

“I’m sorry.”

He had never felt anything more passionate than that. So it was only natural that she sensed it.

“Why did you apologize to me?! You did your best. Woo-won, I…”

However, Kim Hee-yeon, who had no way of knowing what he was really thinking, lowered her head deeply when she saw Ye Woo-won quietly apologizing for the words she’d meant to hurt him with.

Even if she hadn’t felt truly loved, she couldn’t deny that Ye Woo-won had tried. If anything, she was the one who hadn’t done enough. Looking at him—still so mild, so gentle—she felt a surge of things she wanted to say, but knew if she spoke, she’d waver.

“Thank you. I’ll go now.”

As Kim Hee-yeon quickly stood up, Ye Woo-won parted his lips as if he wanted to say something. But she was already gone. He watched her retreating figure with a complicated expression, then let out a sigh and tilted his head back. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he slowly closed his eyes.

‘How many breakups has it been now?’

He thought this time, things were going well—no major fights, no drama. But once again, it ended the same way.

For Ye Woo-won, this kind of breakup was nothing new. The reasons were always similar— “Why are you such a pushover?” “How can you care so little about me?” “Can’t you treat your girlfriend differently from others?” And the one he heard most often—“Do you even like me?”—had become almost a refrain.

‘If there’s one fortunate thing, it’s that things ended peacefully this time.‘

At least there wasn’t cheating or a rebound involved. Things other people might experience once or twice in life, he went through in almost every relationship.

‘Guess that means I’m the problem.’

Even someone as understanding as Kim Hee-yeon ended things this way.

He could now say it with certainty: he wasn’t fit for relationships. There was something missing in him—something unfillable, impossible to hide.

“Goodbye.”

The café doorbell jingled softly as he pushed it open.

‘Maybe I’ll take a break from dating for a while.’

He’d never really taken a long break before. His soft nature made it hard to turn down confessions. It had been that way since his first relationship. A girl, face flushed red, confessing to him with all her courage—how could he refuse her to her face?

Since then, if he felt even a little spark of affection, he’d accept. But…

‘My feelings never grow.’

Starting a relationship with some sparks towards the other was easy. But to deepen it—to let it bloom into something more—required something Ye Woo-won couldn’t seem to find. And lovers—well, they were supposed to be the kind of people who could sense each other’s feelings like magic. At first, you try to change, to understand, to make it work… but in the end, it always ends the same way.

“Hello! We’re holding a grand opening event right now—if you stay for an hour…”

Lost in thought, Ye Woo-won suddenly found a flyer shoved into his hand. He blinked and looked up. The signboard towered in front of him.

There used to be a bar in that basement space, but now it is a PC café. Because of the event, the place was crowded. He stared at the entrance for a while, trying to remember the last time he’d been to one.

‘…Oh, right. There was that game I used to play with Kim Hee-yeon.’

TL’s Note:

Trying to make update at least up to 5 chapters first.