But Jion’s eyelash attack, which had never failed even once until now, tasted bitterness for the first time in the face of Seonwoo Jin’s narrow-mindedness, childish personality, and emotional deficiency.
“Then what are we if not friends?”
At Seonwoo Jin’s question, the atmosphere in the car darkened even further. At the weight of a different dimension from coldness, the members sitting in the back seat couldn’t even breathe, and even Jion, who had been clinging to Seonwoo Jin’s shoulder, momentarily lost his immersion and his expression wavered.
“Huh?”
“I’m asking what we are if not friends.”
Seonwoo Jin’s expression as he threw this difficult question was expressionless, offering no hint about the direction of the answer. If only he’d kept showing signs of sulking or being hurt,
‘We’re not just friends, we’re best friends!’
He could have gotten out of the situation by doing such childish overacting, or if he’d shown signs of really expecting an answer,
‘We’re soulmates.’
He would have soothed him by saying something like that, but when he looked at him with cold eyes like now, there was nothing to say. If only he knew whether it was okay to laugh this situation off, or if he should endlessly cuddle and dote on him, either one would make answering easy, but unfortunately, Jion had missed the golden time to answer.
“Forget it. Let’s not talk about this anymore.”
Seonwoo Jin turned his head with a cold expression. And by taking out earphones from his pocket and putting them in his ears, he signaled that he didn’t want any more conversation, and Jion, who had been cut off by Seonwoo Jin for almost the first time since the regression, fell into mental breakdown.
Seonwoo Jin turning his back on me first.
It was impossible. After being well-soothed, doted on, and adored and tamed, Seonwoo Jin had always followed behind Jion and always wanted to stick close. However, after ignoring Jion in the car, Seonwoo Jin entered the dorm for the first time without looking back at or waiting for Jion who was following behind.
“Hey, what should we do. Seonwoo Jin is seriously pissed.”
“……I don’t know.”
“So why did you call my name……”
Jinyeong clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“You should have just gone with your usual lovey-dovey route between you two, why did you suddenly change direction…… Did you want to try a jealousy strategy or something?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Or is it really, like, Seonwoo Jin isn’t a friend…… something like that?”
Jinyeong giggled and raised his pinky finger. It was a hand gesture meaning lover. Jion huffed and folded that finger, but Jinyeong grinned nonchalantly and teased Jion.
“Now that only you two are left, go into the room and do the ‘darling’ thing. Even if you two go into your room and lock the door today, we won’t think it’s strange.”
“What door are you locking. Geez. You go.”
“I’m going even if you tell me not to. I’m scared of Seonwoo Jin, what, should I chat with a same-age friend or something?”
Jinyeong ran away to his room after teasing Jion to the end. Ryu Geon patted the shoulder of Jion, who was hesitating and unable to enter the room.
“Woojin has a strong attachment to you. He’s a kid with no other friends. And honestly, he’s not a kid who talks a lot or relies on the members either, so he must have been quite hurt today.”
“Yes……”
“When Woojin does more activities and gets established, he’ll make celebrity friends and won’t be as obsessed with you as he is now. Until then, since you’re a bit more mature, Jion……”
But Ryu Geon’s comfort and encouragement sent chills down Jion’s spine.
Seonwoo Jin having friends? A girlfriend?
Ryu Geon’s words made Jion recall Seonwoo Jin’s life before the regression that he had briefly forgotten.
If Seonwoo Jin’s loneliness button gets pressed by my answer now and he goes looking for somewhere to lean on again, and meets someone who seems like they’ll embrace everything……
A vision of the music chart rankings they’d barely built up collapsing like a sandcastle unfolded before his eyes. And at the same time, his chest felt tingly…… tingly? Jion put his hand on his chest at the strange sensation he felt below his ribs. His heart seemed to be beating normally. That’s a relief. Jion ignored his subtle mood and opened the door to the room.
“Woojin-ah……”
However, Seonwoo Jin, who he thought would be lying face-down on the bed whining, was nowhere to be seen. Jion’s heart sank for a moment, thinking he might have left the dorm without him knowing, then relaxed at the sound of water from the bathroom and sat on his bed.
A little later, Seonwoo Jin, who had finished showering and thoroughly removed his makeup, came out opening the bathroom door with a clean face.
“Did you wash?”
“……”
Still sulking, he only threw a cold glance at Jion even when he saw him and didn’t respond.
It was the first time they’d had such an awkward silence between them, so Jion couldn’t get a sense of how to handle this situation either. Jion sneakily approached Seonwoo Jin and tried to dry his hair for him, but as soon as Jion grabbed the hair dryer, Seonwoo Jin jumped up and lay down on the bed with wet hair.
“You should dry your hair before sleeping.”
“……”
“……Got it. Are you going to sleep now? Should I turn off the light? ……I’m turning it off.”
There was nothing more Jion could do for Seonwoo Jin, who didn’t answer or make eye contact. If he’d shown even a little opening, he would have climbed onto the same bed and sneakily burrowed into his arms while acting cute, but having already had the aegyo strategy fail once in the car and become intimidated, and seeing Seonwoo Jin wrap himself tightly in the blanket as if telling him not to even think about lying next to him, he didn’t dare approach.
“……Good night.”
In the end, Jion lay down on his own bed and looked at the ceiling. Even though it had been a long day of filming, strangely he didn’t feel tired and his heart was unsettled so sleep wouldn’t come easily. Jion slightly turned his head to look at Seonwoo Jin’s bed.
“……”
Naturally, he thought Seonwoo Jin would be lying down facing his direction, but what he saw was his wet back of the head. The moment he saw that head, Jion felt a strange emotion he couldn’t describe.
What are we really?
Members of the same group, same-age friends, roommates, more than that? Less than that?
He didn’t know what answer Seonwoo Jin wanted, and he didn’t know how he usually thought of him either. Anyway, what was certain right now was that he was childishly irritated and angry at Seonwoo Jin, who had his back turned to him. Jion deliberately tossed and turned noisily. It was the same position with his back to Seonwoo Jin.
I tried so hard to soothe you, but you don’t know my heart, you fool.
Jion tightly shut his eyes, feeling hurt that Seonwoo Jin didn’t appreciate his efforts. But the bed he lay on alone after a long time was cold, wide, and desolate.
Did he lie down without spraying perfume today. Why is there no smell at all.
He thought he wanted to sleep while smelling Seonwoo Jin’s body scent, but without knowing what emotion that was, the night deepened. Although they went to bed early, both of them tossed and turned for a long time, and thanks to that, their faces the next morning were a sight.
“Oh, Seonwoo Jin can look like that too.”
“Did you two cry together while making up?”
Jinyeong and Eungi each commented after seeing the two’s swollen faces. Only then did the two look at each other’s haggard appearance and thought to themselves.
‘Even like that, his nose doesn’t get buried.’
‘He was tossing and turning last night, so he must not have slept properly. Poor thing.’
Seonwoo Jin recalled Jion’s swollen face and the sounds of tossing and turning all night and slightly regretted being so cold. Should he have just accepted it when he said more than friends? But Seonwoo Jin still couldn’t forgive the fact that Jion had answered that he was closer to Jinyeong than to him.
I don’t see you as just a friend either, but…….
Seonwoo Jin, recalling the moment he jerked off thinking of Jion while showering, quickly turned his gaze away from Jion and drank cold water. It would be strange to choose that person as the closest one while having gotten an erection looking at a friend’s face anyway. Seonwoo Jin regretted his own answer first.
Should I have just said Jinyeong too? Then Jinyeong would have received it well in a variety show way.
But not knowing that Seonwoo Jin was having such regrets, Jion was deeply hurt by his roommate who was treating him coldly even into the morning.
No matter how sulky you are, as a guy, shouldn’t you naturally let it go after a day and respond to greetings and stuff?
Jion, who felt a bit wronged that only he was always yielding and caring for Seonwoo Jin, also picked up his spoon without a word and scooped up soup. The other members, realizing that the two still hadn’t made up, also couldn’t chat anymore and tactfully started eating.
“Seriously, you’re not even elementary schoolers, making things this suffocating just because your best friend didn’t call your name?”
After the meal, taking advantage of the gap when Ryu Geon and Seonwoo Jin went out to exercise, Jinyeong grabbed Jion and complained irritably. While Jion agreed with Jinyeong’s irritation, he disliked him badmouthing Seonwoo Jin and hesitantly took Seonwoo Jin’s side.
“No, that’s how it started…… but later there was, some other thing too…… so we couldn’t make up yesterday.”
“What other thing?”
“Just…… there’s something like that between the two of us.”
“Make up quickly. We have to go practice from now on, and it’s uncomfortable as hell.”
Among Jinyeong’s grumbling, Jion, who obtained information he was hearing for the first time, widened his eyes and asked.
“What practice? Other than the vocal practice I give you?”
“You didn’t check the group chat? Manager hyung shared it.”
Jinyeong unlocked his phone and showed Jion the group chat conversation window in front of his eyes. There, the manager’s cheerful message was written.
Manager hyung
[Guys, we got a casting offer for Idol Sports Championship!]
