My gaze was always on you.

03 | Actually, I like Taehyung

이지안.

Who do you like?

배주현.

Yeah, someone I like.

I'd always wondered what would happen if Joohyun liked Taehyung, but the mere fact that he actually liked someone was truly surprising. But my surprise didn't last long, and I began to wonder if Taehyung was the person he liked.

이지안.

Ah.. who is it?

배주현.

First of all, since I'm really mustering up the courage to say this, you have to listen to me until the end, right?

이지안.

Hey, of course.

What could he not do with words? Despite his anxious state, his expression remained unchanged and he spoke well. I was very anxious to hear Taehyung's name come out of his mouth, but what actually came out of Joohyun's mouth was something I could never have imagined.

배주현.

I actually like girls.

이지안.

What..? A woman? You haven't shown any signs of it yet?

배주현.

Listen to the end.. I'll say it again, I'm just saying this because I need the courage to say it, and I'm just saying it without meaning it.

배주현.

Gian, what if I liked you?

I thought I knew pretty well where that anxiety from earlier had gone, but I realized how dull I must be to not have noticed it at all until now.

이지안.

Huh? But Joohyun, I...

배주현.

Why are you so nervous? It's been a while since we've been together, so I was just joking around. Dude, I like handsome guys.

To be honest, I wished what she said earlier was true. I didn't think Taehyung would care at all about Joohyun's homosexual crush. Her words brought me relief.

배주현.

Okay, I'll tell you now.

이지안.

If you start liking Taehyung again, you'll die?

배주현.

What... did you know?

I had been wondering if it was Taehyung, but I never imagined it would actually be him. I couldn't even ask Joohyun if he was joking when he was flustered and said yes, and I didn't even have the presence of mind to do so.

이지안.

Are you serious?

배주현.

Yeah, so can you push it?

이지안.

of course..!

But contrary to my expectations, it didn't really hit me as hard. Perhaps it was the sheer shock, or perhaps it was the fact that my entire body felt like it had been anesthetized, unable to feel any emotion or feeling. All I could do was respond with a "of course" when Joohyun asked me to push her.

배주현.

It's really fun to watch. I'm sorry, but I did it because the expression was so great.

이지안.

Dude... you're really dead.

배주현.

But this was surprising. I'm Kim Taehyung. Ugh...

And then, seeing Joohyun laugh out loud again, it felt like the robot, once incapable of feeling anything, had become a human being capable of feeling emotions. It's a bit of a strange metaphor, but really, how could I be so indifferent when I could lose my close friend and the person I like?

이지안.

Okay, let's stop joking around. Who are you?

배주현.

You might not know. He's a year older than us.

이지안.

Our school?

배주현.

Yeah, do you know Park Jimin?

이지안.

No, I haven't even heard of it. But you don't really have any contact with your seniors, do you?

배주현.

Oh, right. But recently, I was running errands for the teacher and I bumped into that senior. Seriously, isn't it true that even the most affectionate faces just come in at the top?

Anyway, my ideal type is always the same. A sweet and affectionate guy. That's my ideal type too, so I was anxious that I might like the same person. But I'm glad that there's someone I like. Have I ever been this happy since I started liking Taehyung?

배주현.

You know what? My consistent ideal type. She's so affectionate, crazy, and the sweetest thing in the world.

이지안.

You know, your ideal type is so damn consistent. It's also really consistent how much you talk when you talk about the person you like.

배주현.

Oh, this is embarrassing. I'm so worked up. If I talk any more, we won't be able to sleep tonight, so let's talk about something else.

이지안.

I know. I've been anxious ever since you said you liked someone. So what are you going to talk about? Is there anything else you want to say?

배주현.

Um... do you like someone?