The Bet (SF9 DaBin) ~ Book 1

15 ✔️

"So what exactly happened between you and Seokwoo?" Inseong asked as he took the younger aside.
"It's not that something in particular happened" the younger replied, avoiding Inseong's gaze as he was staring down at the ground.
"Juho I'm not stupid. I saw that Seokwoo was crying as well, so what's wrong between you two? Is it because you like him?"
"Hyung it's not like that" the younger immediately replied, trying to hide his hopeless love for his best friend.
"You can't lie to me like that. I see the way you look at him especially when he's with Chanhee. But I still don't get why you helped Chanhee when you love him too."
"I did it because they are both my friends and Seokwoo couldn't stop talking about his feelings for him. I thought it wouldn't bother me this much and that I could just ignore it."
"And now you realized that you can't stand seeing them together?" Inseong guessed and he could only nod his head, lowering it as he was ashamed of himself.
"Juho-yah there's nothing wrong with liking Seokwoo, you know that."
"But it is wrong to be jealous of Chanhee. I tried to ignore it but I can't, every time I see them together I just want to run away. I tried to stay away but I can't and he wouldn't let me either."
"You two have been friends for such a long time, you really wanted to throw this away because you have a crush on him? I get that it's hurting you but he is your best friend and he still needs you. So what do you prefer, still being able to be with him as a friend or never talk with him again?" the older asked, resulting in a heavy silence.
"It's not that I want to stay away from him either but seeing him just makes me realize how hopeless I am. He's my best friend, I was never supposed to fall in love with him" the younger replied, getting angry at himself.
"Juho just don't do anything stupid" Inseong mumbled, the ringing of the bell making them both walking towards their classrooms.
"I'll see you later" the oldest said before entering his class. Juho felt conflicted with himself, he knew that he couldn't avoid Seokwoo and that he didn't want too but it was slowly killing him to see him together with Chanhee. He hated feeling his heart break every time he saw his best friend looking at Chanhee with so much love. He wished so hard that it would be him Seokwoo was looking at like that, he hated himself for even having this thought but he couldn't help it. The Seokwoo in the past was always there for him, always protected him in middle school when people were picking at him because of his height or his introverted personality. He remembered the moment Seokwoo grew taller than him and always protected him from the others, despite him being older. This was the Seokwoo he feel in love with, the caring, selfless and always kind person. Many years later and he still was so much in love with him as when he was in middle school, noticing that Seokwoo must be his only true love while he was just his best friend. Sighing he walked to his own classroom. He already saw Seokwoo sitting at their table and he felt nervous all again, hoping that the younger wouldn't start talking about it again.
"Juho can we please go back to how it was before?" Seokwoo asked as soon as he sat down.
"Just forget everything we talked about please."
"How can I? I just feel bad whenever I'm around Chanhee now."
"Seriously Seokwoo just forget it or else we can never go back to being best friends" the older sighed, noticing the other's shocked expression.
"You won't leave me, right?" Seokwoo asked timidly, sounding close to tears again.
"No Seokwoo of course I won't leave you" he sighed, knowing exactly that leaving him would break his heart even more than watching him and Chanhee being together.

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I can't tell you how much in love I am with Juho during Fanfare Era. He looked like an Anime character (he still does nowadays) but there's just something about it that makes me love him so much.