Not Her || HAOBIN

Ch# 15 - Sunday RIDE

Jiwoong trudged back inside the farmhouse, muttering curses under his breath. "That fucking idiot Hao is going to screw things up so bad," he grumbled, shaking his head in frustration. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the tension building up as he walked toward the room he shared with Hao.

As he pushed open the door, he froze, his irritation momentarily forgotten. Ricky was sitting on Hao's bed, staring blankly out the window, tears streaming down his cheeks. The sight tugged at something deep within Jiwoong, and he sighed heavily, shutting the door behind him with a soft click before locking it.

Jiwoong hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside Ricky on the bed. He watched Ricky in silence for a few seconds, his heart aching for his friend. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice gentle. "Hey... you okay?"

Ricky didn't respond. He couldn't. The lump in his throat was too big, and he didn't know what to say, what to feel. He kept his gaze fixed on the darkened window, the tears falling faster now, unchecked and unstoppable.

Jiwoong sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't know how to comfort Ricky, but he had to try. "Do you... remember that time when we were dating?" he asked, his tone soft and a little hesitant.

Ricky's head snapped toward Jiwoong, his eyes wide in disbelief. How could Jiwoong be talking about that now, of all times? His mind was too chaotic to process it, and he just stared at Jiwoong, confused and a little hurt.

Jiwoong noticed Ricky's expression and scoffed lightly, shaking his head. "Yeah, I know, weird timing, but just... listen, okay?" He leaned back on his hands, staring up at the ceiling as he continued. "You used to talk about your friends a lot back then. But there was one person you mentioned more than the others."

Ricky's brow furrowed in confusion, his tears slowing as he tried to make sense of Jiwoong's words. "What... what are you talking about?" he finally croaked, his voice hoarse.

"Gyuvin," Jiwoong said, meeting Ricky's gaze. "You used to talk about him all the time. I didn't think much of it at first, but then... well, you kept bringing him up. You'd tell stories about everyone, but somehow, Gyuvin always came up more. You'd talk about how talented he was, how funny he was, how much you admired him."

Ricky's breath hitched, and fresh tears welled up in his eyes. The memories flooded back—how he'd always found a way to mention Gyuvin in every conversation, how he'd light up whenever Gyuvin was around. He'd never realized how obvious it was, but now, hearing Jiwoong say it, it all came crashing down on him.

Jiwoong watched Ricky's reaction, his expression softening. "Honestly, Ricky, I used to think you were into him," Jiwoong admitted with a bitter chuckle. "I felt jealous. I mean, I was your boyfriend, but it felt like Gyuvin was always there, in your head, in your heart."

Ricky let out a choked sob, burying his face in his hands as the tears came harder. The weight of Jiwoong's words was too much—he didn't know what to do with all this pain, this confusion.

Jiwoong reached out, gently placing a hand on Ricky's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay," he said softly, squeezing Ricky's shoulder reassuringly. "I've seen how much you adore him, even if you don't realize it yourself. It's written all over your face when you look at him, when you talk about him."

Ricky shook his head, his voice barely a whisper as he finally spoke. "What's the point? He hates me now... I hurt him so bad."

Jiwoong sighed, rubbing his hand in slow circles on Ricky's back. "Yeah, maybe he's hurt right now, but that's because he cares about you. If he didn't give a shit, he wouldn't be this upset. Love... love is complicated, man. It's messy and painful, but it's worth it. You two have something real, something worth fighting for."