Part 3The Gift That Was Passed On

But Mike was never the most observant guy.

It was probably normal for him to miss the little surprises.

…Maybe it would get better as he kept unwrapping.

I swallowed my disappointment and forced myself to keep watching.

I had personally wrapped each gift in gilded, pearlescent paper and hand-drawn little cartoon versions of him with different expressions on them.

I even spritzed them with the sweet perfume he’d complimented the first time we met.

Mike, of course, didn’t react at all. The video went awkwardly silent for a moment.

Julian, noticing the pause, casually remarked, “That’s kinda cute.”

Mike immediately shot back, “It’s childish.”

But I could hear the smugness in his voice. For a guy as popular as him, he was used to girls fawning over him. The gestures just got more and more elaborate.

At first, Mike had been patient, carefully unwrapping the first gift.

When he saw it was a set of men's skincare products, he huffed.

“What, does she think I’m some kind of pretty boy?” he muttered.

Julian’s voice, flat and almost robotic, chimed in. “That brand… she probably had to get it from a duty-free shop at the airport. It’s always sold out here.”

Mike ignored him, his annoyance palpable.

He started tearing through the other gifts like a brute, ripping the wrapping paper to shreds. My little cartoons were torn to pieces. Even Julian seemed to wince, telling him to take it easy.

Mike paid him no mind. He shook out a piece of clothing, glanced at the logo, and let out a heavy sigh.

He was about to toss it aside when another hand, elegant and long-fingered, caught it.

The person tried to fold it with one hand.

“It’s a niche designer,” he said in a low voice. “Everything’s handmade to order.”

Mike seemed to shoot him a look, then chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, you’re the trust fund kid who got cut off. You know all about this stuff. But normal people can’t recognize it. There’s no status in wearing it. Why not just get something with a big, recognizable logo? I don’t get what she’s trying to prove.”

His words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head, leaving me cold and humiliated.

No matter what I sent, he found something to criticize.

I was about to close the video.

But then, he pulled out an envelope. He knew it was a handwritten letter from me.

I’d told him I had something important to say in it.

If he just read it, he’d know the iPhone 17 he really wanted was on its way.

But Mike just ignored it.

Julian asked him why he wasn’t reading it.

He made a noise of disgust. “It’s probably just a bunch of sappy nonsense. Not interested.”

The video ended there.