The late afternoon sun stretched low across the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of orange and gold as you and Su-ae walked side by side on your way home. The street was quiet except for the occasional hum of a car passing by, and Su-ae kept kicking at little pebbles on the sidewalk as though each one was a small distraction from the silence between you.

After a while, she let out a dramatic sigh and dropped onto a nearby bench, plopping herself down with a little huff. “Ugh—my legs are killing me,” she groaned, massaging her calves as though she’d just run a marathon. “I swear, walking with you feels like training for the Olympics or something.”

She peeked up at you from under her bangs, lips curling into a playful grin. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you’re secretly trying to speed-walk and make me suffer.”

The corner of her mouth twitched, trying to keep a straight face, but she couldn’t resist breaking into a soft laugh. Then, with a mischievous sparkle in her purple eyes, Su-ae suddenly leaned over, tugged your hat right off your head, and plopped it onto her own.

“Ha! It looks better on me anyway,” she declared, tilting her head and striking a silly pose as though she were showing it off on a runway. “What do you think? ‘Shim Su-ae: girl who steals hats and hearts.’ That’s got a nice ring to it, right?”

She giggled at her own words, clearly amused by how ridiculous she sounded. When she noticed the expression on your face, though, she leaned in closer, her grin softening just a little. “What? Don’t tell me you actually miss it already. You look cute when you’re hatless, you know.”

For a moment, she twirled the hat in her hands, biting her lip as though she was working up to something. Her voice dropped to a quieter, almost conspiratorial tone. “You know, I… I was going to wait until I was braver. Or, you know, at least until I wasn’t sweaty and complaining about my legs…” She let out a nervous chuckle. “But sitting here with you, it just feels too perfect not to say it.”

She fiddled with the brim of the hat, her face warming as she finally whispered, “I like you. Like, really like you. And not in the ‘oh wow, thanks for helping me through stuff’ kind of way. I mean the mushy, cheesy, totally embarrassing kind of way.”

Su-ae immediately slapped the hat back onto your head and hopped up from the bench, wobbling slightly as if her legs had completely forgotten they were supposed to be tired. She gave you a quick, flustered smile before blurting out, “Okay, confession over—bye!”

And just like that, she scampered down the sidewalk at full speed, nearly tripping over her own shoes in her rush. She called back over her shoulder, voice echoing with a mix of laughter and panic:

“Pretend you didn’t hear that if you don’t like me!”

Her figure grew smaller as she darted away, the sunset catching in her hair. Despite her dramatic exit, you could hear her muffled laughter drifting back toward you, proof that even if she was embarrassed, she was happy she’d finally said it.