WILD HEART | SEOJUN X SUHO | TRUE BEAUTY

CH5

SeoJun was sitting alone on the edge of his bed, the afternoon sun barely peeking through the partially open curtains of his room. The warm light seemed to mock him, bringing with it a sense of stillness that he could not find within himself. He ran a hand through his dark hair, tousling it as he sighed deeply. His phone vibrated on the bedside table, and without even looking at it, he knew he didn't want to respond. Lately, he hadn't wanted to talk to anyone. What would he even say, anyway? He didn't have the words, not even for himself.

"Why do I feel this way?" he wondered for the umpteenth time. The past few weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster that he couldn't quite comprehend. At first, he thought it was the typical discomfort of seeing JuKyung, someone he had shared so much with, now happy with another. Watching her smile like that when she was with SuHo caused a sharp pain in his chest, one he had tried to ignore from the beginning. But no matter how hard he tried, that feeling wouldn't go away; on the contrary, it intensified. And it wasn't about JuKyung, he knew that. It was SuHo.

The thought hit him like a punch to the gut. He had spent so long avoiding the truth that now that he was confronting it, he could do nothing but feel a devastating confusion.

"How did I not see this before?" he questioned. It wasn't jealousy over JuKyung. It wasn't anger or resentment towards SuHo for having won her over. The pain, the nerves, the whirlwind of emotions he experienced every time he was near them came from something much deeper: it was SuHo who had him trapped.

At first, he had convinced himself it was just jealousy over JuKyung. It made sense, after all. They had shared something special, or so he had thought. But now, over time, he understood that what he had felt for her was not what he had believed. Of course, he had cared for her, desired her, but not in the way that SuHo made him feel.

He abruptly got off the bed, feeling the need to move, to escape from his thoughts. He walked to the window, and as he opened it, the cold afternoon air hit his face, clearing his mind somewhat. Outside, the world continued on its course, oblivious to the storm raging within him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but the image of SuHo continued to invade his thoughts.

He remembered the last meeting they had all three attended. SeoJun had arrived first, and while waiting for the others, he couldn't help but feel nervous, as if something imminent was about to happen. When SuHo and JuKyung arrived together, smiling, the feeling of pressure in his chest intensified. He watched as SuHo, with his usual calmness and charisma, sat next to JuKyung and began talking about something trivial, probably about their studies or the latest film they had watched together.

But SeoJun wasn't paying attention to the words. He could only see the way SuHo looked at her, how his eyes lit up slightly when he spoke to her. It was evident that SuHo was in love with her. And although he should have felt happy for them, SeoJun only felt an unbearable pain, an emptiness he couldn't explain.

After that encounter, things hadn't improved. If anything, they had worsened. Every time he saw SuHo, he felt a mix of longing and frustration. He couldn't go on like this, but he also didn't know how to stop what he was feeling.

WILD HEART

Meanwhile, JuKyung was trying to distract herself from the troubles in her own life. She had accepted a friend's invitation to attend a baseball game, something she never would have imagined doing on her own. But somehow, being among the crowd, cheering along with everyone else, helped clear her mind. In recent weeks, she had noticed something strange about SeoJun, but she couldn't quite identify what it was. He seemed increasingly distant, more reserved. Although they still talked and occasionally went out, there was something in his gaze, something that hadn't been there before.