Gideon Winters, a high school student, was on his way home when he suddenly found himself in the middle of a misunderstanding.
"What were you doing with my child?! Why are you carrying him? Are you planning to kidnap him, huh?!"
"No, ma'am. Please, listen to me. I saw him get stuck in a tree a little while ago while trying to climb down. I was only trying to help him. I was actually on my way to the police station to report it."
"You liar! I know you're trying to kidnap him for money!"
"No, ma'am. I have no intention of harming him in any way. I was just trying to help."
"You owe me $10,000 for what you've done! Look at him—he's crying!"
"He's not crying because of me. He was scared earlier when he got stuck in the tree."
"He's traumatized because of you, so you must pay me compensation, or I'll call the police!"
"What?! But I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Stop complaining! Just give me the money!"
"Um… I don't have that much money. I'm just a student—please, have mercy on me."
At that moment, the heroine of the story appeared, ready to help the poor young man.
"Excuse me, ma'am, are you seriously trying to extort money from this young man?"
"Who are you? Mind your own business!"
"I'm the classmate of the boy you're accusing of being a kidnapper. I saw everything, and he's telling the truth. I can't just stand by while you use your child to threaten an innocent student."
"Stop speaking disrespectfully to your elders!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, ma'am. I'm just speaking the truth. Well… you know what they say: 'Truth hurts.'"
"What the—"
"I actually recorded the whole thing. In the video, I saw you watching from the sidelines while he was helping your child. It's clear he had no bad intentions. What bothers me is how you're accusing him despite knowing the truth. Oh! I get it—this is what they call a scam, isn't it?"
"Y-you!"
"You want to call the police? Fine, let's call them now. Give me a minute, and they'll be here."
"I-I… I'll go now! Let's go, my child."
Just like that, the smart and popular Louise helped Gideon, bringing them closer together.
From that day, Gideon secretly fell in love with Louise, expressing his feelings in his own simple, gentle way.
"Let me take you home. I brought my bicycle today, so you won't have to walk too far."
"Sure! Thank you for the offer!"
However, despite him being genuinely in love with her, he himself is oblivious of Louise's feelings toward him. He never realized that as they spent time together, Louise fell for him as well.
"Hey, Gideon! There's a convenience store up ahead. Why don't we stop there for a bit?"
"No thanks. I still have a lot of homework, so I need to go home early."
He, being clueless, failed to notice that she just wanted to spend more time with him.
Days passed. Months passed. Louise waited, hoping he would finally understand her intentions.
On the other hand, Gideon never mustered the courage to take the step to confess his feelings to Louise as well.
"Huff… Winter has come, and the wind is so cold."
"Are you ok, Louise?"
"Yeah. It's just that it's really cold today."
Is he finally getting it? Will he hug me or give me his jacket?
"Phew… Good thing I wore a jacket today. At least I won't be cold."
What?! Hah!
Although Gideon has fallen in love with Louise, this is the first time he has experienced love, so he has no idea what to do in situations like this. In other words, he's IGNORANT.
Unfortunately, he still didn't understand her thoughts—just like an innocent, carefree little kid.
Graduation day arrived, and Louise decided she couldn't wait any longer. She was leaving for her hometown.
"I'm going inside now. Let's say our goodbyes here."
She silently wished he would say just one word… anything. But…
"Goodbye, Louise! Take care of yourself!"
Louise was shocked by his casual, carefree tone.
"Th-then… goodbye, Gideon."
And that was the end of their love story… or so it seemed. Louise carried the memory of him, knowing that not all love stories end with two people together. She never loved anyone else and never got into another relationship. She had a stable job, throwing herself into work, hoping she could forget him. But no matter how many years passed, she couldn't.
What Louise didn't know was that Gideon had understood her all along. He was just pretending not to notice because he didn't yet feel capable of taking care of her. He was waiting for the right time.
Years later, fate reunited them in an unexpected way.
"Hey, Louise! Hurry! Our VIP client has arrived! The manager will be upset if we're not at the entrance. Greeting him is our top priority."
"Yeah, I'm coming!"
And there he was—the glorious knight returning, the one and only.
"Everyone, this is Mr. Gideon Esteves, our most special client. Greet him warmly."
"What?!"
"Long time no see, Louise."
~THE END~
Don't worry, he will come... Just wait patiently for him.