To Byul (Omegaverse)-Chapter 73: And the next day, he came to school with all of them

"Hwa was...lying."

"Oh, yeah? What part?" Dong-cha asked, resting her face on her chin with a knowing smile.

"All of it. Well, most of it, I think." Yun-tae answered and looked up at them. "You guys noticed it too, right?"

They nodded.

"Why else do you think we went ahead to say all that? We were sounding him out to see how he would react." Seoung-bo asked. "And he reacted so unlike himself."

"They say love makes people go crazy," Beom said and laughed.

"His expressions were super convincing though. It was like every word he said was true." Yun-tae added. "You think he might've been a child actor when he was little? He must've been very talented."

"I don't know about that," Dong-cha said, her face suddenly becoming serious. "But if I hadn't been his friend for three years, I might've thought he was telling the truth. Hwa never lies; I mean, he doesn't really care what we think, so he keeps his thoughts to himself and if he doesn't want to go through the hassle of giving an explanation, he'd just shut his mouth and shake his head."

"He's been like that for so long. Remember when he got accused of stealing by that wanna-be cutesy Min-hoo?" Beom brought up. "He said, 'I didn't take it but if you believe I did, whatever.' and just went to his seat. They were all convinced he did but he did not try to stand up for himself. Even when Yun-tae had been dragged into the mess as well. He resolved it amicably with a statement."

"Oh, oh, I remember this one." Seoung-bo said and cleared her throat, planning to mimic him. "And why would I want to dirty my hands with a lousy trinket when I've got tons of better stuff in my closet?"

"And the next day, he came to school with all of them."

Little words, Chin-hwa was a guy of little words. So, when he talked so much, trying to defend Ji-hoo and even bringing up the story of having a crush on him, going through all that trouble to explain so they wouldn't get the wrong idea, they knew he was making it all up so they could believe him by all means.

"But what if he just likes Ji-hoo so much that he can't stand to have us misunderstand him?" Beom asked and they went silent. Yeah, that was a possibility.

They had never seen Chin-hwa in love before, so...

"I still think he was lying." Yun-tae said, brushing the back of his neck. "For some reason, he wants whatever's going on with Ji-hoo to work out and I can't tell what it is. But as for if he really likes Ji-hoo, I know that's a lie."

"Hm, Yun-tae knows him the most, after all." Dong-cha said. "He didn't really look like someone who was in love to me. It might've been a farce they both planned together. But what for?"

They tried to think about it but couldn't come up with a suitable solution.

"Haa, I guess we'll just have to watch, wait and see what happens." Dong-cha said and they all nodded in agreement.

"And what about you, Yun-Tae?" Seoung-bo asked and Yun-tae raised his head to look at her.

"What?"

"Oh, yeah." Dong-cha added. "You seemed a bit out of it when Ji-hoo announced their relationship. Are you okay? Do you feel unwell?"

"Uh, yeah. It was just a momentary feeling of disbelief and doubt. I just couldn't accept their relationship right away." He managed to smile. "I'm fine now."

"Well, that's good then. Make sure to take care of your health, okay?"

Yun-tae had noticed not just Chin-hwa's lie. He didn't know why but something seemed wrong with Kang-woo's reaction and his expression.

It was normal to worry about one's best friend but to that extent? It would almost look like they were in a relationship or something. As if deep feelings were attached.

Yun-tae paused as soon as he thought about it. Deep feelings attached. Wait, it couldn't be, right?

"Hey, can I ask something?" Yun-tae brought up as he raised his head. "For example, you've got this friend who had a childhood best friend they grew up with,"

"Like Chin-hwa and Kang-woo?" Beom asked but he shook his head.

"No, let's not use them. Use someone who doesn't exist, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Keep talking." Dong-cha gave him the go-ahead.

"So, these two did everything together, and were never apart, but then one day, one left for what felt like a few years, leaving the other to cry alone in sadness."

"I see where you're going with this," Beom said, perking up his glasses like a genius.

"You do?" Yun-tae asked and he snapped his fingers.

"Not able to take the loneliness, they decide to take their life and then when the best friend comes back, he finds a funeral being held, right?" He confidently said but Yun-tae palmed his face.

"Stupid Beom, you're talking about lovers. This is a tale of best friends, not lovers." Seoung-bo said.

"Hm? Is that right? But why would you cry with sadness because your best friend was going away for a few years? It's not like you can't go to visit them or watch them on video call, right? They didn't die, just living in another country."

"Y-yeah, that's right." Yun-tae nodded, a bit unsure. He did not know the exact details but he decided to just go with that.

"Yun, if they were normal best friends, then maybe one would cry for a few days, but that was it since they're not actually dead and just living apart."

"Right!" Beom nodded.

"But if the sadness persists so much that it even creates a shallow feeling and a hole in their heart, then that's no normal friendship." Seoung-bo explained.

"It... It's not?"

"I don't think it is." She answered and Yun-tae bowed his head. So, it wasn't normal what Chin-hwa and Kang-woo were going through?

That could not be considered a normal friendship? Then what is it?

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"So, would it be normal if this returned best friend suddenly got jealous when he found his best friend dating someone else?" Yun-tae asked and they went silent for a brief moment, thinking about it.

"Well, in some cases, yes, since it would feel like his position was snatched but he would eventually get over it and be happy for his best friend since that meant they had found love and were happy. But if he remained jealous, even going as far as jeopardizing the relationship, that would mean something else." Seoung-bo explained.

"Maybe an obsession." Beom suggested.

"Yeah, or he already considered that best friend belonged to them since they had been together for the longest time. They wouldn't want anyone to come between them. It could be love and at the same time, an obsession."

Yun-tae went silent as he twisted his lips in contemplation.

It couldn't be, right? Chin-hwa and Kang-woo... Were they really in love with each other this whole time?

The way Kang-woo looked at Chin-hwa with guilt and longing in his eyes. The way Chin-Hwa turned his head away, biting his lips as he tries hard to suppress something.

He had been watching the both of them all the while so he had seen every bit of it.

Then, what about his feelings?

"Seoung-bo, you know so much of these things," Yun-tae said and Seoung-bo raised her head, her nose pointing out in pride.

"Why, of course. The books I read aren't for fancy, you know."

"Then, I have one more thing to ask." He said, "What is love?"