Questism and Lookism: Am I Suhyeon Kim?

A few days after the creation of Black Lotus.

Chaerin and Suhyeon had finished classes more than an hour ago, but they were still sitting in the small café on the corner, as if neither of them was in a hurry to go home.

Outside, the rain tapped softly and steadily against the windows, while the aroma of freshly ground coffee filled the place with an almost addictive warmth.

Chaerin was holding a pencil over her notebook, but she hadn't written anything for a while. Suhyeon glanced at her from the corner of his eye, resting an elbow on the table.

"Are you going to stare at that page all afternoon?" he asked, leaning in to see what she had in front of her.

She barely smiled, without lifting her gaze.

"I'm thinking… Not everyone lives off coffee and math, you know?"

Suhyeon let out a soft laugh.

"I could live perfectly fine that way."

"Of course you could," she murmured, spinning the pencil between her fingers.

Without asking permission, he slid his chair a little closer to read her notes.

His shoulder brushed against hers — a tiny touch, but enough for Chaerin to feel a wave of heat rising up her neck.

She didn't move away. Neither did he.

"You missed a comma here," he said, pointing at a line with his pen.

She arched an eyebrow. "What are you now, a grammar teacher?"

"I'm a lot of things," he replied with a calm smile. That smile that seemed so annoying… and yet impossible to ignore.

Chaerin tried to focus on her notebook, but the smell of his coffee mixed with Suhyeon's cologne was distracting her. She noticed he was still looking — and not at the page.

"What?" she asked, trying to sound natural.

"You're frowning. You always do that when something's bothering you," he said, leaning back in his chair but never taking his eyes off her.

She let out a short laugh. "Do you notice everything, or only when it's about me?"

"Only when it's about you," he answered, and his words lingered in the air as if he'd revealed more than he meant to.

Chaerin felt her heart skip a beat. She searched for something to say, but at that moment the café door opened and a familiar voice broke the moment.

"Hey, you two! Always together, huh? You look like a couple."

"Good job, Cloud. Thanks," thought Suhyeon, smiling.

She felt the blood rush to her face. Without taking her eyes off him, she shrugged.

"We're just friends, nothing more." But the way she said it — slow, measuring every word — made Suhyeon wonder if she really meant it.

The friend who interrupted them walked over, cracked a couple of jokes, and then left with his coffee to go.

Even so, the comment hung between them, invisible but heavy.

Chaerin picked up her cup, now lukewarm, and took a sip.

"You shouldn't let people say things like that," she murmured, not daring to look at him.

"Why? Does it bother you?" he asked, leaning a little closer to her.

"No… that's not it," she replied quickly — too quickly.

He smiled, and that smile seemed to say I know more than you think.

They stayed like that, face to face, playing at not saying what they really thought, while the rain outside kept falling as if time had stopped just for them.

The conversation continued with jokes, but the comment lingered in the air.

Later, when they left, the rain had gotten worse. Drops drummed hard against the café roof, and the cold air made Chaerin hug herself.

"Great… I forgot my umbrella," she murmured, staring up at the gray sky in resignation.

Suhyeon didn't say anything at first. He just opened his umbrella with a soft click and stepped closer, tilting it toward her.

"Come on," he said simply.

He gently took her arm, guiding her until she was right beside him, sharing the small circle of fabric.

The umbrella wasn't big, forcing them to walk so close that Chaerin could feel his coat brushing against hers.

The familiar scent of his cologne, mixed with the damp smell of the rain, surrounded her in a way that felt disturbingly pleasant.

As they turned the first corner, a gust of wind tilted the umbrella, forcing them even closer.

Their hands almost touched, and she noticed how he seemed to hesitate for a moment before barely pulling his away.

"You're going to get soaked," Suhyeon commented, angling the umbrella more toward her side.

"What about you?" Chaerin asked, glancing up at him.

He smiled faintly. "Doesn't matter."

They walked like that for several blocks, sharing a silence that wasn't awkward — just tense… expectant.

The sound of their footsteps on the wet pavement set a slow rhythm, as if neither wanted to reach the destination too quickly.

At a traffic light, while waiting for the green, Suhyeon looked at her from the corner of his eye. There was something different in his expression, something barely being held back.

"Chaerin…" he began to say, his voice lower than usual.

She turned to him — but just then, the light changed.

He let out a small breath, as if he'd lost the moment, and started walking.

Chaerin followed, without pushing. Maybe, she thought, she wasn't ready to hear whatever he was about to say.

Or maybe she was… just not tonight.

When they reached her door, he stopped to close the umbrella and shake off the drops. When he handed it to her, his fingers brushed hers — a brief touch… but intentional.

She looked up and found him watching her in a way that made the air between them feel heavier.

"Thanks for walking me home," Chaerin said softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Always," he replied, with a sincerity that made her grip the umbrella tighter.

For an instant, it seemed like something else was about to leave his lips, but instead he smiled — that calm smile that hid more than it showed.

"Get some rest, Chaerin."

"You too, Suhyeon."

He turned to leave, and after a few steps, Chaerin thought she heard him murmur something, but the rain erased it before she could be sure.

She stayed at the entrance, watching his figure fade into the gray of the evening, her heart beating far too fast to call it coincidence.

Night had fallen over Gangbuk. Suhyeon sat in his room with the lights off, the window open letting in the cool night air.

"Is it really okay to do this…?" he murmured, resting his elbows on the desk.

His fingers drummed restlessly as he stared at the black screen of his phone, as if expecting an answer from someone who wasn't there.

Suddenly, a familiar sound broke the silence. Ding!

A system notification appeared in front of his eyes, bright and irritating.

—

[System]: The user has feelings for Chaerin. Next objective: make her your girlfriend.

Reward: Girlfriend.

—

Suhyeon blinked several times, incredulous.

"Seriously…? This counts as a mission too?" he muttered, rubbing his forehead with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

"This is too much…"

The notification flashed as if mocking him, insistent, until it slowly faded away.

---

Author's Note:

"Hey everyone! Today is a special day because it's my birthday, so I decided to celebrate with you by uploading this chapter... and another one in a bit! Thank you for keeping up with the story, it really means a lot to me."