Withdrawal Symptoms

In the first year after I left my hometown to study mecha engineering, my childhood friend sent me a message. He said being my friend was exhausting, and he never wanted to be my friend again. After we fell out, I developed anxiety. I was afraid to get close to anyone else, and anything connected to him could make me cry until I threw up. It completely disrupted my daily life and social life. Meanwhile, the “culprit” is now the highest-paid star player on a mecha team. On his birthday, his face is everywhere, plastered across giant screens and advertisements. I can’t avoid seeing him. He turned my life upside down, and he’s doing so well. I hate him. I decided to do to him what he did to me. Make him unable to live without me, then dump him. After graduation, I joined the mecha club where he works. The manager took me to the factory to see some old mecha. It looked familiar, like my debut design. The cockpit popped open. I looked up and saw a figure both familiar and strange. Before my mind could catch up, my eyes were already red. He stood by the railing at the edge of the cockpit, his narrow eyes flashing with an inscrutable look as he gazed down at me, tears streaming down my face. He said, “Why are you crying? You cut me off out of nowhere, and I’m not the one crying.” He’s still as good as ever at turning things around and blaming me. -- Reading guide: * One-on-one, happy ending, romance-focused * Mecha pilot x mecha engineer * First-person POV * Bittersweet and sweet -- Please add my older-man/younger-disciple novel to your favorites! *Master, Why Did You Put a Love Spell on Me?* Theme: Love yourself before loving someone else.