Chapter 1
Chapter 1. The End of Unrequited Love
“There’s no better day than today.”
As she walked home from work with Jung Jiheon, the ace pitcher of the Hawks professional baseball team and her childhood friend, Jaehee was certain.
Today, Jung Jiheon had taken the mound, recorded a quality start, struck out ten batters, and became the winning pitcher. Perhaps because of that, his face looked brighter than usual all the way home.
And today, Jaehee had, for once, worn her favorite outfit to work. Even the makeup she touched up before leaving applied flawlessly, almost unbelievably so.
She had a very good feeling. So…
“I still like you!”
She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted, unable to muster the courage to meet his gaze. Her hand, which had barely managed to grasp the hem of his clothes as if even touching him required caution, trembled.
It was her tenth confession overall. Determined that this would truly be the last time, she threw her whole heart into it. But no answer came from Jung Jiheon. When she slowly opened her eyes, he responded exactly as always, with the same expression and tone, not missing a single word.
“I’m sorry.”
Her confession record: 0 wins, 10 losses. Someone once said that if you try ten times, even a tree will fall—but whether that saying was true or not, it certainly didn’t apply to her.
No matter how many times she heard it, rejection never became familiar. But she also knew this wasn’t the end.
‘I want to focus on baseball.’
She had once clung to him, promising she would never be a distraction. She had confessed again right after the season ended, asking if it was okay now. She had even confessed after he was sidelined with an injury, suggesting they could “date” while he was rehabbing. But the answer was always the same.
“Jaehee.”
His low, pleasant voice called her name. Maybe he felt especially sorry for rejecting her again, because he sounded even gentler than usual—but it didn’t comfort her at all. If he was sorry, he could have accepted her from the start.
“I-I’m sorry. After rejecting me this many times, I should’ve gotten the hint.”
“That’s not it, Jaehee.”
“I’m sorry, let’s talk later. I…”
If she heard one more word, she felt like she’d burst into tears.
Jaehee lowered her head and raised her hand to stop him. It was always like this. Jung Jiheon rejected her but remained kind, and she, while telling herself she should give up, couldn’t let go because of that kindness. But now she felt she truly had to stop. For his sake, and for her own. It seemed like it was finally time to give up.
“Bye.”
Normally, she would’ve said, “Thanks for walking me home!” then hurried inside, leaned out the window, waved to him again, and watched until his car disappeared.
But not today. This was her tenth heartbreak. With difficulty, she said goodbye and fled into her house. Jiheon called her name from behind, but she ignored him. Crying in front of him would only make things awkward for both of them.
She buried herself under her blanket and cried for a long time, then eventually called Irang.
“Waaah, Irang…! I got rejected again…!”
Choi Irang, Jung Jiheon, and Irang’s boyfriend Yoo Junghyuk were all childhood friends. Because of that, Irang knew everything about Jaehee’s unrequited love—her 13-year crush, and Jiheon’s nine previous rejections.
—Haah, again? Come out. I’ll comfort you.
She had work the next day and should’ve stayed home, but there was no way she could sleep. Maybe if she got comfort from Irang and had a drink, she’d feel better—and be able to greet Jiheon normally again at work tomorrow.
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Their usual meeting spot was the bar they always went to. Normally, all four childhood friends would gather there, but sometimes it was just the two of them—like after Jaehee had confessed to Jiheon and been rejected after becoming an adult.
“I didn’t want to come here today of all days…!”
Irang skillfully ordered their drinks. As soon as they arrived, they started drinking, and Jaehee quickly became tipsy, recounting the long history of her unrequited love.
“Did you know? It started in my first year of middle school.”
What began as a childish crush only deepened through high school. Right after graduation, Jiheon became a professional player, and with the determination to help him, she majored in physical therapy in college. Studying harder than anyone else, she eventually joined the same team he belonged to—and here she was now.
“You’ve been at it a long time. But honestly, it’s not just Jiheon—you’re something else too.”
Irang had watched everything from up close. Even though she’d heard it all many times before, she listened patiently, urging Jaehee to drink more so she could forget. Mixing soju and beer, they got drunk quickly.
“You forget someone with someone else!”
“That’s right, I’ll meet someone new now!”
Their words slurred, but to them, it didn’t matter.
“That’s it! You’re hung up on Jiheon because there aren’t any men around you!”
Irang boldly declared she’d set her up on a blind date and told her to trust her. Jaehee decided she’d do anything if it meant forgetting Jiheon.
She was already 27. During that time, Irang had dated Junghyuk, fought, broken up, dated others, and eventually reunited with him. Ten years had passed like that, while Jaehee only looked at Jiheon, and Jiheon only looked at baseball—it was frustrating.
“Hey, Yoon Jaehee! Dump Jung Jiheon! Dump him!”
“I will! I’ll dump him completely!”
“Good! There are plenty of men!”
Even though people at other tables glanced over, the two kept drinking steadily.
“I’ll meet all kinds of men.”
“That’s right! You only live once! You can’t die single and chaste!”
“Exactly! How does it make sense to be single for 27 years?! I’ll meet as many as I missed out on!”
It wasn’t like Jaehee had never been confessed to. When she first joined the team, players had flirted with her. But now, her devotion to Jiheon was so well-known even other teams knew, and some players even tried to help them get together—but it always failed.
She couldn’t keep living like this. At this rate, she’d still be single at 30… or until Jiheon retired.
‘Who knows, maybe he’ll reject me for another reason by then.’
Jiheon was such an outstanding player. He seemed like he’d only retire after 40. After that, he’d probably become a pitching coach—maybe even a manager.
If he rejected her even then because he wanted to “focus on baseball,” it would be too sad. So she wanted to end this unreciprocated love before it was too late. Thirteen years was long enough. Ten rejections were more than enough.
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(continued as requested)