Chapter 33: It’s a Confession Attack! (2)

Today was the day I decided to confess to Damin.

We were supposed to meet at Jamsil at 6, and I started getting ready at 4:30.

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my clothes and taking a deep breath.

“Hah…
I can do this, right?”

As I was worrying about how to confess, Seo-jun hyung’s advice came to mind.

“Just tell her honestly how you feel when you look at her.”

‘He meant to be sincere.’

‘My sincerity for Damin…’

I pictured Damin in my mind.

Her bright smile when she looked at me, her warm eyes, the comfort I felt when I was with her.

“I want to be with you always.”

‘Yes, you can do it.
Jeong Tae-woo.’

I checked my reflection in the mirror one more time.

My appearance was good enough to debut in the entertainment industry right away.

“Damn, I’m so handsome.”

I was still lacking in a lot of things, like hairstyling and fashion sense, but as they say, ‘your face is your fashion,’ and my reflection in the mirror looked like a masterpiece in itself.

With that, I steeled my resolve and left the room.

“Tae-woo, are you going to meet a friend?”

“Yes, Mom.
I’m going to have a meal with a friend.”

“Okay, don’t be late.”

Leaving my mom’s warm voice behind, I was about to leave the house with an excited heart when a thought struck me.

‘Still, I’m a celebrity now, won’t everyone recognize me if I go out without a hat?’

‘Since the joy of the Olympic victory hadn’t faded yet, it was a very real possibility.’

‘And what if someone recognizes me when I’m about to confess…’

“Let’s wear a hat.”

After making my decision and putting on a hat, I left the house.

‘Hah…
is it because this is my first time confessing?
My heart won’t stop pounding.’

‘During my Kim Chan-ki days, I thought no one would like my ugly face, so I couldn’t even think about confessing, let alone actually do it.’

‘Hah…
I should drink something cool and calm down.’

I walked towards the convenience store in front of my house.

As soon as I arrived in front of the convenience store, the door opened and two girls came out, laughing.

They looked to be around my age.

“So that oppa told me………”

One of the girls was talking to her friend when she saw me and her eyes widened as she stopped talking.

“Huh?”

At that moment, I pulled my hat down a little more.

‘Did they recognize me?’

As if mocking that thought, the two girls just walked past me.

“Is that a relief?”

‘Ahem, I wonder if I was being too self-conscious,’ I thought as I entered the convenience store.

But without my knowledge, the two girls behind me were staring at me with wide eyes.

“Wow, what was that just now.”

“Daebak, he’s so handsome.”

“Should I have asked for his number?”

“Hey, give it up.

With that face, do you think he’d look at us?

Besides, we’re minors.”

“So that’s what a celestial face looks like.”

They didn’t realize that Jeong Tae-woo was younger than them.

His outstanding looks, which made it impossible to guess his age, were a terrifying weapon in their own right.

***

I was eating with Damin, but I was so focused on watching her eat that I didn’t even know if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

‘Hah…
what if we just eat and then leave without me saying anything?’

‘I knew I had to open my mouth, but I couldn’t think of what to say.’

‘Right, let’s just go for it.

You can do it, Jeong Tae-woo.

You’re a real man.’

‘When I mustered up the courage and cut the steak for Damin using the restaurant etiquette I saw on the internet, her expression definitely brightened.’

“What do you want to do after we eat?”

“Huh?”

‘Aish, was I too nervous?

I think that was too awkward…

Hoo, whatever.

Let’s just go for it.’

“Were you just going to eat and leave?
I’ll be sad then.”

‘I-I did it.’

My heart pounded like a runaway train, and my palms were sweating.

‘Was that too direct?’

Damin didn’t answer right away and had a thoughtful expression on her face.

That short moment felt like an eternity to me.

‘Does she not want to?’

Anxiety washed over me.

While waiting for Damin’s answer, I replayed our relationship in my head, repeatedly asking myself if I had misunderstood, if I had been too hasty.

‘Ah, right.
I think I saw on the internet that girls like it when guys plan the date course.’

I mustered up the courage and opened my mouth again.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?

Looking at your expression, you’d be sad if you just left too, right?

Should we go to Hangang Park after we finish eating?”

‘God, Buddha, Allah, Chicken God, God of Football…
please…’

I prayed earnestly, thinking of every god I knew.

I waited for Damin’s answer in a state of tension that felt like my heart would explode.

“W-well…
I guess so.”

And the gods recognized my sincerity.

‘Nice!’

“Then let’s take a walk around Hangang Park after we finish eating.”

“Okay.”

After that, we ate without saying another word, but I didn’t find the silence uncomfortable at all; it was filled with excitement.

***

After we finished eating, we took a taxi to Hangang Park.

The view of the Han River under the darkened sky greeted us.

The city lights reflected on the river, sparkling like stars had fallen into it.

“It’s dark.”

“I know, did we come too late?”

Damin asked in a slightly worried voice.

I looked around and saw that there were still many people on the walking path, even though it was night.

Couples, families, and friends were gathered in small groups.

“Well, there are still a lot of people.
Maybe it’s better that I, a popular star, am not so visible?”

Pfft-

“What are you talking about?
But it’s really pretty.”

The night view of the Han River was sparkling in her eyes.

‘You’re prettier.’

‘The words echoed like a whisper in my heart.’

‘Her hair fluttered slightly in the gentle breeze, and the sight of her looking at the Han River with sparkling eyes was much prettier than the scenery of the Han River spread out before us.’

We walked along the Han River, talking about old memories.

Childhood memories came to mind one by one, and the conversation flowed naturally.

“So when you were 5, you followed me around saying you liked me.
You were so cute back then.”

“Wh-what are you talking about.”

“Hahahaha.”

Talking about our childhood, I felt my trembling heart starting to calm down.

“Then when you were 8, you wet the bed and your mom was so sorry to my mom- oomph oomph oomph”

“Hey, hey, I’m a public figure now, how can you say that so loudly.”

I was flustered and quickly covered Damin’s mouth with my hand.

“Oomph oomph oomph, hey, move your hand.”

“If you promise not to say things like that anymore, I’ll move my hand.”

Suddenly, Damin bit my hand, and I screamed without realizing it.

“Aaaack!”

“Heh, you’re messing with me.”

Damin said with a victorious smile.

“Hey, how could you bite my hand?”

Our playful squabble continued for a while.

But as we walked along the Han River, a natural silence fell between us.

“Hey, Damin.”

I carefully opened my mouth in the silence.

“What?”

“Do you remember when I called you when I went to the finals?”

“…”

After a brief silence, Damin answered quietly.

“I remember.”

“What were you going to say?”

We naturally stopped walking and stood under a streetlight by the Han River.

A gentle light enveloped us, and the starlight reflected on the river swayed gently.

At that moment, we both looked into each other’s eyes.

In that moment, time seemed to stop.

Forgetting the noise of our surroundings and the cold night air, we just stood there, looking at each other.

“Do you really want to know?”

Gulp.

I swallowed.

I was always curious, even during the Olympics.

Because that phone call was the start of me admitting my feelings for Damin.

“Uh…
I want to know.”

I answered in a trembling voice.

“We’ve been friends since we were 5, right?”

‘And finally, that curiosity was about to be resolved.’

“Right…”

When I answered, Damin hesitated for a moment.

“Have you…ever seen me as a woman?

Not just a childhood friend…but as a woman…?”

Under the streetlight, I could see her long eyelashes trembling.

“Damin…”

My voice trembled.

“When you were happy, I was happy too, and when you were sad, my heart ached too.

It’s been like that since we were young.

But I just thought it was natural because we were childhood friends.”

I took a moment to catch my breath and looked into Damin’s eyes.

I could see the expectation and anxiety in her eyes.

“But now I know.

The reason my heart warms up when you smile, and my chest hurts when you’re sad…
it wasn’t friendship, it was love, Damin.”

The streetlight softly illuminated Damin’s face.

Under that light, her beauty seemed to shine even more.

‘Why didn’t I know how beautiful and charming this woman was until now?
You were always by my side…’

I carefully reached out and took Damin’s hand.

“Heek!”

“Damin, to me, you’re not just a childhood friend anymore.
You’re the woman I love, and the woman I want to continue to love.”

Damin’s face turned beet red.

She looked at me and then quickly looked down.

She looked so lovely that I felt like my heart was melting.

“Will you go out with me?”

“Tae-woo…”

Damin said in a trembling voice.

“I…I like you too.
For a long time…”

The moment I heard those words, my heart swelled with emotion.

Our hands were still clasped, and that warmth seemed to connect our hearts as one.

“Damin, are we…a couple from today?”

Damin looked up and met my eyes.

“Yes, Tae-woo.

Today is our first day.”

‘Thank you, Park Seo-jun sensor.’