CHAPTER 05
“Yeah.”
“Pardon?”
“I did it.”
“Miss… I didn’t say anything?”
Emily, who had returned after taking Rey to the annex, truly hadn’t said a word. She had simply kept wiping Sylvia’s dressing table and the window again and again.
The problem was that the dressing table had already been cleaned just moments ago.
At Emily’s completely innocent denial, Sylvia got irritated and started hitting the cushion on her lap.
“Then why are you watching me like that? I know you don’t believe me! I really did it! I said I’m sorry!”
Sylvia was already feeling unsettled because Rey’s reaction hadn’t gone as she expected. Even while scolding Emily for looking at her suspiciously, her mood didn’t improve at all.
“How exactly did you do it?”
“What do you mean how?”
“I mean the apology. How did you apologize?”
At Emily’s words, Sylvia protested as if asking her to just listen properly.
“No. I really did apologize. I said I was sorry.”
“And then?”
“And then what?”
“What else did you say after that?”
“I told you I was sorry!”
“So you didn’t say anything else after that?”
“Emily. I said I was. Sorry.”
Sylvia looked genuinely wronged, as if that alone should have been enough. Emily let out a dry laugh and shook her head.
So that’s what it was. Both the one who said she apologized and the one who received it didn’t look satisfied—something was definitely off.
“Oh dear… what am I going to do with our young lady…”
“Why! I really did apologize!”
“Miss, an apology has one condition.”
“A condition?”
“Yes. It has to be a ‘sincere’ apology. A hollow apology like that is worse than no apology at all. If someone threw something at you, would you forgive them just because they said ‘sorry’?”
Emily deliberately imitated Sylvia’s tone when saying “sorry,” making Sylvia’s face flush red with embarrassment.
“I wasn’t that rude!”
“You don’t need to see it to know.”
“I said it was sincere!”
“Oh, I forgot to mention the second condition.”
Emily smiled and gently tapped Sylvia’s nose.
“It must be an apology the other person can recognize as sincere.”
At that, Sylvia screamed.
“Apologies can’t be that complicated! I’m not doing it! I’m not apologizing! I won’t!”
* * *
Even the next day, Sylvia’s mood hadn’t improved.
No matter how she thought about it, it was infuriating.
How dare he interpret my sincerity like that?
Instead of being grateful, Rey had left after turning her feelings upside down, and that thought made her even more upset.
But at the same time, she felt strangely uneasy. She couldn’t get rid of the memory of Rey’s piercing gaze.
Lying blankly on the sofa and staring at the ceiling, Sylvia suddenly sat up.
“I can’t do this.”
She had to go see that annoying boy. She couldn’t stay with this uncomfortable feeling.
But despite her thoughts, her feet wouldn’t move. Emily’s words kept echoing in her ears.
“An apology that the other person can recognize as sincere.”
Sylvia didn’t know what that meant. And Emily hadn’t explained it either—saying it was something she had to figure out on her own.
Would he like a book?
Her eyes turned toward the bookshelf. There wasn’t much interesting in the annex, so maybe a book would please him?
She answered her own question.
Yes. Of course he would like it.
He probably hadn’t even seen something like this before.
No—maybe he wouldn’t just like it, he might be thrilled. Books were expensive, and with Lorelai’s salary, buying such a high-quality picture book would be difficult.
Maybe he would even realize how generous she was and apologize for yesterday.
Then I’ll gracefully accept his apology like an adult.
Just imagining it made her smile.
Luckily, Lorelai was out today. That meant Rey was alone in the annex.
“Perfect.”
Sylvia nodded and pulled out her favorite book from the shelf.
* * *
When Sylvia arrived at the annex and opened the door, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps from inside.
“Big sister?”
The voice was full of joy. Turning the corner, Rey appeared.
His face was bright with a big smile—so different from the boy she had seen in her room days ago that it was hard to believe they were the same person.
What… why is he smiling like that?
He looked surprisingly… handsome.
Sylvia was caught completely off guard.
She never expected to think something like that about someone smaller and less impressive than herself—someone like “Rey.”
Just as she was flustered, Rey realized she wasn’t Lorelai.
His bright smile vanished instantly, like water poured over a fire.
The change was so extreme it felt like the smile had never existed.
How many ways could a person make someone feel unwanted?
She had come with her favorite book to sincerely apologize, yet before she could even speak, she already felt hurt.
“Miss. What brings you here? Did you come to see Aunt Lorelai?”
His polite tone carried a completely different warmth compared to when he called for “aunt” moments ago. Sylvia held back her irritation.
“No. I came to see you, not Lorelai.”
“Me? Why? Do you have something to say?”
His tone clearly meant: Say it quickly and leave.
Sylvia gritted her teeth.
She had come in good faith, and yet—
Still, she forced herself to stay calm.
Sincere apology.
A sincere apology the other person can recognize.
Today, she would do it properly.
“Take this. I brought it for you.”
She held out the book.
“You probably don’t have things like this. I have a lot, so I brought you my favorite one.”
“I don’t need it.”
Those words felt like rejection. Sylvia’s mood darkened, and she pushed the book toward him again.
“Just take it.”
“I said I don’t need it.”
“Take it.”
“I don’t need it.”
They kept pushing the book back and forth, tension rising with every exchange.
“Just take it!”
“I said I don’t need it!”
Rey suddenly pushed hard. Rip. The cover tore.
Sylvia lost her balance and fell backward.
The beautifully decorated picture book lay ruined on the floor.
“…Ah.”
Sylvia stared blankly at it.
Rey’s face turned pale as he realized what had happened.
After a heavy silence, his voice came out low.
“You planned this from the start, didn’t you?”
“…What?”
“You feel better now? Coming here just to mess with me—does it make you feel better?”
His hands trembled.
Sylvia snapped back.
“I… I never! I came here to apologize!”
“You’ve always been like this! Even today—you brought that book just to mock me for not being able to read, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t even know you couldn’t read!”
“Liar! Then why did you come here? You said you hated me! You even threw blocks at me!”
“That’s already been apologized for!”
“I didn’t want your apology! I don’t want apologies! I don’t want the book either! Sylvia Langston, you’re really a horrible person. You really are.”
At his words, tears filled Sylvia’s eyes.
“I’m… I’m not! I came to apologize!”
She never expected to be called a horrible person.
Her sincerity, lying there like the torn book, suddenly felt worthless.
“I am… horrible. I’m a bad girl. So I guess I’ll die early. Are you happy now? Huh? Huu… sob…”
