Chapter 30: Forget Everything, Except Me

Inside her luxurious room, Seulbi sat on her bed, holding her phone and staring at Akira's contact. In her heart, she was reliving the memory of a small, chubby boy who had been her hero long ago.

"Could that really be him?" Seulbi whispered to herself, tears streaming down her face. "Why did you only appear now? I've been looking for you all this time."

Her sobs grew stronger, but a fierce determination burned in her eyes. She wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. "At least I've found him. From now on, no matter what it takes, I have to have you, Akira." She kept picturing Akira's face, a small smile forming on her lips.

The next day was Valentine's Day. In the campus hallway, the atmosphere felt different. The female students looked nervous, while the male students waited in hopeful anticipation.

I was walking as usual, but this time, a surprise awaited me. Ayaka, who was standing in front of my classroom, suddenly held out her hand, her face flushed red.

"H-here, take this chocolate, Akira-kun!" she said, looking down in embarrassment. I took it, thanked her, and continued on my way.

In the stairwell, Reina was also waiting for me. She didn't say a word, simply held out a heart-shaped box of chocolates. I took it, feeling confused by her silent gesture.

In the next corridor, Mika was waiting for me, carrying a large box of chocolate cake.

"This is for you, Akira-kun, and also for Yui," she said in a low voice. Then, she whispered a threat. "Remember, give it to her, or I'll expose our secret!"

I sighed. "Yeah, I get it."

"Alright, see you in class," she said, then left.

As I walked towards my class, Sayo approached me. She gave me a small heart-shaped box of chocolates. Her usually cheerful face looked very serious.

"This is... for you," she said. "Just as a friend!"

"Whoa! Akira-kun, I see you're getting a lot of chocolates from the girls!" Kazuma appeared, slinging an arm over my shoulder. "I'm so jealous of you!"

"You got some too, right, Kazuma?" I asked.

"Of course! I got two chocolates, even!" he replied cheerfully. He then noticed the empty seat next to mine. "Oh, Seulbi-chan didn't come to class today?"

During class, I couldn't focus. My phone vibrated. It was a message from Seulbi.

“Do you have some free time this afternoon? Meet me at the park near the station.”

“What's wrong?” I replied.

“Just come. There's something I want to talk about!” she texted back.

After class ended, I immediately went to the park. There, I saw Seulbi sitting on a swing, staring blankly ahead.

"Alright, Seulbi. Why did you ask me to come here?" I asked, standing beside her.

She turned, her blue eyes staring at me. "Actually, there are two things I want to ask you, Akira. One of them is about the past."

"The past? What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

Seulbi gave a small smile. "Do you remember, a long time ago, when you saved a small mute girl? And she wrote a message saying she would marry that person when she grew up?"

Suddenly, my heart started to pound. My mind drifted far back in time.

[Flashback]

The evening sky was overcast. A light drizzle began to fall. A small pink-haired girl stood terrified in a narrow alley. In front of her, three older boys were taunting her.

"Mute girl! Mute girl! You can't talk!" they yelled, laughing.

Suddenly, a chubby little boy ran up to them. It was me, when I was small.

"Leave her alone!" I yelled.

They laughed at me. "Look, it's the fat guy! What, you're going to defend this mute girl?!"

They pushed me, punched me, and kicked me. I didn't fight back. I just tried to protect her. After they were done, they left. I fell into a puddle, tears mixing with the rain. I cried, not from the pain, but from anger at myself for not being able to do more.

The little girl slowly approached me. She took out her small whiteboard and wrote.

“Are you okay?”

I shook my head, holding back a sob. "I'm fine... What's important is you... Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

The girl wrote again, tears wetting her cheeks.

“I’m okay. Thank you for helping me. I don’t have anything to repay you for this kindness.”

"Oh, it's nothing!" I said, scratching my head. "What's important is that you're okay!"

She wrote again on the board.

“It doesn’t feel right. Is there anything I can do to thank you?”

I was silent for a moment. She then wrote her answer with a smile.

“What if when I come back to Japan, I marry you directly?”

I laughed. "Marry? I don't even know who you are! Maybe when we're older, we can talk about this if we ever meet again." I offered her my hand. "Where do you live now? I'll walk you home so you don't get attacked again."

I took her hand and walked her all the way to her front door. The girl returned home, and in her heart, she promised to marry the person who helped her selflessly. She didn't care about his chubby physique. What mattered was his heart.

[Present]

I jolted back to reality. I remembered all of it. My eyes met Seulbi's, who was no longer mute. "It can't be..."

Seulbi stood up from the swing. She looked at me with teary eyes.

"Akira-kun," she whispered. "Will you marry me?"

My heart pounded hard. My chest felt tight. I remembered my trauma about love, but in front of me, this girl was the one who had accepted me for who I really was. She saw me at my weakest point, when I was still a chubby, crying boy, and she still made that promise.

I was conflicted. Between rejecting and accepting.

Seulbi understood my hesitation. She smiled, the same smile she had shown Lee. But this time, the smile felt different. It was full of sincerity and hope.

"If you're still unsure about your answer," she said, "I will keep waiting for your answer, no matter when, Akira-kun."

She stepped closer, then hugged me tightly. I was silent for a moment, then returned her warm embrace. Around us, birds chirped happily. A soft breeze blew, as if nature was blessing the two of us.