Theron vs Logan (1)

He was handsome, just like the rumors.
No.
To be honest, he was handsome enough to make one feel the world was unfair.
He was tall and had a fairly sturdy build.
Theron quickly sized up Logan and stood up from his seat.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Theron Cox.”
‘There’s no need to drag it out since we have to exchange greetings anyway.’
As Theron offered a handshake first, he, contrary to his prickly impression, took it readily.
“My name is Logan Pembroke.”
‘My, my. And even a smile, as if he’s relaxed.’
However, Theron felt it.
That he, too, was closely observing his opponent behind a smile, just like him.
The sharpness of his gaze was revealed, unable to be hidden.
“If you’ve exchanged greetings, sit down.”
Selene appropriately cut off the silent nerve war between the two men.
Theron and Logan sat down without erasing the smiles from their lips.
Theron was a step faster and took the seat next to Selene.
And yet, as if it didn’t matter, Logan sat opposite them with a relaxed air.
“It seems you arrived earlier than the appointed time, Mr. Cox.”
“Yes. When I meet Selene, I always tend to arrive a little earlier than the scheduled time. My feet move quickly without me realizing it, out of a desire to see her.”
Theron answered flawlessly with a wonderful smile.
Although it was a bit childish, there was no harm in emphasizing even such a trivial sincerity.
Logan Pembroke not only arrived on time for his appointments with Selene every time, but he had also arrived particularly late today.
“It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with Selene today, thanks to arriving early.”
“…”
“Ah, of course, I don’t mean to blame you for being late, Mr. Pembroke. Since you’re Selene’s close friend, it’s fine no matter how late you are.”
The more gently Theron spoke, the more Logan’s smile gradually faded.
‘It’s probably because, whether he liked Selene or not, Logan Pembroke was just a friend to Selene, and he, though it was ambiguous, was a man to Selene.’
That could be called a huge gap.
However, it seemed too early to conclude victory, as Logan let out a chuckle.
“Quality time? I thought you and Selene had broken up, Mr. Cox.”
Theron felt as if he had been hit unexpectedly.
Even though he had somewhat expected this remark, Theron’s insides burned as if he had swallowed a bitter medicine.
‘Yes… Selene must have told him in advance.’
‘Since she said they were close.’
“…Well. That’s how it is for now.”
“For now?”
Logan raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Yes. I’m sure you already know if you’ve heard from Selene, Mr. Pembroke. That even though we’ve broken up, it’s not completely over yet. That’s why Selene arranged this meeting. Isn’t that right, Selene?”
Selene seemed to be half-listening to the conversation, as if she were drowsy after lunch.
It was evident from her unfocused eyes.
‘It’s 2 p.m., so it’s about that time.’
Still, Selene answered without being late, even while looking dazed.
“That’s right, Logan. My current relationship with Theron is not important. Nothing is eternal in this world, and everything is bound to change.”
‘Her answer is a little strange, though.’
“…What are you talking about?”
Of course, Logan Pembroke did not seem to understand Selene’s difficult explanation.
It was understandable.
In fact, Theron also did not understand what Selene was trying to say.
“I mean my relationship with Theron is changing. It could be destroyed or it could continue.”
‘That’s a bit of a scary thing to say…’
Theron frowned at Selene’s ambiguous explanation.
In the midst of it, only Selene, the one who had spoken, was nonchalant.
“So, you just go ahead and find out what you were curious about from Theron.”
Still, the conclusion was quite clear.
Logan, as if he had roughly understood what Selene was trying to say, looked away.
Once again, Logan’s eyes turned to Theron.
“Alright, then I’ll just ask the main point. Why did you break up with Selene?”
A difficult question followed one after another.
“Didn’t you hear from Selene?”
“She wouldn’t tell me. Selene is not the type to hide things.”
The suspicious gaze tightened around Theron’s neck.
Theron had to think quite deeply at this point.
He wanted to be honest and reveal everything, but he wondered if he could say it here when Selene hadn’t.
Thump.
Sure enough, Selene suddenly stepped hard on Theron’s shoe.
Theron understood the signal without being late.
“…It’s a matter between a man and a woman, so it’s a bit difficult to talk about.”
‘This should be a not-so-bad answer.’
‘It’s clearly a private matter, and Logan Pembroke, whether he’s Selene’s old friend or not, would know that it’s against etiquette to invade this territory.’
‘At the same time, he could show off his relationship as a lover to him, who was just a friend to Selene, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.’
“A matter between a man and a woman…”
“When you were young, you two might have said anything to each other without being shy, but now you’re all grown up, aren’t you? Even between friends, you can’t tell each other all your personal matters.”
Logan’s expression was stiffening in real time.
Theron, who had witnessed that sight, even thought for a fleeting moment that it was a good thing he had come here.
“Well… for now, I understand.”
Logan picked up the teacup the maid had left and naturally covered his stiffened face.
And when he put the teacup down, his face had returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
At the smooth change of expression, Theron muttered to himself.
‘Nobles all seem to learn how to manage their expressions first.’
Even in a disadvantageous situation, Logan rarely showed his emotions, which made him feel a sense of defeat even though he had won for now.
In the meantime, Logan’s calm voice flowed out.
“By the way, I heard you’ve only known Selene for a little over a year, so I’m a little worried.”
Selene and Theron looked at him.
Logan’s indifferent gaze swept over Theron.
“Since childhood, there have been many guys who buzzed around Selene like flies.”
‘Buzzed…?’
“And then, after experiencing Selene’s indifferent personality, some guys would curse her behind her back, saying she was different from her appearance, and there were not a few men who backed off on their own after seeing Selene’s fanatical side of being obsessed with the piano.”
Theron, while his insides were simmering at Logan’s pretense of knowing, tried his best to answer calmly.
“I already know all of that. They are all aspects of the Selene I love.”
“Then do you also know that Selene gets bored easily?”
‘Hmm…?’
“Even though Selene seems to be crazy about what she likes, the only things she has liked for a long time are the piano and moles.”
“…Are you trying to say she’ll get bored of me quickly?”
Logan chuckled.
“I mean there’s a possibility. Especially since five years is a long time, so it’s not strange to forget anything.”
“Five years is…”
“Studying abroad. I’m sure you know that Selene is preparing to study abroad.”
‘I know. I know very well.’
‘Thinking that Logan might go with her for that long time, my blood is boiling in reverse.’
“I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, Mr. Cox. It’s just that I’m so close to Selene that I’m worried about this and that.”
For someone who was worried, the corners of his mouth had been raised since a while ago, and Logan Pembroke looked very happy right now.
In contrast, Theron had to work hard to endure this annoying situation.
Although he wanted to deny that Selene would act so capriciously, it was true that he had been on edge, not knowing when he would be dumped, so Logan Pembroke’s words hit him even more painfully.
Although Selene had told him just a few minutes ago that he was the only one she liked, that was in the past, and he couldn’t be sure about the present.
“Honestly, Selene. You too.”
Logan, setting aside Theron, who couldn’t say anything in his sense of defeat, turned his attention to Selene.
“Instead of giving him an ambiguous opening by saying you’ll watch him, if you’re going to study abroad, it’s right to sort things out clearly, isn’t it? That’s also a courtesy to a person.”
Logan Pembroke was an elegant hunter.
Because he was forcing a breakup of their relationship while pretending to be worried about Selene and himself.
Besides, he had emphasized the word ‘courtesy’ to hide his ulterior motives and even maintain his dignity, so he had said all he had to say.
However, Selene, who was playing the role of a rabbit who didn’t know anything and was being deceived, was silent.
Selene, who had been silently killing time, slowly opened her mouth.
“Yes. As you said, Logan, you can’t know a person’s heart. What was good yesterday can become disliked tomorrow.”
Selene stared at Logan with clear eyes.
“But Theron Cox is not like that to me. If I had disliked that man so easily, I would have cut him off a long time ago. Theron makes me feel a special emotion. It’s an emotion that I can’t feel with the piano or with moles. So, I can’t say I’m giving him an ambiguous opening.”
As Selene’s words grew longer, Theron’s withered expression was brightening like a sky clearing of fog.
“I’m just being cautious.”
At Selene’s firm conclusion, Theron’s lips twitched.
In contrast, Logan’s lips grew even more rigid.
It was a moment when the joy and sorrow of the two men crossed after a fierce battle.