"It's not trauma..."
His eyes met hers quietly.
"It's a curse."
Aira fell silent.
The seriousness in his voice erased even the slightest trace of doubt from her face.
He paused for a moment, studying her reaction before continuing.
"I don't want to carry it forward. I want to end it."
She waited for him to finish, trying her best to process everything he had just said.
After thinking for a long moment, she finally asked carefully,
"Do you... have some incurable disease?"
For a second, he simply stared at her, genuinely caught off guard.
After everything I said, that's what she understood?
A faint scoff escaped his lips before he could stop it.
"Look, it's fine. I'm not forcing you into a relationship or anything. But since we already share one secret... maybe there could be another, right?"
The words left her mouth unconsciously.
The moment she realized what she had actually implied, her eyes widened in panic.
Their gazes met.
Instantly, she turned her head away and lightly smacked her lips in embarrassment, silently scolding herself.
Then, desperately trying to escape the awkwardness, she hurriedly added,
"M... maybe I can help you."
He let out a quiet sigh and smiled faintly.
It wasn't anything close to what he had expected.
But strangely enough, for the first time since saying those words aloud, he didn't feel heavier.
Instead, something inside him felt lighter.
He shook his head softly.
"It's not like that. How did you even come to that conclusion?"
Even then, Aira still looked concerned.
But the moment he started laughing lightly, her concern slowly turned into irritation.
Aira narrowed her eyes and stared directly at him.
Taking a deep breath, she puffed her cheeks slightly, making her already wide eyes look even bigger.
He is impossible to talk to...
"What's so funny?" she asked, glaring at him. "If you don't explain things properly, of course I'll get confused."
A faint trace of irritation had already crept into her voice.
"And what's there to laugh about anyway?"
Ian looked at her for a moment but said nothing.
"Never mind. Let's just go to the bakery."
Once again, she walked ahead while he followed behind.
But this time, even with his long legs, he struggled to keep up with her pace.
With every step, her mind mercilessly mocked her heart.
Happy now?
You wanted an answer, right?
"Maybe I can help you..."
Satisfied?
The embarrassment alone was enough to make her want to disappear.
But then her thoughts suddenly shifted.
...Would he have reacted the same way if he knew about the pregnancy?
The moment that thought appeared, everything inside her turned upside down.
Would he still refuse a relationship?
Or...
Would he... want me to get rid of it?
By the time they reached the bakery, her thoughts had become a complete mess.
She walked straight to the counter and stood there blankly for several seconds, completely forgetting what she even wanted to order.
Ian entered right behind her, slightly out of breath.
For the first time, he realized just how fast Aira could actually walk when she was upset.
Meanwhile, Aira forcefully pulled herself back to reality and focused on the menu.
After a moment, she finally ordered,
"One cream roll for dine-in... and pack the rest for takeaway, please."
Honestly, it wasn't hunger.
It was bribery.
A desperate attempt to silence her overthinking mind and soothe the aching disappointment sitting stubbornly inside her chest.
At times like this, dopamine really did feel like the best medicine.
Ian reached for his wallet to pay.
But before he could even take the money out, Aira quickly scanned the QR code and paid through her phone first.
Almost as if she wanted to win against him for something he didn't even realize he had done.
Ian paused and looked at her in confusion.
What exactly did I do to make her this angry?
Aira took her dessert and sat near the window while the rest of her order was being packed.
Meanwhile, Ian stood there quietly, replaying everything in his head, trying to figure out exactly where things had gone wrong.
His thoughts eventually stopped at the moment she started walking away from him.
Realizing that was probably the turning point, he immediately followed after her.
"Look... that's not what I meant," he said. "I wasn't laughing at you. The situation itself just caught me off guard."
"Hm."
She replied without even looking at him, her mouth still full from the cream roll.
Ian sighed softly before continuing,
"I'm sorry if it upset you. I really didn't mean to."
"It's fine," she replied calmly after swallowing. "I'm not that petty."
Then, almost immediately, she added a little too quickly,
"And I'm not embarrassed either."
The rushed explanation made the truth painfully obvious.
Ian couldn't help the small scoff that escaped him.
Because contrary to her words, embarrassment was practically written all over her face.
"Your order is ready."
The voice from behind the counter interrupted them.
The moment the employee called out, Ian stood up immediately and walked toward the counter.
Aira instinctively started to get up too, but after seeing how quickly he had already gone ahead, she slowly sat back down instead.
With a small, dramatic eye roll, she turned toward the window, pretending to be deeply interested in the scenery outside.
A few moments later, Ian returned and sat across from her again.
Silently.
Watching her.
At first, she tried ignoring him.
But after a while, his gaze became impossible to tolerate.
"Are you planning to stare at me until I'm done eating?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "If you want some, go buy your own. Why are you eyeing mine like that?"
She tried to sound rude.
At least, that was her intention.
But to Ian, she looked far more adorable than intimidating.
The corner of his lips lifted again.
"It's been a while..."
He suddenly paused mid-sentence.
Aira stopped chewing.
Her eyes slowly lifted toward him.
What is he trying to say now?
"...They must be waiting for us," he finished casually.
Which somehow only irritated her even more.
Did this man skip every communication class in school?
How did he even get his job?
Why does he keep pausing like that?!
"Did I ever say I can't walk while eating?" she replied with a tight smile, squinting at him.
"You could've just said we should leave after getting the order. You sat down across from me, so I thought you ordered something too."
Ian blinked once before answering honestly,
"I just thought you'd want to enjoy your dessert here."
Aira immediately shot back,
"And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"
The moment she said it, the sentence felt strangely familiar to him.
"Did you ask me?" she replied before immediately walking ahead.
Her words referred to the dessert.
But her tone...
It clearly meant something else too.
Ian quietly followed behind her, a faint smile still lingering on his face.
Soon, they stepped into the hospital elevator.
And once again, silence settled between them.
The enclosed space somehow made everything feel even quieter.
Ian wanted to say something.
Anything.
But for some strange reason, he wasn't even sure how to continue the conversation.
So he picked the safest topic he could think of.
"How's studying abroad going?" he asked.
Aira glanced at him briefly.
"Are we close enough to discuss that?" she replied cautiously.
Her answer caught him off guard.
For a moment, he simply stood there quietly, thinking.
Then, after hesitating slightly, he decided to speak honestly instead.
"Still..." he said softly, "today feels much lighter compared to the last time we met."
His gaze lowered slightly before he continued,
"I think this is the first time we've actually talked this much."
For some reason, those words only irritated her more.
Because while he felt lighter...
She felt like she was drowning.
The frustration almost slipped out before she could stop it.
But before she could speak, Ian added quietly,
"I never realized I needed this kind of conversation to breathe easier."
Aira's fingers tightened slightly.
"You may feel lighter..." she murmured under her breath. "...but what am I supposed to do? I can't carry this alone."
"What?"
Ian immediately turned toward her, confusion visible on his face.
The moment she realized he had heard her, Aira froze.
Then she quickly forced a smile onto her face.
"You're right," she said lightly. "Talking about what's bothering you really does make you feel better."
Ian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"...I don't think that's what you originally said."
"But that's what I meant," she replied with a scoff.
Right then, the elevator doors opened.
Without waiting another second, Aira walked out quickly, almost escaping.
Ian followed behind her silently.
Just before entering the hospital ward, Aira suddenly stopped.
She took a slow breath.
Then another.
Carefully fixing her expression, she rehearsed a calm smile in her head before finally pushing the door open—
only to find everyone inside staring directly at them.
A question was practically written across every face.
As if something had already been exposed.