Chapter 15

I Love You

~Hyunseung’s POV~

It was Friday night so we all wanted to go clubbing. Well, all except Gi Wan. He never drank before, but not counting the time I begged him to drink one bottle. He never WANTED to drink. It’s weird because he was also a boy.

We sat around a table and had drinks laid down on the table in front of us. Soju, vodka, whiskey, brandy. Almost all kinds of alcohol were there. As usual, Junhyung and Doojoon hyung were ahead of us, having their 3^rd bottle already while we were still finishing our first.

I glanced around and saw Gi Wan between Yoseob and Gikwang. He was sitting so low that he wouldn’t be noticed so easily. He was unusually grumpy that night.

“Gi Wan, have a drink!” Junhyung said as he pushed Yoseob aside and plopped himself down. “Come on, just this once. Be drunk and forget your problem. You obviously have one right now.”

“I don’t drink.” Gi Wan said sharply.

“Don’t be difficult, Gi Wan.” Junhyung said, hitting Gi Wan’s shoulder with his hand which was gripping the bottle. “You’re acting like a girl.”

I swear, even if his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hoodie, Gi Wan was staring evilly at Junhyung. His fists were clenched on his knees.

“What?” Junhyung asked as if he didn’t say something harsh. “Just drink this, okay? Then I won’t bother you anymore.” He lifted the bottle and pushed it into Gi Wan’s chest, but suddenly. . .

“What the ??!!!” Gi Wan shouted as he stood up and pushed Junhyung away from him. Almost the whole bottle of vodka was soaking his jacket. “What part of I do not drink don’t you understand?!!”

“Geez, Gi Wan, what is the matter with you tonight?” Junhyung hissed as he got back on his feet with the help of Yoseob. Thanks to the loud music and the already crowded place, not much people noticed the chaos at our table.

“Just leave me alone for once, will you?!!” Gi Wan shouted and stomped out the club through the back door.

I stared at his disappearing figure before making the decision that I had to be there for him. I was his best friend after all.

But there’s this certain feeling that’s bothering me. The feeling that I always want to have a glimpsed of him, that I want him to always be present during our rehearsals and that I want to see beneath the mask.

I even started questioning myself I was straight or not because there were times that I’d find myself staring at him for a few minutes.

Is it true? Am I really a gay around him?

I brushed my thoughts away and grabbed my phone from the table.

“Where are you going, hyung?” Dongwoon asked as he grabbed hold of my wrist.

“Gonna go find out what’s bothering my best friend.” I said and walked out.

The back door led to a silent street, way different from where the front door led. I looked to my right and saw nothing but empty street. I looked to my left and saw the same.

“Where are you?” I wondered aloud.

“Whom are you looking for?” A voice asked from somewhere above me.

I looked up and saw a grumpy looking old man sitting on a ledge a few feet from the floor. He seemed to be somewhat a beggar turned security guard there.

“Are you looking for a girl in a black hoodie?” He asked.

“Aniyo.” I said, still looking around to see if Gi Wan was nearby. “I’m looking for a guy in a black hoodie with a mask on.”

The old man looked up and touched his chin with his index finger. “I’m pretty sure that the person was a girl. She had a long hair.”

Does Gi Wan happen to be one of those very long haired men?

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes.” He said and pointed to the right. “She went that way.”

I know it was ridiculous to believe him because Gi Wan surely(?) is not a girl, but my feet started running to that direction. I almost got dizzy from looking side to side, looking for my best friend.

I ran and ran, but there was no sign of even a single person.

“Aish. Where are you now? Why is it that you always suddenly get out of anybody’s sight?” I asked loudly.

“You know you look stupid, don’t you?” I heard a voice say just a few meters to my right. I was thinking of ignoring him and just continue my search when he spoke again. “I thought you were looking for me, hyung. I guess I thought wrong. I’ll just leave then.”

That was when I turned around and saw a hooded figure jump from what seemed to be a 10-foot tall fence. Yup, totally Gi Wan.

“Mianhe.” I said as I calmly walked towards the figure who was already walking away from me. “I thought you were just a random gangster who does nothing but piss passersby off.”

He shrugged his shoulders and kept on walking.

“Gi Wan.” I said with an exasperated sigh and decided to just jog and catch up with him. When I did, I grabbed his arm and spun him around. As expected, he had his mask on. “I really was looking for you, okay? Don’t even think twice about it.”

He shrugged again and pulled his arm away. “As much as I hate to say this, but Junhyung’s right, you do act like a gay.”

What? Not you as well!I took a deep breath and silently counted to ten as I thought. Okay, Hyunseung, he’s bothered right now. Don’t take it seriously.

“Junhyung?” I asked when I realized he didn’t use ‘hyung’ when he referred to him. “Is he the reason why?”

He looked away. Even if his eyes were shadowed by his hood, I knew he was looking at me the whole time before that. “What’s it to you anyway?” He shook his head and just walked off.

“Gi Wan!” I shouted, but he already disappeared, turning ‘round the corner.