IDMPYU 19

“19. Because I Hate You to Death.”

Stepping out the front door to go to school, Jihyun exhaled, her breath turning white in the cold morning air. The air was so sharp and cold that it stung her nose, which wasn’t covered by her scarf.

The sky was overcast with gray clouds, looking like it could snow at any moment. Once again, Miri had suggested that Jihyun take winter break prep classes with her.

She insisted that it was a must before entering senior year, sweetly coaxing her to study together and enjoy a beautiful campus life after getting into the same university.

As always, Jihyun dodged the situation with an ambiguous smile.

“Can I even go to college?”

She wasn’t confident. She had only managed to attend high school thanks to her aunt Hyunsook’s help, but university was a whole different expense. Starting with nothing and having to run forward alone—just the thought of it felt overwhelming.

“Jihyun!”

Hearing her name, Jihyun, who had been walking with her eyes downcast, instinctively lifted her head. Hajun stood in front of her, waving with a bright smile. She forced a smile and waved back.

Ever since they met again at the mansion last autumn, Jihyun had been avoiding him intentionally. Being around him reminded her of uncomfortable and painful memories, making it hard to act friendly as before.

But Hajun treated her as if nothing had happened. Even when she returned to school after a long time, he was the same.

When Miri happily interrogated her, asking if she had gone somewhere nice during her absence, Hajun had only smiled silently from behind. And, just like before, he stayed by her side.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Come on, that’s a lie.”

“It’s true.”

“Do you know your ears turn red when you’re hungry? They are right now.”

“That’s because it’s cold!”

Flustered by his ridiculous theory, Jihyun protested, but Hajun just pulled out a bottle of soy milk from his pocket and placed it in her hand. It was still warm.

It was always like this. To be precise, ever since he saw her at Seungho’s house, Hajun had casually and naturally taken care of her in ways no one else noticed.

She had coldly rejected him many times, saying she didn’t need any help, but he always just smiled without saying a word.

Blowing a white breath toward the hazy sky, Hajun turned to look at Jihyun.

“Winter break is coming soon. What are you going to do?”

“Well… I guess study. We’re becoming seniors after all.”

“Wanna go to the library together?”

Jihyun knew very well what kind of tutoring Hajun’s friends received. Special lectures were a given, and for any subject they were weak in, they had private tutors to raise their scores.

Going to the library might help her, but for Hajun, it would clearly be a waste of time. Jihyun shook her head.

“No. I don’t want to.”

Hajun’s shoulders slumped from the blunt rejection.

“You’re cold-hearted.”

The one feeling stifled was Jihyun. She couldn’t understand why Hajun, who could study in the best environment, kept trying to match her pace.

Just as she was about to tell him not to bother, an arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder—it was Miri.

“What are you two talking about so seriously?”

“We were talking about what to do during the break.”

At Jihyun’s response, Miri’s eyes sparkled.

“Oooh, if you’re talking about fun plans, I’m in!”

“Get it together. You’re a test-taker now.”

“Oh, right. Haha.”

Stung by the cold splash of reality, Miri gave a bitter laugh and linked arms with both Jihyun and Hajun.

“But guys, let’s not study too hard with no heart. Let’s still hang out sometimes, okay?”

Hajun coldly shrugged off her arm.

“You can do a retake alone.”

“Hey! Kim Hajun!”

Jihyun laughed at Miri’s outburst and looked up at the sky. Snow was beginning to fall.

Meanwhile…

“It’s snowing quite a lot. Why don’t you wait a little before leaving?” said Secretary Kim, watching Seungho step out the front door with worried eyes. Dressed in a black shearling coat, Seungho casually brushed the snow off his shoulder.

“I’ll be fine.”

As soon as winter break began, Seungho had decided to leave for Switzerland. Hyunsook told Jihyun he’d be spending the entire break in Europe—skiing until he got tired of it, touring the continent, and visiting the universities he planned to attend.

Hearing about plans that had nothing to do with her, Jihyun felt relieved. His packed schedule meant the end of the one-sided torment she had endured.

At Secretary Kim’s signal, the household staff lined up at the gate to see Seungho off. Jihyun was among them.

While she stood silently, watching the snow fall heavier by the minute, the driver came and loaded a large silver suitcase into the trunk.

It was time to leave. As Kim continued to try and persuade him, Seungho finally appeared at the gate. Jihyun held her breath as she looked at him. Dressed head to toe in black, his usually pale skin stood out even more.

His bare neck looked long and cold, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“The roads are slippery…”

Still trying to dissuade him, Kim trailed off as Seungho walked forward. The driver quickly got out and opened the back door for him.

But instead of getting into the car, Seungho turned toward the staff. As if searching for something, his gaze scanned them one by one—until it stopped on Jihyun.

The moment their eyes met, Jihyun remembered last autumn. That afternoon Hajun had visited, Seungho had called her and idly moved his right hand—his injured hand.

He had told her it wasn’t healed yet, that it might not recover for a long time. But it looked perfectly fine.

Jihyun felt rage boil up inside her. She had missed school, run his errands nonstop, and even had to face Hajun looking miserable—all for a lie.

It was something that didn’t even need to happen.

But Seungho hadn’t cared. She didn’t know why, but one thing was clear: he had been sincere about tormenting her. And in doing so, he had utterly deceived her.

“You… lied to me?”

She wanted to scream in rage, but her voice came out trembling and weak.

Watching her with that trembling voice, Seungho clenched and opened his right hand slowly, as if to flaunt it, then turned away—completely unfazed by her anger.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to lie. It just sort of ended up that way.”

Unforgivable words. And yet, ironically, she understood. To the great Shin Seungho, this really was nothing. He never cared about others’ feelings to begin with.

“You’re not seriously going to say, ‘How dare you lie to me—I’ll never forgive you,’ like some cliché drama line, right?”

Even now, he was smiling prettily while mocking her.

“It’s not like we’re anything to each other…”

That was the final straw. All of Jihyun’s bottled-up patience exploded, and her true feelings spilled out.

“You’re awful.”

“…What?”

Seungho raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that.

“Why do you keep tormenting me like this? What did I ever do to you to deserve this?”

If she had been thinking rationally, she would have stopped. But once the words started, she couldn’t hold them back.

“Was it such a crime to come work at your house? Why are you doing this to me? Why do you make me feel so miserable?”

After saying everything she had wanted to, Jihyun tried to steady her breath, struggling not to cry. Seungho, who had now dropped his smile, looked straight at her and spoke slowly.

“…Because I hate you.”

His voice was low and chilling, sending a shiver down her spine. His deep eyes, filled with sincerity, were sharp and cruel.

“That’s the reason. I hate you—to death.”

A single tear slipped from Jihyun’s shocked eyes.