My gaze was always on you.

08 | I don't have any friends anymore.

Should I give up? What if I'm stuck between two people who are so happy? But if I were to leave them, I'd be in eternal hell. I couldn't imagine my life without him.

이지안.

Joohyun, I'm sorry, but I can't give up either. I've lived my life giving up everything, so I'm going to be greedy just this once.

김태형.

So, let's go see a movie today?

Why are you so happy? I'm falling apart like this. Another question posed itself to me: Do I truly desire Kim Taehyung, or was I simply drawn to him because he's the lead?

I've only ever had one-sided love, but I've heard it somewhere: if the person I love is hurting, I'm hurting, and if they're happy, I'm happy. But I wasn't happy at all. I hated seeing them happy. If I couldn't be happy, I didn't want them to be happy either.

My priority was myself, not him. In every situation, the most important consideration was my own heart.

김태형.

Oh... you're here?

이지안.

Yeah.. congratulations on your relationship.

김태형.

Huh? What? How did you know?

이지안.

I heard it halfway through. And looking at your expression, Kim Taehyung, I can tell you're dying of joy.

이지안.

Oh, and Bae Joo-hyun, don't look so sorry. It's my fault, and it's not your fault at all.

배주현.

Sorry for getting angry today. I was so angry that I blurted out all sorts of things.

이지안.

Hey, what kind of relationship are we in that we're breaking up over something like this?

You, who are sorry, Taehyung who looks happy. I couldn't smile or get angry in that situation. I hated it so much. Joohyun knows how I feel, so why doesn't Taehyung? Even if he did, would he really look at me?

김태형.

I'm finally starting to feel better. Are you scared of me when two women fight?

이지안.

You were laughing too hard for that, Kim Taehyung.

김태형.

Let's just skip this.

배주현.

We decided to go see a movie after school today. Are you going?

이지안.

I don't want to get caught between couples, so you guys should go by yourselves. I can't go anyway because I have homework piling up.

김태형.

Hey, even if we date, the three of us will still be together, you know?

이지안.

Of course not. If you two leave me, I really won't forgive you.

Even though tears seemed to flow at that very moment, I smiled. As brightly as I could. As if I were truly their friend. Even if we were friends in the past, from this moment on, there are no friends who are better. Friends have only brought me misery.

[Hyun's point of view]

Why wasn't she angry with me? It was a confession blurted out in a fit of anger. I hated Ji-an for not considering me a friend, and I didn't want to hide my feelings for Tae-hyung any longer. But I had absolutely no intention of confessing to him so hastily.

While I was pouring out my frustrations to Taehyung, I saw Ji-an standing behind the door. At that moment, the thought of asking Taehyung out came to mind.

배주현.

Taehyung, do you want to go out with me?

It was a fatal act. Of course, my intentions were part of those words, but my hatred for Ji-an was a significant factor. I regretted saying those words for a moment, but I didn't want to lose myself any further. It was okay to be a little selfish.

김태형.

What do you think? Was the movie boring?

After the movie ended, we sat down at a café near the theater and chatted. He looked worried, perhaps because he seemed to be thinking too much. That made me even more uneasy. Perhaps it was because for the first time, I was thinking about myself instead of someone else, but a corner of me felt incredibly uneasy.

배주현.

Taehyung, why do you like me?

김태형.

I don't know why it's good. At some point, all I could see was you. I didn't care about anything else, I only cared about you.

배주현.

What would you do if someone other than me who has liked you for a long time appeared in front of you?

김태형.

Hmm... if it was someone I didn't know, it wouldn't matter, but if there was someone I cared about who thought of me that way, I'd be a little surprised.

I didn't like his answer. Thanks to Ji-an, who reached out first, our relationship was at least better, if not better. But I didn't think she'd give up on Tae-hyung so quickly, so I figured things could go south at any moment.

배주현.

What would you have done if Ji-an had liked you for a long time?