Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
01.
"You fucked her, didn't you?"
Taehyung smiles as he puts down the pen he was holding. "Maybe. Are you jealous?"
Jeongguk closes his eyes when the cloud which was obscuring the sun passes. Taehyung's question echoes in his mind. Is he jealous? Perhaps he is.
Opening his eyes, Jeongguk sees that Taehyung's looking at him. He looks unreal. So beautiful that Jeongguk finds himself not knowing how to let the words he intended to say out of his mouth.
Taehyung tilts his head. His hair falls on his face – small brown curls that Jeongguk adores. He's waiting for Jeongguk to answer. But Jeongguk doesn't know what to say.
He never knows it when Taehyung admits he's been with someone else. Someone that isn't him. Jeongguk should be used to it by now, but he isn't. He's known Taehyung since they were eleven-year-old middle schoolers. He's seen Taehyung growing older, growing more handsome than any man Jeongguk's ever met. He's seen him hooking up, getting girlfriends, even a boyfriend.
Jeongguk couldn't help but feel a little helpless every time Taehyung introduced him to them. A little vulnerable, a little delusional.
He should be used to it. But he isn't. And every time it hurts like hell.
Jeongguk looks for a brief moment at his diary. It's right in front of him and it's full of messy scribbles. They should be doing homework right now. Why did Jeongguk ask him about that girl? What was her name? Jeongguk can't remember it. Maybe it's Misun. Jeongguk thinks it's Misun.
When Jeongguk talks, his throat is dry. "Why would I be jealous?"
Taehyung shrugs and starts writing again. Jeongguk notices he's writing a poem. Taehyung writes them often, too often. But Jeongguk never reproaches him because he likes them too much.
"She's nice."
Jeongguk resists the urge to roll his eyes. He's brought up the conversation. Taehyung's only continuing it. "Misun?"
"Mijun."
"Misun's nice?"
"Mijun, Jeongguk. Mijun. With a j, not an s. She was good." Jeongguk observes Taehyung pull up the sleeve of the shirt. He's dressed too well for spending their afternoon in Jeongguk's backyard. It's May and it's too hot to wear a shirt and long pants, but Taehyung doesn't seem to mind. Jeongguk glances at his T-shirt and shorts and chuckles. "Are you listening to me?"
"Yeah," says Jeongguk. "How good on a scale from 0 to 10?"
"Probably a six-point five. Maybe a seven."
Jeongguk snorts. "That's not good."
"You don't know my scale. I mean, I'm pretty critical with that stuff."
