The Kiss I Never Should Have Asked For - Chapter 15 – The Day I Saw Him Differently

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A few days after Korn helped me with chemistry...

I began looking for him without realizing it.

Not because I wanted to.

It just...

Happened.

Whenever lunch break started, I found myself glancing toward the junior building.

Whenever school ended, I wondered if he was already waiting with our notebooks.

It had become a habit.

A quiet one.

Life with Narin hadn't changed.

Every morning, he still waited for me outside my classroom.

Every afternoon, we still walked home together.

Whenever he laughed, I laughed too.

Whenever he was tired, he rested his head on my shoulder.

I still loved him.

There was never a moment when I doubted that.

Korn was simply...

Someone who had quietly become part of my daily life.

Nothing more.

At least...

That's what I believed.

One Friday afternoon, our history teacher announced another group project.

"You'll work in pairs."

"The presentation is due next week."

The entire classroom groaned.

As usual.

After class, Narin stretched his arms.

"I hate group projects."

"You hate every project."

"That's because projects hate me first."

I laughed.

"You'll survive."

"I hope so."

As we walked through the courtyard, heavy clouds gathered overhead.

"It looks like it's going to rain," I said.

Narin looked at the sky.

"Let's hurry."

Before we could reach the school gate...

The rain began.

Students ran in every direction, trying to avoid getting soaked.

Within seconds, the covered walkways were crowded.

"We're trapped," Narin sighed.

"Looks like it."

Across the courtyard, I noticed a familiar figure running toward the library.

Korn.

He was carrying several books against his chest.

As he reached the stairs, one of the younger students slipped on the wet floor.

The books scattered everywhere.

Without hesitation...

Korn knelt beside him.

"Are you okay?"

The boy nodded nervously.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's my fault."

"It's okay."

Instead of getting annoyed, Korn smiled.

"Let's pick these up together."

Even though the rain was soaking his uniform...

He carefully gathered every book.

Then he helped the younger student to his feet.

"Be careful."

"The floor is slippery."

The boy bowed several times before running away.

I watched the whole thing.

Narin noticed my silence.

"What are you looking at?"

"Korn."

He followed my gaze.

"Oh."

"That's normal."

"What do you mean?"

"He's always like that."

"If someone needs help..."

"...he's the first one there."

I looked back toward Korn.

He was already walking away as if nothing had happened.

No one applauded him.

No one thanked him except the younger student.

He hadn't helped because someone was watching.

He had helped because...

That was simply who he was.

The rain finally became lighter.

As Narin and I started walking home, I glanced back one last time.

Korn was standing under the library roof, squeezing the rainwater from his sleeves.

He looked completely soaked.

Yet...

He was smiling.

Not because anything wonderful had happened.

But because someone else was okay.

For the first time...

I didn't just see Korn as Narin's cousin.

Or as the boy who had confessed to me.

I saw him...

As someone with a genuinely kind heart.

And although I didn't admit it to myself...

That was the day...

I began seeing him differently.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxoDI9RPei

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