"Do you want to have a drink?"
"..." Lily widened her eyes in shock. Even the people from their two groups couldn’t help but drop their jaws.
"I didn’t hear it wrong, right?"
"Did he just invite Lily for a drink?"
Because he could hear their reactions, Michael shouted at them, "Just shut up. If you don’t want to, then it’s fine."
Lily shook her head. "No. Let’s go."
"Hmph." Michael harrumphed and turned around before walking away.
"Hey, hey. If you are inviting me for a drink, shouldn’t you properly escort me?" Lily grinned, teasing Michael from the side.
Michael looked away as he simply increased his walking pace.
"Hey, wait!" Lily pouted.
"Why?" Kayne roared to the sky.
Some people just stayed quiet and patted Kayne’s shoulders. They all knew Kayne’s feeling toward Lily, Lily’s feeling toward Michael, and Michael’s indifference.
However, this was Lily’s choice. They followed Lily, not Kayne. That was why they had to stop Kayne as well.
Even some people couldn’t help but whisper, "Poor Kayne."
"Kayne might not be the most handsome, but he’s certainly reliable. He is also one of the few people who can keep up with Michael."
"In fact, if Kayne wants to choose anyone but Lily, I don’t think they will reject him."
"What I’m curious about is why Lily actually chooses Michael the whole time."
"I’m curious about it as well."
The people couldn’t help but whisper, but there were only two people in the world that knew the answer. They were Michael and Lily themselves. No, Lily might be the only one who knew it.
In the bar, Michael sat across from Lily with his arms folded. On the other hand, Lily placed her elbows on the table while placing her hands on her cheek, staring at Michael with such a bright face.
Her face was asking him whether something was wrong.
"..." Michael drank a full glass before squinting his eyes. "I don’t understand why someone like you keeps following me for so many years. If you want anyone, I doubt they will reject you.
"What exactly is the reason?"
"The reason, huh?" Lily rolled her eyes playfully as if she was searching for an answer.
Michael’s expression remained solemn, demanding an answer.
Lily chuckled. "I won’t answer."
"Then, treat me as if I haven’t asked you anything." Michael harrumphed.
"You’re not going to demand it again?"
"I respect everyone. If you say no, I won’t pursue. If you want to say it, my ears will be listening. I don’t like to play games."
Lily’s smile grew bigger. "I will give you a clue then. Once upon a time, there was a girl who was desperate to survive. However, the girl felt as if the world had betrayed her.
"First, her teammates betrayed her. She escaped with all her might and barely survived. At that time, the girl didn’t have anything to eat or drink.
"At her lowest point, it was there she met a man. The man saved her life as well as her ’world.’
"After saving her, the man simply left her in the safe space. When the girl asked him why he saved her, the man was totally indifferent.
"There was only one big smile on that man’s face. That smile... might be an ordinary smile, but that smile saved the girl’s world.
"He said, ’I was training to get stronger. Saving you just happened because you were there, so you don’t have to thank me.’
"He added, ’I don’t know what you are currently feeling. However, I know for sure that the sky up there will become clear if your heart is clear. If it’s not clear, then just do whatever it takes to make it clear.’
"Those two were the reason the girl could put on a smile filled with positivity. Every day, the girl could see the clear sky even in such a chaotic world."
Lily toned down the story a bit, but the man in her story had sacrificed for her, almost dying because of her multiple times. Yet the man remained indifferent.
The man knew the girl was conscious and felt guilty. That was why he gave her that answer.
But Michael couldn’t help but drop his jaw to the ground as if recognizing that story. He had definitely saved a lot of people, but, more importantly, he could still recall a certain girl among them.
The girl’s clothes were a mess, her bangs were messy to the point that they covered her eyes, and her overall hair looked as if it hadn’t been treated for weeks. Upon meeting her gaze, Michael could feel the despair in her eyes.
At that time, she had given up on living and was just waiting for her death. And that girl had turned into a beauty before him.
"You... You are... Messy."
"As expected, you didn’t even recognize me the whole time."
"Ugh..." Michael rubbed his cheek while looking away, feeling apologetic. "Well, you don’t need to cling to that story and just follow your own path."
That statement made her smile even bigger. She asked, "Say... Why did you save me that day? The me now can definitely receive your honest answer, right?"
"..." Michael’s fingers tapped the table, as if he was trying not to make it awkward. He thought for a moment before saying, "Because you hadn’t given up."
"!!!" Lily’s eyes were wide open. She had definitely given up on living at that time. So, why would Michael deem she hadn’t?
"If you had given up, you would have gone upstairs and jumped off the building or exited the building to kill yourself."
"Maybe I was just a coward who couldn’t take her own life..."
"I don’t know which one is cowardice... Is it the suffering or is it the pain? You were still courageous enough to endure the pain of waiting for your death. That alone gave me enough reason to know you were still hoping someone would find you. And I just happened to be that someone."
"Yeah." Michael sighed. "You have wasted your youth on me. Now that I know you are Messy, I mean, Lily. You should walk your own way. Your feelings come from me saving you, not from your own heart. I am more suitable to be a hero than a lover."
"No." Lily shook her head. "That’s why I stalked... Ahem, I mean I followed you."
"Oi! Did you just say you stalked me?"