I Became a Villain's Hero [Complete]

Chapter 24: Graduation (6)

".........After you graduate, look for another part-time job."

"....Huh?"

Her mind went blank.

Song Soo-yeon wanted to believe his words were a joke.

She stopped moving for a moment and looked down at the black bean noodles.

She waited for him to end the joke.

But he neither laughed nor said anything else.

He was just waiting for her response.

"..........."

"..........."

Tired of waiting, Song Soo-yeon had no choice but to ask.

"...Are you... joking?"

"Huh?"

Jung-gyeom, perplexed, asked back.

The atmosphere was getting more serious.

"...No? It's not a joke."

"....Not... a joke?"

She couldn't understand.

She thought they were getting along fine.

Although their conversations were sometimes rough, they had never escalated into a serious fight.

They had become closer by bickering, and she believed everything was going well.

After all, he had cared for her even today.

This meal was an extension of that.

It was food he made to comfort her.

Their relationship wasn't bad.

She believed it wasn't.

But why was he telling her to leave?

She couldn't understand.

"......Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? What wrong have you done?"

Jung-gyeom continued.

"Now that you're old enough, you can sign a labor contract. You can freely work elsewhere."

Song Soo-yeon knew that too.

It was a moment she had been waiting for.

Becoming an adult and working part-time wherever she wanted was a kind of goal.

But she thought she had already achieved that goal.

She thought it would be okay to stay here for a long time.

"So... you're kicking me out?"

Song Soo-yeon couldn't even understand what she was saying.

Jung-gyeom reacted in surprise.

"Kicking you out...! No, that's not it. It's not that, you can work somewhere else-"

"-I want to keep working here."

"............."

A long silence followed.

Song Soo-yeon understood the meaning of this silence.

It was the first time they witnessed the difference in each other's opinions.

It was a moment to reconcile their differing thoughts.

A break to calm their flustered hearts and have a rational conversation.

But Song Soo-yeon couldn't maintain her composure.