In front of Jinhyeok, who asked him even though he must know Sunjeong far better than Taeon, Taeon hesitated very briefly.
He decided to honestly say what he felt. Because Taeon had a Sunjeong that only Taeon had experienced.
“When Go Sunjeong was in high school……”
“……”
“He sparkled brightly. Sparkle sparkle.”
Truly, Sunjeong sparkled brightly back then.
Even when he hid at home after experiencing an incident he didn’t even want to think about.
At that school, Taeon was the exception and kids like Sunjeong were the majority. They were generally wealthy and leisurely. For some reason, he met more kids who were outstanding in appearance than in his neighborhood.
But in Taeon’s eyes, only Sunjeong among all those kids shone.
Because his face was too pale? Because his smiling face was especially bright?
Because he approached Taeon, whom the kids couldn’t ignore due to grades or appearance but wouldn’t include either?
No, these weren’t the reasons.
Sunjeong was just Sunjeong. He shone because he was Sunjeong, and he sparkled because he was Sunjeong.
Unable to explain this feeling at length, Taeon said just one phrase, “He sparkled brightly,” and then closed his mouth again, making the room suddenly quiet.
It was Jinhyeok who broke the brief silence.
“Wow, sparkle sparkle? Go Sunjeong?”
The way he even laughed refreshingly as if hearing something absurd looked strange to Taeon’s eyes.
After saying it, I think it was a mistake. No matter what, if someone said your lover sparkled brightly, what lover would just be happy to hear that? But he couldn’t even imagine it would be this kind of mocking reaction.
Moreover, seeing Sunjeong glare at Jinhyeok, he didn’t seem very pleased either.
Taeon’s mood became displeased in an instant.
At the very least, I hoped he was an alpha who cherished Sunjeong, who treated Sunjeong as he deserved to be treated.
Still, well, he was a man Sunjeong liked, who was to Sunjeong’s taste, who suited Sunjeong, so it wasn’t something for Taeon to carelessly open his mouth about. Taeon brought the wine glass to his mouth again with a bitter feeling and moistened his throat.
“How did you two start dating?”
Because Jinhyeok’s attitude was seriously grating, Taeon was actually more curious.
“Go Sunjeong confessed. Said I was the best in the world.”
“Me? To you?”
“Wasn’t it you who did it?”
“As if I would. You did it to me.”
They obviously haven’t been dating long, so is the confession matter something to be confused about each other?
Taeon’s doubts only deepened.
Watching Jinhyeok and Sunjeong bicker in front of Taeon for a while was ridiculous and absurd but at the same time lonely.
Because Taeon and Sunjeong used to often fight about such content at one time.
‘Yoon Taeon, you like me too.’
‘No, I don’t like you, Go Sunjeong.’
‘You like me more than I like myself.’
‘He’s talking nonsense again.’
It was a time when he forced Sunjeong to quickly detach his feelings from him. Back then, he didn’t expect a day like today would come so quickly.
“Anyway, our hearts matched.”
The war of words between Jinhyeok and Sunjeong, who had been going on about who confessed, was finally settled like this.
Taeon could only nod weakly.
“You suit each other well.”
This time, what he said was sincere. Truly, Jinhyeok and Sunjeong suited each other well. Bright faces that had never once experienced hardship were touching each other, so it was nice to see.
When Taeon and Sunjeong stood side by side together, probably not a single person would get that kind of feeling.
Thinking this, Taeon nodded alone as if agreeing with himself.
The meal ended lightly. Since no one uttered anything like suggesting a second round, Taeon said goodbye.
“Take care. See you again.”
He said “See you again,” but he thought there might be no occasion to see Sunjeong anymore.
Of course, if Sunjeong wanted, Taeon would be Sunjeong’s ‘friend’ anytime, but he had an uneasy feeling that Sunjeong wouldn’t contact him anymore.
Seeing him get along well closely with his boyfriend even if they bickered somewhat, it seemed like there was truly no place for Taeon beside Sunjeong anymore. That place he’d never dared to covet originally had naturally and rightfully disappeared, and he didn’t want to forcibly intrude.
Recalling the back of Sunjeong disappearing with a light wave, Taeon put a cigarette in his mouth.
It was a cigarette he’d put in his mouth as soon as he turned twenty, but he couldn’t smoke often because of Sunjeong’s weak bronchial tubes, and he’d only recently started smoking again. Because his insides kept burning.
Even that, lately when facing Sunjeong, he’d thought he should quit, and actually hadn’t touched cigarettes for a while.
But today Taeon realized. That Sunjeong didn’t come close enough to smell cigarette smoke from Taeon’s body in the first place. That he never clung to Taeon like before.
I’ll probably be looking for cigarettes again for a while.
Because during the short time of burning something that didn’t taste good and wasn’t good for the body, distracting thoughts disappeared.
In the smoking area next to the parking lot, Taeon, who had already finished one cigarette and put another new one in his mouth to soothe his insides still burning pitch black, heard a familiar voice in his ears.
“Ooh, honey.”
It was Jinhyeok’s voice, whom he’d eaten with until 10 minutes ago.
A sweet and affectionate voice completely different from when he spoke to Sunjeong.
“I ate. The oysters weren’t tasty. What did you eat, honey?”
Crazy bastard. He’s right now……
Taeon, who was about to immediately approach Jinhyeok, soon reined in his actions. Even if he approached rashly in anger, the call would be hung up, and that bastard would play dumb to Sunjeong.
It would be troublesome if Sunjeong mistakenly thought Taeon was lying out of jealousy and didn’t face reality.
If I think about Sunjeong dating a bastard who’s cheating, I won’t be able to function in daily life.
First, to urgently collect evidence, when he turned on the recorder, the conversation content became more and more of a spectacle.
“Go Sunjeong is so prickly today. Every time I make a mistake, he stomps on my foot with his shoe. You’ll have to give Go Sunjeong a knuckle rap later, honey.”
Where on Go Sunjeong does he deserve to be hit with a knuckle rap?
If you really lay a hand on that face, I’ll wreck yours.
Taeon, who had already reached his limit, exploded the moment Jinhyeok whispered “I love you” to the person on the phone.
I have to wreck that rich boy. Sunjeong would at most tremble and either get angry or cry, one of the two.
Feeling the rage he was experiencing for the first time in his life heat up his body, Taeon strode toward Jinhyeok.
At the heavy footsteps that didn’t deliberately erase his presence, Jinhyeok’s face, which had been looking to see who it was, froze as soon as their eyes met, and it seemed this is the expression a guy caught by his lover’s best friend cheating makes.
“Hieuk.”
Taeon’s large hand grabbed Jinhyeok’s collar.
His sharpened eyes quickly scanned Jinhyeok’s face, which was that of a young master itself.
If I wreck this face, the compensation money Taeon will have to pay will probably be enormous. I probably couldn’t handle it even if I wiped out all the meager savings I’ve accumulated.
In that case, it would be better to just pay with my body. Since I have to make a living with skills anyway, it would be good to diligently learn well the various educations given to inmates in prison.
When Taeon, who finished calculating, put strength into his fist, Jinhyeok, whose face had turned deathly pale, opened his mouth while trembling.
“L-look, I know what misunderstanding you’re having, but it’s all a misunderstanding, really!”
Might as well admit it. Fucking cowardly bastard.
The more cowardly the bastard, the better the beating.
“If I say it with my own mouth, I’ll get fucking beaten by Go Sunjeong so I can’t speak! No wait, if I’m going to get beaten by you, I’d rather get beaten by Go Sunjeong, fuck……”
Taeon looked at Jinhyeok, who was muttering something while terrified, with a pathetic gaze.
“What are you two doing right now?”
The reason Taeon didn’t bring down his raised fist with force to strike Jinhyeok’s face was because Sunjeong’s voice was heard.
“Jinhyeok, what are you doing right now?”
Sunjeong’s sharp voice went toward Jinhyeok.
For Jinhyeok, it was absurd. Right now, the one whose collar was grabbed and whose face turned deathly pale wasn’t Taeon but Jinhyeok.
But Sunjeong, who separated Taeon from Jinhyeok, acted exactly as if Jinhyeok had grabbed Taeon’s collar. Wronged Jinhyeok had to swallow his sorrow. To get angry at Sunjeong’s shameless behavior, Sunjeong’s contribution to his happy life with Yoonwoo was too high.
“Are you okay?”
Even this question going toward Taeon was absurd, but.
Jinhyeok, who finally caught his breath, was even more shocked only then when he saw Taeon separated from him.
A fierce gaze and a face where anyone could see strength was fully entered. Jinhyeok thought that if Sunjeong hadn’t arrived at a timely moment, he didn’t know what might have really happened to him.
“Go Sunjeong.”
“Yeah.”
“Send that fucking bastard away and have a conversation with me.”
At Taeon’s words, Sunjeong turned around.
