To Byul (Omegaverse)-Chapter 31: A warm flush of excitement

A long time ago, after Chin-hwa had heard Kang-woo talk about his relationship with him being no more than a brotherly one, he was heartbroken. So heartbroken that he cried in his bathroom silently so no one would know.

He had no idea Kang-woo looked at him so simply and it broke his heart. He realized that all of Kang-woo's actions towards him, his care, his warmth, and his promises... They were no more than they appeared on the surface, and there was no deep meaning to it.

But he liked Kang-woo so much that he didn't know what to do. If Kang-woo learned that he had feelings for him as an Omega towards an Alpha then would he hate him?

Would it ruin their relationship?

He was so scared that that would happen, so he kept his mouth shut about his own feelings.

He simply hoped to make Kang-woo change his mind as they grew. After all, they had several years ahead of them, so he could touch Kang-woo's heart for sure.

But no matter what he did, it didn't seem like Kang-woo's expressions or care was changing into anything more intimate. In the first place, how much more affectionate could Kang-woo get?

He carried his bag for him so he wouldn't stress himself; he protected him, looked after him, smiled at him, and even spent all his time with him.

This was literally the highest level. So, how was he supposed to know if his attempts were working? How was he supposed to know if his heart-felt actions were reaching Kang-woo's heart?

He smiled, blushed when embarrassed, and never frowned at him. So, how was he supposed to know?

It was harder than he thought.

So, should he just give up?

He wanted to give up because it looked like Kang-woo would only look at him one way for the rest of their lives. Yeah, give up while it was still early.

But when he thought it would be easy to give up his feelings and move on while he was still young, Kang-woo would come forward and his subtle and caring gestures made his heart skip a beat, causing him to forget his plans of forgetting his feelings.

It was literally impossible to get over it. Not when Kang-woo was his Byul that shined both at night and during the day too.

But it was even more reason to put more effort into hiding his feelings. He didn't want to lose his Byul.

So, he acted like he always did. He was always clingy, so nothing changed, and no one, not even Kang-woo, suspected that he had feelings for him, though he was still hopeful that he would be able to reach Kang-woo's heart one way and cause him to blush... Not from embarrassment but from a shift in feelings.

A warm flush of excitement on his face while staring at Chin-hwa. Yeah, that would be the sign Chin-hwa would use to determine if his efforts were paying off.

Then, one day, while their school was having a parent-teacher meeting, it happened. (Not the blush, lol)

While the parents were having their conversation in the next class, the kids gathered in one class and were chattering away.

"Hey, I heard you and Lee Kang-woo are engaged." One of the kids said and Chin-hwa's face flushed.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "Hey, don't say things like that. Who's spreading that rumor?"

"Hehe, but it looks like it's true. After all, you two always go around together." Another added and the kids laughed.

Chin-hwa was flustered about their words. Ah, it would've been so much better if they had really been engaged. That way, their future was pretty must set in stone, right?

He couldn't help blushing from thinking about it but he made sure to hide his expression with his palm.

He rested his cheek on his palm with his elbow on his desk while the kids chattered away.

They came to his table to ask various questions they were curious about just because Kang-woo stepped out for a moment.

They were going to use this opportunity to know the real deal between the two most popular kids in school.

'It's a bit annoying.' Chin-hwa thought. 'What's keeping Byul so long?'

"So, Chin-hwa," one of them called, and Chin-hwa raised his head. "What do you think about Lee Kang-woo?"

"Huh?" Chin-hwa tilted his head a bit.

"Don't act dumb," someone nudged him. "We want to know if there's a secret relationship going on between you two. Even if there's no engagement, you two should have feelings, right? You're with him 24/7 and he cares about you so much that he can't look away from you. So," they drew near. "Does he like you? And do you like him too?"

Chin-hwa went silent. Ah, that question... He also wanted to know the answer to it.

A little bit excited, Chin-hwa almost spilled out his thoughts and his true feelings but he realized right away that once he did, then it would reach Kang-woo's ears for sure.

The entire class was paying attention to him and was waiting for what he was going to say. To be on the safe side, he would say the same words Kang-woo had said.

Chin-hwa laughed and said,

"You guys are filled with so many fantasies. Just because we stick around each other, it doesn't mean there's anything romantic in between." He said and rested back on his chair. "Just think of it, we're basically brothers at this point." He smiled. "To me, he's no more than my brother and I'm sure he thinks the same."

The class became oddly silent and then Kang-woo walked into the class. The odd silence with little murmurs remained till Kang-woo got to his seat and sat next to Chin-hwa.

"What's going on here?" He asked,

"Well, we were just curious, that's all." Someone said. "But it seems you guys are so close to the point that you're like brothers. Isn't that right?"

Yeah, they were going to sound Kang-woo out and for a moment, he paused. It looked like he was stunned for a moment, and then he turned to Chin-hwa who was smiling.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Chin-hwa asked him. "You and I are that close."

Kang-woo stared at Chin-hwa with a foreign look in his eyes but he blinked it away and smiled, dropping his hand on his head.

"Yeah, you're right." He bumped their heads lightly together. "We're no more than brothers."

That word 'brother' broke both their hearts but when it looked like the other regarded their relationship as such, there was no way to bring about a correction for fear of losing the other.

That fear dug them into this pit that seemed so deep and far from the surface that there was hardly a glimmer of light.

*****

Chin-hwa woke up and sat up on the bed. He had quite the bed hair but he didn't think of that or his appearance.

He simply glanced at the window that had its blinds closed, but there were rays of light sneaking in through the corners.

There was a listless and sleepy expression on his face, but that wasn't all there was. He touched his cheeks and found out there were tears.

His heart was heavy, recalling that event in his dream.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

He bowed his head, his short hair locks dangling down and his eyes giving way to more tears that rolled down and soaked the sheets.

"Why?" He asked himself while silently sobbing. "Why am I crying? It's just... A memory. It's in the past. So, don't cry anymore. There is... Nothing you can do about it."