Gold | Park Sunghoon

28

I really like you

Jangmi walked to the classroom with Sunoo by her side, clinging onto his arm unconsciously. She wrote the letter last night, folded it neatly, and slid it into an empty folder so that it wouldn't end up crumpling in her bag. While her best friend was rambling about his random musings that day, she found herself getting lost in thought as she tried to determine the right time to drop it in Sunghoonʼs locker—and it didn't go unnoticed by him. He didn't mind that she wasn't paying much attention; in fact, he enjoyed seeing her far-off look of wonderment, a complete contrast to how she was usually the one paying full attention.

"Thinking about Sunghoon hyung?" Sunoo nudged her teasingly, earning a playful hit to his shoulder. "From this moment on, your life will change!" he added excitedly, not caring if she would find him and his words a bit annoying.

Even if she looked slightly annoyed, she couldn't help but be confused. Why was he so excited? And how big of a change was he even talking about?

"He doesn't like me like that, okay? I just need to confess to him through this letter and save myself from getting my heart broken," she told Sunoo with a sigh. To be honest, she found the whole situation unsettling. Imagining a rejection already hurt, but having to imagine being rejected by Sunghoon felt way worse. He was already such a big part in her life now, and she didn't want to lose him. If he didn't like her that way, she would force herself to live with the pain and awkwardness for the rest of her life if it meant having him stay in her life.

Sunoo pulled Jangmi closer to him to grab her attention. "When are you even planning to give the letter? We just passed his locker," he pointed to the familiar spot. She instantly shook her head. "Maybe lunch time?"

"Why? The anticipation will kill you—and I know it."

"Imagine how awkward lunch would be if I planned to drop the letter now," she explained in a panicked manner, making Sunoo laugh. He turned to her with a reassuring smile. "You really need to relax."

She didn't even understand why she was overthinking so much. Of course, there was a chance that he liked her back, but it was only slim. As much as she wanted to just follow his advice, she couldn't get herself to do so. Her mind was too preoccupied with imagined words of rejection coming from his lips.

"By the way, how did you explain my message to your brother?" He asked randomly, turning his head back to her sharply with an uneasy smile. Jangmi chuckled lightly, giving Sunoo a little reassurance. "I just told him the whole thing and explained. He said he wasn't mad that I liked Sunghoon oppa, he was just annoyed that I hid it from him."

Sunoo nodded and sighed in relief. He really didn't mean to send the message to Jay, but his fingers unconsciously pressed the last person he messaged—which was usually Jangmi. Apparently, the last person he messaged was her older brother, replying to a message that asked if he wanted konjac jelly from home. ("By the way, here's the jelly my brother promised you," she said as she fished out the mango-flavored packet from her pocket and handed it to him.)