Episode 8
As the end of the workday approached, a pop-up appeared on Liam’s phone notifying him of a new message. Knowing that there weren’t many people who would contact him, Liam picked up his phone with curiosity, and a faintly sardonic smile slipped across his face.
7 PM, in front of XX Station café.
The sender was Lee Hyun. The message was close to a challenge. Glancing to the side, he saw her casually tidying up her seat.
Liam, too, returned to his usual indifferent expression and, after moving his fingers a couple of times, began tidying his own space.
Then, with a ding-, Lee Hyun’s phone notification went off. She checked the message that had arrived as she packed her bag, muttering a small curse under her breath.
“Seriously, have you lost your mind?”
Shaking with barely contained anger at the message she was reading, Lee Hyun immediately left the teacher’s room. On the screen, still not turned off, was Liam’s reply:
“Coffee’s on you, Lee Hyun.”
Lee Hyun truly, intensely disliked and was annoyed by Liam. Today, she was determined to settle things properly. She wouldn’t let him pull any more foolish stunts.
A franchise café quite a distance from the kindergarten. Sitting at a spot far from the windows, Lee Hyun pressed her hat down deeper and waited for Liam.
Kindergarten teachers were like minor idols to local children. Walking around confidently often meant running into students or their guardians. And once someone saw you, the news traveled fast.
Previously, Lee Hyun had gone to the supermarket and grabbed a bunch of snacks, and word of it had spread.
“I saw the teacher yesterday!”
The child had said with a bright smile, drawing a big circle in the air with their hand.
“The teacher told us not to eat too many snacks, but she carried enough snacks to fill her forehead!”
That was why she had to be careful. After the unexpected incident Liam caused that afternoon, rumors had already started spreading, and if anyone saw her, things would escalate.
The hat she had quickly bought from a nearby market, since she didn’t carry one around, was terribly tacky. Dark green, with skulls lining the edges—a design that raised serious doubts about the manufacturer’s taste.
But there was no other option. Pushing the hat down over the bridge of her nose, Lee Hyun tilted her head and carefully watched the entrance. Soon, Liam appeared.
Seeing him look around as if searching for her, Lee Hyun waved urgently. Liam, catching her eye, scrunched his nose openly in displeasure.
Once seated, Liam immediately scoffed at her hat.
“Quite the fashion sense. Did the genius idea to wear only one slipper come from you too?”
“Never mind that. Liam, put this on.”
Lee Hyun pulled out a similar blue hat from her bag. It had clovers, not skulls. Liam picked it up with his index finger as if it were trash, and Lee Hyun quietly said:
“If someone sees us, it’ll be more of a hassle to explain. Just wear it.”
Ignoring her, Liam pushed the hat back toward her and replied indifferently.
“What if we get seen?”
“What do you mean, what if! What are you going to say?”
“Well, maybe because you like me so much, we met outside?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Grinding her teeth, Lee Hyun issued a warning. Liam, seeing her white fist trembling on the table, smiled softly and said:
“You said you’d help keep my secret. There wasn’t a better way than what happened earlier.”
“Better way? I could have just said it was hot, or that I naturally blush a lot!”
“Didn’t you see the mirror earlier? Your condition wasn’t something you could explain away as blushing.”
She had been so red that it was like the carrot itself was speaking.
Watching Liam giggle as if amused, Lee Hyun suddenly remembered something else and started questioning him.
“Why did you touch my calf?”
“Oh, that…”
Liam, listening to her tense voice with arms crossed, furrowed his nose and gave a rather unexpected answer:
“Did I say my favorite vegetable was carrots?”
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t know you were a carrot. It seemed fun, so I just did it on my own. Sorry if it was unpleasant.”
Ah, headache. My head… Lee Hyun pressed her hands against her hat, exhaling rough breaths as she replied:
“I don’t really get it right now. Whether Liam likes carrots or not doesn’t concern me…”
Cutting her explanation short, Liam’s blunt voice interjected:
“Why doesn’t it matter? You, Jin Hyun, are a carrot.”
“Please stop joking. The more you do that, the worse my blushing gets, you know?”
“Really?”
Lee Hyun, sensing a sliver of hope from his surprisingly empathetic tone, lifted her head slightly, only to meet Liam’s lecherous smile. He muttered almost under his breath:
“Looks tasty.”
Lee Hyun’s mouth dropped open in shock and disbelief. How could she understand this? Just a few days ago, they had been at odds. What change in mood allowed him to torment someone like this?
Perhaps the ultimate evolution of axe fever was meaningless lovesickness, she began to wonder. Pressing her forehead with her hands, she suddenly had a bright idea and felt elated.
For Liam across the table, it was an amusing sight. Her face turned red, then pale, frowned, then smiled.
“Liam, do you like me?!”
Lee Hyun pointed at him excitedly. She knew full well he didn’t. But for someone obsessed like her, this was the best outcome. Liam O’Connor, prideful as he was, would immediately deny it and lose interest in her.
If it allowed her to get rid of him even a little, she was willing to endure momentary reproach and scolding. But her plan fell apart instantly.
Liam looked at her finger gently and, as if realizing something, replied:
“Is that so?”
“…Yes?”
“I can’t say I like you yet, but the fact that I keep wanting to tease you… maybe there’s something there.”
Lee Hyun’s face went pale again, and she instinctively grabbed his hand, pleading:
“No, Liam, that’s not it. It can’t be. You wouldn’t like me, right?”
She wanted to stop him, to reject him. For Lee Hyun, who had a fear of men, it was overwhelming. She had already planned out her future—living cheerfully on her own, adopting a stray dog, raising it like a child, a warm and peaceful life ahead.
Liam, staring at her with an intrigued expression, asked:
“I said I don’t know if I like you yet. I’m just curious. Is that so bad?”
“It’s not bad, it’s just… uncomfortable for me.”
“Ah, uncomfortable.”
Sitting back leisurely, Liam yawned lazily, as if the reason was trivial. He seemed eager to end this meaningless conversation.
“Seems like you forgot, Lee Hyun. Our relationship was always uncomfortable.”
“…Yes?”
“When did we ever have an easy, close relationship that you’d worry about? It’s always been uncomfortable, and it will continue to be.”
Lee Hyun’s face turned bright red like a burning sweet potato. Covering her face with both hands as if she were a barnacle, Liam’s soft smile grew.
What kind of attitude is it to make that face while telling someone to lose interest?
He wanted to tease her a little more but restrained himself, standing up to wrap things up.
“Anyway, sorry for acting on my own earlier. I think we’ve said everything we needed to, so I’ll go. Need a ride?”
“No, no. Please just go.”
Covering her face with one hand and waving the other frantically, Lee Hyun looked genuinely desperate. Liam, pouting slightly, made one last remark before leaving:
“Then, let’s be uncomfortable again tomorrow.”
Lee Hyun finally understood. She had truly encountered a proper madman.
