✧
“To tell you not to do anything and just be mine…… Ha. Looking back now, it was a ridiculous tantrum from a stupid little kid.”
The ember in the ashtray died away.
Back to the present.
At Jioh’s self-deprecating words, Beom raised his head.
He did not like hearing that.
“Don’t belittle yourself.”
“…….”
“Don’t criticize yourself, either.”
Beom hesitated before adding quietly,
“You were hurting.”
Jioh nodded as though it were no big deal.
“Yeah. Well, that’s true. I was a hurt kid. I guess I desperately wanted something like the warm touch of a guardian. Even if that meant absurd levels of overprotection. But.”
“…….”
“What can I do? I’m not a kid anymore.”
“…….”
“Sorry.”
Beom rubbed his temple with his index finger.
His chest felt unbearably tight.
He had felt the same when she first started talking about apologizing, but even now, he could barely believe he was actually hearing words like these from Gyeon Jioh.
“When I was struggling and weak, I held onto you for dear life, and then once I…