@draw2much that could be true, but at the very least the author's intentionally trying to make us think he likes her. I'm just kind of meh about him as a love interest, but it would still annoy me if it's one of those situations where the author tries to make you think it's mutual just to build up some big drama for later on.
@myshi I don't know how much of a jerk he is or isn't when it doesn't come to Yeseul, but I'm sure whether he likes her or not he definitely cares about her. If he didn't, I don't think he'd speak about her so fondly to complete strangers, stand up for her when she's not there to see, and make that kind of face while looking at her.