WILD HEART | SEOJUN X SUHO | TRUE BEAUTY

CH4

SeoJun walked down the street with his hands in his pockets, feeling the pressure in his chest grow with each step he took. He had been avoiding her. Avoiding JuKyung, because the more time he spent with her, the clearer his feelings became, and that scared him. At first, it had all been a simple game, a way to annoy SuHo, to intensify their rivalry. But now... things had become complicated.

He couldn't shake off the way JuKyung smiled when they talked, or how her eyes sparkled when they debated trivial matters. How had it come to this? SeoJun sighed, stopping for a moment to look at the grey sky. He wasn't used to feeling so vulnerable. The old SeoJun would have carried on with his plan without hesitation. But something had changed. JuKyung mattered to him.

He wondered if it was love he felt, and that doubt was driving him mad. He didn't want to fall for her. Not like this, not when his true intentions had never been pure. He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, unable to escape the whirlwind of emotions consuming him.

A text message pulled him from his thoughts. It was from JuKyung.

[Message to SeoJun]:

"Can we talk, please?" SeoJun's heart skipped a beat. He knew he couldn't keep avoiding her, so he quickly replied, agreeing to meet at the bookshop.

When SeoJun arrived at the bookshop, JuKyung was already there, sitting where she usually did, with a bit of food in front of her, although it seemed she hadn't eaten much. She looked nervous, fiddling with the edge of her coat, avoiding looking around.

SeoJun approached, and seeing her so anxious, he felt a pang of guilt wash over him. He sat down silently across from her, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. It was as if they were both searching for the right words, but the air between them was thick with tension.

Finally, it was JuKyung who broke the silence.

"SeoJun, I need to be honest with you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't know what's happening... with you, with me, with SuHo... Everything is so confusing."

SeoJun stared at her, feeling his heart begin to race. He wasn't prepared for this conversation, but he knew he couldn't keep running away.

"I know," he replied softly, lowering his gaze. "I don't know how we got to this point either." JuKyung furrowed her brow slightly.

"Sometimes I think that... maybe I've never really understood what you feel. I mean, sometimes you're so kind, but then you're distant. And with SuHo... it's all even more confusing." SeoJun knew this was the moment to be honest, at least in part. He couldn't reveal everything, but he didn't want to keep pretending more than necessary.

"JuKyung," he began slowly, choosing his words carefully. "At first, everything was... different. I didn't know what I was doing. But... now it's complicated. I care about you, more than I should." JuKyung looked at him intently, surprised by his words. SeoJun rarely spoke directly about his feelings, and even less so in a vulnerable manner.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with confusion. SeoJun leaned on the table, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't want this to become something serious, but here we are. I can't keep pretending that it's all just a game." JuKyung didn't know how to respond. There was a part of her that wanted to believe him, but at the same time, their relationship had always been complicated, filled with misunderstandings and unexpressed feelings.

"Do you care about me?" she asked, her eyes shining with a mix of hope and confusion. SeoJun nodded, feeling his heart thumping heavily in his chest.

"Yes, but not in the way you think. I don't know. I'm as confused as you are." They fell silent, and in that moment, JuKyung let out a trembling sigh, as if she had finally reached her emotional limit.