It seemed like nothing special, but it was a question that could be somewhat problematic for odd-numbered groups. Because when they answered each other in pairs, one person would always be left out, and if you got caught wrong, it could ignite controversy about ostracizing your kid.
“Ah, this is hard. Just one person?”
“Just one person. Only one person.”
However, the BNCZ members hesitated to answer not to avoid giving grounds for such controversy, but because they were really quite close to each other. Ryu Geon, who sat right next to the host and inevitably had to be the first batter, pondered carefully.
“Um… first of all, I’m workout mates with Jinyeong… But I also hang out well with Eungi. The two of us spend a lot of time together. But I also rely on Jion a lot…”
“Ah, you’re the type who lays the groundwork very thoroughly.”
“No, it’s not like that, no…”
Seeing Ryu Geon’s words getting longer in case the other members might feel hurt, the host teased him. After hesitating for a while, Ryu Geon squeezed his eyes shut and opened them, then grabbed the hand of Eungi sitting next to him.
“I’m closest to our maknae Eungi.”
“Oh, oldest-youngest duo. Then does Eungi-ssi also think Ryu Geon-ssi is closest?”
“Uh, I…”
Eungi pondered his answer seriously, though not as much as Ryu Geon. Seeing Eungi’s gaze going back and forth between Ryu Geon and Jinyeong sitting on either side, Jion felt a bit hurt inside.
We comforted him the most during the rumor and he’s not even looking this way…
And Eungi, flanked by Ryu Geon on the left and Jinyeong on the right, after pondering, slyly let go of Ryu Geon’s hand that was holding his.
“I’m sorry, hyung. Hehe…”
“Ah, leader hyung is closest to the maknae? But the maknae? You’re not that close to hyung?”
“No, it’s not that, ah!”
At the host pressing him, Eungi waved his hands and stomped his feet. At that cute sight, everyone burst into laughter, and Jinyeong, who received Eungi’s choice, didn’t lose his variety sense.
“Ah, I should pick Eungi here…”
“Huh, no way hyung?”
Even at Eungi’s puppy eyes asking if he’d betray him, Jinyeong didn’t waver and pointed at Jion sitting at the very end.
“I’ll choose Jion.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The two playfully high-fived over Seonwoo Jin’s head. They didn’t know at that time. That from that moment, Seonwoo Jin’s mood had already started to subtly sour. Because everyone predicted that Seonwoo Jin, the next in order, would say Jion’s name without even pretending to hesitate or ponder, no one checked Seonwoo Jin’s expression.
“I choose Jion too.”
“Ah, among the three same-age friends, Jion-ssi is the most popular. Then I’m really curious about Jion-ssi’s answer now.”
The last order is always difficult. Jion smiled and pondered his answer for a moment. In terms of who he stuck with the most, of course Seonwoo Jin was the closest person, but could he call his relationship with Seonwoo Jin friendship?
To Jion, Seonwoo Jin was still more of a student he had to raise, a surveillance target requiring attention, an exam student with a broken mentality, a kid he birthed in his heart and a means of livelihood, so it was difficult to use the phrase “closest.”
And these days he even felt subtle flutters, so was it okay to call this friendship?
Jion couldn’t look around because he was momentarily looking into his own emotions. If he had turned his head even once and met eyes with Seonwoo Jin who was staring at him with a terrifying face, he would have immediately stopped contemplating the word “friend” and quickly thrown out an insincere “It’s Woojin.”
Sometimes thinking too deeply ruins things, or rather, ruins Seonwoo Jin.
“Um… probably, Jinyeong?”
“Huh? Me?”
At his own name that came out at the end of Jion’s contemplation, Jinyeong was surprised and pointed at himself.
“Not Woojin?”
“…”
“Ah, of course I’m close to Woojin too…!”
At Jinyeong’s voice sounding shocked and Eungi’s expression conveying that something big had happened with his eyes, Jion finally looked at Seonwoo Jin sitting right next to him. And Jion’s heart sank. Oops. He’d made a mistake.
“Ah, Jion-ssi. Woojin-ssi seems greatly disappointed…”
Seonwoo Jin’s expression was enough for the host to recognize the atmosphere at a glance and lament. Even if you brought the second child to the first child’s birthday and let them blow out the candles, they wouldn’t make such a murderous expression, yet Jion had to face the moment his baby bird grew into an eagle.
“No… both! I’m close to both. Jinyeong is close in the sense of hanging out together or having conversations… and Woojin is…”
“So Woojin-ssi doesn’t hang out with you or talk with you, but Woojin-ssi thinks Jion-ssi is his best friend. Is that it?”
“No, it’s not that…”
The host’s teasing ended up pouring oil on a burning house. Seonwoo Jin, unable to hide his hurt feelings, even forgot they were recording and just stared at Jion. At Seonwoo Jin showing only his profile like an Egyptian wall painting, Jion broke out in cold sweat.
“No… it’s not that we’re not close…”
“…I’m hurt.”
After glaring at Jion for a long time, Seonwoo Jin spat out a childish remark with an aggressive face, then sharply turned his head away. And he didn’t look toward Jion until the recording ended. At the cold air overflowing from Seonwoo Jin, near the end the host said as a joke,
“I made a big disturbance in the group by asking an unnecessary question today.”
And even gave an apology comment. But even after the recording ended, Seonwoo Jin’s sulking didn’t easily resolve.
“I’m sorry, Woojin, stop being angry, next time I get a question like this I’ll definitely say your name, okay?”
Even when Jion followed him around pouring out apologies without breathing, Seonwoo Jin didn’t even respond with a cold expression. And rightfully so. Being rejected by someone was extremely rare in Seonwoo Jin’s life. Moreover, even though he had expressed “you’re my first priority,” not receiving the same answer back to his face left a tremendous wound on Seonwoo Jin’s fragile mentality.
How can we not be each other’s first priority?
The narrow, small world of Seonwoo Jin, who was only 185cm tall, collapsed. Even in the car returning to the dorm, Seonwoo Jin sat with his legs crossed and never once looked at Jion sitting next to him. Thanks to that, Jion was the only one reading the room.
“Woojin hyung is really sulking.”
“Jion, smooth it over well.”
Ryu Geon and Eungi, who knew full well the attachment Seonwoo Jin showed toward Jion, had no will to soothe or mediate with Seonwoo Jin. At their passive attitude urging the one who tied the knot to untie it, Jion glared at the back seat once, then soon leaned his body against Seonwoo Jin’s arm and acted cute.
“No, because Jinyeong picked me as close first…”
“Why are you dragging me into this. It would’ve been fine if you’d just held your ground properly.”
And Jinyeong, a party to this situation, quickly drew a line to absolutely not get caught between the two. Jinyeong was scared that Seonwoo Jin might try to eliminate him to become Jion’s only friend. Jinyeong sighed loudly and helped soothe Seonwoo Jin.
“Hey. I’m not close to Seong Jion. Eungi just picked me and if I’d picked Geon hyung right there, Geon hyung would be left alone. That picture wouldn’t be good, so I picked Jion for variety purposes. Actually I’m not close to Jion. I’m closest to Eungi.”
“Ah, really? Then I guess I don’t have anyone closest to me in our group after all?”
“No, why are you like this too, hyung. You’re startling people.”
At Jinyeong’s detailed explanation, Ryu Geon jumped in with a joke trying to lighten the mood, but the expression of Seonwoo Jin who heard those words was still icy. Rather, he looked at Jion and asked.
“…Then Jinyeong doesn’t even think he’s closest, but you, Jion, still picked Jinyeong as closer than me anyway?”
The car went cold at the freaking insane elementary school boy obsessive statement. It was a chilling statement that made even the manager who was about to chime in shut his mouth and focus on driving. The situation was serious. Even Jinyeong, who had been subtly helping Jion, finally met eyes with Jion and raised both hands.
I don’t know either, now.
At Jinyeong’s declaration of surrender, Jion shed tears inside. Sticking this affection-deficient obsessive man on me and everyone just standing by. Jion really wanted to regress once more to the day before the Uicheon Six-Clove Garlic Festival. So if this day came around again, then without hesitation they would call each other’s names and become each other’s flowers.
“…I also only said Jinyeong’s name because it was a broadcast.”
And Jion, facing the huge evil spirit called Seonwoo Jin, drew a cross in his heart and then deployed method acting. Right now was a situation where no matter how disgusting a line he delivered, Jinyeong sitting in the back wouldn’t pretend to vomit, so the limits on his acting were lifted. Jion didn’t yield to Seonwoo Jin coldly staring at him and once again leaned his body against his arm and rested his chin on his shoulder, acting cute.
“No… Jinyeong is just a friend… but we’re more than friends, aren’t we.”
He did feel a flinch from behind, but if he looked back now his immersion would break. Jion gritted his teeth and continued acting cute.
