𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙁𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 : 𝙃𝙚𝙚𝙟𝙖𝙠𝙚

6.

Author's POV:

[James Arthur: Can I Be Him]

The sun had barely risen when Jaeyun and Sunghoon staggered back to their apartment, the remnants of their drunken night still clinging to them. Jaeyun, bleary-eyed and exhausted, collapsed onto his bed without another word, his mind blissfully empty as sleep claimed him.

The next morning, Jaeyun awoke with a pounding headache and a hazy recollection of the previous night. He vaguely remembered the party, the drinking, and running into the restroom in tears, but everything else was a blur. Sunghoon's confession had been swallowed by the fog of alcohol and exhaustion.

Sunghoon, meanwhile, woke up feeling a mix of apprehension and resignation. He knew Jaeyun had been too drunk to remember his confession, and he wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Deciding it was best to let things lie for now, he resolved not to bring it up again unless Jaeyun did.

Days turned into weeks, and the two friends settled back into their routine. They attended classes at the university, studied together, and hung out like they always did. On the surface, everything seemed normal. But underneath, Sunghoon's feelings simmered quietly, a constant undercurrent that he kept hidden.

Jaeyun, for his part, found his thoughts drifting back to Heeseung more often than he liked. He couldn't shake the image of Heeseung kissing that girl, the pang of jealousy and hurt still fresh. He tried to focus on his studies, but every morning Heeseung insisted on dropping off Jaeyun and Sunghoon to their university as it falls in the way to his work.

One afternoon, Jaeyun and Sunghoon were sitting in the university library, surrounded by stacks of textbooks and papers. The quiet hum of the library provided a stark contrast to the noisy chaos of their thoughts.

"Hey, Sunghoon, do you think Heeseung is dating someone?" Jaeyun asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Sunghoon looked up from his notes, his expression guarded. "I don't know. Maybe. He doesn't tell me anything, Why?"

Jaeyun shrugged, fidgeting with his pen. "I just... I can't stop thinking about him. It's like no matter what I do, he's always on my mind."

Sunghoon's heart sank a little at Jaeyun's words, but he forced a smile. "Well, you've always looked up to him. It makes sense that you'd think about him a lot."

Jaeyun nodded, but his brow furrowed in frustration. "It's more than that. I've always admired him for as long as I can remember."

"But it feels like he started to acknowledge my presence just now after all those years, it's like I mean something to him when I clearly don't atleast he's made sure of that. " Jaeyun sighs.

Sunghoon's chest tightened. He wanted to tell Jaeyun about his own feelings, to confess again and let him know he wasn't alone in his heartache. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, not when Jaeyun was still so hung up on Heeseung.

"Maybe it's time to focus on yourself for a bit," Sunghoon suggested gently. "Take a break from thinking about Heeseung and try to figure out what makes you happy."

Jaeyun sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, maybe you're right. It's just... whatever let him do whatever he wants."