Your Mystery Lover (IVE x Male Reader)

Chapter 8: Equations Of The Heart, Part 3

You then sat beside her after you gave her the glass of water, as Jiwon quickly drank it. Afterwards, you noticed that she's thinking deeply about something.

"Is everything okay?"

"Y-yes, I think so. Uhh....."

"Are you sure?"

"Well I....."

"Come on, just say it. You told me that since we're partners now, we shouldn't keep any secrets from each other, right? Well, except for the little game you and the others are playing with me at present."

Jiwon still didn't say anything for the next few seconds, that is until she looked at you in the eye and held your right hand tightly, surprising you.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Y/N. I know that what I'm about to say to you can be considered mundane or trivial at the very least. It's about the dream that I had just now. I know this sounds strange, but I promise that I will never, ever, try to force you into one of my experiments again. There, I said it."

"Hold on. That's good news for me I guess, but why so sudden?"

"That dream- no, nightmare of mine was a wake-up call. Since I came to the conclusion that an experience like that does provide hints as to what kind of person I am becoming. As one who wants to become a great scientist who respects the ethics that goes hand in hand with my pursuit of knowledge, it is the right decision. From now on, I will always ask for your consent whenever I need your help. I deeply apologize for everything wrong that I did concerning you. I promise that I will never turn into that evil version of me who was in that dream."

Jiwon proceeded to immediately bow her head to you after she said those words, as you helped her get up again and told her that it's not necessary.

Indeed, her sudden actions had surprised you, even though you don't remember her doing anything that can cause any form of harm to you to some extent.

Sure, there were times when she was all too excited about trying out her new concoction's effects on you plenty of times. But the fact that you once saw her secretly trying it to herself before she gave it to you already explains what kind of person she is.

The only reason you can think of as to why she apologized to you is that she feared that you may not trust her anymore, or that you may grow tired of her antics. By looking at it from such a perspective, it only means that Jiwon is afraid of losing one of the few friends she has. It's the worst thing she thought that could happen to her. This only shows how much she's fond of you now since you first became acquainted.

"Ya, you don't need to apologize to me or anything like that, Jiwon-ah. I'm not just your assistant you know, for I'm also your friend. That said, friends trust each other, and that's what I'm going to do. Still, thank you for saying all of that to me."

With this, Jiwon suddenly looked away from you, hoping that she would be able to hide her blushing face from you. Of course you already knew that, so you simply smiled in response. That was when you remembered something important.

"Ahem. Jiwon-ah, the reason why I'm here is because I picked the purple envelope from Rei during lunchtime. I read your letter, and you said that you need some help from me with what you're working on. Well here I am now, so what do I need to do?"

Hearing this, Jiwon gave you a serious expression. Only this time, the look on her face suggests that it's something that is crucial and challenging. By now, you already figured that she always has that look when she's focused on accomplishing something big, or when she's working towards what she calls an "earth-shattering breakthrough". Either way, it's not going to be so simple.