Your Mystery Lover (IVE x Male Reader)

Chapter 20: The Game Changer

"The sea looks so peaceful, don't you think? Even at this hour, you can still feel the warm and cozy feeling that this place has. It almost makes me want to stay here in Okinawa for a little while longer. How about you, Y/N-oppa?"

"Yeah....I guess you have a point there, Hyunseo-ah."

At this moment, you still feel a bit of uneasiness in your mind, as you weren't able to focus your thoughts on spending some time with Hyunseo.

It was because of a particular conversation that you had with someone before you went down to the hotel's lobby, right before you meet her.

Truly, his words both caused you to have mixed feelings upon hearing them, as it somehow made your current situation with the girls to be even more uncertain.

"Sunghoon-ah. What you said just now. You weren't kidding, aren't you?"

"Of course not, Y/N. I really meant every word I said to you, and you don't need to have any doubts about it. What's more is that since I plan to be friends with both you and Jungwon, then letting you know my secret would be a great first step for us to have some trust with each other."

"Yes that's true, but..."

"Y/N, please. I know what you're about to say to me, but you don't need to. As of today, I had already accepted the fact that I will never have a chance to be with Wonyoung. It's the truth that I have to accept, and I promise that I will never blame you or anyone for it. That part of me is gone, so you can rest easy. Right now, I can tell you without a second thought that I'll be happy if the two of you really end up being together for real, you know. You have my support as your new friend, and I'm perfectly sure that Jungwon-ssi will also say the same thing."

"U-umm, I guess I should thank you for saying that. Still, I need some time to think about it."

"Really? Why's that?"

"It's....much more complicated than you might think, and I apologize that I won't be able to tell you my reasons just yet. I hope you understand."

"T-that's fine, I suppose? Well I understand if you felt like I'm pushing you to be with her for real, so I'm sorry for putting pressure on you. Believe me, that's not my intention. I simply wanted to let you know how I felt about her, as well as to let you know that I'm here to back you up should you make that decision. That's all."

"I see. I should thank you for letting me know the truth, Sunghoon. But it still makes me wonder as to how you were able to figure out that I like her as well. Was it that obvious?"

"You can say that. I see the way you look at her every time I see you together, not just during this school trip, but ever since I saw you both at school. While I'm still not sure whether she sees you as a friend or as someone more special, there's no doubt that she always has a very cheerful aura whenever you're with her. Back then, I used to envy you, Y/N. There I was, a guy who's born to a well-to-do family, someone whose life is envied upon by a lot of our schoolmates even today. But for all the perks that my life gives me, I still failed to make the very girl whom I had admired for quite a long time look at me in a positive light, let alone fall for me."

"Sunghoon-ah..."

"Heh. I appreciate your sympathy, Y/N. But there's no sense in hiding the fact that I can only blame myself for it. I was too blinded by my own arrogance for a long time, to the point that I never realized how much of a horrible person I was. I constantly looked down on you, Jungwon and our classmates, because I thought I was better than you all. But now I learned that was never the case. The real reason why I did all those things was because I was so insecure about myself, for I stubbornly refused to accept that I was in the wrong. Back then, I couldn't stand the fact that Wonyoung was always smiling whenever she saw you, and I didn't know why until today. It turns out that you had something that I lacked all this time, and that was kindness. Just by being a good person to her, you were able to make her happy without any effort at all. It was for that reason why she and her friends like you as a person. Having learned that, I was able to allow myself  to change starting today. Once we get back, they'll see a new Park Sunghoon, one who will set a good example for everyone, just like you do."