The Law of Webnovels - Chapter 274

Chapter 274: Chapter 274

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He might have thrown it as a joke, but his trembling voice didn’t make it sound like he had just said something funny or silly. As if he also knew that he had failed to crack a joke, Eun Jiho sealed his mouth again. That was when Ban yeo Ryung’s apathetic response returned.

“Why are you running to meet your troubles? If that’s the case, Donnie and I may have ended our friendship like hundreds of times.”

“Oh…”

“How many times have I involved Donnie in trouble that involved me and some bullies?”

Listening to Yeo Ryung’s words, I, who was suddenly dragged into the middle of their conversation, smiled awkwardly. Actually, I didn’t want to get engaged in such incidents, so I attempted to break off our friendship almost hundreds of times; all attempts failed. Well, I guess it was needless for us to bring that up now.

Anyway, those happened in the past. Even if I was abducted with the female protagonist in a warehouse, I now had nerves of steel that I decided not to end our relationship.

I diverted my eyes back onto Eun Jiho, who was walking side by side with Ban Yeo Ryung.

Looking at his silver hair surrounded by the vague dawn light, I murmured, ‘He hasn’t said a word to me since a while ago.’

It wasn’t that surprising. To protect my feelings and keep my peace of mind, it was indeed better not to have any expectations. With that being said, I was, of course, just the supporting role in the kidnapping of the female protagonist no matter what, right?

While Ban Yeo Ryung returned safely under the fancy rescue plan, my role in this episode was someone who remained almost invisible during the incident but later got to escape together with her. I would then compliment Ban Yeo Ryung’s spirit of sacrifice and Eun Jiho’s courage. That was my role in this novel; I had been aware of that from the very beginning. Therefore, I wouldn’t be expecting anything special.

Allowing the two to walk together in front of me, I began to shake off my dusty arms alone. While dusting off here and there, I spoke to myself.

Well, Ban Yeo Ryung was actually a hundred times more surprised than me. I was okay since I had predicted that all of this would happen someday a long time ago.

From the moment of the kidnapping until now…

That was when Eun Jiho slowly turned around to look at me as if he, at last, realized my presence away from Ban Yeo Ryung’s sudden remark about me.

Facing him without overthinking, I saw his black eyes and held my breath for a second. I then corrected my mind immediately. Until now, I thought that he didn’t think about me at all and only remembered my presence when Ban Yeo Ryung mentioned me. That was why he turned around to look at me. Those were what I had in mind until now.

Dropping his gaze at the ground with a tearful and grim face, Eun Jiho soon raised his head slowly and diverted his eyes back onto me. When he came forward and stood before me, I could finally read his emotions.

His black eyes under his platinum blond hair were soaked in worries and fears that had yet to be washed away. I seemed to get a glimpse of the reason for his concern.

He was too afraid that I would blame him.

That was why he couldn’t look me in the face for quite a while and barely got to turn around right now.

A moment of silence hung between us as we stood blankly. Many people threw a glance at us since we didn’t enter the car yet, but they then passed by like waves in the sea.

The wind that blew away from them as they walked past by us shook my dress as well as Eun Jiho’s hair quietly. Eun Jiho then finally uttered a remark that made me perk the ends of my eyebrows upwards, thinking, ‘What?’

“I told you I would also make you feel like today is your birthday as well, just like mine…”

I never thought I would hear that again. Earlier, Eun Jiho, who was holding my hand, spoke like that before stepping into the shop. That moment seemed like it had happened in a very distant past about a century ago. I nodded.

Yeah, he did tell me something like that. If I treated him like today was his birthday, he said he would do the same to me as well; however, I didn’t know he cared about that suggestion until now.

While I stared at him in confusion, he continued to blurt out with a grimace.

“It became the worst birthday ever.”

“…”

His following words then struck me dumb. Quickly lifting my head, I asked back with a suspicious voice.

“What did you say?”

“Should I stop being friends with you?”

Eun Jiho uttered such words in a low voice with subsided eyes. Listening to what he just said, I could hardly believe my ears.

In the past, right before entering high school, I asked him to act like we were strangers to each other. He, however, still didn’t respond nicely or favorably to my request. Eun Jiho could hardly tolerate me giving up before I attempted something; he also wouldn’t allow me to act passively or negatively. Perhaps, his goddamn perfectionism was transferred to me.

Anyway, every time he felt uncomfortable about some of my true colors, Eun Jiho would act like he was my big brother. Grabbing my head, he would throw out some didactic comments, and we used to fight quite often when those words got on my nerves at some point.

However, Eun Jiho was now dropping the most unfamiliar remark that he had ever made so far. Stop being friends? Who? Eun Jiho… with me?

Staring at my eyes for quite a while, Eun Jiho cast his gaze down at the pavement again. He then continued with a trembling voice. I was too perplexed to say something that I just stood still with my eyes on him.

“I… I was…”

“Eun Jiho.”

“I have been too greedy.”

I barely called his name, but he didn’t respond to it. As if he couldn’t hear any sounds, Eun Jiho raised his hand to cover his face and kept on speaking.

“I was trying to be greedy just once… just for only one time in my life, but I messed up things like this. What am I supposed to…?”

I lifted my hand and grabbed his arm.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“How dare I…?”

‘What are you talking about? No matter what’s happening, it’s not your fault,’ I tried to say these words but suddenly stopped to do so. That was because I saw a streak of a tear running down his hand as he used it to cover his eyes.

The air around us seemed to have vanished away; I felt like I was entering a vacuum state. Barely drawing in my breath, I murmured, ‘I never saw Eun Jiho this looking weak before.’

He didn’t show that vulnerable side even under his father’s strict discipline, which would be his most susceptible thing.

Rubbing out the tears around his eyes, he said, “How dare I…? I should not even hope of looking at you…”

I became speechless. Eun Jiho dropped his hand after wiping out his tears then turned his head to glance at me. Directing his teary eyes at me, he continued to speak.

“So, if you want… I can leave without a trace.”

I finally couldn’t stand it any longer when Eun Jiho spoke further in a faint voice, so I suddenly raised my foot. Not only Eun Jiho but Ban Yeo Ryung also stared at me in wonder. Suddenly, I kicked him in the shin.

“OUCH!!!”

With his knees in his hands, Eun Jiho shrieked after receiving my sudden attack. It seemed like something moved inside the black car that was standing near the street.

Eun Jiho reeled because of my kick for a while as if he was about to collapse; he then barely recovered his balance and stared at me with reddened eyes. Looking very bewildered, he shouted out loud.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?! Don’t you see me talking about… something serious…!?”

Blurting out to that extent, Eun Jiho shut his mouth when Ban Yeo Ryung, who was standing beside me, lifted her fist threateningly at him or maybe because I also raised my foot again, aiming the point of my shoe at him.

Crossing my arms, I opened my mouth.

“Dude, fine. It can be your fault that I have been kidnapped, and let’s say you also felt responsible for that.”

“Then how can I act normally!?”

With his knees in his hands, Eun Jiho yelled those words right away, so this time, I was the one who stood there awkwardly.

Eun Jiho wasn’t the kind of kid who would raise the volume of his voice instinctively like that, especially in this kind of situation. Maybe the kick was quite painful, huh? Rambling those thoughts, I lowered my head and smiled clumsily while looking down at my pointy shoes that glinted sharply in the dawn light.