To Byul (Omegaverse)-Chapter 149: I yearn for you

"I like you."

Chin-hwa’s heart thumped and then he gulped down what seemed like a lump in his suddenly dry throat. What did he just hear?

This whole thing sounded like a confession. Like a real confession ’confession’. But what if it wasn’t a confession like the kind of ’confession’ he was thinking of?

What if it was the simple ’I like you cause you’re Hwa’ type of confession? No, he wished it wasn’t that kind of confession.

He might just be thinking too much into it but what if he wasn’t?

Chin-hwa’s head was swirling in circles and he was very confused. He didn’t know if Kang-woo’s words were the kind of confession he had always wanted to hear and he was even more scared to ask, fearing he would retract his words and guise it as a joke.

So, instead of that, he decided to say his own part and give Kang-woo no room to take his words back.

"I like you too, Kang-woo." He confessed loudly, his heart racing a marathon. "I like you so much. And just like you, I lied about seeing you as just a brother. I never saw you like that, I..." He grabbed his chest. His heart was thumping so hard that it felt like he was having a heart attack.

He couldn’t take it. Was a confession supposed to be this hard and overwhelming?

Was it supposed to be this difficult?

Maybe he had been subconsciously running from this difficulty all along.

"I feel overwhelmed just by saying these words." Chin-hwa said, his gaze stuck to the floor since he was scared to raise them and see Kang-woo’s reaction. "And this was definitely not how I pictured today’s practice to go either," he chuckled. "But... I felt like if I failed to take the opportunity you had presented and finally poured my heart out to you, then I would only stay silent for the rest of my life. I would die in the silent coffin that I built with my own hands and all because..." His eyes grew teary. "All because I was too scared to say the truth!"

He finally raised his head to find Kang-woo staring at him with the same teary eyes and a bewildered expression. He was struck in disbelief but, at the same time, relieved.

Who could’ve known? Not him. He would never have known. He would never have guessed that Chin-hwa felt the same way.

He covered his mouth and looked away.

’How’s my expression? Am I making a fool out of myself right now? Do I look okay?’ he worried about these trivial things but he couldn’t be more glad. "Hwa," he called Chin-hwa whose heart was desperately waiting for his response. "Is this perhaps a dream?"

"Why do you think so?"

"Because," he turned to Chin-hwa, showing the gladness in his eyes, his smile, and his gradually flowing tears. "... It’s just too good to be real,"

Hearing this, Chin-hwa finally let his own tears down.

"Thank God," he exclaimed in extreme relief. For a moment, all sorts of thoughts roamed through his head. Thoughts of Kang-woo wishing it were a dream so he wouldn’t hurt him with his rejection or so it could only be a brief moment of satisfaction for Chin-hwa.

They were thoughts of scenes that were capable of breaking his heart in seconds.

"Does this mean you feel the same way I do?" Chin-hwa asked him. "You love me? Because I love you, Kang-woo. A lot. I love you so much that I could die so please tell me it’s true. Tell me you love me too." He cried and Kang-woo got closer to him.

He held Chin-hwa and said,

"There had never been a day when I did not think of your face, your smile, and your soft hands. There had never been a day when I did not wish I was right next to you, listening to you ramble on and on about your day or how you wish you could do nothing but play all day. My time away from you was more painful than the ordeal I had to face. And with each passing day, even as I see your face, see you smile and live your life, God, I wish you were mine. Because, Hwa, I yearn for you. I’d give up anything and everything just to be with you, and in my darkest moments, your face is what brings me light. How could I ever not love you?"

Chin-hwa broke down in tears. It wasn’t just relief this time but the words Kang-woo said. He felt so touched that he wondered how he had not seen how deeply infatuated Kang-woo had been.

The way they had decided on each other for the longest time was what blinded their eyes to each other’s feelings.

And now that their eyes were open he just kept wishing over, and over that, this did not turn out to be one of those many dreams he eventually woke up from.

This time, he wished it weren’t. And even if it were, he never ever wanted to wake up.

"Byul," he called while Kang-woo held him in his arms, hugging him till he got better. "My Byul,"

"I’m here, Hwa. I’m here."

"Is this real, Byul?"

"Yes, it’s real. We confessed our feelings to each other." Kang-woo said, his heart gleaming in joy.

He never thought this would happen.

To be honest, he had said those words, ’I like you,’ and didn’t have the confidence to back it up. He was going to watch Chin-hwa’s reaction and if it didn’t look good, he would ask, ’You like me too, right, Hwa?’ It would be like a normal word and they could bypass that without getting awkward about it.

But then Chin-hwa took up the courage to confess. He was so glad he did. If not, he might’ve been a coward once more and killed this chance to confess.

It broke the silence in their hearts. He was so happy.

"Hwa, I’m so happy." Knafoso said and kissed Chin-hwa’s cheek.

"Me too. I can’t express my feelings in words but it’s as if a boulder had been lifted from my heart. It was pressing so hard that it made me live in discomfort but after I confessed..." He smiled. "I’m as free as a dove."

"I’m so happy to hear that." He hugged him. "Very happy."

They both sat down on the floor to calm their beating heart.

So many things started to make sense to them. Why they felt comfortable being intimate, kissing and touching each other, was because they harbored feelings for each other in the first place.

Friends who felt nothing from each other wouldn’t go that far. Though, it wasn’t like they had sex. They just released a bit of pent-up tension.

A moment of silence followed with only their beating hearts doing the talking.

What comes next after a confession? Do they kiss or make out? Did this mean they were dating now? But Kang-woo was still dating Yun-tae and he was still dating Ji-hoo.

So, maybe they needed to sort that out first.

’I don’t want to ruin the moment so I won’t ask about that for now.’ Chin-hwa thought, his head on Kang-woo’s shoulder. ’Knowing we feel the same way for each other is enough for now.’

Kang-woo also had similar thoughts. But the more important thing to worry about was their practice.

Now that their hearts were more open and deeply connected, they felt they could do anything. So, with this vigor, they decided to put their all into practice.

The awkwardness died down and surprisingly, they went back to how they used to act. There was nothing special, only, they were now aware that their actions carried meaning.

And just like that, the day of the school festival finally arrived. The atmosphere was electric, with students from all grades buzzing with excitement. Some were nervously fidgeting with their presentation materials, while others were cheerfully rehearsing their performances.

Chin-hwa was pacing backstage, his eyes fixed on the program schedule. They just happened to put them first on the list.

It looked like Yoon-woo, the club president, had it out for him.

He could literally feel his body trembling with the tension. Couldn’t they have put someone else at the top?

"She probably didn’t want you to feel overwhelmed by other people’s performance," Kang-woo said in his ear from behind, and Chin-Hwa turned his head to finally see Kang-woo.

"Where have you been? I’ve been dying of anxiety here. I’m a nervous wreck." Chin-hwa complained. "And look, we’re up first. Everyone is out to get me."

Kang-woo laughed and held Chin-hwa’s hand.

"That’s not true." He said. "Now, relax. Take in three deep breaths and you’ll be fine."

Chin-hwa took a deep breath as he had been told, trying to calm his nerves. He did it three times.

"Do you feel better?" Kang-woo asked but Chin-hwa shook his head, his eyes wobbling like he was going to tear up any moment.

"What do I do?" He asked as he panicked, and Kang-woo, who was supposed to feel sorry for him, felt the urge to laugh.

He was so cute even while he was panicking like this.

"Then, will this make you feel better?" Kang-woo looked around and when he was sure no one was looking, dropped a quick peck on Chin-hwa’s lips.

Chin-hwa’s face blushed.