Ch.7979. Kiss

The movie ended with a happy ending, as expected.

Misunderstandings and misconceptions.

A beautiful story of two people overcoming all crises to become lovers.

“See! It happened just like I said!”

“I told you it would be like that.”

“Heh. That was fun. This is what I live for~ Yeah~ Successfully held back my tears! Though honestly, I almost lost it at the end?”

Hana stretched contentedly.

Certainly, watching such a moving ending made Suhyeok feel a sense of romance blooming within him as well.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

“Hand me my guitar.”

It was a somewhat random request, but Suhyeok took his guitar from his bag and placed it on Hana’s thigh.

“Listening to the movie OST made me think, what if we used chords like this for the lyrics you wrote?”

The sound of an electric guitar without an amplifier is dry.

It lacks the resonance of an acoustic guitar and the effects when plugged into an amp.

But Suhyeok could clearly understand what Hana was trying to show him.

C. Am. Two chords he couldn’t identify.

Hana created a line by cycling through four chords and hummed a tune over it.

“Na na na~ na na… na na na na~ What do you think? Isn’t it good?”

It felt strange.

The sight of his unrequited love creating a song about him was quite peculiar to Suhyeok.

“It’s good, but too bright.”

The music itself had a nice flow, but it was different from the image Suhyeok had in mind.

“Eh, really? Hey, but wouldn’t it be too difficult if it were any deeper or darker than this?”

“That’s true, but I’d prefer if the tempo were a bit slower.”

“Hmm… I see. Or should we create the melody first?”

“Yeah. But I think it would be good to try that with Juyeon.”

Suhyeok replied with a gentle smile.

“I’ll work hard on it with Juyeon.”

“Hey, we should do it together. Why are you making it sound like just you and Park Juyeon?”

Though he didn’t tell Hana, Suhyeok was already sharing many things with Juyeon.

They were two people who shared secrets they couldn’t tell others.

Secrets are one of the most powerful devices for solidifying human relationships.

“Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

“So you’re saying I’m being kicked off your ship?”

“This kind of sentiment, Juyeon is the best at…”

Suhyeok had to spend quite some time explaining that she was too pretty and accomplished, far from the loner aesthetic.

Even if she wanted to stay longer, there was neither justification nor anything left to do.

Hana thought today had been quite fulfilling.

She watched a movie together with the person she liked on his bed.

That alone was already tremendous progress.

But the words she wanted to hear still seemed nowhere in sight.

At least, not today.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

Standing at the front door, Hana looked straight at him.

“Today was fun too.”

Although she had come over somewhat impulsively, he had welcomed her kindly as always.

“…Me too.”

Suhyeok smiled pleasantly, indicating his agreement.

“The Han River.”

Hana paused after bringing up the topic.

A brief delay followed.

“Let’s definitely go together next time.”

A clear follow-up.

With this, Hana sought to secure another promise of time together with Suhyeok.

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

“I’m going now? Text me?”

It was at that moment when Hana grabbed the doorknob.

“…It’s still raining a lot. Should I walk you home?”

An uncharacteristic offer from Suhyeok.

The lingering regret crawling on the floor granted him a small dose of courage.

“Hey, it’s fine~ Why would you need to walk a friend home?”

With a bright smile, Hana expressed her refusal.

She hoped he wouldn’t get wet.

It was clearly an act of consideration.

But those words, wrapped in the shell of consideration, became thorns that pierced through Suhyeok.

The front door closed slowly.

The sound of Hana descending the stairs gradually faded away.

Trudging back to his bed, Suhyeok stroked the spot where Hana had been lying.

A golden strand of hair that wasn’t his caught on his fingertips.

Suhyeok traced the warmth that was no longer there with his hand.

It was where Hana had been.

Friend.

Friend.

Friend.

Friend.

Damn it.

Why must we only be friends?

Is this really what friendship is?

The dreamlike moments melted away.

It was time to wake up from the anesthesia.

His heart felt like it was burning, as if scalded.

Suhyeok, hating himself for his lack of self-restraint, fell into self-loathing.

How long had he been tearing at his hair, blaming himself?

“…Juyeon.”

Suhyeok wanted to see Juyeon.

* * *

Juyeon liked Suhyeok.

Whether it was in a romantic sense couldn’t be specified, but there was no doubt that Juyeon felt a human affection for Suhyeok.

Today was no exception.

“…Should I ask him to come watch me sing today?”

Juyeon, who had decided to sing a song Suhyeok recommended on her broadcast.

Just as she was contemplating whether to send Suhyeok a message about the broadcast, her phone vibrated.

[Juyeon]

It was the very person floating around in Juyeon’s mind.

[Yes?]

[Can I come over to your place?]

Unlike usual, there was no stated purpose.

But it didn’t matter.

Juyeon always welcomed Suhyeok.

[Now?]

[Yeah]

[Sure]

[I’ll be there soon]

Rising from her chair, Juyeon opened the cupboard.

There was nothing to eat except candy.

Hmm… should I go out to buy something?

The pouring rain made her hesitate about going out.

Perhaps it would be better to ask Suhyeok if he wanted to go to the convenience store together when he arrived.

In her neatly organized room.

Juyeon sat demurely, thinking about what to talk about when Suhyeok arrived…

-Knock knock knock

Juyeon opened the door.

Suhyeok’s outer clothes were damp from the rain.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Juyeon’s gaze went to Suhyeok’s hand.

He was holding a black plastic bag.

“What’s that?”

“Alcohol.”

“Alcohol?”

“Yeah. Will you drink with me just once?”

Only then did Juyeon’s eyes examine Suhyeok’s face.

He looked depressed and gloomy.

He appeared haggard, like someone who hadn’t slept for two days straight.

Could it be about that girl again?

Though not entirely pleased, Juyeon had no intention of turning Suhyeok away.

“Yeah. Come in. I’ll drink with you.”

The drink was soju.

The snacks were chips.

Counseling wasn’t Juyeon’s specialty, but she tried her best to listen to Suhyeok’s troubles.

“So what’s going on with you?”

“Can I have a drink first before I talk?”

Suhyeok raised the paper soju cup.

There was no sound for today’s toast.

In its place was the loud thunder outside the window.

For every one cup Juyeon drank, Suhyeok downed two in succession.

No matter how strong Suhyeok was with alcohol, no one could remain sober drinking that quickly.

“M-maybe you should drink a bit slower?”

Juyeon’s hand grabbed Suhyeok’s wrist as he was about to refill his cup.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Suhyeok didn’t insist.

Instead, he stared intently at Juyeon’s face.

“Juyeon.”

She could feel her face turning bright red.

“Yes?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“Yes.”

Suhyeok leaned forward, placing his palm on the floor.

“Then, could you link arms with me?”

“…Huh?”

An unexpected question.

Juyeon stared at Suhyeok with a blank expression for a moment.

“Could you… link arms with me…”

What answer would make Suhyeok less miserable?

If it was a yes or no question, Juyeon’s answer was yes.

She didn’t find the idea of linking arms with Suhyeok unpleasant.

“…I think that would be possible.”

“I see…”

Suhyeok pressed his lips together for a moment before continuing with his next question.

“Then could you lie in the same bed with me?”

“…You mean just purely lying down, right?”

“If our arms touch…”

Though she didn’t understand what this game of twenty questions was for, Juyeon nodded.

“Possible.”

Suhyeok was starting to get confused.

Is that so?

Was it always like that?

Was I the only one defining the boundaries of friendship so conservatively?

Are both Juyeon and Hana thinking this level of intimacy is normal between friends, and am I the only fool attaching meaning to it?

Thinking about it that way made him even more dejected.

So it was just my personality that was the problem.

Everyone else is fine with it, but I alone…

The questions based on experience came to an end.

With alcohol taking effect, Suhyeok asked Juyeon one last question as a joke, knowing it was reckless.

“Then Juyeon, could you and I.”

What he wanted to do with Hana but couldn’t.

An act that made him feel guilty just imagining it.

“Kiss… could you do that?”

Like a paused video, Juyeon’s eyes widened and froze.

Suhyeok, who expected to be scolded for asking such a question, was taken aback.

Juyeon stared at him with a rigid expression.

“…So that’s what this is about?”

Her tightly closed lips opened.

Suhyeok didn’t understand the context.

“You’re this miserable because you couldn’t kiss that friend?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Then why are you asking these questions?”

Suhyeok couldn’t bring himself to talk about what had happened with Hana earlier that day.

Instead of answering, he ran his hand through his hair with a pained expression.

“Suhyeok.”

Juyeon softly called his name.

“Yes?”

“Do you… want to kiss?”