Let Me Dream || Victon

Chapter Twenty-Six: Earrings

Seungsik was in trouble. Because there was nothing worse than an angry mother. And Yejin seemed quite angry. 

She led him into his office, labeled employees only. It would have been funny if he hadn't been annoyed and nervous. 

"I know you're just trying to help," she said, turning to face him. 

He closed the door behind them. "I'm not trying to help you," he snapped. "I just like Jieun. She's a sweet kid. We went over this before." 

"And I think last time I told you that we don't need your charity." 

"Jieun was sad because she wanted to buy you a present and didn't have a Father to go shopping for one with!" he snapped, glaring at her. "So I offered to do it instead. Listen, I don't mean to disrespect you or anything, but I just want her to be happy-" 

"You think I don't want that too?" she yelled back. "I'm trying Seungsik, I really am. She deserves better. She deserves to be happy. But it's not your responsibility to care for her, or me," she told him, taking the earrings out of her purse and handing them to him. The earrings that he'd bought, and given Jieun to give to Yejin as a present. "Really. Who do you think you are? What, do you want to be her Father or something?" 

"Yes," he said before he could stop himself. His eyes widened, and he slapped a hand over his mouth. 

Yejin laughed humorlessly. "What? Do you think I'm joking right now?" 

"No," he mumbled. "But I... I think I like you," he told her, finally telling her something that he'd been thinking about for so long. Ever since he first started working at the daycare, Jieun had been his favorite kid. She was sweet and talkative and even funny, and maybe he did kind of want to be a Father to her. At first, he hadn't paid attention to her mother. Yejin had just been one of many mothers coming to pick up their children. 

At first. 

But as the months passed... yes, he'd started to like her. Okay, so maybe he'd been trying to impress her with the earrings. Maybe just a tiny bit. Maybe he wasn't just doing things for Jieun anymore, but maybe he wanted Yejin to notice him too. 

Yejin looked at him for a long moment, her eyes stormy. "I think?" she finally said. 

"I like you," he repeated, sounding certain this time. She deserved certainty, and at that moment, even as they were arguing, he knew that he did like her. "Will you go out with me?" 

"No," she told him, without hesitation. "I've had too many broken promises from men," she told him, her eyes never leaving his. "Please don't give us gifts anymore." 

And then she left. 

Seungsik went to sit at his desk. He picked up the box with the pretty earrings he'd picked out for her. 

He put them back down and rested his face in his hands. 

That had not gone as planned.