But i wasn't a liar ✔️[ENG ver]

Part 37

Part 37

The car ride to school was quiet, save for the soft rustle of pages as Hyunjin studied his book, brow slightly furrowed in concentration . Yuna glanced at him, then turned to the window, hiding a small smile in the morning light. 

As always, Leeknow was waiting at the school gates, posture rigid, eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on Hyunjin. A flicker of warmth crossed his face—brief, but undeniable. 

Yuna's smile brightened when she spotted him. *Maybe today he'll finally—*

But Leeknow's gaze slid right past her, as if she were nothing more than air. 

Hyunjin jogged ahead, slinging an arm around Leeknow's shoulders "Good morning, Hyung !"

Leeknow relaxed instantly. *"Good morning."

Yuna hesitated, then forced cheer into her voice "Hello, Leeknow!"

A beat. Leeknow's reply was ice "Hello."

No glance. No acknowledgment. Just dismissal, sharp enough to sting.

Yuna's smile wavered. *"So, I'm going,"* she murmured, eyes lingering on Leeknow—waiting, hoping

But he didn't look at her. Not even as she walked away, the space between them heavy with everything left unsaid. 

Leeknow's voice was low, deliberate. "Hyunjin, what do you think about Felix's mother? Will you tell her?"

The milk carton in Hyunjin's grip crinkled sharply as his fingers tightened around it. He took a shallow, uneven breath, the weight of the question pressing down on him like a physical force. When he finally met Leeknow's gaze, his eyes were wide, almost pleading

"I can't do that," Hyunjin whispered, voice fraying at the edges "I'm afraid I'll lose her after all these years."

Leeknow's expression hardened. "Deceiving people is a very ugly thing." A pause, heavy with disapproval. "But if you want to keep going, keep going."

Hyunjin flinched as if struck. "But you—" His voice cracked. "You said that if you lie to avoid losing someone, that person is the luckiest person!"

"I said you have to make sacrifices," Leeknow snapped, stepping closer, his usual calm fracturing into something sharper. "Not hide like a coward."

"Coward?" Hyunjin recoiled, his breath coming faster now, **hands trembling at his sides. "How many more sacrifices must I make? Do you think it's easy—do you think it's fun for me to lie to someone?!"

For a moment, the air between them **thrummed with unsaid things—years of trust and tension colliding.

Then Leeknow exhaled sharply, shoulders slumping. "I want you to stand on your own feet, Hyunjin." His voice was quieter now, weary, almost sad.

A beat of silence. 

"...Let's go to class."

Yuna absently stirred her drink when a shadow fell across the table. She looked up to see Yeji standing there, her bright smile instantly lifting the mood.

"Hello, can I sit down?" Her voice was warm like sunshine.

Yuna's face lit up. "Oh hello Yeji! Yeah, of course!"

As Yeji settled in, Yuna noticed how her presence seemed to brighten the whole cafeteria. "We haven't spoken together in a long time," Yuna remarked, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

Yeji's smile softened. "You're right." The way her eyes crinkled at the corners made Yuna feel at ease.

Taking a deep breath, Yuna leaned in slightly. "Oh, Yeji, I've been thinking about something really hard and I want you to help me."