Minutes after Gary left the classroom, Mr Ryu entered and placed his folder on the table. He looked up and spotted the two empty seats at the back of the classroom.
He scanned around the room to see who the two missing people were. "Where are Rye Il and Gary?" He looked at Hye Won and questioned.
Her eyes darted around the classroom and her mind went blank for moment. "They.. They went to the washroom." She stuttered and exchanged glances with Jihyo.
"Yes, the washroom." Hye Won repeated, saying it firmly this time.
Mr Ryu raised his eyebrows and gave her an unconvinced look. "Okay then. Lesson shall start without them." He wrote the objective of the lecture on the whiteboard before passing down the stack of binded notes to the students.
Hye Won quickly take out her phone and sent a message to Rye Il and Gary.
Where are the both of you? Mr Ryu is here. I told him that you guys went to the washroom. Come back quick!
"Hye Won?"
Startled, she quickly stuff her phone into her bag and lifted her head up. "Yes, Mr Ryu?" She tried not to sound nervous.
"Please pay attention." He told her before shifting his focus back to his laptop.
Gary headed straight towards the staircase leading to the rooftop garden where Rye Il and him would usually hang out at. He stepped out from the staircase landing into the open space and looked around. A slight breeze brushed across his face as he walked towards the near edge of the roof garden.
Rye Il was standing there, with his back slightly bent and his arms resting on the railing. He heard footsteps coming from the left side but didn't budge an inch, not even turning his head.
The sound of the footsteps stopped right beside him. "I didn't expect myself to fall in love with her." Rye Il pretended that he didn't hear and continued observing the people walking across the walkway below them.
"I know we agreed to have a fair competition but honestly speaking, it wouldn't have work out if both of us didn't have any mutual feelings for each other."
In an instant, Rye Il's expression changed. His eyebrows furrowed and his nonchalant look was replaced with an obvious irritation. "Mutual feelings? Are you here to show off?" He snapped.
"I've absolutely no intention of showing off. You're upset, and I get it but can you just hear me out?" Gary was trying his best to have a proper conversation with Rye Il but it's not going to be possible with him questioning everything that he said.
"Fine." Rye Il looked him straight in the eyes and waited for him to speak.
"When I first met her, I really didn't have any feeling for her. In fact, I wasn't even interested or curious about her. But just like what you said, it's hard to predict the future. Slowly, we started hanging out more often and I got to know her better. Knowing that I was feeling down yesterday, she came to look for me at Yeouido hangang park, and I know you're the one who told her the place. The person who I once thought was an arrogant diva turned out to be someone caring and humble, a complete opposite of what I thought. And I think that's when it happen. I started liking her and without knowing where I got the courage from, I confessed to her." He paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "You feel betrayed, you feel angry and you probably want to throw a few punches at me. You have every right to think that way, to feel that way. I just don't want to lose a friend over a girl. It's not worth it."
"You could have at least told me that you like her instead of denying it. I feel like a real fool right now." Rye Il scoffed and glared at him.
"You can't blame me for everything. There were opportunities for you to confess to her but you chose not to do so. And even if you did confess and if she rejects you, are you going to blame it on me?" Gary retorted. As much as he wanted to stay calm, talking to Rye Il was getting him even more frustrated.
"No, I won't but- Arghh!" Rye Il let out a frustrated shout and vented his anger on the metal railing by throwing a few kicks at it.
He slammed his hands down on the railing, and kept his head low, his eyes fixed on the ground. Gary was right about him not taking the opportunity to confess. He couldn't continue with what he want to say. He couldn't think of any logical statement to rebut Gary.
Seeing that Rye Il was starting to calm down, Gary approached him again. "It's a fact that Jihyo and I are together, and as selfish as I may sound, I really hope that you will accept it. Knowing me for five years, you should know me well enough that I won't do things like backstabbing someone."
"Of course I know." Rye Il mumbled and looked at him. The anger in his eyes faded to disappointment. "I just can't quite believe that you beat me to it." He said.
Gary suddenly stretched his hand out to him. "What?" Rye Il frowned and looked at Gary's hand.
"Let's call it truce with this handshake. What do you say?" Gary tilted his head towards Rye Il, waiting for his response.
Rye Il's eyes flicked from Gary's hand to his face. "Better treat her nicely." He warned before slapping his hand against Gary's outstretched hand.
***
Author's note
Happy 2017! Starting the new year with a gift for you guys! New chapter today! And if possible, I may update another chapter later!
