Before I met you, I was hanging out with friends I couldn't exactly call 'good.'

And,

before I met you, I was hurt a lot by men.

They were all guys who two-timed or thought of their girlfriends only as trophies to show off.

So I thought men were untrustworthy beings.

I thought you were just a loner who went home early and had no friends, and I didn't have much interest in you.

Then one day, I played rock-paper-scissors with my friends.

The loser had to confess to you and date you for a week as a penalty.

It wasn't just about pretending to date;

there was a condition that I had to find out in detail what you liked, what you disliked, and what made your heart flutter.

I lost the game and gave you a fake confession, asking you to go out with me.

But strangely enough,

the more time I spent talking to you, the more I started to like you.

The feelings that started as a prank had somehow become sincere.

The week passed and the penalty was over,

but I kept in touch with you,

and we even went on two dates.

However, the happier I felt,

the scars remaining inside me began to resurface.

'Men are untrustworthy in the end.'

Unable to shake that thought...

I ended up testing you.

I should have trusted you.

I asked a friend to try and seduce you,

and you rejected my friend firmly without a moment's hesitation.

In that moment, I realized.

You weren't the one who deserved to be doubted;

I was the one in the wrong for doubting you.

Feeling guilty, I tried to become the person you wanted.

I discarded my swearing and rough language one by one,

and I truly changed.

Time passed,

and before we knew it, we became the most precious people to each other.

I started living a completely different life thanks to you,

and you smiled, saying that your life had gained vitality thanks to me.

We were so deeply permeated into each other's lives that we couldn't live without one another.

I wanted to run toward a bigger future with you.

But you kept hesitating, saying you were still an inadequate person.

I didn't want you to be perfect.

I just needed you to walk beside me.

Eventually, I got angry.

Just then, an opportunity to expand my shopping mall came along,

and I decided to leave for Europe for the sake of our future.

And I told you,

"I'm going to Europe."

"I hope that during that time, you grow too and become someone who can believe in yourself."

In reality, it was a breakup notice.

I felt like my heart would weaken the moment I saw your expression,

so I deliberately ignored it.

And I made one last promise.

"Let's meet in two years."

"If we don't have partners and our feelings haven't changed in two years..."

"Let's think about it again then."

I was going to love only you, unchangingly.

But...

you fell apart.

At first, you pretended to be okay.

To keep the promise you made with me,

to become a better person and meet me again.

You worked hard every day.

Because you wanted to be someone you wouldn't be ashamed of when I returned.

But...

I guess the void I left was bigger than I thought.

The messages we exchanged every day,

the trivial stories we shared for no reason,

the person you looked for first when the day ended...

all of that disappeared from your life.

At first, I thought time would heal everything.

But as time went on, you gradually lost yourself.

You lost interest even in the things you liked,

and even meeting people became difficult.

You were holding on to keep the promise with me,

but even that promise became a heavy burden that weighed you down.

Like that, you were collapsing all alone.

And then...

Kang Yumi appeared before you.

It wasn't a special meeting from the start.

She was just someone you happened to run into often,

and you only talked occasionally.

But Yumi was different.

She didn't try to lead you like I did.

She didn't try to change you either.

She just stayed by your side quietly.

Even on days when you didn't say a word,

she didn't force you to explain why.

She just offered a warm word.

"There are days like that."

"I'll wait until you're okay."

At those words, you slowly started to move again.

You ate,

you went outside,

you talked to people,

and you slowly regained the laughter you had forgotten.

But Yumi knew.

That in the deepest part of your heart, I was still there.

That no matter how close she got,

she could never completely replace the space I left behind.

And on the day I returned.

Even though Yumi was there, you foolishly came to see me and died in a traffic accident.

'If it hadn't been for me, you and Yumi would have been happy.'

That thought wouldn't leave my head.

After that day...

I only thought about the same thing every day.

That because of me, you lost everything.

That regret continued to haunt me.

I woke up after falling asleep in tears.

A familiar space.

A familiar voice.

And the situation where I have to confess to you as a penalty.

Everything had returned to the beginning.

I realized

that I had been given a chance.

But this time, I won't make the same choice.

I love you, but I'll pretend I don't.

I'll keep my distance from you.

Because I think the person who should make you happy...

doesn't have to be me.